Chapter 389

He pointed them out because the other 7-Star and higher powerhouses had to face the demons and could not be pulled away, and because they were Chris's kin.

If they borrowed his authority, they could endure the trials of the Desert Labyrinth to some extent.

If Jupien overcame the trials from the front, and the others provided various support from behind, they should be able to break through.

"I don't think Alros will be of much help."

"No, Alros is the key. I'll lend you this. I don't need it for now."

It was the Insignia of the Constellation.

He was telling them to use it as bait in a crisis!

It was Alros, who suffered until the very end even amidst the crisis of the world's destruction.

"Alright. Leave it to me. As your older sister, I won't lose to you either."

"...By the way, you keep saying that, but who's the older sister?"

"I am your older sister. You detestable younger brother."

Jupien huffed and disappeared, and Chris shook his head.

He had much to prepare, so he had to leave the Dark Demonic House at once.

Before that, he had to take care of the most important matter.

He had to meet Marie.

***

[Ohoho. We are finally reunited. This girl has been spending her nights in tears, missing the young master.]

Marie greeted him with a wide smile.

[My, you've gotten stronger. With this level of achievement, it seems I, too, can maintain a physical form for a long time... It will be more than enough to carry out the grand affair. It seems the time for us to become one has finally come. The thought of carrying out the grand affair we have postponed for so long makes my heart pound as if it will burst.]

Chris quietly looked at the chattering Marie.

She did not seem different from before, but no. She was only pretending to be fine on the outside.

No, in the first place, what was Marie's 'true' form?

'I have to do this well.'

Today's conversation would decide the future of his relationship with Marie.

'If I mess up, Marie might leave me forever.'

Chris deliberated.

What words should he start with?

But he soon shook his head.

It was certainly an important moment.

But he decided not to think too complicatedly.

He decided to leave it to his heart. Because it was him and Marie.

Chris did not think that the relationship he and Marie had built was a mirage.

"Marie, what is your true identity?"

[......]

Marie closed her mouth.

The smile that was always on her face disappeared, and that alone created an eerie atmosphere.

Even though he had become a 9-Star Demon King, his heart skipped a beat.

[Why do you ask such a thing?]

Marie asked in a toneless voice.

It was a voice devoid of emotion, and for that reason, it felt only cold.

[Are you trying to use me? Like 'them'?]

'Them'.

It seemed she was referring to the Center.

Chris remained silent.

She was right.

He wanted Marie's power.

Because he needed Marie's help to stand against the Center.

'To Marie, I probably feel the same as 'them', the Center.'

He did not deny it.

"Yes, that's right. I need your power."

The moment disappointment flashed across Marie's face.

"For you, and for 'us'."

[!!]

Marie flinched.

"Marie, I don't know exactly who you are. But I have a guess."

Chris recalled the scene from when he had gone to the Center before.

The appearance of Mahu, exactly the same as Marie's.

There was surely some kind of connection between Marie and Mahu.

But here, a question arose.

What kind of existence was Mahu?

'Mahu is also an incomprehensible existence.'

Unlike all the other Demon Kings, Mahu's origins were unknown.

His past was a complete blank slate.

For someone of Mahu's stature, it was impossible for his past to be unknown.

As if he were an existence that had not originally existed.

'He has never once appeared in an official capacity after his appearance.'

That was not the only strange thing.

At that time, when he had faced Mahu, he could not feel any presence at all.

It was not simply a matter of hiding his presence.

Even though he was looking at him with his own eyes, it felt as if he did not exist, a feeling of perfect nothingness.

One thing he could tell was,

-If you wish to stop the will of the Demon Emperor, there is only one way. Kill me.

Mahu was a part of the Demon Emperor's plan.

If Mahu was, then what about Marie?

What kind of existence was Marie?

He recalled the clues he had heard so far.

[Someone brought me to the Khazar family's mansion.]

[I don't remember who it was very well. I think it was someone I was familiar with before I became a ghost, but my memory of the past is hazy.]

[When I was wandering in endless pain, that person pulled me out and moved me to that mansion. Saying that it was enough now.]

[Ah, there's something else that person said to me. They told me I was an existence that was 'fake yet real, real yet fake'.]

Chris felt like he could guess who had brought Marie to the Khazar family.

'It was the Magus Chancellor.'

There was no one else who could have done it other than the Magus Chancellor.

But why?

What was Marie? For what reason?

No, fundamentally.

What did the Magus Chancellor desire amidst the end of this world? Was Marie related to his scheme?

Everything was a mystery, but he had a guess.

'My meeting with Marie was no coincidence. It was definitely orchestrated by the Magus Chancellor.'

This was not a wild guess.

An existence on the level of the Magus Chancellor could likely 'foresee' all the events that were currently happening.

'There's a high probability that the Magus Chancellor knows that I have regressed.'

Then why?

Why did he arrange for me to meet Marie?

He had a guess.

'Perhaps the Magus Chancellor wants me to kill Marie.'

Mahu had asked to be killed.

There was no way the Magus Chancellor would not have known that Mahu would make such a request.

In other words, there was a possibility that the Magus Chancellor also shared the same inner thoughts as Mahu.

'In the first place, the Magus Chancellor is an existence whose loyalty to the Demon Emperor is questionable.'

