Final Preparations (6)

“Celica. Why are you like that?”

Kayla asked Serica with an expression full of worry.

Celica lowered her head, cowering.

Lunch time passed and the three sat together in Kayla’s room.

And we talked about what happened in the morning.

“I’m sorry… I just wanted to help Seohyun…”

I didn’t know that feeling.

However, the catch is that Celica complained while being held in Seohyun’s arms.

After hearing the truth about the world, Celica definitely changed.

I don’t know if it’s a good direction or a bad direction.

It was obvious that things had gone in a direction that no one expected.

Even so, we can’t blame Celica.

She did her best to heal Seohyun’s wounds and should be praised.

“No. It’s all Erina-sama’s problem. Celica didn’t do anything wrong.”

“No. I should have thought that Seohyun would feel uncomfortable…”

Celica’s voice was clearly full of regret.

I couldn’t raise my head with a guilty expression.

Tyria comforted her, but Kayla felt strange.

In fact, among the three, the most thorough one is Serika.

Even though he was young, he used to act in the most ideal way.

So there was no way I could make that mistake in front of Erina.

Even the situation is too artificial.

Doubts began to bloom in Kayla’s head.

‘No way…’ ‘That can’t be possible.’

Kayla cuts doubts in the bud without hesitation.

There was no way Serika had special feelings for Seohyun.

Didn’t I get a confirmation until a few days ago?

He said he was not in love with Seohyun.

We realized that it could become a seed of conflict and eliminated misunderstandings.

In the current situation, the only way was to trust Celica.

“Thank you everyone for trusting me. And I have something I want to tell you.”

I decided to forget about Celica and moved on to the next topic.

Even if I learned the truth about the world, my goal did not immediately change.

Adversary. The ruler of the demon world and a being who blocks the path to heaven.

Although it has only rarely appeared so far, no one can ignore it.

As a result, virtually no one knew of the Demon King’s abilities.

“Seohyun once told me information about the Demon King.”

Seohyun, who had already experienced the first round, knew all the information.

“In normal times, the Demon King is an immortal being. It is said that he will never fall.”

“What…? Then how are you going to defeat it?”

As Kayla said, unlike other monsters, the Demon King could not fight head-on and win.

But the strategy always existed.

“It is said that there are a total of three life stones in the Demon King’s Castle.”

“Lifestone…?”

“A gem that is literally connected to the life of the Demon King. It is said that if you destroy the three life stones, the Demon King will fall.”

And the location of the life stone is inside the Demon King’s Castle.

A treasure trove guarded by numerous guards.

A basement consisting of a complex maze with monsters.

Lastly, the throne where the Demon King is located.

If you destroy these three life stones, you can kill the Demon King.

“Then I guess I’ll have to deal with that lifestone first.”

“Okay. Then you just have to reach the throne, stun the Demon King, and destroy the last lifestone.”

If you defeat the Demon King without destroying the Life Stone, the Demon King will be resurrected over time.

Therefore, all you have to do is destroy all the life stones and defeat the demon lord.

The entity called the Demon King falls and the war ends.

“We already know the structure of the Demon King’s Castle and the location of the Lifestone, so we have an overwhelming advantage.”

“But the Demon King will definitely not be an easy opponent…?”

“Yes. But don’t worry too much. With us now, we can definitely defeat it.”

The three followed Seohyun’s judgment unconditionally.

The belief that no one will stop you even if you head to the Demon King’s Castle right away.

No one distrusted Seohyun’s judgment.

However, being let down is a different matter.

Kayla did not forget her instructions.

“But never let down your guard. There were quite a few times when things didn’t go as Seohyun said.”

In particular, unexpected events often occurred, such as the Snow Maiden waking up or Machiela’s cave collapsing.

Maybe the structure of the Demon King’s Castle has changed or the location of the life stone has changed.

There may have been many other variables waiting.

“The road to the Demon King’s Castle won’t be easy.”

“This time, we will get help from the Knights of the Central Battlefield. Still, it won’t be easy.”

The king ordered the selection of elite soldiers from the knights of the central battlefield.

Those who can give their all even in the fog of the demon world.

It is probably only a very small number within the Order, but it will definitely be helpful.

“Let’s all prepare well. In the end, we are the ones who have to defeat the Demon King.”

***

“Cerica. “Why did you do that?”

After the morning passed, I spent all afternoon trying to comfort Erina.

