Since Faust lacked the ability to move on his own, he was carried along entirely by Mephistopheles, who supported him from behind. At first, he could see various drifting celestial bodies and even illusions of forests, deserts, and glaciers, but as they ventured further, the scenery became increasingly monotonous.
Eventually, only soft ribbons of light like silk drifted around them. As Faust walked, he listened to Mephistopheles whispering in an incredibly beautiful and pleasing voice:
【This was my residence when I received my divine authority. In the distant past, the son of man intended to build the Tower of Babel to reach this place, linking the Celestial Realm and the mortal world.】
【What a lively and adorable bunch of little ones. I do not easily express love or hate, but the son of man is indeed much better than the Son of the Beast. It is no wonder my young compatriot was so obsessed with leading civilization to conquer the wilderness.】
【In the face of such human passion, no fairy can remain indifferent.】
Mephistopheles chatted quite casually, prompting the prince to ask, "Why are you telling me all this?"
【Because I want to tell you about my past.】
Mephistopheles replied: 【I know almost everything about you from your childhood to the present, yet you know so little about me. Doesn't that seem a bit unfair? As a contractor, you ought to know me, to perceive me.】
Faust retorted, "What's the point of telling me this? It's all just fluff. Why don't you let me turn my head and see what you actually look like?"
He was truly curious about the appearance of Mephistopheles's mental projection, and this was the perfect opportunity.
However, since Mephistopheles was controlling his vision so strictly, it likely had no intention of letting him see.
To Faust's surprise, Mephistopheles did not flatly refuse.
【Mm-hmm... Are you curious? Sigh, it is not that I am intentionally teasing you, but in principle, I do not do face reveals without five billion followers.】
【If you could offer a few more sacrifices, Faust, perhaps I could make an exception.】
What is this, a streamer? Is it treating me like its top donor?
Faust was almost driven to laughter by Mephistopheles's sense of humor. After a moment of thought, he decided to use a bit of reverse psychology.
"Being so timid, you're probably not as good-looking as the true dragon of the empire, are you? I think I'll just go find myself a real dragon instead."
As soon as those words left his mouth, a silence fell over them.
After a long pause, Mephistopheles finally spoke in a low tone:
【...That is something I cannot simply ignore.】
【Very well. Just as you are about to leave, you may look back once, so you may know just how much superior I am to Lian.】
It actually worked?! Is the competition between fairies really that fierce?
Gaining permission from Mephistopheles was an unexpected delight. The prince couldn't help but look forward to it intensely as he continued his conversation with the fairy with renewed interest.
They walked along the path of light for an unknown amount of time, talking all the while, until Mephistopheles finally came to a halt.
【Let us stop here. If we go any further, I shall face providence's punishment. This has been a rare interaction; I shall treasure it and savor the memory for a long time.】
The fairy sighed with a sense of profound satisfaction, as if it had experienced centuries in that short time.
Then, his weightless soul was once again filled with heavy mercury, causing Faust's vision to go nearly black.
In the second before he plummeted from the path of light, he realized he could move his body again. He turned with all his might and caught a glimpse of a blurry, female-like figure in a white dress in his peripheral vision.
As for the face... its features? They were impossible to perceive, impossible to remember. Faust couldn't even begin to form a judgment on the appearance of the entity that was presumably Mephistopheles.
The only things he could see clearly were those eyes.
They were like the sediment of deep red wine, filled with divine softness and tranquility, gazing down from the high heavens.
The eyelids were lowered, carrying a gentle smile.
【O son of man, I remain here, offering prayers for beautiful wishes, ever constant.】
Then, a sensation of falling and dizziness surged into his mind simultaneously, crashing against the barriers of his will and causing Faust to lose consciousness.
...
"!!!"
When Faust regained consciousness and snapped his eyes open, he found himself still held in the embrace of the Moon Deity's incarnation. The searing 【Great Thunder】 in his hand had run the tall incarnation through, protruding from the back of its armor.
The Moon Deity's incarnation shuddered and finally lowered its head, its silver hair like withered grass draping over much of Faust's body.
It wasn't until dark gold blood spilled from the wound and covered the back of his hand that Faust snapped out of his trance. The prince immediately began to observe his surroundings.
To him, it felt as though he had spent at least ten hours in the Celestial Realm, yet from the positions of everyone else on the scene, not much had changed.
So, how much time had passed in the mortal world? One second? Or maybe two?
Faust couldn't help but feel bewildered by this distorted flow of time.
"Faust!"
"Your Highness!"
After Faust struggled out of the incarnation's deadly embrace, the girls immediately rushed over. Viviana was the first to catch the pale, exhausted prince, checking his physical condition.
After a moment, the pale-gold haired girl found that Faust was merely suffering from exhaustion and had no other injuries. She let out a sigh of relief before saying in a rare, reproachful tone:
"Your Highness, why did you take such a reckless risk just now?"
Although the Moon Deity's incarnation had been suppressed by everyone, it still possessed terrifying explosive power in close combat. Everyone had tacitly agreed to take turns wearing the target down, but Faust had charged in directly.
If Faust hadn't emerged safe and sound, they would have all let out a string of curses.
Selena crossed her arms and let out a cold snort.
"Were you so desperate to claim the merit of deicide for yourself?"
Alkin pulled Faust up from the knight's arms and smiled.
"Ah, the glory of deicide. Of course, it belongs to you. No one can take that away."
"No, it belongs to all of us. We couldn't have done it without everyone."
Faust shook his head. He naturally wouldn't reveal what had just happened, nor would he take all the credit as if it were rightfully his. He would treat it as a collective victory over the Moon Deity's incarnation.
The girls were all indifferent to fame and fortune, so they didn't press the matter of glory.
They didn't even seem to feel much about the act of deicide itself!
Only the white wolf girl extinguished the fire on her blade and bowed deeply to the motionless incarnation of the Moon Deity.
"Thank you for your sacrifice and leadership. Please, rest in peace."
Ssh—
Following Alkin's gesture of respect, the thick fog in the surrounding forest began to recede, as if pierced by sunlight.
No, it wasn't just 'as if'. It was actual sunlight.
They had been fighting the Moon Deity's incarnation since the middle of the night, and they had actually fought until dawn.
The morning sun rose from the horizon, and the dawnlight fell into the dark forest that hadn't seen light for a century, dispelling all the dampness and cold.
With the fall of the Moon Deity, the restrictions placed by the god naturally vanished into thin air. The Fog Moon Kingdom's long history of isolation was officially declared over at this moment.
Faust let out a sigh at the sight. "It's over. Let's head back."
They took turns supporting Faust as they left the forest. By the time they reached the town, the celebration was just coming to an end.
Alkin pulled out her pocket watch and shook it with a smile toward Faust and the two girls.
"It looks like we'll still make it back in time for breakfast."
Rate on N.U.
