Chapter 826 – Your Own Value

000

Cleon and Tokoyo finally succeeded in separating(?) After going through many twists and turns.

At one point, I was worried about what would happen, but the two people who succeeded in falling safely quickly got themselves together and faced each other in the main hall for the last time just before Kuon and Tokoyo’s shift time.

This and that happened, but once the action was over, as she said, we had no choice but to be conscious of each other.

Cleon cleared his throat and then spoke to Tokoyo.

“… Now then, as I said, the magic connection with Kuon…”

When Cleon tried to raise her hand while saying that, Tokoyo raised her voice and said, ‘Wait a minute!’ And stopped Cleon and started talking to him.

＂That… I mean. Sorry! I think it’ll be okay!”

Does being okay… Mean being okay in the sense of rejecting it?

Tokoyo, who confirmed that Cleon’s expression was subtle, spoke to him while scratching his cheek.

＂Well, I tried to cooperate, but I’m sorry to say it now…”

It must not have been that difficult to feel that there were feelings that were difficult to express in words.

Looking at her expression, Cleon said nothing for a moment, then nodded his head and smiled slightly.

“Okay. I guess I realized something.”

“It’s not something grand enough to be called enlightenment, but… I guess I should say that thanks to Cleon, what was in my heart was relieved a little.”

Tokoyo spoke as if she was a little embarrassed, smiling brightly and looking somewhat relieved.

＂… Then I will ask you to take care of me. Whether this city will be safe or not, the first step depends on Tokoyo and Kuon.”

“Of course. Just leave it to me. Now, I have no intention of holding anyone back.”

Seeing Tokoyo so confident, Cleon turned to her, feeling glad that he had come to meet her.

She planned to leave the temple like this and go back to her mansion to rest.

Then─

＂Wait a minute, Cleon!＂

Tokoyo’s voice calling Cleon.

“… If we still have some time, why don’t we go to the ceremony site together? Cleon may have seen many of the divine dances performed by Kuon… But you have never seen the divine dances I dance, right?”

“Is that true too? If it doesn’t bother you, let me enjoy it a little.”

Since it was a proposal that Cleon was also interested in, Cleon nodded his head right away.

Perhaps due to his mood, Tokoyo nods his head happily and leads Cleon by the hand to the ceremony location.

Since the place was less than a minute’s walk away from the main church door, I doubted whether it would have been necessary to hold hands and lead the way.

When we arrived there, we saw Kuon continuing to dance in a state of ignorance, even though it was time for his shift.

When you look at the tips of her bright green hair and the sparkling lights that bloom around her, they disappear and appear again and again, creating an indescribably mysterious sight.

An unknown tension and reverence, as if something transcendent human was in front of me, naturally arose.

However, since I’m here for my shift, I can’t stop showing off those fantastic dance moves.

Thinking like that, when Cleon tries to call Kuon, Tokoyo catches Cleon and stops him.

“Quon in that state cannot be stopped by calling him with words.”

＂I see… It looks like that.＂

Cleon also nods his head as if he understands what Tokoyo means.

Kuon, who accepted God and became one with the will of the God Tree, is in a state of extreme concentration.

She would not be able to hear any voices, and the sight in front of her would be in a different form from the physical one.

However, how can she stop Kuon?

“Originally, when I started dancing next to Kuon, the difference in power between the two began to appear, causing a discrepancy in the wavelength of consciousness… And Kuon was forced to break out of the state of letting go. I can’t say it proudly, but that’s what I mean by holding Kuon’s ankle.”

So, two people cannot perform sacred duties together.

If you are confident, you will get in Kuon’s way.

After hearing that story, Cleon nodded his head sheepishly, as if he understood why Tokoyo had suffered such a mental breakdown.

However, Tokoyo, who was actually involved, grinned at Cleon so much that his teeth were visible, and tapped him on the shoulder.

＂What? Just watch! Now I will show you Neo Tokoyo’s perfect new dance. When it comes to dancing proficiency, mine is much higher than Kuon’s!”

As she said so, she walked into the center of her ritual with a steady pace, wearing her shrine maiden uniform with long sleeves and skirt.

And then, after taking a deep breath while quietly watching Kuon continuing his repetitive dance moves while twirling around her.

Quietly, she herself began to slowly move her body, lifting her arms.

It was a serious and solemn expression, completely opposite to the smile from before, but somehow, that expression even seemed comfortable.

One step, two steps, each time she moves her feet and waves her arms, the sound of the bells on her clothes echoes clearly within the ritual space.

The moment when her body, which began to deviate little by little from the center, finally reached a point of symmetry with Kuon.

Sasat, when her feet touched the ground made of dirt and sand—

Centering on the ground it touched, a wave of green magic spread out to the surroundings.

＂…!＂

It was a phenomenon that Cleon had also seen for the first time.

I’ve heard before that extremely honed techniques are equivalent to a kind of magic or even a miracle, but Tokoyo’s dance seemed to be in that realm.

Once again, with each step, the spreading circle spread within this place, like ripples spreading across the water.

The wave of magical power that spread like that does not disappear, but spreads out as if sweeping the entire place, and then returns to Tokoyo’s body.

It was a kind of magical net.

In this way, she absorbs the magic power of her divine tree that is spread throughout her nature and resides in the air, and strengthens her own magic power.

At the same time, accepting the will permeated by the magic power of the sacred tree was also made easier through absorption.

And─ yesterday, today.

The balance of power with Kuon was broken, and Tokoyo was never able to enter a state of nothingness like Kuon.

