Chapter 72 – I’ll tell you anything! Just spare me!

When the news first arrived, even Deus, like the others, sported a curious frown.

An fiend in the Cradle? Didn’t they say these devils were drained of any surplus energy?

Was that a lie, then? Or did they have energy tucked away somewhere? Or perhaps they were hiding?

So many questions. Let’s just fly over there and beat the truth out of them. New information will surface that way.

He thought, ready to return to the Cradle at once. But the next message stopped him cold.

[ A woman claiming to be a fiend is saying, ‘I’ll cooperate! I’ll give you all the information! I’ll tell you anything! Just spare me!’ ]

A woman. And a swift understanding of the situation, offering cooperation and information in exchange for her life.

Deus could then make an accurate assessment of this unexpected guest.

‘Astaroth.’

A fiend who dealt in nothing but information. Though, to be precise, it wasn’t her exactly, but a fragment of her.

In any case, it was Astaroth who did it, so he would spare her life in exchange for information.

Truthfully, when the three fiends first appeared, he had considered the possibility of Astaroth joining them.

That’s why he swiftly bisected the two fiends and slammed them into the ground, and slapped the other one hard across the face to quickly end it and survey the situation.

But Astaroth hadn’t sided with the fiends. Whether she hadn’t recovered yet, or whether she simply judged that they couldn’t win from the start and was conserving her strength.

The conclusion to his prediction was the latter. After observing the fiends being eliminated, she must have decided there was no way she could win, come hell or high water.

‘Let’s go quickly.’

Though the Imperial Palace was still holding a ceremony for meritorious deeds, Deus requested permission to go to the Cradle, arguing that “the fiend comes first.”

To this, the Emperor replied, “Your dedication to the Empire is truly commendable,” granting him his wish. The ceremony for meritorious deeds could be discussed again later, so he bid him to go quickly.

He left word for Luciel and Nefertiti that they could come later.

They would need time to recover, using their abilities to their limits. They needed to return to normal quickly so they could train hard again. And join the new club.

“O-oh, go quickly, *hoobae*!”

“We’ll see you at the Cradle when the Palace cleanup is finished.”

The two girls also realized that this was rest Deus had given them.

So, without protest, they decided to stay a little longer at the Imperial Palace as guests.

‘Surrender, eh? Begging for her life. Seems she’s made up her mind to switch sides properly.’

Heading toward the Cradle, Deus considered that he might be able to solve his biggest problem.

The place where the fiends came from, the way to get to Hell.

At first, he thought they could simply use the Gate in reverse, but upon reflection, if that were possible, the ability users would have headed to Hell a long time ago.

Since long ago, there has been a ‘penetration’ method of subjugation, and it was a method of going into the gate.

Going through the Gate like the fiends was impossible. At least, with the knowledge they possessed.

They needed a collaborator. Someone to provide information. Which meant they needed a defector.

And one had truly appeared. Someone who was a fiend, but not a fiend, someone who wanted to help them.

“…?”

But, what are they doing over there?

The scene that greeted Deus as he entered the Cradle was a little…no, a lot baffling.

“Hryaaat!”

“Tsk, tsk. Not even close. Are you sure you know that monster? The difference in skill is too big, isn’t it?”

“Lady Astaroth. Please be moderate. If that girl gets hurt, we might really get killed.”

Yurishia, face contorted in fierce determination, was the one lunging forward with a shout.

And standing opposite her, swatting away her attacks like flies, was none other than Astaroth.

Beside them, Tiamat watched with an expression of excited anticipation.

I needed to understand this situation before anything else. Approaching Tiamat, I was greeted with a beaming smile. “Oh! Deus, student! You came?!”

“The Empire’s hero is already here?! Has the distribution of rewards finished already?!”

“No, I just came separately. I heard a demon came to the Cradle.”

“Is that so? Ah, could it be that demon you missed back in the south?”

“Correct.” As Deus nodded, Tiamat clapped her hands together.

She said that missing him back then had become a stroke of divine providence, leading to this fortunate encounter. After all, the Empire’s hero and Cradle’s hero has all the luck, she added.