And in the evening, while Erina was taking a bath, I went to see Celica.

I took her out of the middle of taking care of the children and brought her to my room.

As soon as the door closed, Celica’s bright expression disappeared in an instant.

And he answered in a harsh voice that did not suit her.

“Seohyun. “I don’t want to forgive Erina.”

“…”

“Please be honest. Are you forced to join us because of Erina’s powerlessness… ?”

What Celica said wasn’t completely wrong.

Actually, that was mostly the reason when I first met Erina.

But it’s different now.

I was with Erina because I truly loved her.

“Cerica. “I understand why you don’t understand.”

“…”

“But I love Erina. Those feelings are sincere.”

Then, Celica pursed her lips with an expression full of dissatisfaction.

There’s a lot I want to say, but I’m holding back.

Originally, wasn’t Celica rarely acting emotionally?

There was definitely a change in my heart after learning the truth about the world yesterday.

“…I cannot disobey Seohyun’s words.”

The complaint comes again this time. It wasn’t something Celica would normally say.

It was quite difficult for me too.

Honestly, I didn’t expect Celica to change like this.

Even so, I couldn’t blame Celica.

This is also something I am responsible for.

I held Celica’s hand and stroked her head.

The skinship I usually give Erina.

As expected, it worked for Celica as well.

The dissatisfaction subsided and the expression on his face relaxed.

After that, I gently brushed her bright red hair and it melted.

“Cerica. It’s shameless, but I’ll ask you a favor. “Can’t we just give Erina one chance?”

“If you say that, I can’t do anything…”

Celica was different from others.

I didn’t blindly use a raw herd like Erina or wait unconditionally like Kayla.

An attitude of subtly expressing dissatisfaction and making a fuss as if asking for attention.

Even that seemed so natural that it was difficult to reject it.

Even so, it is not possible to give only Serica special treatment.

If other people found out, there would be an uproar.

“I decided to trust Seohyun for the rest of my life. Since the goddess is in crisis, the only person I can rely on is Seohyun.”

“Yeriel will be safe. Because I will definitely save you.”

Then Celica’s expression suddenly froze.

Did I make a mistake with my words? But it was difficult to tell where the mistake was.

“Seohyun. Is the goddess’s name Yeriel…? “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Ah. Because that’s the name I gave it myself.”

Then Celica’s expression changed dramatically.

Didn’t Kayla tell you this?

Since there were so many facts to tell, it was inevitable that there would be parts left out.

The corners of the mouth seemed to go up, but the pupils were shaking back and forth.

The confusion was clearly visible on his face.

“Seohyun. “Is there a reason why the goddess was given a name?”

“Yeriel wanted it. “I asked you to give me a name.”

Is my answer satisfactory?

Celica nodded with a smile.

“Okay. The goddess is also leaning on Seohyun…”

“Rather than relying on it, it’s because Yeriel is cornered. It’s something that can’t be helped.”

“Yes. I know. In the end, even the goddess can’t help it.”

He seems happy to hear what I said, but did he understand it properly?

I felt strangely anxious because I couldn’t really understand Celica’s inner thoughts.

Still, Celica isn’t a bad girl, so I’ll just overlook it for once.

In fact, it was difficult to even call Celica’s actions a mistake, so I decided to criticize her and move on.

“Next time, be careful not to collide with Erina. “Understand, right?”

“…I will follow Seohyun’s orders.”

He didn’t give a clear answer, but this was enough.

Celica is a smart child, so she will understand this much.

Still, I fully understood her confusion, so I hugged Celica tightly.

Celica was held in silence until just before Erina returned.

I left without being able to erase my regrets until the moment I left.

A split second before Celica leaves and Erina returns.

I was in trouble, clutching my messed up head.

‘How did it end up like this… ‘

The reason for the affection for Erina and Kayla was clear.

Yeriel could also understand if he thought about the post-war situation.

But I couldn’t figure out why Tyria and Celica had affection for me.

In particular, there wasn’t even a hint of Celica until now.

‘Even after defeating the Demon King, it’s a big deal.’

Until now, I have been running tirelessly to uncover the truth about Erina.

Maybe there was something else that really needed attention.

Even so, I didn’t know what would happen if I rejected everyone’s affection now.

Literally a dilemma. We decided to postpone it until after Erina’s lie was revealed.

“Haa…”

I was worried that I might get busier after seeing the ending.