After summoning Orsted with that ring, I received a letter the very next day telling me to come to a cottage in the suburbs.
Apparently, he'd been nearby all along.
Then again, he could have just called out to me directly...
Anyway, I did as I was told and headed to the cottage in the suburbs.
Orsted was waiting there with his arms crossed, in a pose so still he might have been sleeping.
It was truly a waiting posture that embodied the very concept of "waiting."
I felt a little guilty for making him wait.
"I'm sorry I'm late."
"No, I just got here."
Exchange greetings like a couple who'd just started dating, check.
After greeting him, I gave him a rundown of the past week.
First, about Leo becoming my guardian magical beast.
That apparently wasn't a problem.
In fact, Orsted seemed surprised that something of that caliber had shown up.
He stamped his seal of approval, saying that with a Sacred Beast summoned, my family's safety was essentially guaranteed.
That really drove home just how significant Sacred Beasts are.
What stuck with me was the way he muttered in a small voice, "So Roxy's child really is special."
Being told that my kid was special made me beam a little.
Next, I told him about having Cliff attempt to break the curse.
Orsted accepted this as well.
Cliff would come to this cottage every few days to develop magic tools specifically for Orsted's curse.
Whether it would bear any fruit was unclear, but I told him that as long as the curse remained, I'd keep up the act of being "forced into obedience by Orsted, who holds my family hostage."
Orsted's expression didn't change, but he nodded once and said "Very well," accepting the arrangement.
For not making contact with Ariel and the others for ten days, I received a mild scolding.
I said I'd been worried about Eris and Leo, and that I'd planned to use the timing of introducing Guinevere as an excuse to make contact, but I knew those were just excuses.
I'd underestimated the one-month deadline. I'd been careless.
While I was being that careless, Orsted had apparently met with Perugius once.
He'd requested cooperation in making Ariel queen, but been refused.
With a stubborn air, Perugius had declared he wouldn't budge until he'd determined for himself whether Ariel was worthy of being queen.
Amazing, Lord Perugius.
He must have been pretty intimidated by Orsted, yet he still refused outright.
I was a little impressed.
Anyway, setting that aside...
I also mentioned that Luke had visited our house and attempted to make contact.
That Luke had requested cooperation.
That Luke might be the Man-God's apostle.
That I was uneasy about aiding Ariel.
I laid out my thoughts on these three points and asked if there would be any changes to our future actions. Orsted answered firmly:
"There will be no change to the policy of making Ariel queen."
The theory that making Ariel queen served the Man-God's designs was rejected.
Making Ariel queen was apparently something important to Orsted.
However, Orsted did give some thought to how to handle Luke.
After thinking for a few minutes, he said quietly:
"Luke should be... killed."
I flinched.
The words, uttered so casually, were far too dangerous.
"You want me to kill him?"
"..."
Orsted had a scary expression on his face.
No wait—his face wasn't scary.
It was his default face.
With that same expression, he narrowed his chin in thought and stared at a single point on the table.
...It was scary.
"An apostle of the Man-God is unpredictable. Better to eliminate him and avoid trouble down the road."
"I... see."
Killing Luke.
I thought I'd steeled myself for this possibility, but a wave of unease washed over me.
Luke, who had been so desperately devoted to Ariel.
I hadn't killed anyone in this world, come to think of it.
People may have died indirectly because of me, but I'd never personally put my hands on anyone.
And my first victim would be an acquaintance.
My first murder would be someone I knew.
When I thought about it that way, I didn't know what to feel.
But at the same time, there was a part of me that thought, "Well, it can't be helped."
If he became my enemy and ended up posing a real threat, then it was better to kill him.
I couldn't let a moment's sentimentality drag me into a crisis.
That was how I felt.
But could it really be okay to kill someone just because "it can't be helped"?
I didn't intend to get all moral about killing.
But still, there was resistance.
I was the type who felt more aversion toward murder than I'd expected.
"But we haven't confirmed yet that he's definitely the Man-God's apostle, have we?"
That was a hopeful thing to say, but Orsted shook his head.
"No. If the Man-God chose to make contact at this particular timing, there's little doubt."
"What do you mean by 'this timing'?"
When I asked that, Orsted nodded deeply.
"My negotiations with Perugius haven't completely broken down, nor have I received word that the king has fallen ill. Under those circumstances, the Man-God reached out to you. His designs are transparent."
The last words came from Orsted in a tone full of genuine loathing.
As I suspected, Orsted truly despised the Man-God.