The Magus Chancellor was a being shrouded in suspicion.

He followed the Demon Emperor, but his true intentions were unknown.

'Marie and Mahu are definitely beings with a deep connection. In other words, killing Marie is likely to have the same meaning as killing Mahu.'

If that was the case.

If that could truly stop the will of the Demon Emperor, then killing Marie might be the right thing to do.

However.

'I will not kill Marie.'

Chris slowly opened his mouth.

"You are mine. I'm a greedy man, so I never let go of what's in my hands. I will protect you no matter what."

[......]

Perhaps feeling the sincerity in his voice, Marie fell silent.

"You said you wanted to be happy, right? I will grant your wish. To do that, I need your help."

To protect Marie, he had to eliminate the Magus Chancellor and the Demon Emperor.

He could not do it alone.

They had to join forces.

'Now, what will her answer be?'

Looking at Marie's face, Chris was taken aback.

Marie was shedding tears.

...Though they were fake tears since she was a ghost.

[...Is that, by any chance, a proposal?]

"...Huh?"

[It is, isn't it? That you will be with me and make me happy for the rest of my life. My. I feel like my heart is going to burst.]

"N-no, wait. That's not it."

The words were subtly different!

[Ohohoho. You don't have to be shy. Your feelings, young master, have fully reached me. Ah, I am so happy. Our long-held love has finally borne fruit.]

"I said that's not it!"

Of course, Marie was not listening.

She flew around in the air, excited.

[My answer is, of course, yes. I would like to hold the ceremony at once, but it seems there are many pests getting in our way.]

Marie's eyes flashed.

[This will not do. For the sake of our happy future, I cannot stand by idly either. Please wait. I, too, will go and prepare.]

"W-wait...!"

[Ohoho!! My dear husband, please take care of yourself then. I will be looking forward to our first night.]

Whoosh. Marie disappeared.

Chris wore a dumbfounded expression.

"...This turned out well, right?"

It seemed to have turned out well, but a cold sweat trickled down his back for some reason.

***

Afterward, he headed to the Four Kings' Castle.

He had to meet Idrinne.

'It would be nice if I could go to the North Sea.'

The North Sea.

It referred to the sea that stretched at the northernmost tip of the continent.

Location-wise, it was north of the Northern Magus Nation.

'According to legend, it is the abode where the Divine Beasts reside.'

In truth, he did not know for sure.

He had never been there.

To go to the North Sea, one had to break through the Northern Magus Nation, the headquarters of the Mystic Demonic House, so it was inaccessible.

The North Sea itself was no easy place either.

'It's a place where all sorts of extraordinary monsters appear, so it's inaccessible.'

According to legend, even those at the 8-Star level could not guarantee their safety.

It was the worst of demon realms, where one could only be at ease after becoming a 9-Star.

The reason he had suddenly thought of the North Sea was that there were beings there from whom he could expect help.

But he shook his head.

'Impossible.'

It was difficult to go to the North Sea while under the watch of the Mystic Demonic House, and even if he managed to arrive, there was no guarantee that he would be able to receive help from 'them'.

'Still, if I could receive their help, it would be a great source of strength. What a shame.'

He shook his head and crossed through the portal. As he quickened his steps towards the Four Kings' Castle, he paused.

An intense presence began to press down on him.

'What is this?'

Chris swallowed hard.

It was no ordinary presence.

'It's a level that's not far off from my own right now.'

It meant that the opponent was also a 9-Star powerhouse.

'But I don't feel any clear hostility?'

Rustle.

The wind blew, and seeing the figure that had appeared in the air, Chris wore a surprised expression.

"The Fairy King?"

Translucent silver hair.

Pointed ears characteristic of elves.

An appearance as beautiful as a sculpture.

He was a famous individual.

The master of the Mirror Ice Palace and the king of the White Elves, the Fairy King!

He is known to be one of the Holy Masters, at the level of an advancing 9-Star.

'Did he come to fight?'

Chris thought with cold eyes.

The Fairy King was a member of the Holy Assembly.

The rest of the fiends from the Holy Assembly were all dead, but the Fairy King would surely be hostile to him as well.

"Good. I was planning on eliminating you anyway, and now you've come to me on your own. You've saved me the trouble of looking for you."

Chris flicked his fingers.

"I'm busy, so hurry up and attack."

But the Fairy King's reaction was strange.

He did nothing, simply standing there and looking at him.

He didn't feel any hostility either.

Chris tilted his head.

'What is this? Did he not come to fight?'

In the first place, it was strange that he had come alone.

He should know that he is no match for him.

"I did not come here to fight you."

"What kind of trick are you trying to pull?"

"It's the truth."

The Fairy King descended to the ground and did something surprising.

Thud. He knelt.

"Please help us!"

"...What?"

A sudden plea.

"No, wait. What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

'Not long ago, the Dark Elf King came and did this, and now it's the Fairy King, a White Elf?'

But the feeling was different from when he met the Dark Elf King.

The Fairy King bowed his head with a desperate expression.

"The constellations have betrayed us. At this rate, our Mirror Ice Palace will become nothing more than a sacrifice for the constellations and the demons. Demon King of Dark Radiance, there is no one else to rely on but you. Please, help us!!"