Chapter 84: Chapter 84

Cruello narrowed his eyes, failing to understand my words.

Of course, how strange it must have sounded to him.

If he died here, I wouldn’t be able to make it out alive either—an obvious fact to him.

But to me, it was a monumental declaration.

It meant I was willingly abandoning my duty as the last follower of Pebula.

In a way, it meant I was willing to kill the god I had served since birth.

“It’s just something like that.”

I didn’t have the time to explain, so I simply smiled.

And then, I felt the first butterfly reach its destination.

There was little hope that things would go as planned.

My heart was already leaning toward the idea of death.

A small spell that could do nothing but carry sound.

The moment the butterfly arrived, Elin’s mana twisted into utter chaos.

The pillar of darkness collapsed in an instant, and in the brief moment of weakness, Paradise let out a long, resounding roar.

Kwaaaang—! A blinding white light tore open a path ahead, as if to declare that the previous barriers had been nothing but an illusion.

My vision cleared so suddenly and completely that I blinked in disbelief.

How could this be happening?

What had that butterfly done?

Cruello quietly asked, “That was a transmission spell, wasn’t it? What message did you send?”

“...Just this. ‘Die.’”

What else was there to say?

I had sent a barrage of messages fit for a crazed stalker.

This wasn’t a situation where I could get creative.

I tilted my head, then suddenly straightened up.

“Oh. The building’s roof is gone.”

No wonder it felt so refreshing.

From outside, I could sense the energy of the imperial knights gathering in response to the commotion.

If we lingered any longer, they would storm in.

Exchanging a glance with Cruello, I began walking leisurely down the newly opened path.

At the end of it sat Elin.

Huddled in a ragged heap, trembling.

Around her, a few butterflies still hovered, yet to deliver their messages.

Each time one seeped into her skin, her shoulders flinched violently.

Had she truly been defeated by butterflies? What was this?

“...Super sensitive when focusing?”

“Allergic to butterflies?”

“What... are these things?”

At last, as the final butterfly fulfilled its purpose and vanished, Elin raised her head.

Her bloodshot eyes were so eerie they sent ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) a chill down my spine.

The composed arrogance she had displayed earlier was completely gone.

She looked more like someone struck by a devastating psychological blow rather than physical pain.

...Was it really an allergy?

“Messengers of the gods...? Is that what they are?”

What kind of nonsense was this?

I frowned at Elin’s rambling, intending to interrogate her about why she was making such a fuss over a simple spell.

But at that moment, Cruello tapped my shoulder.

His lips shaped a silent word.

At that, my mind flashed back to past events.

Ares. The Tenth Elder.

That man who bristled at the slightest sound.

How had I manipulated and lured him into my grasp?

How blindly had he followed a fake prophecy?

Dylan’s words surfaced in my memory.

"The divine message is heard directly in our heads. But in this prayer chamber, the mana flow is so weak that delicate magic like telepathy shouldn’t work at all!"

"That’s... impossible. I was told the first thing sealed off was divine power. Was that a lie? Or was the one giving orders not a demon, but a god? A dark god—OW! Why are you hitting me?!"

In that hidden prayer chamber, the only power I had been able to use freely was Pebula’s.

If that was the case...

“Wait. When you received that divine revelation, did butterflies like these appear?”

It had been my first thought when I heard Dylan say that.

A demon wouldn’t deliver a revelation.

So either Nigellia had lied, or she, too, had been deceived.

Though I had been briefly shaken by Elin’s elaborate delusions, it seemed my original theory had been correct.

Her shadow bubbled up like molten lava, but after being struck by Paradise, she was far from unscathed.

Still, the murderous intent burning in her eyes was even fiercer than before.

“Shut up, shut up, shut up! That was His revelation! The exalted will of the Almighty! Something a wretch like you could never imitate!”

“So you’re saying butterflies flew in?”

“You—how could a mere human send forth a revelation?!”

Her voice cracked, laced with metal, echoing through the air.

And then, suddenly, she changed.

The murderous glare vanished.

In its place bloomed a soft, spring-like smile.

“...So you were His messenger.”

“Yes... Yes, my dear child. He sent you. That’s why you can control those butterflies. Isn’t that right?”

“No, no! If that were true, He would never command me to die! It must have been a hallucination! An illusion! Right? Isn’t that right?!”

One moment, she spoke as if filled with reverence.

The next, her face twisted into a wailing, desperate shriek.

