* * *
As the door opened and they stepped inside, the sound of a bell announcing their arrival echoed throughout. However, not a single believer came to greet them.
Of course, that was to be expected. Every last believer had been forcibly dragged along for the invasion of the Holy Kingdom. The surviving members of the Evil God Cult were but a scattered few across the continent.
Agni plopped down onto the Apostle’s desk and let out a snicker as he surveyed the now-empty headquarters of the Evil God Cult.
“Ahh—It’s over. The Evil God Cult is done for.”
The once-prosperous Evil God Cult had been utterly crushed. There was no one person to blame. They had executed a near-perfect plan and accomplished the absurd feat of driving out the Believer Sect from their stronghold.
They had captured the Virgin Saintess and nearly succeeded in summoning the Evil God using her body as a medium. If only they’d had a little more time, if only someone hadn’t interfered, they would have succeeded in bringing about the Evil God’s descent.
That someone being Kail Meyer.
“Kail Meyer…! If only that guy hadn’t interfered…!”
“Ugh, are you seriously making such an ugly excuse, Arkade? I thought you were supposed to be cooler than that.”
“Shut up. Are you saying it’s not his fault?”
“Of course, without him, our plan might have succeeded. But the fact that we ultimately failed means…”
It was due to their own lack of preparation, faith, and prayer. Agni despised such excuses unworthy of a true Priest.
Failed because of Kail Meyer? It wasn’t like they hadn’t known he existed, or that he would interfere. Wasn’t it clear that their preparations were simply insufficient?
That was how Agni saw it, though it seemed the leader of the now-ruined Evil God Cult didn’t quite share that view.
“—More importantly, what exactly do you plan to do now?”
“…We gather the believers. And then try again.”
“Again? You know as well as I do that gathering believers isn’t the real issue here.”
Saying this, Agni glanced at the round table. Seven deadly sins. Seats prepared for the Apostles who embodied each sin.
Five of those seats were empty. After a long and grueling battle, the Evil God Cult had lost more than half of its strategic weapons—the Apostles.
“In this last battle alone, we lost three Apostles. More than we’ve lost in all previous battles combined. Do you understand?”
One had become a sacrifice to summon the Evil God into the Virgin Saintess’ body.
One had been hunted down by those who came to rescue the Virgin Saintess.
And one had been caught up in the Evil God’s descent.
Their deaths were meaningless, but that didn’t mean their lives were worthless. They were Apostles, after all, and an Apostle’s life was worth far more than that of an ordinary person.
“Where exactly do you plan on finding replacements for the Apostles?”
Candidates fit to become Apostles were rarer than those capable of becoming Masters. While there were over twenty Masters, there weren’t even half as many Apostles, proving just how rare they were.
In a way, it was only natural. To become an Apostle, one needed to adapt to the point of being able to receive the power of the Evil God, possess extraordinary talent to catch the Evil God’s eye, and still willingly accept the Evil God without resistance.
“…If only we had more time, we could figure something out.”
“But we don’t have any time left. Face it, old man—we’re ruined.”
Agni smirked at Arkade. This guy trusted the Evil God so absolutely that he believed in the cult itself with the same blind faith.
With five Apostles dead and 90% of the believers wiped out, the Evil God Cult couldn’t sustain itself anymore—it couldn’t even exist.
“Now that things have come to this, I’m cutting ties with the Evil God Cult. That was the nature of our contract.”
“…Agni, what are you saying?”
“Woah-woah, this is a direct contract I made with Lord Evil God himself. You can’t say anything about it.”
Agni, the Apostle of Wrath, never truly believed in the Evil God. She had merely contracted with him.
She simply wanted to create more chaos in the world, and the Evil God happened to be someone who could grant her that wish.
Now that the Evil God Cult was collapsing and couldn’t uphold their end of the contract, ending her agreement with the Evil God was entirely possible.
“I just want to stir up a bit more chaos in the world—I’m not about to risk my life spreading the Evil God Cult far and wide.”
