Chapter 65
Episode 10: By Your Side
After wiping out the imperial army, Selen and I devoted ourselves to restoring the town. Since the farmlands had been devastated by the invasion, I used Earth Magic to till the fields. The farmers sowed their seeds, preparing for a harvest that was still far off in the future.
Meanwhile, the other residents gathered debris from the ruined homes in one place, allowing me to use alchemy to transform the materials. Little by little, new houses rose from these resources, and signs of recovery began to appear.
Amid these busy days, I received a telepathic message from Selen.
「Celestia, could you come to the north gate? Slaine, Stratos, and Cantera have come from the empire to see you.」
「Understood. I’ll head over now.」
Hearing that three familiar faces had come, I suspected they might have a request related to the empire, which I had no intention of entertaining. That was the first thing I planned to tell them as soon as we met.
When I arrived at the north gate, I saw the three of them standing behind Selen. Upon seeing me, a slight smile lit up their faces.
「Sorry to keep you waiting. Just so you know, if you’ve come with a favor related to the empire, I have no intention of listening.」
After my firm refusal to help the empire, Slaine-sama spoke up.
「We couldn’t forgive the empire’s invasion. That’s why we abandoned it and want to assist you in your quest for justice, Celestia.」
「Celestia, let’s work together again, like we used to—the five of us.」
Following Slaine-sama’s words, Cantera asked if we could act as a team, as we had in the past.
「I’m sorry, but I can’t allow you to accompany me. Even Selen struggles to keep up with me. If you want to contribute here, you’ll have to support Selen in her activities.」
Though it may have sounded harsh, I needed to be realistic.
「Celestia’s primary adversaries are demons, and the demon you all barely held your own against was merely the lowest tier. If you fight by her side, you’d only be a hindrance. If you genuinely want to help, supporting her is your only option.」
Selen’s words seemed to resonate with them, and the three exchanged glances before nodding. Representing them, Slaine-sama responded.
「In any capacity, we wish to be of help to Celestia. We’ll join Selen’s support efforts, so please allow us to act as allies by your side.」
「Great, if you’re willing to assist with support activities, I’ll gladly welcome you. Well then, I’ll be off!」
The three of them left the empire to join us. Though I knew things wouldn’t be as carefree as they had been back in our academy days, the truth was, I was incredibly happy to have them with us.
–
Episode 11: Rematch with Viktor
With the arrival of the three, Selen’s burden in support activities was lightened. When it was just the two of us, we’d been so focused on getting things done that we had no time to laugh together or enjoy ourselves as we used to. But now, with a little breathing room, we even find time to sit down with tea and chat a bit♪
「We never really had the chance to chat like this, did we?♪」
「We were so busy with support activities every day, we didn’t have time to talk about anything personal.」
「If things had gone as planned, we’d be graduating from the academy by now… I wonder if you’d already be married, Selen?」
「Maybe so. I’d probably be stuck living a dull life, though (laughs).」
「Isn’t all this work exhausting for you now?」
「No, I find it fulfilling. I’m much better suited to staying busy (laughs).」
It was just lighthearted talk, but these moments helped soothe my heart.
Then, I sensed a powerful magical energy approaching. Selen seemed to sense it too, and her expression tensed. I smiled gently and spoke to her.
「Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it in no time♪」
「Alright… please be careful.」
Leaving her with those words, I moved to a plain outside the town to face Viktor, who also approached in response.
「Well, well, Holy Maiden. This time, I brought reinforcements! Call it unfair if you want; winning is all that matters!」
Channeling my magic into my left eye, I activated my Holy Eye, causing Viktor to smirk as he spoke.
「That eye won’t work on us! Holy Knights, step forward and raise the barrier!」
「Oh, so you’ve come prepared against the Holy Eye. I thought you were a fool, but you’ve learned a little (laughs).」
「With this barrier, holy powers are useless. We don’t have any weaknesses now!」
「Haha, well, that’s not a problem for me (laughs).」
I laughed lightly, then infused magic into my right eye, activating my Demon Eye as well. In an instant, I wiped out the Holy Knights maintaining the barrier.
「In the name of Celestia Z. Sylvania, I command you: O power of Wrathful Satan, bring wrath and punishment upon the Holy Knights who dare oppose me!」
The Wrathful Satan manifested, delivering a hammer of rage onto the Holy Knights, crushing them completely.
「No way… it was supposed to have been destroyed in the Saint’s Rebellion…」
Viktor couldn’t comprehend what was unfolding before him. The Demon Eye was a symbol of the demons. For it to be wielded by someone who also bore the Holy Eye was incomprehensible.
「Holy Maiden, what are you? No one should possess both the Holy and Demon Eyes! Could it be…?!」
「There’s no need to answer the questions of someone about to disappear. In the name of Celestia Z. Sylvania, I command you: O power of Righteous Michael, eradicate the demons here!」
The Righteous Michael swung its holy sword down. The wave of light slashed through the plain, wiping out all demons in its path. Viktor, the sole survivor, was too weakened to resist. Righteous Michael approached him and drove its holy sword into his chest.
「You… are neither angel nor demon… or…」
Viktor vanished before he could finish his last words. With Viktor defeated, I thought that only the king remained as our last opponent.
–
Episode 12: Eyes of the Forbidden
After the battle ended, I used teleportation to return to the room where Selen was waiting. When she saw me, her face lit up, and she hugged me tightly.
「Are you hurt anywhere?」
「I’m fine, really.」
「Are you sure? Let me check more thoroughly!」
With that, she started examining my whole body for any injuries. As she did, the three others, having heard I’d returned, knocked on the door.
「Celestia! You’re back, right?」
「Be quiet! We’re busy here. Why don’t you all go find something else to do?」
「Oh, sorry…」
After shoo-ing them off, Selen had me take off my equipment and checked me all over. Finding nothing wrong, she finally relaxed and, with a smile, looked at me.
「Alright, you seem fine… but, Celestia! Your eyes are still active!」
「Huh…? I’m not channeling magic, so they should have reverted. What colors are they?」
「Your left eye is gold, and your right eye is red.」
「I see… It looks like I’ve unlocked the full power of both eyes. I’m not exactly sure what this means, though, so maybe I’ll just leave it for now?」
「Huh? Can’t we check somehow?」
「I’ll get the Parallel Thought Butler on it (laugh).」
「Alright. Just let me know if you find anything, okay?」
「Of course.」
And with that, I deflected her worries. I figured that if I could peek into the Akashic Records—the memory of the world—I might find some hint. I decided I’d do that later tonight, after dinner, once I was alone.
As evening fell, our support activities wound down. We returned to the town base and then teleported to the Cherimo headquarters.
「Mom, I’m home~♪」
「Celestia! What happened to your eyes?」
「The head of the Crown Prince’s Knights showed up with some Holy Knights, so I activated both my Holy Eye and Demon Eye. Now, they just… won’t revert (laugh).」
「Do you feel any discomfort?」
「Not at all, don’t worry about it♪ More importantly, I’m starving—let’s eat!」
「Alright, but let me know if anything changes, okay?」
「Of course!」
After that, we had dinner together, discussed plans for the next day, and then Selen and I headed to our rooms, while the three others returned to their separate quarters.
Lying on my bed, I channeled magic into both eyes, fully activating both the Holy Eye and Demon Eye simultaneously. Holding this state, I peered into the world’s memory, the Akashic Records, and a hologram of a woman appeared before me.
「One who bears the forbidden power in both eyes has appeared. I am called 【Martina】, the goddess that have created this world.」
The hologram that appeared was none other than the goddess who created【Pluton】.
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