Zelretch, who had been silently observing the rising tension all this time, suddenly burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Interesting! Truly fascinating!"
The old magus slapped his knees, his face glowing as if he had just witnessed the finest performance in a grand theater.
"My interest in this group has only grown! I never expected that in such a short amount of time, this small gathering would already split into two factions that fundamentally oppose each other!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.
As Zelretch's laughter subsided, the figure of the Child of Light suddenly faded and reappeared right beside the Wizard Marshal, floating casually.
"So, Zelretch…" the figure whispered, her voice alluring.
"Which side will you stand on?"
She pointed toward Kagaya and L, then shifted her finger toward Koko and Nobu.
"Will you choose the faction of the Savior… who seeks to protect the world with morality and heart?"
"Or…"
"Will you choose the faction of the Ruler… who will lead the world with an iron hand and absolute power?"
"Hmmm…"
Zelretch tapped his chin, pretending to think deeply, before breaking into a relaxed grin.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I won't be joining either faction. My role here is simply to observe. I want to see for myself which path my foolish student will choose."
He waved his hand dismissively, as if brushing away a boring offer.
"Besides, I've always avoided troublesome politics. So you could say…" Zelretch raised three fingers.
"I am the Third Faction. A neutral party that sides with no one."
The Child of Light laughed brightly.
"Hahaha! A very characteristic answer from you, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg."
Hearing that, Zelretch snorted in amusement and fixed the glowing figure with a sharp gaze.
"Tch, look in the mirror before you speak. You're the same, aren't you?" Zelretch mocked.
"You don't truly care about the outcome. You just want to enjoy the show. You're the type who would calmly watch destruction or salvation with popcorn in hand."
The Child of Light fell silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"Hm… You're right. I am like that. I have no moral stake here," she admitted casually.
"In that case, it means I'm on the same side as you."
"Oh? I suppose you are."
Zelretch laughed broadly and spread his arms with exaggerated theatrical flair, as if welcoming honored guests.
"Then… welcome to the Third Faction, dear readers!"
The figure fell silent after Zelretch's words. Suddenly, her face twisted into a terrifying smile, her teeth visible.
"So… you noticed," she said.
Ritsuka, who had remained motionless like a statue amid the storm of arguments, finally moved. His right hand rose and grasped Koko's arm, which was still wrapped tightly around him.
"Koko… let go of me," Ritsuka said softly but firmly.
However, Koko did not comply. Instead, she tightened her hold, pressing her cheek against the side of Ritsuka's face as if afraid of losing him.
"Ritsuka, listen to me!" Koko whispered urgently, a hint of desperation in her voice.
"You have that potential! Don't listen to naive Kagaya. I swear… I won't use your power for my own benefit. I'm doing this for us… for a greater purpose!"
L, watching the scene, narrowed his eyes sharply.
"Don't be fooled," L cut in coldly.
"An arms dealer's promise is worth less than an empty shell casing. In the end, she only sees you as a strategic asset to further her ambitions."
"Ritsuka, don't let those whispers stain your heart," Kagaya added pleadingly.
"Humans must not cross that boundary. Forcing one's will upon the world is taboo. If you follow Koko's path, you will only create suffering—for the world, and for your own soul."
As if ignoring both warnings, Ritsuka turned his face slightly to the side. His face was now only inches away from Koko's.
He looked straight into her eyes, then smiled.
"Koko… I know."
Ritsuka's voice was gentle, free of judgment.
"Even though your words sound cruel and insane… I know what you truly want. Beneath that 'Demon Queen' mask, you want to create a peaceful world, don't you? You want to end this endless war so humanity no longer has to suffer."
Koko's eyes widened. Her body froze. She had expected rejection or a moral lecture, but instead… Ritsuka understood her. The seemingly naïve boy saw straight into the core of her soul.
"Ritsuka… you…" Koko stammered, words failing her.
Taking advantage of her shock, Ritsuka gently pulled Koko's arm away from his neck.
Free at last, Ritsuka turned to face L and Kagaya. He stood upright, his gaze calm.
"L, Kagaya-san… you don't need to worry. Thank you for your warnings, but I won't break just because of this power."
L looked at him skeptically. His logic rejected such blind optimism.
"On what basis can you be so certain?" L challenged.
"History has recorded thousands of cases. Those who obtained absolute power always fell into madness and corruption in the end. It's an undeniable pattern."
Ritsuka nodded slowly, his gaze drifting far away, as if looking at long-missed faces.
"I know what you mean, L. I understand the danger very well," Ritsuka replied quietly.
"The history of Roman emperors and Chinese emperors… Qin Shi Huang, who descended into madness from paranoia about death. Caligula, driven insane by love and loss. And… Nero, who ended up despised by his own people."
Ritsuka clenched his fist.
"I know their stories… better than anyone."
"You understand the pattern, Ritsuka. That's exactly why you must—"
"But those are their stories, L."
Ritsuka calmly cut off the detective's warning.
"And what you fear… is only a future possibility. It hasn't happened, and it may never happen," Ritsuka continued as he slowly walked past L and Kagaya.
"Right now… honestly, I don't yet know which path I should choose. The path of the Savior, or the path of the Ruler…" he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.
Ritsuka paused, then turned back to face L and Kagaya. The room's light fell across his face, revealing an expression that was difficult to describe.
"But you don't need to worry about 'corruption of the heart' or anything like that."
Ritsuka placed his hand over his chest.
"You don't need to fear that I'll become broken because of this power," he said softly, his eyes dim like a candle on the verge of going out.
"Because, to be honest… I was already broken from the start."
Silence.
A cold wind seemed to sweep through the room, brushing against Ritsuka's hair.
