Chapter III: Some Things Change, but a Villain’s Fate Is Set in Stone

“Hmph. A traitor’s fate sure is pitiful.”

Looking down over a certain desolate town, Valjakka sneered as he derided himself quietly. He was one of the Archangels, but had been demoted to Shere Khan’s hound. Upon finding that out, Archdemon Zagan had given him a warning that had all his hairs standing on end. That in itself left him stuck between a rock and a hard place, yet after the attack on Raziel’s treasury the other day, he was under suspicion for betraying the church and guiding the sorcerers into the hidden areas.

Why?! Why am I the only one going through all this?!

He hadn’t actually participated in Zagan and Bifrons’s intrusion, so he didn’t really deserve the full brunt of the church’s suspicions.

If I pick the wrong people to work with here, it’ll all be over.

He had to get all of his bets on the right horse in this race...or else.

“Hey there, mister knight. So, what do we gotta do?”

A boy called out to him from behind. Much like Valjakka’s former adjutant and his adjutant’s younger sister, the boy had scarlet hair and eyes. Looking at his face made Valjakka feel like the world was thrusting his sins before him. The boy also appeared to be in his late teens, reminding Valjakka even more of Chastille.

A tall and lanky young man stood next to the boy. This one was also grinning, but Valjakka couldn’t read him at all. These two were the subordinates Shere Khan had granted him to help with his task.

They’re probably here to keep an eye on me. I need to win over his trust through them if I hope to survive.

Thus, Valjakka put on the very image of a gentlemanly smile and turned around to face them.

“The mission Lord Shere Khan has entrusted to us is to capture a traitor,” he told them.

“What kinda person is this traitor?” the boy asked.

“She appears to be a lass around the age of fourteen or fifteen, but don’t be fooled by her appearance. She’s a powerful sorcerer. She’s apparently quite the valuable specimen, so even though it doesn’t matter if she’s killed, be sure to collect the corpse. The less damaged she is the better.”

In truth, Valjakka had been told that she was pretty much incapable of sorcery at present. Nevertheless, one never knew what tricks a sorcerer had hidden up their sleeves. It was better to go in for the kill assuming they would resist. This was all Valjakka had left, after all.

“Wow. So we’re rushing down a little girl with three guys?” the boy spat out, looking like he was holding back an urge to vomit. “Isn’t the person who ordered that ashamed of himself?”

“Watch your tongue. Lord Shere Khan is simply being cautious.”

That was a bald-faced lie. Shere Khan was being driven into a corner. Bifrons had broken their alliance, so once Zagan found his hideout, it would all be over. With such trouble looming over him, one of his trusted retainers ended up deserting—one of those twins. That pitiful Archdemon was further down at the end of his rope than Valjakka, but the knight had still placed all of his bets on him.

I have no choice but to believe in him after being shown that.

Shere Khan was seriously intent on dominating the world. Or perhaps it would be better to say that he was going to remake the world. In any case, once that Archdemon took action, Zagan and the church would have no way of winning. Besides, Shere Khan had promised to finally dispel the sorcery on Valjakka. One condition for fulfilling that promise was the absolute retrieval of the missing twin, however.

Still, having these two watchdogs is a complete nuisance.

“There is, of course, no need to chase a single girl with these numbers,” Valjakka added firmly. “However, someone’s dogs are currently in that town, so you two will keep them confined.”

The dogs were Zagan’s subordinates. Shere Khan’s current hideout was in the vicinity, so unfortunately, the terrifying Archdemon’s hand was practically grasping at Shere Khan’s throat already.

“Keep them confined?” the lanky man asked with a cock of the head. “And here I thought you’d tell us to kill them.”

That was, of course, what Valjakka truly wanted.

That damn Zagan! He’s even using people from the church!

Killing such people would be a poor choice. Zagan’s warning would take effect, and the knife implanted in Valjakka’s head would manifest.

Valjakka cleared his throat, then shook his head and replied, “It’s already a dirty job. There’s no need to steal more lives than necessary.”

“Hmmm...”

Both of Valjakka’s subordinates mumbled incomprehensibly, distrustful looks on their faces all the while. He’d just about had it with these two.

“These are Lord Shere Khan’s orders, you know?” he added in a rough voice.

“Yeah, yeah... We won’t disobey. Not that we can, anyway,” the boy said.

With that, the two of them vanished. Valjakka took another look down at the town. He saw a pitiful robed girl running about. Just like him, she was surrounded by enemies and couldn’t turn to anyone for help. How pitiful she was. Valjakka saw some of himself in her, which irritated him even more.

“You’re going to have to let me vent to my heart’s content.”

Upon seeing someone as weakened and driven into a corner as he was, Valjakka didn’t feel sympathy or compassion. This simply stimulated his sadistic heart.

◇

“That’s the gist of it, Boss. Shere Khan’s definitely in the vicinity of Feo.”

The day after Zagan and Nephy found out about each other’s birthdays, Shax gave his report using telepathy sorcery. It had been about a week since Zagan had dispatched him and Kuroka to find Shere Khan’s hideout. This man, who was truly talented aside from his ability to read the room, had finally succeeded.

“Well done,” Zagan said. “You may finish things up there and return. There’s something I’d like you to do here. Your strength is a necessity.”

“You sure are a slave driver, Boss,” Shax replied in an exhausted tone. “I don’t really care, ’cause I’m a sorcerer and all, but Kurosuke is just a normal girl, ya know?”

“Try telling her that... But you do have a point. Once your next mission is over, you may take Kuroka out on a vacation or something. I’ll prepare an excuse for you. I’ve heard there are nice hot springs in Raziel.”

“Bwah?! Hang on a sec! That’s not what I’m trying to say!”

“You want to show Kuroka some gratitude, right?” Zagan replied coldly. “Then this should be appropriate.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

Zagan sighed and replied, “Give it up, Shax. I don’t mean to say anything about your relationship with her, but allow me to provide you with a warning as a man. Be honest with her. It’s up to you whether you accept or reject her, but it’s pitiful to leave her on the hook for so long. This is what Raphael has been taking offense to the most.”

Perhaps Zagan was barking up the wrong tree by trying to urge Shax on. However, even though she hadn’t told Shax directly, it had been three months since Kuroka began showing clear affection for him. During that time, Kuroka had had her eyes treated, and Shax had gallantly taken care of her. There was more than enough subtext in her behavior to suggest that he was on her mind. And yet, he continued to pretend that he didn’t notice her feelings at all. Frankly, at this point, it was far too pitiful to watch.

There was, of course, that case with the underwear, but in Zagan’s eyes, this negligence was actually what had enraged Raphael so. If Shax seriously bowed his head and asked for her hand, Raphael probably wouldn’t get angry. Well, he would still get angry, but he would at least stop brandishing his sword every single time they met. In any case, Shax didn’t seem to expect a lecture right after his report. He was clearly flustered by this turn of events.

“S-So you say, Boss, but Kurosuke’s still a minor, ya know?”

This one statement was enough to make it clear that he had noticed Kuroka’s feelings and that he didn’t find her disagreeable.

“That’s just an excuse,” Zagan told him. “If you’re going to use that as a reason to defer your decision, then it’s only proper for you to tell her to wait.”

“Ugh... Y-You’ve...got a point there...”

Zagan came across as somewhat high-handed, but that was what it took to convince this man that he couldn’t just let things be. Shax didn’t object any further.

Actually, does this mean things have developed to the point where he can’t even object?

Zagan had decided to send them out together because Raphael would always flare up when they were in the castle. Perhaps it had turned out rather well. Still, he did understand Raphael’s feelings to a painful degree, so he couldn’t really fault his butler for his behavior. Regardless, perhaps he had gone too far.

“Well, perhaps I’m projecting a little too much,” Zagan said. “You may forget about it. Taking care of Shere Khan is a priority right now. In any case, I do plan on giving you a holiday for your distinguished service when things are over.”

“Roger that, Boss.”

Shax was a man too. He was sure to do something in good faith after being told this much. Zagan had planned to give him a break even if this matter with Kuroka wasn’t an issue anyway. If he didn’t, it wasn’t clear when Shax would ever get a break.

Now that he knew Shere Khan’s location, it was Zagan’s turn to act. Alshiera had told him to leave Nephteros to her, but he wasn’t sure how much he could trust the vampire. Furthermore, he had to keep vigilant of Bifrons’s movements and he didn’t know when Azazel would appear again. Above all else, though, there was the matter of Nephy’s birthday.

Zagan had had his hands full with Nephteros’s case yesterday, so he still hadn’t picked out a present. There was a mountain of problems before him with no room to breathe.

What do I do? I want to cling to Nephy right now and rub her head...

He had been running about the entire day, and Nephy was apparently also busy with something, so they had had pretty much no time to cuddle. However, they were in each other’s thoughts the entire time, so their love for each other had just endlessly accumulated.

“All right, then, we’ll head back now,” Shax reported. “Go ahead with the Transfer.”

Just as its name implied, Transfer was sorcery that could instantaneously transfer things from one place to another. It unfortunately couldn’t go anywhere and everywhere like Barbatos could, but Zagan could at least connect his castle to a fixed location like, for example, the place Shax had been staying. Only a handful of people including Zagan could use this freely, however.

Yesterday, I only got to have Nephy sit on my lap once. I’m not going to be able to calm down unless I at least get to rub her cheeks.

Zagan’s mind was filled with worldly desires, but he still managed to make a declaration with all the majesty of an Archdemon.

“No, return as you are. There shall be no Transfer.”

“No Transfer? But it’ll take us a whole day. I thought you were in a rush. Is that okay?”

“Once you get back, I’ll work you to the bone, so use the trip to get a breather.”

Zagan didn’t believe his subordinate would do a good job without being given any rest. Besides, judging from his reaction earlier, Zagan could surmise that Shax had made some kind of progress with Kuroka. If they knew things were going to get busy, the two of them were sure to change the way they spent their time. If Kuroka’s frustrations could be abated, it would end up relieving some of Shax’s anxieties and make him more efficient at work as well.

