Chapter 123

Muel

『You have worked hard, my child. It is time for you to rest.』

A sweet, melodious voice descended from above.

Mapheltan, Ilea, and Lumina simultaneously looked up.

A brilliant mass of light was slowly descending.

The nearly blinding radiance had assumed the form of an angel.

‘...Muel, the Fallen Angel.’

He was a fallen archangel.

Five hundred years ago, during the Holy War, he had betrayed the Great Saint and defected. Now, he was the Great Demon ranked eighth in the Demon Realm.

Overcome with ecstasy, Lumina shouted,

“Lord Muel! You have personally descended for my sake!”

The enormous, angel-shaped mass of light slowly settled upon the ground.

Four pairs of wings completely filled the space.

Mapheltan was fairly large himself, but he appeared tiny compared to Muel.

Mapheltan tilted his head back to look up at him.

‘He’s smaller than he was described in the original story.’

Muel’s true form was as large as an enormous mountain.

At present, he had greatly reduced his size.

His finer features were also significantly different.

Muel was merely shrouded in radiance and lacked a clearly defined physical form.

This was not a complete descent.

A Great Demon had to pay an immense price to intervene in the mortal realm with their true body, and Muel had no intention of shouldering that loss.

『Calling this a descent would be rather generous, given my pitiful appearance. Lumina, my child. In the end, I was unable to show you my true form. Forgive me.』

The sweet voice seeped into everyone’s minds.

Lumina quickly shook her head.

“No. If I advance today, I’ll be able to summon you into the mortal realm, Lord Muel. So please wait just a little longer.”

The moment she reached a realm beyond that of an Archmage, she would truly be capable of summoning a Great Demon into the mortal realm.

『Regrettably, that future can never come to pass. Lumina, you do not possess the talent to become a Ringbearer.』

A Ringbearer was a rank that transcended Archmage.

They were no longer human.

They were transcendent beings equal to demigods.

Only one Ringbearer existed in the present generation.

Unfortunately, Lumina could never become the second.

She had reached the limits of her talent.

Lumina spoke with a bewildered expression.

“L-Lord Muel, what do you mean? You said I was ready. You prophesied that I would break through to the next realm as long as I established contact with an Apostle.”

Muel’s calm and beautiful voice rang out.

『That was the first lie I ever told you. You cannot become a Ringbearer. In none of the futures I have witnessed do you ever surpass your current realm.』

Lumina’s white pupils trembled.

She could not believe her ears.

Muel had lied to her.

Not once had such a thing happened in the past one hundred and fifty years.

“N-No. That can’t be true. Why would Lord Muel lie to me...? It’s all a lie!”

To Lumina, Muel was both a parent and a friend.

She had spent every moment with him since the day she was born.

She could not even imagine being betrayed by him.

Mapheltan snickered.

“Demons are beings who naturally bewitch and deceive humans. How can someone who calls herself an Archmage fail to understand even the fundamental nature of a demon?”

Lumina glared venomously at Mapheltan.

“...Do not attempt to turn us against each other. Apostle or not, I will tolerate no more.”

Mapheltan shrugged.

“Fine. I shall remain silent. Resolve this between yourselves quickly.”

Lumina hurriedly turned back toward Muel.

“Lord Muel, please tell me the truth. Is this some kind of trial? If it isn’t, there’s no reason for you to suddenly treat me this way.”

Muel’s voice penetrated her mind.

『The Apostle has already given you the answer. Lumina, your usefulness has nearly reached its end. Burn yourself away for my sake one final time. Activate the summoning ritual.』

Mapheltan narrowed his eyes slightly.

‘...A summoning ritual?’

What was Muel suddenly planning to summon?

Mapheltan spoke.

“Forgive my interruption, but I must ask. Muel, what summoning ritual do you mean?”

Muel’s enormous form turned toward Mapheltan.

The angel shrouded in light began to convulse.

A pitch-black shadow opened across the upper part of his body, where his head should have been.

There were four eyes in total.

All of them were as dark as lacquer.

『Thirteenth Apostle of the End, forgive my belated introduction. I am Muel, the Apostate of the Demon Realm. I have heard much about you from Scribe Kaiaze. At last, we meet.』

Mapheltan’s expression twisted.

“You heard about me from Kaiaze, yet you still dare look down upon me like this?”

Mapheltan had reprimanded Kaiaze before.

She had looked down upon him as though she were his superior.

『I have been discourteous. Please forgive me in your infinite magnanimity.』

Muel’s radiance abruptly faded.

His body immediately shrank as well.

Muel lowered himself to Mapheltan’s eye level.

Mapheltan clicked his tongue.

“Enough of that. Answer my question. What is this summoning ritual you suddenly mentioned?”

Muel’s voice seeped into his ears.

『I have laid a ritual formation across the entire royal capital. It is the work of my child, Lumina. The moment the formation is activated, every living soul in the capital will be offered as a sacrifice, allowing me to descend upon this land.』

The royal capital’s population greatly exceeded one hundred thousand.

It also contained countless holy relics and treasures.

All of them would be offered to the Demon Realm.

They were more than sufficient as sacrifices to summon Muel.

The problem was finding someone capable of activating the formation.

Someone at the level of an Archmage could not possibly control a Great Demon’s summoning ritual.

For a Great Demon to descend, a mage of at least the Ringbearer rank was required.

Mapheltan spoke.

“Lumina will not be able to withstand the summoning ritual.”

