I take a glance at the hand offered to me by High King Viaflare.

'Are you sure?　It's true that my goal is to end the selection hearing. But it doesn't mean that our other agendas are aligned.

　He uttered that and took Viaflair's hand.
　She smiled and agreed to shake his hand.

'We all do that here,'

"Law.

Gadiçiora is the land of the free and the land of the family. It allows for miscellaneous ideas, miscellaneous seeds, miscellaneous ways of being. No matter who we are, we can get along better by sharing a table, because we are a family. Because we're a family.

　It wasn't a metaphor or anything, she said it as if she really believed it.

'There's only one thing that's required here, and that's that the world doesn't need a god.

　A nation made up of those who no longer believed in God.
　This land originally belonged to the Agaha, and some of the people would have come from Geordar.

　The Knights of the Phantom Name are the demons of the earth.

　By designating the enemy as gods, those with different ideas may have joined hands with each other and created the soil to recognize various ideas.

Gadeisiola is an enemy of the Agaha. Gadeisiola is hostile to Agaha. But will you still be an ally?

Well. 'Well, that's fine for now. ─ That's fine for now, but not if everyone in Gadaishiola is in danger. You haven't done anything yet. I won't persecute you for any dangerous thoughts you may have, but I won't persecute you for them. I'll allow you the freedom to think what you want, if that's all you want.

Hmm. That's very generous of you.

　Was it because of that looseness that the forbidden soldier attacked Ray and Arcana?

'Because, you see, you might change your mind while you're in Gadeisiola.

　Viaflair laughs.
　There was a slight, dim emotion in that smile.

'Was it your order to send that man, Cerys Voldigord, to the underground ruins of Regalondror in Geordal?

Yes, that's right. In Geordal's teachings, to prevent the Behelom Conception.

Gadeisiola will not be harmed by the loss of the earth.

Yeah.

　As he said it, Viaflair twirled his fingers in his hair and played with his hands.

The canopy disappears and the blessing rains down, right?　It's the rain that God sends down, isn't it?

　Madness lurked in her eyes.
　Her mouth twisted lewdly, and the High King smiled.

''Such intrusive happiness, I don't want to die.

You really don't like the gods, do you?

　'Haha,' chuckles Viaflair.

'Hate?　Ha-ha, how can you say you don't like it?　Ummmmm, hahahahahaha!

　She laughed off half-crazily and suddenly looked at me with imploring eyes.

'I hate God. I hate order. I will wipe them out of this world without leaving them behind. That's why I became the High King, Gadeisiola, for that reason alone.

　In a grudging voice, Viaflair spat out the thought.

''Hey. Shall I tell you a story about the past?　It's a trivial comedy that took place here under the ground.

Hmm. That sounds interesting. Let's hear it.

　With that, Viaphlea spun around and turned away and started to walk away.

'Once upon a time, in the land of Agaha, a dragoness was born. Her name was Sophia. She was an ordinary, ordinary girl who, like the people of Agaha, respected the sword and practiced. The only tragedy was that she was born with a short life span.

Are they short-lived?

Yeah.

　Viaflair replied in a light tone.
　A short-lived species........that is, she was suffering from senility disease.

'She resented her own circumstances to the extent that they were human. But that won't help you. The life expectancy was not overturned, even if the gods dwelt in her body. It was decided that Sophia would follow the prophecy of the Agaha and become a sacrifice to the king dragon.

　With a quiet clatter of footsteps, Viaflea walked towards the celestial pillar bracelets.

''It is a very proud thing. Your own life, with no future ahead of you, will be the sword and foundation that will protect your country on the day of calamity. As a knight of the Agaha, the highest honor has been bestowed upon the girl. No regrets, she thought.

　She touched the huge great sword that was stuck in the floor.

'Until I met someone,'

　Still, Vierfleur gazes at the celestial pillar-sword Velevim.
　Her face is reflected in the sword's barrel, which emits a translucent radiance.

''Even back then, the selection trials were taking place. Sophia happened to meet Boldinos, one of the selectors who had visited Agaha. He was the first High King of Gadeisiola who had buried the apostate god Genudunub.

　Just a little bit of something gentle mixed in with Viafrere's voice.

'When the High King Boldinos learned that Sophia was a sacrificial knight, he took her hand and then took her away to the land he ruled, Gadesiola. Sophia was bewildered, yet somewhat relieved. In truth, she was afraid of being sacrificed to the king's dragon. I think that's what got through to Boldinos. He spoke of how he could stay here forever.

　She squeezes her hand gently.

'Sophia was naturally drawn to Boldinos and eventually fell in love with him. For the first time in her life, it was a once-in-a-lifetime love. Her life expectancy was soon to end. Sophia told Boldinos of her feelings for him, and so she tried to return to Agaha. The last thing she wanted to do was to die, as a knight.

　Veerflare, reflected in Verevim's sword-body, smiled serenely.

'Boldinos held her back. He said he could help. He said he couldn't cure her of her short life, but he could reincarnate her with the magic of . If the king dragon ate her, the root of the dragon would be the child dragon's. Boldinos promised Sophia that they would meet again. He said he would make love to her once more. With those words, she decided to reincarnate.

　Viaflare bit her lip slightly and looked down.

'But even after Sophia's reincarnation was complete, the two of you never saw each other again.

