126 - - It's like scrambling for seven things.
Alexei Gubeluk stepped onto the grounds of the royal palace.
His destination was a detached palace some distance from the royal palace.
The reason is that he was suddenly summoned by Queen Giselotte, whose body Luciphila, the demon goddess, had taken over.
He feels it is dangerous to meet the woman who tried to kill him.
However, if she intends to kill him, it is not worth the trouble to summon her, and he thinks positively that this is the perfect opportunity to find out how she will behave in the future.
Once in the palace, he was escorted by a servant to the queen's private chambers.
"Welcome, my dear. Well, I was expecting you."
At his urging, he sat down on the sofa, but Giselotte sat in a chair far away and swayed her wine.
"You tried to kill me once, and now you want to bring me back into the fold?"
"Yes."
It's so simple. And he didn't seem to be offended at all.
"Things have changed. I got some interesting information from the demon I sent.
"I thought Shiva had left me with nothing to do."
"Be careful what you say. It's just the two of us now, but you know..."
Not intending to meet outside without a fight, Alexei responded with a shrug.
"So? What do you mean by interesting information?"
Gieselotte took a sip of her wine and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
"The man Shiva, the Black Warrior, is a demon born of a demon god other than myself.
Alexei raised one eyebrow and gave a satisfied smile.
The demigod who created Shiva has transferred most of his power to Shiva, and he himself is right next to him, disguised as a man. That is..."
Gieselotte barks loudly.
"Charlotte Semphis, that little b*tc*!"
Alexei's brow furrowed in pain.
"Calm down, my dear."
"Oh? Was I really that excited?"
"What? Oh, no, ...... let's hear the rationale first."
Alexei's slight averting of his gaze was unnoticed by Giselotte.
"This is a report from a demon who fought Shiva directly. She was very good at detecting magic. Not as good as Mercumenes, but she's also a very good analyst, so if she sensed it, then it's a good guess."
Is it really so? Alexei was fed up with the noisy voice (・・・・・) in his ear, but he suspected that it was far from the truth.
（But, well, I see. (But, well, I see...) I guess they are using that to their advantage.
Alexei gave a small nod to the voice that seemed to have calmed down.
"The reason why he transferred most of his power to the apostles and mimicked human form can be explained if he was wary of "god killers". The whole thing makes sense.
Yes, you're right.
"And if we defeat the demon goddess Charlotte Semphis, her apostle Shiva will disappear."
You've been getting along with that little girl lately, haven't you?
You want me to assassinate her?
Refuse, and I will kill you.
Not intimidated by Giselotte's glare, Alexei pretended to think.
He takes his time and spins his words.
"I want Shiva's overthrow as much as you do. But assassinating Charlotte is not going to happen.
Shall I ask why?
She is under the protection of Shiva. Of course she is. Not only is Shiva herself directly involved, but Charlotte has a strong protective shield. It would be very difficult even for you to break through it."
"You've been underestimated. But Shiva won't be so quiet if I go directly to eliminate him.
Giselotte bites her back teeth, and Alexei tells her coldly.
I have a way.
Really?
Alexei's brow furrows in anguish as he looks away from Ghiselotte, who is leaning forward.
It was as if to say, "Why do I have to say this nonsense?
"You must collect the seven secret cards scattered all over the world.
"...... secret card?"
Doubts hurt. But he reopened his eyes.
"Yes. The things that will remove each and every one of her strongest defenses. If all of them are collected and destroyed, Charlotte will be stripped naked. Oh, and of course I'm fully clothed, so don't get any ideas."
What are you talking about?
"Anyway, collecting cards is the best solution, yes."
"It's hard to believe, but first we have to see what the secret card is. Where is it?
Charlotte herself doesn't know where it is. Right now, she's looking for it.
"Well, you said you were
"For God's sake, be careful what you say. We are both demi-gods, so please refrain from speaking disparagingly about her."
Alexei rubs one earlobe and clears his throat.
"Charlotte seems to have had some trouble remembering her reincarnation as a human. Charlotte seems to have a confused memory in her reincarnation as a person. But she seems to be remembering little by little, and I'm involved in the investigation.
You're going to pass that information on to us, aren't you?
"Yeah, I'll work with them, pretending to look for the card, but I'll get in their way. You can retrieve the card before they do. But it is not advisable for you to go directly to them. Shiva is most likely to pay attention to you.
"So you want me to act as a decoy to stop Shiva in his tracks. And then we can send a demon to retrieve her.
Alexei nodded and stood up.
"Shiva will know that I am here today. But he cannot know what you are talking about. But he will not be able to break through the many layers of shielding that have been placed around me. I'll keep the details of the meeting under wraps."
"You do that. And be quick with the information.
I'll do my best. But I can't do anything unless Charlotte reminds me. I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from taking such drastic measures."
All right," agreed Giselotte, somewhat disapprovingly.
Alexei left the palace and returned to his room.
There he saw a man dressed all in black.
"Shiva, was that the right thing to do? I don't mind you telling me what to do, but I don't want you yelling in my ear."
"I'm sorry. Well, it was a very dignified performance."
The meeting with Gieselotte was always accompanied by Shiva's voice. Naturally, he knew what we were talking about.
"But what kind of a joke is this, collecting cards?"
"It's just a way to buy time. Besides--"
I cannot see his expression through his black helmet, but I think he smirked at me.
"It would be fun to fight for the treasure, wouldn't it?"
Alexei stared for a moment and then said, "I'm sorry,
"Yeah, you and I seem to hit it off surprisingly well."
I let out a smile without realizing it.