Ash couldn't sympathize with, or even understand, a life lived solely for the sake of not dying.
Silently, he reached out, crushed the specially made glass, passed through the gel, touched Potimas's head, and read his memories.
Then he quietly turned and left.
The rest was left to Ariel.
And so... the only sounds left inside the spacecraft were Potimas's screams, curses, and desperate pleas for mercy.
His cries grew more and more shrill, more and more desperate, like wails from hell.
Only after Ariel walked back out did Ash learn that Potimas, the once cold, arrogant ruler of the elves, who had lorded over them from on high and infested the world like a parasite, had ultimately been buried by Abyss Magic in the most miserable and pathetic way imaginable.
As the final boss... he somehow felt a little lacking.
With Potimas's miserable surrender ending in death anyway, the conflict finally seemed to come to a close.
The allied forces had suffered devastating casualties.
Aside from serving briefly as cannon fodder during the initial charge, the soldiers had ultimately become nothing more than sacrifices in this brutal war.
The surviving armies of each nation naturally turned to rebuilding and handling the aftermath.
As for Ash and the others, many matters still awaited them.
But those would have to be postponed.
The reason was simple.
Gulie, who had done little throughout the battle besides protecting everyone, finally appeared.
He merely looked up at the sky.
Then let out a long sigh.
No explanation was necessary.
Stopped by Gulie before he could leave the spacecraft, Ash immediately understood.
That sigh clearly meant the lives that had been lost still weren't enough to fill the System's deficit.
And...
"Let's stop here," Gulie suddenly said that.
Though he didn't specify what he meant, Ash understood perfectly.
The war could not continue.
Nor could they begin indiscriminate slaughter.
After all, this war had originally been a battlefield where both sides fought for their respective positions.
Even if the allied army had spent most of it serving as cannon fodder.
But if it became outright slaughter, that would simply be trampling on life itself.
That was something Gulie would never allow.
"I figured this was probably how things would end."
Gulie was easy enough to read.
Ash casually sat down atop the fallen Gloria Omega, now without its controller, and stared at the ground with a troubled expression.
"But even if you say that... we've already reached the point where certain sacrifices have become necessary."
"Haven't necessary sacrifices been happening all along?", Gulie asked in return.
"You could put it that way, but... sigh. You really do love placing all kinds of strange restrictions on yourself."
Ash still had plenty he wanted to say.
But under Gulie's questioning gaze, he thought it over again and ultimately chose to remain silent.
Without the contract binding him, he might have resorted to deception or other methods to achieve his goals.
But now, with the contract in place, he had no intention of planning anything that might cause internal conflict.
Dragging Ariel and the others into fighting Gulie would only make the situation even more chaotic.
He had already gained space magic, time magic, and control of the Holy Sword.
Even if the mission came with countless restrictions, he could live with that.
The client paid well.
But the client's excessively kind and stubborn way of doing things made the mission, saving the world, much more difficult.
It also left him rather frustrated.
Sometimes it almost felt like Gulie had made him into the real villain.
To the point that even his own ally felt compelled to keep restricting him.
"As always, I must make this absolutely clear."
Ignoring Ash's frustration, Gulie spoke firmly, "I have always respected Sariel's wishes completely. That was true in the past, and it will remain true in the future. Whoever attempts to trample on Sariel's wishes, no matter who they are, I will not permit it."
"You really are hopelessly serious. Even Ariel's started changing."
"And you have the nerve to say that? She used to be such an obedient, adorable, sensible child. She hasn't even known you that long, and look what she's become now!"
For some reason, Gulie looked at Ash as though he were some delinquent who had corrupted his daughter.
It honestly looked like he wanted to bury him alive on the spot.
Ash felt completely wronged.
"I think that's mostly Shiro's fault."
"You're hardly innocent yourself."
"That's definitely not true..."
"So you're saying you never encouraged her to do anything strange?"
"I just wanted her to stick to what she truly wanted."
Even as he said that, Ash quietly looked away, feeling just a little guilty.
Gulie continued staring at him, "So you're saying that, in order to stay true to herself, she's justified in trampling on Sariel's wishes?"
"Isn't Sariel reaching her limit too?"
"Don't change the subject. Those are two different—"
"They're not two different things. A daughter wanting to save her mother is only natural. You're just someone who didn't even become her stepfather. Just like me, you're an outsider. You don't have the right to criticize her."
"I'm not looking at it from that angle! You clearly don't understand me! What I feel toward Sariel is admiration. Nothing like... like what you're implying!"
"Alright, alright. You admitted it before, but now you're embarrassed? You can fool your friends with that, but don't fool yourself."
Ash stood up, shook his head, and patted Gulie on the shoulder.
He wasn't interested in listening to him deceive himself.
