Part 1
By the time that Basara returned to the Toujou household, it was already late
at night. While everyone finished dressing their own wounds, bathing, getting
dressed, and doing other necessary things, some people decided to rest as
soon as they walked through the door. That was the succubus mother and
daughter who had long been under the coercion of Zolgear, and were even
treated as hostages — Maria and her mother. Right now, Toujou Basara was
watching their sleeping faces.
"......"
The moonlight coming through the window cast a faint blue light into
Maria's room while the mother and daughter were asleep on the bed. It
wasn't easy for the mother and daughter to finally reunite safely, their minds
which had been under so much stress seemed eager to relax, and the
breathing of those two was calm.
…It must have been a long time since they could sleep at ease like this.
Although that did make him feel sad, in front of his eyes — seeing their
sleeping faces, Basara felt like he was able to help somehow. At that time,
while Basara was watching, Maria crept closer to her mother on the bed while
still peacefully asleep—
"...Basara…san…"
She gently called out to him in her sleep. This made Basara cast his eyes onto
Maria, with a look of affection—
"…Ah, I'm here. Not only me, everyone else is also by your side."
After saying that, he gently caressed her cheek, and then softly wiped the tear
at the corner of her eye, as if he was telling her that she no longer needed to
cry. —After finally reuniting with each other, Basara decided to postpone
speaking about the future arrangements for Maria and her mother. Tomorrow,
Basara would ask Maria to contact the demons of the Moderates Faction, so
that they could send someone here to pick them up. Although he heard from
Takigawa that the leader of the Moderates Faction was against Mio and
didn't listen to dissuasion, they were searching for Maria's mother; as soon as
they knew that she had been rescued safely, someone would definitely come
to visit. As for Zest, Basara planned to hand her over to the Moderates
Faction to handle.
At Yuki's insistence, she was currently being monitored in the living room,
and there shouldn't be a problem. Zest did not have any intent to resist, and
said that she would listen to any of Basara's commands. Basara personally
wanted Zest to leave the control of Zolgear; after freeing her from the
shackles of death, she wouldn't be limited to the Current Demon Lord
Faction or the Moderates Faction, she would be able to live her own life
freely, but she had just lost the master that she absolutely obeyed, so the
purpose of her life was uncertain and she couldn't be left on her own.
Therefore, although it wasn't to protect her as a witness, Basara still thought
that it would be better to hand her over to the Moderates Faction. However, it
was a faction that she was previously hostile to, so there were doubts about
her safety. In this regard, he had an arrangement with Takigawa to assist if
necessary. Also — regarding the matter where Maria was threatened by
Zolgear and obeyed him, Basara hadn't yet decided on whether to tell them.
To conceal the truth, or to speak the truth plainly, it was a difficult decision.
—But there was something that Basara, Mio and Yuki had already come to a
consensus about, and made a conclusion. That was to protect their family
member Maria at all costs. Maria betrayed Basara and the others as well as
the Moderates Faction, only because she was under the stress of her mother
being held as a helpless hostage, and no one was could punish her for that.
Like in the past, Jin gave up his identity as a hero to protect his child. It was
like how Basara vowed to protect Mio, who had been targeted unfairly and
without reason. It was also like how Yuki gave up her mission so that she
could protect Basara. This time was also the same, everyone would definitely
work together to protect Maria. No matter how noble the purpose or mission
was, by sacrificing precious people, people would suffer both physically and
mentally, and that was something that Basara could not accept. The desire to
protect Maria wasn't because of a mission — but because she was a precious
person in the hearts of everyone.
"…We will definitely protect you."
Basara promised that with a whisper and then exited Maria's room. When he
walked up to the unlit corridor, he noticed that a girl was standing by the door
to his room. Thus, Basara walked towards her and then softly asked
"What is it, Mio…you don't need to rest?"
"…Un. I don't really feel like sleeping."
Mio calmly replied to Basara's question. Seeing her quiet expression—
"I see…"
Basara naturally realised the reason why she was here, and said
"Well…then just chat with me until you want to sleep."
Following a brief moment of silence, Mio nodded as a response to Basara's
suggestion. After Basara asked her to wait there for a moment, he went
downstairs to the first floor. He then walked towards the living room where
the lights were switched on.
"........."
The living room was shrouded in the heavy silence of the night; the source of
it was Yuki and Zest who were facing each other as they sat on the sofa. Yuki
noticed that Basara had appeared, so she turned her head to ask
"Basara…how is it upstairs?"
