A few moments ago
"Do you think we should go help…?" Arthur asked his wife in his mind. He was curious why Aurora didn't seem particularly worried about Lumina. He didn't believe his wife would stand by and let the girl die like this.
Yes, Lumina's magic might be the ultimate counter to the Council's magic. The Magic Council never publicized it, but they were absolutely terrified of her mother's Solar Script Magic, to the point that they had gone to that extreme length to…
"It's fine. That wall doesn't block my magic," Aurora replied telepathically, interrupting Arthur's thinking. "I can still sense what's happening on the other side." How should she put it… the Council's runes didn't really interfere with her telepathy at all. If it were truly that easy, the Kingdom of Sin would have fallen long ago.
"I'm not worried about the Magic Council," Arthur replied, his eyes faintly glowing purple as he looked toward the crowd, specifically at his son among them. "But the moment she gets out, a lot of people will try to stop her… and I don't think Astro would hold back either."
"Really? But I wouldn't worry about that when it comes to Astro."
"Hm? Why?" Arthur asked, puzzled.
"Because, although he looks a lot like you," Aurora said, a bright smile forming as her gaze gently locked onto Astro's back, "he didn't inherit your ability. He inherited mine."
Arthur was left speechless. Wasn't that obvious…? His own magic wasn't hereditary like hers—but still…
"Are you really going to put everything on whether Astro can awaken that again?" Arthur asked.
Aurora replied with an easy smile, leaning her cheek against her right hand. "No. Gambling is your thing. For me, it's not a bet at all, because I already know the answer. Astro can do it." She glanced back at Arthur as she said it.
Arthur looked at her quietly. He wondered what Aurora and Astro had been talking about just now, but in the end, he chose to sit back and watch how this would play out.
In the present time
"You should go too, Astro," Sylvain said calmly, looking straight at him. "I know you're interested in the Devil's Lacrima."
Astro glanced at Sylvain, then at Princess Hisui, noticing her nod in agreement. That was all the signal he needed.
"I'll be right back," Astro whispered. His left eye was still in intense pain, but right now what mattered most was making sure the Devil's Lacrima didn't fall into the wrong hands. He vanished from his spot in a swirl of purple smoke and instantly reappeared several meters in the air, directly in front of the golden-haired girl.
Astro vaguely remembered seeing her earlier, but he hadn't cared much at the time. Now, however, his only impression was that the young girl looked genuinely scared.
Percival and Vera didn't waste any time and appeared on either side of Astro almost simultaneously. Astro could clearly sense it—they had no intention of holding back either. His eyes narrowed slightly as purple wind swirled around him, his gaze turning cold and emotionless as it locked onto her.
"There's no escape," he whispered coldly. "Hand over the lacrima, miss… unless you want your death to be the highlight of this event."
"Twin Axe Fury."
"Radiant Fist."
The other two didn't hesitate. One of Percival's silver axes shot forward, aiming straight for Lumina's neck, while Vera's right hand, coated in yellow crystalline magic, struck toward Lumina's head from the opposite side.
Astro's gaze flicked to Lumina's terrified expression, and as his glowing purple eyes met her golden ones, his mind suddenly began to spin.
Astro thought back to his mother's words from a while ago…right after the council created the wall separating the stage and the guests.
"I know you can make the right decision, honey…" A familiar voice resurfaced in his mind.
Astro's eyebrows lifted slightly as he glanced at the runes surrounding him. The Council claimed they could suppress all magic… didn't they?
"What do you mean?" Astro replied mentally.
"There's a saying passed down through our family for generations," Aurora continued. "Never believe what your eyes or ears tell you. Only believe in your heart and mind."
"…Don't you think it's a little cliché to speak in riddles like this?" Astro couldn't help feeling speechless.
After a brief pause, he shifted his focus back to the rune wall. "Anyway… I have a request. Can you help us destroy the Devil's Lacrima?" As he spoke, he formed a small ball of purple wind on his index finger and pressed it against the rune. The moment it made contact, the sphere dispersed, proving the barrier was still active.
"Hm? You still want your mommy's help?" Aurora teased.
Astro's mouth twitched. "Yes… can you help me?"
Astro wasn't the type to have an oversized ego—at least, not when a certain yellow-haired wizard wasn't involved.
He hadn't forgotten how terrifyingly strong a so-called talentless Poison Devil Slayer could be, and he had no intention of letting that kind of power fall into just anyone's hands. More importantly, he hadn't forgotten the Abyss Hall either—a guild full of Devil Slayers that would absolutely covet something like this, especially if the Lacrima was genuine.
Lost in thought, Astro didn't notice when his mother's telepathic presence suddenly went silent the moment he thought about Abyss Hall. In Aurora's mind, an image flashed—a man with silver hair tipped in green. Her fist clenched unconsciously. Arthur, standing beside her, noticed the sudden turbulence in her emotions and gently placed his hand over hers. Aurora glanced down, then slowly exhaled and steadied herself.
