Right after the Crazy Wizard was split into thirty fragments and scattered across the world,
The Red Tower Master and Yuri Lanster, who had remained in the Holy City, finished figuring out the situation from the 『Promise』 module.
According to what he said—in the air—his life wasn’t in danger, and recovery was possible. The real hassle was gathering the fragmented data.
“Pheeew⋯⋯.”
That was all that mattered. The Crazy Wizard was resilient—he could survive well enough anywhere. No matter the situation, he would eventually turn adversity into opportunity, even if it meant causing all kinds of trouble along the way.
Yuna and Yuri loosened their tense shoulders. They were still worried, but there was no longer an urgent need to rush.
Yuri Lanster spoke up.
“Can we track the pieces?”
“Yeah. I can sense the location of the scattered pieces. I also know where his main body is—it’s near the Red Magic Tower.”
“R-Red Magic Tower?!”Yuna stiffened instantly, hissing like a cat startled by a cucumber. Yuri, on the other hand, tilted her head in confusion.
“Yuna, is the Red Magic Tower really that dangerous? I heard although the Red Tower Master, Vermillion, was a bit eccentric, she’s loyal to the Empire.”
“⋯⋯she, she’s after him! Magically! She might lock him up in a luxurious little room, pamper him with good food, and then experiment on him to create new magic⋯⋯!”
“Is that so? Shall we destroy it?”
Was it time to carry out the Red Tower demolition mission?
The two women, capable of single-handedly crushing entire mercenary bands, simmered with fighting spirit. Because they were the only ones who could capture and keep Mima!
A detailed plan was quickly forming: Yuri would storm the Red Tower and extract him, while Yuna would cast a large『Remove』 spell to sow chaos at the top.
Just as it was being finalized,『Promise』 , who was currently in the form of a young boy, spoke quietly.
“Hey, can’t we just talk this out?”
“Nah, Red Tower Master Vermillion had been eyeing him since the moment they first met⋯⋯! Like, as if her eyes were screaming ‘Dragonheart!’”
“And if you think about⋯⋯ there’s also a possibility that Mima might’ve already created another man or woman in the short time he’s been there. Even if it’s not Vermillion, there’s still a chance some other Red Tower wizard could have locked him up?”
“Hmm⋯⋯ Let me handle it for now. I’ll talk to her.”
With Yuna’s help, 『Promise』contacted the Red Tower.
“It’s been a while, Miss Vermillion.”
-There are two of you?
“Due to… circumstances. The main body who went there has no memory of the past. So please refrain from speaking about it. Please. Okay?”
-Of course. I thought it was such a shame when I heard he lost his memory, but now I can laugh while talking about the past. So, is your name still unrecovered yet?
Through a negotiation framed as a research collaboration—mixed with a little nostalgia—the conversation concluded smoothly with the Red Tower Master agreeing not to mess with the main body.
With the Crazy Wizard safe in the Red Tower, there was no need to rush to retrieve him. Instead, they decided to prioritize stabilizing the Holy City.
The Holy City was in complete chaos following a series of incidents. Tara was handling matters like a semi-machine, but the disappearance of Bennet and Niolle had undoubtedly placed a heavy burden on her.
If Yuna and Yuri, the main powers, left as well, the situation could easily spiral into another disaster.
The Crazy Wizard had barely managed to halt the 『Divine Punishment』. So wasn’t it their responsibility to ensure that it wouldn’t escalate any further?
With that in mind, the two women set their plans into motion.
“First of all⋯⋯ we need to have the 『Reformation Faction』 take control. We’ll use the absence of the Cardinal faction to exert influence over the Pope.”
“A-And I think the system itself needs restructuring. If Tara is okay with it, we should make her a 『Saintess』 again⋯⋯ and what do we do about the 『Hero』? All of the candidates are gone.”
“Ah, about that. There’s still one candidate who wasn’t expelled.”
“⋯⋯aha, eeung. I think we can work with that. Should we entrust it to him for now?”
And just like that…
Fin, who had been in the middle of packing his bags to return to his hometown, suddenly found himself stopped—his collar caught in Yuri Lanster’s grip. He went pale when she handed him the ‘temporary hero’ title in a hurry.
