Mel, having dramatically kidnapped Paul by grabbing his shoulder, soared through the sky. Paul’s screams, as if forced onto a roller coaster far more intense than any other, also hurtled through the air.
“So, where is the place that enshrines that Divine Pillar!? I rushed off in the direction I vaguely pointed, but nothing can begin without knowing the details of the location!”
“Ugh, ooh, aaaaaahhhh—!?”
“You won’t be understood if you’re screaming! Don’t get scared by this speed!”
Just like with Kelvin, Mel’s training methods were a bit rough. Paul, experiencing hell for what felt like the umpteenth time today, fulfilled his role as a guide through sheer grit.
“I see, so it was in a place like that in the mountains, the hiding spot for the Divine Pillar…”
“Ooh! That place, year-round! With heavy snow! With snow and ice! What’s built on the ground! Is completely! Buried!”
Once again, Paul’s screams echoed across the sky. However, the information Mel wanted was conveyed. All that’s left is to endure the super-speed without “spitting a rainbow” and rely on guts. When he overcomes this trial, he will likely grow into a man who is a step bigger.
“Uooohhh—! Guts—!”
“Paul, please be quiet for a moment. You’ll alert Rukil with your shouting. Do you properly understand the meaning of hiding yourselves with the False Fog?”
“Unfair—!”
For Paul, it was truly a day that felt like the culmination of all his misfortunes, but perhaps it was fortunate that he didn’t bite his tongue during the journey.
A little while later, Mel and the others arrived at their destination. Reigand’s second demonic realm, where a constant blizzard raged, covering everything in white, known as “The Silver Prison.” Incidentally, the first demonic realm is the Reigand Spirit Ice Mountain.
“We’ve arrived. According to Paul’s story, there’s a landmark shrine around here… Well, it’s buried in this snow, isn’t it? Really, what’s the point of a landmark. Paul, where is the shrine?”
“Fuh, fuhuhu… I endured, I endured it, Edgar…!”
“…Paul? (Smiling)”
“Yes! There, there it is! That spot alone, the way the snow has piled up is unnatural!”
With Mel’s wonderful smile right in front of him, Paul was forcibly awakened. Next, she explained the following steps.
“Once you find the shrine, make a turn towards the west! Proceed in that direction, and from the first large tree you hit, advance forward precisely twenty-seven steps to the north! By the way, the stride length here is based on the standards of the first King of Reigand—”
“—Paul, I’m not Shutra. I can’t confidently remember such a long process. Therefore, tell me the answer clearly so that I can understand it, the answer.”
“Eh!?”
Afterward, Paul managed to show Mel the destination by somehow devising ways to lead her to the answer. It seemed he did so in a desperate struggle.
“Heh, I did it, Edgar…”
As a result, Paul collapsed backward, spitting out something that looked like his soul. Even for Paul, his stamina and grit had finally run out here.
“I see, so this is the secret location of the Divine Pillar…”
Disregarding Paul’s “dying words,” Mel looked around. In her vision, an underground space covered by pale blue ice walls spread out. In the center stood Reigand’s Divine Pillar, and in front of it was the silhouette of someone.
“It’s quite surprising that such an underground facility was built directly beneath the ice land covered by snow. And the key to unlocking the seal in this place was that blood, was it? …Rukil.”
Facing Mel once again was Rukil, who had just snatched Paul’s blood from him. A defiant smile played on her lips, and the small vial containing Paul’s blood was no longer in her hand.
“…In this country, there is a legend from its founding that a divine messenger drove away an evil dragon. The common people do not recognize it as history, but merely as one of many stories. However, some of the royal family knew that it was an event that actually occurred, and that the origin of the divine messenger was this Divine Pillar. Great power that could drive away even vicious dragons… It became Reigand’s final trump card and a secret matter that must never be given to outsiders.”
“You know a lot about this country?”
“It’s not just this country that I’m knowledgeable about. While you reigned as the Reincarnated Goddess, I have been working in the shadows for hundreds of years as a preparation period. On this surface, there is no one more versed in the world than I.”
“Well, I wonder about that?”
Mel and Rukil did not avert their gazes. It wasn’t that they were exchanging fiery glances, but they stared intently and quietly, as if trying to see through each other’s hearts.
“…The Kings of past generations likely feared handing over that power to others. This place is designed to collapse if the blood of Reigand’s First Prince is not used as the key. It’s bothersome to forcibly pry it open and excavate the Divine Pillar from the collapsed area, and above all, I didn’t have the time to do such a thing while evading the eyes of the Ten Authorities. Their objective is the destruction of the Divine Pillar, which possesses great power.”
“So, you absolutely needed Paul’s blood, is that right? However, I don’t like that way of speaking. It makes it sound as if you’re not in league with the Ten Authorities? Judging by the situation, it’s highly probable that you were the one who revived the Ten Authorities using the bodies of the Chiefs of Angels… Yet, saying that your objectives don’t align with the Ten Authorities is quite strange. Rukil, what exactly is your objective? What are you trying to do using the Divine Pillar?”
“………”
Rukil fell silent at Mel’s words and then turned on her heel, walking towards the Divine Pillar. Two steps, three steps, slowly, surely. Her turned back appeared defenseless at first glance, but strangely, Mel couldn’t bring herself to strike first. She instinctively felt that she shouldn’t touch her. As she approached the Divine Pillar, Rukil suddenly opened her mouth.
“…The mission I was ordered to undertake by the Ten Authorities was the elimination of Melfina, the previous Reincarnated Goddess. The accompanying mission of the Ten Authorities was the destruction of this Divine Pillar. Of course, I have no intention of carrying out my mission. Nor do I intend to let the Ten Authorities destroy the Divine Pillar. Because, because—”
Rukil began to tremble, her voice and her entire body shaking. Furthermore, she slowly tried to turn back towards Mel. Seeing Rukil’s abnormal change in condition, Mel, naturally, intensified her vigilance. She calmed her heart to remain composed no matter what happened.
…However, upon seeing the expression on Rukil’s face as she turned, Mel’s heart was greatly disturbed in that moment. Deep within Rukil’s pupils resided a magnificent pink heart mark. It was as if she had encountered Colette one-on-one, and Mel’s spine froze for a moment. Various other pressures pierced her skin, instilling fear in Mel’s heart. What is this? What is she? Is such a thing allowed to exist in this world? Is it permissible? Along with fear, such questions flooded her mind.
“—Because, my wish is for Lord Melfina to continue being the Reincarnated Goddess. Forever and ever, through all eternity, for a long, long time, for a long, long time! To reign… as my ideal goddess (heart).”
“Hieeeh…!”
The long centuries had transformed the Witch of Vengeance into a fanatic. A dark, terrible fanatic at that.