Gulie's face shifted between pale and flushed. His lips moved slightly, but no rebuttal came.
Just then, Ariel, who had been eavesdropping from deeper inside the spacecraft, finally couldn't hold back anymore.
She walked out and shot Ash a mildly reproachful look, "You really shouldn't keep bullying honest people."
"In the end, it's all part of the same issue. No matter what, Lord Gulie is still Lady Sariel's friend. You should watch what you say."
"I was standing up for you, and you're lecturing me?"
"I just couldn't keep watching."
"If we can't convince him, then what do we do next?"
"We'll think of something."
Ariel smiled.
She didn't dwell on it.
After saying that, she grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him straight out of the spacecraft.
Throughout the whole process, she never acknowledged the "honest person" she had just mentioned.
After all, while the battle itself had gone relatively smoothly, Gulie hadn't truly contributed.
All he had done was protect the allied soldiers who had originally been meant to serve as sacrifices.
That seemed to leave Ariel with at least some dissatisfaction.
Gulie, already feeling somewhat guilty, stood there wanting to say something.
In the end, all he did was let out another long sigh.
He simply didn't know what to say.
'Deep down... Didn't he also want to save Sariel?'
But now, he was the guardian deity who carried humanity's hopes.
More importantly... he absolutely refused to trample on Sariel's wishes.
Even if that meant standing against her daughter.
On that point... his resolve would never waver.
———
When Ariel left the spacecraft, she looked just like an elementary school kid happily skipping home after school.
Her arms and legs swung exaggeratedly as she walked.
It was strangely amusing.
Ash couldn't help wondering what would happen if he picked her up.
The moment that thought crossed his mind... she stepped squarely onto the top of his foot.
Before he could react, Ariel looked at him with a half-smile.
"What were you thinking?"
"Nothing."
"I may look young, but... you haven't already forgotten everything you've done to me, have you?"
She raised an eyebrow meaningfully.
"I wasn't thinking you looked young or anything, so don't jump to conclusions..."
Remembering what had happened the previous night, Ash couldn't even be bothered bringing up who had made the first move anymore.
The outcome had been the same in the end.
After clearing his throat, he changed the subject.
"More importantly, you've finally gotten your revenge. How do you feel?"
"Hmm... nothing particularly special."
Ariel smiled and shook her head.
"Really? Honestly, I thought you'd torture him first. Maybe hang him from the city walls or something. But that's it?"
To be honest, using Abyss Magic on a completely helpless person felt a little like using a cannon to kill a mosquito.
But because Ash had long been interested in Abyss Magic, he had already realized it wasn't merely an offensive spell.
Or rather, it wasn't simply a spell with overwhelming destructive power.
Its hidden effect was destroying the soul itself.
It completely shattered the target's soul, eliminating any possibility of reincarnation or resurrection.
The spell itself was difficult to cast, belonging to the highest tier of dark magic.
Its structure was extraordinarily complex.
It could certainly be called an exceptionally cruel execution spell...
Though not one focused on prolonged torture.
"I thought I'd have stronger feelings too."
"But after all these years... I was surprisingly calm."
"I looked at Potimas desperately begging for his life and just thought he was pathetic."
"And realizing I'd spent so many years treating someone like that as my greatest enemy..."
"I couldn't help feeling a little ridiculous too."
Ariel gave a wry smile and shrugged.
Then she shook her head and quickened her pace.
Ash hesitated briefly before following.
He personally thought she could have tortured Potimas a little more before finishing him with Abyss Magic...
But if she herself had no interest in doing that, there wasn't much he could say.
———
Not long afterward, the two of them stepped out of the spacecraft and met up with Shiro and the others.
After hearing Ariel explain what had happened, Shiro's face immediately filled with righteous indignation.
'What the heck? So that coward never intended to change after all? He promised he'd change a little... but a coward stays a coward in the end? That's so infuriating! What are we supposed to do now?'
She had countless complaints bottled up inside.
She was angry enough to want to curse aloud.
In the end, however, she forcefully held herself back.
But keeping it inside only made her angrier.
So she simply threw herself onto the ground and started rolling around, completely abandoning her usual composed demeanor and looking like a child throwing a tantrum.
"I told you not to roll around on the ground... and yet..."
Ash sighed, "Forget it. Let's just count this as celebrating. It's just... a slightly strange way of doing it."
The ground looked dirty.
But since Shiro was already rolling in it, all Ash could do was shake his head.
He gave up on lecturing her for now, deciding to have someone give her a proper bath after they got back.
Sophia glanced down at the rolling Shiro with obvious disdain.
She didn't bother trying to stop her.
Instead, she looked straight at Ash.
Her eyes clearly said she intended to settle what they'd discussed earlier on the battlefield.
"Anyway, why don't we head back and get something to eat first?"