Nobu, usually keenly sensitive to darkness and madness, stood frozen this time. Her brows knit deeply as she stared at her Master's back with an unfamiliar look.
'What kind of face is that?' Nobu wondered.
Koko was speechless. The manipulative smile slowly faded from her face.
"Why… does he look like that?" Koko murmured.
Elsewhere, L opened his mouth, ready to deliver a sharp deduction or another probing question. But before a word could escape him, a hand stopped his arm.
Kagaya shook his head gently at L, signaling him to remain silent. Though blind, Kagaya's intuition sensed a suffocating wave of pain radiating from the young man.
"My boy…" Kagaya's voice trembled softly.
"What have you truly gone through to—"
CLAP!
The sharp, sudden sound of clapping echoed through the room, cutting Kagaya off and startling everyone.
Ritsuka pulled his hands back. His familiar bright smile—a perfect mask he often used to reassure others—spread across his face.
"All right, all right! Don't make such gloomy faces!" Ritsuka exclaimed.
He spread his arms wide, looking at each of them with eyes that had regained their firmness.
"You don't need to guess right now. Just give me time, then watch and observe!"
Ritsuka pointed confidently to his own chest.
"See for yourselves which path I choose from now on. Whether I become a Savior… or a Ruler. You can judge me later."
He lowered his hands and smiled casually.
"Let fate answer that."
Silence once again enveloped the room, until Koko broke it with a stubborn tone.
"Fine…"
Koko let out a long sigh.
"For this round, I'll stay quiet and just be a spectator."
Suddenly, she raised her hand and pointed straight at Ritsuka's face, her fingers shaped like a gun.
"But remember this, Ritsuka. I won't give up. I'm a merchant who always gets what she wants. Sooner or later… I'll make sure you become a Ruler under my guidance."
Ritsuka smiled helplessly at her persistence and shook his head lightly.
"You're really stubborn, Koko," Ritsuka said gently.
"Honestly, I don't know how to respond to ambitions as high as yours… but, well, I'll be waiting for your attempts."
"Hmph. Just wait and see…" Koko snorted.
Before disappearing, Koko shot a sharp glance at Kagaya and L.
"And you two…"
The corner of Koko's lips curled into a sneer.
"You're cowards."
The moment she uttered those words, she vanished completely from the room.
Nobu blinked several times, staring at the spot where Koko had been standing.
"Hoo? She left pretty fast," Nobu commented casually, crossing her arms.
"Such an impatient woman."
L and Kagaya ignored Koko's insult.
L looked at Ritsuka one last time. Without saying a single word—not even a farewell—he turned around and vanished from the room.
Kagaya, sensing his companion's abrupt departure, could only let out a long sigh.
"A mind that is too sharp often ends up shackling its owner…" Kagaya murmured softly.
After L was completely gone, Amane quickly took hold of her husband's arm, guiding Kagaya toward Ritsuka. Kagaya stopped right in front of the young man.
"Ritsuka… allow me to give you one final warning before we part today."
"Immortality… for a human, is not a blessing. It is a curse."
The atmosphere grew heavy and still.
"In the end, immortality becomes endless mental torture. You will remain young, your body eternal… yet you will be forced to watch everyone you love slowly age, wrinkle, wither, and eventually die, leaving you behind."
Kagaya reached out, placing a hand on Ritsuka's shoulder with deep sympathy.
"You will continue to live, saying goodbye again and again, until your heart grows numb. That is the loneliest form of hell, my boy."
"Yes… I know that pain all too well."
Ritsuka's eyes drifted far away. In an instant, shadows of the past crossed his mind.
He saw a beautiful purple-haired woman holding a crimson spear in the Land of Shadows, standing alone for thousands of years, waiting for someone capable of killing her.
Then the image shifted to a magnificent Chinese Emperor seated upon a mechanical throne. A being who achieved immortality and absolute peace, yet ended in solitude, with no equal companions in the world he himself created.
Ritsuka closed his eyes briefly, dispelling the visions, then looked back at Kagaya with resolute eyes.
"I can handle it, Kagaya-san. I've already seen people who walked that path. I know how heavy and lonely it is… that's why I promise you, I'll be fine. Even if I end up alone."
Hearing that overly calm answer, Kagaya's face twisted in anguish. He gripped Amane's arm so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"Oyakata-sama!" Amane cried, steadying her husband.
"Ritsuka! Don't say it so lightly!"
Kagaya's voice rose, filled with desperation.
"Something like that… eternal loneliness isn't something you can overcome with sheer willpower! You don't understand how devastating—"
Kagaya suddenly stopped.
Not because he was interrupted, but because he "saw" Ritsuka's expression at that moment. The young man was silent.
"Just how heavy…" Kagaya whispered, his voice trembling under the weight of suffocation.
"How much suffering have you endured, my boy? That you can wear such a calm face while speaking of hell?"
Nobu, standing behind Ritsuka, tilted her head slightly in confusion.
"Suffering?" she thought, hearing Kagaya's words.
"W-What do you mean, Kagaya-san?" Ritsuka asked hesitantly, his tone defensive.
But Kagaya didn't answer. He merely closed his blind eyes, steadying his breath. Slowly, he loosened his grip on Amane's arm and straightened his posture.
"No… forget what I just said," Kagaya deflected gently, though his tone was heavy.
"Forgive my rudeness, Ritsuka."
Without waiting for a response, Kagaya and Amane's bodies slowly faded, leaving the room in awkward silence.
"Hoo… very interesting."
The old magus stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming with intrigue as he stared at the spot where Kagaya had stood.
"It seems Kagaya isn't an ordinary human. Does he possess some kind of 'Mystic Eyes' native to his world? Or… something that can pierce mental defenses and directly sense the resonance of another's soul?" Zelretch commented in admiration.