Chapter 9: Agenda

Since it would get messy, the continuation of the previous conversation will be delivered as a liberal translation (summary).

Vali: "I came to retrieve Kokabiel, but that meat pillar was there! Fight me!"

Devil King Gremory: "I'm heartbroken right now, so I can't. I'm going back."

[Returns to Freed]

Freed: "Later! Oh, and you, big-titty Devil, you better remember this! Next time, I'm gonna kill you!"

Vali: "...Too bad. Guess I'll go back too."

Red Dragon: "You're ignoring me, white one. By the way, do you have any idea about that meat pillar?"

White Dragon: "You're awake, red one. I don't know either."

Bedi, moving around China: "...Somehow, I feel like I'm late to the party."

Kingū.

Originally, it is the name of a god appearing in Mesopotamian mythology. However, it is not a very famous god. That god was a loser and a coward. Although ordered to be the general of the eleven monsters, he fled, losing the will to fight without even fighting. With that, the myth of the god Kingū ends.

And, for some reason, a "strange and odd existence, neither a Yōkai (spirit monster), a demon, nor a human" that shares the same name as that god appeared in Kyoto, modern Japan. Since Mesopotamian mythology itself has low recognition in Japan, few people knew the origin of the name Kingū, and even those who did never connected the two.

Currently, he is a boarder of Yasaka, the General of the Kyoto Yōkai. Those who do not know the details have arbitrarily assumed he is a Yōkai based on the formula: "Anomaly in Kyoto = Yōkai." He doesn't mind much, and it's not a meaningful difference anyway. Originally created as a new human, he is currently unsure how to define himself.

His prototype would have resolutely accepted himself as a "weapon." No matter who denied it or how, he would never change that assertion. But Kingū is not Enkidu. Even if he can perform the same actions, he cannot have the same thoughts. He ends up thinking about many things. Kingū had avoided thinking about difficult things for a long time. He only needed to think about his mother. Moving for his mother was his sole reason for existence.

—But that was a mistake. There was nothing on that land. It was a fake from the start. Disposable from the start. There was no future, no hope, and no will of his own.

Kingū had realized that the world he was in and this world seemed to be different. No matter how history progressed from that point, it would not have turned out this way. The "Original Goddess" was not here from the beginning, and the "Heavenly Demonic Evil Dragon" is still alive. Even though the Age of Gods is over, the gods can still visit this world. However, humans are gradually separating themselves from the Igyō (anomalies/monstrous entities). The Igyō seem to be intentionally trying to hide the mystery, but do they realize that this effort is an act of self-negation?

In this world, which deviates so much from the common sense he knows, how should he live? He needs to think about that and decide. Regardless of his mother or his birth, he must find what he truly wants to do.

"P-P-Pork skewers, you understand."

Such a Kingū was currently very leisurely eating dango (sweet dumplings). The presence of a young fox yōkai girl—Kokonoe Kunou—beside him added to the tranquility. Furthermore, with Kunou asleep with her head on Kingū's lap, and Kingū himself accepting this treatment, there was no atmosphere of distress anywhere.

The location is a certain dango shop in the Ura-Kyoto (Hidden Kyoto), which could be called the phantom of Kyoto. There are only two customers, and the shopkeeper is out.

Although Kingū is a boarder of unknown identity, he lives almost as a member of the Kyoto Yōkai. The fact that he is alone with the General's daughter and not being monitored is good proof. Rather than genuine trust, it is a trust extended to earn trust in return. It is a well-known fact that Kingū's abilities are extraordinary. —Though rumors are circulating among other factions, his actual strength far exceeds those rumors. The Kyoto Yōkai, as a faction, also desires military strength. Kingū was desired to be a permanent resident of Kyoto.

"—So, how long do you intend to hide?"

Without turning around, Kingū questioned "it" behind him.

"It's foolish to ask 'how long I've known.' Your capabilities are top-tier for an 'individual,' excluding the gods in their prime. If you hadn't been leading such a self-indulgent life, you would have been a first-class target of caution."

"A Devil? So not King Solomon himself."

"Yes. The King is not in this world."

It was a slightly loaded statement, but both parties moved past it without a particularly strong reaction.

"I came to negotiate. To put it bluntly, we have decided to burn down the Hell and Heaven described in the Bible."

"I see. So you plan to rehash the past. You never learn. And? Are you telling me to go kill a Devil King?"

"The opposite, the opposite, Kingū. We want you to do nothing. The framework of our plan is already complete. We have local collaborators. We have sufficiently diversified our perspectives. It was discovered that the biggest target of caution does not exist from the start. In short, we want you to not interfere with our plan at all and stay quietly in this city. Of course, please ignore any calls from Angels or Devil Kings as well."

