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It has been a while since I have felt my body. My own body really does feel more at home than the body of others.

I have to thank the Yugura Church for storing my body carefully.

“Issue being that, even if it has been repaired, moving to a corpse leaves me with mixed feelings.”

My whole body feels somewhat stiff.

I can’t wave off the feeling that my muscles have degraded to a certain degree.

But this is my original body. I will get acclimated to it soon.

I rotate my shoulders as I open the door.

“Raheight, huh. How’s your body feeling?”

“No issues, Nektohal-san. I think I will be able to move as before in 1 week.” (Raheight)

The man in front of me, Nektohal-san, simply muttered ‘I see’ and returned to his work.

Black hair and black eyes; this appearance of his that reminds me of that man makes me put strength in my shoulders.

Nektohal was silently drawing the magic formula on the parchment.

I am knowledgeable about magic to a certain degree, but it is hard to gauge the progress with a cursory glance when it gets this complicated.

“Raheight, how about just looking straight on instead of stealing peeks?”

“Oh, you were here too, Ritial-san.” (Raheight)

I directed my gaze at the voice and Ritial was pouring tea.

To think the former guildmaster of the 3 major guilds is looking after one person. This is pretty comedic.

“I am the physical type even when old after all. There’s a limited amount of things I can do after giving orders to my subordinates. I would have been able to do a bit moving around if I had a bit more infiltration techniques though.” (Ritial)

“We just have to concentrate on doing our best in the areas we are good at. I think you are doing enough work, Ritial-san.” (Raheight)

Ritial’s talent is extremely good to find Illegitimate.

It would be more efficient to just have our allies find the ones with strange talents and have them appraised all together rather than have him running around everywhere himself.

But with the nations having noticed the existence of Illegitimate, those searches have deteriorated more and more.

“We have found most of the noteworthy Illegitimate that live in the present. You could say my job is almost completely over in that sense.” (Ritial)

“Right. Nektohal-san, how’s the progress as of present?” (Raheight)

“—Not bad. But I would like a talent that could serve as a finisher. The Illegitimate are like fragments of Yugura’s wisdom. Finding them and analyzing them would allow us to see the whole picture of that power. But in this situation where we don’t have a part that can serve as the key, it would be hard to reach a point of certainty.” (Nektohal)

The Illegitimate of Yugura were born with a part of the talent of Nariya Yugura that’s comparable to his.

No, it is questionable whether to call this talent. Because this is talent that was created deliberately.

But turning that around, it also means that if we can analyze the workings of it, it should be possible to obtain that talent by our own power.

“The white demi-human by the side of that man; I would like to secure someone around that level.” (Raheight)

“The generation of mana that surpasses the limits of the body, her plain buff of physical strength, and also her ability to use advanced magic would be useful.” (Ritial)

“It is tempting, but what I truly want is talent that can affect the laws. That’s the reason why Yugura managed to create many forbidden spells.” (Nektohal)

Yugura obtained power that surpassed the laws of the world. It is because he had the talent to grasp the laws. If we could obtain that, we would be able to reach towards the forbidden that Yugura created.

“Resurrection magic -the ritual to become a Demon Lord. If I were to be asked whether I have had a longing to become immortal…it is not like I don’t, but after seeing the Demon Lords, it just lacks the charm.” (Raheight)

I have personally met the Scarlet Demon Lord and Blue Demon Lord, but they are beings that are far from the way of living I wish.

The one who tried to become a threat to the humans forever; the one who continued wishing for death after disliking immortality; there’s a limit to being stupid.

“Only 3 have surpassed the laws within the Demon Lords including Yugura. If we include the Colorless Demon Lord who is a demon, then it would be 4. You would burn with a bit more desire if you were to learn of those transcendental beings.” (Nektohal)

“So you say, Nektohal-san, but you moved away from the Green Demon Lord. Wouldn’t you have been able to approach the wisdom more efficiently if you had been by the side of the Green Demon Lord?” (Raheight)

“The Green Demon Lord avoided giving power that surpassed the laws to his own subordinates. I wouldn’t have been able to reach this point even if I had been serving him for 1,000 years more.” (Nektohal)

“So you want to monopolize the wisdom.” (Raheight)

“No, it is a bit different. It is partly the reason why I have only given you people the bare minimum information. If I were to give you knowledge in a half-baked state, there might be people who would try to cut off connections just like me and try to get the wisdom by themselves.” (Nektohal)

“How’s that different from desiring to monopolize?” (Raheight)

“It is not like I want to monopolize the wisdom; I want to obtain the wisdom faster than anyone. If you move as you please, my research will be the one getting delayed. I simply want to avoid that.” (Nektohal)

In the end, that would mean this is self-interest.

But well, it is not like I don’t understand what Nektohal wants to say.

