Chapter 78: Serie's Sense of Morality
So… she rejected Elias as her guard because his methods were too cruel.
What a delicate excuse.
And yet—
Her expression was flawless.
Her wording, impeccable.
Even her tone—soft, restrained, trembling just enough—left no opening to challenge.
Any ordinary human would have felt sympathy upon hearing it.
In their imagination, they would surely picture a small white flower trembling in a violent storm.
This was the power of language.
Elias understood better than most:
sometimes, language was far more terrifying than any form of mental magic.
No wonder demonkind treated the imitation of human speech as a mandatory discipline.
In fact… it was precisely because of this technique that Elias had spared the Demon King brat a thousand years ago.
Seen that way, perhaps this war between humans and demons did have something to do with him after all.
Was everything Serie had him doing now merely repayment for that old mistake?
"Hah…"
Elias let out a quiet sigh.
"Lady Leiya, you're overthinking it."
"I merely returned Erwin's own methods back to him—using his way against him."
"For ordinary enemies, it takes only a second. There's no need for anything so elaborate."
"—A second?!"
"That fast?"
Elias replied with mild disdain:
"Of course. If my lady prefers, I have many methods—plenty of variations."
"I'm confident I could satisfy you."
"—W-What nonsense are you saying?!"
Leiya clutched her chest and stumbled backward, vividly imagining the frivolous smile on the other side of the door.
As it turned out—
She wasn't wrong.
Elias was smiling lightly.
"I was referring to killing enemies, of course."
"—K-Killing… enemies?!"
Elias tilted his head.
"Were you imagining something else, Lady Leiya?"
"Or is it that you actually enjoy watching me torture my foes in various ways?"
"—Cough! Cough—!"
Awkward coughing echoed from inside the room.
Leiya's face flushed crimson, as though she had swallowed a stone and couldn't get it down.
"…Very well, Elias."
"As long as you don't go too far, I will allow your presence."
"As for anything else… I'm tired."
"That will be all for tonight."
As she lay back down on her bed, Elias turned and returned to his own room.
Ten minutes later—
He lay flat on his bed, expressionless.
Listening to the steady breathing coming from the other side of the wall,
the image of her flustered face resurfaced in his mind.
That blush.
That hesitation.
That awkward retreat.
It all felt… a little too real.
He couldn't help but think of Flamme—she occasionally showed the same kind of reaction.
From the perspective of role-playing, wasn't that woman a little too immersed in her part?
Still…
Since she loved acting so much, Elias had plenty of time.
He could simply wait and see when she would finally slip up.
---
Late Night, Holy City
In the depths of the night, the Holy City's streets were dimly lit, their lamps standing alone in the darkness. Only a handful of pedestrians remained.
Flamme leapt down from the carriage, her movements crisp and efficient as she passed swiftly through the palace gates.
The magic lamps lining the corridors had shifted into a deep, ghostly blue with the coming of night.
Without slowing, she passed through several doors in succession, only exhaling once she reached the entrance to the council chamber.
"At a moment like this," she muttered,
"Teacher should be buried in planning…"
—Boom… boom… boom…
The heavy doors slowly opened.
The golden throne was empty.
Ancient spellbooks lay scattered around the hall like abandoned relics, piled carelessly along the walls.
Seeing the deserted chamber, Flamme blinked in surprise.
"…She's resting?"
"But then…"
"This strange magic is—"
"—Heeheehee~ Hahahaha~"
A bizarre laugh suddenly echoed above her head.
Flamme snapped her gaze upward—
—and froze.
At the center of the star-woven magical sky, blatantly suspended in midair, was a…
Peach?!
Flamme: (´-ι_-｀)
At this hour… was her teacher experimenting with yet another strange spell?
And that laugh—
Wasn't it a little too lewd?
And that inexplicable peach—
(ᇂ_ᇂ|||)… Wait.
"…That peach is—?!"
"—Heeheeheehee~"
"—Hahahahaha~"
Serie's unrestrained laughter filled the hall, bouncing endlessly off the walls.
"Carlile~ Your Peach Blossom Spring is truly extraordinary~ Such exquisite tactile detail~ Truly the pinnacle of enchantment magic~"
"As long as Lady Serie is pleased~ What else would you like to see? I can change it right away~"
"How about Elias? Mold one with magic and let me see~"
"To perfectly recreate that deadpan face won't be easy, but as long as Lady Serie commands it, I'll give it my all!"
Flamme: (≖_≖'')
"…Teacher."
"I nearly lost my life tonight with Elias, and you're in here giggling."
"Do you have any interest in what happened at the Full Moon Ball?!"
"—Oh! Flamme!"
"When did you get back?"
"Come on in! I'm telling you, it's really fun inside this barrier!"
Flamme: (≖_≖'')
Silently, she raised her right hand.
"Teacher—if you don't come out right now, I'm shooting that peach."
The instant the words left her mouth, two figures—one tall, one small—burst out of the barrier and landed neatly on the floor.
Carlile: (⦁⩊-)
Serie: «(=ω=)»
"Flamme~ honestly~"
"After spending time with Elias, you've become so unromantic~"
"—Teacher…"
Flamme sighed, exhaustion seeping into her voice.
"When a crisis is unfolding, talking about romance is a luxury."
"Alright, alright~"
Serie laughed, waving her hand soothingly.
"Don't be angry so late at night~"
"Now tell me—what exactly happened at the Full Moon Ball?"
Flamme's gaze immediately sharpened, landing on Carlile.
In her view, this unhinged woman had no business being here.
"Teacher… Mage Carlile—"
"—Hahaha, it's fine!"
Serie laughed heartily and suddenly wrapped her arms around Carlile's pale thigh.
"I personally brought Carlile here—there's no need to hide anything from her~"
"She may not be my disciple, but her magic and her sense of justice are beyond doubt!"
Flamme: (≖_≖'')
"Her magic—while I don't understand it—I'll admit it's impressive."
"As for her sense of justice…"
"That's debatable."
Carlile: Σ(ŎдŎ|||)ﾉﾉ
"Lady Flamme… am I considered evil in your eyes?!"
Flamme crossed her arms defensively.
"Not evil—but deceitful, seductive, and scheming are all beyond dispute."
Carlile clutched her chest as if struck by lightning.
"I've been wronged, Lady Flamme!"
"That shop belongs to my senior sister—I only stop by occasionally as a model!"
"And are you still hung up on Elias? I told you already, nothing happened that day!"
Flamme: (ᇂ_ᇂ|||)
"Who said anything about that?!"
"You brought it up yourself!"
"I'm questioning your character!"
"—Um…"
Serie: «(=ω=)»
"To be fair, my character isn't great either."
Flamme: (≖_≖'')
"…That's true."