Kishirika had a very large appetite. Even by demonic standards, that was something worthy of study.
There was an entire variety of sweets spread across the table, but she didn't seem to have the slightest intention of letting any of them escape her hungry fury.
While she mercilessly devoured each dessert, the other three in the hall talked about much more serious matters.
Rygar's group had eliminated some important Demon Kings on this trip. That would inevitably generate instability in the corresponding provinces.
So Moore needed to know what actions the Fort Necross should take in the coming months to prevent those regions from collapsing.
The political and territorial consequences were not small — a province without a leader could turn into chaos within a few months.
From Kishirika's side, all that could be heard was the constant sound of spoons hitting the bottoms of the containers.
After long minutes, silence fell suddenly.
She had finally finished.
The Empress stood still, staring at the completely empty table, with a blank, apathetic expression.
"Ah…" she murmured, as if her soul had been ripped out.
Then she looked at Verdia and Rygar with a look full of sadness.
"Is this all you have…?"
Verdia opened a dazzling smile.
"We have more on the Gaia Continent. If you want to pay us a visit, we'd be happy to host you!"
But Kishirika immediately shook her head vehemently, moving her hands in an X.
"I cannot leave the Demon Continent! But if you can bring more here, I can do anything in return!"
Rygar raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"And why can't you leave the Continent?"
Kishirika crossed her arms, puffing out her chest in a somewhat theatrical pose.
"I made a promise when I was revived! The world is living in an era of peace now, so I mustn't start wars!"
She sat down in a chair, swinging her legs casually, and continued:
"Besides, I can only continue to grow while I'm here."
Rygar tilted his head, reflecting.
"Can only grow here? Is that related to the fact that you are a demigoddess… a daughter of the Demon God?"
Kishirika grew visibly more serious upon hearing that. Her relaxed posture became a bit more solemn. Very few people still knew that information.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Something like that. But very few people know that these days…"
She looked at Rygar suspiciously, but Rygar just smiled calmly.
"I have some inside information. Well… since you said you'd do anything, can I ask a few questions right now?"
Kishirika still looked distrustful, but she raised her chin.
"Of course! But this body belongs to Badi, so I can't give it to you!"
Verdia choked immediately, coughing loudly to cover it. Rygar sighed.
"I don't want your body… I want you to find someone for me. Actually, I wanted to ask your help to find Badigadi, but I'm sure you won't do that. So I want you to look for a guy from the Nukadia Tribe. His name is Geese, and he looks like a monkey…"
Rygar gave the most accurate description he could. Kishirika listened attentively, and then her eyes began to turn — changing colors, activating the All-Seeing Eye.
She stood motionless, staring at a distant point.
After a few moments, she murmured:
"I found him… He's in the central part of the Begaritt Continent… He's talking with someone. How strange… this guy looks like a villain."
Kishirika let out a little chuckle before leaning forward, a bit curious.
"Now, let's see who he's talking to…"
She squinted even more.
And then, suddenly, her expression changed completely.
"Hm…?" she frowned. "I can't see him anymore."
The Empress became serious in an instant. Mortally serious.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tilted her head back, letting her eyes rest for a few moments.
After a few seconds, she finally opened her eyes again.
"That feeling… yes, I know it."
She turned directly to Rygar.
"Your current enemy is the God Man… correct?"
Rygar answered indifferently:
"That's right."
Kishirika continued:
"If you're fighting the God Man, that must mean you've allied with the Dragon God, right?"
Rygar replied without hesitation:
"Actually, both are my enemies."
Kishirika blinked slowly, confused.
"Ah? What do you mean? Which one of the two are you helping, then?"
Rygar gave a small smile.
"Neither of them. I want to kill both. The Dragon God and the God Man."
She blinked again. Again. Her expression clearly said 'this makes no sense'.
"Both?" she repeated.
"Both." Rygar confirmed for the third time.
Verdia looked at her with a resigned, sympathetic expression. Moore just nodded; he had already lived through this moment.
Kishirika fell silent for a moment.
Then…
"Haha…?"
And soon after:
"Fwhaha!"
And finally:
"FWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Kishirika burst into laughter, finally accepting Rygar's impossible answer.
A moment earlier, Kishirika had become extremely serious upon hearing the name Hitogami, but now she was laughing.
She laughed loudly, clutching her belly:
"Fwuhahahaha! And Atofe joined up with that lunatic? That's hilarious! Boy, it's been a long time since someone told me such a good joke! Hehehehe!"
Rygar just smiled calmly. Until now, no one really understood the scale that the Dragon God and the God Man represented.
So when Rygar said he intended to defeat them, everyone simply accepted it as if it were plausible.
But Kishirika was different.
She knew well the power those two names held. To her, the idea of someone aiming at both at the same time was so absurd that it could only be laughable.
After a while, she finally stopped laughing. The atmosphere grew heavy with strangeness.
Verdia asked, with a forced smile:
"Does that mean you know the God Man, milady?"
Kishirika answered immediately:
"Yes. We have a bit of history. Frankly speaking, I'd like to avoid getting involved with him again."
Verdia insisted:
"A history?"
Kishirika waved her hand, describing:
"Nothing remarkable. Just that… about 4,200 years ago, he manipulated me and Badigadi to fight for him. He wanted Laplace's head. Badi used the Fighter God's Armor to protect me and faced the Demon Dragon King, Laplace."
Rygar nodded. That aligned with what the Guide had mentioned, albeit briefly.
Kishirika continued:
"It's been a long time since he lost the Fighter God's Armor… But if Badi shows up, he might be his enemy. He still feels indebted to that rotten God Man after all this time… Ah, but you said you wanted to find him. You must know that, right?"