If I were to share the information I obtained from Nektohal to my comrades, there would be people who would want to get ahead of us.

When that happens, even more factions would be formed, and it would hamper the search of the Illegitimate even further unnecessarily.

“I would like to obtain the wisdom in the end even if it meant stealing it though. I have enough intelligence to understand that things would go faster if you were to progress the research instead of me.” (Ritial)

“I don’t mind that perspective. I wouldn’t be able to shake the balance of the world even if I alone were to become a Demon Lord anyways. My objective lies in what’s beyond obtaining the wisdom.” (Nektohal)

“Right, it is because of this that I won’t betray you. There’s no need to.” (Ritial)

Ritial empathizes with the ambitions of Nektohal, so he serves him loyally.

A relationship where both sides are using each other is nice and easy to understand.

“By the way, Archbishop Seraes has contacted us, asking whether we have an Illegitimate with a healing talent.” (Raheight)

“Fumu, he most likely messed up in the training of that man and went too far.” (Ritial)

“Right. That man has almost no mana. Normal healing magic would not be able to heal him. We do have someone with the talent to lengthen their time, but…just telling you right now, I am against it.” (Raheight)

If Archbishop Seraes managed to turn that man into a pawn, it could even serve as a powerful trump card against the current Demon Lords.

It would be possible to control that trump card if we got them in our debt.

But I honestly want that man to die.

That man is way too dangerous.

Even though he doesn’t have any talent at all that can influence the laws, he can bite our throats without mercy.

“You seem to hate him quite a lot, Raheight. But I have the same opinion. We accepted the trade with Archbishop Seraes because we could retrieve the files Yugura left that were in Mejis. I honestly would like that man to retire as soon as possible.” (Ritial)

“You two seem to be awfully wary of him. Then, do as you please. I only have one thing to do. I will leave all other trifle matters to you two.” (Nektohal)

This is fine.

I would like to infiltrate there and finish him if possible, but I can’t go out of my way to turn Archbishop Seraes into my enemy.

With the Scarlet Demon Lord now gone, we would be the only enemies left for that man.

We would only be tying a noose around us if we were to try and save an enemy like that.

◇◇

“Aah, my friend, I am glad you are alright!”

The moment we arrived at the Taizu Castle, Marito hugged me while crying.

You… Everyone else endured, you know? Couldn’t you have a bit more self-control?

Niruryates is going to be staying at the villa of Purple, so we separated for now and had her head there.

My original objective is to consult with Marito about our plans for the future.

“Sorry for worrying you.”

“I have to apologize too. It is true that I have a lot of complaints I want to tell you, but what I am most happy about is that I didn’t end up losing you.” (Marito)

“Aah, yeah. I get it already, so please loosen up a bit. It is pretty painful.”

This is after meeting the Green Demon Lord, so the actions of Marito give off an extreme feeling of incongruence.

Ilias and the others are also really surprised. No, Mix alone is making a super happy face.

I somehow manage to calm down Marito and explain what happened between us and the Green Demon Lord.

“I see. You managed to find a good compromise.” (Marito)

“We had to do something about Raheight and the others at some point in time after all. The faster method would have been to bring out Anbu-kun, but I would like to avoid a war with the Green Demon Lord after the one of the Scarlet Demon Lord.”

“That was a wise decision, Friend-san. If that happened, I would just refuse, so the Green Demon Lord would have attacked Taizu without doubt.” (Anbu-kun)

Anbu-kun says with a casual tone with only his voice being present as always.

Anbu-kun is a being that the Green Demon Lord desires more than Wolfe. But if the person himself refuses, no one has the means to force him.

Anbu-kun is currently an ally that protects Marito, but his first priority is his own standing.

“Right. I am glad there’s no one within my close friends that would mention that without any thought.”

“I personally considered it though.” (Marito)

“Your Majesty, you would be a failure of a king if you were to put a friend and the country on a scale, you know?”

What’s scary is that Marito is saying this with a decently serious face.

“I also wouldn’t want to be saved under the sacrifice of the country. What I would shoulder would be too big. And so, we will be bringing the demon of the Green Demon Lord often in the future. Can you hide without being found, Anbu-kun?”

“That won’t even be an issue. The only one who can detect my existence as of present is someone like the Colorless Demon Lord. That man can’t do something that would make me turn into an enemy.” (Anbu-kun)

“That’s great to hear. And so, our plan for the future…well, first we have to deal with Archbishop Seraes. Does Pope Euparo know about this?”

“No, not yet. If I were to tell him about this matter, he definitely would have dealt with Archbiship Seraes inside the Yugura Church.” (Marito)

I doubt Pope Euparo would protect Archbishop Seraes. There’s a high chance he will silently eliminate Archbishop Seraes as the top of the organization.

If that happens, the information we will be able to get would be limited.