After relaying that command, Zagan no longer had anything to do in the throne room. It seemed about time for him to check in on Nephteros. Plus, he had to go search for Nephy’s birthday present.

But first, I need to cuddle with Nephy!

He felt like he would say something careless if he opened his mouth, but he still wanted to be with her. And just as he opened the door to the throne room to leave...

“Hyah!”

Someone tumbled over on the other side, letting out a cute yelp. Zagan caught them on reflex.

“Huh? Nephy?”

Zagan had his beloved in his arms. She’d apparently been leaning against the door, causing her to lose her balance when he opened it.

Huh? What’s going on? Did I want to see her so badly that I’m hallucinating?

The moment he thought that he wanted to cuddle, she ended up flying into his arms. Things had developed so conveniently that he was doubting his own cognition. As for Nephy, she was looking up at Zagan like she had no idea what had just happened.

The two of them stared at each other as a gentle aroma tickled his nose. It was a sweet scent, yet it had a refreshing air to it like fresh vegetation. It made it feel like spring had come early. It appeared that Nephy had changed her perfume with the coming change in seasons. It was just like her to apply such attention to detail. And as Zagan enjoyed the slightly different aroma, Nephy finally returned to her senses.

“H-Hawawawa?!”

“A-A-A-A-Are you okay?!”

Her ears turned bright red right to their pointy tips.

“U-Ummm, it’s not that I really need anything, but, um...” Nephy started, her azure eyes darting about. “We didn’t get to spend much time together yesterday, so I feel a little lonely!”

“Huuuh?!”

Her lovable complaint struck Zagan’s heart with significant force. Seeing him so shaken by this, Nephy looked up at Zagan with a hint of resignation in her eyes.

“Master Zagan.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Just for now... Just for a little bit...I’d like to...be with you.”

Zagan had no way of knowing that Nephy was troubled by what to do for his birthday much like he was for hers. What’s more, she had far less time, so it left her far more restless than he was.

“Very well!”

“Hyah?!”

Zagan scooped Nephy up into his arms and returned to his throne. He did, of course, make sure to seal the door shut with sorcery. Nephy stiffened up at the sudden event, but she’d built up a resistance to such things now—mostly because of Zagan.

“E-Eheh heh heh...”

She let out a slovenly laugh as she enjoyed being carried like a princess, rubbing her head against Zagan’s chest. Her pointy ears quivered with joy.

Hnnngh! So quick to act!

Moreover, even though she looked like she was acting boldly, her arms weren’t wrapped around him, but were instead bashfully gripping the clothing at his chest. Her timid restraint nearly had him swooning. Zagan almost fell to his knees, but resolutely remained firm. He used the tremendous strength in his arms to lift Nephy a little higher.

“Ack!”

As Nephy blinked repeatedly in confusion, he rubbed his cheek against her forehead.

“Ah...!”

Nephy let out a light shriek at the bewildering action. Her ears flailed about wildly against Zagan’s chest, tickling him in the process. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it would leap out of his mouth. This was true bliss.

Mmm! With this, I feel like I can at least keep going until I’m done dealing with Shere Khan!

Zagan then realized that Nephy was looking up at him, her face so red that it seemed like she could burst into flames at a moment’s notice. Rubbing his cheek against her brow had gone far beyond her expectations, so her thoughts couldn’t keep up with the situation.

“Uhhh, you know...I also really wanted to spend more time with you. I was so happy that you came to me, so I moved without thinking and...”

Zagan expressed his feelings with all honesty. Nephy’s lips trembled, either out of uncontrollable shyness or delight. Still, she mustered the last of her strength to smile back at him.

“Master Zagan. I feel like this is the first time you’ve spoiled me like this.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes. So I’m...really satisfied...”

It had only been a few seconds, and they had only gotten a few steps into the throne room, but with those final words, Nephy had used up all her strength, which made her lose her grip on consciousness.

“Nephy!”

Even though she’d built up a resistance to the unexpected, she couldn’t withstand the impact of having her pent-up desires fulfilled so rapidly, which made perfect sense, since Zagan had even used sorcery to withstand the shock of how loveable Nephy was at times. Even Archdemon Orias had thought of leaving the castle behind after experiencing something similar.

And now, Nephy’s innocent reaction assaulted Zagan’s heart in a counterattack. Gazing at her tranquil sleeping face, he once more sank to his knees.

◇

“Man, the boss sure can be trouble sometimes.”

The real trouble, however, was that the Archdemon was currently on the verge of collapsing just from clinging to Nephy, but for better or worse, Kuroka and Shax had no way of knowing that fact. They were currently stuck in the fortress city, Feo. It had a grand title, but it was actually a desolate town surrounded by the ruins of a fortress wall. According to rumors, the walls stood tall over a thousand years ago. But now, at the best of times, the local populace didn’t even inhabit a fourth of the town, and even the vegetation in the area was sporadic and withering.

Despite all this, judging by how it had been built upon bedrock and had wells dug in place, it had clearly once been a prosperous stopover in the middle of a land route through the continent. Apparently, when the concept of countries had vanished, the walls had lost their purpose, which led to the fortress’s quick demise. Now few passed by, and most who came were ruffians and drifters living in destitution.

This desolate town was where Kuroka and Shax’s pursuit of Shere Khan had taken them. Upon searching the area, they had found their quarry. The Archdemon’s hideout was either in the city or its surroundings.

Seeing Shax mutter to himself with a grimace after finishing his regular report, Kuroka looked at him in confusion. Zagan wasn’t one to give people unreasonable work. Shax had been traveling to complete his tasks the last few days, so his stubble was more rampant than usual. His hair was also about a third longer and rather unkempt. Despite his height, he looked unreliable due to his bent back. Still, he was the sorcerer Zagan trusted the most right after his two immediate retainers.

He grumbles a lot, but he always ends up doing something about it.

Kuroka looked up at Shax, the triangular ears atop her head twitching. She was a cait sith, so she possessed both cat and human ears, as well as two tails. She wore clothes modeled after a native dress of Liucaon, but in sharp contrast, she had a cane from the church in her hands.

Over the last few days, they had finally traced the goods Shere Khan had been ordering to their final destination.

“Is there some sort of problem?” Kuroka asked with a cock of her head.

“Oh, no. Nothing that serious. He just said a new job is waiting for me when I get back.”

“That just goes to show how much he relies on you,” Kuroka replied with a smile. “He isn’t the type of person to rely on others unless he truly trusts them.”

Tracing Shere Khan’s whereabouts was a high-priority task as well. Seeing this sorcerer, who didn’t even have a second name, being regarded so highly made Kuroka feel as happy as if it had directly involved her.

“So if there’s another job waiting, that means we’re going back already?” Kuroka asked.

With teleportation, they could be back at the castle in an instant. Kuroka and Shax had been gone for a week now, so it’d been a long absence. Honestly speaking, though, she was very happy to have time alone with him. It was a little unfortunate to have to return so soon.

It wasn’t clear to Kuroka how Shax interpreted her current state of mind as he reached his hand out to her head. She was already used to this, so her cat ears reflexively folded down over themselves. Shax then plopped his hand on her head a few times to comfort her. His warm palm was pleasant, causing her to squint involuntarily.

“Don’t be like that. The boss told us to take our time and use the whole day to get back.”

“Huh? Is that really all right?”

“He wants us to take a breather.”

“Yay!” Kuroka exclaimed and jumped up on the spur of the moment. Using that momentum, she clung to Shax’s arm.

“H-Hey! D-Don’t cling to me like that!”

“Come on, it’s fine, isn’t it?”

Not only had he seen her underwear, but he’d even seen her naked. This was nothing to falter over.

It’s still really, really embarrassing, though!

It was a little vexing that the sound of her pounding heart was loud enough for him to hear. Shax was an expert in medical sorcery, after all, so he noticed even the smallest things about people’s bodies. In any case, he looked troubled by this, but didn’t try to shake her off.

“Seriously... Is it really that fun to hang out with someone like me?” he asked.

“Yes. It’s plenty fun,” Kuroka replied.

Shax’s ears turned slightly red upon hearing that. That small reaction actually made her happier.

“Oh. right, Mister Shax, if we have time to play, then I’d like to try having a proper drink.”

She had, in fact, had alcohol before. Back during her training in the dark side of the church, she’d tasted some. There was also that summer plum wine from the other day that resulted in her shameful display. Shax and Zagan always seemed to enjoy sharing a drink, so Kuroka wanted to be able to enjoy it in the same manner. Seeing her like this, Shax ruffled her hair about gently.

“Wh-What are you doing?!”

“Don’t be stupid. Wait until you’re an adult for that.”

Kuroka puffed her cheeks in response to being treated like a child again.

“What are you saying?” she protested. “I’m already eighteen. According to the church, that’s the right age to start drinking liquor, isn’t it?”

“I’m telling you a minor can’t... Huh? Eighteen?”

Shax found himself at a loss for words. The definition of adulthood differed by region, but the church taught that eighteen was the age of an adult. One could drink alcohol and get married at that age.

And yet he still treats me like a child all the time...

She wanted him to understand how frustrated that made her.

“Uhhh, Kurosuke...?” Shax muttered, still finding the revelation hard to accept. “I thought you were seventeen.”

“I turned eighteen last month.”

That was why she’d complained about not being a child anymore a few days ago. Kuroka’s birthday was on the twenty-second of Kanata. She’d had a modest celebration with her two childhood friends before departing on this trip. Now that her home was gone, those two, and perhaps Alshiera, were the only ones who knew the date of her birthday.

Shax staggered as if his last line of defense had crumbled, then suddenly shook his head as if trying to regain his senses.

“You should’ve told me earlier...” he said.

“That I became an adult?”

“No. Your birthday. There’s no way I could’ve helped you celebrate if I didn’t know.”

With that, Shax looked somewhat ashamed, as if it was his own fault for not knowing. Kuroka hadn’t thought he would actually want to celebrate with her, so her cheeks suddenly grew hot.

“Umm, sorry about that. My birthday was the twenty-second of last month.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s my fault for not checking,” Shax replied, then nodded reluctantly. “Well, I guess I can treat you to some liquor as a late celebration. Not that I really want to or anything.”

