The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

Looks like Pochi isn’t understanding the conversation at all, so I feel kinda sorry for indirectly leaving her out… but I’m actually starting to believe some of Giorno’s implications.

If Bayes Douglas is the same individual as the Devil Bathym, then I’d understand why he’d try to kidnap young Bright and Ferris, and stole the Adams household’s property.

Both the Fulbright and Adams households are well-known for their military processes. June and Polco in particular possess strength on the level comparable to Holy Warriors. Those of the same bloodlines like Bright and Ferris are bound to be trouble down the line, once their powers start to manifest.

If the enemy were to successfully kidnap those kids, then they could be on track to destroy them… and both of the households, while also achieving the Reformist Faction’s goals.

And if the Reformist Faction were to own the Holy Nation, things would be quite convenient for the Devil King’s army.

-Does this mean that Empress Idïa has connections with the Devilkin…?

“Hmm, looks like you’re finally catching up.”

Giorno said and winked.

Now that I think about it, it was technically Giorno who recommended me the job for the Fulbright household… did he have some sort of motive in doing that?

“Now wait a second, Giorno… are you implying that you had some special reason for my job with House Fulbright?”

“Not at the time, no… But now you’re serving as a failsafe of sorts. You see, Poer – actually, both you and Shiro – I felt that you two would be useful down the line. But you were still weak back then – like, low-hundred weak. BUT you lived through our trek to Sodom, which was way better than we’d ever expected.”

Oh, so Giorno did know about our levels and the like. Could this be thanks to Lylia’s Mind’s Eye?

“But our journey together to Brunnera… that was just a coincidence, I swear. But the news we’d heard along the way really made us think hard about our next move from there.”

“News…? You mean the thing you heard from that trade caravan?! How the town of Alan in the Thirsty Desert was destroyed?!”

“That’s right. We’d always considered the possibility of the Devilkin moving north, but once you pointed some things out at the time, we were totally convinced that that was the case.”

“By ‘convinced,’ you mean… Wait, so you two went to Brunnera to confirm that…?”

“Yup. And the Devilkin probably put those Giant Murderers on the road there, too…”

Giorno chuckled dryly.

Dude, why you gotta always be so casual? A whole town was destroyed, you know?

“Anyways, by then I thought I’d let you be one of my… strategic pieces, after you’ve gained some more levels. It’s quite surprising how much you’ve exceeded my expectations since then.”

“How so? Would you mind explaining that in detail, hmm?”

Another voice wedged its way into our conversation – Lylia, all covered in fresh blood.

Hell, she’s not just ‘bloody,’ it’s more like she’s made of blood itself!

…Oh, I see. They’re almost out of monsters to beat up. There’s only enough for Seki’teigyu to be satisfied.

She probably wanted the Ox to get as big of a share of the EXP as it could, too.

“See, I’m not exactly sure myself. I’d heard rumors of him wiping out the Blazing Dragons on the mountain, but I didn’t believe it – not with how strong he was at the time, anyway. But now that I got to see the power he has in this fight, I realize how far off the mark I was – like, who would’ve thought he’d become so powerful so quickly?”

Giorno smirked as he looked at me sideways.

Holy Warriors, man… what a power-hungry bunch, eh?

“Master, Master!”

Pochi shook my shoulders.

“What? We’re talking about important stuff-“

“-Does this mean that Empress Idïa has connections with the Devilkin, sir?!”

…Hmm, looks like she’s finally catching up.

I heaved a deep, deep sigh and explained to the two Holy Warriors what we had been up to so far. Without hiding the part about the XP-Booster, of course.

Listening to me, Giorno smiled, and Lylia glared hard at me.

Is it just me, or did this blood-covered Elf woman constantly give off an aura of pure rage?

“Hahahahahaha, what a surprise! Who would’ve thought you’d be the last one of us, eh?”

“So you became a full Holy Warrior before us… how ridiculous – actually, no. I’ll admit it. You are strong. Not that I personally am fully convinced, of course.”

“And your Artifact was so overpowered that God had to restrict its power! Now that’s a good laugh! Hahahahahaha!”

Right, and only Pochi and I can use it.

It’d be best if we could have Giorno and Lylia use it as well, but God’s powers weakening means our Holy Warrior powers would weaken as well, so that’s out of the question.

And this way, the difference in level between us and Giorno’s side might be narrowed just right by the time we face the Devil King. Could it be that God had that in consideration as well?

If so, then He’s really operating beyond human intellect. Well, He’s God, after all.

