Chapter 115 - Disappearance

Watching the black energy scatter into the sky, a masked figure sighed and swept his hair back. He was a striking man, smartly dressed in a suit, with white hair spilling out from beneath his mask.

The method had been a little... bizarre, but there was no denying that man had stopped what had just happened.

"... Interesting."

Hearing that both the Puppeteer and the Magician had fallen to him, he had come to see what sort of man he was. And indeed, the man had displayed reserves of strength he had never anticipated.

He chuckled and folded his arms. As the black demonic energy characteristic of his kind spread eerily around him, he murmured impassively,

"He finds a way to win. No matter the circumstances."

... It certainly was remarkable. Using everything around you to overcome a crisis was easy enough to talk about, but an exceedingly rare talent to witness in practice.

Throughout history, in every corner of the world, those who were merely strong had been as numerous as grains of sand on a beach. The clever had likely existed in similar numbers. But few could make the fullest possible use of those gifts.

Those with a talent for survival. Those who accomplished their assigned task, come what may.

He knew the words to describe such people.

Ever victorious, never defeated.

"Truly, a vessel bearing Omnipotence."

Just as he spoke, his head snapped sharply to the side. A blow had come flying at him. Had he not moved, his head would have burst on the spot.

"You know, an agreement..."

The person who had clearly launched that attack immediately spoke. At the woman's almost growling voice, the white-haired demon smirked.

Her words alone seemed to carry a searing heat. Every time they met, he couldn't help feeling he might get burned.

"It should be about time for the Magician to return. Aren't you the ones still holding her?"

"You're the one who made the first move, Varga."

"And aren't you meddling with him in human form yourself, Athena?"

"... I'll say it again."

The words came flying back at him.

"Stop muddying the issue. You're always the one sneaking across the line. Remember?"

Then golden wings settled into place, as though drawn out from Athena's body. Golden supernatural power filled those fiercely burning eyes of hers.

She was all but poised for battle. It was also a declaration that if he kept playing games, she would have no qualms about crossing the line herself.

But Varga merely glanced over her without any particular disquiet, then slowly turned his gaze back toward the ground. At its far end was Aiden, turning deathly pale as he faced Katya.

"Doesn't he rather resemble me? Back when I was human."

The woman called Athena glared at him, her face twisted in the deepest possible scowl.

"Don't compare yourself to someone who might become my family. Do you really want to die?"

"Either way, I don't see why you have to be so violent. For old times' sake, you could let a little mischief like this slide."

"Hah?"

"The agreement is only violated when we make 'direct' contact with each other. We're diametrically opposed, after all. If we clashed, the entire continent could be swept up in it."

Varga paused for a breath, then continued as though spitting out the words.

"... Wasn't that the rule those bastards in the pantheon laid down?"

"..."

"Or what? Do you want to fight here? When we're both apostles of Outer Gods?"

"..."

"Not a bad idea. Fighting you here and destroying each other would be a rather fitting end."

As he spoke, black demonic energy billowed up far more densely than before. Earlier, it had merely tinged the surrounding scenery black. Now, it was as though a pitch-black curtain had unfurled around him.

Darker than the night sky and writhing with far greater menace, it showed no sign of being outmatched by Athena's golden wings.

After watching him in silence, Athena let out a deep sigh.

"I have a proposal."

"... Hmm?"

"Whatever we say, we both need that 'vessel.' We just want to fill it with different 'contents.'"

Varga and Athena both had an ultimate goal they wished to achieve through the man called Aiden. Originally, their target would probably have been the Lionhearted.

But by this point, both agreed it was far more rational to pursue him first. In terms of potential, his value was simply beyond comparison.

"Let's settle this between us once and for all, right here. No dragging it out."

Varga raised his eyebrows in interest.

▣

If there was one thing Aiden had long known for certain, it was that Katya sometimes seemed far more emotionally unstable than she appeared.

"..."

... Yes. In that respect, even if she had openly raged at him, it would have been less frightening than this.

Sitting beside him on the terrace, Katya silently swung her legs over the cliff. To Aiden, stealing glances at her while breaking out in a cold sweat, it was like something straight out of a horror movie.

When someone who normally never even tried to hide her feelings wore an expression like this, he couldn't begin to guess what she was thinking.

Of course he had known she would be upset; he had even asked Mylène to calm her down beforehand. But doing that in front of someone who was always bickering with Noel—

"I hear Her Holiness said she'd let you inside the altar?"