“Okay!”

It seemed like the trip back was going to be enjoyable. However, just then, the hairs on Kuroka’s tails stood on end.

“Mister Shax, enemies.”

It appeared their fun little break would have to be postponed.

◇

“Yo. Sorry ’bout that. Guess we interrupted you.”

Feo’s populace was concentrated in the heart of the city. The majority of its outer rim was uninhabited. After moving out to this abandoned portion of town, Kuroka and Shax’s pursuers revealed themselves.

One was a boy with scarlet hair and eyes who appeared to be a sorcerer armed with some kind of gauntlet. He didn’t have a blade on him, but the leather chest protector he wore made him resemble a bandit. The other was an armored swordsman wielding a longsword. His thin eyes, which almost looked like slits, stood out the most. He had long hair for a man, and it was difficult to pin down his exact age. He definitely wasn’t in his teens, but he looked anywhere from twenty to fifty.

The first to speak had been the boy, though he didn’t seem apologetic in the least. From the looks of it, they seemed to be mercenaries rather than sorcerers. Mercenaries were largely made up of wannabe Angelic Knights and novice sorcerers who’d only been able to learn cheap tricks. Their trade relied entirely on letting their brute strength talk for them. Small trade firms and nobles in poor standing with the church who couldn’t employ competent sorcerers tended to hire them instead. The skills of such thugs were, of course, nothing to boast of.

Shere Khan is using mercenaries as assassins?

It was very likely that Shere Khan was preparing an army in the tens of thousands. And even disregarding that force, he had subordinates like Dexia, so it was difficult to believe he would send any number of mercenaries to do the deed.

“Are you Shere Khan’s underlings?” Kuroka asked.

“Oh, figured us out, huh?” the boy said, raising his hands in surrender. “I’m glad. That makes things quick, but I kinda wanna chat a bit first.”

“Chat...?”

“Yeah. He ordered us to finish you two off, but honestly, killing you when I’ve got no clue who you are kinda puts a sour taste in my mouth.”

The boy put a strong emphasis on “finish you two off” and “killing,” perhaps in an attempt to intimidate them. It also sounded like he was trying to confirm something. Kuroka squared herself so that she was ready to draw her swords from her cane at any moment as Shax stepped forward.

“Come on, you don’t mean that you’re going to let us go if we say we’re plain old citizens, do you now?” he asked them.

“Aaah, well, I kinda wanna test if we could,” the boy said with a smile, as if killing people didn’t make him feel a thing.

Test? Test what? Kuroka wondered. She couldn’t read her opponent, but this kind of negotiation was Shax’s specialty. Thus, Kuroka decided to quietly watch over them. Shax brought his hand to his waist and replied to the boy with a weak smile.

“Gimme a break, man. We’re just worthless citizens, as you can see. She’s a frail little girl that’s never so much as thrown a punch, ya know? How could she possibly have offended anyone?”

“Ha ha ha. See, that’s what I thought too...” the boy responded with a wry smile, but suddenly sharpened his gaze. “But based on experience, people like you who pretend not to stand out are the scariest of ’em all.”

Maybe they’re actually good people! Kuroka suddenly exclaimed in her mind, pumping her fists and nodding repeatedly.

“Kurosuke... Don’t act all proud at that,” Shax said with a sigh.

“Oh. Sorry. I just felt so happy...”

“Sir Asura, it seems you’re being ridiculed,” the slit-eyed swordsman snorted out.

“Huh? Really? Dammit! Why’d you gotta make fun of me when I’m actin’ all modest?!” the boy roared with tears in his eyes.

Kuroka actually felt somewhat sorry for him, but her mind sharply analyzed what she’d heard.

The boy is actually the superior of the two, then?

The swordsman was clearly older, but referred to the boy as “Sir” regardless, so it was highly likely she was right. Besides, even though his tone had been somewhat teasing, there was a certain air of respect behind his words.

“Well, in either case, we can’t allow Shere Khan’s subordinates to escape,” Kuroka declared, readying her cane and lining herself up next to Shax.

“I would’ve liked to get a little more information outta them, though,” Shax said.

Kuroka and Shax had no choice but to prepare themselves for battle. Seeing this, the boy slammed his gauntleted fist together.

“Let’s rock this! Bato, I’ll take on the spindly lookin’ guy. You restrain the woman.”

“Waaah...? But I never point my sword at women.”

“I also don’t make a habit of hittin’ girls!”

“Haaah... Sir Asura, are you perhaps a virgin? Your face is bright red.”

“It’s red ’cause I’m pissed the hell off!”

The two of them didn’t seem even the slightest bit scared by the life-or-death situation before them.

“Let’s go,” Kuroka said.

Even if they don’t look all that impressive, it could just be for show.

They were assassins sent by an Archdemon, so Kuroka had no intention whatsoever of being careless. As she stepped forth, Shax tapped her back with two fingers.

“Take them alive.”

“Understood.”

She acknowledged his silent instruction with a gaze, then closed in on the slit-eyed swordsman. She drew one of her shortswords from her cane with her right hand, twisting her body as she stepped in, performing a full rotation and unleashing a slash.

In exchange for using her full body weight, this strike left a big opening. The swordsman drew the blade at his waist at his leisure and caught Kuroka’s blow, pushing back down on her with his body.

“Hmm, that’s quite the strike considering your physique,” the swordsman hummed in admiration.

Their swords scraped against each other, trembling from the impact. Judging by the simple fact that he’d managed to stop that blow, this swordsman was no ordinary person. However, Kuroka hadn’t performed such a long stroke without reason.

“Hmph!”

She’d drawn her second shortsword in the middle of her twirl while her back had been turned to him. Using the momentum of her twist, she brought down the shortsword in her left hand on top of the other. The swordsman’s longsword shattered to pieces halfway down with a loud clang.

“It seems that was quite the blade,” Kuroka said.

Pretty much any sword would shatter if met with a serious attack from Kuroka. To date, the only sword that hadn’t was Chastille’s Sacred Sword. It was quite significant that she had to draw both blades in a single stroke to break his. It was somewhat pitiful to so mercilessly break his sword right off the bat, though.

Without giving him the time to counterattack, Kuroka thrust a shortsword at the man’s throat. He looked down at his broken blade, then up at Kuroka, and repeated this cycle several times before forcing a smile.

“Uhhh... Umm, I surrender, so...”

He raised both his hands, his broken sword still in his grip.

“Could you let go of your sword, then?” Kuroka asked.

“Thought so...”

Even if it was broken, it could have some sort of trick to it. The swordsman reluctantly let go of his broken weapon. After kicking it far away, Kuroka finally turned to Shax. She would’ve liked to tie this man up, but she didn’t have anything like rope on her. The only thing she could do to keep him restrained was hold her blade out in front of him, but that was likely enough in this case.

“Mister Shax, I’m done subduing him.”

“Nice. Well done.”

It seemed even Shax had a cold sweat coming down his brow. Regardless, his praise had Kuroka’s tails standing on end.

“The hell are you doing, Bato?” the boy said in exasperation.

“I mean, what do you want me to do with a broken sword...?” the man replied pitifully. However, Kuroka still refused to lower her guard.

He didn’t take our fight seriously at all... No, he never even intended to.

She didn’t know what their goal was, but it was better to assume this was all within their expectations. In fact, even though Kuroka had rendered the man helpless, she also couldn’t budge an inch. It was as if he’d sealed her movements.

The boy looked like the superior of the two. If possible, Kuroka wanted to support Shax, but her instincts were telling her not to give this swordsman any openings. Shax also appeared to sense this. He held up his palm, telling Kuroka not to move. Having said that, the boy’s partner had been beaten in an instant. He stamped his feet about in complaint, yet narrowed his gaze sharply.

“Tch! What an unreliable partner! Listen up! You’re in for a world of hurt if you think I’m gonna go down like Bato!”

Despite his childish behavior, which even exceeded his childish appearance, Kuroka and Shax were forced to realize that he wasn’t being vainglorious. The boy held out his right arm as a tremendous amount of mana suddenly swept over the area.

“Sorcery!” Kuroka yelled.

“It’s not!” Shax immediately disagreed.

The boy smiled with an unyielding spirit, then said, “Heh heh. Looks like you get it a li’l. This is the Hex Arm. And I’m Hex Arm Asura! Carve that into your thick skulls, dammit!”

“Hex Arm Asura? Impossible...!” Kuroka exclaimed, doubting her ears.

“Kurosuke, do you know something?”

There were none in Liucaon who didn’t know that name. Kuroka had heard the fairy tales many times over, even.

“It’s the name of a hero from a one-thousand-year-old Liucaon legend.”

The air suddenly froze at her response.

“A-A thousand years?!” three voices yelled in unison.

“Hang on, why are you two acting all surprised?” Shax asked.

“I-I mean, I didn’t hear nothin’ about a thousand years passin’. Y-You’re kiddin’ me, right?” the boy said in shock.

“Uhhh... Judging by this little lady’s reaction, I do believe it must be true...” the swordsman said.

Kuroka had thought it was a lie to throw them off, but these assailants were far more shaken than she or Shax was to hear her response. The swordsman had been acting aloof all this time, but suddenly had a shadow lurking behind his expression as cold sweat ran down his cheek. It would be impressive if this was all an act, but it looked far more like he was incapable of hiding his astonishment.

Now that I think of it, he called him Bato... Does that make this man Clairvoyant Bato?

That was the name of a famous strategist in the legends of the Silver-Eyed King.

But is it even possible for these two to be heroes from a thousand years ago?

Sorcery was capable of creating the undead, but it was impossible to perfectly resurrect the dead. It was perhaps possible using Nephy’s mysticism, but could such a thing be achieved after a thousand years without so much as the ashes of the dead left?

I can’t read their intentions at all.

If they’d aimed to throw off Kuroka and Shax, it would’ve made sense to use names closer to their hearts. Still, even if it was possible to resurrect the real heroes, would they be made to act like mere mercenaries in a place like this?

“H-Hmph! It’s a li’l surprising, but it don’t change what I’ve gotta do!”

