Chapter 553: The Ideal Life!

「Yes, I am weak. I am by far the weakest even among those called Guardians. I’m not even a match to those called magical devilish beings. 」

The blue-haired demon spoke calmly, even as the tip of Richard’s black sword was pointed at her.

Richard unknowingly frowned at the unexpected words. There were those who played with words even among demons. Even so, there were very few who weren’t afraid to call themselves weak.

Demons, by their very nature, were destined to act strong. Strong, ever stronger.

But Giluel spun words that were the exact opposite.

「You can’t survive without something to cling to. You can’t stand without something to grab onto. But I don’t have the arrogance to claim I’m strong. So I’ll remain weak, and in my own way, defeat the strong. A world where the weak are constantly losing is about to change. 」

Giluel’s polite, almost rude, tone of voice suddenly faltered at the end of her sentence. The way she spat it out seemed like she was letting her true self out for the first time.

「…But I don’t necessarily come here solely to be an enemy. Richard Parmillis. You are, without a doubt, God’s enemy. But the one and only God can give you a second chance. Hero, God has chosen you. Are you willing to take God’s hand? 」

Richard was taken aback by her words.

She pressed Valerie about why she was with God’s enemy. Then, she declared to Richard that he had been chosen by God. Did she have an ulterior motive, or were her thoughts truly incoherent?

Richard couldn’t decide. All he knew for sure was that this person was undoubtedly an enemy.

「Sorry, but I’m not used to being chosen. Tell God to put me at the end of the line. 」

Valerie muttered beside him.

「Don’t listen to what she says too much. Her tongue drives people crazy. She knows what it means to drive someone crazy. 」

Richard’s shoulders shrugged involuntarily.

「Hey, who do you think you are you talking to? Besides, don’t you have to side with her? You’re allies, aren’t you? 」

「You and I are still in the middle of a meeting. How can I be an ally with someone who barged in during our meeting? 」

Richard’s cheeks relaxed, and he turned his gaze back to Giluel. He shifted his focus away from the words she was spitting out and focused solely on her figure.

If she was someone who could drive people crazy with her eloquence, then it was easy to understand that her beautiful posture, graceful manners, and artificial use of language were all artificial.

But if she was a demon, or to be precise a magical devilish being, then there had to be something more than just manipulative talk. Richard furrowed his eyebrows. He raised his black sword cautiously.

He sent a signal to Valerie as he created a tense atmosphere.

His plan was simple.

He wanted to force Giluel to take a step back with one swing of his sword. Valerie would crush her skull with a powerful fist the moment she lost her balance.

It was a simple move, but it could be incredibly effective. Richard’s policy was to eliminate that enemy while she was still hiding something evil.

He glanced around for a moment. He sensed soldiers waiting in the forest surrounding Giluel.

But that was all. They were just standing there, clumsily keeping an eye on her. They wouldn’t be able to stop Valerie, let alone Richard, even with just one arm. Giluel had a demonic presence, but nothing that threatening.

Richard found it creepy that she didn’t seem terrifyingly threatening.

And that’s why his murderous intent immediately solidified.

A cold, steely breath escaped his mouth. He poured all his strength into the black sword. Every second was filled with a vivid murderous intent.

「…I can’t understand your choice. It’s disheartening that God’s power can’t reach you. I really don’t understand. You’ll even get a new body if you take God’s hand. You’ll regain your former strength. Don’t you think you can overcome time once again and reclaim the glory that made you the strongest man in the world? Haven’t you ever hated aging? Or feeling the loss of martial arts? 」

「Do you know the basic premise of a deal, devil? It’s trust. 」

Richard would never accept such a deal offered by another party.

There was always a benefit for the other party, an ulterior motive to outwit someone-

And that was exactly what she was doing, unless she was extremely trustworthy, which she was not.

So the answer to this pointless question was already clear.

Humans aged. Humans decayed. The titles of hero and strongest person were now a thing of the past. No matter how great they were, they would eventually be lost to history, and even their character would become unknown.

But great deeds left a lasting mark. That was why there was value in accomplishing something in a limited amount of time.

That’s just how life was, Richard declared. He held his black sword with a firm hand.

「…First of all, your God must have been alive for a long time, judging by the way you talk, am I right? And yet your God is still causing trouble. Living a long life isn’t that big of a deal. 」

Richard stomped through the ground before Giluel could respond.

Whether human or demonic, anyone who could communicate with God would experience a momentary blankness the moment he or she spoke. It was a crude diversion, but it was better than nothing.

And it worked wonders for Giluel. She still didn’t react, even as Richard stepped forward and swung his raised black sword down.

She didn’t even seem to take a step back. At this rate, a single swing would’ve been enough to throw her off balance. It would be enough to kill her.

