Chapter 201
There were two reasons Ashtel needed Duvalkan and Van.
“Van will vouch for my identity, and Duval will testify that the incident was caused by another demon, not me.”
“Do you think those two will go along with it?”
“I’ll make sure they do.”
Duvalkan, maybe not—but Van’s pride was still too high for him to bow his head. Even under Moablon’s relentless interrogation, he hadn’t broken his silence.
When Ashtel looked at Moablon, she just curled her lips into a sly smile.
“Just give me a little time. That’ll be enough.”
Duvalkan’s ‘training’ was already complete.
The moment he was even threatened with a chastity belt, he would beg for mercy.
Van might not be quite as easy, but he could be ‘adjusted’ to her liking, too.
“All right, I’ll trust you, sis.”
So, after sneaking into Mediale using Duvalkan and Van—both trained by Moablon—Ashtel left the most important job to her sisters.
“Convince the cardinal and even the pope that another demon is responsible.”
Of course, this was a difficult and nearly impossible task.
“If it gets too dangerous, you don’t have to help. I could always summon a monster if things go wrong…”
“What are you talking about, Sue? You’re human now.”
Beatrice interrupted gently. She wrapped an arm affectionately around Ashtel’s shoulders with a warm smile.
“And, honestly, causing a big scene is exactly what we want most.”
“Right!”
“Haha, sounds fun!”
Nluie and Matys cheered in agreement, swinging their arms.
At the same time, Carmen and Hela grinned, and even Juvia—usually lounging about—and Liz, who’d been quietly watching, agreed.
“Mediale is dangerous.”
Sermedes cut in, and everyone’s expressions gradually hardened.
With her yellow glasses slipping down her nose, Chacha spoke in a firm voice.
“Sis, this is the whole reason Sue became human. Are you going to stop her now?”
“No.”
“But just now you…”
“Mediale is dangerous, so she’ll need someone to protect her.”
Her cloak fluttered like a curtain as Sermedes tucked her pure white hair behind her ear and gazed at Ashtel with a mix of detachment and warmth.
“This will be the last time.”
Ashtel’s eyes slowly closed, then opened, as she realized what Sermedes really meant, and tears welled up in her eyes.
“Sis…Seri…”
“Hold on. You’re coming to the human world too?”
Juvia, who’d been quiet until then, came padding over, her hair all puffed up.
“If that’s the case, I can’t just sit back and do nothing, either.”
“Oh my, are all the sisters coming?”
When Moablon chimed in, Ashtel’s sense of awe began to fade a little.
‘Uh, wait…’
Sermedes was heading to the human world herself.
That meant thousands of priests in Mediale could be in serious danger.
That alone could spiral the situation out of control, but if the second and third sisters—Juvia and Moablon—joined in, too…
“Well, if Sue can’t come back to the demon realm, this might be our last chance as well.”
“If we’re saying goodbye, we might as well do it with a bang, don’t you think?”
The other sisters all shook their heads, but none could stand in the way of the top three’s decision.
“Let’s go. To Katzel Mediale.”
Led by Sermedes, the darkness of the demon realm began to spread into the human world.
* * *
All twelve Asti sisters gathered in the human world.
Even if one of them was now human, their hearts were still united, invisibly
Without warning, the sky transformed into a deep predawn darkness.
Not a single star could be seen, and even the clouds had fled, leaving the world hushed and trembling beneath the enormous shadow of the Great Demon.
The ground began to ripple and shake, sending priests fleeing from the courthouse in a panic.
Only the paladins, veterans of battles against demons, managed to form ranks and protect the temple’s leaders.
“I told you. It was another demon.”
Ashtel calmly replied, meeting the eyes of Pope Serena and Cardinal Prohmen.
Serena, lips trembling as she watched Ashtel’s confident smirk, gripped her holy staff and swung it wide.
“The demons are here! Everyone outside, form defensive lines! We can’t let the demons invade Medialle!”
“Knights, outside! Priests and nuns, form barriers inside! It’s the demons! They’re coming!”
With the pope and cardinal shouting orders, the panic only intensified.
At the same time, the trembling earth began to split open with a deep, cracking sound.
Ashtel dashed to Payne in an instant.
“Payne! Are you all right? How do you feel?”
“I… No, how did you…?”
She had no time to answer.
As soon as the sky turned pitch black, the howls of monsters rang out from every direction.
Ashtel quickly untied the ropes binding Payne’s hands and turned to Van.
“Lead us to an escape route!”
“Why should I…?”
“I’ll tell Sis Moa if you don’t.”
At the mere mention of Moablon’s name, Van’s face went pale.
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