Chapter 452: Confrontation

「Now, are you ready? There’s no turning back, you know?」

「What a stupid question. When it starts, I just have to rush in, slash her, burn her, and avoid. It’s simple, right?」

「Wait a minute! I’m still counting the budget allowance! Howl, my abacus!」

The sound of people talking can be heard slightly even in the throne room. Maria, sitting on the huge throne, listens happily to the voices. No orchestra of renowned musicians or masterpiece of music that has enchanted the world could match this trivial conversation. Maria was so excited that she thought so.

No matter how long she has to wait, Maria would never leave the throne. She has been waiting for more than ten years. Whether it’s a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days, she’s confident that she could put up with that much. Rather, she even loved this waiting time. It’s like the night before a picnic, or like when you are tasting an appetizer with an exquisite feast in mind, filled with the desire for pure enjoyment.

「Okay, I’ve done the calculation!」

「Then, let’s rush in.」

「Ah, hey, wait a――」

――――BAAAAAAM

!

The large door leading to the throne room was kicked off by someone. The door, which had been protecting this place for many years, was blown away easily and approached the throne directly.

「Fuu!」

Maria gently blew on the large door that was expected to collide at the next moment. Then, the door somehow turned in the opposite direction. The steel body of the door was deformed and finally escaped the kinetic energy by hitting the wall next to the entrance of the throne room. Then, it created a cloud of dust that obscured the view.

「Ugh, she sent it back with just a breath. That ain’t a dragon breath, right…?」

「Idiot. If you are surprised at something like this, your body and mind won’t hold long, you know? She looks like a delicate child, but the hidden power inside her is more than Rimudo’s.」

「But well, unlike Vakala, she has a limited life. Isn’t that right, Maria?」

The three of the 『Unprecedented』 appeared out of the dispersing dust. Deris is carrying a jet-black staff similar to Haruna’s Doggan staff on his shoulder, Nell is holding the unsheathed Flame Magic Sword Pluto clad in flames, and Alezel is holding an abacus in one hand. In addition, they have been applied with as many enhancements and support magic as they could. The three are ready for battle, and Maria can’t help but smile.

「Who knows? I’ve never died before, so I don’t know~. But, it’s worth a try, isn’t it? Thousands of years have passed since I and Vakala defeated the former ruler. Since then, there’s no enemy who can beat us. There were times when we tried to kill each other since there were no other opponents, but even so, I didn’t die, you know?」

「The battle between Maria and Vakala, huh? I’m interested, but I don’t want to be there.」

「I think you will lose interest soon even if you can watch it. It was fun to fight evenly because we could feel the life in the fight, but there was a limit to how long we could keep playing the same game. No matter how great the scenery is, if you keep looking at it for a long time, you will eventually get tired of it, right? It’s the same thing. The battle went on for so long that I and Vakala got bored before reaching a settlement. After that, we waited for new playmates who could reach us and recruited the emissaries of the former ruler, but in the end, even the best we could get from the Great Eight Demons founded by Vakala was Rimudo. The rests were small fry who were no match even against my daughters. Recently, we have given up on the idea of having more fighting and have been focusing more on entertainment―― but interesting talents appeared from among the people who had a short lifespan whom we had little expectations, and they were Deris and the others. I’m having high expectations for you guys, you know? Can you live up to my expectations?」

「Bring it on!」

「Wait, wait. Nell, don’t be hasty. Maria, you too.」

It was Deris who kept Nell and Maria in check with a fearless smile on his face. With the black staff on his shoulder, he stood right next to Nell.

「Don’t tell me, are you going to fight in this room? In this narrow and closed space? If you do that, the castle will disappear. And our goal, the throne, will disappear as well. I know you want to fight pleasantly, but put yourselves in my shoes who has to deal with the aftermath.」

「Ha?」

「I-I mean, I would be happy if you could consider my feelings….」

‘Are you trying to stop me?’ when Nell glared at Deris with a smile, Deris unconsciously stepped back and behaved modestly. It clearly shows the hierarchical relationship of this married couple.

「Pfft…!」

「!?」

And he was a little shocked when the enemy laughed at him.

「S-Sorry, let me start again. ――Hmm~? Deris, you’ve come up with some kind of a sly strategy for me, haven’t you? Back then, you didn’t have the slightest intention of fighting me, but you’ve really grown up, huh? So much that I want to praise you.」

「Well, thanks…. So, can I continue? It seems that Nell can’t hold it.」

Deris pointed to Nell, who looked like she was about to explode. The flames of her sword and armor are also roaring.

「Ah, sure~. I wonder what kind of trap you plan to set me up in~?」

「Don’t make me look bad. I’m not trying to trick you at all, you know? This is a mutually beneficial proposal.」

「Hee, what kind of benefits do you have for me?」

「You want to rampage with your all, right? How about fighting in a place where you can fight with your all without minding the surroundings? I’ve prepared it.」

「Prepared a place? Are you telling me to change the place? I and Vakala caused a great disaster when we fought, so that’s a nice proposal. But――」

Maria raised her finger and shook it to the left and right.

「Too bad, Deris. I won’t fall for that kind of obvious trap. You are planning to put the queen of Crocus on the throne the moment I leave this place, right? After all, if you can stall me until then, you will win even without defeating me. Fufu, Maria won’t be fooled, you know?」

「Ah, then you can take that throne with you.」n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

「Eh, really!?」

Maria bites at Deris’s unexpected offer.

「I mean, no one wants such a cunning victory. If we win that way, I’ll be killed by my wife. Besides, my disciple wants a complete victory. I think the one who wants it is just Alezel.」

「Is that so?」

「Ain’t it fine if I want it!? Win by default is the best! No risk, high return!」

Alezel shakes her abacus.

「Maria, this is a vow. I want to protect this castle, and Nell wants to have a complete victory. You want to go wild, and you don’t want to give up the throne. If that’s the case, don’t you think that our interests aligned? If you agree, I will guide you there right away.」

「Huh, what about my opinion?」

The sound of the abacus being shaken could be heard. However, Deris and the others didn’t look at Alezel.

「――A vow, huh? Fine, I will accept it. As expected of Deris, you didn’t take Lily as your wife for nothing.」

「I didn’t take her as my wife, okay!? A-Anyway, I’ve got your word. Ii, Aru, San, Suu, do it.」

The next moment, the throne room was instantly wrapped in dazzling light.