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“What is Zygos’ goal?”
“I want to say that we, by no means, want to hinder you.”
“Whether you hinder me or not depends on your goal. You’ll be hindering me if you don’t tell me what it is. I think it would be more constructive to have that discussion here and now.”
“I believe you are correct. I cannot say for Lord Zygos, but I for sure would be no match for you.”

Queen Kafix said that and paused meaningfully.

(Maybe I should’ve used my skills. But I doubt that she’d lie to God’s messenger, so it’s fine.)

“Lord Zygos’ goal is the destruction of this world.”
“But the world is already collapsing.”
“That is so. To put it in another way, his goal is to continue killing people in this world as long as time allows.”
“How should I put it? That just seems right.”

It did feel fitting, especially in terms of timing. It was like taking revenge on the world itself. Even turning upon it.

In the first place, Zygos wasn’t inherently an enemy of mankind.

He was a kind of coordinator, created by the world to eliminate whatever threatened it. Naturally, if the ones that threatened the world were its people, then he’d bare his fangs at them. Even throughout all his appearances in history, Zygos’ purpose had always been to liberate spirits.

While his first run had been slightly different, focused on exterminating those responsible for the downfall of the world’s overseers, his priorities shifted over time.

Once the spirits were captured, freeing them became the most urgent task. If only the spirits had been released, the world could have regained its balance, no matter how people acted. Though eliminating humans had once seemed like a solution, it was ultimately a method that required precision and structure.

Therefore, the long-held wish of the demon tribe, the apostles of Zygos, was likely to free the spirits and restore balance to the world. And I had just told them that this was impossible.

Queen Kafix likely realized this truth when Zygos’ goal had switched to destroying the world. She probably didn’t want to believe it, so she asked me for confirmation. She didn’t believe the world would collapse no matter how hard she tried.

“So I’m assuming that this current situation is quite favorable to you.”
“That is so. While I’m fuming due to being pushed back, we’re steadily able to kill humans. If the world is going to collapse either way, there is no point in surviving. I’ll devote the last of my time to torturing and slaying humans.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’m the one who started this war, you know. If you’d said it only brought you misery, I think I might’ve felt a little sad.”

While I had instigated it, the ones who started the war were the people of Fraus. They likely would’ve started the war without me lifting a finger, so I didn’t feel that responsible.

“I do not dare hold a grudge against you for that, but why would you, a messenger of God, do such a thing?”
“Do you know that Fraus performed a hero summoning?”
“I do. And I’m furious about it. If they hadn’t been here, we would have been able to inflict more damage.”
“I was one of the people who were summoned here. I was brought into this world suddenly, and I tried my best not to follow Fraus’ orders, but I was killed by the very heroes I came here with.”
“You have gone through quite an awful experience.”

(Ah, she’s pitying me. Is it really at a level where it garners the pity of a queen? Well, it was pretty terrible. But I was satisfied with my death, so it’s still better than dying with regrets.)

There were probably lots of people who died with regrets.

Still, I wasn’t sure if I could truly say I was satisfied with my death. After all, I had been reincarnated precisely because I died without regrets.

“My name is Finis. You can call me that if you’d like.”
“Understood. Lady Finis, if I may ask, are you planning to confront Lord Zygos?”
“I don’t know. That depends on Zygos himself. Honestly, I’d rather avoid any confrontation with him… but how should I put this? There are certain people I want to deal with personally—no, more like, I want them to keep playing along with the story I’ve set for them. So, I can’t say for sure we won’t end up clashing because of that.”

(Come to think of it, there’s also that old Elf who wanted to see the world end. What’s going to happen to him? Zygos is, in a sense, the symbol of this world’s collapse. I wonder if he could forgive that Elf? After all, if Zygos decides to go and target him, it will take me quite a bit of effort to protect him.)

“I can only pray that it doesn’t come to that. What are you planning on doing from now on, Lady Finis?”
“I’ll just watch for now. I have no intention of getting involved in this war at the moment. But just in case, could you tell me the location of the spirit first?”
“That is fine by me. If you do not plan to intervene, then I have no reason to resist.”

As she said that, the queen began walking, and I followed after her.

I had been debating whether to meet the heroes in Nigel, and since this could end up being the place where they met their end, I figured it was worth seeing them. I wanted to witness their final moments up close. Besides, I wanted the princess to return safely to Fraus. I figured I could act as a sort of escort.

But I wouldn’t kill the heroes. I’d treat it as just another event. An avoidable one. Similar to what I’d done with the kings of Viridis and Rubel. If they said they didn’t need the spirit, I would just quietly withdraw, and I wouldn’t even need to point my blade at them.

Before that, I wanted to tell them everything. If only they would let me speak.