"Then... why did he tell me to help Ariel? Wouldn't it make more sense to do the opposite? If he doesn't want Ariel on the throne, wouldn't it be better to keep me away?"
"The goal is likely to manipulate someone in the Asura Kingdom and spring a trap. The Man-God can't see your movements anymore. That's why he used Luke—to monitor your actions by listening through a wall, so to speak."
"So Luke is the observer?"
"His role may go beyond observation. If there's a risk of something happening to you along the way, it'd be better to eliminate Luke."
The possibility that my actions and words could reveal Orsted's intentions.
When I considered that, it was true—it was better not to have any observer.
It would be hard to hide only what Luke needed to hide while steering Ariel and the others in the right direction.
"But if we kill Luke... could it have any effect on Ariel or others?"
"...What do you mean?"
Using what I'd heard recently, I offered my own analysis.
About the danger of killing Luke.
"There was someone called Derrick Redbat, wasn't there?"
In the original timeline, he apparently became prime minister.
He wasn't around anymore.
Because of that, Ariel might be emotionally dependent on Luke."
If Luke died, who knew what would become of Ariel?
People were fragile.
Even those who seemed strong could fall apart in an instant.
I knew plenty of examples like that.
If the Man-God intended to use her as a puppet, that would be fine with him...
As I thought this, I watched Orsted's expression.
He kept his same scary face and nodded, as if to say "That's fair."
"That's possible. The Ariel I know also valued Luke as a man. Without him, she might not be able to function as queen."
Orsted apparently didn't want Ariel reduced to a wooden puppet.
"In any case, I think we should keep Luke alive for the time being."
Of course, there was also the part of me that simply didn't want to kill him.
Luke was Sylphie's close friend.
And technically, my cousin.
Our connection was thin—he wasn't someone I'd wish death upon.
Well, when I put it that way, it didn't sound like much, but on a personal level, my aversion to killing was strong.
Picking up on this, Orsted answered quietly:
"Fine. We'll do that."
"Yes."
In the end, I might still have to kill him.
If I did, would Sylphie resent me?
Would she demand a divorce?
Just thinking about it made my stomach hurt.
But if it truly came to that... I'd steel my resolve.
Anyway, that settled the Luke matter for now.
"You once told me that the Man-God can't control many people at once, didn't you?"
I wanted to dig deeper into a few things.
"How many people can he control at maximum?"
Orsted had briefly mentioned before that the Man-God couldn't "control that many people simultaneously."
Which presumably meant he could control multiple people at once.
"It's not certain, but I've fought three apostles at the same time in the past. So, it's probably up to three."
Three.
Fewer than I expected.
"Is there a possibility of him controlling more than that?"
"When they tried to kill me, they only sent three. There were no further direct attacks after that. So, it's safer to assume the limit is three."
"Who did you fight?"
"The Sword God, the North God, and the Demon King."
Orsted had defeated all of them.
Two on the level of the Seven Great Powers, plus a Demon King.
Even gathering that much firepower, they hadn't been able to eliminate him—so the Man-God must have given up.
Honestly, if something like that came after me, I wouldn't stand a chance... but well, if he could do anything about it, he would.
Just like in my case, the Man-God probably needed to spend a long time adjusting what he called fate.
The Man-God seemed like the type who'd enjoy Pythagorean switches.
"Why is it limited to three, though...?"
"Because that's the limit of his future-sight ability."
"So he can see the future of three people simultaneously, but no more?"
"That's right."
So without relying on future-sight, could he control a fourth?
No...
Someone who could use future-sight wouldn't gamble without using it.
In general, it was safe to assume he wouldn't exceed four.
Let me apply that assumption to the current situation.
"If one of them is Luke, that leaves two more."
"He doesn't necessarily control all three at the same time."
"True. But I think there's a high probability that at least one is in the Asura Kingdom. What do you think?"
"Why do you think that?"
"If the Man-God doesn't want Ariel on the throne, it would make sense to control one of Ariel's opponents and one of her allies separately and leak information between them, wouldn't it?"
"The Man-God wouldn't need to go to such lengths... though, relaying your actions to the other side does have merit."
Orsted nodded, convinced on his own.
Come to think of it, the Man-God could read people's hearts too—he probably didn't need to bother with information leaks.
It was enough to just relay Ariel's movements, which had become unclear because of me.
"He might be doing something entirely elsewhere, though. Like attacking my family while I'm away."
"With a Sacred Beast serving as their guardian, the Man-God won't be able to act so freely. That beast has the power to prevent it."
"More than Almanfi?"
"You can't compare his spirits to something like that."
