Despair
Saint・Lizabeth Church blended into the darkness of the night, and a human’s eyes wouldn’t be able to see anything. As always, Archbishop Samon offers his prayers before the Teresa Statue. With his ill-stricken body, who knows how many more times he’s capable of this act.
“……you interrupted me”
“I believe I erased my presence though. As one would expect of, the Archbishop”
A man clad in silver light amour, Lloyd, was standing beside him with his arms crossed.
“What were you trying to do?”
Samon asked with a composed expression, but he was furiously suppressing his welling anger in his heart.
“About what?”
“You sent our brethren to assassinate Asch＝Dahl……furthermore, Julia was not a girl who’s capable of combat”
Samon was acquainted with her, and considerably so at that. A pious Aristo believer and a kind girl who looks after the impoverished children on her days off without fail.
At such a reproach, Lloyd snorts and sneers.
“I simply told her the truth. The truth that her beloved Kelly was killed. The rest, they were all things that she did voluntarily. Besides, it goes for both of us, doesn’t it?”
“……”
Samon intuitively looked at the ceiling from his own deed. Now when it’s already too late, he realises that she has given her heart to Kelly. Now when it’s already too late, he realises that the provider of the Holy Ark’s information was her.
“Why didn’t you tell me, the fact that Asch＝Dahl is around? Did you think I’ll be afraid of him and run away?”
“……”
He can perceive anger from Lloyd’s eyes.
“……well, whatever. We’re even with this. You learned your lesson with this as well, right?”
“Don’t tell me……for the sake of that, you”
Blood drips from Samon’s fist. Just because he hired a man like this, he ended up causing a pure girl like Julia to die. He’s fed up with his own foolish actions, although it’s too late now.
“It’s not just that though. I wanted to confirm, whether or not it’s really that Asch＝Dahl. Well, the result is as you can see. He wasn’t crowned with an exaggerated alias just for show”
Darkness Devourer.
That, is Asch’s name that’s known in the underworld. An unaging and undying Renegade Ideologist. It was the Battle of the Caesars Wasteland 120 years ago, that he made that name widely known. That war in which prominent Magicians were mobilised according to history, came to an abrupt end on the third day.
The survivors amongst those mobilised whose number is even said to be 50 thousand were, slightly more than 120. All of them said this in chorus, 『A silver-haired man appeared……and robbed everything along with the darkness』. For the sake of not diminishing the camp’s morale, both countries imposed martial law on them and sealed their mouths, and the reason for the end of the war isn’t talked about in history.
However, that circulated in the underworld as a legendary story. Even darkness is but prey to him. Devouring even the darkness,『Darkness Devourer』. That, is being passed down even now after many years have passed.
“Are you able to do something about that?”
Samon deliberately said provocatively. It seems that he’s the type with quite the big ego. He concluded that if that’s the case, it’s probably better not to hide it deliberately.
“……who are you saying it to?”
“It’s the Immortal Magician, you know? Do you have a way to defeat him”
“Something like that, it’s completely meaningless to me. Don’t group me with you people”
Lloyd laughed dauntlessly, turned around, and started walking.
Samon stares at that back view of his quietly. This man, too, is unquestionably not an ordinary man. As far as Samon knows, he has not heard of anybody who does their work with more certainty than this man.
He sighed greatly and kneeled before the platform once again.
“There are……way too many”
Samon muttered. There are too many things to repent. Come to think of it, the path he looked back on has nothing but regrets. Killing Kelly, Julia, and a bunch of believers, entrusting his fate to a scoundrel who makes killing his livelihood for the sake of the objective.
But……even so. If he doesn’t get his hands on the Holy Ark, there’ll be no future for the Aristo believers, and the utopia will be a pipe dream. For the sake of those guys who have been left behind, even if he were to fall into hell.
“……gufu!”
He was suddenly struck with nausea, and he held onto his mouth with his palm. His palm was being covered in deep black blood that was about to solidify.
“There’s……not much time……”
He doesn’t want the deaths to be futile at least. If it were to end up like that, what will the sacrifices have been for. What for……
While feeling his short remaining life, Samon placed his palms dripping with blood together and prayed to God.