"Ah, Maria is sleeping soundly, but it seems like Mio can't sleep yet…"
"...I see."
Upon hearing Basara's words, Yuki expressed her understanding with a
murmur. Perhaps, like Basara, she had also realised why Mio wasn't able to
sleep, because she was worried about Mio.
"…Yuki, won't it be fine for you to take a break for a while?"
"Its fine, I'm the person in charge of keeping an eye on her. But—"
Yuki then asked
"Aren't you going to rest…? Your injuries should be the most severe, right?"
That's right — after enduring successive attacks from Maria, he also fought
against Zolgear; and even before that, there was the fight with Takigawa that
Yuki and the others didn't know about. The one who suffered the heaviest
injuries this time was undoubtedly Basara. However—
"There's no need to worry, these probably aren't critical injuries, or perhaps
the wound medicine that you gave me is really effective…these injuries
aren't as serious as I thought."
When he was enduring Maria's punches, his whole body was in so much pain
that it seemed like even his ribs were broken, but the pain was lessened
greatly before he fought against Zolgear. After examining it when they
returned home, he discovered that his ribs only had some slight fractures, it
seemed as though the injuries that he received from Zolgear were
unimaginably light. Since he drank the medicine that Yuki brought from [The
Village], he should be fully recovered after resting for a few days. Even
though Yuki also knew this, Basara had told her himself that his injuries
weren't serious. Then—
"I see…that's good then."
A tinge of comfort emerged on Yuki's face, and she turned her gaze back
towards Zest. Basara gently placed his hand over her shoulder, and said
"You don't need to force yourself so much…I also won't be sleeping tonight,
so just call me if there's anything."
Then —
"—Instead of wasting your time on watching me, perhaps it would be better
to get rid of me a bit earlier."
Zest hadn't given up on her own life, but she simply stated what the most
realistic approach was. So—
"Zest, haven't I said this before…you need to find your own way to live in
the future, and we will help you to gain the time that you need. During that
time, you should think carefully about what you want to do in the future."
After listening to Basara's persuasion, Zest fell silent for a moment, and then
replied
"...I understand. I'll do as you say, Toujou Basara."
After expressing her compliance with a soft voice, Zest closed her eyes, and
did not say anymore. Hence, Basara left Zest under the watch of Yuki, and
returned to the second floor after preparing some drinks.
"In here…just find a place for yourself to sit."
After Basara said that when he invited Mio into his room, Mio followed and
sat on the bed. Then, Basara handed the mug that he was holding to her.
"I prepared some hot milk for you, you'll find it a bit easier to sleep after
drinking some to warm your body up."
"…Thank you."
After Mio thanked him, Basara asked her
"My room — is it really better?"
Talking in Basara's room was Mio's own request. Talking in the corridor
wasn't very good, but if they went to her room, she could sleep whenever she
wanted, so it should be more convenient for her. But—
"Yes, I think that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep in my own room."
"Well, since you've said that…"
Basara then walked over to the chair beside his desk—
"———"
The hem of his T-shirt was suddenly grabbed by Mio. Turning around, he
saw that Mio had her face down. Seeing that, Basara scratched his cheek, and
had no choice but to sit beside Mio. The springs of the mattress absorbed
Basara's weight, and firmly supported him — it originally felt that way, but
Basara could feel the edge of the mattress shaking slightly. Looking closely,
Mio was shivering whilst sitting beside him. Thus, Basara gently put his arm
around her shoulders, so that she would not spill the hot milk.
"—It's okay now."
Basara repeated those words again in order to reassure Mio, and Mio then
'Mn' nodded.
"…Sorry, to make you accompany me…"
She leaned her head onto Basara's shoulder. —Mio, who had been kidnapped
and fell into the enemy's hands, had an uneasy mood before Basara and the
others had rescued her, so it was not difficult to imagine. That's why Basara
was happy to lend his shoulder until Mio had completely calmed down.
Before long, Mio finally calmed down, and started drinking the hot milk that
Basara had prepared for her. When the bottom of the mug became clear, the
two of them moved on to speaking about what would happen next. Finally,
Mio placed the mug onto the bedside table, and said
"…I understand. We just need to speak with the demon from the Moderates
Faction who'll pick up Maria's mother next, hopefully they won't have to
hurt the female demon called Zest, and it'll be best if they don't do anything
strange to her."
