"So, who won? Moriphis? A new challenger?"

"Probably Moriphis! These days, is it a world where dragons rise from the creeks?"

The chaos demon has risen from the creek.

Meanwhile, there was also talk of concerns about the current state of affairs.

"I heard that the sacred power awakeners are going down fast?"

"Seems like the Order Church’s god isn’t what it used to be."

"Ah, at this rate, all the sacred power will disappear, won't it?"

"Then the potion prices will rise! I’d better stock up!"

"Me too!"

That's a bad investment. As long as the Oracle is around, that won't happen.

There must be a few people like that, so for now, Dad’s Rodel Potion Shop might benefit from a boom.

Soon, the eagle-shaped sign appeared. We had arrived at our destination.

This place was tucked away in a corner, not easily visible to passersby. However, today, there were quite a few customers, and all but one of the six tables were occupied.

"Looks like it’s already been rumored as a good place."

"Or maybe it's just because it's a special day."

Reed responded casually and pulled out a chair for me.

Although we had added to the number of customers, the atmosphere inside the shop was quiet. It was a place where people just ate and left without much noise.

We ordered various dishes. First, the beef roll steak and mixed grilled vegetables came out, and the chicken lemon grill and wine came a little later.

"Oh, it’s delicious. Mmm, hmm. I should try making this myself later."

Seeing me enjoying the food, Reed, who had been indifferent about it, seemed to get his appetite going. He also ate a piece of beef wrapped in cheese.

"Not bad."

Come to think of it, he probably didn’t eat properly during the last 100th cycle. Feeling a bit sorry for him, I piled a plate with nicely grilled meat and vegetables and handed it to him.

"Alright, let’s commit the sin of gluttony."

"You really are a fallen villain."

He seemed pleased as I went along with his banter.

Reed, who had been poking vegetables with his fork without any words, suddenly spoke as if he had just remembered something.

"Odellit and the people in the square were saying some interesting things about sacred power."

He was referring to the rumors about the priests and white mages of the Order Church rapidly losing their power.

"Looks like the aftermath of the last timeline is reaching here."

"Yeah. According to the Oracle, it’s the aftermath of the Order Demon losing its divinity and being sealed. Once the Oracle Church takes root, the phenomenon will stop."

"Order Demon, huh, nice name."

"Right, right. It’s the name the Oracle gave it."

I was about to try preaching again, but Reed didn’t give me the chance.

"To sum it up, the Order Church is headed for collapse, and the Oracle Church is the only salvation. It’s the perfect time to spread the faith."

"Exactly."

"I’ll introduce you at the Mage Tower’s inauguration ceremony and formally declare the national religion. Once you solidify your authority as a religious leader, everything will become much easier."

"That’s probably true."

Reed smiled faintly.

"For that, we’ll need 'that,' won’t we?"

He was talking about the Divine Descent.

"So, what do you think of the Divine Scripture? Ah, I should call you 'Your Holiness' since you’re also the Pope."

It was a reasonable suggestion. However, after the Divine Descent, I’d lose consciousness for 48 hours, which meant I’d have to entrust everything to Reed during that time, a risky proposition.

Was he trying to provoke me on purpose?

It seemed a bit strange. He had never openly said he wanted to see me after the Divine Descent before, but now he was clearly pushing my boundaries, provoking me to the point of raising my guard.

Even now, he was doing it.

"Now that you have enough strength to take care of me for two days, I guess it’s okay to be defenseless."

He said to reassure me, but his smile looked more like 'Are you really going to use the Divine Descent?'

<Does he realize that this is backfiring on him?>

I’d say he probably does.

So what’s clear now is this.

‘Reed is testing me.’

To see if I trust him. And if I do, how far I would go in that trust.

There are two major things someone does after carefully testing the other’s trust. Either they repay it with the same level of trust, or they betray it.

Let’s test him.

"What are you going to do while I’m unconscious?"