“I’m the Hero? Why?!”
“Do you want the truth, or the official reason?”
“Th-The truth makes no sense! I’m not even fit to be a Hero! I don’t want to⋯⋯!”
“The reason you have no choice but to listen to me and act as the Hero… is because you’re weaker than me. Now do it.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯!!”
How could a mere mercenary defy the command of a former Imperial Agent who had already reached Metamorphosis? Fin, his face full of injustice, could only nod with a sad expression.
“Whoaaaaaa──!! Hero Fin! Hero Fin!”
“I, I don’t deserve to be the Hero! And I’m just a temporary⋯⋯!”
“Long live this era’s humble yet true Hero, Fin!!”
“I- I said I’m just a temporary Hero──!!”
He bit the bullet and became the Hero.
===============================================================
After resolving the most pressing issue concerning Crazy Wizard, Yuna and Yuri finally had time to sit down and question 『Promise』. They gathered around a round table, setting out warm refreshments, while observing the boy—Mima’s fragment.
He was young. A child.
His face was still round with lingering baby fat. If one looked closely, traces of Mima could be found in his features, yet the longer they observed him, the more he felt like an entirely different person.
His expression.
That warm, gentle expression completely altered his presence a full 180 degrees.
Had that body ever been able to make such an expression before? Should I remember it and ask Mima to make that expression later? Pink-Haired Lesbian suppressed her mischievous thoughts and she asked him seriously.
“So⋯⋯ what exactly are you?”
“I’m a module.”
“I know what a module is. But I’ve never seen or heard of you before. Let me ask you again. What are you?”
“Hmm⋯⋯.”
The boy rested his chin in his hand, pondering for a moment. Eventually, he decided it was safe to tell the women. Yuna and Yuri loved the main body and there was no doubt about it. Their love was unwavering.
In that case, they might be helpful instead. The boy reminisced.
The events at Swallowtail Village. The malevolent presence that lingered there. The decision that had led him to sever himself from a fate forced upon him—to seal ‘it’ within his body.
He had known about the consequences for a long time.
“It was inevitable that evil would seep into my mind. My personality began to shift, and at worst⋯⋯ I thought I might become something like the Evil God-chan.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“I am 『Promise』—a safeguard I created to prepare for the worst. If one day, I⋯⋯ forget the vow I made in the slums… if I become a force that spreads evil across the world… then I exist to kill myself.”
A『Self-Destruction Device』.
He had been created by isolating only the most perfect ‘goodness’ Mima had ever performed. His purpose was to react to the darkness and make a decision if the main body ever crossed the line.
Hearing that, Yuna and Yuri reacted simultaneously.
Yuna’s expression darkened as she instinctively gathered 『Remove』 in her hand. If this thing was essentially a bomb necklace hanging around Mima’s neck⋯⋯ she thought it might be safer to get rid of it now.
Yuri, while secretly channeling mana, held out a hand to stop Yuna. If 『Promise』 was truly meant as a last-resort failsafe, then there should’ve been no reason for him to reveal himself.
“Why are you telling us this? I don’t understand your motive. You must’ve known exactly how the Magic Tower Master would react.”
“Yeah. But⋯⋯ I wanted to thank you regardless. To be honest, the 『Me』 of that time was hopeless. I believed I would be swayed by evil little by little until, eventually, I was completely consumed and corrupted.”
No matter which path he had taken, the probability of him resisting corruption had been microscopic—decimal points in percentage. And the chance of him reaching a ‘happy ending’ was even lower than that.
It was the conclusion he had arrived at using an intelligence vast enough to predict the world—before it had been shackled to ‘it’.
But now.
“He hasn’t fallen yet. He’s still walking the thin line between light and darkness. And that’s⋯⋯ thanks to you guys. The love you gave him made all the difference.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“Thanks for loving 『Me』. Please continue to look out for me in the future!”
Promise thanked them while smiling widely.
It was a strange feeling. The realization that their love had⋯⋯ saved the one they cherished. Yuna’s face burned red as her thoughts scattered. Yuri didn’t outwardly react, but—deep inside—she silently added twenty more things to her to-do list for when Mima returned.
