Chapter 34: The Heretic’s Resolve

Lema narrowed his eyes.

There was a time when he had believed Belmias to be an evil god—Luxlon’s opposite—and assumed that following her would mean committing evil acts.

So, if he ever met Luxlon’s apostles, he had thought he would oppose them as the servant of an evil god. Even if he claimed otherwise, it would have been a lie—there was resentment in him.

That was why, when Bel killed people at the s*ave auction, or slaughtered bandits, Lema hadn’t interfered. He didn’t want to presume too much. Perhaps, in his own arrogance, he had even judged them to be sinners who deserved such “punishment.”

But what if his current situation held another meaning? What if even this was the will of Luxlon?

And the being before his eyes… was something that went by different names in every era.

Bel had even once said it wouldn’t be wrong to call her Luxlon.

Ah… then maybe.

Maybe his role was to stop this.

Lema had always wondered what meaning lay behind the merciless acts Lucilonia had inflicted upon him.

If so, perhaps this was his answer to all the torment he had carried.

Should he follow Luxlon and prevent the worst that was to come?
Or should he follow Belmias and become a servant of calamity?
Or… something else?

He knew one thing for certain: he would never forget the bruise he had left on Bel’s thigh last night.

“…Master, may I ask why you consume humans?”
“I told you. I need sacrifices.”
“I’d like to understand more clearly what you mean by sacrifice.”
“In order to remain awake, I need them. The voices of humans.”
“The voices of humans?”
“Voices infused with strong will.”

That was what had summoned beings like Belmias into this world.

Usually, it was a voice born of desperation.

That voice—the will contained in it—was the power that moved Bel, who granted wishes.

The reason she had answered this summoning was because the voice had carried such noble will.

But that noble will had been spent to wish for the end of the world.

She couldn’t help but answer it, if only out of curiosity.

And yet, when she emerged, the summoner was gone, leaving Bel abandoned in this vast world.

“The one who summoned me disappeared. That’s why my state isn’t good right now.”

Her speech was unstable, and hunger gnawed at her constantly. If this continued, she would go berserk and kill indiscriminately.

“Like at the auction house, when you lost control?”
“Worse than that.”
“If I were to become the sacrifice… would it help? Like yesterday… with that method.”
“Yeah.”

Bel smiled brightly.

And she meant it. Having Lema once was better than devouring a pack of filthy men like those bandits. If someone who wasn’t even her summoner had such high-quality will, how powerful would the true summoner be? The thought made her grin with anticipation.

Lema stared blankly at that innocent-looking smile.

“You really are a wonderful sacrifice. You might’ve even been my summoner. What a shame.”

It was still early dawn, but the conversation had gone on so long that sunlight now spilled brightly through the window. That brilliant light illuminated Lema’s pale-green eyes.

They were unwavering, resolute—something Bel had never once seen in him before.

Not when he bore the brand of a s*ave, bristling with hostility at everyone. Not when he first met Bel and flared up in anger at his words. Not when he begged pathetically to be accepted. Not when he clumsily resolved to commit evil for the sake of following an evil god. All those moments had been unstable.

But now, for the first time, he seemed at peace.

As if he had reached a revelation of his own.

Bel licked her lips; she could almost taste it.

“One more question, if I may.”
“Mm?”
“That appearance of yours… why do you take such a form?”

It was an unexpected question.

He meant the human woman’s body that Bel currently wore.

And after last night—seeing her weakened, seeing her wounded—it was natural to be curious.

“This form is the most familiar to me.”
“…Familiar? Does that mean you’ve… encountered it often?”

Encountered often. Not the most precise expression, but not wrong either.

Still, Bel had no intention of explaining further.

So she answered with silence.

Lema politely asked again, but once Bel decided not to answer, she never repeated herself.

“You said you act according to your summoner’s wish. And that this world’s destruction… is that summoner’s wish.”
“Right.”
“You told me I, too, have the qualifications of a summoner. Then, what must I do to not merely be qualified, but to truly become one?”

He asked like a zealot seeking to be recognized as a true apostle.

“Do you have a wish you want granted?”

Lema thought for a moment, then lowered his eyes.
“…Yes.”

His voice was calm, honest, almost gentle.

Bel, delighted from having received such a high-quality sacrifice, thought she might as well grant it.

“Then wish for it.”
“…Would it be allowed for me to wish that the world not be destroyed?”
“No. It can’t oppose the summoner’s wish.”

Lema lifted his gaze.
“Then… if that summoner were to disappear…”

He met Bel’s eyes squarely.
“…Would the right to summon pass to me?”

Bel shrugged.
She had never known of an age with two summoners, so she couldn’t say.
“More likely the world will end first. Only after I fulfill that wish could the summoner disappear.”

“I see.”

Lema answered clearly.

Bel looked closely into his eyes—eyes that darkened like absinthe when stirred by strong emotion. Just like during their intimacy.

“…Lema. You really do understand, don’t you?”
“Of course.”

Lema Valkite crawled forward and kissed the top of Bel’s foot. Bel had once told him to live by his own conviction—and perhaps, after mulling that over, he had reached some private conclusion. Whether he still believed in Luxlon or not, Bel couldn’t tell.

As for the Empire’s prophecies, or why fate had unfolded this way—they seemed meaningless to him now.

“Then, Master… if in order to find the summoner, there are tasks along the way that require judgment—may I be the one to advise you?”

Bel considered it. Not unreasonable. Especially since, with sacrifices scarce, his awareness of the world was somewhat dulled.

“…Fine.”
“I understand.”

Lema kissed both of Bel’s feet, then raised his head.

“Your purpose is to find the summoner who wished for this world’s destruction. And to keep your present mercy intact, you require sacrifices such as myself. I understand now. I will remain by your side always.”

Something in his zeal seemed to deepen further.

His dark-green eyes curved softly. For the first time, he smiled brightly—like someone unbound from an unseen shackle, filling the whole room with light.

“The sooner we find the summoner, the better.”

Well… if he wanted to help, Bel wouldn’t complain.

Before long, Bel, Lema Valkite, Beata Mirgas, and her knights set out for the forest of a troubled domain.

On the way, Bel heard the details.

“Anyone who comes near this area suddenly collapses. And no matter how we try, they cannot be woken.”

Beata Mirgas explained calmly.

This wasn’t about her own frail health, nor the bribes she had carried to Lucilonia. This was the true reason she had sought them out.

There were no young men left to conscript, so she had only her women knights. Word had spread of that weakness, drawing in bandits as well.

Judging by the number of bandits who had gathered—and by the knights’ weary acceptance of it—it was clear the problem had persisted for some time.

That was why public order had collapsed, why even her carriage had been attacked.

“…At first, I thought it was due to a poisonous mushroom that grows here, called Mirtis.”
“Hm.”
“Sometimes, when the spores overflow from its habitat, this kind of thing can happen. So at first, I thought it was that, and our response was delayed. But then even the experts sent to investigate failed to return. That’s when I realized it was something else entirely.”
“I see.”
“Um… Lord Belmias, do you actually know what’s causing this?”
“Yes.”

But in truth, Bel hadn’t come to solve their problem.

She had only planned to take sacrifices—but, in her good mood thanks to Lema, she thought she might as well take a look.

“So what exactly makes this phenomenon so strange?”

When Bel gave only curt answers, Lema continued politely for him.

“My apologies. The strange part is that the bodies don’t decay. Animals won’t touch them either. They’re not dead—they simply sleep endlessly. And moreover…”

Beata Mirgas hesitated now, troubled by the detail she found most baffling.

“…The elderly do not fall asleep.”