Pretending not to notice, Ash spoke matter-of-factly, "Didn't we agree we'd all have dinner together after the war?"
"My house is nearby..."
"To be honest, I don't really want to go to your house."
Before Sophia could finish speaking, Ash interrupted her.
Her brows immediately shot up.
"What? Are you discriminating against vampires?"
"Nothing like that."
Ash calmly pushed back the girl who had leaned closer before seriously suggesting,
"Let's head to the Demon Lord's Castle first. We can celebrate among ourselves first, then go see your parents afterward and let them know you're safe."
"That way nobody feels awkward. Sound good?"
It really was a thoughtful suggestion.
Not only did it satisfy a certain foodie nearby who immediately perked up upon hearing the word "dinner,"
Even Ariel nodded in agreement, "That does sound good! Let's do that!"
"Mhm! Mhm!"
Shiro, whose silver hair still had dust clinging to it, nodded enthusiastically as well, anticipation practically overflowing.
Sophia still looked unwilling.
But seeing all three of them agree, she reluctantly nodded too.
As for the Demon Lord's Army...
They didn't need to worry about it for now.
They could simply return through a teleportation gate later.
Besides, with Gulie present, he would certainly keep the situation under control and prevent any conflict between humans and demons.
Not that there was much chance of one.
With the Spider Army supporting them, the demons overwhelmingly outmatched humanity.
The humans wouldn't dare start another war.
And the demon race had always reproduced slowly and existed in small numbers.
After the losses they had suffered in this war, they had even less reason to start another conflict.
Even without Gulie, nothing would likely happen.
One more thing worth mentioning, before leaving the elf village, Ash deliberately went down into the underground base and ordered that the surviving elves be spared.
After all, they had spent their entire lives as Potimas's slaves.
Now they could simply become slaves under him instead.
That wasn't bad either.
They were familiar with all kinds of machinery.
Under Ash's control, they could put those skills to good use.
Convenient and practical.
———
[Demon Lord's Castle]
This couldn't exactly be called a great victory.
After all, all they had really done was buy the world a little more time through enormous sacrifice while cleaning out some of the "parasites" within it and finally removing a long-standing thorn in their side.
Their ultimate objective... Remained unfinished.
But no one had expected to accomplish it this time anyway.
So the current outcome was still worth celebrating.
"Ta-da! No matter what, today was still a victory! Let's put all the troublesome stuff aside for now. Don't let that guy Gulie ruin our mood. Come on, let's have a few drinks and relax!"
Ariel usually only drank with Ash.
This time, however, she instructed the maids to bring out one dish after another while smiling and placing bottles of alcohol on the table that normally never appeared during meals.
"I can drink too?", Sophia's eyes immediately lit up with anticipation.
She had always been taught not to drink.
Now that she finally had the chance, she was thrilled.
"Of course!"
Ariel waved a hand generously.
"Let's call it a celebration of you becoming an adult! Well, according to this world's human standards, anyway."
While Sophia nodded excitedly...
Shiro, having rushed back immediately after finishing her bath, quietly picked up a glass.
She cautiously took a small sip.
She had expected bitterness and burning.
Instead... it was surprisingly sweet.
'Fruit wine? This is unexpectedly good. Really good... Mm-hmm! These two are way too sneaky. They've always been drinking by themselves without letting me have any. They're practically tyrants!'
The moment the wine went down, Shiro's eyes lit up.
Then she immediately started taking one sip after another.
Watching from the side, Ash couldn't help feeling a little worried.
He really didn't want a second alcoholic Ariel.
"That's the spirit! Come on, everybody!"
Having already emptied her own cup in one gulp, Ariel cheerfully refilled it straight from the barrel and immediately started a drinking contest with the silent Shiro.
"Isn't it a little bad to encourage this?", Ash muttered quietly, feeling like he should probably stop them.
But when Sophia looked at him hesitantly, asking for permission with her eyes, it also felt wrong to forbid only her.
After thinking it over, he finally nodded.
"You can drink. Just be careful."
"And only when I'm around, alright?"
"Okay! I'll just have a taste! Just one taste~"
Sophia quickly agreed.
She even deliberately disabled her status ailment immunity so she could properly experience what getting drunk felt like.
Happily, she emptied her glass in one gulp.
The slight smile on her face suggested she genuinely liked the taste.
After that, Sophia happily celebrated the victory with Ash over her first drinks.
However... Before she'd even eaten much fo od, after only a few cups, she was already dizzy.
Her body tilted sideways, and she collapsed directly onto Ash's lap.
She had clearly reached her limit.
"So your alcohol tolerance is this bad..."
"No wonder they never let you drink."
Ash shook his head helplessly.
Then he gently stroked the hair of the girl lying in his lap, his face full of resignation.