"Why do you want my help?" she finally asked gently again. Astro never got to notice her emotional fluctuation.
"If your magic can bypass the Council's defenses, then we could destroy the Lacrima quietly before tomorrow's event," Astro replied. "No one would even realize it's gone."
"Honey…"
"You have to understand," Astro continued, his thoughts drifting back to the two Devil Slayers he had met on Ventara Island. "Devil Slayer magic grows way too fast. I am the proof of it. In the wrong hand, it would be devastating… A Poison Devil Slayer with the strength of those two—"
"Honey…"
"So that's why I—"
"Astro."
Hearing his name spoken like that snapped him back to himself. His racing thoughts settled a bit.
"I'm sorry," he admitted mentally, rubbing his face. "I guess I'm just being paranoid."
"Well, fear isn't necessarily a bad thing," Aurora replied gently. "It means you're growing stronger and becoming more connected to this world. I was actually afraid you might lose that connection after you came back."
Astro didn't know how to respond, so instead he asked, "Shouldn't stronger people be less afraid?"
"No," Aurora said softly. "Trust me… The closer someone gets to the ceiling of the magic, the more scared of everything they become."
"…I see." Well, Astro didn't understand, actually.
"You're being too hard on yourself, Honey," she continued in a soft voice. "You're the second prince of the Kingdom of Sin. That means you inherited my power as well. You've already used it once—twelve years ago. I believe you can use it again. You just need to believe that you can."
Suddenly, Astro's vision shifted. He looked at Lumina's scared face, her golden eyes, and his purple eyes met….and…
He began seeing events from someone else's perspective…no, it was not just someone else's…It was from the perspective of the girl in front of him. He saw how she had come here intending to speak with the prince about the map, how she discovered his collusion with demons, and how she was planning to deal with the devil's lacrima.
He witnessed Lumina and her partner, Zenith, deciding to take matters into their own hands, and watched her memories unfold all the way to the moment she stood facing him right at this moment.
Through her eyes, Astro saw his own reflection. He still had black hair. His right eye was still purple like before…But beneath his left eye, a red, tattoo-like mark had appeared. The iris itself glowed a vivid neon orange, encircled by a thin purple ring, while the sclera turned pitch black, making the center shine even brighter.
In less than a second, Astro's awareness snapped back to the present. The flood of memories ended as abruptly as it had begun. He looked at Lumina's terrified face just as a silver axe descended from one side and a crystalline punch closed in from the other.
Astro's left eye shifted slightly past her. It flared brighter as he noticed something forming behind her—a portal beginning to open. No…there was no portal opening there….what?
It was a strange sensation, as though he were seeing the future and the present at the same time. He could somehow see that a portal was going to open there.
Refocusing on Lumina, Astro's expression went completely emotionless—a massive sphere of purple wind condensed in his hand.
"This is the end."
"Wait…Stop!"
Ignoring her plea, Astro slammed the purple wind sphere directly into her stomach. The impact blasted her backward with overwhelming force.
Vera's crystallized punch and Percival's silver axe collided midair, barely missing Lumina's head. Both attackers were knocked back slightly, instinctively slowly turning their attention toward the girl they had been aiming to kill. She was still flying back from the impact, but their focus wasn't on her…but behind her.
Behind her, exactly as Astro had foreseen, a black portal rimmed with dark blue light opened. Lumina's body was swallowed by it, and the portal sealed itself instantly.
Astro landed on the ground before the rune wall. Vera also recovered, flipping backward and landing beside him. Percival, sent flying back from the previous impact as well, sprouted a massive wing from the right side of his back and descended slowly, hovering a few inches above the ground in front of Vera. He stared at her in disbelief—there were very few things his axe couldn't pierce. He didn't expect this young girl's magic to be one too.
"Did Astro just…?"
Arthur, who was looking at the development of the events, froze as he stared at his son's back.
"…Yeah," Aurora replied quietly. "It was only for a few seconds. But he used it. He definitely used it.
Astro slowly turned around. The pain in his eye had completely vanished. His gaze moved to Vera, then to Percival, and as he did, he caught his reflection in the polished surface of the silver axe.
His left eye seemed to have fully returned to normal—both eyes were now the same shade of glowing purple, and the red tattoo-like mark beneath his left eye was gone. Astro couldn't help the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. That mark had reminded him of someone… or rather, two people who shared the same face.
"You shouldn't have intervened, boy," Percival said in a deep voice, noticing Astro's lingering gaze on the axe. "Because of you, that girl got away."
Astro glanced at him, then briefly at Vera. She looked completely unbothered—though that wasn't entirely true. Her eyes were darting around frantically, searching for any trace of where the girl might have gone.
Turning back to Percival, Astro met his gaze head-on. and said without changing his face. "You are blaming your lack of skill on me? Really?"
