Zamparini reflexively attributed Akuto's ability to learn everything through a phone at a glance to "Authorities related to Athena, the goddess of wisdom."
But in reality, the reason Akuto could do it was the God of the Bible.
Zamparini had already pushed his talent for overinterpretation to the limit, and yet the truth was still far more terrifying than he'd imagined.
…
Seeing that Akuto's attitude toward him was quite favorable—and noticing that the relationship between Erica and Akuto was starting to feel… complicated—Zamparini decided it was time to advance to the next stage of his plan.
So, in the next instant, he turned to Erica.
"By the way, Miss Brantry—"
"Just now, I received instructions from your uncle, Paul Brantry, ordering you to report to him in person immediately. I will take over from here. You may return without concern."
"The cars are already prepared."
"In a moment, His Majesty and I will ride in the lead car. As for Miss Brantry, the car behind will take you to the airport." Zamparini gestured toward the convoy onshore, his tone calm, as if the matter had already been decided.
"Huh?!"
It hit Erica like a bolt from a clear sky. Her slender, pale fingers curled tight at once. But only a few seconds later, she recovered her usual composure.
"I'm sorry, Zamparini-san. I can't comply with my uncle's order." Erica's red lips parted slightly, her gaze firmer than it had ever been.
Zamparini lit his cigar and drew in a slow breath.
"Miss Brantry, this is not the time for stubbornness. Since your guardian and your organization have issued a recall, you have no room to choose."
Purple-gray smoke unfurled in the air, drifting around Erica's face.
"Miss Brantry, I understand your desire to assist His Majesty."
"Your thinking is correct. His Majesty is a godslayer, but newly ascended—and he must subjugate two gods in succession. He does require capable support."
"But—"
Zamparini's tone shifted sharply.
"That support does not necessarily have to be Miss Brantry… does it?"
"To keep a girl so young at the side of a king who stands opposed to gods is far too cruel," the old man said, his voice suddenly heavy. "This is a path that skirts the edge of life and death."
"So, allow this old man to take Miss Brantry's place and serve at His Majesty's side."
As he spoke, Zamparini bent forward in a deep, formal bow.
Clearly, he believed Akuto's willingness to accept the intelligence meant Akuto was also willing to accept everything else he offered.
"Your Majesty, the Zamparini family will fully support your battle. Do not be misled by my age—when I was younger, I weathered storms as well. Please grant me this chance to—"
A ridiculous image floated into Akuto's mind uninvited.
Zamparini, dressed in white with a brimmed hat, cigar clenched between his teeth, an old-fashioned pistol in hand, and maybe even a few explosives at his belt—
Strangely enough, it fit the old man's aura far too well.
Objectively speaking, the curse-power radiating from Zamparini really was stronger than Erica's.
But… Akuto didn't like men.
And he liked old men even less.
…
Still, for one very obvious reason, Akuto didn't stop Zamparini. He simply let the man keep talking about replacing Erica, as if none of it concerned him.
"…Hah."
Like Akuto, Erica listened to Zamparini's shameless speech without interrupting.
But unlike Akuto, she was also watching Akuto closely the whole time.
When she noticed he remained silent from start to finish, she fell into thought.
Only a few seconds passed before she reached her conclusion.
The reason Akuto wasn't speaking—or acting—was because…
He was doing it on purpose.
With how well Akuto-kun understands me, if he didn't want me to notice something, I wouldn't.
And if I noticed this easily, it means he wanted me to notice from the start.
Using another follower to push me into declaring my stance… Akuto-kun, you really are a nasty man.
Once she saw through it, all hesitation and confusion vanished from Erica's heart, leaving only pure, unwavering resolve.
…
Right in front of the still-bowing Zamparini, Erica threw her arms out sideways, like a lioness guarding her prey.
"Zamparini-san, with respect, you cannot replace my position under any circumstances." Erica lifted her chin, her eyes filled with pride and satisfaction.
"Staying at Akuto-sama's side and advising him can only be my duty."
Her words carried an absolute finality.
Just as she'd said—no matter how dangerous the road ahead was, she had already chosen to face it.
From this day onward, she would not only remain at his side, she would walk with him against fate itself, and tell this rotten world to go to hell.
Hearing that, the always-gentle Zamparini frowned.
"Miss Brantry, you should have heard me clearly. It is not I who demands your return. The one who demands your return is your uncle, Paul Brantry."
"And as for this 'irreplaceable' matter, there's no need for you to worry."
"Besides myself, Palomos has many excellent magicians and knights who can easily take your place."
Clearly, Zamparini still intended to talk Erica into it.
But in the next second, Erica dropped a bomb.
"Oh? Is that so?" Erica said lightly. "Then can you serve Akuto-kun the way I can—both as a woman and as a knight?"