“The advantage we are holding as of present is that they have the mistaken idea that I am still severely injured over at the place of Archbishop Seraes. I would like to take advantage of that if possible.”

“In that case, we would need to keep you inside the castle for a while. There’s no knowing where people connected to Archbishop Seraes are lurking around after all.” (Marito)

“I personally miss my home, but let’s do that. Ilias, can you bring a number of my stuff?”

“O-Okay.” (Ilias)

“It will be bulky so, Rakura and Mix, please help her out. Ekdoik, please go call Purple and the others along with Niruryates -make sure no one sees them.”

“U-Uhm, Shishou, what about Wolfe—” (Wolfe)

“You go rest in the room first. You must be tired from the continuous battles against the dragons, right?”

“O-Okay.” (Wolfe)

Well, Ilias must have fought around as much, but she has to go there as the homeowner.

Marito brings me to a certain barrack in the castle grounds after I had everyone move.

“Oh, you are fine now, lad.”

Aah, I am not in a position to say anything to Marito. To think I would show such disappointing behavior.

◇◇

Shishou entered the room alone after waiting for him for a while.

His eyes are a bit red and swollen.

He must have met Cara-jii. I am sure he did. So vexing.

“Now then, let’s talk for a bit.”

Shishou grabbed a chair and sat in front of me, who was sitting on the bed.

I am nervous.

This is a bit scary.

I can somewhat tell that we will be talking about something bad.

“…”

“Judging from your face, you must have a faint idea as to what I am going to tell you. That’s right. Wolfe, from here on, don’t do something like sacrificing yourself in order to save me.”

Shishou said this in a calm voice as usual.

I knew Shishou would say that.

But my body turned cold when actually being told.

This is painful. I don’t want to be here.

But I can tell I must not run away from here.

“But…But…! Shishou wouldn’t have been saved if Wolfe hadn’t done that. If not for Wolfe who is an Illegitimate—” (Wolfe)

“Gold would have been able to offer the same condition I did. After beating around the bush and acting as if she was troubled for a good while.”

“! She might not have! It might not have been possible without Wolfe!” (Wolfe)

“Even if Gold hadn’t said it, someone else might have. It was even possible for you to have reached that idea, Wolfe. The people there had the same amount of information after all.”

That’s not true.

I couldn’t reach that thought.

I tried to think a whole lot about methods to save Shishou, but I couldn’t think of anything.

It was only after the Gold Demon Lord spoke about the Illegitimate that I finally thought that was the only choice.

“I won’t tell you not to save me. But if you are going to do that, keep it at only what you can do.”

“…What’s the difference?” (Wolfe)

“You being an Illegitimate isn’t something you obtained yourself, Wolfe. It was an unavoidable environment. There would have been no point of me bringing you out of that village if you were to use something like that to save me.”

I knew this.

Shishou got me out of that village solely because he wanted to save me.

That’s why he definitely wouldn’t be happy to be saved with this method.

“That’s…but Wolfe wouldn’t have been able to do anything else. Even so, there was something I could do!” (Wolfe)

“Don’t throw away your own future for the sake of something like that.”

“! If you were in the same position as Wolfe, you would have done the same—” (Wolfe)

“I wouldn’t. Even if I did offer myself, it would be after I have a plan about how to do something about it afterwards. I would think about what I can do, rely on others, and if even with that it still doesn’t work, I wouldn’t throw away my own future.”

It is true that if he were in my position, I am sure he would have been able to think of something to negotiate with the Green Demon Lord about from the very beginning.

But that’s something Shishou can do because he is Shishou.

I couldn’t do that.

Even so, I don’t want Shishou to die.

“Wolfe is fine with dying if Shishou is okay!” (Wolfe)

“…Wolfe, it is about time you stop deifying me. It is not good for you.”

This is the first time Shishou has rejected me this much.

To think it would be this…it would be this painful.

I don’t want this, I don’t want this, I don’t want this!

“Shishou…Shishou…you don’t understand Wolfe’s feelings!” (Wolfe)

“I obviously do.”

“Not true!” (Wolfe)

“…Ilias said so: I am like a mirror. I am changing my way of acting depending on the person, so it can’t be helped that it might look that way. Have you thought about why I pamper you more than others?”

I have obviously thought about it.

Shishou would sometimes have a poisonous tongue towards Ilias, Rakura, and the others.

He would also scold them.

But he has not scolded me seriously before.

He would just praise me, be kind, and would continue treasuring me.

That made me really happy…and lonely.

“That’s because…Wolfe is immature…” (Wolfe)

“Wrong. The others also have a lot of their own immature points. Of course, that goes for me, too. The reason I did that was because that’s how you treated me. You always tried to take distance from me, fearfully, as if treating something fragile, in order to not sour my mood.”

I can’t say that’s wrong.