The boy had no intention of giving up. Even more mana wrapped around his extended right hand. Before long, a crimson gauntlet took shape around his arm. It was transparent like glass. Although it wasn’t as big, Kuroka saw a resemblance to Heaven’s Scale Eastern Sky, the sorcery Archdemon Zagan wielded. A shiver of dread ran down her spine as all the fur on her tails stood on end.

“Mister Shax! That arm is dangerous!”

“I can see that... Materialized mana? No, he called it Hex Arm. Is it some sort of curse?” Shax muttered, carefully analyzing the situation.

“A curse?” the boy muttered, his eyes wide in shock. “Hmm, I see... So this is called a curse?”

He nodded in understanding, reading some sort of hidden meaning out of that word. He looked like he was playing the fool, but it turned out he wasn’t so dim.

“Now then, shall we?” the boy, Hex Arm Asura, said with a ferocious smile, holding up his crimson gauntlet.

Kuroka had a bad premonition, so she tried to dash in and exclaimed “I won’t let—!”

“Whoa there, are you going to let me go?”

Just as she tried to run off, however, the swordsman grinned at her.

I can’t move.

Kuroka had fallen into the swordsman’s trap. She couldn’t read him at all, seeing that he’d surrendered right away. Things could be settled quickly if she killed him, but she wasn’t an assassin anymore. More importantly, Shax didn’t wish for that.

“Kurosuke, don’t worry ’bout me,” Shax said with a smile. “I’ve at least got enough talent for the boss to trust me, ya know?”

He ran forward as if to catch the boy’s crimson gauntlet head-on.

“That’s the spirit!” Asura yelled.

“Whoa!”

The moment it looked like Shax charged forth with vigor, his legs tangled up and he fell over splendidly. The boy froze completely, his gauntlet still held aloft, unable to believe what he’d just seen.

“The hell are you up to...?”

“Hang on! Gimme a sec! Let’s start over!” Shax yelled.

“Quit screwin’ with me!”

Shax retreated pitifully, still sitting on his rear. This seemed to rub Asura’s nerves even more. The boy’s face was bright red with rage. Obviously, he closed in to punch Shax, but to do so, he had to chase the retreating sorcerer. And so, his foot came down right where Shax had tumbled over so unnaturally.

“Eat shit!” the boy yelled.

“Make me,” Shax replied.

The ground exploded beneath the boy’s feet. Shax had apparently set up an impromptu trap there. Any normal sorcerer would’ve been handled with ease by the explosion, but when the dust settled, the boy appeared to be completely unharmed. It turned out the shape of his gauntlet could be freely manipulated. It had scattered into pieces and formed a shield to withstand the blast.

“Tch! Don’t think that kinda crap can take me down!”

“Oh, I’ll take you down all right.”

“Wha—?!”

Shax used the dust to slip behind Asura. He then grabbed the boy’s unarmored left arm, twisted it, and pushed him down.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!”

“Okay, you’d better not move. Human joints aren’t meant to bend this way. It’ll break if you’re not careful.”

Thanks to his specialization in medical treatment, Shax’s arts were based on a full understanding of the structure of the human body. With this, things were settled... Or so Kuroka wanted to believe, at least.

“You really think I’m gonna get done in by such underhanded crap?!”

The boy grasped the ground with his gauntlet, lifting his body off the ground with his other arm still twisted behind him.

“H-Hey!”

“Raaah!”

Astonishingly enough, Asura lifted both of them off the ground with a one-arm handstand. He then rolled his body forward and escaped Shax’s grasp.

“Seriously...?” Shax muttered. Then, without even waiting for them to land, he used the boy’s body as a stepping stone to jump away from him.

“I’m not gonna get caught by that lame trick again!”

“I bet you won’t...”

Shax had wanted to finish things off with that trick, but Kuroka knew that wasn’t all there was to his strength. She could see multiple magic circles wrapped around his arm as he readied himself.

It can’t be! Those are...!

Shax lunged at the boy again. This time, however, he really was charging in straight from the front. His fist collided with the boy’s gauntlet. Mana turned into a shock wave, spreading out into the surroundings. Shax’s foot sank into the ground...and the glass windows in the area shattered.

“The hell—?!”

The boy lost the clash. The shock wave blew him back, sending him crashing into the wall behind him and turning the dilapidated house to rubble.

“How’s that? My boss’s fist hurts pretty bad, huh?”

If it had to be given a name, the Archdemon’s Fist would be appropriate. This was the punch of Archdemon Zagan, reinforced by endlessly eating the sorcery of others. It was a strike that had even defeated Purgatory Barbatos and Archdemon Andrealphus. Shax had reproduced it himself without having to devour sorcery. However, the price of using such an attack wasn’t trivial. A horrible sound resounded from every bone between Shax’s fist and bicep as blood burst into the air.

“Gah! Ugh...”

Archdemon Zagan could swing such a fist because he was the most skilled when it came to reinforcing his body. Shax also specialized in such things as a medical practitioner, but he couldn’t withstand the recoil. On the other hand, the boy got up from the rubble looking fairly fine, his gauntlet remaining undamaged.

“Ow... You son of a bitch! You really did it now!”

Shax had already started to heal his broken right arm. He’d gotten far enough to clench his fist again, but if he tried to repeat that punch, this time his entire arm would be lost. Nevertheless, he stood ready to attack.

“You can’t!” Kuroka yelled, clenching her teeth hard.

“Whoa there, I’m not going to let—!”

The swordsman tried to block her path, but his slit-thin eyes shot open. As Kuroka broke into a run, her body crumbled away. It was somewhat similar to how the vampire Alshiera transformed into bats. The fundamental difference was that Kuroka hadn’t transformed into bats, but countless butterflies instead.

The butterflies were made of light, glittering with a rainbow glow. This wasn’t an art like Moonlit Night, but a phenomenon closer to mysticism.

What’s going on... Did the Moonless Sky do this?

This was a first, even for Kuroka. However, despite the mystery of the phenomenon, Kuroka understood how to move in that form. The butterflies gathered in front of Shax as if to protect him and reformed Kuroka’s body.

“What?” Asura muttered in bewilderment, but still brandished his crimson gauntlet.

“You mustn’t, Sir Asura!” the swordsman yelled, bringing the boy to a halt. “We’re retreating.”

“Fine...” the boy nodded, sounding unexpectedly obedient, then struck the ground with his gauntlet.

A massive amount of dust blew into the air, obscuring the two mercenaries. By the time the dust settled, they were both gone. They were clearly rather shrewd, as even the broken sword Kuroka had kicked aside had vanished.

“They got away... Or I guess, they let us go?” Shax said, blood still running down his arm.

Upon seeing that, Kuroka quietly declared, “I’m going to hunt them down.”

◇

“We’re probably fine all the way out here.”

Asura and Bato came to a stop near the ruins of a church because there didn’t seem to be anyone in the vicinity. There were walls all over that could be used as cover, but the buildings in the area had all collapsed, leaving it rather open. It was impossible to get within twenty paces of them without being spotted.

Impossible if I hadn’t gone around the back ahead of them, that is.

Even after regaining her sight, Kuroka’s senses of smell and hearing had far surpassed those of any regular person. What’s more, she’d investigated the area beforehand, so she could immediately predict where they would retreat to. She hid behind a wall, erased her presence, and pricked up her ears.

“So what, was that woman’s ability that hard to tango with?” Asura asked.

“Yes. Its form was rather different from what I know, but...that was probably Azazel,” the swordsman answered cautiously.

Kuroka nearly made noise upon hearing the unexpected name spill from his lips.

“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me...” Asura said, putting himself on guard as well. “Ain’t that the name of those fuckin’ seraphs’ god?”

Kuroka was no longer able to hide her agitation due to the continuous series of surprising words.

I wish I could’ve brought Mister Shax with me...

She did at least possess some skill as an intelligence operative, but Shax could’ve gotten far more information out of this conversation than her. Kuroka had taken chase on her own because he was injured, but she should’ve had him cast some sort of communication sorcery on her.

“I see,” the swordsman replied, raising his head and realizing his own thoughtlessness. “In your era, that’s what Azazel was.”

“You talk like it was somethin’ else in your era.”

Kuroka scowled at the bizarre conversation. It was as if the two had come from different ages and were cognizant of that fact.

Does that mean they’re really the heroes from a thousand years ago...?

Hex Arm Asura and Clairvoyant Bato were both names that appeared in the legends of the Silver-Eyed King. Back in her hometown, Kuroka had read many such tales with Lilith. According to the legends, the two of them didn’t live in different eras, though.

Deciding that she would leave uncovering the authenticity of their identities to Zagan and Shax, Kuroka focused on listening under the assumption that they were, in fact, those very same heroes.

“Yes,” the swordsman answered. “In my era, Azazel was split in two by the Silver-Eyed King. One half remained the dreadful god, while the other turned into a sword. We called it the Seraphic Blade.”

The Seraphic Blade Azazel...meaning it was a seraph’s sword? However, Zagan had been searching for Azazel under the assumption that it was the thirteenth Sacred Sword. Kuroka lowered her gaze to the Moonless Sky in her hand. According to Alshiera, this sword had once been wielded by the Silver-Eyed King.

What exactly is this sword, then?

If the Adelhide village were still around, there might’ve been some sort of legend left to investigate, but none of this sounded familiar to Kuroka.

“If she is its current wielder, I suppose that makes her this generation’s Silver-Eyed King,” the swordsman continued. “Even if we both took her on at once, I believe that burden is a little too heavy for us.”

Unbeknownst to them, someone else went by that name right now, but Kuroka felt like she couldn’t ignore that as a simple misunderstanding. She would find out the full details sooner or later. In any case, these two were under the assumption that Kuroka was the current Silver-Eyed King.

“She has red eyes and is a girl, ya know?” Asura muttered dubiously.

“It could’ve turned into a simple title after a thousand years.”

“By Silver-Eyed King, you mean ——, right?” Asura asked just to be sure. “That woman doesn’t have silver eyes, but maybe she’s one of his descendants?”

Kuroka couldn’t hear the name he said very well.