As she spoke, Erica abruptly hooked her arm through Akuto's and pressed it tightly against her chest, pinning his forearm between soft warmth and the curve of her figure.
A faint blush bloomed across her cheeks, but she still pushed his hand closer, shamelessly forcing the point.
A sweet scent rushed into Akuto's space, and the sensation hit both his senses at once.
But Akuto had already seen his share of chaos. He wasn't the type to lose his composure over something like this.
If anything, he deliberately shifted his arm a little—making sure Erica felt it clearly, thoroughly.
"…"
Erica said nothing. She simply shot Akuto a helpless look with her violet eyes, then turned back to Zamparini.
"As you can see, I'm already Akuto-sama's lover. Zamparini-san can't possibly replace that, can you? So please, give up on that naive idea."
Since Akuto wanted to provoke her into taking a stance, Erica simply played along, skipping past "knight" entirely and upgrading their relationship to "lover" on the spot.
For once, even Zamparini froze, stunned into silence.
"…"
Despite the shock, he didn't look disappointed. Instead, he studied Erica with a seriousness that bordered on scrutiny.
"So, Miss Brantry… you and Akuto-sama have already progressed to that sort of relationship?"
"Exactly so." Erica answered smoothly, as if she'd rehearsed it a thousand times.
"So, Zamparini-san, please don't do something so tasteless as trying to split us apart. It would stain your reputation as a 'Sicilian chivalrous man,' wouldn't it?"
"With things said to this extent, I can hardly force the issue…" Zamparini said.
Having obtained the answer he wanted, he didn't insist further. Instead, he looked relieved—almost reassured.
Clearly, he'd anticipated Erica's choice all along.
A fox like Zamparini wasn't about to miss the way Erica looked at Akuto.
That was why he'd only made this move after ensuring he had every contingency prepared.
If Erica took the bait, then he'd helped Akuto.
If Erica didn't—if she proved stubborn and ill-timed—then Zamparini had other ways to keep Erica at Akuto's side anyway.
No matter how Erica reacted, Zamparini could choose the most suitable path.
Still, overall, he'd preferred for Erica to take the bait.
Because it let him probe Akuto's preferences as a newly risen godslayer, even if only a little.
…
At last, Zamparini let out an easy smile—so relaxed it was practically three-quarters of a fox tail showing.
"Very well. As an elder of the association, I ought to honor Paul Brantry's request. But as a man, being too rigid only lowers one's standing. I'll help you refuse Paul on your behalf."
"Oh? Then I suppose I should thank you, Zamparini-san," Erica replied, a trace of irritation slipping through.
She'd seen it now. He'd done it on purpose.
"No need," Zamparini said, chuckling lowly.
Then he looked at Akuto with a meaningful gaze.
"Any man who's been young has had a few romantic entanglements. Akuto-sama, your fondness for beautiful girls is, to us magicians, actually a good thing. The other demon kings of this era are mostly stubborn, tasteless old blocks of wood."
Zamparini was simply tired—truly tired—of the chaos godslayers caused.
Europeans, frankly, had it miserable.
There had been six godslayers in the world. Every one of them was exceptional in their own way.
England's Black Prince Alec wasn't too bad. He liked studying the occult and was the most emotionally stable of the lot, only causing trouble on occasion.
America's King of the Underworld, John Pluto Smith, loved roleplay. He styled himself as a masked hero, dispensing vigilante justice—and even when he caused disasters, he tried to clean up the mess himself.
China's Luo Hao, the Sect Leader, was brutal, but she mostly stayed on Mount Lu like a shut-in. Even when she felt like tormenting someone, it was usually only Lu Yinghua who suffered.
Then there was Lady Aisha—always on the move, creating "holes" across the world. She appeared only after long stretches of silence, but when she did cause trouble, it was always enormous. The only consolation was that her disasters weren't exclusively Europe's burden—usually they required other godslayers or half the world's magic associations to clean up.
That left two true heavyweights.
Marquis Voban summoned gods for sport and had a habit of turning powerful magicians and knights into dead thralls. His cruelty was nightmare-inducing.
And Salvatore Doni wandered the world nonstop, constantly hunting gods, drawing complaints from magic associations in every country and dumping them back on Europe's desk.
One wreaked havoc in Eastern Europe, the other caused disasters in Southern Europe.
Add England's Black Prince in Western Europe, and tiny Europe had to "serve" three godslayers.
It was exhausting to the point of despair.
Sure, a fondness for beautiful girls wasn't exactly a virtue—but compared to roaming the world and igniting catastrophes, every magic association would rather deal with a godslayer who chased women than one who turned nations into battlefields.
(End of Chapter)
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