When I opened my eyes.
"....?"
I was lying down, and I saw several people in front of me.
Elodie and Selena were looking down at me, and for some reason, both of them looked like they were about to cry, no, they were crying.
'What's going on?'
Moreover, Lily was grabbing Baal by the collar and shaking him.
"Why aren't you waking up! It's been past 10 minutes!"
"I don't know! Get off me! How dare you do this to me, the King of Hell....!"
"King of Hell or whatever! You're the only one here who's escaped the Pandemonium with Frondier! What happens inside! What kind of conditions are needed?"
"Hey! Frondier took me out too! How would I know about any conditions!"
"This useless devil!"
It was incredibly noisy.
And the commotion wasn't just limited to them; everyone was murmuring amongst themselves with grave expressions.
However, it was only for a moment.
"....Ah!"
Our eyes met. Elodie's and Selena's.
I slowly blinked, signaling that I was okay.
Selena, startled at the sight of me, her tear-stained face contorting, immediately—
Slap!
"Ouch!"
She slapped me.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
Elodie punched me in the stomach.
"You! Bad! Why are you only getting up now! Taking it easy while we were worried sick! Ugh! Just go be relaxed forever! Go die and be relaxed for eternity!"
"10 minutes! You said 10 minutes! What was the point of timing your escape then! Even counting down!"
Thwack! Smack! Thud! Smack!
"Ow! Ugh! Wait! What is this, ugh!"
I was getting beaten senselessly.
I thought I would get beaten up if I told them what happened inside, but I was getting pummeled whether I spoke or not.
"H-How long has it been?"
I barely managed to ask while being hit.
Selena yelled.
"It's been an hour!"
....An hour?
I was aiming for a little over 10 minutes, and it's been an hour?
Is my sense of time okay?
I was flustered by myself, but I desperately pleaded my case.
"I-I'm alive, so it's fine."
"Just die! Die, you bad person!"
Thwack! Thwack!
There was no real malice in Selena and Elodie's hands and fists, but they were filled with anger. That's why it hurt more than the actual damage I received.
"....Excuse me, you two."
Our savior arrived.
It was Basileo.
"Everyone is watching."
"....Ah."
At his words, Selena and Elodie looked around.
Everyone who had confirmed that I had woken up was too stunned to celebrate, seeing them hit me for so long.
"....A-Ah, well."
Feeling a little embarrassed, I got up.
I looked around. A dense forest with towering trees. It was an unfamiliar landscape.
"Where are we?"
"Nowhere yet. We're on our way to Edrium."
"....Where's that?"
It sounded vaguely familiar.
Elodie glanced at me with cold eyes.
"You've been there before. The devils' country. You met Baal there."
"Ah, right. The name was Edrium."
I had only heard it once in passing and had forgotten.
Selena spoke up from beside me.
"Gregory took us near here with Shadow Transfer, and we've been moving while avoiding the Gods' eyes. It seems they didn't even think to search for us."
"The Gods' eyes can't reach us if there are no humans with divine power nearby."
Elodie added.
"Divine power...."
My eyes unconsciously turned to Elodie.
Were her five Gods alright?
"I'm fine. It's extremely difficult for Veda to reach Olympus, and even if she tried to possess me, there's no real justification. It would just be a waste of faith."
I was relieved to hear that.
Then, I suddenly remembered something and asked.
"But why did we stop moving? Is it because I wasn't waking up?"
"That's one reason, and another is..."
As Elodie spoke, she glanced away.
Gregory was there. His human form was still unfamiliar.
He approached me with quick steps.
"Frondier, I have a report."
"....You haven't changed a bit."
"I'd love to joke around too, but it's a bit urgent."
At his words, I nodded.
It was important enough for Gregory to wake me up immediately. It must be serious.
"We found the Gate."
"....!"
"Among the remaining 72 devils who didn't follow Baal, we noticed some suspicious movements and followed them. They had hidden the Gate with concealment magic."
"....So there was more than one traitor."
I had read that there was a traitor among the 72 devils. That would be the most effective way to hide the Gate.
But if there were more than one, hiding the Gate would have been even easier. If they covered a large area around the Gate, the other 72 devils wouldn't be able to find it.
"We still don't know their intentions, but the Gate is still open."
"We can just ask them about their intentions."
"Ask them?"
Gregory asked back, and I looked around.
Not seeing who I was looking for within my sight, I raised my voice.
"Purpur, where are you?"
My question was met with silence.
Hmm.
Let's see, how can I effectively—
"I-I'm here."
Just as I was coming up with seven ways to torment him, Purpur came to me on his own.
Loyally, he knelt and bowed his head deeply.
As if he thought he could hide.
"Purpur, I have a question."
"Speak, Master."
"What are your intentions?"
"....Pardon?"
He raised his head and looked at me.
Wondering if he hadn't heard me, I asked again.
"What are your intentions, you guys?"
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