“And you even won against an Apostle of Despair by yourself… All in all, you’ve done a great job, Poer.”

“My arcane energy pool has greatly expanded, you see, so I was able to pull off all the moves I’d like.”

“Ah… by the way, Master, didn’t you do some research on invoking magic and magecraft with just arcane energy? Do you think that can actually be done, sir?”

“That’s a bit too much to hope for, I’d say. But that doesn’t change the fact that I can use more spells and crafts, and apply more complex strategies. Anyway… what are we going to do now, Giorno?”

The hero had an unusually troubled look in reply to my question.

“Considering who we’re up against next… it’d be best to leave it to our Emperor, don’t you think?”

So we’ve got to deal with Empress Idïa…

Even though she’s in leagues with the Devilkin, there’s no clear way to prove it now that Bathym is dead.

Wait, actually, Myans might know something about this.

I guess I should report all that to Polco.

Still, I’ve got a bit of a bad feeling about this…

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

“Empress Idïa has-“

“SHE DISAPPEARED?!?!”

…And of course Pochi had to be so unnecessarily loud. Sure would be nice if this Familiar of mine knew to act a little more appropriately for the time and place.

“Shh! Not so loud!”

And our man Polco Adams is panicking hard.

After finding and destroying the Teleportation Spell Circle that the Devilkin came from, we returned to the honored guests’ seating area of the Colosseum.

The Holy Emperor had evacuated to Regalia Castle, and June was with him, so he seemed to be perfectly safe.

“…But yes, her and Prince Zaths’ whereabouts are currently unknown. My guess is that they’ve fled in anticipation of their plot being exposed.”

“Now that’s surprising. Since there’s no evidence, I thought she’d try to avoid her charges through legitimate means…”

“She likely decided to act fast, seeing that it’s only a matter of time until it all comes back again. She truly is quite an unpredictable individual… By the way, you’ve attained more power once again, haven’t you, young Poer? The arcane energy aura around you… it’s already beyond human level, don’t you think?”

A bold claim, but that does sound about right. I do have the Holy Warrior’s blessed power to add to my 5,000 years’ worth of knowledge, after all.

Without this strength, I wouldn’t be able to fight the Devil King… and then I’ll just have to give up, I guess.

“Ahem… that aside, you all must be tired today. His Majesty has arranged for some guest rooms in Regalia Castle for all of us. I’ll be heading there later, so feel free to get some rest for the time being.”

“D-does that include me as well, sir?”

Pochi happily pointed at herself.

Now that never crossed my mind – although she’s a Familiar, she’s also a beast. In this day and age, there’s still a lot of discrimination against them going on.

“Of course, you are the champion of the Familiar Chalice. It’s only natural that you receive proper treatment.”

“Did you hear that, Master?! I’m the CHAMPION! I never thought it’d sound so awesome on me, sir!”

Looks like she’s finally getting rewarded for her efforts.

Now maybe she’ll get off my back about that promise of food…

“AND I get the Tropical Fruit Sunsmile Deluxe! This day might be the peak of my happiness, sir!”

…Nope, she still remembers.

“Young Giorno, would you join us?”

“Yes, sir, if you don’t mind my intrusion.”

“And Lylia-“

“I’ll pass, sir.”

Lylia gave Polco an unfriendly look and turned away.

She’s got Seki’teigyu with her, so I wouldn’t blame her for turning the invitation down.

We did drink the Pochibitan D, so it’s not like we’re physically exhausted, but a lot of things did happen today…

…Wait a second.

Where’s Chappie and the kids? I haven’t seen him ever since I left him to take care of Bright and Ferris.

“Chappie Mask! Hath arrived!”

…Oh, there they are.

“You stupid chicken! Take off those ridiculous glasses at once!”

“Hmph, there you are, selfish princess! Causing headaches for your father day after day, night after night… You must be punished for your twisted personality! You’re in for some spanking, girl!”

Bright pretended to stay out of it, but the way he looked at Chappie suggested that he wanted the latter to say more.

“Who do you think you’re calling selfish, huh? That’s it – you’re in for a punishment! No food for you!”

“GWAH?! Oh no… the world is ending…”

Ah, yes, the ultimate punishment: depriving a glutton of his food.

And what is my son doing in front of Regalia Castle’s gates, anyway?

“GWAH?! Master… my tomb… must be stocked with a thousand Gold’s worth of food every day… Please… I’ll be angry if you forget…”

Damn it, not you too.

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