Mio quietly nodded, and confirmed idea that Basara brought up. In regards to
this, Basara would also seek assistance from Takigawa, since having more
insurance would be better.
"I'm sorry…to ask such a thing of you."
Basara said apologetically. Protecting Zest, and protecting Maria were not the
same thing. For Mio, forgiving the enemy Zolgear who had killed her parents
was already difficult for her, and having to help his subordinate now was just
rubbing more salt onto the wound. However, since this was something that
only Mio could do, there was no choice but to ask her. However…the
problem didn't just encompass this. This time, Basara and the others had
defeated Zolgear, who was a high-ranking demon of the current Demon
Lord's Faction. If they made more contact with the Moderates Faction, they
would probably be seen as an even greater threat to the current Demon Lord
Faction. Even if Mio gave up on getting revenge on Zolgear, Wilbert's power
which was inside her still did not disappear. In regards to the Moderates
Faction, aside from the Mio's uncle, who was the leader of the faction, it was
highly likely that Mio, who defeated Zolgear would be considered as
Wilbert's successor; the worse scenario — would be if everyone became
caught up in the middle of the dispute between these two demon factions.
Considering this possibility, Basara couldn't help but show a serious
expression. At that time, Mio gently placed her hand over Basara's hand, and
said
"Basara…it's okay, I don't mind."
The look in her eyes revealed her deep trust in him.
"Because, I have you guys accompanying me right now — right?"
Mio replied with a clear expression and tone, which caused Toujou Basara to
look at her perplexedly. It was because the girl and her smile that he had
vowed to protect were right in front of his eyes. Right now, the Mio who was
smiling in front of him was proof that he had successfully protected her. But
—
"———"
At the same time, some dark emotions welled up inside of Basara.
"…Basara?"
Mio seemed to notice that something was amiss, and worriedly raised her
head as she looked towards Basara.
"......"
Basara also watched her silently. To gain Mio's trust — although he was
happy, it also highlighted a truth that couldn't be concealed. That was the
danger that Mio didn't have before she became involved in this, as well as the
enemy, Zolgear, who had a countless number of girls as his playthings. If he
had departed even a little later — Zolgear may really have taken Mio, with
underhanded tactics that Basara couldn't even imagine, tearing her apart until
she was no longer human. —Also, the situation still hadn't been resolved, in
fact, it was just the beginning. There were definitely a lot of people who
would try to act against Mio because of Wilbert's power. There might even
be some people who would be even more devious than Zolgear. But Basara
would not allow them to act violently. No matter who wanted to take Mio
away, Toujou Basara absolutely would not allow it. If such a day really came,
it might be better — along with such thoughts, Basara's consciousness had
drifted to an unknown place. After grabbing the shoulders of Mio who was in
front of his eyes—
"———"
Toujou Basara stole Naruse Mio's lips.
At first, Mio didn't understand what had happened. All of a sudden, she was
kissing Basara. Such a sudden move— …Eh? Mio was momentarily unable
to understand that it was a kiss or do anything else. However, in front of her
was Basara's face, with his eyes closed, and on her lips was the sensation of
his warmth, so—
"!——…"
Mio finally understood that she was kissing Basara right now.
In the middle of the night, and on the bed in Basara's room — this was the
scene of Naruse Mio's first kiss. Mio clearly knew that she would one day
give someone her first kiss — and she also had a feeling that that person
would be Basara. When the master-servant contract activated, and Basara
helped to relieve her, she also wanted to feel Basara on a deeper level, and
almost kissed him on her own. If Mio really asked for it herself, Basara
definitely would have responded to her request. —But in Mio's imagination,
she thought that Basara would be gentler when kissing her. Basically, Basara
would not do anything that Mio would object to. Although he had once
strayed into the dressing room and bathroom, and actually rushed over to
cover her mouth to stop her from screaming, that was just a one-off thing. So
even if Mio was angry then, she would forgive him. However — Basara was
not like that at all right now, it was as if he couldn't control his feelings and
kissed Mio.
…This is…
Being so surprised that her whole body was tense, Naruse Mio thought in her
mind that Basara was becoming more and more irrational. That was because
Basara had done something similar in the past. —It happened just after they
had made the master-servant contract, during the first time that they had a
bath together. Back then, Basara had just reunited with Yuki; Mio listened to
Maria's suggestion in order to solidify herposition, and used her breasts to
wash Basara's body; Maria brought the cake that Basara had bought into the
bathroom, and when it accidentally spilled onto Basara's body, Mio and her
licked the cream off. Thinking about it now, that was something really bold.
