"Uncle, sir..."
Yue's hoarse voice once again confirmed the speculation.
Everyone turned to look at the Demon King, their expressions tense. Though they thought it was impossible, the Demon King and Yue's appearance were indeed somewhat similar, forcing them to think, "Indeed..." and accept the fact.
Yue's hands were shaking, and her mind was in turmoil. She looked like she might fall to the ground at any moment.
Towards Yue, the Demon King spoke in a gentle and caring tone:
"Yes, it's me. Eletia. You seem surprised... well, that's understandable. But even this makes me feel nostalgic and fond of you. You're exactly the same as you were three hundred years ago, nothing has changed."
His expression was full of infinite love.
As for Yue, it seemed as if she took a step back because she remembered her uncle...
At that moment, a hand gently rested on her. The warm touch woke her like she had just woken from a dream. She blinked and looked up at her side. Hajime was staring at the Demon King, his eyes clear of any carelessness.
Even without words, there will still be someone supporting you.
After remembering this, Yue was finally able to breathe. She took a deep breath, filling her chest with air. Though her mind was still shaken, at least she could speak.
Just as she tried to speak with trembling lips──
"Lord Yalb?"
An apostle spoke first to the Demon King. Though her voice was emotionless, one could hear her inner doubts, as if Yue's attitude towards the Demon King was unexpected.
Regarding this, not only the apostles, but also Fried and Eri showed surprised expressions.
The devil did not answer.
He just kept smiling and raised his hand nonchalantly and naturally.
Point in the direction of the apostles.
The next moment, magical light exploded like a flash grenade. A golden glow instantly filled the entire space. It was a similar color to the moon, but a slightly darker hue.
It was only a brief moment. However, that light seemed to have some kind of power, and even Hajime and the others couldn't see clearly what was happening.
After that light disappeared...
"what?"
“Uh, huh? Why!?”
Ryuutarou and Suzu's exclamations echoed from behind Hajime and the others. Even if the others remained silent, it was clear everyone was shocked. All fifty apostles, along with Freed and Eri, collapsed to the ground like mechanical puppets with their batteries drained.
“Eri, Eri!”
"Rin, don't worry. She just fainted."
Ling wanted to run towards Huili, but Guanghui raised his hand to stop her. He had already checked Huili's pulse with his fingers after she fell, making sure she was okay.
"What do you want?"
The first one to break the stunned silence was Shi.
Hajime glared at the Demon King with a sharp gaze, but the Demon King's reaction was unexpected. He flicked his fingers, activated some kind of spell, and breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had finally gotten through the tense moment.
"I've set up a barrier to thwart eavesdropping and surveillance. Now, the apostles outside can only hear and see the other sounds and situations I've prepared, and won't be able to perceive what's happening in this room."
The Demon King was right. Through the Demon Eye Stone, Hajime could see the entire throne room enveloped by a dark golden barrier.
"…Answer me, what do you want?"
The Demon King's words and actions seemed to be hostile to the apostles. So Yue asked a question.
Upon hearing this, the Demon King immediately looked at Yue with joy, then turned around and gave a friendly smile to Hajime and the others who were on high alert, and then glanced at the confused Myuu, Aiko and the others with an apologetic look.
"It's no wonder you're confused and wary. However, please allow me to get straight to the point. I am the current Demon King of the Demon Kingdom of Galant, the former Prime Minister of the former vampire kingdom of Alfadal—Tinred Jarudia Vesperitio Alfadal, a rebel against God."
The words were spoken with such majesty that they echoed throughout the vast throne room.
These words were incredibly unexpected, a bolt from the blue. Yet, the words themselves, along with the aura emanating from Tinrider's body, seemed to possess a power that convinced everyone present that what he said was true.
At least, that was the case for everyone except Hajime.
At this time, someone still spoke out to completely deny his words. That voice sounded quite excited.
"You're lying... That's impossible. Tinrid can't still be alive!"
"Eletia... you seem quite shaken. It's no wonder. While it was necessary, I did something quite excessive to you after all. It's only natural that you'd be thrown into confusion when someone like this suddenly appears before you."
"Don't call me Eletia! Don't pretend to be your uncle!"
Yue's attitude was unusually agitated, something Shi had never seen before. Tinrid smiled at her with a sad expression. Yue seemed unable to tolerate even this attitude, reaching out to him with murderous intent, her entire body radiating immense magical power.