Because I didn’t want to make Shishou hate me.

Shishou brought me out from that world where there was nothing. Shishou being by my side was enough for me.

“It is because you are using your senses all the time to check for my mood that you end up limiting yourself in what you can do when your decision criteria is gone. You get impatient about being of use, and end up messing up. You being in low spirits after being defeated by the Scarlet Demon Lord was because you were aware of this, right?”

“That’s not…that’s not…” (Wolfe)

“I don’t understand you? There’s no way that’s possible. I have been watching you the whole time since you left that village, obtained your own self, and all the way until now.”

“T-Then, do you know just how much Wolfe values Shishou?!” (Wolfe)

“You could say that. I don’t really like laying out the insides to the person, but…I don’t appreciate rummaging through the clothes of someone.”

“?!”

“I can almost say for certain that you were sneaking into my room when I was away. I allowed it since I didn’t mind just having my belongings being touched and smelled though.”

Why…? Why…? I thought no one had noticed.

I would put them back in the same place, in the same way. I would even erase the smell in the air with the spell I learned, so there should have been no traces.

“Aah, it is not only Wolfe who has been sneaking in, you know? Rakura and Ilias would also come into my room out of curiosity. Rakura’s main objective would be booze though… But well, that’s fine.”

“Why…” (Wolfe)

“I am methodical, you see. I am always shifting the doorknob to a certain angle. I can tell immediately that someone has entered by confirming this. You are pretty careful when entering, right? Rakura and Ilias are more upfront when turning the doorknob, you know. It seems you properly closed the drawers all the way to the back, but I normally pull them out a bit. By the way, there are times when Rakura would just leave them wide open.”

Shishou is scratching his head awkwardly.

I am the one who is feeling awkward.

I knew he would be angry about it, but I couldn’t help myself from doing it stealthily, yet, I now know that he knew all about it.

“Also, I talked about how I picked up a variety of commemorative stuff when we met Gold and returned from Gahne, right? You have been gathering stuff regarding me since then. Stuff like buttons, hair strands, cut nails, etc.”

“Uh…” (Wolfe)

“The teeth Marito broke in the matter of Purple; that’s also in your room, right, Wolfe?”

“E-Even that…” (Wolfe)

“Marito said he would keep it as a commemoration and searched for it, but he apparently couldn’t find it. That makes him a piece of work too though.”

Even I can tell that my face is getting red.

The things that I was doing for the sake of my own satisfaction while making sure no one would discover…he knew…he knew all of it.

Shishou, who is the one person I wanted the least to know.

“I also know that you think badly about others. About how you are jealous because you know that I feel strong trust towards Cara-jii, how you look judgmentally about the sloppiness of Rakura, how you think of Ilias as a muscle idiot for trying to solve everything through brute force, how you are wary of Mix for having a weird taste that you don’t understand, how you honestly think the fashion sense of Ekdoik is questionable.”

I didn’t want Shishou to be disappointed in me.

That’s why I was being careful about it, and yet, Shishou had noticed a long time ago and had been disappointed by me.

I could feel my vision going hazy.

“I am not really disappointed in you. I didn’t tell you to stop after all.”

“…Eh?” (Wolfe)

Shishou stood up and hugged me.

It is incredibly kind, unlike before.

Aah, the smell of Shishou…so close.

“It is not all bad points. I also know that, even if you thought badly about someone, you would still find the good points of that person, and would accept them. Well, the bad points you would think of are more often than not things that I would agree on.”

“…”

“I am the same. Even if I know about your bad points, it is not like I hate everything about you. I myself am riddled with bad points. It is fine for you to look at those points a bit more, you know? Just a bit though.”

Shishou patted my back gently -as if comforting a child.

“You can actually say Shishou properly, but you are still keeping the intonation you used when you first learned of it because you internally wanted to be pampered. You don’t like being called with ‘that’ and ‘this child’ because you were continuously called that in the village. It is okay, I understand those parts well too, Wolfe. I accept you after understanding this.”

I know.

Shishou would always respond to me with a gentle voice when I called him Shishou.

He always called me Wolfe.

“It is because you were here that I could live for the sake of someone in this world. I managed to obtain many things thanks to that. I am truly grateful for that. That’s why I would vehemently refuse living through your sacrifice. Sorry for being selfish.”

“…Then, please make it so that Wolfe doesn’t have to do that anymore.” (Wolfe)

“Yeah, I will consider it.”

“That’s not good.” (Wolfe)

“So you really did understand the nuance of it. I promise.”

Shishou said this and moved away from me.

I was a bit sad, but I feel like I saw the true smile of Shishou for the first time in exchange.

—–

Author: the result after being troubled about whether to make her pure or yandere was that she ended up being more the second option.

Well, the most dangerous one is probably Lord Ragudo.

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