"That's a rather one-sided negotiation. Just hypothetically, what would you do if I refused?"

"Oh? That's surprising. That you would even bring that up. Well, hypothetically speaking, how about telling that girl there what you did in that other world?"

For a moment, the temperature of the surrounding air dropped. Or perhaps space itself creaked. In any case, the successor to the gods' greatest masterpiece seriously intended to destroy the Devil behind him.

Faster than the mud doll could move, the Devil present withdrew his previous statement.

"...It was a joke. It seems I am the same as you, who sought to realize her wish, and yet different."

"Yes. I'm confused myself. To expose a weakness voluntarily... that's beyond negligence. That's why I promise you: as long as you do not harm this city, I will not involve myself in your plan."

"I am grateful. I repeat, do not interfere. In exchange, we will not lay a hand on this city. Even if you were to help, it would only be a hindrance. It's almost time. In just a little while, we will be finished."

After that final word, the presence vanished. Kingū thought the manner of speech was strange, but it seemed certain that they had no intention of interfering with Kyoto.

"...Kingū?"

"Oh, Kunou. Are you awake?"

"Yes. More importantly, was someone here?"

"No, there's no one."

"I see."

Saying just that, Kunou falls asleep again. Her hand grips Kingū's clothes, not letting go. By all rights, Kingū should shake off this hand and leave this city. It is surely wrong to stay here while hiding a past he doesn't want revealed.

—Be happy

But someone's wish/words cross his mind.

—Please, be happy

—Beautiful green person

Please let me stay here for just a little longer. Thinking this, Kingū looked up at the sky.

—Thank you

"I wonder if this is what happiness is."

"Ugh, that was a terrible experience."

Cao Cao lamented his current situation.

He went to scout a nurse based on uncertain rumors, was informed he was sick, had his ideals fundamentally denied, and ended up fleeing. For someone aiming to be a hero, being so thoroughly defeated in an argument by a first-time opponent was the ultimate humiliation. Furthermore, fleeing in response is not even a laughing matter. Why did he have to suffer such a humiliation?

On top of that, he was pursued by a girl who seemed to be her disciple, and he only just managed to escape her. He had the Sacred Gear, rumored to be the strongest among barrier types, yet he doesn't know how she was able to pursue him. Perhaps she awakened to some special forbidden technique. He briefly considered scouting her instead but quickly abandoned the idea. She is not the type of person who can be controlled properly.

Georg was also severely fatigued from using his Sacred Gear at full power.

"Cao Cao. Shouldn't we leave future scouting to Jeanne or Heracles?"

"You're right... No, I can't. Those two can't handle recruitment, and it's meaningless if the trust of the lower-ranking members isn't centered on me."

They believe that they, who inherit great blood and were born with powerful weapons, should and must become heroes.

It was a fantasy, an illusion, and a compulsion. A certain nurse saw through it and diagnosed it as a "sickness." Naturally, Cao Cao and his allies cannot admit that. It is often heard that it is difficult to make a person aware of their own mental illness, and they were no different.

For them, their lives already exist only for the purpose of becoming heroes. —If only they could understand how ridiculous that existence is, they could recover quickly.

"Do you have a moment?"

Having just developed a trauma to being spoken to from behind, Cao Cao and Georg quickly turned around. Normally, they would have been more cautious, but they turned around carelessly without any defense.

However, the dreaded nurse was not there. The girl who seemed to be her disciple was not there either. That mysterious white fluff-ball creature was not there either.

A man who looked to be in his fifties, the spitting image of an English elderly gentleman, stood there.

"Who are you?"

Seeing Cao Cao's obvious caution, the gentleman stated his identity. Although his identity was vague and uncertain.

"I am someone who wishes to offer you cooperation, Cao Cao of the Hero Faction."

Cao Cao is not optimistic enough to take those words at face value. He manifested the God-Slaying Spear and entered a combat stance. Georg also released his mist, ready to respond at any time. But the gentleman did not change his attitude. If this attitude was based on knowing what kind of beings they were, he was either an extreme fool or a master combatant.

Cao Cao felt irritation and anxiety towards the gentleman who approached him with deliberately elegant steps, one after another. The irritation was an almost childish anger at the man's unperturbed reaction to their power. The anxiety—which was also related to their earlier rout—was the fear that their power might not actually be all that great.

"My name is, well..."

The gentleman smiled faintly, as if he had come up with a mischief. It was the smile of a gentleman, but also a face with a shadow of wickedness.