I'd just seen a dog relieving itself, so I wasn't entirely inclined to believe that... but if Orsted said so, it was probably fine.
I had no way to verify it anyway.
"In any case, as you predicted, there's likely at least one Man-God apostle in the Asura Kingdom."
"Finding them will be the key to defeating the Man-God."
"Indeed. As for the third one, I'm not sure. They might be operating on a completely different matter from us... but don't let your guard down."
My battle with the Man-God would consist of identifying and defeating the three apostles while achieving our own objectives.
It would probably keep repeating like that.
In this case, the objective was making Ariel queen.
The first apostle was Luke (highly likely).
The second and third were unknown.
"Is there anyone you can say for certain is not an apostle?"
I asked this as a last resort.
It didn't really matter who the apostles were—what I had to do wouldn't change.
Still, if Zanoba or Cliff turned out to be apostles and I had to kill them...
I wouldn't know what to do.
"Your family is safe. They have that bracelet, and they're under the protection of the guardian magical beast."
"And Cliff and Zanoba...?"
"...They could be possibilities. Stay vigilant."
Seriously?
I didn't want that...
"Is there any way to prevent them from being controlled?"
"There's no such thing. If it comes to it, just warn them not to heed any message from someone claiming to be the Man-God. It's probably useless, though..."
Useless, huh. I see.
That was a problem.
Well, it was a matter of probability.
The Man-God couldn't control just anyone.
Zanoba and Cliff would be outside his reach... I'd pray to whatever god other than the Man-God for that.
"So for now, our policy remains requesting Perugius's cooperation to make Ariel queen. That's still the plan, right?"
"Yes. Don't neglect your vigilance against the Man-God's apostles."
"Got it."
For the time being, our course of action wouldn't change.
This time, I'd really make contact with Ariel.
---
At the end, Orsted loaned me a mana-infused item.
A loan.
Orsted had offered to give it to me, but he judged it was better to keep it as equipment on loan.
What I was loaned was, as promised, a robe.
A mouse-gray robe, no less, even though I hadn't asked for one.
It was slightly grayer than what I'd been wearing until now.
"This robe was used about a thousand years ago by the Great Sage Titiana.
It's made from the outer skin of a Death Adder Rat and sewn with mana-infused thread.
It offers considerable magical resistance as well as high cutting protection.
Moreover, having been in a labyrinth for so long, it's become a mana-infused item—
when worn, it halves the wearer's weight and allows them to move like the wind.
For someone like you who can't clad themselves in Battle Aura, it should be just right."
That was Orsted's explanation.
From what I was hearing, it sounded like an incredible item.
"And what about the price?"
"I brought it from the Dragon Race's treasury these past few days.
It would fetch a fair sum if sold, but... it's for protecting your life. Wear it and put it to use."
He'd given me a stern warning.
The Dragon Race's treasury, huh.
Were items like this just lying around in there?
Probably, yeah.
Boots that let you kick open treasure chests, a horn that reveals hidden doors...
Well, with this robe, my combat power would improve.
It was still night and day compared to a Magic Armor, but...
I'd have to make up the difference with wits and courage.
...I didn't have either of those, though...
Yeah. I'd do my best.
---
That evening.
I called Sylphie to the bedroom.
If I was going to help Ariel become queen, I needed to talk it over with her first.
Sensing my serious expression, Sylphie came to the room in her everyday clothes, without changing into nightwear.
For a serious conversation, something like that was about right.
"So, Rudy, what's this about?"
Sylphie asked with a guarded expression.
"Sylphie, I'm going to be direct."
"Okay."
"I've decided to help make Ariel queen."
At those words, Sylphie's expression flickered with suspicion for a moment.
Then she started to smile with joy, only to return to a suspicious look.
"You've *decided*?"
"Yeah."
"So it's not really your own decision?"
"It's Orsted's order."
When I said that, Sylphie's expression clearly changed.
I probably shouldn't have mentioned that it was Orsted's doing.
No—maybe the opposite. Maybe I should tell her everything.
Depending on the situation, including the possibility that we might have to kill Luke.
But should I tell her?
At the mere stage of possibility?
What would Sylphie think if she heard that?
Would she decide Orsted was the enemy after all?
As I hesitated, Sylphie spoke.
"What's Orsted's objective in wanting Ariel to be queen? Is there any benefit for Orsted in doing this?"
"He gets connections to the Asura Kingdom through me. It doesn't seem like he needs anything right now, but apparently he wants help with something in the future."
"But he's the Dragon God, Rudy. He could beat you into a pulp even in your Magic Armor. Even if the Asura Kingdom is the greatest nation in the world, would he really want to form a cooperative relationship with them?"
