CH 58

As Fran and the others looked on, Lou’s closed eyes opened first.

He sat down beside Nadia and went from being in a trance to…

He returned to his normal state.

He slowly removed his hand from Nadia’s chest that was injecting magic waves.

A few moments later, Nadia slowly opened her eyes …

“N-Nadiaaa~!!!”

Giselle jumped on Nadia with a squeal, and this time Moral didn’t stop her.

“T-T-Thank God! Oh, thank God! Nadiaaa!!!”

“H-Hey, Giselle…are you okay?”

Nadia smiled weakly as Giselle hugged her tightly.

“I’m sorry…I was bewitched by a devil before I knew it. If it had been just me, one wrong move would have resulted in the deaths of everyone involved…”

“Nadia! I don’t know about the rest, but you’re still my dear, dear friend!”

Giselle clung to her, while Nadia looked pained.

Even though she was bewitched by the devil, it was probably because the ugliness of her soul and mind was exposed.

“Giselle…I’ve always been jealous of your top position. So, I wanted to be number one no matter what it took. That’s also why I enlisted the devil’s help. I don’t deserve to be your friend.”

“No, no, no! It’s okay, Nadia. I knew something was wrong with you too, but I gave in to my own desires. We’re both in this together! More importantly, I’m just glad you’re safe!”

“Umm, yeah…I…”

Nadia looked at Lou pleadingly.

But Lou slowly shook his head.

In fact…

When she was saved from the abyss, Nadia confessed everything she had ever done to Lou.

She was envious of Giselle, who was always at the top of her class and was well-liked throughout the school…

When they were training Summoning Techniques, she accidentally connected to the ominous underworld and summoned the devil, Vine…

Vine offered an evil contract.

She was aware that her mind was turning ugly, but she couldn’t resist, unable to do anything about it…

She also used Vine’s power to cast an evil spell on Giselle, which could be considered a curse.

Nadia was wavering whether to tell Giselle the same thing she had told Lou.

However, after receiving the covert signal from Lou, she refrained from telling her everything at the moment.

Seeing Nadia in pain, Giselle seemed to have guessed something…

In silence, she hugged Nadia again.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

Fran couldn’t stop wondering.

No one ever mentioned the great fallen angel, Lucifer, who saved them along with Lou.

Even Adelaide, who had always been on the lookout for magic and wonders, did so.

I can hardly believe that my curious mother doesn’t say anything about….

Also, the cynical and feisty Kelturi had been silent for a while now, and was incredibly quiet.

Just then!

『Woman, it’s simple.』

A mysterious voice suddenly echoed in Fran’s soul.

『My…existence itself is forbidden. Woe unto anyone who recalls my voice or appearance and speaks of it again and again, except Lou, my only contractor.』

What?!

No way!

After all you’ve done for us?

Fran couldn’t help but look at Lou.

Then she looked around in astonishment.

Time has?!

Why has time stopped?

Everyone…had stopped moving akin to statues…

In the midst of all this…

Lucifer’s voice echoed in Fran’s mind, in a weathered tone.

『An arrogant being…It’s the existence God gave me.』

Lucifer muttered in a slightly dejected tone, and continued to speak further.

『I have erased all traces of me from your memories so that no unwarranted evil may befall you.』

So that means …

Fran breathed a sigh of relief.

Lucifer informed her, as if he had seen through her thoughts.

『Yes, woman. I will do the same for you. We might meet again, but let’s call that a first again.』

No way!

Mixed emotions welled up in Fran’s heart…

『Hahah, do you think I’m a pathetic being? That’s fine. More importantly, you seem to be having trouble getting Lou to love you.』

Er, that was…

『As a contractor, I’m afraid I’ve heavily influenced Lou’s personality.』

Huh?

Lou’s personality?

『Yes, I have seen the sincerity of the Sons of Man who ask for help… and I have granted sincere wishes and given love and compassion to others.』

You do remember Lou’s actions and speech, don’t you?　

Lucifer chuckled.

『Accept it, and love Lou. Otherwise, thou shalt suffer.』

After giving Fran some advice, Lucifer threw in some words of encouragement and farewell.

In a flash!

A part of Fran’s memory became hazy and was replaced by a completely different memory.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

4 p.m…

At the Hunting Forest watch tower.

Lou and the rest all returned as if nothing had happened.

“Let me announce how your scores added up.”

The caretaker, Ibert, declared in a high-pitched voice while looking at Lou, Fran, Giselle and Nadia.

Behind them, the witnesses, Kelturi and Adelaide, were also waiting.

“The first team to attack was Giselle’s…you’ve concentrated on defeating Ogres and earned points efficiently. The result…200 points. This is quite a score.”

He cleared his throat and announced Lou and Fran’s score.

“Francesca-sama’s team…The Ogre King shines! That’s a total of 220 points, which includes this guy’s triple score of 30 points. Therefore, Francesca-sama’s team wins by a narrow margin.”

Ibert looked around at the two groups and then asked the two witnesses.

He asked them if there was any cheating or problems.

“There’s none.”

“Everything was done fairly and squarely. They’ve given their best shot.”

Adelaide and Kelturi both shook their heads.

Ibert nodded his head as if satisfied with the expected answer…

After giving a few words of compliment to the two groups who had played the game, he ordered his subordinate wizards to arrange for their carriages.

Adelaide and Kelturi would take a carriage with Lou and Fran, while Giselle would return to the school dormitory with Nadia.

In the aftermath of the victory, Fran called out happily to Lou.

“Thank you, Lou! Thank you for all your hard work!”

“Oh, everyone’s back safe and sound. That’s the best of all.”

Meanwhile, Giselle and Nadia approached them cautiously.

Nadia tried to say something shyly, but Giselle stopped her with her hand.

Nadia bowed.

When Fran looked at her, Nadia’s face went bright red.

“Lo-Lou-sensi! P-P-Please continue guiding us. We-We’ve been rescued, and we lost…Um, just as a penalty, I’ll take Giselle on a da-date and treat you separately next time.”

What a surprise! A date offer!

This statement shocked Fran.

On top of that, Nadia faltered on her words grandly.

Her aura was unlike that of Nadia, who had always been a talented woman.

Lou, however, shook his head calmly.

“No…I don’t date.”

“N-No, ah! P-Please! I-I want to go on a date with you! Please!”

After saying that…

Nadeia pulled Giselle’s hand and sprinted away as fast as she could towards their carriage.

Fran sighed heavily when she saw them moving further away.

“What are you gonna do? You’ve been discovered by a bunch of innocent maidens.”

“I’d be fine with Fran here.”

Dun!　

This guy!

He could always utter something nice.

Speaking of which, I think someone somewhere encouraged me to do just that…

Yes, in times like these…

“Thank you! But be a little nicer to those kids, too.”

Lou looked at Fran, somewhat surprised at her unexpected response.

But Fran was looking at him with a smile like a sunflower blooming in the sun.