"You may call me 'Napoleon.'"

"With that, the report from Gremory is concluded."

"............"

".................."

"........................"

Marbas: "Request from Marbas. Gremory shows signs of functional abnormality. Rapid repair is necessary."

Astaroth: "Follow-up from Astaroth. Functional abnormality in a Devil King is unprecedented. Our knowledge may be insufficient to cope. Summon Florence Nightingale to take charge of the control tower."

Beleth: "Agreed by Beleth. I will arrange it immediately."

Gremory: "Protest from Gremory. The preceding report contains no falsehoods, exaggerations, omissions, or distortions whatsoever. Furthermore, there is no abnormality in my functions."

Hāgenti: "Concurrence from Hāgenti. Humans and Heroic Spirits sometimes exceed our expectations."

Asmoday: "Assertion from Asmoday. Lust is a vital component of the human psyche. It is not strange for them to refuse our proposal for that reason."

Forneus: "Supplement from Forneus. The circumstances were different from the reincarnated devils we are familiar with. We surmise loyalty was exchanged for the physical body. Romance with Igyō has value for some humans. However, such vulgarity is unacceptable. They are not the object of our salvation. In the future, we should scrutinize reincarnated devils whose 'Evil Pieces' have been extracted, considering these factors."

Gamigin: "Counter-argument from Gamigin. If there were simply a contractual relationship, there would be no need to speak passionately about a woman's breasts. In human psychology, one would conceal embarrassing true motives. Could it have been a false motive rather than his true feeling? I propose the possibility that he stated an absurd falsehood to conceal circumstances such as having a hostage."

Halphas: "Proposition from Halphas. In the Fifth Singularity, countless Heroic Spirits were moved by love. There was a boy who resisted a curse to meet his wife. There was a young man who fought side-by-side again with the subordinate who had seduced his wife. There was a warrior who tried to destroy the world just to fight his archenemy. There was a Mad King who affirmed a promiscuous woman's wish. Humans are beings driven by love and desire. The reasons for fighting are generally vulgar. There must be humans who become devils for the purpose of sexual intercourse."

Vine: "Question from Vine. Is it possible that the reincarnation as a devil itself caused a mental abnormality? It would not be strange for a tool that modifies the soul to also alter the mind."

Sitri: "Denial from Sitri. That is the nature of the desires of humans who are not Heroic Spirits. To violate, to torment, to greedily devour. Those referred to as 'common people' are the most immense lumps of desire. That is why they are called 'philistines.'"

Baal: "Denial from Baal. Fujimaru Ritsuka, the target of our revenge, was also originally a common person who knew nothing of the ways of magic. If the reincarnated devil Gremory speaks of was a typical human, Fujimaru Ritsuka would be the same. Are you suggesting the Temple of Time was breached by lust?"

Asmoday: "Counter-argument from Asmoday. While love is an indispensable function for humans, it is not everything. Fujimaru Ritsuka was also at an age with high sexual desire. It is more plausible to assume he lusted after Mash Kyrielight. We cannot rule out the possibility that the two of them had a physical relationship, even if we did not observe it. Rather, given the relationship between Master and Servant, isn't it more unnatural to assume they did not?"

Belial: "Supposition from Belial. Considering the situation and timing, it is highly likely that this occurred before the invasion of the Temple of Time."

Sitri: "Denial from Sitri. The time is too short when combining our summons and the time it took to respond. There is also the possibility of a physical relationship as early as the First Singularity. For them at that time, it was the beginning of a boundless journey. It helps distract from fear and anxiety, and it can also form a bond of trust."

Buer: "Censure from Buer. The discussion has derailed."

Flauros: "Proposal from Flauros. I recommend perpetual silence for the three Pillars: Belial, Asmoday, and Sitri."

Goetia: "Goetia, infighting over breasts?"

Goetia: "......Orphis. I have constantly felt the indignation of 'Why didn't you tell me?' towards a certain man. But now, I feel like saying the exact opposite to you. Please be silent. And how long will you stay here? Why don't you withdraw into your Reality Marble or something?"

Orphis: "I am interested in Goetia. I will stare intently at Goetia."

Goetia: "I see. Just don't get in the way. It's almost time. Just a little longer."

Naberius: "Report from Naberius. Negotiations with the Underworld were successful. Now Greece will also refrain from interfering."

Goetia: "Announcement to all Demon God Pillars from Goetia. Once the operations of Baal and Flauros are complete, the plan will proceed to the next stage. We will overlay the Light Band and burn Hell. Let us finish the Holy Scripture Incineration Ceremony."