Ten days ago, they gathered in a certain darkness.
A few men and women join in as the mysteriously burning dark flames become a bonfire.
"From now on, I will pass on the words of the Evil God-Purify the Kingdom of Neiro. I understand the meaning of these words. Make his land a place of ritual and present it to the Evil God!"
"Ha, for the sake of the great evil god! 』
The lights went out, and the only ones left were the three evil gods.
Each of them contributes to each other by working separately for the same purpose.
"I'll do it... I can do it too."
Among them, Raven was also present.
"His mission is to knock those in high positions into despair."
In addition, the nucleus was prepared by the cult's secret arts and the labyrinth master was transported.
After completing the latter task, he learns of the day when the targets will conveniently gather together.
In addition, that day coincided with their planned invasion date.
(It must be the will of the evil god, I have to fulfill it no matter what...)
A fateful event that cannot be thought of as a coincidence.
Aiming for good timing, he invades the royal castle at a more certain time.
And then eliminate the target... it was supposed to be.
"Damn it! What the hell is this barrier! Don't you freak out!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is my secret art of barrier magic. What makes it different from normal magic is its strength. The proof is that you're not here."
As an attendee of the ceremony, a new S-rank adventurer──the barrier built by Merus.
Its strong walls, which are connected over and over again, do not allow the internal phenomena to leak out to the outside.
And it was used as a performance to make his power known to the other attendees.
No matter how much you struggle, the barrier will not break, and on the contrary, you will be toyed with to promote its indestructibility.
In fact, seeing Raven defying the barrier with that desperate face, the nobles, who understood that it was not a set-up act, began to recognize Merus.
"I won't give up. This barrier I put up won't break even if the demon demon king Demihob Goblin King rampages."
"I'm... you're trying to say that I'm a goblin!"
"No, it's not."
He replied clearly and with a smile.
"──It's not a goblin, it's a demi-goblin. I don't know anyone who isn't educated, but there's a clear difference between these two races, so please understand... but I don't use that knowledge anymore. mosquito"
"Temeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
"If it's just a matter of shouting... I see, if it's a mechanism that increases the miasma according to the ups and downs of emotions, it can't be helped."
Merus defined the black haze as miasma.
A poison-like effect befitting its name tries to erode the barrier, but it still doesn't fear it and can only crawl on the surface.
"Ominous power, interference from non-humans... No, what kind of trouble is going to happen on this auspicious day? Raven-san, why are you targeting this country?"
"Tch, you shouldn't say that."
"My guess is that it will be a ritual dedicated to your gods… Oh, was it a surprise?"
When I was told the staple of the story, I reacted in a small way.
Merus doesn't miss it and speaks while continuing to maintain the barrier by supplementing his magical power.
"King, immediately send a warning."
"Umu... Sound the alarm immediately! There's no need to stay here anymore! Leave it to Merus and save this country!"
"Ha, as you wish! 』
The nobles gave up on Raven, who was already unable to do anything, and dashed away from the audience.
No one will go against the king's orders, and he will contact his subordinates in order to act as instructed.
The only ones left were the king himself, his trusted subordinate, the prime minister, and the knights who protected them.
In addition, there were only less than ten people, Merus and Raven.
"You've had a hard time, Merus. Now you can change your tone."
"... Ah, I'm really tired. I think it's time for Sieg-san and the people over there to get rid of the tension."
"No, even though Merus-sama is here, the enemy is still in front of us."
As one of the knights said so, he readied the sword that he couldn't pull out due to the presence of other nobles.
The other knights drew their swords as well, readying themselves for Raven to appear at any moment.
"Hmmm... Mr. Sieg, should I defeat him soon? After that, I was planning to tie him up and put him in jail for questioning..."
"It seems that evil gods can use life-based explosion magic.
"In other words, is that kind of thing dangerous? I want to analyze it, but I can't involve Mr. Sieg and the others... For the time being, the barrier is still fine. If you have any questions, ask them now. I recommend you keep it."
Mels said so to the king while opening the magic book he had taken out before he knew it.
As he mutters something, the black haze fades, and the King and Raven come face to face.
"──Why the hell did you join the cult of the evil gods?"
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SIDE: Sieg Wurm Sound
"This question was on my mind."
The man Mels has neutralized is a pagan group that worships an evil god that shakes the streets.
The full picture has yet to be revealed, and we don't even know the identities of the upper-level members.
"I don't know how high a position a man named Raven holds."
Now that the purpose of the evil god cult is unclear, any information will be of value.
"Heh, what's the use of asking such a question?"
I had guessed from our previous conversation that he was soft-spoken, but as expected, the man responded to my question.
"I don't mean to speak ill of the evil god.
"I do not deny the existence of evil gods."
In the songs that have been handed down since ancient times, there were good gods becoming evil gods, and vice versa.
The same goes for evil gods, not all of them are evil from within.
"Reason, reason... I don't need to tell these fools every time."
"I don't mind if you don't want to say it. But are you going to die without leaving anything behind?"
"...It's good courage, in the habit of fools."
"Even Raven knows that he can't get out of Merus's barrier at this rate."
Thinking for a moment, he grinned and turned to Merus.
"It's a deal. Set me free."
"──That's good."
"R-... Huh?"
Merus deployed a barrier towards us, and instead removed Raven's barrier.
"It seems that the hidden exit is still open, so you can get out even if something happens."
"Your barrier has been lifted. For safety's sake, I surrounded you with a barrier instead... If you want to kill me and then run away, do something about me first."
"Really, who are you? A barrier that even an evil god's divine spirit can't pass through? You wouldn't be able to do that with normal magic!"
"Hmm, do you want to check with your body again? Answer the question, okay?"
"Tch, I can't stand being a fool!"
Black haze ── Did Merus say it was miasma?
As they gathered in one place, he formed a sword into Raven's hand.
And just as it disappeared at a speed that even his eyes could not see, a high-pitched sound resounded at Merus.