Delia held Caius's stare as she took in what he meant. Really took in what he meant.

He wasn't just talking about keeping this a secret from the higher-ups of the academy and the Acheron Empire, he was talking about actually turning facing Demons a common occurrence. He was talking about them dedicating their efforts to support Aurelius on this Grand Quest.

And the thought… scared her.

Delia would hardly ever admit out loud that she was scared. Hell, she hadn't even shown it when they faced Belron because she knew that was not the time to crumble with fear. It was why, despite how much Caius's words of caution terrified her, she stood her ground.

Because, as far as she was concerned, the fight with Belron was unavoidable. If Caius was going to stay there and face the Fiend, then she was definitely going to join him. That made the fight inevitable. That made that danger something she had to brave.

This was different. Caius asked her to dedicate herself to facing a similar threat. This wasn't about avoiding the unavoidable. It was about charging into the avoidable. It was about resolving herself to feel that fear again. Most likely in increasing intensity.

Delia wasn't sure she would be able to keep her fear hidden if facing Demons became a common thing. Especially if the threat was as Caius had said; world-ending.

While Caius had spoken about that as if it was something to avoid, Delia had heard something in his tone and she'd bet everything that facing that 'Demon Lord' wasn't actually avoidable. She would bet the very beat of her heart that not telling the higher-ups was only a way to delay the inevitable so they could all be better prepared for that world-ending threat.

But really, Delia thought with a shudder, what could she do against that?

What hope did she have against a Demon Lord? Against a being on par with gods.

What hope did Caius have against it? Or Aurelius?

If no one in the Acheron Empire and the world—as vast as it was—had a shot, what hope did a bunch of First Years have?

A lot went through Delia's mind as she stared into Caius's purple eyes. He still had a smile on his face but it wasn't one of joy or teasing. It was a sad one. Like he could tell what she was thinking and just how great his request was, and yet, he hoped she would accept.

And that was really all that mattered.

As terrified as she might be, he was asking something from her so how could she possibly say no?

"I'm in," she said with a heavy sigh.

Caius paused.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

Delia shrugged with some of her usual cavalier attitude that did not quite match how she was feeling inside.

"Hey, if we talk about it to anyone, the world ends and everyone dies.

If we fail to stop it from happening, the world ends and everyone dies.

The way I see it, it's a lose-lose situation either way. What's the point of turning away from it?"

Caius's smile became a bit more joyful. Like he was amused by her words.

"That's an interesting way to put it," he said, "But there's a third option; We win."

Delia's smile matched his then.

"Very optimistic," she said, "But judging by how the fight with Belron went, it might not be all that realistic."

"Hey, I wouldn't say that," Caius told her with a smile.

Knowing what the world was headed toward, Caius had known from the start that he wouldn't be able to avoid the battle against the Demon Lord. Because it can't be avoided. Things were set in motion before Aurelius even reincarnated into his current form after dying in the service of Aether during a Holy War. I.e it technically started before the start of the events in the [To Kill A Demon Lord…] Novel.

"Well, I don't need your help," Aurelius said then, cutting into the moment Caius and Delia were smiling at one another and looking into each other's eyes.

Caius swiveled so he could look at Aurelius who was staring off to the side but turned when he felt attention on him.

"I can do it without you," Aurelius said as his eyes gained a malevolent gold glow, "You've messed things up enough. I don't need a slave of Anyxyl to fulfill my divine mission."

"Slave—?!" Delia voiced out in an irate voice. There was a sting in her tone that made it seem like she wasn't speaking for Caius's sake alone.

Caius reached back and pressed a finger gently to her lips before she blew too hot. He kept his eyes on Aurelius.

"Are those your words?" He asked, "Or are they Aether's?"

Aurelius blinked and then looked sheepish.

"I'm sorry…" he started to say.

"Don't apologize," Caius told him while taking his finger off Delia's lips. She didn't speak but she still glowered at Aurelius.

"She's influencing your thoughts. Speaking and thinking through you," Caius said.

He knew this because Nyx had done the same with his thoughts earlier to bite back at the notion that her sister was gracious.

Caius continued.

"Nyx— Anyxyl and Aether do that when the other is involved. They can't help themselves. You'd think after eons of bickering, they'd have tired."

Aurelius's eyes looked shifty. Like he agreed but didn't dare to say because his goddess was listening. Eventually, he cleared his throat and said,

"But she's not wrong. No offense but your involvement nearly ruined things. I can— I have to do this on my own. I can beat any threat, protect this world with Aether by my side."

"But that's the thing, Aether won't be by your side. She'll hang you out to dry. She'll watch you get skewered and be off to the next right after," Caius said and he felt a sense of satisfaction from Nyx's unseen vast darkness.

He ignored it.

Aurelius blanked. And then he snapped.

"That's blasphemy!" He said.

"No, it's not. Aether is one of the oldest gods. She doesn't really care about anyone. You are special to her. You are her Chosen. But you're still just a tool for her to use and dispose of," Caius said.

Delia blinked. And then she stared at Caius's back. The irreverent tone he was speaking with was the kind she had been taught to never use with the gods. Definitely not with a god like Aether.

Aurelius opened his mouth and closed it a few times, unsure what to even say to any of that. Eventually, he found his voice.

"Is Anyxyl making you say that?" He asked. After all, if he had just been influenced by his goddess, maybe the same was happening with Caius.

Caius smiled and shook his head.

"No, she's not," he said, "And I'm sure you can tell. These are my words."

"Then why…?" Aurelius started before Caius interrupted.

"Because it's the truth. The unfortunate truth.

Aether will never grant you the power you need. Because she can't. She could smite any demon through you in a single strike. But she won't.

You are bound by rules to fight these demons. But so is she.

However, if she cared, she'd break those rules for you. But she won't. Because as I have established, she doesn't care about whether you live or die.

If you have any chance at survival, others have to get involved. Others who aren't similarly bound by the rules that bind Aether and may be willing to lend a hand."

"Like Anyxyl?" Aurelius asked.

Caius shrugged.

"Maybe," he said.

He actually just meant himself and his fellow 'godlings' but decided not to say out loud.

Originally, Caius had wanted to stay away from Aurelius and his 'Main-Character' plot and he felt he could do this since Aurelius was supposed to win the Demon battles. Even if there were sacrifices, Aurelius was supposed to survive the battles.

And Caius could just go about doing his own thing. Gathering powers that were scattered all over the world and are not really useful to Aurelius's journey.

But to acquire one of those obscure powers, he had needed to get involved a little. That power was the Fiend Blood he had inside his Storage Ring right now.

Alas, his earlier power acquisition—Divine Energy—had complicated things. Now, the variables had changed. Now the enemies that will rise from Hell will be gauged by the perceived number of 'godlings' and will be more than Aurelius can handle on his own.

And if Aurelius fails and dies, the world gets invaded by the Demon Lord. The 'final battle' will happen before Caius or any of his allies are ready.

So to sum it all up, Caius could no longer stick to his original plan to avoid Aurelius.

After all, you can't seek out obscure powers on a world, and enjoy the company of your romantic partners, if there's no world left.

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