Chapter 63

Clap-.

One clap for Uriel, the star of the show who delivered a small twist at the last moment.

Clap-.

Two claps for Michael, who stylishly solved problems and added fun to the show.

Clap-.

Three claps for the Lord of Angels who graciously bestowed great miracles upon me.

ClapClapClap-.

It feels good to clap my hands. It means you’ve made an impression on me. Thus, I’ve gained another interesting experience.

Old experiences are truly persistent. I want to forget the past and move towards the future. In my future, there’s Saintess Maria, the king Aru, and Sir Beatrix.

And right now, another noble existence has been added to that future.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Red chains tightly pull against the bodies of the angels. Even if the three archangels resist with determination, they can only hold out so long, but they’re busy people. They don’t have time to waste on issues that are already decided.

“Demons, engrave this in your bones. You will treasure Uriel’s life.”

“Of course.”

“Michael… Is it really okay? We don’t know what that demon might do…”

“Raphael, Uriel must follow that demon. She must find reason amidst the vast chaos and awaken to truth. It’s the path she herself chose.”

“Mmm…”

“Let’s go, we don’t have time.”

And so, another stage comes to an end. As the curtain call progresses, the main actors disappear into the far reaches of the world according to proper cause and effect.

Now I must clean up the stage. Thoroughly cleaning up after a performance is the utmost virtue of a seasoned magician. I approached one of those who remained after the main and supporting actors exited.

First, Lucifer.

“Did you enjoy yourself, ancestor?”

“Chaos.”

“Tch, why do you keep calling me strange names like Chaos? My name is Oscar.”

“…”

“Why are you giving so much attention to someone as insignificant as a clown? But that’s not important right now. Don’t we have work to do?”

“What work do you speak of?”

“Why are you acting like this? Didn’t we have an agreement? You need to nullify Sir Beatrix’s contract.”

“Hmm…”

“Come on, are you seriously going to compete with our broken Uriel? While it’s your choice, wouldn’t that be boring?”

I grabbed Uriel’s unconscious blonde hair from where she lay sprawled on the floor. Pulling her face close to Lucifer, he winced.

“Wouldn’t that hurt your pride, ancestor?”

“Fine, fine. I’ll follow your words. I’ll nullify the contract.”

Great, convinced one person. Now I need to wake the other.

I gently placed the exhausted Uriel back on the ground and approached Beatrix.

Before she left, Raphael, the healing angel, had infused holy power into Beatrix’s wounds. As a result, though her body was healed, she fell into a deep sleep. Of course, considering how long it had been since she wielded a sword and how recklessly she used her energy, it was a natural outcome. But now she needs to wake up.

You might wonder why I’m so fixated on breaking her contract with Lucifer. Even if Beatrix continues her contract with Lucifer, it’s not like it would cause any big problems, so why am I making such a fuss by calling even an archangel?

But this is a very important matter. While Lucifer’s power and lifespan help Beatrix now, they will become obstacles later.

Lucifer is strong, but not strong enough to reach the peak of the world.

As long as Beatrix relies on Lucifer’s power, no matter how strong she becomes, she won’t surpass Lucifer. Maybe reaching his level would be possible.

However, I am different. Four hundred years from now, I can grant Beatrix endless power. This life’s version of me will become stronger than my previous life, and though it’s nearly impossible, I’ll even kill the Demon King.

Beatrix isn’t the type to be confined within Lucifer’s boundaries. She will receive my power and ascend to the peak of the world. As my knight, she will be the strongest knight any ruler could ask for.

“Sir Beatrix! Please wake up!”

WhipWhipWhip-!

Shaking her vigorously, she finally managed to open her eyes. She looked like waking up itself was exhausting.

We need to resolve this quickly then. Cutting to the chase, I brought up the main issue.

“Sir Beatrix! Say it quickly! ‘I wish to terminate my contract with Lucifer!'”

“Lord? Are you… unharmed?”

“Hurry!”

“Ah, yes… I wish to terminate my contract with Lucifer… But what about Uriel… U-Uriel…?”

Her memories before fainting seem to be returning. We can’t let that happen. I need to explain the situation, but breaking the contract is the priority right now.

“Sleep.”

Poof-

I cast Sleep Magic to put Beatrix back to sleep. Then I immediately turned to Lucifer.

“You heard that, right? Proceed please.”

“…How did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That breaking a devil’s contract only requires verbal consent.”

“I heard from Sir Beatrix that the contract was done verbally. If the contract was made verbally, then breaking it should also be verbal, obviously.”

“You’re perceptive.”

Lucifer muttered with admiration. Should I take that as a compliment? Well, it’s not bad.

“Alright. The contract is severed. You can now form a new contract with Sir Beatrix Constantino.”

“Good, very good.”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“No requests. Can you leave now? I need to clean up here.”

At the mention of cleaning, Lucifer looked around.

Beatrix’s house and warehouse were destroyed long ago by Uriel’s rage. Various wooden debris lies scattered everywhere.

Looking further, hundreds of monster corpses litter the area.

There’s nothing left for me to do here, but leaving without responsibility isn’t my style. What if the stench rises? I need to properly burn or dispose of everything.

The only regrettable thing is that the bathhouse was destroyed too. It was a wonderful feeling, the first bath in a hundred years, and now I won’t get to enjoy it again.

“Do you need any help with all the cleaning?”

“Oh, is the ancestor going to help clean?”

“Well, you are my descendant, and regardless, you dealt with the troublesome Uriel. Thanks to you, I had quite an entertaining experience.”