Rygar replied naturally:
"I already knew."
Kishirika crossed her arms, thoughtful.
"Well… I doubt Badi would be a match for you in his current state. But I would ask that you spare his life, if you can."
Rygar agreed:
"I wasn't planning to kill him to begin with. Although… he's not someone who can be killed easily, in any case."
Kishirika confirmed:
"No, he isn't. The strong point of immortal demons is their tenacity."
As she said that, she cast a sidelong glance at Atofe.
Atofe immediately assumed a proud stance — chest puffed, chin raised — but Rygar had the feeling that Kishirika was not praising him.
Then, Kishirika returned to the subject:
"Anyway, you mentioned that you wanted me to be your ally, right? Impossible! You're simply crazy!"
"Hahahahaha!"
This time, it was Rygar who began to laugh.
Kishirika was startled.
"W-what are you laughing at?!"
Rygar answered while his smile remained:
"Nothing. It's just… you might be the first person who truly understands how difficult it is to defeat those two. It's kind of refreshing…"
His gaze was calm as he observed the Demon Empress.
That gave Kishirika a chill down her spine.
"A-anyway! Don't count on me!"
Verdia tried to argue:
"Wait a moment! We don't need you to fight them directly!"
Kishirika pointed at herself, indignant:
"No! I didn't fight directly before either, and yet I died without even understanding how!"
Verdia kept trying to convince her. Moore also joined the attempt.
Rygar, however, simply watched for a while, interested in what Kishirika would do. She was extremely firm in her refusal.
Then he spoke:
"How about this? If I prove to you that I can challenge them… will you become my ally? I'm sure you must want revenge…"
Kishirika simply laughed again:
"Fwuahahahaha! Long-lived beings do not hold grudges over such petty things!"
But Rygar did not back down:
"Maybe… but now Hitogami is using Badigadi again. Who guarantees he won't continue plotting in the future?"
Upon hearing that, she stopped laughing. She was thinking and her expression turned sour. Those words finally made Kishirika hesitate.
Moore took advantage:
"Lady Kishirika, I saw Lord Rygar's strength in person. Even Lady Atofe doesn't stand a chance in battle. I don't know about the God Man, but… if there's someone who can defeat the Dragon God, it's him. His title of Godslayer isn't in vain."
Kishirika fell silent for a moment.
She raised her face, looking at the sky. Her Demon Eyes changed shape a few times, analyzing something.
Her expression was one of deep contemplation and hesitation.
She alternated her gaze between Rygar and Moore.
After a few seconds, she finally spoke:
"Since you defeated Atofe so easily that even Moore admits it… I can believe in your strength.
But how could you defeat Hitogami?"
Those words made Rygar light up internally. If she was asking that, then she was willing to cooperate.
It was the first step.
Rygar answered calmly:
"You can't see me with your Demon Eyes, can you?"
Kishirika nodded, suspicious.
"And what of it?"
Rygar continued:
"That technique is a magic originally created to obscure Hitogami's vision. He cannot see me, and he also cannot see anything related to my future. In other words, any situation in which I intervene can be taken off his plane."
Kishirika opened her mouth to counter-argue, but Rygar went on before she could speak:
"Also, I already have a method to reach him. Don't worry about accessibility. And I'm building an Armor that will rival — and even surpass — the Fighter God's Armor. When it's fully complete, I'll have the confidence to face any opponent."
Kishirika narrowed her eyes, distrustful.
One of her eyes changed again, and she then turned her face to Verdia:
"Is all this true?"
Rygar supposed it was a Demon Eye capable of seeing lies; that was quite convenient.
Verdia answered, somewhat surprised:
"A-ah! Yes, it's all true."
Kishirika observed Verdia for a few more seconds, and then seemed convinced.
Rygar couldn't help but admire her versatility, each eye with a different function — it was impressive.
Kishirika sighed, thought for a few more moments, and finally declared:
"All right! But as you said… I won't fight directly! I haven't grown enough for that yet.
But, from today… consider me your ally!"
Verdia opened a radiant smile. Moore nodded solemnly.
Rygar replied with a smile:
"You won't regret it."
"Alright, alright!" Kishirika grumbled, somewhat impatient.
But then she looked directly at Rygar. More specifically, at Rygar's eyes.
She clicked her tongue:
"Tch!"
Then she turned to Verdia.
Pointed with her finger:
"You! Come closer!"
Verdia understood her objective immediately.
Rygar had already warned that something like this might happen, so she stepped closer, a little expectant.
Then, without further warning, Kishirika stuck her fingers into Verdia's left eye.
Verdia kept her body rigid. She had already expected the pain, so she didn't scream, but her shoulders trembled a bit.
Kishirika commented:
"Oh? You're quite resilient, huh."
A few moments later, she withdrew her fingers and stepped back.
"Done, I'm finished."
Verdia kept one eye closed, breathing deeply to relieve the pain.
Even so, she asked with a touch of excitement:
"What is this Demon Eye, milady?"
Rygar was paying close attention to this. After all, the Future Guide had specifically mentioned to let Kishirika choose a Demon Eye for Verdia, rather than asking for a specific one.
That naturally made him very curious about which Eye it would be.
Kishirika crossed her arms and answered proudly:
"This is the Spiritual Eye! I recently recovered it. I never had much use for it… But I think you might, since you're an elven mage!"
Verdia was completely shocked.
"The Spiritual Demon Eye really exists?!"
Moore also showed surprise, standing up immediately.
Rygar, however, could only think:
"...Spiritual Eye? What does that do?"
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