Only then, Mio blindly wanted to deepen the relationship between Basara and
her — in the end, that caused Basara to lose his rationality, and he put all of
the remaining cake onto Mio and Maria's bodies, and then forcibly licked the
sweetness off their bodies. Although Basara fainted in the middle of that
situation from becoming overexcited, neither Mio nor Maria knew what
would have happened if he didn't faint, because Basara was that irrational at
the time. After discussing it with Maria, they decided to tell Basara that all of
it was just a dream. But — ever since that day, nothing like that happened
with Basara again, which caused Mio to think that she had misunderstood…
and she even thought that she might have been the one who was dreaming.
But right now — Basara, who had lost his sense of rationality was before her
eyes, taking possession of her lips. …W-Why…? This time, it was
completely different to the daring things that she did with Basara in the
bathroom. Mio simply didn't understand why Basara suddenly became like
this.
"——Mmn! No…w-wait…!"
Mio shrank back as she panicked, but she was careless and fell back onto the
bed, and Basara then placed both of his hands on top of her chest while she
was wearing her pyjamas —
"Wai—"
Without being given a chance to finish speaking, the buttons on the front of
her pyjamas were undone and her breasts were exposed. She wasn't wearing
a bra, so her breasts bounced out, and lay in front of Basara's eyes.
"Ah…"
When Mio realised that this was reality and cried out in surprise, Basara
pressed her body down. He then held her tightly, and pressed his lips onto
hers again. Mio, who was pinned down on the bed and being kissed—
"Fu! —Aahhh!"
Her entire body suddenly quivered underneath Basara's as she let out a sweet
voice, because Basara's hands had started rubbing her bare breasts that had
been exposed when he tore her pyjamas apart. Even if the aphrodisiac curse
didn't activate, after Mio's breasts were caressed several times, she had
already become so sensitive that she was afraid. As Basara rubbed and
squeezed her breasts into lewd shapes while kissing her forcefully at the same
time, Mio's mind and body became completely paralysed, and she was
unable to resist.
"!…Yah, waa…mnh, uh…ah…mn!"
Like in the past, Basara became even more forceful, and Mio didn't dare to
resist. Aside from the first time that they met, Mio had already submitted to
Basara countless times, so even if she knew in her mind that she shouldn't,
she still closed her eyes naturally, and her body obediently accepted Basara.
Then— …Ah…Mio suddenly felt Basara's tongue trying to invade her
mouth. Although Mio understood the consequences of accepting, she was
unable to resist right now — she meekly parted her lips. Just a small slit was
more than enough for Basara. Basara's tongue instantly pried open Mio's
lips, and pushed straight into her mouth.
"Ah…mn…fu…um, nu…ya, mn…chu!"
As soon as she felt the heat and sensation of Basara's wet and sticky tongue
— Mio's will almost faded. Before she realised, Mio's tongue was also
intertwining with his, and she became lost in kissing Basara. After a long kiss
which nearly depleted her lungs of oxygen, Mio pulled her lips back slightly,
and when she was finally able to breath—
"…I won't let anyone take you away."
She suddenly heard Basara's whispered words.
"Basara…?"
Mio couldn't help calling his name out — which caused Basara to quickly
regain his consciousness, and notice Mio—
"! —S-Sorry! …I just…!"
Basara seemed to have returned back to normal, and he continued to
apologise with a flustered face as he realised what he had done. The Basara
who quickly turned around on the bed was the Basara that Mio knew.
"I'm really sorry! My mind suddenly went blank, and then…"
Mio covered her breasts as she stood up, and looked with surprise at the
shape of Basara's back as he desperately apologised—
"...…"
A slightly playful smile drifted onto her face, because she heard it.
…Won't let anyone take me away?
Basically, Basara wouldn't do anything that would cause Mio to object. For
Basara's emotions to lose control to such a degree — it was because Mio was
abducted by Zolgear, and almost reached the point of no return that such
worries and desires were generated. Thus—
"...No. I will never forgive you."
Mio held her laughter in as she said that. She had been given quite a surprise
by Basara's sudden actions, so making him think a bit wouldn't cause the
master-servant contract curse to activate. Finally, Basara asked with a
distressed expression
"T-There's really no way for you to forgive me…?"
