“Are you sure?”
“Yes. His business is done.”
Ceres and Erie each support Arc from one side, and try to call out to him.
It doesn’t seem serious, and he smiles as he composes his breathing. I can see him saying, and then showing two rings.
“A-are those…”
“He said he wanted my rings. And he could be wounded for them. And since he wanted three of them, he would bear it in three places.”
I didn’t think he would actually be hurt in three places. And Mister Asmodeus is laughing, with the thing that looks like a mouth wide open.
The power I feel from this demon isn’t outdone by Suzaku or the great spirits.
I doubt he was serious, but being hurt by him means what Arc did was tremendous…
But Arc himself isn’t bragging, he’s fidgety over his beloved’s reaction.
Both receive the rings, and are moved to tears by the proposal.
I’m just looking into the distance, I’m not trying to listen in, but I’m sure he’s asking them to join him through the rest of his life.
That’s nice.
“Nice nice. Youth.”
Mister Asmodeus grins, with a hand on his chin.
I… Feel the same air around him I feel from Wil.
To be more precise, that he enjoys toying with people.
He looks more lively than he seemed at first… I’ll have to watch out for that.
And then, the other three walk this way.
They aren’t cautious of Mister Asmodeus, so I guess Arc talked to them about him.
But the two girls are hiding behind Arc. Are they embarrassed because of the proposal?
“Mister Arata! I heard everything from them! I’m very sorry for worrying everyone!”
Didn’t I tell you not to worry them?
I want to scold him as his elder, but stop when I see how happy the girls look.
He’s aware, and he apologized. And since Reina keeps getting mad at me for going too far, I’m not one to talk.
So I won’t be mad, but instead…
“I’m glad you managed to propose.”
“Ah… Y-yes. Are you thinking anything weird, Mister Arata? I’m getting the same feeling from you I get from Miss Wilhelmina.”
“I’m not?”
I’m just thinking about telling everyone on the island they proposed in front of me.
How innocent…
“Youth…”
I watch them with Mister Asmodeus and whisper, and the trio’s faces turn red.
They face down, and when they scratch their faces, we see light reflecting from their matching rings.
“You got those through your own strength. Do as you please.”
“Mister Asmodeus… Thank you.”
“But now that you’ve achieved your goal, get out. This is no place for humans.”
He says, and magic circles appear below us. And before I know it, they’re gone.
The other three are gone.
“Oh? What about me?”
“Walk.”
“That’s harsh!”
Why!? Did I do something wrong?
Mister Asmodeus looks a little awkward while scratching his head.
“Well, I killed them to send them outside. Wilhelmina used that kind of spell, right? I made use of it because it made things simpler.”
“Ah…”
That’s right.
Talking about killing so casually is a problem in itself, but I guess it’s fine since he knew about the spell.
“But I had that spell placed on me too.”
“I tried to kill you, you just didn’t die.”
“Oou…”
Okay then. I don’t know what kind of magic he used, but any hostile attack is automatically blocked.
“By the way, can I also get rings?”
“Ah…? Do you want to fight to the death and take them?”
“I wasn’t going that far. I was thinking something inside a dream, like Arc.”
“That’s no good, I’m still me in a dream. If I fight with you, it’s not gonna be pretty.”
I guess he doesn’t really like to fight.
Actually, this might be rare, on an island where people are competitive.
“Demons grant wishes for a prize. These rings came out through my desire to know what the holy sword and heroes are like.”
“So you’re not free to choose.”
“Yes. If you want rings, you have to fulfill a desire of mine… Is what I’m saying.”
Mister Asmodeus looks at me, and then sighs.
“You should stop. It looks like there’s something appropriate for you.”
“Appropriate for me?”
“Yes. And if I ignore it and give them to you anyway… It will start a war with the great spirits.”
“Because of rings!?”
That’s no good.
I want to hold a big banquet on this island, so a little fight would be fine, but…
I don’t want a war between races. Especially one caused by me.
“Well, that’s it, so I won’t give them to you.”
“I understand. I’ll be leaving then.”
“Ou. I welcome people that aren’t scared of me, so you’re free to drop by any time.”
Despite his appearance, this demon feels like an older brother, like Elga.
“I’ll bring my daughter and my friends next time.”
He looks a little taken aback, but then bursts out laughing.
“Nice! Then I’ll make sure to prepare some things!”
◇ ◇ ◇
The dungeon exploration that started with Arc’s disappearance is over.
When Merlin and Reina see the matching rings, they react strongly, and the women crowd around them.
That makes it hard for guys to jump in…
“““Ahhhh!”””
We go to Zephir’s hot spring, and celebrate Arc’s triumph while talking about what happened.
Join my patreon to support me and read ahead.
Thanks for the treat. 💍💍💍