No, it’s not that I couldn’t hear it... It feels more like it was blocked by some manner of sorcery.

“Sorry, what did you just call him? I couldn’t really hear you,” the swordsman asked, apparently blocked from hearing it as well.

“Huh? I said ——. Our leader.”

The swordsman sank into thought and murmured, “This may sound strange, but I can’t perceive the name you’re saying, Sir Asura.”

“What’s that mean...?”

“If the name you speak is that of the Silver-Eyed King, then that means he had cut down a god. He must’ve paid some sort of price, meaning it’s highly likely he was burdened with some sort of curse.”

“A curse... That guy said the same thing when he saw my Hex Arm.”

“Marchosias completely and utterly wiped out the seraphs after they lost their powers, after all,” the swordsman said with a wry smile. “The seraphs’ hexes started getting called curses out of hatred.”

“Your Hex Sword too?”

“So you did notice, eh? Yes, this too.”

His sword had, in fact, been a weapon with an interesting history to it. If Kuroka hadn’t forced him to drop it, she might’ve been driven into a hard fight.

“So if we can’t hear his name, then the Silver-Eyed King will have to do, yeah?” Asura said. “You got any idea why it ended up like that?”

“No... I mean, none returned from that place alive, after all.”

“So you were annihilated...” Asura mumbled, then added in a grief-stricken voice, “Does that mean Ashy died too...?”

“By Ashy, do you mean Lady Alshiera?”

Kuroka nearly let out a sound again upon hearing a familiar name mentioned.

“You may rest at ease. She was still alive in my era. Or at the very least, she still was when I died in battle.”

“I see... Mmm. That’s good, then...”

There was genuine relief in Asura’s voice, but Kuroka could sense that the swordsman was still hiding something in his silence. The two men talked as if they had already died. It made Kuroka’s head hurt. There was too much information for her to convey to her allies.

“Let’s organize all the information we’ve obtained for now,” the swordsman said, pulling things back together. “First, this is the world a thousand years after we died.”

“Meanin’ I’ve got another twenty or thirty years on you? Well, guess it makes sense that the world is totally different, then.”

Asura really had come from an earlier era than the swordsman. How much had the world changed over a thousand years? Kuroka couldn’t even imagine it, but the differences must’ve been astonishing.

“Yes,” the swordsman continued. “Second, sword techniques haven’t advanced much since our era.”

“Huh? I only saw her take a single swing, but it looked like she had enough skill that it’s kinda a waste that she’s a girl, ya know?”

“Agreed. Even if she fought the Silver-Eyed King of my era, I don’t think she would be outdone by him. However, she wouldn’t greatly exceed him either. In all likelihood, sword techniques had already reached completion in our age.”

Meaning that so long as the tools they used didn’t change, the development of an art had its limits. Hearing there had been no progress saddened Kuroka, but that emotion didn’t matter right now, so she drove it out of her mind.

“Third,” the swordsman said, tension now thick in his voice. “In complete contrast, sorcery has advanced to a terrifying level.”

“That thing the guy used? Well, despite clashing head-on with my Hex Arm, it looked like combat was actually that guy’s weak point.”

“That’s not what I mean. The destructive potential of his punch was amazing, yes, but I’m referring to his healing speed. His arm was nearly torn off by the clash with your Hex Arm, yet in but a few seconds, it was almost back to normal. Is he really human? If he can cast the same healing on others, there’d be no defeating them.”

Kuroka was astonished. These two had been observing her and Shax even more than she’d been observing them. They even understood the level of Shax’s medical sorcery at a single glance.

“Fourth,” Asura said this time. “That knight’s orders have no compelling force on us.”

“Yes. We could both surrender and retreat. There was no effect when you lied either.”

Kuroka narrowed her eyes upon hearing that part.

That knight...? An Angelic Knight, perhaps?

Some knights weren’t Angelic Knights, but in this day and age, the term normally referred to the knights of the church. The two of them talked as if they were under the command of this knight they’d mentioned.

“I hate that guy,” Asura proclaimed. “I mean, it kinda feels like he’d abandon his friends to get away.”

“Ha ha ha. You think so too, Sir Asura? I also find it hard to like such shady characters.”

“You hate people who are like you, huh? I get it.”

Upon seeing the swordsman stumped by his remark, Asura cackled before continuing the conversation by saying, “Still, I don’t really get what’s goin’ on. We’re completely bound by Shere Khan’s orders, yeah? And here, we got ordered by Shere Khan to obey that knight, so why can we defy him? Judgin’ by what we saw of the others, that absolute obedience ain’t somethin’ you can just ignore on a whim.”

Kuroka cocked her head curiously when she heard that.

Does this mean Shere Khan can brainwash people with sorcery?

It appeared that Asura and Bato were in a position where they couldn’t disobey Shere Khan.

“If I had to guess...” the swordsman muttered, clearly lost in deep thought. “I would say there’s no effect unless it’s a direct order from Shere Khan’s mouth. Or perhaps...”

“That wasn’t no order to begin with?”

“Precisely.”

Kuroka couldn’t understand anything at this point, so she made sure just to listen. Things would be easier to decide on if she knew a little more about their circumstances.

“In that case, what’s in it for Shere Khan?” Asura asked dubiously. “Dependin’ on how things go, we could even betray him. This don’t make no sense.”

“You have a point there. Still, he seems to have his own circumstances to consider. Regardless, I can think of two possibilities. First, that knight has a grasp of Shere Khan’s weakness.”

“Looked more like it was the other way around to me. What’s the other?”

“There’s a need for us to act independently.”

“I mean, that’s the part I don’t get.”

Kuroka could understand where the swordsman was coming from.

If Shere Khan dominates them completely, there’s a danger their actions will be predictable.

That meant Shere Khan was expecting them to act in unforeseen ways. Or, in other words, the Archdemon had made an enemy aside from Zagan that he had to be wary of to such an extent. Kuroka had just heard of this from Shax after his report to Zagan.

So these people are meant to keep Bifrons in check? I see... That’s why they were hesitant to recognize us as enemies. Oh, then the lie was that they were ordered to kill us.

Their focus had been largely on gathering information. From beginning to end, they hadn’t done anything unnecessary. All their actions had a terrifying refinement to them.

“So that’s how it goes,” Asura said with a laugh. “That’s more than enough info to apologize for havin’ ya keep us company in figurin’ all that out, yeah?”

Those words were clearly directed at Kuroka. They’d noticed she was hiding in the area. In other words, they had spoken of all this knowing that she was eavesdropping the entire time.

They might really be the heroes from a thousand years ago.

It was vexing, but she’d clearly been on the back foot the whole time.

“You have my thanks...” she replied.

“Sir Asura, it appears she was behind us.”

Kuroka came out of cover and spotted Asura looking in the opposite direction. They knew she’d managed to cut them off, but hadn’t grasped her exact location.

“Oh right,” the swordsman added cheerfully. “About the knight who sent us here to buy time... He seems to be chasing a girl who’s running around this town. Could she perhaps be a comrade of yours?”

He was basically telling her, “Our employer is a nuisance, so could you go take care of him for us?”

But...a girl?

Kuroka had no clue who that could be. If it was someone in Zagan’s camp, he would definitely have noticed already, meaning Shax would’ve heard of it earlier during their regular report. As for people outside of Zagan’s camp, Kuroka hadn’t the slightest. There was nobody who would come out to such a desolate town, let alone a girl.

No, maybe, just maybe...

She had no proof and didn’t think it was possible. To begin with, she’d been told that those girls possessed fervent loyalty to Shere Khan. Even if they had been forsaken for failing their mission, it had been so long ago now, making it even more doubtful.

But if it is them...

Kuroka didn’t really have any obligation to save them. In fact, she had more of a reason to resent them. It was possible to get some information out of them if she brought them in alive, but their survival had nothing to do with her. Besides, Shax was injured, so Kuroka didn’t want to get saddled with more trouble. Or at least that was...supposed to be the case.

“Who knows? I wonder about that.”

After leaving those words behind, Kuroka dashed off.

◇

“That’s a hit! Stop!”

Back in Kianoides, a wooden sword flew high into the air in the plaza in front of the church.

“Oooh! Alfred lost!”

A lean knight in brilliant blue armor faced a young man wearing Anointed Armor. The knight in blue looked up at his wooden sword in a daze, then finally came to his senses upon hearing it strike the ground.

“How splendid...” he muttered with a sigh of admiration. “You’ve grown strong, Richard.”

“Thank you very much!”

The victor’s name was Richard. His opponent was one of the Three Knights of the Azure Sky, the longsword wielder Alfred. Once upon a time, the Three Knights of the Azure Sky had been little more than the elites of Kianoides. However, after challenging Archdemon Zagan and failing, they had risen to the ranks of the best among the best of all Angelic Knights in the region. Among them, the Angelic Knight named Alfred was second only to Chastille. In other words, he was the strongest knight in town excluding any Archangels.

That was why Richard had asked a big favor of Alfred in helping with his training. And today, Richard had finally landed a hit on him.

“Hngh...” Alfred groaned, looking up at the sky as if holding back his tears. “From now on, my seat among the Three Knights of the Azure Sky is yours! Protect Lady Chastille until the end of your days!”

“Huh? No, that’s a little...” Richard trailed off, sounding somewhat troubled, but the other Angelic Knights paid him no heed and gathered around Alfred.

“You did well, Alfred!”

“This is just how the old guard passes on, I suppose... It’s going to get lonely without you.”

“Don’t say that, Torres. A man of Alfred’s caliber has recognized his successor, so we must accept it!”

It felt like Richard couldn’t cut into their conversation anymore, leaving a cold sweat running down his brow.

Wh-What should I do? It’s not like I was looking for a promotion or anything...

The Three Knights of the Azure Sky were the strongest Angelic Knights in Kianoides. The missions they were burdened with varied widely, and they devoted themselves to their harsh duties day and night. To put it bluntly, they were extremely busy.

On the other hand, Richard simply wanted to be stronger so that he could protect Nephteros better, and so that Archdemon Zagan, who had her under his patronage, would come to accept him. There was no point if he could no longer stay by her side. If he were promoted, he would no longer be able to remain as her personal guard.