Although Yue had accepted the possibility that her memories were inaccurate in the Ice Cave, the man before her was still the culprit who had trapped her in darkness for three hundred years. He was the one Yue trusted with all her heart, yet he had been cruelly betrayed. She could not easily accept this fact with her mind.
What's more, the person who had already died suddenly appeared in front of him and spoke to him in the same friendly manner as three hundred years ago.
Even Yue couldn't keep her composure. Her mind was like the sea in a typhoon, turbulent and chaotic. She was so impulsive that she didn't even realize what she was doing. When she came to her senses, she realized that she had already released the Thunder Dragon.
Suddenly, there was a loud thunder, and the golden dragon approached its prey in an instant.
However, his prey, Tinrid, remained calm and unmoved. With a flick of his finger, he erected a wall of light around the throne altar. Even when struck directly by the thunder dragon, it didn't even cause a ripple.
The lightning continued to burst out, and Tinrid continued to speak to the moon from the other side of the light wall, his tone extremely gentle.
For some reason, even though they were attacking him with hostility, his voice was soothing and touched people's hearts.
"Eletia Jarudia Vesperitio Alfadal. The most beautiful and intelligent queen of all time, my beloved niece. I am indeed your uncle. Do you remember? I possess powerful abilities in controlling monsters."
"What's the meaning!?"
"You should understand now. The reason why I possessed such great power back then."
"...the gods...become magic...!"
Tinreed smiled. It was the same smile he'd used to give Yue when he'd taught her to study and praised her for her good grades. A sense of déjà vu welled up in her, causing Yue's expression to twist.
"Also, I also learned the power of magic. It's a shame I have no talent for it, so it all went to waste."
In exchange, he gained extraordinary talent in magic, and eventually was even able to transform and strengthen his body, thereby extending his lifespan. Tinrid added this.
"Yue, calm down."
"……beginning!"
Hajime had actually taken advantage of the Thunder Dragon's activation to fire his electromagnetic cannon, but it was completely ineffective against the barrier Tinrid had set up. There seemed to be no immediate way to break through it.
In that case, let's stop Yue from wasting any more magic energy first. He put his hand on Yue's shoulder to stop her.
Perhaps due to her emotional turmoil, Yue's magic efficiency was much worse than usual. She seemed a little breathless, her shoulders swaying slightly. After taking a deep breath, she managed to calm her chaotic mind and let the "Thunder Dragon" dissipate.
However, she was able to control herself because of Hajime's presence, and her tone naturally became fierce.
“…Fried Bagoa said you are Yarbu, the subordinate deity of Esid. He also said you have been ruling the Demon Kingdom since ancient times, thousands of years ago!”
At least before the Imprisonment Month three hundred years ago, Tinrid had been serving as prime minister in the Kingdom of Afadar, a fact that contradicted Fried's statement.
However, even when such contradictions were pointed out, Tinrede's attitude remained as steady as a rock.
"What Fried said is correct. Yarbu is definitely me, but also not me."
His words were like a ghost wall. This answer made Yue's eyes become more sinister.
Seeing Yue's reaction, Tinrid smiled wryly and continued to explain like a storyteller:
"The being named Yarbu has always been a subordinate deity of the god Esid."
According to him, due to the long years of cruelty and tyranny of Esheed, Yarbu's loyalty was shaken. After thousands of years, he finally had the idea of rebellion.
"However, the subordinate gods could never defeat the Lord God, so Yarbu devised a plan. He descended to Earth and assumed the role of Demon King, secretly manipulating history as God's right-hand man—but this was only superficial. In reality, he used this position as a pretext to seek means and combat power on Earth to oppose God."
However, a god without a body cannot move freely on earth, so he needs a vessel to possess.
Every demon king has been a vessel for Yarbu. Regardless of his inner thoughts, Fried's explanation is correct. The only difference is that even when a vessel is possessed by Yarbu, its original personality remains.
"So... was Tinrid also chosen as a vessel by Yarbu?"
Even though Yue's eyes were full of suspicion, Tinrede's expression remained friendly. He nodded and said:
"When I was chosen, Yarbu's reaction was one of ecstasy. This is because I have a very high aptitude as a vessel, and I am also one of the magic users of the Age of Gods who knows the truth about the world."
They truly shared the same ideals, and so the two began to conspire together to avoid the surveillance of Esid and the apostles.
"Yalbu is still within me, helping me in every way. One body houses two souls—that's why I say I am both Yalubu and not Yalubu."