Her shifting expressions were like an actor’s performance—yet the sheer intensity of her emotions was real.

She was desperately searching for an answer.

Instead of replying, I summoned another butterfly.

—Tier-3 spell, transmission signal.

Elin’s eyes wavered violently.

The butterfly gracefully fluttered toward her and seeped into her skin.

[The one I served was no demon.]

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

[What you worshipped was nothing more than an illusion that could never manifest in reality.]

[You’ve been deceived your entire life.]

Her scream, wrenched from the depths of her being, sent violent tremors through the surrounding shadows.

Yet, instead of serpents emerging, a thick, tar-like liquid seeped from the darkness.

And from Elin’s eyes as well, black streams poured down her face.

She clutched at her scalp so viciously it seemed her hair would be torn from her head, her voice raw with despair.

"It’s because my faith was lacking. This is a trial to test me. Haha... as if I’d fall for it. Do you really think—I—would fail to overcome something this trivial?"

Suddenly, she rummaged through her robes and pulled something out.

Before I could stop her, she tore it open and shoved the contents into her mouth, devouring it greedily.

I instinctively reached out—then withdrew my hand.

There was no mercy to spare for an evil that sought its own destruction.

At the same time, I witnessed firsthand how Nigellia had become Elin.

Elin’s body convulsed, shifting uncontrollably.

A young woman aged into an old crone, then shrank into a child. Her very gender twisted back and forth.

The energy source called "miracle" kneaded her flesh as it pleased, forcing itself into the vessel that stored mana.

But Beatitudo did not settle.

Instead, it tore that vessel apart.

Elin’s mana poured from her like an unraveling thread.

The artificially prolonged life within her drained away, bleaching her hair stark white.

She no longer even had the strength to sit up.

The frail, withering body slumped backward, collapsing.

In a hoarse whisper, she muttered:

“...That can’t be. If it wasn’t a demon... then all this time, what have I... what have I even believed in?"

"Ah... Luery must be waiting for me. That child... my poor..."

She tried to lift a trembling hand, as if to push herself up.

A feeble sound, signaling the end of a villain.

Her face, frozen in the horror of having her lifelong faith denied, was the most wretched I had ever seen.

Thinking back on the past few days, I should have felt relieved.

Yet my mind was tangled in a haze of unease.

If Elin had scoffed, mocked me, or sneered that I actually believed my own words—maybe I would have felt a sense of closure.

Instead, I let out a deep sigh, and the tension in my body finally gave way.

Without thinking, I grabbed onto Cruello like a walking stick.

He wasn’t in great condition either, but he couldn’t be worse off than me.

Right now, if I could sell this fourth body of mine, I’d pay half of everything I owned without hesitation.

"I’m alive, so I suppose that means I’m fine."

His response was half-hearted.

Then, my eyes fell on his shoulder.

The place where the shadow serpents had pierced him earlier.

I had assumed he was fine, but—

The red stain had spread.

His skin was paler than before.

Now that I thought about it, he had fended off nearly all those shadow creatures while I was casting spells.

There were probably more injuries I hadn’t seen.

Was it because this was the first time I had seen him actually wounded?

An unfamiliar wave of unease surged within me.

"Let me see your shoulder."

"Darling, I don’t think you’re in a position to worry about me. We should focus on—"

"Just shut up and let me see!"

I snapped without thinking, then immediately clamped a hand over my mouth.

Damn it. My emotions were slipping.

Cruello looked just as startled, his wide eyes staring down at me.

Unable to meet his gaze, I averted my eyes.

"Sorry for yelling. I just... don’t have the energy to argue right now."

“...Is this the real you?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, you usually act more playful. Like you don’t care about people. Like you want to keep your distance."

“...That’s not true."

"Fine, if you say so."

Cruello instinctively tried to shrug—only to freeze as pain shot through his body.

It was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

He narrowed his eyes at me, his expression practically saying, Darling, do you enjoy my suffering?

And then, with an exaggerated sigh, he unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off.

"You do have a nice body, just like you bragged."

I tried to keep my tone teasing, but my expression stiffened.

His gaze turned unreadable.

Nothing was going my way today.

I exhaled sharply and gave up.

"You just let the baby snakes bite you for fun?"

"I tried to avoid them. Clearly, that didn’t work out."

"Hah. And you have the nerve to criticize my reflexes."

I placed my hand over the wound but hesitated.

If my divine power failed now, we’d be in real trouble.

To my relief, a soft white light poured out as if nothing had ever been wrong.