The contract is over. With those words, Agni casually turned to leave the headquarters of the Evil God Cult—or rather, she tried to.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Guh-!?”
Arkade grabbed Agni by the scruff of her neck as she attempted to leave, her weight now pressing painfully on her neck.
“You think you can just walk away from our contract now that we’re at this point? Unacceptable.”
“You—you’re blinded by anger! If Lord Evil God finds out…”
“Even if Lord Evil forgives you, I won’t. My loyalty is beyond reproach.”
Agni grinned wickedly as she looked into Arkade’s rage-filled eyes. Until the very end, she fulfilled her duty as the Apostle of Wrath.
But Arkade, paying no mind to whatever thoughts Agni might have had, snapped her neck and carelessly tossed her corpse aside before muttering to himself.
“We’ll rebuild. From scratch…”
As long as I’m here—as long as I, who loves Lord Evil God, remain—the Evil God Cult will never perish. It will never fade away.
Never.
* * *
Following the operation to retake the Virgin Saintess, the Holy Weapons, officially cleared of all criminal charges, began enjoying the freedom they had been denied due to those accusations.
Some visited tourist spots they couldn’t go to while labeled as terrorists, while others robbed refugees who didn’t recognize them—overall, they were enjoying a new golden age.
Arugi, who had taken over as temporary leader after Feyna’s death, even went on a date with Merlin.
“Leader, this is the restaurant you loved so much.”
“Oh, nice.”
Hearing Arugi’s words, Merlin calmly gazed out the window. The view from the spire-top restaurant made people look like insects below. Yes, it was the kind of scenery Feyna, who could easily pass for a demon, would have enjoyed.
Watching Merlin with a meaningful expression, Arugi eagerly cut into the steak placed before him the moment it arrived.
“Here, say ‘ah,’ Leader.”
“I don’t need you to feed me…”
“That’s strange. You wouldn’t touch anything unless I fed it to you…”
“…I guess I’ve lost my appetite.”
“The Leader who used to pounce on meat like a dog in heat?”
Merlin felt something was off but obediently opened his mouth to accept the piece of steak Arugi offered.
Thrilled at having fed Merlin, Arugi continued feeding him, completely disregarding her own portion.
By the time Merlin finished two plates of steak and wiped his mouth, feeling bloated, Arugi slowly began clearing the dishes.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“I did eat quite a lot…”
“No, I mean—shouldn’t the poison be kicking in by now?”
“…What?”
Upon hearing Arugi’s words, Merlin immediately checked his inner state. But no matter what he tried, his magic power remained completely inert.
For a Sorcerer like Merlin, being unable to use magic was a serious problem. It meant he had no way to counter whatever trick Arugi was planning.
In this dire situation, Merlin feigned calmness and took a sip of tea.
“…What are you trying to do?”
“I’ve thought long and hard about what to do with you… Whether I should serve you as my leader or seek revenge for my leader.”
As Arugi spoke, she slowly stood and sat next to Merlin. Seeing the dagger pressed against his side, Merlin realized she had figured out his true identity.
That he was not Feyna, the leader of the Holy Weapons, but the main personality, Merlin.
From the looks of it, Arugi hadn’t yet realized that Feyna was Merlin’s second personality or that he had been killed by Kail—but that hardly mattered.
“—When did you figure it out?”
“Since the day we met. Don’t take our relationship with the leader so lightly.”
“I see. I let my guard down.”
Heh—he chuckled and shrugged at Arugi, as if asking what she planned to do next. Watching him, Arugi slowly spoke.
“What happened to the leader?”
“It’s complicated, but… it was me.”
“He’s dead, then. Who killed him?”
“…If you must know, Kail.”
“That guy again. Fine.”
Chuckle—Merlin felt something needle-like pierce his side and slowly lost consciousness. Arugi smiled faintly and pulled the unconscious Merlin into her lap.
“Leader, I’ll make sure to avenge you.”
Cradling Merlin’s cheek, Arugi picked him up and left the restaurant.
