Odin did nothing now.
There was no need. He had finished everything he needed to do.
“All those who praised you as a hero will turn their backs on you.”
“You will be cursed and punished for crimes you didn't commit, and even if you learn the truth, it will be too late.”
Odin raised his head. His tired gaze shifted from me to the ceiling.
“Isn't it foolish? That's how humans are. They don't even know what to believe. To them, a hero is just another name for an errand boy who protects the safety they should be protecting themselves.”
The human crowd spoken of by the one who received the faith and belief of all people from the highest place.
A result I brought upon myself.
Perhaps if I had dealt with all the devils in the Empire after everything was over, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
Rather than hiding the fact that Lily was a devil, if I had reported it to the Imperial Palace first, the trust in me would have increased even more.
“Frondier. You try to protect too much.”
“Trying not to let go of everything you hold in your hands, that's a desire worse than a devil's.”
I raised my head at those words.
Odin's message of clear mockery and contempt towards me.
But my emotions remained calm.
I finally understood.
“You were waiting to say that, weren't you, Odin?”
“You must have really wanted to make me regret it.”
What Odin kept emphasizing to me.
That I had made a mistake.
─If you had protected a little less, it would have been fine. The devils of the Empire, Lily, they're not even human, are they?
─There was no need to protect them. That's why you're in this state, Frondier.
Odin waited for me to say that. After everything was over, he could have just disappeared.
“Is that so difficult? Odin. That I try to protect regardless of whether they are devils or humans.”
“You interpret the mercy of God as you please, Frondier.”
Living in this world, I knew better than anyone what kind of things the gods did.
“Odin. I already said it. It's your victory.”
“But you're still here.”
Regarding this situation, I had made too many mistakes, and it was too late.
Even if Odin hadn't waited for me, I already knew.
“Thanks to that, I realized.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That you don't victory right now.”
That's why he waited for me and worked hard to talk.
The gods wanted me to hate humans.
They wanted me to stay away from devils.
Thank you for the hint, Lord.
“You've worked hard, Odin.”
Possessing Sale, threatening the emperor, mobilizing the Imperial Palace to change public opinion.
In the process, gathering the crumbs of the path I had walked and spreading rumors as if they were evidence.
Who would have thought?
That Odin would move to this extent to bring down just one person like me.
“……Say what you will. You are now in an irreversible situation.”
“Yes, I know. Go ahead.”
I waved my hand towards Odin.
Odin looked at me with a still displeased expression, and then his eyes closed.
The purple haze surrounding Sale disappeared, and Sale, like Bartello, collapsed onto the bed.
‘……These two will probably be safe. It's not what Odin wants for the emperor or the princess to die.’
Odin possessed someone who wasn't the target of his divine power. That alone would have consumed a considerable amount of mental energy.
The fact that it lasted for several days was indeed worthy of Odin, but he must have reached his limit.
If Bartello or Sale died, it would be a very difficult situation for me, but it would probably be the same for Odin. Philly and Elysia believed in me.
Rather, if clear evidence emerged that I didn't kill the emperor, there was a possibility that the wind of public opinion driving me would change.
Above all, this was enough for Odin.
“Ah! Frondier! Lily!”
And soon after, a voice came from behind me.
It was Philly. She arrived here with Pascal.
I see. Pascal was on this side. Then the knight who met Hagley was Robert.
Philly approached me for a while but then ran to them after spotting the two on the bed. After confirming Sale and Bartello's steady breathing, Philly asked me with relief,
“……There was divine intervention.”
And I conveyed what Odin had done, mixed with my own reasoning and speculation. Philly listened quietly. The way she stroked Sale's hair was the very image of a mother.
“……Neither of them changed.”
After hearing my entire story, Philly said.
Philly probably came here prepared to face one or both of them as enemies.
I couldn't even begin to imagine how she must have felt, having to confront her husband or daughter. Moreover, Philly had a past with Elysia, so it must have been even more difficult.
The current situation must be a relief for Philly. The enemy wasn't within the Imperial Palace but rather an event orchestrated by a god.
Philly soon stood up.
Then, she walked past me without even looking at me.
“Well! Then the case is solved!”
Philly's strangely cheerful voice. I said while looking at her back,
“Now the remaining issue is the misunderstanding and public opinion of the citizens of the Empire. If we can just resolve this well,”
“Ah, there was also the matter of Miss Lily. Hmm, what should we do about this? First, let's call Zodiac and talk…….”
Philly wasn't responding to my calls and was just talking about her own things.
No, that wasn't right. It wasn't her own story.
It was a message to me.
‘I'm talking now, so don't bring up the next topic,’ was the instruction.
Only then did Philly's mouth stop.
The cheerful atmosphere subsided, and Philly's head slowly lowered. Pascal, who was next to her, also lowered his head, and Lily, who was nearby, closed her eyes tightly.
“Thank you for everything.”
Philly's head slowly moved and looked at me.
With her lips bitten, a frustrated expression, and tearful eyes, she faced me.
A face Philly had never shown before, and probably never would again.
That's why I could be calm instead.
As if Philly was enduring my sadness in my place, I could smile.
“I bid you farewell here and now.”