Muel answered immediately.

『That witch is capable of it. By using Lumina’s body and soul as a catalyst, the witch will undoubtedly be able to activate the ritual.』

Mapheltan glanced at Ilea.

“Ilea, is Muel telling the truth?”

Ilea nodded.

“Yes, it’s possible. Lumina’s life would compensate for what I lack in ability.”

Ilea had yet to join the ranks of the Ringbearers.

Activating the ritual with her own power alone would be too much for her.

Mapheltan thought briefly before speaking.

“Muel, what will I obtain if I summon you?”

Muel replied in a gentle, melodious voice.

『I shall become your servant.』

Mapheltan was slightly surprised.

“You would enter into a subordination contract with me?”

A top-ten Great Demon was a demigod.

In other words, Muel possessed a status comparable to an Apostle.

Yet he was volunteering to become an Apostle’s slave.

Moreover, Mapheltan was still inexperienced. He had not yet acquired the full majesty of an Apostle.

Muel must have known that perfectly well.

Mapheltan opened his mouth.

“You must have witnessed a particular future. Otherwise, someone like you would never willingly submit to another being.”

Muel’s black eyes flashed.

His beautiful voice grew solemn.

『Correct. I have witnessed you and I burning away the Great Saint’s soul together. Every hypocrite shall kneel before the throne of chaos and deception and offer prayers in your name.』

Muel’s prophetic abilities were remarkably accurate.

The futures he witnessed were highly likely to come to pass.

The moment Mapheltan summoned Muel, the apocalypse would undoubtedly descend upon the world.

The same had happened in the original story.

Muel’s descent had been the trigger that began the End.

Mapheltan sank into thought.

‘Having a Great Demon as my servant...’

Muel would unquestionably be an overwhelming addition to his forces.

With Muel as his subordinate, Mapheltan would have no reason to envy even the mightiest army.

Mapheltan spoke.

“Very well. I shall accept you as my servant.”

Muel’s four black eyes curved into crescents.

Lumina continued muttering to herself, denying reality, while Ilea remained expressionless.

『Let us perform the ritual immediately. Once Lumina is placed upon the altar, every preparation will be complete.』

Lumina clutched her head and sobbed.

“...No. It’s all a lie. Every word of it is a lie.”

Muel spoke in a tender voice.

『Do not cry. Within the transcendent body constructed from your flesh and soul, we shall live together. For the rest of our lives—for all eternity.』

The brilliant radiance caressed Lumina’s cheek, wiping away her flowing tears.

Lumina could not stop crying.

She sobbed bitterly while tightly clutching Muel’s hand.

She looked like a small child.

Mapheltan found the sight impressive.

‘A Great Demon is still a Great Demon.’

Muel had completely conquered the mind of a human—and an Archmage, no less.

He had probably invested tremendous effort into Lumina over the past one hundred and fifty years.

His patience and technique were truly extraordinary.

There was much to learn from him.

Mapheltan spoke.

“This is a touching moment, but I still have something to say. Muel, there is no need to bid Lumina farewell just yet.”

Muel’s black eyes slowly turned toward Mapheltan.

『Lumina’s life is indispensable to the summoning ritual.』

Mapheltan shook his head.

“I have no intention of summoning you. The subordination contract is a separate matter, of course. If you desire it, I shall still enter into one with you.”

The four black eyes each changed in a different way.

They expressed confusion, bewilderment, anger, and suspicion.

『May I ask why you refuse to proceed with the ritual?』

Mapheltan answered immediately.

“I still require the royal capital. That is all.”

Johan could use this incident as leverage to pressure the king.

He would gain even greater influence within human society than before.

There was no reason to overthrow the royal capital.

Moreover, Mapheltan could not bring himself to sacrifice that many lives.

All four of Muel’s eyes began rolling rapidly.

He spoke in a low voice.

『...I see. Then you intend to accept me as your servant without paying any price whatsoever.』

Mapheltan shrugged.

“Well, I shall pay you someday.”

Muel stared at Mapheltan before turning toward Lumina.

『My child, the situation has changed somewhat. There is something I need you to do.』

Lumina met Muel’s gaze with tear-filled eyes.

“Tell me anything. If it is Mother’s request, I’ll obey without question.”

She had already surrendered everything.

She did not even feel resentment toward Muel.

Muel had already consumed her mind completely.

In truth, Lumina was little more than the Great Demon’s slave.

『Activate the summoning ritual. Do it now.』

Lumina’s eyes wavered.

“I-It will most likely fail.”

The royal capital would disappear, but Muel would not successfully descend.

Mapheltan’s expression distorted.

“Muel, what do you think you are doing?”

Muel spoke gently.

『I am presenting the great Apostle of the End with a choice. If the royal capital is going to disappear regardless, would it not be wiser to abandon it and choose me instead?』

Mapheltan was dumbfounded.

‘He’s going this far?’

Muel was forcing Mapheltan into a dilemma.

Mapheltan scoffed.

“What an amusing creature.”

He glanced at Ilea.

Mana erupted from her body.

Countless spell formulas formed throughout the space.

Mapheltan and Ilea intended to kill Lumina.

Without her, the summoning ritual could not be activated.

Countless high-level spells shot straight toward her.

At that moment, the surroundings around Mapheltan and Johan changed completely.

The two of them had been transported into the sky above the royal capital.

Pure-white demonic energy spread across the entire city.

The summoning ritual for the Great Demon Muel had begun.