The priest Juris's body burst apart. His remains flew in every direction, fouling the dungeon in an instant. Chunks clung thickly to the charcoal-gray walls.

Amid the spray of blood, the archmage Lumina spoke.

"Watcher of the Abyss, what do you want from me?"

She had cast off every restraint and stood facing Yohan. He spoke, his face expressionless.

"I want to hear about Muel. From you."

Lumina gave him a knowing smile.

"Then is all this a bribe?"

Yohan had freed her from her restraints because winning her goodwill would serve him better than torture in extracting information. He nodded.

"Well, it was a gesture of goodwill on my part. Though now I see I may have gone a little too far."

The moment Lumina was freed from the mana suppressor, she had brutally killed the priest Juris. She had utterly butchered him. She was far more extreme than Yohan had expected.

She gave a faint laugh.

"Has killing him put you in a bit of an awkward position?"

Juris was the assistant the Church had assigned to Yohan. Naturally, his death would cause Yohan trouble. Yohan answered without expression.

"It has made things a little inconvenient. Just thinking about cleaning this place makes me want to sigh."

Lumina's cell was filthy with blood and flesh. The moment anyone saw it, there would be an uproar.

The archmage's seals had been broken, and she had butchered the Church's interrogator.

He needed to deal with the situation before word got out. It was a considerable nuisance for Yohan.

Lumina spoke.

"If cleaning is the problem, I'll help. Consider it repayment for freeing me."

She murmured an incantation. Snow-white mana spread through the cell, and the filthy interior became clean at once. Not a trace remained of Juris's corpse.

Yohan looked unimpressed.

"A little cleaning hardly satisfies me."

He had freed Lumina. He had saved her life. He needed a greater payment than that.

Lumina looked thoughtful.

"Hmm... Then what do you want? Oh, did you say you wanted to hear about Lord Muel?"

Yohan nodded.

"To be precise, I want to know what Muel intended by causing this incident."

Thanks to Muel, Yohan had gained an enormous political advantage. He needed to know for certain whether Muel had truly engineered that outcome.

Lumina spoke.

"I'm sorry, but even I don't understand all of his intentions. Only a very small part."

"And what part is that?"

Suddenly, rapture filled her face.

"The fact that Lord Muel hasn't abandoned me yet."

Yohan answered calmly.

"You're certainly not wrong about that."

Lumina exclaimed excitedly,

"Right? You think so too? Lord Muel foresaw everything, right up to this moment! He knew all along that you would come and rescue me!"

Yohan agreed with her to some extent. They were all on the board Muel had laid out.

'It's infuriating, but I have to admit it.'

From the moment he became entangled with Muel, there had been no way to escape him. Yohan did not yet possess the power to surpass Muel's foresight. For a while, he would have to let himself be toyed with.

Yohan said,

"That doesn't particularly interest me. Do you have anything else I might find interesting?"

"There must be something involving you, too. You're the link between me and the Thirteenth Apostle of the End."

Yohan nodded slowly.

"Your reasoning is exactly what I expected."

Lumina knew very well that Maphel’tan and Yohan were connected. Even if she hadn't grasped the precise nature of that connection, an archmage could easily infer that the witch, the Apostle, and the Watcher of the Abyss were in the same boat.

She believed Muel had arranged all these relationships and the course of events.

Muel had orchestrated this incident for the archmage Lumina's sake.

That was probably the conclusion she had reached.

Lumina smiled.

"Please let me meet the Apostle. I'm asking you."

Simply establishing a relationship with an Apostle would allow her to raise her magical rank. Yohan considered briefly, then spoke.

"What can you give me?"

She answered immediately.

"Exactly one year. I'll stay by your side and help with your work for that long."

Lumina had a great many uses. Quite apart from being an archmage, she was also extremely useful politically. Yohan's lips curved upward.

"Not a bad offer."

Lumina grinned, showing her teeth.

"Good. Shall we leave now? Honestly, this place is suffocating."

Yohan shook his head.

"You'll remain in custody for the time being."

Lumina needed to give one piece of testimony before the Council in Yohan's favor. Until then, she could not go free.

She looked sullen.

"I'd like to hear why."

"You promised to help me for a year. Consider it part of that promise."

Lumina thought for a moment, then spoke.

"I need to meet the Apostle. As soon as possible."

Yohan chuckled.

"Don't worry. In a few days, you'll see as much of him as you like."

Lumina gave a small, seemingly resigned sigh.

"Fine. But remember one thing. I'm not very patient."

Yohan shrugged.

"Much like me. I'll keep it in mind."

As he turned to leave, Lumina looked puzzled.

"You're not just going to leave like that, are you?"

