Elio's brain worked nonstop, pushing his thinking ability to its limit. Fast current in the living river, forest with lots of trees, distance of fifteen miles, attitude of giving up and accepting death…
Piece by piece, he quickly connected them, and the full picture became clear in his mind. Now he finally understood what Rias and Raphael were planning.
With what he knew about them after decades of acquaintance, Elio was sure his guess couldn't be wrong. If they had a plan like that, the outcome wasn't unacceptable.
Raphael and Leo jumped into the river… Letting them go just like that wasn't an option, so he'd hit them with one more attack.
Even if they survived that, he still went home and announced that Raphael was dead and let him live in hiding. Doing this much counted as Elio doing his best for the sake of friendship. If his father came here, all three of them would definitely die.
Raphael naturally wouldn't think Elio would go back on his word after agreeing. After all, he was the temple master of The Great Sun Temple in this generation, with a social standing that matched the two emperors, so he had to maintain some dignity.
"Alright, wait for me. I'll be right back."
He carried Leo and flew toward the riverbank at a noticeably slow speed. Of course, it wasn't because he was worried Leo couldn't handle the wind pressure. He was buying time for Rias to prepare her ultimate technique while also getting ready to deliver the final blow.
Elio didn't expose Raphael's behavior and instead shot a strange glance toward Glacior and Ignivar. The two of them looked surprised for a few seconds, then their expressions returned to their usual calm.
They were all old acquaintances. There was no need to say anything to understand this much. Not only did he get it, even Rias observing from below could notice the oddity in Elio's actions.
Business was business. Sure, they were chasing her, but that was their duty. Aside from that, they were still truly her good friends.
"Elio, Glacior, and Ignivar too… Thank you all so much."
Even though Rias's face was now pale and looked incredibly lifeless, she still smiled to thank the three of them. Of course, the thanks were sincere because they knew her plan but still allowed it to happen.
She knew that even if they allowed it, they definitely wouldn't just stand there and watch Raphael and Leo escape freely. But at least they actually intended to give those two a sliver of hope to live.
"Haha, say thank you in a way that's more convincing instead of just saying it. Later, just focus on hitting Elio. That's how you can thank me."
Glacior, the one who usually hung out with her the most, shamelessly spoke up to redirect the damage he'd have to take onto the leader.
"I think Glacior's right. You heard how harsh his words were. Hit him, it wouldn't be unfair."
Ignivar followed suit, pushing all the damage toward Elio. Of course, he knew there was no way to actually make Elio take it all alone, but reducing the damage was still doable.
???
What are you two trying to say? Are you itching to stage a 'rebellion' against the leader now that you have a chance? Or is it because you guys know I'm not gonna die this time, so you don't care about me?
Elio put on a pitiful face as he looked at Rias. It was true that he couldn't die with Rias and Raphael's current strength, but using that technique hurt very much. If he had to use it again this time, he wouldn't be able to move for at least half a month.
Seeing the temple master of The Great Sun Temple acting like a little kid, Rias couldn't help but laugh. This feeling was truly familiar.
For the entire past month, everyone had been all serious, fighting and killing, so there was no atmosphere like close friends at all.
"Don't worry. I'll treat you all fairly. Everyone gets a share, and of course, the higher the position, the more 'gifts' you get."
Rias replied casually, and of course, she wasn't letting anyone off the hook. After being chased and hunted for the entire month, there was no way she'd let them return unscathed.
Her current situation was pretty much like the saying "Words from someone about to die are kind."
Of course, that saying only applies to cases where you're comfortable with dying. If you were killed by an enemy in grievance, not cursing them out is already good enough. No way you'd say anything nice.
Hearing the first part, Elio was still cheerful, but after hearing her whole speech, he felt like there was nothing left to regret in life. F*ck, this was clearly aimed at him. He only said a few wrong words. Did she have to make things this hard for him?
Suddenly, Elio's intelligence kicked in again. He thought of an idea that was more f*cking brilliant than ever.
"Rias, forget Raphael and become my concubine. When we get out, just say you were a spy I planted. As for Leo, just say he's my kid, and let Raphael go die. If we do that, you two will definitely survive… At least until everything gets exposed."
Elio didn't dare say for sure, even if he was the temple master of The Great Sun Temple. There were too many demigods in there. So he couldn't just decide everything however he wanted.
Gabriel's crime was too severe, so if it got exposed, he'd be forced to kill them both. And he'd definitely be affected pretty badly himself. If he got unlucky, maybe in a few years he'd die because of this plan too.
???
Rias suddenly felt that Glacior's and Ignivar's suggestion wasn't bad at all. Just pile all the damage onto Elio. If he didn't die today, he'd at least end up crippled.
If Raphael hadn't already gone quite far and couldn't hear the conversation, he would have ignored whatever plan and just fought Elio to the death right there. Anyone who schemed to take his goddess from him deserved to die, best friend or not.
"The f*ck? You want to get hit that badly? If you're sure about it, then say so. You can't pull it off but keep running your mouth. Are you trying to piss me off so I die of anger so you don't have to fight?"
She naturally wouldn't agree because she knew this 'idiot' couldn't protect her anyway. If they actually followed his stupid plan, maybe in the future he'd end up being beheaded as a public spectacle too.