Despite that, it looked like Alfred had already resigned from his post, and the others were all deeply moved by his manly display. Richard did, of course, respect him greatly as an Angelic Knight, but this was an unwelcome favor. And as he remained flustered about what to do, a sweet giggle resounded out of nowhere.

“Tee hee hee, my, what a festive mood they’re in.”

A swarm of bats unbefitting the midday plaza gathered together. Then, a girl in black clothing swooped down with a light tap on the ground, a creepy stuffed doll in her arms. This was the vampire Alshiera.

“Mrgh! You’re that damn vampire who’s been lurking around the church!”

“What are you doing here?!”

“We even left macarons out in the office!”

The Three Knights of the Azure Sky immediately got into formation, Alfred picking up his fallen wooden sword in the process. It felt like there was an unrelated complaint in there, but Richard pretended not to notice. As for Alshiera, she failed to let that last line slip, so she strained a smile at a slight loss.

“Umm... I shall enjoy them at a later time.”

“I made the ones today using rare fruits from passion flowers. The taste will deteriorate over time, so you should eat them as soon as possible!”

“Have you been making them by hand all this time?”

The vampire Alshiera possessed eyes that seemed to see through every truth, but here was one she hadn’t been able to reveal. Ryan, the greatshield wielder, covered his blushing face awkwardly.

“Please forget everything you just heard...” he said.

Perhaps the Three Knights of the Azure Sky weren’t as busy as Richard had initially believed.

Even with the wind blown out of her sails, Alshiera smiled gallantly and said, “Well, I came over because there’s something to celebrate. My favorite little pet has gotten more guards, hasn’t she?”

“Hrm...? What are you talking about?” Alfred asked with a grimace.

“Oh my, is that gentleman not Lady Nephteros’s guard?” Alshiera asked with an exaggerated look of surprise. “Now that he’s been promoted, his squad should be taking on that responsibility with him, no?”

She then narrowed her eyes with a villainous smile and added, “At any rate, she is a high elf, a member of the race regarded as the most sacred beings in the church, and the little sister of Archdemon Zagan’s beautiful bride, Lady Nephelia... In other words, she is the very symbol of the Unification Faction.”

“Hrk!” Torres, the spear-wielder, grunted and suddenly fell to one knee.

“What’s wrong, Torres?!”

“N-Nothing! It’s nothing! I just recalled something horrible. There’s nothing wrong with me!”

Cold sweat poured down Torres’s brow and his hand trembled violently as he clung to his spear. This was a fit that assaulted him every now and then. Richard didn’t know the details, but it happened whenever the topic of elves came up. This was the second time Richard had witnessed it himself. He’d heard the fits had calmed down as of late, however.

Richard stood there in bewilderment as Alshiera then directed a meaningful gaze toward him. He couldn’t read her intentions, but decided to go along with it.

“Ummm, Lady Alshiera,” he said. “That still hasn’t been decided. Above all else, I believe the Three Knights of the Azure Sky are only what they are when composed of these three men.”

Alshiera’s eyes widened in faux surprise and she replied, “Oh dear, then I must have jumped to conclusions. My deepest apologies.”

Upon hearing Richard’s casual refusal of the position, Alfred bowed his head regretfully.

“Forgive me, Richard! But the path to glory is now open to you!”

Torres then led the other Angelic Knights back to their posts, dispersing the group. The only ones left were Richard and Alshiera.

“Should I be thanking you?” he asked.

“Oh? All I did was misread the situation, right?”

Richard nodded in understanding.

According to Lady Chastille, she isn’t a bad person, but...

He still struggled to read her intentions. It was unreasonable for him to lower his guard against this vampire.

“So? Did you need something from me?” he asked warily.

Alshiera didn’t respond right away. Instead, she scooped back her golden hair, finding it difficult to find the right words, and after a brief silence, she finally began speaking.

“I do... Allow me to be quite frank. Have you noticed anything abnormal about Lady Nephteros?”

“Abnormal...? Like how she feels sick every now and then?”

Nephteros had suddenly collapsed once. What’s more, when Richard had gone to get her a drink, she ended up vanishing, causing him to panic pretty badly. She’d looked stable over the last month, but she still had bouts of dizziness and headaches. Nephteros had stoutly kept it all to herself, so it pained Richard’s heart to watch her.

“So you have noticed,” Alshiera muttered anxiously.

“Yes... Is there perhaps something happening to her body?”

Alshiera nodded with a grave expression on her face, then quietly said, “Yes. I’ll get straight to the point. I’d like you to stay away from Lady Nephteros.”

Richard’s eyes shot open at the sudden pronouncement. Confused, he asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. You have feelings for her, don’t you? That isn’t good.”

“I-I can at least separate my private life from my duties!”

“I’m not criticizing you,” Alshiera said with a listless sigh. “If you get further involved with her, you will experience only painful memories. You would be better off getting away from her as soon as possible.”

For an instant, Richard felt blood rushing to his head, but then he realized that Alshiera’s warning was related to Nephteros’s health. Thinking back on it, Nephteros had seemed absentminded this morning.

Painful memories...? It can’t be!

Richard prayed that his intuition was wrong.

“Do you mean to say that her condition is that severe?” he asked.

She hadn’t collapsed recently. It even looked like she was steadily recovering.

“I gave you my warning,” Alshiera told him, shaking her head. Then, leaving those last words, the vampire vanished within a swarm of bats.

What should I do...?

With nobody left to answer him, Richard stood stock still in the empty plaza.

◇

“Haaah... Haaah...”

A girl ran through the alleyways near some abandoned buildings. She had blue eyes and her face was smeared with dirt. Her trademark red ribbon was gone, while her blonde hair was a disheveled mess. She had her little sister’s blue ribbon wrapped preciously around her left wrist.

This was one of the twin sorcerers who served Shere Khan, Dexia. She was wearing a fine robe that was far too large for her, but underneath it, she had nothing more than old rags she’d managed to find to cover her chest and waist. She was essentially naked. She wore no shoes, causing her toenails to peel off at some point during her flight, so every single step she took left droplets of blood on the ground.

This is the worst. Getting chased by a thug like him in a place like this is just...

She’d awoken in the hideout near Feo and ran for her life just the other night. She’d somehow managed to make it to town, but she had no clothes, let alone money, which left her with few options. She couldn’t get any food or water, but somehow still maintained a minimal amount of reinforcement to her body and had finally managed to move around properly when a pursuer had found her.

Dexia pretty much couldn’t use any sorcery as she was now. The robe she had on had some spells inlaid within, but she couldn’t activate them because it wasn’t hers. In other words, she couldn’t use any sorcery without drawing the complex and unintelligible magic circles from scratch.

Even if she had the mana, it would take her hours to use anything. And a large-scale spell would take days, even months. The trump card she’d been granted by her master, the Entangling Gaze, required years of preparation.

Archdemon Zagan had replicated such a magic circle after seeing it only once, and even though he’d started drawing it second, he still completed it at the same time as her. Dexia couldn’t even imagine the speed at which his mind worked.

The only saving grace she had was that she’d managed to reinforce her body in time, but that had taken her an entire night. Still, if not for that, she wouldn’t have been able to even attempt to run away.

“Aristella...”

The first word that left her hopeless mouth was the name of her other half, the girl who was no longer with her.

This all happened because I’m stupid and weak and didn’t have enough resolve...

That was why her other half had become the sacrifice. She had to stake her life to save her sister. The last Dexia saw of her had been nothing but a lump of meat without a hint of the lovely features she once possessed.

“I’m scared of dying... I don’t want to... I hate the idea of being thrown away.”

That had been their last conversation. Aristella had noticed the mistake before Dexia. That was why she’d worried about the size of the mistakes they’d committed and suffered for it. And yet, Dexia couldn’t come to understand her. She meant to protect her little sister, but had instead been protected by her.

Even though I’m the big sister, I failed her!

She felt so pathetic that she started to cry. Saving Aristella was the one and only thing Dexia desired. It was the only thing left to her after running away from Shere Khan, after all.

But even if she managed to get away from here, what could she do to help her? Was it even possible to get close to the place Shere Khan was storing her to begin with?

Regardless, if Dexia didn’t survive, that girl would suffer forever. Nobody would ever think of saving a half-assed sham of a sorcerer assassin, especially if she was their enemy. And so, Dexia continued running with such thoughts in mind as she turned a corner and ran into a wall of debris.

“A dead end?!”

She’d been running with no familiarity of the land, so she suddenly found herself with no way forward.

I can at least jump over a wall of this height.

The majority of the buildings in this town were ruins. Walls had collapsed everywhere, making it possible to surpass such obstacles with sorcery-enhanced leg strength. However, the moment she prepared to jump...

“Gah!”

A sudden shock struck the back of her head, sending Dexia tumbling across the ground.

“Ow... Ugh...”

A cut to the brow sent blood dribbling down her eyes, painting her vision red. She’d been running over a distance that would’ve burst any normal person’s heart, which had thoroughly exhausted her. Her limbs trembled. She couldn’t stand up again.

“Our game of tag is over, little girl,” a voice said from behind her as she gasped for air.

It was an unpleasant voice filled with hatred and scorn. Simply listening to it gave her the chills. Dexia somehow managed to raise her head and spot an Angelic Knight with a large sword hanging from his waist. She recognized him.

Archangel Valjakka, Sacred Sword Camael’s wielder. However, his glorious title was all a sham. Five years ago, after suffering an embarrassing defeat at Shere Khan’s hands, he’d been spared in exchange for his servitude and leaking information about the church’s core circle. Dexia and Aristella had even pushed him around like a worthless pawn.

He’d struck her with the metal glove of his Anointed Armor. Despite the reinforcement of her body, such a blow could’ve easily shattered her head. Dexia was assaulted by a terrible sense of nausea and could no longer focus her eyes. Nevertheless, she somehow managed to get air into her burning lungs and sat herself up straight.

“Hah. The petty underling who flattered this little girl with a stupid smile sure is acting haughty today,” she stated, disparaging him in a minimal show of resistance.

“Haaah... Do you understand the position you’re in right now?”