“Aha, I’m glad the ancestor enjoyed it.”

“Who would have thought that at this age, I’d encounter such heart-pounding situations threatening my life?”

“Then I’ll gladly accept your help. With the ancestor’s power, this should be easy to clear up, right?”

“Of course. This much is trivial.”

Snap-!

Lucifer quickly rubbed his thumb and index finger together. Simultaneously, all the trash that needed clearing disappeared from the surroundings.

Creating something from nothing is impossible, but turning something into nothing is easy. That’s what we call destruction. As Lucifer unleashed his power of destruction, the trash reverted to nothingness.

Disintegrating into powder, the trash floated lightly into the air and drifted away in the wind. The powdered remains of corpses, debris, and wood vanished into the distance.

Thanks to Lucifer, the job became easier. I thanked him for his efforts, and he disappeared after expressing gratitude for dealing with Uriel.

Now I need to talk to Uriel, but honestly, I don’t know how.

Besides, having Uriel around wasn’t part of my plan! Sure, I’m God’s messenger, but even so, angels are awkward! I’m supposed to be the creation of the most fallen deity, the Demon God!

Moreover, my body is extremely tired. All the chaos has worn me out completely.

“Aru, start a campfire.”

“Eh? A campfire?”

“Yeah, a campfire. Do you know how to make one?”

“Bark bark. I know! Gather some branches and rub them together, right?”

“Oh, our clever Aru. Good, go ahead and start one. We’ll spend the night here.”

Fighting monsters, fighting Beatrix, meeting Lucifer, getting my fingers burned by Uriel’s intense heat… Right, I shouldn’t burn my fingers.

“Cold water, please.”

“Eh? Cold water?”

“Ow, it hurts… Damn it, why did I try to look cool?”

What an idiot I am to burn my fingers trying to look cool.

“There’s no river nearby. No stream either.”

“What? Really?”

“Bark bark, I checked while running around.”

“Ah… The heavens aren’t helping me. Though if I were heaven, I probably wouldn’t help someone like me either.”

“Kiing… Are you hurt? Let me see.”

“Didn’t notice earlier, huh? Look at this. My fingers are burned.”

Showing my blackened middle and index fingers, Aru’s eyes widened in surprise. He seemed quite shocked.

“Cu, Cuuuu…! What if you’re injured?! You shouldn’t do dangerous things!”

“I didn’t mean to. It just happened. What can I do about it?”

“Kiing… There’s no water nearby… But can I lick it instead?”

“Lick my finger? Hmm…”

On second thought, dogs and wolves do lick their wounds. Not sure if saliva helps burns, though.

“Do as you please. Licking won’t heal it anyway. Worst case, I’ll cut off the finger and regenerate it.”

“Bark bark, understood. I’ll lick while starting the fire.”

Aru disappeared into the forest saying he’d gather some branches. About forty seconds later, he returned carrying a few thin twigs and six thick logs in his mouth.

They were all well-dried. It’s impressive how quickly he found and cut dried wood. Once again, I’m reminded of Aru’s remarkable agility.

I doubt I could ever catch up to Aru if he ran at full speed. Truly worthy of being a descendant of the Wolf King. It’s proof that I’ve raised him well.

“Bark, wait a moment.”

After setting down the branches he’d been carrying, Aru took my right hand and stuck it in his mouth. He laid a large log on the ground, placed smaller twigs on top, and began rubbing them together.

Watching him try to do two things at once is incredibly cute.

Even though I could just use Fire Magic, I let Aru struggle because of some mischievous impulse.

“Bark bark… Licklick… It shouldn’t hurt…”

Looking back, Aru was willing to accept death for my sake earlier. To save me, he stood against three archangels. Not caring about his own precious life.

“Brat.”

“Bark bark, do you have more to say?”

“If you finish this, I’ll give you meat. As a reward for completing your mission, eat your fill.”

“Bark bark.”

Licklick…

Crackling…

Watching Aru licking my finger with his tongue while rubbing sticks together with his hands is relaxing.

Well, let’s rest for now. Neither Beatrix nor Uriel suffered serious injuries, so they’ll recover on their own if I let them sleep.

All the surrounding monsters are gone too.

Anyway, I used the communication opportunity with the Saintess this morning, so it’s impossible today. I can only communicate tomorrow.

“Yawn… I’m sleepy, Aru.”

“Tired? Then sleep. You said if you’re sleepy, you should sleep, remember?”

“Alright… I’ll close my eyes… There’s meat in the sack if you get hungry, so take it out.”

“Bark bark, nope. Give it to me directly.”

“Then have it for breakfast…”

With that, I closed my eyes.

***

I woke up in the morning. The first thing I saw when opening my eyes was Aru sitting on my thighs.

Neither Beatrix nor Uriel had awakened yet. Before they do, I decided to contact the Saintess first.

I wanted to discuss Uriel’s disposition. The Saintess is wise, so she’ll likely provide some answers.

With that in mind, the moment I channeled the spell into the rosary…

[Yo, Mr. Joker? Is that you, Mr. Joker? Are you alright? Did you get hurt by Beatrix Constantino?]

The Saintess responded immediately, as if she’d been waiting for the communication. Her voice was unusually excited.

Completely unlike the always calm and quiet Saintess I know.

“Uh, I’m fine. I’m alright?”

[Thank goodness…! Oh, thank goodness! G, g, why are you late…? E, e, why? A, or maybe my sense of time is broken? I didn’t realize and thought something happened to you, or maybe you got tired of communicating with me…]

To an extreme degree, she was rambling incoherently…

---