"Well…fine, there is one way to make me forgive you — do you want to
hear it?"
"O-Of course I do!"
Basara's vigorous nodding caused Mio to laugh even harder; she then moved
closer to him, and put her arms around him from behind as she said
"—Then kiss me one more time."
After saying that, she pressed her lips against Basara's back, and gave her
reason for not forgiving him.
"In time you will know, in fact that you — don't have to apologise for these
things."
She then closer her eyes—
"Please, Basara. If you don't want others to take me away…then you should
take me away again."
She waited for Basara's response. After this kiss, the relationship between
them would definitely change. Unexpectedly, Basara didn't turn around.
"...Basara?"
Mio curiously opened her eyes, and saw the reason why Basara hadn't turned
around. Not knowing when it happened, Yuki was standing in front of Basara
expressionlessly.
"Eh—…?"
Mio couldn't stop herself from being shocked at this situation — Yuki
quickly grabbed Basara's collar and then forcibly kissed him. Wanting to
compete with Mio, she extended her tongue into Basara's mouth, and kissed
him while intertwining their tongues. When Yuki finished kissing him and
moved her lips away, Basara collapsed onto the bed fearfully, as Yuki began
breathing heavily. Why was Yuki manlier? At that time, Yuki glared.
"…I thought you hadn't gotten over your scare from being kidnapped, it
seems there really isn't a single moment to let my guard down."
"W-Why did you come here…don't you have to watch over the female
demon called Zest?"
Mio was finally able to overcome her panic and asked that.
"You don't need to worry, I also brought her over here."
After Yuki replied as such, Zest quietly appeared from behind her.
"H-How did even you…how long have you guys been there!?"
"Since you said 'I have you guys accompanying me', Naruse Mio."
"! …Then that's a long time!"
"? You took advantage of my kindness and secretly seduced Basara, and now
you have the nerve to get angry — what a fox."
After Yuki dismissively said that, she wrapped both her arms around
Basara's neck, and with passionate eyes she said
"Basara…take me as well."
"What kind of strange things are you trying to say in this confusion—!"
Yuki's actions caused Mio's anger to erupt, and she forcibly separated Yuki
and Basara. When Basara's room had suddenly become the location of a
heated argument — Maria was silently standing outside the room. The
succubus was particularly sensitive to the excitement in her surroundings.
Her mother, who had been held hostage for a long time and still had a
weakened mind was still asleep, whereas Maria had woken up before Yuki
and Zest entered Basara's room. —If this was in the past, Maria would have
rushed in as a host to play around with everyone. That wasn't just to protect
Mio, but also to cheer Mio up, as her mind was always fixated on the sadness
of her parents' death, even if she didn't show it. Maria knew that this wasn't
enough to redeem herself for betraying them under Zolgear's coercion, and
also hoped that she would be able to cheer Mio up more often. However,
Maria, who was used to joining in—
"......"
She stood at the door without saying anything. Since it had come to light that
she betrayed Basara and Mio, she no longer had the right to join them.
…I think looking is…
Although Basara had said it in the past, that Maria could continue to stay
around everyone like in the past; she planned to return to the Demon Realm
along with her mother when the Moderates Faction came to pick her up. By
Mio's side right now was Yuki, who was more useful than her, and there
were also guards that the Moderates Faction could send who would be
stronger and more reliable than her, so there was no need for her to stay
behind. After thinking about such things, Maria turned around to return to her
own room — Basara rushed out into the corridor at this time, and as soon as
he noticed Maria—
"M-Maria, you came at a good time! Come here!"
"Eh? …Umm…!"
Basara grabbed hold of the bewildered Maria's hand, and dragged her into
the room.
"Right now, their minds are in full drive, and they won't listen to anything I
say. Can you please think of a way to help me stop them?"
"What? No, you need me to do something in this kind of a situation all of a
sudden…"
Mio and Yuki were facing each other; violent sparks were flying out in the
air between them, both of them wore murderous expressions, and remedying
this situation was simply a joke. But just thinking about it—
"—Please help me, only you can do it!"
"Eh...?"
When Basara said this, he probably wasn't thinking about much. But, that
wasn't because he thought of her as a demon, rather, he said that because he
thought of her as an indispensable family member. It wasn't because she was
the succubus Maria, it was purely because he saw her as Naruse Maria.
Therefore—
"......!"
While Maria couldn't help but feel surprised by Basara's words—
"Hee, this is interesting. Maria, you're on my side, right?"