Before he could pursue that thought, however, Katya abruptly spoke. Her voice was just as flat and emotionless, and it took him a moment to realize it had come from her.

"... Yes. She said I'd contributed the most."

Originally, the prize was supposed to go to whoever occupied the most territory in the team competition, but it had ultimately fallen to Aiden. Not a single other royal had objected to the decision, which surely testified to just how deeply his actions had impressed them all.

"Be careful."

"...?"

"That woman never gives anything away for free. If she's showering you with gifts, it means there's something she wants you to do in return."

"Katya...?"

Aiden called her name blankly.

This was a side of her he had never seen. This wasn't her losing control of emotions that flared up like fire. It was negativity accumulated in layers over many years seeping out.

Katya wasn't one to hold a grudge; whenever a feeling arose, she let it all out. Noel was the sole exception, but even then, Katya resented her for being with Aiden, rather than seeming to dislike her as a person.

But whenever she spoke about the Pontiff...

... It was as though she were talking about a mortal enemy.

"It's just..."

Katya pressed repeatedly at the area around her heart as she murmured,

"... I know from experience. How that woman operates."

Come to think of it, wasn't she the only person who addressed the Pontiff without any respect? More than that, at least within the Holy Kingdom, no one but Katya maintained such an openly hostile attitude toward Abigail III.

'... Not participating in this ceremony at all is another example.'

No matter how much the people around her looked down on her, she was still a royal with legitimate succession rights. She was more than qualified to participate in the succession ceremony. Yet she had voluntarily forfeited that right.

Taken together with her current attitude, it meant Katya was refusing any involvement with the Pontiff or her 'achievements.' The violent reaction she had shown when the Pontiff first tried to have Aiden brought here was another example.

Turning that sudden realization over in his mind, Aiden quietly regarded Katya.

"Katya."

"Hm?"

"Did something happen between you and Her Holiness?"

At his words, Katya slowly turned toward him from where she sat. The movement betrayed her struggle to find words that could summarize it all.

"It's just a failed mother-daughter relationship."

But what finally emerged was darker than Aiden had expected.

"..."

"I was the one who decided to expect her to be a mother to me. She never had any intention of it. That's all."

With that, she stretched.

"Well, it's all over now. I don't particularly want to talk about her anymore."

... That did seem to be the case. Asking more felt like tearing open a wound that had already been stitched shut and healed, so Aiden held his tongue rather than pressing her.

After staring at him for a while, Katya smiled and leaned far back. Perched on the railing, she tipped backward until she was close to his face.

Yes, this was the Katya he knew. Her usual self, who voiced whatever came to mind and made sure it happened.

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Do it to me too."

"..."

... He had been wondering why she hadn't said something like that yet. Struggling to suppress a wave of dizziness, Aiden forced himself to speak, hoping there might be even the slightest difference between what she meant and what he understood.

"What exactly are you asking me to do?"

"What you and the Lionhearted did."

"..."

"It looked nice. I wanted to try it too."

"Katya."

"Hm?"

"About that. You see, Dame Noel and I are going to be married, so there was nothing particularly improper about us doing that..."

As Aiden spoke, cold sweat now pouring from his brow no matter how he tried to hold it back, Katya tilted her head and replied,

"Then I'll marry you too."

"..."

One hurdle after another. At this point, he had no idea where to begin explaining to this utterly unreasonable woman just how wrong that statement was...

"Hey."

As those thoughts ran through his mind, Katya tilted her head and asked,

"Getting married means becoming family, right?"

"... It does?"

"Then can't I have one? A family."

"..."

Aiden froze. His expression, too, went rigid, unlike a moment before.

'... That's not fair.'

When she approached it that way, it was hard for him to find an answer. Especially given what they'd just been talking about.

In short...

"... We can't get married, but..."

... It meant he wound up making a promise, however absurd it might be. Smoothing down his damp bangs, Aiden answered evenly,

"I'll find some way for us to become family."

"..."

Katya listened with wide eyes, then burst out laughing.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm a man of my word, aren't I? I really will find a way."

"All right, then."

With that, Katya seized Aiden's hand.

"... Promise."

She pressed their thumbs and index fingers together.

Aiden chuckled at the gesture, like children making a promise to each other.

Well. Whatever the case, he was glad she seemed to be in a better mood now. At least things ought to resolve themselves peacefully.

"...?"

That was what he thought, anyway. Until he spotted something suddenly rising up beyond the terrace where Katya sat.