Was there something else? No, nothing. She really was an amateur.

Richard didn’t think she was taken aback.

This kind of thing happened all the time. A formidable opponent was easily cut down with a moment’s carelessness. A cautious person died instantly after a slight error in judgment.

Reality was often cruel.

The only thing he should be concerned about was that, like with the magical devilish being Drigman, there was a high chance that his blade wouldn’t be able to penetrate her flesh. But even so, Richard decided that an opponent of this caliber wouldn’t be a problem.

Valerie would finish it even if he failed. No matter what happened to Valerie, Lugis would definitely kill this new enemy. His student wouldn’t be defeated by an entity of this caliber.

Richard felt a moment of relief. It was a pause in his thoughts that could neither be described as slackening nor complacency.

…Then, a dazzling white covered his vision as if to entangle him,.

All he could see around him was a white glow. White, white, and whiter. The horizon seemed to be covered in a cloth of light, every inch of heaven.

Before he knew it, Valerie, the hills, the forest, and even Zebrililith, who had been visible in the distance, had all disappeared.

And even Giluel, who should’ve been right in front of him.

Giving no opening, Richard turned the tip of his black sword around and narrowed his eyes. He remained unfazed. It was clear who was behind this. What he needed to do was to understand what was happening.

「…Hehe. There’s no need to be so wary! This is my ideal world. Like I said, I’m weak, and I can only pull someone in for a moment. So, in reality, I’m still on the verge of being slashed to death by you, did you know that? 」

She appeared with a hard, clanging sound. Her voice was innocent and unguarded.

But her appearance was unmistakably that of the magical devilish being Giluel Hano.

Her blue hair and eyes of the same color sparkled, and her presence in the light almost gave her a divine aura.

But her appearance was the only thing that matched. Her haughty, fanatical personality from earlier was gone, and she spoke like an ordinary village girl.

「Yeah. It’s only natural that people would be wary of me. What should I do? I don’t know how to greet people…It’s not often that I have to greet guests like this. 」

The woman spoke as if she truly had no ill intentions whatsoever.

What did this change in her personality mean? What purpose did she have in dragging Richard here? And was it true that he couldn’t do anything at all? Richard had no idea what to say or think.

Richard kept his distance, warily holding his black sword with both hands.

…His eyes widened. His right hand, which was supposed to be missing, was there.

「It would be better for us to talk if you have a familiar body. When a human loses a part of their body, their mind becomes unstable! 」

「…I don’t understand what you’re trying to do. Haven’t you tried to recruit me earlier but failed? I’m sure you want to tell me that it’s still not too late. You want me to take sides with your God. 」

「Yes. I can see very clearly that you have a resolute and noble spirit. As I would expect from someone with the soul of a hero. You would never have agreed to my proposal. It’s truly wonderful. I’m weak, so I’m sure I couldn’t do it. But…this time, I’m confident! 」

Giluel puffed out her chest like an ordinary village girl.

Her honesty and dedication were so great that it made Richard seem foolish to even raise his black sword. If this was her true personality, then what was the purpose of the other fake personality?

But Giluel opened her arms before he had time to question it. Canvas appeared from the light, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The canvas, supported by a tripod, were pure white, without a single blemish. But in the blink of an eye, something slowly began to emerge.

At first, all he could see was black and white, but gradually the variety of colors increased, and the landscape began to emerge.

Richard was astounded.

The contents of the canvas weren’t just a painting that appeared. The painting itself continued to move, as if it were alive. It was as if he was looking at the landscape directly.

In an instant, Richard understood what the painting depicted.

There was no mistaking it.

The poor village where he had once lived. His father, mother, brother, and sister. He was sure that not a single painting remained from back then. The portrait of his family, which only remained in Richard’s memory.

A bad feeling ran through Richard’s mind. A terrible premonition. His throat felt wet.

Giluel spoke with a carefree smile, arms outstretched.

「You’re a very strong person, Richard. I’m sure the ability to rejuvenate and gain great powers wouldn’t appeal to you. But what about this? 」

What did she mean by “this”? She said without even needing to ask.

「I know your past…You couldn’t save your family. It must have been frustrating. It must have been disappointing. But you’ve done nothing wrong, you know. You’re a great hero. You were just unlucky! 」

「Stop it. 」

Giluel ignored the words Richard spit out.

「So, let’s start our conversation again, Richard! You don’t have to carry the load again, since our God forgives! From that day when you thought you’d failed! Let’s erase everything and repaint the picture of your life! This time, for sure…I’ll help you aim for the ideal life you’ve always wanted! 」

Giluel said those words without a trace of malice, with a smile as big as a village girl’s.

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