"Power can solve things that brute force can't. Even Orsted wants that—for when the time comes."
This was a move for the future.
Having Ariel as queen would pay off a hundred years from now.
Though that was hard to explain.
Orsted knew the broad strokes of history.
In that history, it was unclear how—or whether—Orsted would use Ariel as a figure.
But at the very least, from the Man-God's perspective, it was clearly disadvantageous for Ariel to become queen—I knew that from the diary.
And we were going to prevent that.
It was mostly spite, but denying your enemy what they want was a standard tactic.
For Orsted, this carried great significance.
For me, though, not so much.
If I helped Ariel become queen, I'd inevitably be recognized as part of Ariel's faction.
And then I'd be dragged into all the murky political maneuvering among the nobility.
There were downsides.
Honestly, I didn't think "a connection to the Asura Kingdom" was worth the drawbacks.
On a personal level, I didn't particularly want to help Ariel.
But this time, I'd stay positive.
Ariel becomes queen, and hooray for Ariel.
My best friend achieves her goal, and hooray for Sylphie.
We stop the Man-God's plans, and hooray for Orsted.
Sylphie falls for me all over again, and Orsted confirms that I'm a useful tool.
Great. Nothing but upsides.
"Well, even if Orsted is scheming something, it shouldn't be a bad deal for Ariel."
"Hmm... yeah, I guess. There are plenty of bad people in the Asura Kingdom, and if you're fighting bad people with bad people, maybe it's not a bad idea."
Sylphie could be sharp.
What did Orsted look like through her eyes?
He looked like quite the villain to me, but she probably saw him in an even worse light.
Did he look like someone who'd kill you the moment he met you?
...Well, I couldn't deny that.
"Whether to accept Orsted's cooperation is Ariel's decision, but..."
Sylphie narrowed her eyes slightly as she spoke.
"What I want is a guarantee that Orsted won't betray us."
"A guarantee?"
"Yeah. Why do you think Orsted won't betray us, Rudy?"
It wasn't that I thought he wouldn't.
He was clearly hiding something.
But compared to the Man-God, he was more trustworthy.
And when I called, he came right away.
"I don't necessarily think he won't.
But Orsted has been sincere.
As long as I don't oppose him and keep proving my usefulness, he won't turn against me."
"I see..."
Sylphie still looked a bit unconvinced.
"Fine. I'll put the question of whether we can trust Orsted aside for now."
"Is that okay?"
"Well, there's no point in going back and forth about it right now.
You've already decided to trust him, hasn't you?"
"Pretty much."
"So arguing about it would just go in circles."
Sylphie took a deep breath.
She straightened her back and looked me in the eye.
"More importantly, we should discuss what comes next. How does Orsted plan to make Ariel queen?"
Sharp.
That was the face she rarely showed me—the face of Ariel's bodyguard.
When she made that expression, her boyish side came to the forefront, and she looked incredibly dignified.
"For now, I'm planning to convince Perugius."
"Between a Dragon God and a Dragon King, I'd think the Dragon God—Orsted—ranks higher. But you still need to convince Perugius?"
"Perugius has strong influence over the Asura Kingdom and considerable political clout.
Orsted, on the other hand, has no influence there."
That was secondhand from Orsted.
"But Perugius won't bend easily.
He wouldn't listen to anything Ariel said.
Even when Luke and I tried to mediate, it was useless."
"Seems that way."
Perugius apparently wouldn't simply obey even if Orsted asked.
I'd thought that since Orsted intimidated him so much, one word from Orsted would be enough... but apparently there was more to it.
"Zanoba has managed to get on Perugius's good side, though. And you seem to be fairly well-liked too... What's the difference?"
"If there is one, it's probably that Zanoba and I aren't aiming to become king."
"Is aspiring to be king what rubs Perugius the wrong way?"
Wasn't that a bit too narrow-minded?
But Perugius did seem to have strong opinions about the concept of "king."
"Do you think Perugius never intended to cooperate with Ariel from the start?"
"No. If he'd had no intention of cooperating, he would have refused outright. He's testing Ariel somehow."
"Maybe... hmm."
Sylphie crossed her arms and tilted her head.
"In any case, I want to meet with Ariel soon. Is that alright?"
"Got it, I'll arrange it. I should tell Luke too... We'll be sitting together, me and Luke, but that's fine, right?"
"Sure, no problem. But could we keep Orsted out of it? I'd like to present it as Luke and Sylphie convincing me to cooperate."