Percival stared into those glowing purple eyes. For a brief moment, he thought the boy's left eye had been a different color earlier—but perhaps he had imagined it. Breaking eye contact, Percival turned his head slightly in another direction. "You're right. I should have been faster. But it doesn't matter. The chance to take her head isn't over yet."
Astro's eyes narrowed. This man was dangerous. As a sensory type, Astro already knew exactly where Zenith had taken Lumina, and Percival… Percival was staring straight toward that location as well.
"What happened? Did the girl escape?"
"Looks like it. Who was she anyway?"
"Even if she got far, she should be injured. She took a direct hit to the stomach."
As the surrounding nobles began murmuring among themselves, Percival rotated his twin axes in his hands, preparing to take flight—when a sudden, thunderous noise echoed through the hall.
The rune wall beside Astro collapsed, drawing everyone's attention. Astro turned just in time to see Prince Nova entering, supported by a middle-aged Council wizard. He already knew what had happened behind the wall through Lumina's memory, but seeing the prince's expression confirmed that what he had witnessed earlier truly had been real memories, not some illusion.
"Where is she?" Nova demanded, scanning the floor for Lumina's figure. "Where is she…?" His voice rose sharply, his composure cracking as he turned toward the wizards. "Are you people so—"
"Brother, calm down." Nova's younger brother, Oskar, stepped in beside him before he could finish. He supported Nova from the other side. Nova exhaled and forced himself to steady his expression. He couldn't openly berate another kingdom's wizards—especially not in front of so many nobles.
"Boom!"
A massive explosion echoed through the hall.
"What now?" Princess Hisui covered her ears as Sylvain turned toward the window.
"Looks like the barrier outside has been broken."
"What?" Hisui asked, shocked. "Someone broke a Magic Council barrier?"
"It must be her," the middle-aged man beside Nova muttered. Nova gritted his teeth before suddenly shouting, "It's that demon girl! She's a demon—that's why she doesn't want anyone using a Lacrima that grants Devil Slayer power!"
The hall went silent for a heartbeat. Astro's mouth twitched. Vera didn't react at all. Percival, who had been on the verge of moving again, froze mid-motion. Astro glanced at him and could sense the man's disbelief—if Percival was a sensory type as well, then he could clearly see through Nova's lies as well, especially with those things in Nova's shadows.
"So, unless you want to prove yourselves demon sympathizers," Nova continued with a frantic, wide smile, "go after her. Don't you dare to let her escape with the Lacrima."
"Swan, you go," King Animus of the Stella Kingdom ordered, turning to the girl beside him. He didn't truly believe the prince's words, but as a king who had claimed his throne through rebellion, he couldn't afford to hesitate at a moment like this.
"…Understood." Swan, a curvy, dark-skinned girl, glanced gloomily at her white gown. She had bought it specifically for this occasion.
"I'll go as well." A girl with short golden hair and a thick golden headband stepped forward, looking toward King Brandon.
"No," he replied firmly. "The prince is just trying to provoke—"
Before he could finish, the sound of fabric tearing cut through the hall. He turned to see her slicing her long skirt into a shorter one.
"The Poison Devil's Lacrima," she said coolly. "I want to know if it came from Abel."
Her gaze shifted toward the old man of Bosco, waiting for his response. He showed no emotion. "Even if it did, that has nothing to do with you."
"It does. A prince of another kingdom shouldn't have access to our inmate."
"Stop, Graxia. This is an order."
"We'll go with you too," two men beside the king—one with silver hair, the other copper—said simultaneously.
"No," Graxia replied coldly. "Protect this pathetic excuse of a king. I alone am enough."
She cast a glance at the king's trembling legs before sprinting toward the nearest exit.
"Prince Cream, should we send someone as well?"
"Yeah, why don't you go?" the bowl-cut prince snapped irritably at his minister.
"But… I can't fight."
"Then who here can?"
"..."
"If you already know that," he continued with an irritated voice, "why bother asking? Sit down and shut up."
"Yes…your highness."
Vera didn't hesitate any longer. Her entire body crystallized in a yellow sheen as she dashed toward the nearest wall, smashing straight through it. Percival took one last glance at his elder sister, now shielded by his younger brothers, before flapping his wing and flying through the opening Vera had created.
Astro, who was going to move too suddenly, sensed multiple people's mana signature around Lumina and Zenith… Astro's eyes widened in surprise…
'Wait, where did those people come from? Are they allied with her? But their magic….it feels too…'
He quickly gave Laxus a brief nod before gathering magic beneath his feet and preparing to move. He closed his eyes for a bit, thinking about the girl's emotions during the whole chaos… Although she was acting tough for most of the part, especially in front of council members…but she was way too scared during that time as well….but despite her fear, she didn't back down and still decided to do it…just because she didn't want anyone with bad intentions to use that lacrima….
Astro refused to let an innocent girl like that die over this. Children shouldn't die for the greed of the people at the top. Astro's eyes glowed purple with determination, the floor cracked beneath his step, and in the next instant, Astro vanished from the sight of everyone as well.