Epilogue
In the western side of the town of Zircon Tower—
It was right before daybreak, and the sky was clear. Light began to hit the tents gathered here. There wasn’t a soul to be seen where the usual throngs of people would line up. The mysterious explosion during the night, combined with the repeated bouts of cryptic rumblings, caused the people to back far away from the collection of tents.
One of the tents was even sucked into a hole that opened in the earth.
Another hole opened in the ground. Sand continued to fall down the crater as the hole continued to grow in size.
The people watching from afar screamed as if it were the end of the world, or as if the gates of hell had swung wide open.
A raging tornado burst from the pit.
Rocks, sand, and even a portion of the tent that had sunk into the earth earlier were sent careening toward the sky, then strewn all over the place as they fell back down. Massive, weighty objects that would take a crowd of people just to lift up came back down like rain.
The people screamed, trembling in fear. That’s when they saw it—
An altar rose up from the depths of the hole in the ground, with a group of girls huddled on top of it. There was a man standing at the center of the altar, cloaked in an outfit of pure black with horns growing out of his head.
Someone whispered breathlessly:
—A Demon Lord...
†
“W-We’re floating!? Like, holy crap we’re floating!?”
“...Don’t make a fuss. You’ll ruin Diablo’s concentration.”
As Horn showed no signs of calming down, Rem covered his mouth with both her hands.
“Mmh!? Mmph!?”
“...Just be quiet.”
Weak at the knees and unable to stand from the shock, Lumachina was holding onto Shera’s shoulders for support.
“Th-This is...so amazing...”
“You okay there, Lumachina?”
“L-Lord Diablo...really is God after all...”
“Like, seriously, are you okay!?”
—Looks like Shera became more big sister-like after spending all that time looking after Klem. Now that I think about it, we also set Shiliu (still petrified) on a corner of the altar... Wonder what’s gonna happen with her?
This was his second time using Flight magic, and it was definitely more stable than his first venture.
Looking over everything from above, he could see the enormous cave-in below them.
“Guess I’ll put us down a bit farther away from here.”
He still wasn’t very good at moving side-to-side, but landing near the sinkhole seemed dangerous. Not to mention that it was hard to do with all the townspeople staring at him. Although they were already standing out like a sore thumb now...
Having all those eyes on him was getting him more antsy.
He gradually moved the altar to the outskirts of the town. Rem was staring off in the distance.
“...It’s beautiful.”
“Hm? Oh, yeah...”
The morning sun had just climbed over the horizon. The clouds turned a deep red as they were set aflame by it rising into the sky.
Rem’s eyes glistened as she looked at him, a slight blush in her cheeks. He always thought she was pretty cute...but right now, he wanted to just pick her up and take her back home with him.
—Well, I guess we’re already both going back to the same place, aren’t we.
It all made him think again how glad he was able to save her.
Her hands were still covering Horn’s mouth, who looked like he was about to die from the lack of oxygen.
“Mmph... Mmmmmmph...!!”
“D-Diablo!” Shera suddenly shouted, an expression of alarm on her face.
Whirling around to check, Diablo found Lumachina with a pained expression on her face, her breathing wild and erratic.
“Hah...hah...”
“What!? What happened!?”
“This!”
Shera rolled up a piece of Lumachina’s clothes; there was a blackish-purple mark on her thigh in the shape of an “X.”
“...But why!?” Rem exclaimed.
Diablo felt the goosebumps crawling over his skin.
“The Death Knell disease...”
Though the words had left Diablo’s mouth, they sounded so far away it was like someone else entirely had said them.
Miracles had no effect on Lumachina. She said it herself: No matter who she had pray for her, it wouldn’t even heal a scratch. Even if they had a priest pray for her, this wouldn’t be healed.
Diablo clenched his fists.
—So this is what Batutta was talking about!
—“...You will all fall into the depths of despair.”—
He must have done something to her while she was captured. That place was being used to perform curses, after all.
Shera was shaking. “No... L-Lumachina is going to...die...? Diablo, save her...!” Tears spilled from her eyes.
Though she was in anguish, Lumachina managed a smile.
“Please don’t cry, Shera. It... It is all right... If I am to die, it just means it is part of God’s will...”
“Exactly. That is why you will not die yet.”
“Huh?”
“You’re going to reform the corruption in the Church, aren’t you? That’s the entire reason you came here, to ask that Paladin captain for his help. Am I wrong?”
“No... That is exactly right.”
“Was the point of this journey to hide from the Cardinal Authority? Or to oppose them?”
“T-To oppose them...”
“Then stand tall! Don’t be daunted by a mere curse. And if you deem it necessary...then I shall lend you my power!”
The life returned to Lumachina’s eyes, and her ragged breathing became somewhat steadied. Though she was still being supported by Shera, she propped herself up and joined her hands together.
“Yes... I will not lose to a mere curse.”
“Good! All you need now is have faith in me, for I will rid the curse that plagues you.”
“Of course I believe in you,” Lumachina answered with a nod.
“What are we going to do, Diablo!?” Shera asked.
Rem and Horn were both staring at him as well.
Diablo’s lips curled, forming a twisted smile.
“We’re going to a certain dungeon, a place we’re sure to find what you need!”
The “Death Knell Disease Charm” he acquired from the limited time event should be locked up in the treasure room of his personal area.
Horn pumped his fists in the air.
“Awww YEAH!!”
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