C179
"Something you discovered? What is it?"
I wondered if she had noticed that I was hiding Terence, but I calmed myself and asked Liena calmly.
"Mmm."
Liena was near the statue, closely watching my expression.
"I'll tell you later. By the way, what is Ethel doing here?"
She unnaturally changed the subject she mentioned first.
"Did you come to see this statue?"
I answered the question, keeping a proper distance from Liena without being too obvious.
"I just came up to get some fresh air and see the scenery, but the statue caught my attention."
"Isn't it a bit unusual?"
Liena swept the surface of the statue with her hand.
"The fact that it looks down from the highest point, as well as its delicate expression, makes it seem like a statue modeled after a great demonic figure."
"......"
"It doesn't say who it is anywhere. Doesn't it usually say on the bottom or something?"
I shifted my gaze and looked at the statue, which was slightly larger than a real human.
The bronze statue's head had two horns, symbolic of a demon.
A middle-aged man in armor, a sword at his waist, and a staff in his hand.
The man, exuding the majestic aura typical of a ruler, looked down with a somewhat weary expression.
Among them, I paid special attention to the staff.
It was a staff with a reptile foot-shaped head and its four fingers curved inward. As if searching for something.
I kept my eyes on the staff and stroked the black bead in my pocket.
"Ethel."
Suddenly, Liena, leaning on the rooftop railing, called me and pointed downwards.
"Let's take a look at the view this statue overlooks."
"... what?"
I reflexively looked down.
In the garden, which had been neglected for a long time, grew abundantly strange-looking plants, resistant to magic.
"It's a panoramic view I see every day, but I wonder why I should look at it again..."
Boom!
It was at the moment I just had that thought.
A wall of the building collapsed with a deafening noise.
Lucy said that on her first day here, she used a bit of force and hit the building wall.
"It's quite sturdy. I think demons used it as a fortress a long time ago."
As Lucy said, this building was built in poor condition with gloomy colors, but it boasted of being sturdy.
However, the outer wall of that building shattered in an instant.
"What?!"
I walked through the blowing dust, trying to discern what was happening below.
A moment later, two figures emerged from the dust.
One is Shadow, extending its arms and swinging wildly, and the opponent receiving the attack is...
"Terence!"
Sraaaak! With a sharp sound, Terence cut Shadow's arm with his sword.
"Are you worried about that guy?"
"Don't come any closer!"
At that moment, Liena tried to approach me, so I released divine power.
"Tsk!"
A burn-like wound was carved on Liena's arm.
"Stay there. If you come even one step closer, you won't be safe."
When I threatened, Liena stopped walking.
Liena, who no longer believed in the Goddess, had lost the vast divine power she once had.
Furthermore, because Liena's body was filled with demonic energy due to sharing the power of an evil god, it was natural that my divine power would hurt her.
Because the fundamental being was a human, not a monster or demon, the divine power alone wouldn't have resulted in the loss of her life, but it could have caused enough pain.
"I guess you knew."
The "interesting fact" Liena mentioned a moment ago was the existence of Terence, who had been hiding here.
So I suppose she sent Shadow to attack him while I was out of the room.
According to Lucy, the power of the royal family originated from the goddess but has been significantly altered over the years and generations.
In other words, Terence's power was not as powerful against Shadow as my divine power.
"How did you know?"
I asked, extending my hand towards Liena so I could release divine power at any moment.
We confirmed several times that there were no bugs or anything else in the room.
Even Kais, the artifact expert, stated that no special devices were installed in the room.
"I knew when I saw you."
Liena obediently answered my question.
"Your happiness at the arrival of that man was so obvious."
"Lie. Did I make a rookie mistake?"
I definitely tried to act normally, both in front of Liena and behind her back.
As proof, Lucy, who was always with me, also found nothing strange in my attitude.
"It's not a lie."
However, Liena didn't give up her argument.
"How long have we been together? And I'm always watching you. Even if you act the same as always, I can see subtle changes in your eyes. Your face suddenly became brighter."
Goosebumps rose on both arms.
It was because it seemed really possible, given the obsession Liena had shown me until now.
"I was curious. What is the reason you changed? But even if I had asked you, you wouldn't have told me, right?"
Liena continued speaking as if that fact saddened her.
"So I had no choice but to ask my subordinate to find out."
"Your subordinate?"
"Ah, let me introduce you."
When Liena snapped her fingers, a red form appeared in the empty space next to her.
It was a monster the size of a human and resembling a lizard.
"It's a kind of monster we normally call a Camellia. Now it's working for me."
Full Chapter Here☜ (AntiC0pyr1ght)