“Oh, that’s right. Come to think of it, Deus, student. What exactly did you say to Yurishia, student?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Didn’t you give her homework before you went to the Imperial Palace?!”

Homework. Ah, that’s right. I did assign her something before leaving.

“You mean that. Well, it was to sharpen Yurishia’s instincts through sparring…”

“Even if she possesses great talent, not all first-year students are like you, Deus. How could you ask her to beat a teacher already!”

“…Excuse me?”

I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I never told her to beat a teacher.

I didn’t set any conditions like surviving for a few minutes or landing a certain number of hits.

I simply told her to show me everything she could do. That’s all I said, isn’t it?

Deus tried earnestly to clear up the misunderstanding, but Tiamat remained unconvinced.

“She was charging at him with the intent to almost kill him, you know?”

“Ah.”

“Like a lost child, acting as though she’d be abandoned if she didn’t defeat the teacher in front of her.”

“…”

Something… something has been misinterpreted completely. She must have taken it the wrong way.

I wouldn’t have been disappointed in Yurishia no matter what. I was only going to praise her.

Perhaps she understood and accepted that ‘give it your all’ differently?

“Well! To put it simply, it wasn’t bad! I still see some timid parts and times when she can’t make decisions quickly. But it seems that her reason is blocking her.”

“Oho.”

“Yurishia, student, definitely has natural talent. And she certainly possesses the wildness that is necessary for the martial arts.”

“That’s some of the best news I’ve heard.”

Which is why she’s fighting the demon over there without showing any signs of backing down.

After watching Yurishia for a moment, Deus thought that it was about time to stop her.

“Yurishia!”

Even though her name was called, Yurishia’s body showed no signs of stopping.

Judging from her movements, her breathing, and the aura she exuded, she had entered a state of complete ‘trance.’

Her opponent was a demon. She could die. She was so focused on the fight in front of her that she had forgotten even the fear.

A bewildered sigh escaped Deus. Was this the same woman who, until recently, had been the epitome of timidity and could barely speak properly?

“Oh. Hey. Hey, hey! Stop! He told you to stop! Stop!”

Rather, Astaroth was the first to notice Deus and hurriedly retreated.

Only then did Urisia realize something had shifted, and she took a step back.

“Deus? Oh, you’re here? When’d you get in?”

“Just now. More importantly, impressive.”

Even with Astaroth holding back. He remembered her trembling before monsters just a short while ago. That’s how shackled Urisia had been by her past.

But now, she wielded a newly awakened ferocity with abandon.

Sharpened, honed. Had she fought Astaroth again, fully prepared for a demon fight, he might have found it a struggle.

‘Perfect. Hell Diver Unit 3, Urisia it is.’

Urisia, utterly oblivious to her rapidly decided future, just beamed at the returning Deus, buzzing, “I worked really hard! Ask Tiamat-sensei!”

For the record, Unit 1 was Luciel. Unit 2 was Nefertiti.

“…”

“…”

“…”

A three-way parley began in a corner of the Cradle. On one side, naturally, was Deus. Across from him sat Astaroth, having requested asylum. And finally, representing the Empire, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Frankly, it felt odd for Foreign Affairs to be involved, but this concerned a figure from a foreign nation (or rather, a non-nation) formally seeking entry into the Empire.

Therefore, as was customary when high-ranking figures defected, the Empire dispatched a Minister to show due respect.

Of course—

“Ahem. So, Student Deus.”

“Yes, Minister.”

“Pay me no mind, and speak freely. I’m merely window dressing, you see.”

True to his word, the Minister had nothing to do here.

At the very final moment, once all agreements were settled, he’d file some report about “embracing the defector in the name of the Empire, and protecting them from all future threats.” That would be all.

“Thank you, Minister. Then…”

Perhaps I should ease the mood a bit.

—Thump.

He lightly struck the table with a clenched fist. His intent was a little levity.

It wasn’t like they were strangers. They’d met before. Though the start had been rough, the information received was undeniably valuable. So, he’d done it in the spirit of a more relaxed conversation.

“Hah! S-sorry!”

Astaroth immediately straightened, posture ramrod straight.

“…”

He was utterly keyed up.