The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody - Volume 8 - Chapter 96

CHAPTER 96

The Ex–Demon Lord and a Devil’s Guidance (Part 1)

To me, rescuing Ireena was of the utmost importance, something that took priority over all else. I believed I had come up with a perfect plan to accomplish that goal and had executed it perfectly.

“No… I can’t accept this…!”

The unfortunate reality was too shocking and impossible to believe, so much so that my facade as Ard Meteor slipped.

“Calm down. This isn’t like you.”

My big sister’s chiding snapped me back to myself. Evidently, I had let my aura flow out of me. Ginny had fallen back, cowed at the intensity of it.

“…Sorry. I lost my cool for a moment. You have my sincere apologies, Miss Ginny.”

“I-it’s all right…” Ginny took my offered hand, stood, and glanced at Olivia. “It’s understandable. Miss Ireena is in quite dire straits…”

Olivia held Ireena in her arms. The elf girl looked as though she were only sleeping, her eyes closed. Ginny and I weren’t the only ones struggling with the sight. While she maintained a calm face, Olivia was distraught. Verda and Sylphy had their eyes shut and seemed to be deep in thought.

Which meant the one who was calmest at the moment was…

“First, we need to reexamine the situation and determine whether or not it is definitely hopeless. It’s important that we discuss this calmly. Everyone should take a moment to calm down.”

…Lizer Bellphoenix. Once the chief strategist for my army, he was the greatest of tactical minds.

So long as Maria wasn’t involved, this man was capable of calmly analyzing any predicament.

“We planned to retrieve Ireena Olhyde and the Strange Cube and executed everything according to plan. While we succeeded in our objective, Ireena Olhyde’s soul is gone… Meaning our efforts were a failure. I believe that’s what you’re all thinking at present.” Since no one voiced their disagreement, Lizer continued. “First, we need to assume that it’s not too late to complete our mission. Remember, the primary goal was to take the Strange Cube from our enemy and return the world to its normal state. Ireena’s Olhyde’s survival is not included in—”

“You trying to say that Big Sis’s death isn’t important?!” Sylphy glared at Lizer with an intense aura of hostility.

It was enough to knock out an ordinary man, but Lizer didn’t so much as twitch a brow. “Don’t draw hasty conclusions, Sylphy Marheaven. In fact, I believe that it’s still possible to save Ireena Olhyde.”

Sylphy’s expression changed at the response. “What do you mean? What can we do? If there’s no soul, then…”

“It’s true that resurrection is impossible.” Lizer looked at each of us in turn as he spoke. “Does it not feel strange? Why would Alvarto Egzex do such a thing? Was it to place a great deal of emotional stress on us and enjoy our suffering? No. While he is a prankster, he is not that sort of sadist. So, why did he erase Ireena Olhyde’s soul?”

Lizer was encouraging us to consider Alvarto’s reasoning. This was the sort of situation where I thoroughly appreciated his unerring calm. I felt myself regaining some of my cool.

“If we were facing an opponent who was only concerned with his own interests, then perhaps Miss Ireena’s existence was a threat, and he killed her to eliminate the risk she posed.”

“…But that doesn’t fit Alvarto’s personality.”

“That’s true. Al’s one of those types who enjoys the thrill of combat. It’s why he always provides some way he can lose.”

Such was the sort of man Alvarto was. Ordinarily, the way to prepare for a fight was to eliminate all factors that might lead to defeat, but that was something Alvarto never did.

He would push ahead as though hoping to fail…and he’d still obtain an overwhelming victory in the end.

Once he’d secured his triumph, he would laugh in wistful disappointment.

“So, if he didn’t kill Ireena to remove a possible threat or upset us, the remaining possibility is…” Suddenly, I hit upon an idea. “It may be a bit overly hopeful, but…”

“What is it?”

“Perhaps Ireena’s soul still exists in some form.”

Lizer crossed his arms and nodded at my remark. “If that’s true, then his aim would be to use her as a hostage for negotiations.”

Removing a person’s soul, storing it somewhere else, and using it as a bargaining chip in negotiations. For someone proficient enough, it wasn’t an impossible task.

“…I’m starting to feel like that’s the most likely scenario.”

Verda nodded and said, “Right? Al’s main goal is to fight, yeah? But we’re in a situation where we can accomplish our objectives without combat. Which means…”

“He manufactured a situation that gives us no choice but to battle him.” Something clicked in my head after Olivia stated her conclusion.

It all made sense. Alvarto had sought to fight me…and the death that awaited him beyond. That was all. If our hypothesis was right…

“Combat with Lord Alvarto will be necessary to reclaim Ireena’s soul, then. That raises an issue, however…”

“Yes. At present, we don’t stand a chance against him. Given that you’ve avoided fighting him to this point, that much is clear,” Olivia remarked with a furrowed brow. She was right that I’d tried to keep from battling him, but it wasn’t because I’d lose. No, I hesitated to kill him over an oath I’d sworn to someone. Unfortunately…there were no other alternatives now.

It was impossible to keep my promise to her. As Alvarto had already noted, none of this would end unless I claimed his life. It was time to resign myself to that fact.

To keep one pledge, I’d have to break another and live with the guilt of doing so.

Still…

“To make progress, we need to figure out the mechanics behind his immortality, the secret to his inability to die. Or else we’ll never achieve our desired future.”

“The greatest problem is how we get to that secret. That’s the long and short of it.” Verda crossed her arms and sighed. Evidently, she had some notion of how to go about that task. It was probably the same idea that I was considering.

To explore that possibility, I turned and asked Lizer a question. “Did you liberate him completely?”

“No, I couldn’t help but hesitate to do so. Even I wouldn’t be able to control him were he fully unleashed. That’s why I took part of his soul and summoned it.”

“Then…”

“Yes, he’s still there.”

Sylphy and Ginny were having obvious trouble following our conversation, yet we continued regardless.

“Quite the dangerous choice.”

“Still, nothing wagered, nothing gained.”

It was undeniably risky. However, we needed to awaken the sleeping giant to find our way out of this mess.

“We have to do whatever we can to break Lord Alvarto’s immortality. Right now, we can’t even say for certain what powers his ability encompasses, and there’s only one individual in the world who knows—the man who created Alvarto.”

We needed to meet with the Devil himself—the hated enemy who, in ancient times, had been a constant thorn in our sides.

His name was Mephisto Yuu Phegor.

He was the most powerful and wicked Evil God. Regrettably, there was no alternative but to speak to the creature that we hoped we’d never meet again.