"You don't need to be afraid of her threats. If you stand on my side, I'll help
you do erotic things to Mio."
Neither Mio nor Yuki treated her as if she was an outsider. Showing that she
could continue staying here — because everyone was a family. So — after
both Mio and Yuki asked 'Who are you helping?' at the same time—
"! …Ah, well. W-Who it is…"
Maria rubbed the tears which were beginning to form in the corner of her
eyes—
"Umm…Basara-san?"
"Hm…?"
Then, while taking advantage of the moment that Basara had turned his head
towards her, she took him by surprise and kissed him.
[—————]
As if to create a truly unexpected situation, Maria wrapped her tongue around
Basara's in an even more intense way as she kissed Basara while Mio and
Yuki looked on in amazement. Maria — no, Naruse Maria smiled with all the
effort that she could. —Perhaps her redemption would remain unclear for
some time. But, she had come back here after all. So she needed to atone bit
by bit, until one day, this would a true family of her own. Maria embraced
this pledge in her mind—
"I'm not helping either side, because Basara-san is my onii-chan!"
When she said that with a wide smile on her face — an even more
exaggerated cry and ruckus resounded within the Toujou household.
Part 2
—In this place, was a very heavy atmosphere. It was dark, and none of the
noise from outside could be heard — at the same time, it was also the cruel
truth that none of the sound in here would leak to the outside. Thus —
"…Uh…guh…ahh…!"
No matter how much Zolgear groaned in pain while he was on the floor, there
would be no one to rescue him. —After Lars attacked Zolgear when he fled,
he didn't take his life straight away. In order for him to get revenge for his
comrades that he treated as siblings, Lars used a device which could restrain
Zolgear by preventing him from using magic, and then took him to a place
without any people, a place that seemed to be located underground. This was
the hideout that he had prepared in case anything happened during his
mission to observe Naruse Mio. Like this – Zolgear had been here for a few
hours now. After going through both physical and magical torture, he was
already on the verge of death.
"Kuh…ooh…gah, uh…ah…"
Zolgear was crawling on the ground, and his entire body was in so much pain
that it felt like it was on fire. He had lost his right arm because of Naruse
Mio, and his abdomen had been injured by Lars before he reached this place;
that was nothing compared to his state right now in which many of his bones
were broken and he was heavily bleeding everywhere. While in such an
agonising state where it was difficult for him to move—
…I-It's not over yet…
Zolgear still had not given up on escaping from this place. Perhaps Lars
wanted him to feel pain for just a little longer, and did not continue to torture
him. Thus, Zolgear gathered strength in his body, and became vigilant for an
opportunity to escape. At that time.
"…Finally here."
Lars suddenly said that with a low volume, and then turned around. Then, the
sound of slow footsteps reverberated throughout the silent space.
"! …Who is it…?"
His imprisonment and torture here was only for Lars' personal revenge, there
was no need for a third party. After Zolgear moaned this question—
"No…actually, there was someone who said that they absolutely wanted to
watch you die."
Lars shrugged with a smile as he said that. After hearing that—
…Could it be…
Lars had previously said that there were many people in the Moderates
Faction who admired Mio's parents, among them, there should be who had
adoptive parents like Lars, who were from the same orphanage. It was highly
possible that he called people who similarly hated Zolgear to this place. —On
the other hand, could it be Zest? Did she come to witness the fate of the man
who called her trash and attempted to kill her?
It couldn't be.
Zolgear suddenly felt a sharp feeling of anxiety in his heart. No matter who it
was that came, there would be another pair of eyes watching him, which
would greatly reduce his chances of escaping.
…No, not necessarily…
Nevertheless, Zolgear still did not give up on his chances of survival. If there
were more people on the other side, it would also increase the opportunities
for confusion when he made his move. If they came here with hatred, then
they would be easily manipulated, and could lose their cool.
…I'll wait and see.
The blood covered Zolgear secretly laughed and vowed to escape from this
place, then slaughter all of the people who put him in this miserable state.
Then, the visitor that Zolgear welcomed because he treated them as an
opportunity—
"...W-What…?"
He was stunned by the person who finally appeared. That person wasn't a
demon from the Moderates Faction, nor was it Zest. In fact — it wasn't even
a demon. The one who appeared before his eyes was—
"…Toujou…Basara…?"
Zolgear cried his name out when he saw something that was unbelievable.