"Do you have something else to say?"

"No, it's just a little strange, isn't it? Two people came in, but only one leaves."

The priest Juris had disappeared. Anyone would find that odd. Yohan answered as though it were nothing.

"You needn't concern yourself. I have a plan."

Ilea's disguise magic could resolve the problem of Juris perfectly. In fact, his death made Yohan's work much easier. Juris had been nothing but a hindrance.

'Should I call it good riddance?'

Yohan swallowed a low murmur. He felt not the slightest sympathy or guilt over Juris.

'... Was I always like this?'

His emotions had grown far duller than when he first began possessing this body. It left him feeling strangely troubled.

Lumina regarded him with a curious look.

"For someone who says he has a plan, you look awfully grim. Why is that?"

Yohan composed his expression.

"It's none of your concern. I'll be going now. See you later."

He left the cell at once. Lumina stared intently after him.

* * *

Time passed swiftly. The investigation into Muel continued for quite some time, but yielded little. The Church, the royal family, countless private organizations—not one uncovered the truth behind Muel's summoning ritual.

Only Yohan produced tangible results. While interrogating Lumina, he uncovered one fact.

Just before Muel could be summoned, the Thirteenth Apostle of the End had stopped the ritual. Unlike the other Apostles, the thirteenth end did not wish for humanity's extinction.

All of it had come from the archmage Lumina's own lips. When it became official, the royal capital erupted in excitement.

"Have you heard? They say the Apostle saved the royal capital."

"I don't believe it. That archmage must have lost her mind and started spouting nonsense."

"With the Church's torture, that's certainly possible, but..."

Everywhere, people talked of nothing but the Apostle.

Count Staviana spoke as he gazed out the window.

"Groups that revere the Apostle are springing up in the capital. Everything is turning in your favor."

Yohan answered expressionlessly.

"Well, things have gone better than I expected. This incident has raised my standing quite a bit, too."

King Roderick was giving Yohan his wholehearted support. The Count supported him by every means available. As a result, Yohan was now the most influential noble on the Council. No one dared challenge his authority.

The Count lifted his teacup and spoke.

"Your goal is coming within reach."

Yohan looked steadily at him.

"Becoming sovereign duke?"

The Count nodded.

"We can begin laying the groundwork."

Holding power in the kingdom alone would not secure the title of sovereign duke. They also needed the Empire's consent. It would take a great deal of preparation.

Yohan said,

"Laying the groundwork is fine, but don't rush. Haste has a way of ruining things."

The moment Yohan became sovereign duke, the Count's wife Yeriyan would return to life. The Count sometimes lost his composure where his wife was concerned, so some caution was necessary.

The Count let out a bemused laugh.

"Now you're trying to teach me."

Yohan shrugged.

"If I've offended you, I apologize."

"You're not wrong, in truth. Everything requires care."

Yohan nodded.

"Whatever happens, I'll be counting on your continued support."

The Count was a capable partner in many respects. Yohan wanted their relationship to last.

The Count rose.

"Such embarrassingly sentimental words are unlike you. I'll leave before I have to hear any more. You should get ready, too. Archmage Lumina's execution will begin soon."

Lumina was scheduled to be burned to death today.

"There's no need to go. Sit here with me a little longer."

The Count looked out the window.

"But the sun will set soon."

Until now, Yohan had sent even the Count away at night. Today was different. Sunset was upon them, yet he remained with the Count.

Yohan said,

"It doesn't matter."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sun set. Thick darkness settled over the room.

The Count's eyes began to tremble. Cracks slowly appeared in his calm expression. He was shaken to a degree wholly unlike himself.

"Th-this can't be..."

A terrifying being stood motionless before him. Eyes redder than blood shone in the darkness. A chilling voice emerged.

"I believe this is the first time I've faced you in this form."

The Count made no reply. He simply stared straight at Maphel’tan, his face rigid.

Maphel’tan's lips stretched into a long smile. Just as he was about to speak, light flashed through the room. Snow-white mana erupted from nowhere and began to take shape.

The archmage Lumina appeared abruptly and spoke.

"Finally, I'm done with that suffocating nonsense... Ah!"

The instant she saw Maphel’tan, she dropped to one knee. He looked down at her.

"Lumina, I have kept my promise."

She spoke in a slightly trembling voice.

"Y-your promise...?"

"Did I not promise to let you meet the thirteenth end?"

Lumina's eyes darted about.

"But that promise was with the Watcher of the Abyss... Don't tell me!"

Maphel’tan chuckled.

"I am both the Watcher of the Abyss and an Apostle of the End."

Both the Count and Lumina looked a little dazed.