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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Ruby
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“Hmmmmmm!”
Hestia gazed at the newly hung sign at what used to be the temple of the god Incrinew.
On that black sign, just three characters were written in pure white.
Mushinkyō (Martial God Religion).
Hestia looked at the black sign with a very satisfied expression.
“It looks veeeery impressive!”
When Hestia shouted with her arms raised high, Ermel, who was standing beside her, nodded her head vigorously with a satisfied face.
The royal architect and workers standing in front of them looked at the two with ambiguous expressions.
“You said you’re planning to erect Lord Yuma’s statue here as well, right? Sword Master?”
The brown-haired, bushy-headed architect scratched his head and asked Hestia.
Hestia, with her green eyes sparkling, said to the architect.
“Yes, yes, after perfectly setting up the statue, I’m going to tell Yuma about the existence of this temple!”
The architect looked back and forth between Hestia and Ermel and slowly nodded.
“I understand. I’ll make it in an appropriate size.”
Is it really okay to make a temple that worships a living being?
And a mortal human at that.
Architect Repil decided to set aside such common-sense concerns for now.
All the workers, including himself, were being paid properly.
And this had received permission from Brigitte, the emperor of this land, so he decided to continue with the execution.
And the truth was that architect Repil himself no longer viewed Yuma as human.
He was one of the people who had directly witnessed Yuma confronting the Demon King who invaded from the demon realm in mid-air, and obliterating that Demon King with thunderbolt-like power.
The work leader shouted loudly.
“Alright, break’s over! Let’s get back to work!”
Something that would make Yuma grab the back of his neck if he knew about it was starting to take shape again.
“Lord Duke Yuma’s statue will be placed here, at the spot visible when you enter through the entrance and turn right! Understood?”
Quite seriously.
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“……”
Yuma was stroking the hair of something cradled in his arms.
It was the back of the head of the black-haired sorceress, Cloney.
Cloney had appeared before Yuma just a few minutes ago.
As soon as she heard the news that Yuma had returned safely, she came up to the capital and embraced him immediately upon seeing him.
Whether Cloney herself was so glad that she hugged him impulsively, she couldn’t find the right timing to break away from Yuma’s arms.
And Yuma likewise couldn’t find the right timing to stop that subtle stroking.
When Cloney slowly raised her head, Yuma was finally able to see Cloney’s face clearly after two weeks.
As Cloney fidgeted with her pink lips, seemingly embarrassed, Yuma spoke first.
“I heard you were training.”
Cloney’s golden eyes looked directly at Yuma.
“Yes, because I want to get stronger.”
Cloney did not hide the reason why she had gone all the way to the Red Magic Tower below the capital to train, and spoke honestly.
Yuma had a vague idea of what Cloney was thinking.
“It’s not that you’re weak and Bell is strong, which is why I chose Bell as my companion to the demon realm. I took Bell only because each has their own role.”
Unlike before, Cloney couldn’t accept Yuma’s words as they were.
“…If I had overwhelming strength, if both my attack and defense magic had fully reached the 7th circle, you would have at least hesitated a bit, right?”
Yuma couldn’t say those words were wrong.
He knew that those words, spoken with sparkling golden eyes, didn’t come from resistance to his words.
Disappointment in herself.
Dissatisfaction with her magic power that was still at the edge of the 5th circle.
Desire.
Desire for strength.
Longing for growth.
The bitter emotions of someone who wanted to move forward were swirling in Cloney’s mind.
Cloney, who was already expanding her limits at a tremendous pace, wanted an even faster speed.
Looking at those golden eyes that were clearly staring at him, Yuma concluded that he needed to have a somewhat sincere conversation.
“Do I look like I’m in a hurry? Cloney.”
Cloney couldn’t help but nod at Yuma’s question.
“…Yes.”
The demon realm.
Unless it was urgent, there was no reason to set foot in that dangerous world.
In Cloney’s eyes, Yuma appeared to be desperately preparing to face a powerful enemy called the Evil God, who could invade the middle world at any time.
“You’re fighting alone to prepare for the Evil God who might invade again at any moment, right? Lord Yuma.”
Yuma didn’t feel like correcting that thought full of concern for him.
It wasn’t an entirely wrong inference anyway.
Yuma slowly nodded.
“That’s right. I’ve been moving quite busily to prepare for the possible invasion that could happen again. But now I’ve obtained everything I needed to obtain. Even if they invade again, I can protect all of you.”
