"!"
Macht sensed something was wrong the moment Fíliya ignored him and walked away. But when Fíliya actually began bombing the crowd, he could no longer maintain his leisurely composure.
He instantly arrived at the center of the crowd and deployed a massive Defensive Magic shield, large enough to cover dozens of people. Naturally, the mana consumption for such a feat was terrifying.
"It's Lord Macht!"
"We're saved!"
Cheers rose and fell in waves. The people of Weise flocked to Macht's side as if they had seen a savior.
However, Macht dared not relax in the slightest. He even felt a trace of admiration for the young girl who remained floating in the air, continuously launching attacks at the crowd.
Are you using the [Command Bracelet] to force me to protect these humans again? Lady Fíliya, you really are a fellow who will stop at nothing.
"Not bad, expanding Defensive Magic to this scale... Although I've fantasized about doing it, that kind of consumption isn't something just anyone can bear. You're quite generous."
Fíliya made sarcastic remarks while looking down at the crowd from her high vantage point.
"You witch! What have you done to everyone!"
"Why are you attacking Lord Macht!"
Questions and accusations rang out one after another, causing Miss Fíliya to pout in annoyance.
It must be nice having someone to protect you; otherwise, where would you get the energy to talk trash...?
However, she couldn't really blame them. After all, their thinking was still stagnant, stuck decades in the past. They didn't even realize that the instigator who had turned them into gold and isolated them from the world for decades was actually the very Macht protecting them behind his back.
This was truly... lamentable.
"Macht, it does surprise me a little that you can hold up such a massive Defensive Magic, but haven't you realized a very serious problem?"
Fíliya looked at Macht with a wicked grin.
Macht was startled. He seemed to realize something, but he was a step too late.
After expanding the Defensive Magic to a size capable of accommodating dozens of people, a fatal problem indeed emerged. That was... this magic was no longer [Omnidirectional].
Consequently, Fíliya began manipulating Ordinary Attack Magic, pouring it in through the gaps of that gigantic barrier.
Macht hurriedly moved to counter these attacks, but he still let one or two slip through.
This wasn't because his skill was insufficient, but because Fíliya's technique was simply too tricky. Furthermore, Ordinary Attack Magic was an attack method he was very unskilled with, making it difficult for him to keep up with Fíliya's variations.
Have I relied too much on Gold Transformation Magic (Di Agolze)...? I never imagined how I would fight after losing it.
Macht looked at his mistake, feeling a bit vexed.
But in the end, he could only watch helplessly as the two beams of light he missed smashed into the crowd.
"Ah!!"
A burst of terrifying screams rang out, causing Miss Fíliya in mid-air to raise an eyebrow.
Huh? Seems like a bit of a mistake? I remember controlling it quite well. Is it possible you guys got hurt because you were running around randomly...? Like I said, mortals are boring. If you had just stayed still, nothing would have happened.
Just as Fíliya was feeling puzzled, the commotion settled down slightly. Several ordinary citizens were slumped on the ground. Bright red liquid began to pool on the golden surface beside them, and within that pool of blood, several severed limbs were clearly visible.
"You witch! You will definitely go to hell!"
Hah? Isn't this fine? Nobody died, so what are you barking about! Just find a priest to reattach them later and it'll be done. Keep barking!
Listening to the voices continuing to curse her, Fíliya became slightly irritable.
"Lady Fíliya, even if it is to force my hand, your actions seem a bit too excessive... Doesn't the human world have something called [Law]? Are you not afraid of being held accountable afterwards?"
Macht had no time to attend to the few civilians whose limbs had been blown off. He knew well that he couldn't perfectly protect everyone. Therefore, he could only face the difficulty head-on, actively launching an offensive against Fíliya to force her to stop bombing the civilians.
"Do you think I care about that sort of thing? To tell you the truth, I actually like killing people. Hearing these melodious screams and wails brings me incomparable pleasure."
As Fíliya spoke, she put on an expression of immense enjoyment.
This made Macht frown. His intuition told him something was wrong, yet Fíliya's expression showed no flaws. Regardless, he had to mentally revise his evaluation of this young girl. After all, he dared not gamble on whether Fíliya was lying.
"Macht, you know, I've already thought it through. After I deal with you, I'll kill all several hundred thousand people in Weise. That scene will surely be very interesting."
Fíliya said this with eyes full of a bloodthirsty light, as if she had truly witnessed mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
"...I don't understand. What meaning does this hold for you?"
Macht began to feel a sense of revulsion toward the human before him.
"Of course it has meaning. In my past life, I never had such a good opportunity to enjoy slaughter to my heart's content... Anyway, even if I kill a lot of people, nothing will happen to me. When the time comes, I'll push the blame onto you. As long as I say you did it, no one will do anything to me. After all, you are a demon capable of all kinds of evil; everyone will be willing to believe my words."
Macht fell silent. Although he personally didn't mind concepts of sin, and had indeed committed countless evils in his thousand years of life, this was the first time... mere moments ago, he had done nothing, and was instead protecting these humans due to the [Command Bracelet]. Yet, he was to shoulder a non-existent crime... This feeling made him very unhappy.
"Macht, you should actually be thanking me."
Seeing Macht stay silent, Fíliya continued to speak in a mocking tone while exchanging magic attacks with him.
"If destroying the city you've protected for decades with your own hands can't make you understand what [Malice] and [Guilt] are, then let me help you. If everything you protect is destroyed by someone else's hands... will the incompetent and powerless you be able to understand guilt just a little bit?"
"Oh, right... I recall that in this city, there should be a figure you care about a little more than the average person, right? That is normal. You are forced to protect the average commoners due to the effect of the [Command Bracelet], but that person is an old friend you have truly served for decades."
"The Lord of Weise—[Glück], was that the name? Humans invest deeper feelings in others as time spent together increases. So, this human whom you used, and who used you, and with whom you spent decades... must occupy a somewhat different place in your heart."
"Mm... Very good. Then I am going to find that Lord's golden statue now. I will undo his gold transformation and then kill him. Try and stop me?"
Saying this, Fíliya laughed loudly and flew toward the distance of the city.
Behind her was Macht himself, pursuing relentlessly.
Macht didn't quite understand why.
Where exactly did his drive to act come from... Was it the effect of the [Command Bracelet] again? Or something else?
Why was he so actively wanting to... stop this human girl's behavior?
____
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