The one who suddenly attacked was not an enemy, but Hell’s Overseer.
Hyde was tilting his head, pondering my proposal.
“No, that won’t do.”
It’s not going to work, was what I wanted to retort. I thought this was the part where we’d team up.
“I’ll report this to Father. I have no choice but to have Father resolve problems that I cannot.”
Even as a child, he’s so reliable. He’s the type to ask his superior for help when he can’t solve something himself.
“By the way, who is your father?”
“He’s the King of the Underworld, Hades. Though I’m not related by blood.”
Eh? This kid is Hades’ son? I haven’t met Hades, but I know who he is. He’s the brother of Zeus, who can shoot lightning, and Poseidon, who controls the sea. Hades, the ruler of Hell. Does this mean I can get a direct line to the President through him?
“Oh, I see. Um, can I meet Hades? I want to ask him to utterly obliterate Auroa with his strongest power.”
“What is this ‘strongest power’? I can’t do such a thing, which is why I’m looking for you, isn’t it?”
I was chided that not everything is possible, even for the King of the Underworld.
“Yes, I apologize.”
“To tell you the truth, my job is to close the hole you came through. Apparently, you forced it open using a giant magic stone from the Human World. What kind of person is this Auroa?”
I briefly relayed the information I had gathered. Hyde nodded with a serious expression.
“Auroa is incredible, but your group’s persistence is also remarkable. Thank you very much. I must be going now, so please stay put here.”
Eh? Eh? Don’t just leave me like this. Hyde put on a strange-shaped helmet he had tucked under his arm. It was a little too big for his small head. It had a peculiar design with bird wings and dog ears. Then, as he passed Nina, he set up a fallen coffin.
The wriggling chains were neatly arranged and silent. As Hyde shouldered the coffin, the chains voluntarily wrapped around his body.
“What’s with the coffin?”
“This? This is one of the Hell Weapons. Its real name is Spacegate 1013-Z, but I call it an item box.”
I decided to follow him as he started walking, just on a hunch. It would be natural to talk while walking, right?
“Is it called an item box because it can hold anything?”
“Well, yes. If you put living things inside, they’ll die. Inside is a zero-gravity, vacuum space. However, the energy that entered seems to be preserved.”
So that’s why they only took the soul. What would have happened if they had only taken the body? What a convenient item. With this, I can store all my food and sundries and take them out whenever I like.
“It’s the best. Just like a Hell item.”
“However, it’s a Hell Weapon. It lives by consuming magic power. If you can’t pay the price, it will take your blood and flesh.”
Well, that’s true. There are no such easy deals. If you desire great power, you must make a pact with a demon for your soul.
“Besides, you can’t keep storing things forever. Hell Weapons are a type of demonic beast, so to speak. Since they are alive, they will eat if they get hungry.”
“Oh…? Have you ever had your blood and flesh taken?”
“The first time, it almost ate me. When I use it, I attach the chains to a part of my body. They look like iron, but they are actually the mouth of the Hell Weapon.”
Attaching them to a part of your body? Won’t you be eaten out of whimsy then? He says the chains are mouths, but they’re growing on the sides of the coffin, and I feel like one is sticking its tongue out at me.
While we were casually chatting, our footsteps sounded with each step, but is Hyde okay with this? I appreciate it, though.
“Um, are you going to guide me like this?”
“It can’t be helped. I can’t fly right now either.”
So he was flying. That’s why I didn’t hear any footsteps. Hyde said he himself was a Dark Harpy, but how did he end up here?
“Why can’t you fly now?”
“Because I fought with you earlier. I consumed too much magic power. If I don’t think carefully, I’ll have to drag this coffin around.”
It seems this coffin is quite heavy. Indeed, it’s a bit too large for a boy to carry on his back. He apparently uses magic power to levitate it. I thought it was a convenient item box, but it’s too difficult to handle.
“There’s no such thing as getting power with no risk.”
Just then, the child of the human-faced bird, who had been hiding somewhere, returned.
“Ah, why are you here?”
“Don’t tell me you know each other?”
The child politely bowed to Hyde.
“You should tell me if you see any strange people. This child’s father is a familiar of Lord Hades.”
The child scratched his head unapologetically.