After saying that, the Angelic Knight immediately grabbed Dexia’s hair and pulled her up.

“Ow! Ugh... Gah!”

The moment she bent backward in pain, a fist dug into her exposed abdomen. She could no longer breathe. Her vision went entirely white. She could hear her hair being torn from her scalp. Her consciousness began fading, but a shock ran through her entire body and suddenly woke her back up. She couldn’t understand that she’d been thrown into a wall with tremendous force. Following that, she was assaulted by pain from the inside of her body.

“Hak... Haaah... Blurgh...”

It felt like her stomach had turned inside out. She vomited without hesitation, but all that came out was blood mixed with bile. She continued vomiting, holding down her stomach as Valjakka kicked her hands, breaking her fingers and sending her flying through the air once more.

She couldn’t breathe. Her limbs lay sprawled across the ground, twitching with convulsions. A second strike sent blood bursting from her mouth. She could tell that some of her innards had burst. She could no longer move as a foot ground down on her head.

“Be mindful of the way you speak. Did you really think I wasn’t mad at you?”

Perhaps this was simply what they called karma. The man she’d looked down on when she was Shere Khan’s subordinate had cornered her the very moment she’d betrayed Shere Khan. It was a suitable end to a pitiful traitor.

Like hell it is! I need...to save...Aristella!

Even if her reasons were beyond selfish, Dexia had to survive. This life was one Aristella had shared with her, so she couldn’t possibly die in such a place. Dexia was in tears, glaring up at Valjakka from beneath his heel.

“Hmm? What an impertinent brat...” he said, raising a brow in amusement. “But that only makes what’s about to happen all the more fun.”

“Huh...? Urgh!”

Dexia didn’t understand what he meant by that, but he suddenly kicked her shoulder, leaving her unable to think further. She no longer had the strength to resist. Her body languidly rolled over, which made her face the sky. That was when she realized that her small breasts were completely exposed. The rag she’d had at her waist was gone. Everything she’d been wearing aside from the robe had come off while she had been tossed about.

Dexia felt her face turn red with shame. She stretched out her trembling arm to try to cover her chest, but the Angelic Knight pinned it down, putting an end to her pitiful show of resistance.

“Ha ha! How’s that? Try running your impertinent little mouth off now!”

He mounted her and began taking off his belt with a sneer. With that, Dexia understood what was going to happen to her. For the first time, she felt true, unbridled fear.

I’m scared...but I have to go save my little sister!

That was right. She had a reason to stay alive. She had to survive. All she had to do was pretend to be docile and give in, licking the back of his boots or whatever else he wanted. Even if he was rotten, he was still an Angelic Knight. If she dolefully begged for her life, he might even forgive her. What was a moment’s humiliation in the face of death?

Countless similar thoughts floated to Dexia’s mind to persuade her. And yet...she spat a mixture of saliva and bile onto his face. She no longer possessed the strength to push him off. Simply trying to talk with her cut lips hurt her greatly. She was in a pitiful state now, incapable of doing anything as she was made sport of. Nevertheless, Dexia smiled scornfully.

“You want me...to cuss you out...? What a fucking masochist...”

Even as fear dominated her heart, Dexia’s spirit chose to rebel. In response, all expression suddenly vanished from the man’s face.

“Ee—”

By the time she tried to scream, the man’s fingers had already wrapped around her neck. His thumbs sank into her windpipe. She could hear her own spinal cord cracking. Her neck would break, or even be torn off, before she could suffocate.

Sorry, Aristella... Even though you gave me life... Even though you helped me escape...I couldn’t repay you at all. I’m so sorry for being such a bad big sister.

Dexia’s vision turned into a flickering sandstorm of black and white as death creeped up her feet. There was no way salvation would come for a strangled villain. The sound of something snapping echoed in her ears as darkness dominated her field of vision.

But for some strange reason, right at the end, she felt like she saw the profile of that straightforward girl who had once scolded them back when they had been so conceited, back in a time Dexia could barely even remember anymore.

◇

A crack resounded through the air as Kuroka drove the tip of her shoe into the face of the man straddling the girl, breaking his nose.

“Bwah!”

She’d put all her strength into that roundhouse kick, sending the large man clad in Anointed Armor flying away like a scrap of paper. He bounced off the ground like a ball, then collapsed at the edge of Kuroka’s vision. She immediately kneeled down, putting her hand to the girl’s throat to check her pulse.

How cruel...

The girl wasn’t breathing. Blood stained her mouth and there were deep imprints where she’d been strangled mere moments ago. She had horrible bruises stretching over her abdomen, and Kuroka could tell that her innards had been devastated.

At least she still has a pulse.

“Mister Shax,” Kuroka called out, still gripping her cane all the while. “I’ll leave this girl to you. Please save her.”

“I’m on it,” the reliable sorcerer answered, starting his treatment of the girl immediately.

After overhearing Asura and Bato’s conversation, Kuroka had immediately returned to Shax, then began her search for the girl who was being hunted. She already possessed superhuman senses of hearing and smell, so when enhanced by Shax’s sorcery, it wasn’t hard for her to pick out the sound of someone running away in a panic. There had, of course, been footsteps everywhere, but only one set could be matched to a scent of dripping blood.

Even after the footsteps had halted, Kuroka had heard the sounds of fighting and the dispute they were having. That was why she’d been able to beeline her way to them. Kuroka hadn’t lost sight of her target precisely because Dexia had struggled to the bitter end.

Kuroka’s mind focused on the girl who’d had all of her clothes torn off. She truly was mere moments away from being raped and killed. The thought of it had her stomach boiling. The sorcerers Kuroka had assassinated in the past were mostly despicable people. However, despite being an Angelic Knight, the man before her now was far more despicable than any of them.

She’d dealt him quite the blow, but he was still a knight clad in Anointed Armor. Even as blood poured from his nostrils, he rose to his feet immediately. She recognized him.

“Gah! Hak! Y-You bitch!” he screamed with bloodshot eyes. “Do you have any idea who I am?! You’re not going to get off lightly after assaulting me!”

“Yes... I know exactly who you are, Sacred Sword Camael’s wielder, Archangel Valjakka,” Kuroka answered while pulling a mask out of her pocket.

The mask had the church’s cross engraved onto its surface. She’d never thought she would wear it again, but she had brought it along because it could’ve been of some use in connection to their investigation. It was proof that she was part of the church’s dark side.

“My name is Kuroka Adelhide. I’m a survivor of Special Enforcement Squad Thirteen, Azazel, under direct command of the pope. Do you understand what that means?”

The long-winded title sounded nice and all, but they had been nothing more than assassins. They killed, so it made sense for them to be killed. They weren’t meant to exist, so it was inevitable for them to be destroyed one day.

The people of Azazel had been given a holy mission to carry out the church’s vision of justice, but not all of them even cared. Many of them had killed purely for money or because of a personal grudge. It had at least been a professional place, so none of them had been murderers for the sheer pleasure of it, but that didn’t mean much in the end.

However, betrayal was an entirely different matter. Azazel had been annihilated because an Angelic Knight had leaked information to an Archdemon. The department wasn’t supposed to exist to begin with, so the traitor could live on shamelessly without being faulted by anyone. And that Angelic Knight was Valjakka, the Archangel who had fallen to the position of Shere Khan’s underling.

“Hmph! So what if you’re some filthy assassin?” Valjakka said with a sneer. “Are you looking for some loose change or something?”

His reaction was pretty much what she’d expected.

Well, if he was capable of remembering all the details, he wouldn’t have betrayed us in the first place.

In his eyes, the dark side of the church was nothing but rabble he’d kicked aside. No matter who died in the process, he didn’t care in the least.

“I don’t really care about vengeance,” Kuroka said, quietly donning her mask. “However, the people who died there weren’t villains who deserved death.”

Many of them had been like Kuroka, driven mad by their thirst for vengeance. They had been broken people who couldn’t live as anything other than assassins. Nevertheless, they had all been kind to their youngest member, Kuroka.

There had been those who cared for her wounds when she was injured; a woman who’d taken her out to buy food on days off; a man who’d shown her a locket with a picture of his dead family inside. Thinking back on it, perhaps they had all been trying to get Kuroka to turn away from their path. If only they hadn’t gotten involved with sorcerers; if only their lives hadn’t been thrown into chaos. If only they’d stayed civilians, those people would surely have enjoyed happy lives with normal families.

I won’t let anyone deny the fact that they lived.

“As the sole survivor of Azazel, I shall finish things here.”

Kuroka drew her shortsword from her cane. Valjakka responded in kind, placing his hand on the blade at his waist.

“Quit acting all pretentious, you little bitch! Tear her limb from limb—Camael!” he roared, unleashing the power of his Sacred Sword without hesitation. Or at least, that was what he’d meant to do. “You’re done for! Do you really think a pathetic little assassin can defeat the pinnacle of Angelic Knights?! I’ll pluck off your limbs and torment you until your heart beats its last!”

Valjakka continued shouting, not even noticing that the battle had already ended. Kuroka let out a sigh and swung her sword lightly to the side to shake the blood off. A splash of red stained the ground, but even after that happened, the sound of viscous liquid dribbling to the ground continued to echo through the alley. Valjakka finally looked around in confusion, as if he was only just noticing the blood.

Now that I think about it, I’ve heard there are times you don’t feel any pain when cut by an extremely sharp blade.

That would explain why he hadn’t noticed.

“Umm... You should try to stop the bleeding,” Kuroka told him, sheathing her sword. “You still have your left hand, right?”

“Huh...?”

He looked down in a daze, spotting his handless right wrist dribbling blood onto the ground. His severed hand was still at his waist, dangling from the hilt of his Sacred Sword.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

This man was armed with a Sacred Sword. Back when Kuroka had faced another such wielder, Chastille, she wasn’t able to bring her down, and Valjakka was a veteran among the Archangels. In terms of rank, he was far above Chastille. Thus, Kuroka never had any intention to go easy on him.

