Helia’s touch became even more seductive.
Her lips were moist, and her eyes glimmered with a faint, alluring charm. A pinkish haze flowed around them, accompanied by a thick fragrance that felt as if it could melt one’s brain.
“How is it? Not even a little interested?”
“......”
Her hand, which had been sliding up his collar, reached his neck.
“I’m very interested, you know.”
Just as that hand moved to touch Ludger’s cheek—
“Remove your hand.”
Tap.
Ludger lightly swatted Helia’s hand away.
“I’m not interested.”
At the same time, the pink haze filling the air and the tickling fragrance vanished entirely.
Helia widened her eyes, staring at Ludger as if she couldn’t believe it. But then she forced a playful smile back onto her face, sulking slightly.
“Fufu. It’s been a while since a man rejected me.”
“It’s not just a simple seduction—you were stimulating every sense with an illusion. Most people would’ve lost their minds instantly.”
“True. Usually, a few words are all it takes for them to lose control. But you’re different, huh? Getting rejected this mercilessly is honestly a blow to my pride. It’s almost making me feel competitive.”
“An action lacking sincerity, no matter how bold, will always be light.”
“Sincerity is like a heavy anchor. Even if you want to move forward, it keeps you tied down, unable to do anything.”
Helia spun her parasol playfully, then tapped it against the floor.
“Wouldn’t it be much better to live freely, drifting wherever the wind or water takes you?”
A translucent, glass-like barrier formed over the lodging, covering it like a dome.
“What are you planning?”
“Obviously, to talk. But shouldn’t we do that inside? After all, I am your guest.”
“......”
“Eh? Don’t tell me you’re still mad about that little prank earlier?”
“...Go in.”
When Ludger gave permission, Helia stepped inside with a lively stride.
“Hmm? There’s not much here. I thought you’d decorate the place with all sorts of junk.”
“There’s nothing here because nothing good would come of it. Sit.”
Helia sat down as told.
“Ah, do you have coffee? The expensive kind.”
“Have you ever heard of the word ‘modesty’?”
“Modesty, humility, meekness—who could embody those better than me? Oh, wait, to you people I’m just a demon, aren’t I?”
Helia laughed, clutching her stomach as if she’d just told a hilarious joke.
Ludger didn’t even bother responding, simply sitting down across from her.
“Huh? No coffee?”
“There isn’t any.”
In truth, there was. He had some beans he’d gotten from Sedina. But there was no way he was going to waste his precious coffee on the demon in front of him.
“Boo. Boring.”
“So? Why did you come here looking for me? You didn’t come all this way just for fun.”
“Well, I had plenty of reasons. I wanted to see what kind of place Seorn, the place Zero Order’s so interested in, really is. And I wanted to check who held the seat I inherited.”
“You went to see Selina?”
“I didn’t meet her directly. Just watched from a distance. I’d seen her back during the Esmeralda days, imitated her a bit with illusions, but I’d never met her in person.”
Surprisingly, Helia wasn’t lying about not contacting Selina directly.
She claimed it was because she wasn’t that interested, but—
‘There’s no way that’s true.’
Even Helia found Selina unusual.
The body originally belonged to Esmeralda.
But Esmeralda was gone. Naturally, a body without its soul should’ve ceased all life functions.
Yet she lived—as Selina.
‘I thought about approaching her out of curiosity. But with “that thing” next to her, even I wouldn’t risk it.’
Esmeralda had had a similar companion—the fire spirit, Quasimodo.
‘Not that I even know if you can call something that twisted a “spirit.”’
Quasimodo had been powerful enough to earn the title of First Order.
But even he wasn’t enough to threaten Helia.
What was with Selina, however, was something else entirely. Even a demon as ancient as Helia instinctively felt uneasy about it.
‘A being less spirit-like than Quasimodo pretending to be one... yet closer to the real ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ thing than any spirit I’ve seen. Best to stay away. Get too close, and you’ll bleed for no reason.’
Not that Helia intended to explain that to Ludger.
“So aside from that, you came here because you had something else to say, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered putting up the barrier. Wouldn’t want our conversation leaking out, right?”
“I can guess what this is about. It’s because of the upcoming Order Synod, isn’t it?”
“My, you’re quick. Too quick.” Helia pouted slightly. “I was hoping you’d play dumb for a bit.”
“Zero Order himself already mentioned the Order Synod would happen soon.”
“Which annoys me. How dare he just throw such valuable information around.”
“Zero Order is the only one who can convene the Synod. Complaining won’t change anything.”
