“Ah.”
Pedro’s first impression upon arriving in response to his master’s sudden summons right before the operation was brief, yet it summarized the situation in an instant.
“…We’re screwed.”
The reason was clear—his subordinates, who should have summoned the Great Shadow instead of him, were sprawled across the floor, exuding a gruesome scent of blood.
“O-Oh, Great Shadow…”
Trembling with a bewildered expression at the horrific sight, Pedro cautiously lifted his head to inquire about the situation from the Great Shadow standing before him.
“H-How come you called me—”
“…I don’t recall giving you permission to raise your head.”
“I-I apologize!”
Interrupted by the Shadow’s firm voice, Pedro immediately pressed his forehead back to the ground, his eyes darting around as he fell into deep thought once more.
‘So this time, my master has possessed a man…?’
His master usually preferred to possess female bodies, but there was no law forbidding possession of a man’s body either.
Moreover, the aura emanating from in front of him was undeniably that of his master, who had ruled as the leader of the black mages.
Terrified, Pedro merely kept his head down, bracing for the rebuke to come.
“Why do you think I called you?”
“C-Could it be that my subordinates committed some kind of offense…?”
He asked as politely as possible in response to the chilling question from the front, but no answer came for a long while.
‘What should I say now?’
The reason for the silence was that Whitney, who had been deliberately lowering his voice and speaking in unfamiliar informal speech, was momentarily at a loss for words.
‘If I say something wrong and he notices, there’ll be no turning back…!’
‘Damn it, what kind of mistake did these useless fools make…?!’
Whitney desperately wanted to avoid conflict with Pedro, even if it meant being misunderstood by Runiel, who stood nearby.
Meanwhile, Pedro, who had always seen his master maintain a lighthearted demeanor, was now witnessing his master’s wrath for the first time, wanting nothing more than to escape this predicament.
It was an absurd yet tragic situation for both parties, but for those involved, every moment felt like a life-or-death crisis.
“Listen carefully, Pedro.”
“…I-I wouldn’t dare do otherwise.”
After a long, tense standoff, Whitney was the first to speak.
“…You will need to withdraw from this operation.”
“What?”
“I will take charge of the demon summoning myself.”
Pedro, who had been bowing his head, almost blurted out a disrespectful question about what his master was thinking, but his well-trained survival instincts barely stopped him.
“B-But, my lord, are you not unable to reveal yourself to the world yet…?”
“…Do you remember why?”
“T-That’s…”
Praising his own instincts internally was short-lived, as Pedro felt his lips dry up in response to the incoming question and carefully opened his mouth.
“Because you have not yet gathered enough power to reveal your true form…”
“Yes, that was the case.”
But Whitney’s lips were also drying up in real-time.
“However, this time, I have a reason to act personally.”
“W-Why is that?”
“Because… I must personally create a hero with my own hands.”
“…Excuse me?”
Whitney, whose thought process had long since shut down, simply blurted out words from his spinal reflex.
Then, he suddenly recalled something Parsha had muttered during their strategy meeting at the mansion and decided to use it verbatim.
“For the Demon King’s resurrection, a hero is inevitably necessary.”
“Ah…!”
“And to twist fate, I must create that hero myself.”
Pedro and even Runiel widened their eyes in surprise and nodded, and fortunately, the improvisation seemed to be working.
“Then why have you never informed us of this before…?”
“Pedro Gomez, why do you think I need to explain that to you?”
“…M-My apologies.”
Growing slightly more confident, Whitney lowered his voice and spoke icily, making Pedro, already pressed flat to the floor, tremble even more as he practically glued himself to the ground.
“If you insist on an explanation, it is to control the flow of information.”
Having completely seized control of the conversation, Whitney boldly took a step forward, initiating his gamble.
“You do understand that the high-ranking members of the Union each have their own thoughts and agendas, don’t you?”
“T-That is…”
“The Puppeteer. The Death Knight. The Shadow Witch. The Jester. All of them may bow their heads before me now, but they are unpredictable.”
Fortunately, since Whitney was aware of the original story’s details, he had a firm grasp on the key figures within the Shadow Union.
“If, even with my direct involvement, a hero appears, they will all start scheming, without a doubt.”
“……”
“How many do you think will turn against me then?”
Using this knowledge to craft a convincing argument, Whitney found that Pedro, whose mind was already steeped in fear, had no choice but to accept it as fact.
“In my judgment, at the very least, you won’t be one of them.”
Whitney’s gamble hinged on this very point.
“You’ve only just become an executive. You lack both influence and power. At the very least, until it becomes profitable, you will remain loyal to me.”
“I-I have never harbored such disloyal thoughts—”
“I’ll give you an opportunity.”
Since it had come to this, he decided to take the risky move of making Pedro, rather than Rebecca, his informant.
“A position as the closest aide to the Shadow, second only to me.”
“…Gasp.”
“For someone more interested in immediate benefits than ambition, this is quite the tempting offer, isn’t it?”
Naturally, Pedro had no choice but to take the bait.
However, the biggest threat to Whitney’s gamble was someone else entirely.