"Nothing in particular."

"Isn’t this a good opportunity? The perfect time to stab the accomplice in the back."

"Are you worried about betrayal?"

"Yeah."

"Well, well, Ayleth Rodeline."

He said it with a tone that seemed to feign regret.

"You know, I’m usually the one who gets betrayed, right?"

...Bringing up such a sad past seems a bit cowardly.

For many years, most of the people around him ended up in betrayal and loss. So, he probably doesn’t expect much from people anymore.

Once he brought up his misfortune, it was clear he wasn’t interested in interrogating me anymore. I was thinking about changing the subject when Reed spoke again.

"Actually, I don’t expect much from you either."

"..."

Does that mean you don’t expect much from me either?

I was honestly a bit surprised.

"Betrayal, well, it’s fine."

He mumbled to himself, but he wasn’t looking at me. His gaze, lowered and distant, seemed to look as if he were staring at an abyss.

The conversation fell silent for a moment. The stillness at the table, combined with the quiet atmosphere of the restaurant, made it feel as though all the sounds of the world had vanished.

"Your food has arrived."

At just the right moment, the waiter arrived with the chicken lemon grill and wine.

I sliced through the lemony, juicy chicken breast without much thought and opened my mouth casually.

"Reed, there’s no need to provoke the other party and raise their guard."

"Did I do that?"

"You did it to me, and you did it at the Mage Tower too."

Since we were on the topic, I might as well address it.

"The door from the last battle was excessive."

"That? I didn’t even open it."

"It’s good that you didn’t open it, but the act of summoning it in the first place already showed off your power too much."

You proved you were an Exalted.

"Is there a problem? Thanks to that, I got unanimous support peacefully."

"Ugh. Are you pretending to not know, or do you really not understand?"

I handed him a plate with a piece of chicken topped with a slice of lemon. It was a childish teasing, but he obediently ate it.

"Why are you eating that?"

"You gave it to me."

Suddenly, I felt thirsty. My hand automatically reached for the wine bottle. As I opened the cork, I continued my explanation.

"When people see a powerful force exceeding a threshold, they feel both awe and threat. Especially mages, who are full of envy for magic."

Magic is a field heavily dependent on innate talent and mental capacity. There’s a clear wall that can’t be overcome by effort, so they crave genius but /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ also resent it. It’s an instinct and a habit of mages.

"Yes, it’s true that there’s a darker side to them."

"Right. Even those people who’ve been locked away in their rooms for decades, failing to surpass the 7th circle, how much has that darkness evolved? You casually flaunted the 9th circle in front of them today."

I swirled the wine in my glass.

"Reed, I’m sure of it."

"..."

"From the moment they saw the door from the last battle, all the mages must have wanted to kill you."

For whatever reason, whatever they did.

They would have wanted to kill that awe-inspiring power.

Reed lowered his gaze as though lost in thought.

"Is that so."

"Yeah."

Seeing that Reed had understood to some degree, I took a satisfied sip of my wine.

I didn’t realize it, but I was quite thirsty. The sweet liquid flowed down my throat.

That’s when it happened.

‘Ah.’

A feeling came over me.

<Ayleth?>

"..."

<Ayleth, what’s wrong?>

I didn’t have time to respond to Agnes’s voice.

The system detected what I had just drunk.

[ 'Deadly Poisoned Wine' 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Wine brewed from extreme poison. For an ordinary person, even a drop is lethal.]

I put the glass down. I could feel the liquid dripping from my lips down to my chin, releasing a foul, bitter smell.

Up until this point, my gaze had been locked on Reed across from me. He was staring at me, unmoving, as though time had stopped. His eyes were colder than usual.

Well, now that he saw, he should understand what was happening.

Look, the Magic Council is already at work.

The moment I gave him a bitter smile in place of words.

"...Ayleth Rodeline."

Reed’s eyes trembled.

And then my vision swayed and blurred.