That was why she’d cut off his hand before he could draw his blade. That was the difference in strength between Kuroka as she was now and an Archangel. In terms of pure sword technique, she could likely even stave off Michael Diekmeyer’s Angelic Confession. The power granted to her by Archdemon Zagan—one that was on par with Anointed Armor—elevated her to such heights.

“I won’t go as far as taking your life, but I’ll have you die as a knight.”

This man couldn’t continue being an Angelic Knight without his dominant hand. Sure, he could have it healed with sorcery, but that would be considered heresy. In any case, the church had to decide how to best deal with him, so Kuroka turned her back to him as he began wailing in rage.

“You...bitch... You bitch! You fucking bitch!”

He clamped his right wrist, squirming on the ground as he continued screaming words he couldn’t afford to say.

“I’ll never forgive you! I’ll chase you to the ends of the world and butcher you! You! Zagan! Chastille! I’ll kill you all! I’ll...kill... Huh?”

Blood spurted out from his forehead. In his rage, Valjakka had forgotten all about the warning that had held a firm grasp on his life. Cursing Kuroka, who had been part of the church’s dark side, and hence not really part of the church, was still okay. However, the moment he’d expressed the intent to harm Chastille, there was no way he would be spared. By the time his face was covered with blood of his own making, the Archangel was already dead.

“Even when given a chance, some people never change...”

Archdemon Zagan had certainly given him a chance to redeem himself. That made it entirely possible for him to make amends. And yet, he hadn’t changed at all. Not everyone was capable of reform. There were tons of villains who were beyond redemption. Kuroka already knew this, but seeing it happen before her eyes made her feel helpless.

“Kurosuke... That guy went and killed himself. You didn’t do it,” Shax told her.

She somehow managed to take off her mask and nod back to him.

“Your sins have been redeemed. May your soul find peace...”

The prayer offered only by the dark side of the church after finishing off a target echoed in vain among the ruined buildings before quietly vanishing into the air.

◇

“So? What’s with the mood in here?”

After giving Richard her warning, Alshiera visited Chastille’s office in the church.

I’d planned to instigate Lady Nephteros into action next, but...

There were currently three people present. One was the person Alshiera had been looking for, Nephteros. Having recently been informed of her short life span, she wasn’t really in a state to be smiling. Alshiera could understand that much, since she’d come here to do something about that to begin with.

However, the office’s resident, Archangel Chastille, was for some reason covering her bright red face and wouldn’t budge an inch. It was as if she was experiencing the very heights of shame. This girl was very capable in work mode, but it seemed something had happened that prevented her from flipping that switch.

And then there was the last person in the room, the gloomy sorcerer who usually hid himself in the shadows. Barbatos was sitting on a sofa, covering his face without so much as twitching, just like Chastille.

“Umm... It looks like something happened. Did you two, uh, do it last night or something?” Alshiera asked.

“We didn’t!”

She finally got a reaction out of them, but the moment they realized they’d yelled at her in perfect unison, they both began writhing about.

“No, nothing happened. I...believe in Barbatos...I think,” Chastille muttered.

“H-Huh? What kinda embarrassing crap are you spouting?!”

“So you really did something?!”

“I-I didn’t! I didn’t do nothin’!”

It turned out this was one more reason that Nephteros was in a complete daze.

Why are they having a lover’s quarrel when someone’s life is at risk?

Barbatos had promised to cooperate to save Nephteros, yet here he was in a sorry state. Honestly, Alshiera wanted to tell them to do this stuff in private.

Incidentally, as for the other person helping with Nephteros’s problem, Zagan had collapsed just from getting a little intimate with his bride. Nephteros’s fate now fell on Alshiera’s slender shoulders, but there were things in this world that were better left unknown.

“It seems Chastille exhausted herself last night somewhere, and after bringing her back, this guy stripped her or something...” Nephteros finally said, still at a complete loss as to what to do about the situation.

“I-I didn’t strip her! I just took off her armor! I couldn’t possibly have left her to sleep in it, yeah?!”

“I-I had dirt on my face, but woke up all clean!”

“I-I felt sorry ’cause your face was all filthy, so I wiped it down! That’s all!”

“F-Filthy?! A-Am I that ugly...?”

“Huh?! We’re talking ’bout dirt! I didn’t say nothin’ about you being ugly! You’re actually, um...”

“A-Actually...what?”

“Forget it, dumbass!”

“Why are you suddenly so angry?!”

Now that I think about it, does this girl even understand what “doing it” means? Alshiera wondered, ignoring the annoying quarrel going on in the background.

Nephteros had far more important matters at hand, but she didn’t seem agitated by that part of the conversation. Zagan and Nephy would’ve turned red to the face and become incoherent, so that seemed odd.

Alshiera gave it some thought and tried to interpret it in her own way. According to Zagan, a homunculus could be implanted with knowledge upon its creation. In Nephteros’s case, she likely had knowledge of the phrase, but didn’t have any specific emotion attached to it.

Things finally seemed to quiet down, but then Chastille suddenly raised her head, tears still in her eyes.

“Huh...? Wait a minute, what did you wipe?”

“Uhhh... Well, you know...”

“Answer me, Barbatos!”

Apparently, this had repeated endlessly, making them sink back into self-loathing silence.

“You really have it tough...” Alshiera said to Nephteros, sympathy dripping off her tongue.

“Well, I’m used to it.”

“So very tough...”

Alshiera couldn’t imagine watching something like this so often that she got used to it. In any case, it didn’t look like she could get to her business in this room. And so, she picked up the entire plate of macarons that had been left on the table—which was her other reason for coming here—and pointed to the door.

“Shall we have a little talk?”

“I suppose we can...”

The two of them left the office and headed to the chapel.

“So? Why the confession booth?” Nephteros asked.

Alshiera had walked right into a confession booth because of all the people surrounding them in the area. It was a small space with only two chairs and a partition between them. A priest was supposed to sit on one side while the faithful sat on the other and confessed their sins. There was a curtain sealing the booth, so it was perfect for talking in secret. It was also the best place to avoid bumping into Richard, whom Alshiera had just fired up earlier. Thus, Alshiera took a seat on the priest’s side, while Nephteros sat on the faithful’s side.

The petite vampire tossed a macaron into her mouth. Just as she’d been told, it had a peculiar acidic fragrance to it. Macarons were a particularly difficult dessert to make. The surface was baked, but couldn’t be allowed to burn lest it lose the soft moisture contained within. She had no choice but to acknowledge how well-made these ones were.

“So that you can tell me what troubles you, of course,” Alshiera answered as if it were perfectly obvious.

“By the sound of it, you also know... About my life span, I mean.”

Alshiera had observed this girl up close for a month. In a sense, she knew more about the matter than even Zagan.

“It seems you do not wish to prolong your life,” Alshiera said affectionately.

“That’s...right,” Nephteros mumbled, an air of resignation behind her words.

Well, this won’t do. This won’t do at all.

Nephteros’s thoughts and emotions had come grinding to a halt. It wasn’t easy to cope with one’s death without doing so, but it still wouldn’t do.

Alshiera began putting together a plan to break this deadlock while throwing entire macarons into her mouth, appreciating the somewhat peculiar fragrance and delectable sweetness the entire time.

Honestly speaking, Alshiera didn’t much like poking her head into other people’s romances, but she knew she didn’t have time to spare. That was why she’d chosen to step in even though this contradicted her beliefs.

“Then how will you use the remaining time you have left?” she asked. “I’ll at least help with anything I’m capable of.”

“The time I have left...”

Even now, that time was slowly ticking away. That reality had Nephteros’s mind moving again. Even if Alshiera didn’t do anything like this, Nephteros was a strong girl. She would’ve gotten back on her feet in a few days to search for a purpose behind her remaining life. All Alshiera was doing was giving her a little push to accelerate that course of events.

“How do normal people pass such time, I wonder...?” Nephteros asked in a daze.

“A good question. Based on what I’ve witnessed, there are those who pass it the same as any other time, those who act selfishly, and those who give their thanks to everyone they feel they owe. There are many ways to pass such time.”

Nephteros forced a smile. That was at least proof that her emotions were beginning to function again.

“That’s quite the wide variety...” she said.

“I’ve been watching this world for a rather long time, after all,” Alshiera replied. She’d witnessed the lives and deaths of so many people.

“But everyone is the same in the end,” she added with that thought in mind. “They yearn to spend what little time they have left with their loved ones.”

“Love... I don’t really get it...” Nephteros muttered in a trembling voice, as if that had been the exact problem on her mind.

Alshiera could tell from across the partition that Nephteros was trying to muster her courage to make some kind of decision.

“I don’t really get it...but I think...I want to know more about it.”

Like I thought, the foundation is already in place. There’s just one thing missing that’s keeping her from moving forward.

That was why this girl had never noticed that the answer was already right in front of her. And so, as if to enlighten her, Alshiera whispered like a devil in her ears, saying, “Tee hee hee. Then allow me to give you one word of advice. You cannot love anyone if you do not first love yourself. You’d do well to begin with that.”

“Love...myself...?”

“It isn’t all that hard, really. If you turn back and look at the modest joy that’s always remained by your side and the things that support you as if it were only natural, then you should find your way.”

“What about you, Alshiera?” Nephteros asked, seemingly doubting whether she put her own words into practice. “Do you...um...properly love yourself?”

It was a rather sharp comeback, but Alshiera accepted it with a smile.

“Of course I do. I’ve been loved by so many people. Because of that, I can’t possibly make light of my own existence. I mean, everyone wished for my happiness. They helped keep me alive, all the while believing I could one day enjoy my life with a smile on my face.”

That was why Alshiera had spent over a thousand years “living.” Remembering that, she tightly squeezed her hands in front of her chest as if embracing those memories.

“I will disappear before you do,” she said. “Still, it isn’t all that bad. I managed to meet someone I thought I’d long since lost, that I thought I would never see again, and I managed to spend time with them. So now, I’d just like to go to sleep in peace.”

She was more than satisfied, but that wasn’t the case for Nephteros. It was far too early for her. So even if it was a little mean, Alshiera continued her speech despite it being none of her business.

“I pray you also meet a peaceful end.”

Even after Alshiera had left the confession booth, Nephteros remained frozen in her seat.