There was no certainty.
Nevertheless, he had to make a definitive statement.
Yuma had built up achievements far too grand for his stature.
Because of the faith placed in him and that firm trust, he had to continue to bluff.
“It’s true that I want you all to become stronger. But you don’t need to act so hastily.”
Yuma added one more thing in a low voice.
“Cloney, I’ll buy you enough time to grow fully.”
After uttering another uncharacteristic bluff, Yuma thought.
Why did he say such a thing?
This was a foolish pledge.
A pledge to never create another case like Selene’s, not even once.
At Yuma’s words, Cloney smiled broadly.
“…Yes, Lord Yuma.”
But behind that bright smile, she harbored a very small resistance toward Yuma.
‘I’ll reach where you want me to be as quickly as possible.’
She had no intention of letting go of her impatient heart.
She would always keep the tension tight and reach her ideal as quickly as possible.
She would become stronger.
Cloney’s longing for that strength grew larger and clearer during this conversation.
“Let me know next time you go to the Red Magic Tower.”
“Yes, Lord Yuma.”
Cloney answered while grabbing Yuma’s sleeve with her small hand.
“Let’s go eat lunch.”
Cloney’s desire was enormous.
It was to have the power to ensure that no one could touch this nest where her precious people lived.
“Everyone will be waiting.”
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Knock knock
Someone knocked on the door of the quarters where Yuma was resting.
“Lord Duke, it’s Michael. May I come in?”
Yuma stood up from his chair.
“Come in.”
Michael, the direct bodyguard knight of Emperor Brigitte, stepped into Yuma’s quarters.
The blonde knight looked at Yuma and opened his mouth.
“The high elf Luinerif has suddenly appeared at the front of the imperial palace saying he wants to see you.”
Yuma couldn’t help but tilt his head at Michael’s words.
The sudden appearance of an elf was quite unexpected.
Did he come to retrieve something he had lent?
But it was Luinerif himself who had said that the Return Bead, which had allowed Yuma to return to the middle world from the demon realm, was a one-time artifact.
“Did he not mention what the matter was about?”
To Yuma’s question, Michael nodded.
“I asked several times, but he only repeated that it was a matter he must speak directly to the Duke.”
Yuma got up thinking that perhaps some unexpected variable had occurred in the land of the elves.
Then he followed Michael.
Yuma and Michael came down from the third floor to the first floor.
Michael opened the door to the reception room.
Yuma and Michael entered the reception room together.
Long ears proving he was a high elf.
And Luinerif, with green hair and green eyes that naturally evoked the image of a verdant tree, came into view.
“…It’s been a while, Duke Yuma. I saw you last a month ago.”
At Luinerif’s words, Yuma opened his palm, tossed the Return Bead that had now become just an ordinary bead after its one-time ability had been used, and caught it again.
“Yes, thanks to you I returned to the empire safely. But isn’t this a one-time use item?”
At Yuma’s words, Luinerif slowly shook his head.
“I’m glad it was of help. But… those who have business with you this time are not me, but beings called the Celestial Race.”
“…Celestial Race?”
The Celestial Race.
Yuma’s brow furrowed.
A race born in the Celestial Realm and living there, but existing to balance other worlds.
Yuma had heard about them from the Great Demon King Lilith, and thought he might encounter them someday.
But he didn’t believe that meeting would happen so immediately.
“The fact that the Celestial Race and elves communicate about the middle world is top-secret information known only to high elves and above, so I couldn’t tell you.”
Yuma noticed that Luinerif’s voice was trembling slightly.
“The Celestial Race feels deep suspicion about your identity. It’s because you hunted a Black Dragon alone with a human body and dealt with two Demon Kings single-handedly. And they also knew that your subordinate Bell had reached Grand Master.”
Luinerif continued speaking with a trembling voice.
“I sensed their desire to make Bell, who reached the pinnacle of what humans can achieve at a young age, into an apostle of the Celestial Realm. So I came urgently to tell you these things. It’s clear that everyone on this continent owes you a great debt.”
Yuma looked through the window rather than at Luinerif and muttered softly.
“Did you really come urgently?”
“Pardon?”
In Yuma’s mind, Balmung’s words were echoing.
-“A being that suddenly appeared from the sky is rushing towards Master.”
Right after that.
CRASH!!!!!!
The window was shattered.
The wall collapsed.
“Target, located.”
A pure white being with white wings, without eyes or nose, possessing only a mouth, stood holding a spear.
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