"———"
But Basara made a quick glance towards the dying Zolgear who lay on the
floor and then walked over to Lars' side and began talking to him whilst
ignoring his existence.
"Sorry, Takigawa…I'm a little late."
"As you say, Bassachi, I almost couldn't stop myself from finishing it."
"I'm sorry…getting away from Mio and the others was more difficult than I
imagined."
Seeing Basara's apologetic expression, Lars made a wry smile as he said
"Come on…you were definitely doing some erotic things right? Geez, this
handsome guy really makes people envious."
"…Let me make it clear first, I was nearly killed by them."
Basara then sighed. The scene of the two people having a natural
conversation—
"......?"
It caused Zolgear to raise his head from the floor in surprise. He was able to
understand the reason for Lars' actions. That was because Lars was the one
who brought him here, and beat him up. —But Basara was different. Zolgear
was stained with blood, his arm and legs were twisted abnormally, and he
looked as though he could die at any time. Yet, Toujou Basara was still
conversing with Lars calmly. It was simply too strange. Zolgear was unable
to comprehend what was happening in front of him. At that time—
"I said before, I told you about the secret place where Naruse Mio was
imprisoned and also rescued Maria's family member, in exchange for the
chance to personally kill you — but in reality, we had another agreement."
Lars then began to explain what the current situation was.
"After this incident, Naruse Mio will eventually find out about my true
identity, it's just that — I accidentally stimulated her in the past, causing
Wilbert's power to go out of control, and also gave Bassachi a bit of trouble.
Afterwards, although that guy started seeking my cooperation because of that
incident, Naruse-san and Nonaka-san who adore Bassachi couldn't do that.
So, taking this into account, I needed someone to help cover me; and for that,
it was most effective for Bassachi to take on that role."
Then—
"In contrast, Bassachi wanted to eliminate the enemy that he let go because of
the possibility that he would be threatened again — with this guy's words,
that probability would drop to zero."
In other words—
"He wants to use his own eyes to see you when you're completely dead."
"! —You…you, how…!"
Zolgear raised his head in amazement. At that time, he finally made eye
contact with Basara.
"———"
The look in his eyes was cold. The stare emitted from his eyes seemed to
completely deny his existence—
"...!"
Zolgear's heart almost froze, and he couldn't stop himself from shivering.
…There was actually…such a thing…!
Zolgear began to curse his own miscalculations. I was too careless, I was
completely wrong, how did I underestimate Toujou Basara — no, I
completely misread him. He believed that he was just a good-hearted, and
kind youth with a strong sense of justice — but that wasn't the case, that
youth wasn't just kind. Zolgear had the opportunity to perceive this
possibility.
Zolgear really wanted Basara's unknown elimination ability, and would
naturally request that Maria tell him all of that information. He once allowed
his power to lose control, which eliminated the bodies of his comrades, and
also caused him to be exiled from the Heroes. After meeting the successor of
the former Demon Lord who had inherited his blood, Mio, he picked up his
sword again in order to protect her. Then — Basara, who had once suffered a
tragedy, vowed that he would never lose anything precious to him again. In
order to protect things as he had vowed, he would be as cruel as he needed to
be, so he made this promise with sorrow. If someone with such determination
joined hands with Lars—
"S-Since it's like this…Toujou Basara…do you want to make a deal with
me…?"
Zolgear desperately tried to win Basara over to his side.
"…If a high-class demon like me is kept alive…I'll be able to get all sorts of
information from the current Demon Lord Leohart-heika, or the other highclass demons who are part of the Council, I'll be able to obtain secrets that
would be impossible even for Lars here."
So—
"As long as she still has Wilbert's power, Naruse Mio will not be able to
have a single day of peace…since protecting her is your first priority, you
should realise that my information will be—"
Very useful. That was what Zolgear wanted to say, but he couldn't say it.
That was because Basara stared at him with such cold eyes that he found
himself unable to continue. Next—
"Well, I'm already tired of seeing that rotten face, it's about time to kill him
— may I, Bassachi?"
"Yeah…"
After Takigawa obtained Basara's consent, he slowly walked towards
Zolgear. The moment of Zolgear's death approached him step by step.
Despite this—
"————"
Up until this point, Toujou Basara still had not spoken a single word to
Zolgear. Cursing, contempt, ridicule, he didn't give any of that. He simply
watched Zolgear with silent, cold eyes; it seemed as if it was just as Lars had
described, that he was here only to witness his death.
