Published at 6th of February 2021 11:19:00 AM
Chapter 250
Stratagem
“So Plato’s passed… When I said I’d give him leave, that’s not quite what I meant…”
Deep within the imperial palace, the Demon Queen who sat solemnly on the throne seemed to whisper that as we entered her vision .
As before, the Demon Queen was wrapped in a black ceremonial robe, but her face was no longer covered by a veil .
In her hand, she held a dark black crystal smeared in blood .
That was likely Plato’s .
As we had planned, Claire-sama was positioned up front .
At present, only Claire-sama, Manarisama, Lily-sama and I were in the throne room .
The Pope and the others who were still drained from their fight with Plato were resting at the gate . Rodd-sama and the remaining others were preparing the Magi Shibley .
Claire-sama shot a sharp stare at the Demon Queen before speaking .
“Rei… no, Demon Queen . As you say, Plato has been defeated . All that remains is you and Rates . ”
“It appears so . What of it?”
“Have you still not given up on ending humanity’s history?”
“… So you already know . Was it TAIM?”
“That’s right . ”
“Is that so…”
For a few moments, there was only silence between the two .
“Demon Queen, even now it is not too late . Please think this over . ”
“Impossible, Claire-sama . This is the only option I have left . ”
“That’s not true, if we all think about it together, surely, surely there’s a better―”
“Yes, there was a time that I thought that as well . However, it was pointless . Do you even know how many times I’ve tried and failed before reaching this conclusion? No matter how much time I spent, the result was always the same . There’s no choice but to end it, all of it . ”
“Demon Queen…”
Claire-sama sadly murmured .
“… You said that I hadn’t changed, but I believe that you’re the one who truly hasn’t changed . ”
“Which part of me?”
“The part where you come to your own conclusion, and then try to bear everything on your own shoulders . ”
“…”
In response to Claire’s words, the Demon Queen’s face momentarily distorted .
I don’t really care, but could you not leave me behind and move on to the climax?
The one who spoke next was Manarisama .
“Regardless, we must stop you . Please don’t think ill of us . ”
“It’s fine, Manarisama . I was sure that it would eventually come down to this between us . ”
“Please don’t say something so sad . It is I that must raise my hand against someone that looks just like… no, against another individual whom I deeply care for . ”
“Then why not just, not?”
“Considering my position, that’s not something I can do . ”
The Demon Queen spoke intimately with Manarisama as well .
It seems that I was being left behind here as well .
“R-rei-san, to me, you’re my only Rei-san!”
“Lily-sama, you really are a nice person . If I didn’t have Claire-sama, I might have actually fallen for you . ”
“So basically, doesn’t that just mean that I still don’t have a chance…!”
As tears formed in Lily-sama’s eyes, I pat her head .
Lily-sama really was cute, but I still only had eyes for Claire-sama .
Claire-sama, what a sinful woman .
“It’s straightforward . If you all win and I die, human history will continue to repeat as before . If I win, human history will find its end . Extremely simple . ”
“Is there any chance to negotiate?”
“There is not, Claire-sama . ”
“Is that so…”
Claire-sama’s face twisted in pain .
I was at my limits .
“Just look at me, playing the role of the tragic heroine . It’s fine if I’ve lost it, but I ask that Claire-sama not be dragged in . ”
“…”
In response to my words the Demon Queen seemed to feel ashamed .
Without pause, I continued .
“I mean simply put, you’ve just lost your passion for Claire-sama, isn’t that it? Pathetic . Are you really me? And as if that’s not enough, you’d use that as a reason to end the world? Admittedly I tend to be a bit of a nuisance, but I’m nowhere near your level . ”
“As if you could understand . ”
“Of course I understand, this is about me after all . It seems that I lived far too long and went senile . Aah jeez . Even thinking that this is one of my possible futures makes me shudder . ”
Putting everything into it, I stuck my tongue out at the Demon Queen .
“… You too would come to understand, if you were to tread the same path as I . ”
“I won’t listen to your excuses . Now, I am the one living my life . Right now, I absolutely love Claire-sama, I love the world that Claire-sama lives in, and I love those who love Claire-sama . That is me . I couldn’t care less about the future . ”
“… What a frustrating stance, to think I’d hear it from myself . ”
“That’s mutual . ”
I too was quite fed up with this so-called Demon Queen .
“It seems we have no words left to exchange . Then, shall we begin?”
“… ! Demon Queen!”
“Claire-sama, I ask that you don’t resist . Then, I’ll be able to give you a painless death . ”
Those words signaled the beginning of our final fight .
“Rei! Onee-sama!”
“Yes!”
“I got it . ”
I cast the earth magic, Muddy Soil, turning the throne room walls and ceiling into mud .
“Flare Blast!”
Manarisama followed up with high affinity fire magic, blowing it all away in an instant .
Including the upper floor .
To have caused such a large explosion without harming any of her allies, I had no choice but to praise Manarisama’s fine control over magic .
Additionally, Lily-sama had cut down any shards that happened to fly our way .
The magnificently built throne room had become the one part of the palace that had collapsed, exposing it to the outside .
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“…”
It seems that the Demon Queen was aware of our aim .
She had already deployed a magic barrier .
We were to destroy that with a Rodd-sama’s long distance attack .
The Magi Shibley’s sights had already been aligned to point here .
However, there was one thing that we hadn’t expected .
“Wha…!?”
“Uhh!?”
“This…”
“Could be bad . ”
The barrier that the Demon Queen had generated was magnitudes thicker than it had been .
The walls, which were a deeper black than darkness itself, almost seemed to sever off the rest of the world .
“So this was what Plato was talking about…”
Claire-sama bit her lip in frustration .
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just a conjecture, but it’s likely the Demon Queen absorbed magical energy from Plato . Otherwise, it’s difficult to explain why Plato was so weak . ”
“That’s correct, Claire-sama . ”
The Demon Queen replied to Claire-sama’s deduction from the other side of the darkness .
“Rodd-sama’s attack during the previous fight had caught me by surprise . So, I took the liberty of preparing some countermeasures .
“… Khh . ”
Even then, there was a faint hope that the Magi Shibley would be able to break through .
In truth, the weapon was already aimed . All that was left was to clear the path .
In spite of that,
“Ah, I should say, my countermeasures don’t end there . ”
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“What was that?”
It was immediately obvious what the Demon Queen was trying to say .
“Your foolish plans, the Demon Queen has already seen through them . ”
A hoarse elderly voice came from behind us .
As though in cue, the space right in front of Rodd-sama and the others distorted, spawning an imposing giant insect .
“Rates!”
“Oh? I recommend that you don’t carelessly rush off . You all are going to keep me company, isn’t that right, Claire-sama?”
“Khh…”
Our forces had been divided .
With this Rodd-sama’s Magi Shibley would not reach the Demon Queen .
We were also unable to rejoin with Rodd-sama and the others .
What could we do…?
It was then that we heard young voices call out to us from behind .
“Claire-okaasama, Rei-okaasama!”
“Don’t worry yourselves about us! Mei and I will do something about it!”
It was Mei and Alea .
The two held the wand and sword that they had each inherited from Dorothea, standing alongside Rodd-sama to protect the Magi Shibley .
“Please run!”
“Run!”
“No, it’s pointless . After all, I was commanded to not allow even one escape . ”
As though mocking Claire-sama’s and my own words, Rates laughed .
“Well then… as you’ve all said, should we proceed with the final fight?”
The Demon Queen’s words sounded like a death sentence .