"Why hide Orsted's involvement? You're technically under his command now, so if you say you're acting on orders from above, Ariel might actually feel more at ease."
The backing of the Dragon God.
...But I didn't want to give Luke—the Man-God's potential apostle—more information than necessary.
Luke wasn't confirmed to be an apostle yet, still.
"The Man-God's people could be listening from anywhere, so I'd like to obscure Orsted's objectives and instructions as much as possible."
"...Orsted is fighting against the Man-God, right? Is the Man-God really that bad?"
"Bad or not, he tried to kill Roxy, he targeted you, and he set me up to be killed by Orsted. He's the enemy."
"H-Hey, he was after me too...?"
Sylphie looked around.
"Right now?"
"I'm not sure. He probably hasn't given up, though..."
"Then I'll watch my back."
"And dark streets too."
At that, Sylphie chuckled.
"In this town, the only person who'd ambush me at night is you, Rudy."
Haha, she got me there.
Well then, maybe I'd take her up on that tonight.
And so, along with Sylphie, I set up the plan to meet Ariel.
---
"...So anyway."
But the conversation wasn't over yet.
"If you're going to help Ariel, you'll be going to the Asura Kingdom too, Rudy."
"Well, yeah. I can't exactly just convince her and say 'see you later.'"
We still had to eliminate the Man-God apostle who was likely in the Asura Kingdom.
We had to find that woman named Tristina or whatever her name was.
There was no question—I was going to the Asura Kingdom.
"I want you to take me with you."
"...Huh?"
"I know you want me to stay home and look after Lucy, Rudy.
I know Ariel and Luke want me to settle down here in Shariah and live happily ever after.
But... I want to help. I've been with Ariel for so long, doing this together."
Sylphie took my hand as she spoke.
Her soft hand enveloped mine.
She squeezed tight.
"Please, Rudy. Take me with you."
I squeezed her hand back.
Honestly, I wanted Sylphie to stay home.
It was selfish of me, but I wanted her to be safe and look after Lucy.
I didn't subscribe to the idea that a wife should walk three steps behind her husband.
But still, I couldn't help wanting Sylphie to stay out of danger.
But Sylphie had been with Ariel and Luke for years.
Ever since the teleportation incident.
They were to her what Eris and Ruijerd were to me.
Eris... I'd set aside for now.
If Ruijerd was in trouble, I'd rush to his aid no matter what.
He'd done that much for me.
Put against my family's lives, I might hesitate.
But helping Ruijerd ranked high on my list of priorities.
Sylphie was probably the same.
Family was important, of course, and Lucy needed to be raised right.
But when a friend was in trouble, it was only natural to want to help.
"Okay. Sylphie, help me out."
"...Yeah!"
Sylphie's face brightened instantly, and she nodded happily.
That was when I suddenly recalled what the Man-God had said.
About Sylphie's fate to die in the Asura Kingdom.
I doubted it, but could asking Sylphie to help like this end up shortening her lifespan?
...Was I overthinking it?
History had changed.
It didn't have to play out the same way as the diary.
But I still had to warn her.
"...Sylphie."
"What?"
"The Man-God won't show himself. He'll manipulate someone to try and stop me and Orsted."
"...Like how he forced you to fight Orsted?"
"Right."
"So we need to watch out for whoever he's controlling."
"...Yeah. Apparently, it can be someone close to you."
"Close, like who?"
"Like Luke."
At that, Sylphie's expression turned severe.
"...Rudy. That's not going to happen. If Orsted is moving to make Ariel queen, then the Man-God is moving to prevent that. In other words, Luke would be acting to stop Ariel from becoming queen. That's impossible. Luke would never turn against Ariel. Never."
"But he could be deceived by the Man-God. That's how he operates."
"..."
Sylphie glared at me.
There might have been killing intent mixed in.
This might have been the first time she'd ever looked at me like that.
"If Luke loses himself and harms Ariel... I'll kill Luke."
She said it in a firm, unyielding voice.
She said she'd kill him.
It was the first time I'd found Sylphie frightening.
"Neither Luke nor I would ever think it's okay to betray Ariel. If someone deceived us into betraying her... they'd be better off dead."
But I understood how Sylphie felt.
If I truly tried to harm Ruijerd, Eris might turn against me too.
It was the same thing.
"Right... sorry. I said something weird."
"No. You don't need to apologize, Rudy. You were just warning me to stay vigilant..."
Sylphie said this with a quiet smile.
Looking at that smile, something settled inside me.
If the time came when I had to kill Luke...
I wouldn't let Sylphie do it.
I'd do it myself.