…Damn it! Then there's no…there's no way…!
Zolgear desperately looked for a chance of survival, but death was already in
front of his eyes.
"! ——…!"
His eyes were filled with despair. The next instant — the shockwave that
Lars released from his hand ended Zolgear's long life.
Part 3
"—Zolgear's spiritual reaction has disappeared?"
The Demon Lord Leohart had just visited the western region, and received
this unexpected news when he returned to the palace. After Zolgear
determined that there was value in digging up the newfound ruins, he thought
that he had already fulfilled his responsibility and returned to his home; while
Leohart continued to inspect the surroundings, he didn't imagine that such a
thing would happen.
"Could it be that…Zolgear is dead?"
Leohart walked down the corridor and asked with uncertainty.
"That is just the latest news that we've received, we're still unclear about the
details of the situation."
The trusted Balflear who came to report this replied after standing up. —As
the new Demon Lord, Leohart established the current Demon Lord Faction,
which was currently the largest faction in the Demon Realm, but the interior
was not united. Some people saw the young Leohart as a boy who couldn't
do anything, so they tried to manipulate him, and Zolgear was one of those
who belonged to the hostile group. When Zolgear was the observer of Naruse
Mio and took action against her, Leohart originally planned to sentence him
to death, if his indulgence in greed and ambition continued to grow, he would
one day become a threat that was impossible to ignore. Unfortunately, the
Council that Zolgear belonged to protested against this proposal, and
ultimately, he could only give the light punishment of suspending him from
investigation. Then—
…What exactly happened?
According to Lars' reports, Zolgear had some suspicious actions, but highclass demons like him were careful and powerful, so they weren't people that
would die so easily, which meant that there was definitely a large problem
behind the scenes.
"Make a detailed investigation immediately, and report back at any time —
go quickly."
"—As you wish."
As soon as Balflear received those orders and nodded, he immediately
disappeared. Leohart continued to advance; he was saluted by the guards
when he arrived in front of the doors to the throne room, and then pushed
open the large and heavy doors.
"—Good work."
After Leohart briefly said that, he stepped into the room. He then walked
further into the room following the sound of the closing doors—
"————"
But on the way, he suddenly stopped, and then frowned. That was because he
had discovered a situation within the room. —All of the guards in the room
had collapsed on the floor, without a single exception. They weren't dead,
they had simply lost consciousness, and even their breathing was normal. But
—
…More than twenty members of the guard had actually been defeated…
They weren't just ordinary soldiers, they were bodyguards who specifically
guarded the Demon Lord, and all of them were elites; these bodyguards had
actually been completely defeated without the guards outside the room even
noticing. It showed that this person's actions were very secretive, and also
that it happened in a very short period of time. As Leohart knew, there were
only a handful of people who had such power.
"......"
Just as Leohart increased his vigilance, and was considering whether or not to
call the guards outside the door— he suddenly saw something — there was a
man sitting comfortably on the throne that only he could sit on. Under normal
circumstances, it would be impossible for Leohart to ignore such an offense,
but the man in front of him was able to avoid Leohart's attention while doing
such a thing. It was complete stealth which even Leohart was failed to detect.
With an ability like that, it would really be possible to defeat all of the guards
without revealing his appearance or presence. At that time—
"You finally returned, new Demon Lord…huh? How strange, isn't the
Demon Lord too young this time?"
The man sat on Leohart's throne, and said that with surprise after seeing
Leohart. —In the Demon Realm, there wasn't a single person who didn't
recognise what Leohart looked like. But this man clearly had a reaction
which showed that he had never seen him before. Also — although it was
their first meeting, Leohart was able to recognise the name and appearance of
the man who didn't know him.
"...Jin Toujou."
"Heh, you know me? Even the new Demon Lord recognises my face and
name, I really am honoured."
Jin gave a soft laugh as he spoke after Leohart softly mentioned his name,
and then—
"—Well, do you know why I've come here?"
Jin stood up front the throne, and stretched his neck as he said
"But what I have to say right now has nothing to do with me…my cute son, it
seems like he fought quite hard over there, which makes me want to help him
out as a father, so it would be nice if he could see me show off a bit. This is
the so-called fatherly love."
Subsequently, Leohart moved towards Toujou Jin. The man known as the
strongest Hero in history then made a ferocious smile and said
"Thank you for looking after my kids — I came to return the favour."