Book 10: Chapter 16

「……We’ve finally returned, huh.」

Having arrived in the room that felt nostalgic after having separated from it for a little while, Vermudol let out a short breath.

Suddenly hearing the breath of a sleeping person, he reflexively looked around.

Someone who would have the bold nerve to sleep in this room was either Raktor or Nino.

When he turned his gaze over there to see which one it was, he saw the figure of the Demon God slovenly stretched out on top of the sofa and sleeping.

「Hey, Vermudol, what do we do with that. I, don’t want to touch, such an un-understandable fellow.」

「……I’ll wake her up.」

Although he felt a headache, when Vermudol lightly kicked the sofa, the Demon God made a cute 「Funyah」 voice and opened her eyes.

「What the heck. Even though I got some precious sleep.」

「That isn’t a place to sleep. To begin with, since when did you get here.」

「When you ask. Isn’t obvious that I tampered with that shitty geezer’s Transfer Magic so that only I would be sent here. I have a hard time understanding why I have to watch an event where everyone was so sad and are now inspired, moved to tears, cheering and clapping.」

「I don’t think he was really trying to get you to be deeply moved though.」

「Nope, it’s that geezer we’re talking about. It wouldn’t be strange if he was also scheming to tell me about the 『wonderfulness of the humans that are living right now』 as if it were a bargain sale on the side of the road. I’ve gotten tired of that sort of thing.」

In response to the Demon God who smiled and said “How stupid”, Vermudol didn’t say anything and sat down on the sofa on the other side of the table that was in between the two sofas.

「What, isn’t it fine if you just sit next to me? It wouldn’t be bad for us to get along, sit shoulder-to-shoulder, and gaze at each other, right?」

「You and me? What kind of joke is that.」

「Hey, Vermudol. To begin with, is it true that this is the God of Magical Power?」

When Ykslaas sat down next to Vermudol while saying that, the Demon God whistled with a *hyuu*.

「Oi oi, are you aiming for Vermudol too? You sure are popular, aren’t you.」

Ykslaas glanced at the Demon God, and shrugged her shoulders looking uninterested.

「I just didn’t want to be next to you, so please don’t misunderstand.」

「I see, so it’s that tsundere thing. Vermudol, I think that sort of thing is a pain though.」

「Vermudol, I hate her.」

「Is that so.」

After receiving Ykslaas’s protest with a few words, Vermudol silently gazed at the Demon God.

Looking at her like this, he couldn’t feel the colossal magical power that could change the world. She could be categorized as strong……but on the same level as Ykslaas, would that be about right?

「Wondering about my magical power? I just adjusted it to a level that wouldn’t affect the world. It’s because putting a damper on the tenacity you showed up until now isn’t a part of my original intentions after all.」

「Is that so. To think you are able to adjust your own magical power……」

「By nature, I am everywhere. My magical power is simply nothing more than the difference in its density.」

Vermudol felt a bit of unease at those words……but thinking that it had no connection to the topic that he was trying to start right now, he brushed it off.

「Well, it’s fine. There is something I want to ask you about.」

「What? Do you want to know the secrets of the world or something? Or is it about the worlds that are outside of this one? Ahh, maybe talk about worlds that exist simultaneously but don’t overlap? Or maybe talk about pitiful worlds that repeat the same time for all of eternity?」

「That sort of stuff doesn’t matter. It would be a waste of time to talk about things unrelated to me.」

「Is that so. You’re probably the only one that would declare something like that.」

When the Demon God turned her face while saying that, Ykslaas, who was at the end of her gaze, turned her face away with a *fui*.

「What I want to ask about, is the fellow called Wentas (Warped God).」

「Ahh, that, huh. What about it?」

「About, when will it break the seal and revive.」

In response to Vermudol’s question, the Demon God said 「Dunno?」 and shrugged her shoulders.

「There’s no way I’d be interested in that sort of thing. But, it’s the truth that that thing is doing its best to break the seal.」

「……As I thought.」

「Eh, what do you mean by that?」

Vermudol breathed a sigh at Ykslaas who was expressing a question mark.

「In other words, it’s like this. She went and said something that was a fact but wasn’t an immediate crisis in a way that sounded as though it would happen at any moment at that place.」

「……Ahh, I see.」

Thinking back on the words the Demon God said at that place, it was a remark that said that the Wentas (Warped God) would revive soon.

However, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

「That sounds so disreputable. I think that it will definitely happen before long, you know?」

「Hmph, that’s in the sense of mankind, right? Mankind will feel that things said with the sense of a God will be a lie, you know.」

「That depends on the Wentas’s (Warped God’s) tenacity. Well, I guess the seal will break if given a few years?」

Hearing the Demon God’s answer, Vermudol nodded.

「Is that so. Then that’s fine.」

「Hey, that’s not a bit fine at all, you know?」

Hearing Ykslaas’s tsukkomi-like words, the two of them turned to her at the same time.

「What are you saying. With this sort of thing, being too fast or too slow would be bad. A few years is, well……It’s a reasonable time.」

「That might be true. Preparations can be made, and it won’t be slow enough for tension to fade. I feel that it’s truly ideal.」

Although she felt that there was some truth to the two’s words, Ykslaas stared at Vermudol and asked a question.

「……Aren’t you afraid that we might lose?」

「That sort of worry, I’ve long since passed it since the first day I was born.」

「Don’t worry. Since I’ll have a burst of laughter if you guys lose!」

Ykslaas breathed a sigh at the respective reactions that Vermudol and the Demon God displayed……and shook her head looking exasperated.

「……I give up. The two of you, are exactly alike.」

「Is that so?」

「Wanna try calling me “mom”, Vermudol?」

Ykslaas breathed another sigh at those two who were having that sort of conversation.