Why?

Boldinos has won the Selective Judgment. He wanted to destroy the god Elorarielom, the god who is said to appear to the winner of the Selective Judgment. He wanted to destroy it and bring the ritual of the gods, the Selective Judgment, to an end.

　A god of harmony, I've never heard of him.

"Isn't it because the order that governs the Selective Judgment is invisible that the existence of the Almighty Glittering Eques is hinted at in the depths of the earth?

'No one knows. This is only mentioned in the Forbidden Book of Gadeisiola. The only other people who know about it are the Sword Emperor of Agaha and the future god Nafta.　What about the Pope?　I don't know what's in Geordal's scriptures either.

　If the Selection Judgment is nearing its end, that is, the world is nearing its end.
　As long as there is a prophecy of the Agaha, there is nothing else for those two to divulge.

　Even if it was in Geordal's scriptures, they would seldom speak otherwise.

'Anyway, Boldinus tried to challenge the Aligned God. But he failed to reach it. He was defeated, and he became an agent of the gods.

'The Forbidden Book of Gadaishiola is not a book, but an oral tradition, is it?　If the first High King, Boldinos, had become an agent of the gods, who did you ask about that?

　Turning around, Viaflare flicks her gaze straight at me.

'Of course, it's from him.'

　Quickly she stretched out her fingertips and held up a selection of beads of alliance.
　Inside of it is drawn the magic formula of the summoning.

　Particles of magic power gathered there, and the one who appeared was a man wearing armor over a robe.
　He turned his vacant eyes to the void.

''God doesn't need emotions. Boldinos, the god's representative, had lost his mind and became a being who merely maintained order. He chose the reincarnated Sophia as his selector, and then he told her everything he knew.

'....Sophie........a.......

　Awkwardly, Boldinos opens his mouth.

'....Kamio...holobose....

I know. I know. We're almost there.

　Sadly, Viaflea looked at her deputy.

''This is the end of things that defy the gods. This is the end of the first High King Boldinos. Hey, isn't this one hell of a comedy?　When Sofia and Boldinos were reunited, they couldn't fall in love. Because they had no heart.

　Magical power poured out of her entire body.
　An unfathomable rage flooded her eyes.

''.........That's not a joke......That's not a joke.......''

　She clenched her fists with a strong, blood-soaked force.

'I don't need order. I will destroy God, I will destroy order, and I will take my heart back from him. Selection judges and everything else, all that is named God, to the end.

'I don't know if destroying God will bring that man back to his heart.

If there's even a small chance, I don't mind if the world ends up being destroyed.

　He lost his mind because he became a substitute.
　Then, if the order of the substitute is no longer needed, he may regain his mind.

'I understand the situation. I'll end the selection process anyway. If that's really what you want, I'll go along with you, but what will you do first?

I'm going to miss Diedrich and Agaha in your presence.

That's very generous.

'Instead, I will destroy the future god Nafta. That god is the biggest obstacle to bringing the Selection Judge to an end.

　That's certainly true.
　The demise of the Selection Judgment is to be avoided in the prophecy of the Agaha.

　As long as Nafta is around, it's easy for Diedrich to avoid that future.

'I'm not asking you to put your hand down. "I'm not asking you to lay your hands on you, but as long as you don't interfere with what we're doing, that's fine. No matter how much you look into the future, the Knights of the Phantom Name will surely destroy that god.

　Can Cerys and Yegeth and Caihiram do that?
　The only way to destroy Nafta is to destroy every last future in which she lives.

'What reason would you have to show mercy to the future god Nafta?

Hmm. I'm not trying to be merciful.

　Lasciviously, Viaflair laughed.

'I ask you one thing, what a name that deputy has become for a god?

The name never changes, Boldinos. Delegates are not like gods. The name does not stand for order.

　Okay.

"Would you like me to fix you up?

　Viaflair gives me a wary look.

''I wonder if it's possible?''

"I'm not saying I can turn you back into a man from a substitute, but gods have hearts. Even the Heavenly Father God, Nausgaria, showed fear in his last moments in front of me.

　I walked loosely over and put my hand on Boldinos' chest.
　Viaflare gives me a worried look.

''
　The jet-black fingertips pierced its chest and gouged out its roots.
　The moment Viaflare looked at it with her eyes, she burned it out with the .

　All that was left was ashes.

''What's the matter?''

　On the spur of the moment, Viaflare seemed too stunned to speak.

''Your beloved has been destroyed, but you're quite calm, High King Viaflare?　Aren't you a little more distraught at times like this?

　Viaflair's expression shows a hint of dismay.
　But it was by no means due to the loss of Boldinos.

'Is that just as well. This guy was like a god, but he didn't have any order to it. He just makes the source look like a god. If he were an agent with the power of a god, he would not perish so easily.

　The Dark Lord Ygess said that the selection god who chose Viaflare was the Violent Eating God Galvadrion.
　If that's the case, it doesn't add up to her explanation.

　It means that one of them is lying.

"That was a very convincing monkey show, Viaflair. Bringing the Selection to an end to save your loved ones. How dare one from the depths of the earth know how to plead for my mercy. Now, I don't know who put you up to this.

　As if searching his mind, I turn my demon eyes still and lightly lift my blackened fingertips.

''I hope you've heard the manners of when you've been caught in a lie, right?