Suddenly, like Kuon, the tips of her hair turned into a sparkling emerald color, and flame petals were falling around her like scattered flowers.

However, like Kuon, she herself became unable to see anything around her, so she didn’t seem to notice the change in herself,

The two people’s sacred dance continues without a single word in a symmetrical place.

It’s as if there is a mirror at the center of the place.

Certainly, if it was such a beautiful dance, it was understandable that she was proud, and Cleon nodded her head quietly.

And then, he quietly turned around.

She was thinking of saying hello to Kuon, but it seemed impossible.

If it were the current Tokoyo, she would never create an imbalance between her and her powers, and Kuon would not occur because of that disharmony.

Then, right now, there is no way to stop them.

If Tokoyo had shaken off her hesitation, she would definitely be able to protect this Asteris with Kuon, and she would move towards the mansion.

001

＂… I forgot…＂

As soon as Cleon returned home, she muttered in a low voice and looked at the devastation unfolding before her eyes with a face filled with despair.

Layla is sprawled out on the dining table. Arnia lying on the ground.

And Artis, purring on the sofa, holding a bottle of alcohol, and Fleur, curled up on the floor like a cat, covered with a blanket.

Kshat is sleeping next to Fleur in the posture of a warrior, sitting cross-legged and lowering his head.

The end of this drinking bar was like an empty field after the final war where no one survived.

When Cleon looked up and looked at the clock, the street vendors were slowly closing, and it was time for Sasha and Amelia to return.

＂… Ha.＂

At least we have to resolve this situation before they return.

As Cleon was thinking that, he didn’t miss the sound of a rattling coming from his kitchen.

＇… Someone else is in the kitchen, not Kuon…? ＇

When Cleon, feeling suspicious and thinking that such a thing would not happen, cautiously moves to check the kitchen –

＂… Whew…＂

There, I saw Lilim wearing her apron, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand and sighing.

He wasn’t making something… But seeing that he was scrubbing dishes with a scrub brush, it looked like he was washing dishes.

＂… Lilim?＂

When Cleon could not stand it and called out to her, she would flinch and tremble with her shoulders and then look back at her.

“Ah. You’re back. “You came earlier than I thought.”

Lilim answered casually, lightly shaking off the water on her hands and then lightly wiping them with her apron.

＇Application early…＇

She didn’t think it was early because she had quite a lot going on as Cleon, but it must have been about two hours for her.

The difference in perception is probably unavoidable.

─More than that.

“What are you doing? I’m washing dishes.”

“Ah. These are the things drunkards in the living room used as snacks and drinking glasses. If I just leave it like that, no one will do it, and I’m worried.”

As she said that, she seemed to turn her head again and continue what she was doing, as if nothing had happened.

“Originally, I was going to finish it without other people watching, but… I can’t help it.”

＂Why?＂

When Creon asked her why she did not want to be seen by others, as if she did not know why, Lilim remained silent for a moment without turning her body, and then continued her speech.

“Well, who would want to eat or drink water from the dishes I washed? A clan of dark demons tainted by evil. Cleon’s colleagues may be concerned, even if they don’t show it.”

“They are not that kind of person. “Don’t talk arbitrarily.”

Cleon flatly denied her answer.

Even if they know Lilim’s past, they do not show an attitude as if they are treating other monsters rather than people.

This was something you could tell just by looking at Amelia.

In response to Lilim’s words, which seemed to be suspicious of those women, Cleon used a strong tone without realizing it.

“Maybe so. No, if you say so, yes.”

However, Lilim just nodded her head in agreement with Cleon’s words.

“But, I am also a human being who deserves such treatment. It definitely exists.”

＂… What does it mean?＂

“I’m talking about someone like me, Cleon. I am a person who should not come forward. The Demon Sword Emperor’s favorite concubine, Astarote’s executive. She is a witch who spreads curses in large quantities. Her sins are numerous.”

She quietly closes her mouth, then looks back at Cleon and continues her sentence.

“I will atone as you say. But there are times when the kindness you show now feels painful to me. If I had complained as hard as I could, I would have accepted this in silence.”

She reminds me.

When he went out to the living room to watch out for the drunkards who were too noisy, he saw Lailana and Artis trying to offer him a drink.

She shook her head with an expression of disgust and went back to her room, but I couldn’t understand why she treated her like that even though she knew her identity through common sense.

Her role is not ‘traveling companion’.

A prisoner who must be watched, and at the same time a sinner who must atone.

I also heard from Cleon that he should atone for the sins he committed.

“I will live as a shadow of this party. Behind and below you. There will be no change in using this power to protect you and, as you said, fighting to protect this world for atonement. But… I believe Cleon is well aware of the fact that I must not go outside.”

The thing that made me think so strongly was, of course, her—

This may be because she re-recognized her own existence after seeing Da Capo, a victim of the tragedy and tragedy created by herself and the Demon Sword Emperor.

With a squeak, her faucet closed, and she dried herself off once more, then took off her apron.

“We recommend that you get some rest as soon as possible in preparation for tomorrow. Mr. Cleon.”

As she said that, she bowed her head slightly and then headed to her own room.

Cleon quietly watched Lilim’s back.

After that, Cleon, who had somehow managed to sort out the devastation in the living room, quietly returned to his bedroom and lay down on the bed.

A really long day was about to end.

If you close your eyes, with many worries and concerns still left behind-

Easier than he thought, he was throwing himself into the swamp of Suma.