“You sound like you’re loyal to him. You don’t need to act like that [John Doe] persona in front of me, you know.”
Helia leaned forward, propping her chin up with one hand, subtly emphasizing her voluptuous figure.
“Or... are you still wary of me?”
“Being wary of a demon is only natural for a human.”
“Hahaha! ‘For a human,’ huh? Fair enough. It’s not surprising to be treated that way. Still, aren’t you curious?”
“Curious about what?”
“Zero Order. How we met. What happened between us in the past.”
“......”
It was tempting. Almost irresistibly so.
But Ludger didn’t answer. It could be a trap to gauge his interest, and there was no guarantee Helia’s story would be true.
After all, they were both demons.
Even if they claimed there was no camaraderie between demons, from a human perspective, they were still the same.
For now, they were simply allies of convenience.
“Hm. Still wary, huh?”
“With the way you’re acting, wouldn’t it be stranger if I wasn’t wary?”
“Haha, fair enough. Then how about I give you a little bonus information?”
“What?”
Before Ludger could ask if she was toying with him, Helia began speaking.
“Did you know? A long time ago, Zero Order fought the Saintess of the Lumenis Church.”
“He fought a Saintess? That’s not surprising, broadly speaking.”
“Of course. A demon fighting a Saintess is normal. But he lost. Many times. He kept running away.”
Zero Order... lost? And fled?
“Was the Saintess really that strong?”
“She was, but more importantly, Zero Order wasn’t that strong back then.”
“The leader of the Black Dawn wasn’t strong? Don’t demons receive innate authority—your so-called Powers?”
Ludger recalled Helia’s illusions and Basara’s mental assaults. Those powers alone were lethal to humanity.
“Yes, we all have Powers—special privileges given to Apostles. Basara can shake the minds of the dead, I can create illusions with physical force, and the others are similar. Ridiculous abilities that we wield effortlessly.”
“So you do understand how absurd your own power is.”
“But Zero Order... he was different. His Power didn’t feel like a Power. If everyone else starts at 100, he started at 0.”
“And yet it’s still called a Power?”
“Apparently. A ‘Power you can learn’ is still a Power.”
A Power you can learn? That was strange. Basara’s and Helia’s Powers were innate, but Zero Order’s...
“So he trained himself?”
“Exactly. He had to fight tooth and nail. The Saintess hunted him relentlessly, and he barely escaped with his life.”
“And now he’s looking for the Saintess’s traces... because of that grudge?”
“Maybe. Or maybe he wants to humiliate the Lumenis Church, steal the Saintess’s power. That’s just my guess.”
“Just a guess?”
“What else? That sly bastard never shows anyone his true intentions. Not even to me. Which, now that I think about it, is kind of insulting. Am I that untrustworthy, even as a fellow Apostle?”
Helia twirled a strand of her hair with a sulky expression.
Ludger refrained from saying the obvious—that she’d already blabbed all of this to him.
Still, the information was valuable.
The truth about Zero Order’s Power...
A Power you can learn.
Learning meant potential was limitless, given enough time. Even a mediocre talent could reach mastery after 500 years of training.
Swordsmanship, magic, manipulation, strategy... If all of it could be acquired as part of that Power, and if Zero Order had lived for centuries—
Zero Order was, perhaps, the most terrifying demon of all.
“Well, enough chit-chat. Time to head to the meeting, right?”
“Indeed.”
“Oh, and by the way—meeting you like this? Zero Order doesn’t know. Keep it secret, okay?”
Helia stood, winked playfully, then vanished like a mirage. The barrier dissolved with her departure.
What a strange woman...
Ludger slipped on the prepared ring and closed his eyes.
When he opened them again—
He was once more in the surface layer of Dreamland.
* * *
“You’re a bit late this time.”
Lesley was the first to speak as Ludger entered through the manifested door.
The First Orders, as always, appeared as black, flaming figures.
“I was busy.”
Ludger replied curtly, taking his seat.
Everyone else was already present.
The only unusual thing was that the noisiest one was uncharacteristically quiet.
Nicolai.
Normally, he would already be ranting about the events in the capital. His silence meant only one thing—his secret plan had failed miserably.
As if to confirm Ludger’s thoughts, Nicolai glared at him with burning eyes.
He knew Ludger had interfered.
“John Doe.”
Just as Ludger predicted, Nicolai spoke.
“Heard you’ve been having some fun lately. Stopped that little terror attack in the capital, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Ha. ‘I did,’ huh? Don’t tell me you’re actually serious about being a teacher at Seorn?”
All eyes turned to Ludger.