—Hey, who do you think you are to decide executive appointments on your own?
Sure enough, the amused voice that echoed in his mind belonged to the so-called “Great Shadow” whom Pedro currently mistook for himself.
‘…I accept your proposal.’
However, Whitney had a bargaining chip of his own to play.
‘I will act as your double, so play along.’
—Oh?
‘Wouldn’t having such connections make my role easier to carry out?’
The problem was that this bargaining chip was dangerously close to signing away his life.
But thanks to the backing of Meredia and the awakened Saintess, it was a risk Whitney could afford to take.
—Haha, fine. Let’s go with that.
—The contract is sealed, Whitney Lingard…
As the voice in his mind faded and he felt something strange fill his body, Whitney furrowed his brow and exhaled deeply.
‘…I never thought I’d end up making a pact with the leader of the black mages. ‘
—Heh, don’t worry. I treat those I favor with kindness…
With those words, the voice in his head completely disappeared.
Whitney, still standing there with a sour expression, turned his gaze back to Pedro.
“S-Sorry to ask, but may I inquire about one thing?”
Feeling the intensified aura of his master, Pedro, though terrified, forced himself to speak.
“I-If the hero we create begins actively interfering with our plans, what should we do then…?”
It was the one loophole his mind couldn’t comprehend.
“…That is nothing you need to worry about.”
Whitney, who had been silently watching Pedro, completed the gamble he had initiated based on the leverage he had just gained.
“Raise your head and look at me.”
“…!”
At those words, Pedro lifted his head and finally saw Whitney standing before him, his mouth falling open in shock.
“The Saintess and the Hero are already in my hands.”
“Ah…”
“Everything is merely part of my plan.”
The long and tense standoff ended in an instant.
“As someone insignificant, I can only admire the great foresight of the Shadow…”
“Good. I’ll be counting on you from now on, Pedro.”
*****
“…I will take my leave now.”
“Alright.”
“Summon me whenever you need.”
After bowing his head several times, Pedro quietly began drawing a magic circle on the floor.
“…What are you doing?”
“Ah, well… I was summoned so suddenly that I forgot to prepare a magic circle in advance…”
I wanted him to disappear as soon as possible, but seeing how he kept tilting his head and hesitating as he drew, it seemed like it would take a while.
“Um, Runiel, you know this is all nonsense, right?”
“……”
“Please don’t make that expression.”
Feeling the awkward atmosphere, I lowered my voice and whispered to Runiel, who had been staring at me with a meaningful look.
“Master, I am always on your side.”
“…Sigh.”
“The winner is always just. I will make you the justice of the world.”
But Runiel, with a serious yet eerie expression, only lowered her voice further and expressed her warped loyalty.
“Anyone who stands in your way, whoever they may be, I will cut them down. Because anyone who opposes you is evil… right?”
“No, what are you even saying…”
It seemed like the corners of her mouth twisted in sinful delight, but I had no strength left to call her out on it.
“…But Master, your body is hot.”
“Haha, it seems I pushed myself too hard.”
Whether it was aftereffects from the torture or the contract with the so-called Great Shadow, my body felt terrible.
“That seal… I need to use my power to break it…”
“I-I’ll try with my sword aura somehow—”
“…Even for you, that’s not a seal that can be broken with a mere dagger.”
I wanted to leave the room as soon as possible, even if it meant leaving Pedro behind with his magic circle, but the problem was that the seal, created with black magic, could only be undone with my white magic.
“Let me rest for a moment, then I’ll handle it…”
“Master! You must not close your eyes!”
“I’m literally keeping them open…”
As I barely managed to stay standing with my fading consciousness, Runiel, who was supporting me, raised her voice in growing anxiety.
“This won’t do. I’ll force it open…!”
“I said no…”
Even though she was incredibly strong, I knew that black magic seals were a different matter, so I weakly tried to stop her.
—Boom!
But my effort was in vain.
Suddenly, an explosion rang out, and the door was blown off its hinges, flying across the room and slamming into the wall.
“Huff, huff…”
Standing amidst the shattered remains of the door, gasping for breath, was—
“…Cecil?”
“Brother…!”
Surprisingly, the intruder who had just stormed in, breathing heavily, was none other than my younger sister, Cecil.
*****
Meanwhile, at the same time, inside the judges’ waiting room in the stadium.
“Gasp…!”
“…?”
Hestia, who had been sitting with her eyes closed, suddenly shot up from her seat.
Meredia, who had been sipping tea while reviewing the matchups for the second round, tilted her head and turned to her.
“What is it?”
“I-I can feel an energy.”
“What kind of energy?”
At Meredia’s question, Hestia, looking dazed, clenched her fists tightly and continued speaking.
“…I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
“Are you playing games with me—”
“But strangely, I think I know what it is.”
As Hestia abruptly began walking outside, Meredia, initially bewildered, followed her.
Her expression quickly turned cold.
“This is undoubtedly… the Demon King’s aura.”
“What?”
The words that came from Hestia’s mouth were far beyond anyone’s expectations.
Cliche Novel 