The two women met each other’s gaze. Then, with a small nod and a knowing smile—
Thud.
“Uht.”
Click.
“O-Oh⋯⋯?”
At the exact same moment, Yuna and Yuri restrained the 『Promise』 module.
“H-Hey, guys⋯⋯? What’s going on.”
Promise flailed his short arms and legs, looking up at them in confusion. But Yuna and Yuri only stared down at him with cold expressions.
“What you said was touching, sure. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re basically Mima’s self-destruction switch.”
“Now, we’re going to⋯⋯ shower him with love. S-So then, he doesn’t⋯⋯ need you anymore, does he?”
“Of course, we’re not planning on getting rid of you forever. Because we know you’re the seal that keeps ‘it’ locked away.”
“B-But, we have to get rid of your 『Self-Destruction』 function. Even if you made it yourself, we can’t let you go on living with something like that inside you⋯⋯!”
Promise let out a small sigh, as if he found himself in a difficult position.
“You’re just making things harder for no reason⋯⋯.”
And, as it turned out, he was right.
Using 『Remove』 was out of the question—it risked damaging more than just the 『Promise』 module.
Instead, just as Mima had once custom-edited Evil God-chan, they would have to alter 『Promise』 using pure Illusion Magic.
But 『Promise』—entrusted with the vast majority of Mima’s calculating power—had fortified himself so thoroughly that there wasn’t a single opening to exploit. Instead…
“Ah, when bypassing mental barriers⋯⋯ you’ll need to be more precise with this section. I’ll reconstruct it for you, so would you like to practice it one more time?”
“Ih, iiiiiiht⋯⋯ it’s pissing me off⋯⋯!!”
“Yuna, take a deep breath. Your opponent is Mima at his most perfect state. Losing to someone that powerful isn’t anything to be ashamed of.”
“B-But I’ve reached Sublimation! I’m a Grand Wizard! W-Why isn’t it working⋯⋯?!”
After five grueling hours of trying, their first bomb-defusal attempt ended in failure as Yuna crashed out.
===============================================================
A pair of sharp eyes silently trailed the boy as he wandered on his short legs.
Evil God-chan.
She had been watching the chaos unfold with mild disinterest for several days. And after observing everything, she came to a conclusion—『Promise』was definitely still Crazy Wizard.
“⋯⋯so he also inserted a『Golden Headband』 into his own head too.”
A self-destruction device.
The Evil God-chan frowned. She couldn’t understand it.
What was so important that he was willing to go that far to protect it? Everything would be over if he died.
Even if he had come to enjoy something he once thought was bad⋯⋯ wouldn’t it still be better to live and move freely? Just how heavy were these things called ‘morality’ and ‘beliefs’?
Besides, people labeled things as ‘evil’ all the time—but humans had always hurt one another. They had always harmed other living things. It was natural. So why was he so obsessed with some arbitrary set of principles? It was suffocating and exhausting.
Even though she had learned something⋯⋯⋯ that helping others and receiving compliments did generate a significant dopamine response after experiencing it herself⋯⋯.
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
Come to think of it… they were the same.
Evil God-chan, bound by the Golden Headband.
And Mima, shackled by 『Promise』.
Both of them had something strange planted in their heads when they were living a good life. Mima carried evil within him and she carried goodness within her. They mirrored each other perfectly—yet their burdens took different shapes.
Crazy Wizard had made his choice. Despite all his hesitation, despite his constant fussing, the bastard knew exactly what he wanted to do.
But what about her?
She didn’t know. For as long as she could remember, her only goal had been to seduce Mima—to lure ‘it’ out and reclaim her original body. But that was nothing more than momentum. She had never truly decided for herself.
And even now, she wasn’t thinking about changing completely. Why should she? What was so special about Mima that she should do something good for him?
The mere thought of herself acting as some ‘hero’ doing good deeds in the world made her stomach churn.
This was the perfect time to escape. She had heard that he was in a very weak state, and right now, his attention was relatively less directed at Evil God-chan.
Even so, she could only hesitate. Because she didn’t know what to do.
“⋯⋯damn.”
Evil God-chan ran a hand through her hair.
She still couldn’t decide what she wanted to become.
***
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