Tinrid placed his hand on the throne and paused his explanation, seemingly to confirm whether the other party understood. Yue's face was solemn and he continued to ask:
“…When did it start?”
"It was shortly before you ascended the throne. Back then, I knew the truth, but I was powerless to do anything. However, thanks to Yarbu, I finally found something I could do. I believe I've found my mission."
"……mission."
"That's right. Defeating the evil god is my mission. However, I went to great lengths to prevent God Esid and the apostles from discovering my true intentions. I even took many actions that were unavoidable."
Then, Tinred smiled and asked, "Is there anything else you want to know?" His smile reminded Yue of the time when he taught her, and her heart began to waver.
In addition, she had just been convinced in the [Ice Cave] that her memory was "wrong", which made her even more confused.
She couldn't help but start to doubt that maybe this was really the case.
The scales in her heart were wavering. If what Tinrid said was true, then... Yue remembered a question she wanted to ask. No, a question she absolutely had to ask.
"So... why did you betray your country? Why did you..."
"I'm sorry."
“…! I don’t want an apology, I want a reason!”
Yue shouted at Tingred with an extremely sad expression.
Then, she subconsciously grasped the hand that Hajime had placed on her shoulder, holding it tightly as if seeking support.
Before she knew it, Xia and the others came over to surround Yue to protect her, and looked at Tinrid with eyes seeking the truth.
"Eletia, you are a genius. Especially when it comes to magic, no one can match your talent. Even I, who can wield Age of Gods magic, am no match for you. Your strength draws so much attention that it attracts others, like Nan Gumi Hajime beside you."
“…An anomaly.”
"That's right. Eletia, remember? Back then, the Afadar high-ranking officials had already been infiltrated by those who believed in the god Esid, including your parents. You should have noticed some clues at the time."
"...I remember. My uncle and my father often argued about my education. At that time...because my uncle was my teacher, I was able to grow up in an environment completely unaffected by faith."
Although Yue's expression was bitter, she still affirmed Tinrid's words. Tinrid also nodded to her and continued:
"Although we have no way of determining the truth of the liberator's words, I believe it's risky to allow someone as young as you to unconditionally accept the Faith. I wanted to protect you, so I kept you away from the Faith. However, this turned out to be my biggest failure."
"...A disobedient piece will only get in the way, right?"
"That's right. The plan to assassinate you has officially begun. Since your immortality isn't absolute, and I've heard from Yarbu how powerful the god Esid is, I have no choice but to—"
"I'm not sure I can protect you until the end." Tinrid confessed, looking quite remorseful.
"Besides, you are an important trump card that cannot be lost at all costs. Therefore, I have decided to hide you before you are assassinated and treat you as dead until the day comes when we can launch a counterattack."
"..."
──My uncle didn't betray me, instead he wanted to protect me.
Even if preserving combat power is one of the reasons, there must be a thought that is purely because they cherish me and don't want me to die.
The fragments of memory that were awakened by my own phantom at that time also confirmed his words. Now I can't think of anything that can clearly deny his words -
Yue now didn't know how to face Tinrid's words.
She felt like she had missed a crucial detail, but Tinrid's words echoed in her mind like an echo in a valley, leaving Yue's thoughts spinning in circles. Without an outlet for her emotions, Yue's expression became as helpless as a lost child.
Her unstable emotions made her tone weak and her voice tremble as she asked Tinreed a final question:
"Then... what about the hostage? If you really are my uncle, Tinrede, and if you truly haven't betrayed me, then why..."
Yue lowered her head and asked in a blaming tone. Tinrid smiled wryly, muttered, "I almost forgot," and snapped his fingers three times.
In the blink of an eye, the light of the cage holding Myuu and the others vanished as if melting. The cage's lock also clicked open.
Myuu, Aiko, and the others had been holding their breath in the cage, listening to Yue and Tinrid's conversation. At this moment, they opened the cage door with confusion on their faces.
"Because, I believe that I can't meet you without doing this. And doing so will also protect them from any unexpected situations. As for injuring them, I hope you can forgive me. Because the people who went to greet them were apostles, I couldn't treat them under the apostles' supervision. The best I could do was to order them not to die. After all, they and you may become my companions in the future."
"……partner?"
Yue still couldn't organize his thoughts, and the best he could do was repeat what Tinrid had said.
However, since Tinred—the uncle whom I trusted more than anyone else—remained the same as in the memories I had recovered, betraying him out of necessity, then...
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