Chapter III: The World Is Apparently Peaceful Because Archdemons and the Church Are Getting Along Too Well

“Yo, Zagan. Haven’t seen you since the treasury, so I guess it’s been about a month?”

Several days later, in Zagan’s throne room. The one laughing shamelessly in front of Zagan was Michael Diekmeyer, also known as Archdemon Andrealphus.

Zagan’s days had lately been occupied with running around to get his grand bath constructed, but the end was in sight. It would have likely taken a regular craftsman several months to construct, but this was an Archdemon’s castle filled with sorcerers. They could do it in just three days.

All that was left was getting the fine details of the interior design together like the decor, water fountain, dressing rooms and such. The barrier to deal with any idiots who tried to peep—not that he expected anyone to do so in the castle of an Archdemon, but there was a need for perfect precautions considering Nephy was going to be using it—had already been prepared. It was set up to activate once the grand bath was completed.

Michael dropped by just around that time. Zagan did at least hear from Chastille that he would possibly visit. He was currently donning Anointed Armor, meaning he was here as an Archangel, but didn’t have a Sacred Sword at his waist. He had already handed it over to Stella.

Zagan glared at him without hiding his anger in the least.

“It seems you made Stella an Archangel. What the hell are you up to?”

“Come on, don’t be so angry. You got me caught up in your mess at the treasury, so this makes us even, okay? I got thoroughly chewed out by the higher-ups and my comrades for being a traitor ‘cause of that crap, you hear?”

“You brought it on yourself. Just be glad I didn’t reveal your identity as an Archdemon.”

“Gah! You’re as charming a jerk as ever, I see.”

However, Zagan had no intention of getting derailed.

“You claimed that you would save Stella. Are you saying you did so by making her an Angelic Knight?”

After Zagan had defeated the sorcerer known as Decarabia and was reunited with Stella, she had lost her ego. Honestly speaking, he didn’t know if he had the means to save her even now.

But if I knew he was going to force a Sacred Sword on her, it would’ve been better for me to take her in. Becoming an Angelic Knight while still being a sorcerer was like screaming in an enemy camp to try and kill her. Zagan couldn’t permit this to happen. And yet Michael smiled flippantly.

“You’ve got it all wrong. I only gave her the strength to fight and the means of surviving. She’ll walk her own path from here. She can choose to be a sorcerer, an Angelic Knight, or both. It’s all up to her.”

“Plain sophistry.”

Zagan immediately cut his argument down, but Michael still kept up his smile.

“You’re not wrong there. But I do think I carried things out properly as a sorcerer, don’t you?”

Michael certainly didn’t lie. Not that Zagan could accept it, of course. He was urged by an impulse to just give Michael a good slugging, but it wasn’t like he could get this man to speak the truth by doing so. And enduring that irritating feeling, Zagan snapped his fingers. A chair slid in from the shadow of one of the pillars and stopped behind Michael.

“Explain yourself. I’ll listen, for now.”

“Haha, you’re so refreshingly arrogant.”

Michael laughed and plopped down into the chair. He then pulled out a box of tobacco from his breast pocket. He was likely asking if it was alright to have a smoke. Zagan didn’t recall ever forbidding it in his castle, so he gave him a nod.

“Now then, where to start? Well, I guess first off is how you three ended up meeting each other, huh?”

“...What? This has something to do with Marc too?”

“Lemme ask you then. You really think it doesn’t?”

He couldn’t answer. Michael put a cigarette to his mouth, lit the tip, and let out a puff of smoke.

“Well, it all started with the guy you call Marc. He spent a long time looking for you, and I lent him a hand now and then at his request.”

“Wait! What do you mean? Marc was searching for me?”

Their conversation suddenly started with the unthinkable, causing Zagan to unintentionally stand up from his throne.

Marc was the one to split his bread with me when I was on the verge of dying from starvation. He’d also given him the name Zagan and taught both him and Stella how to survive in the alleys. Zagan naturally hadn’t thought he was just some regular boy, but he had never considered that Marc had known who he was before they’d even met.

“Who knows? I have no idea why he was looking for you. All he said was that it was to fulfill an old promise.”

“A promise...? To whom...?”

There was no way it was Zagan himself. However, Zagan had no living relatives, so who could have been looking for him? He’d been worthless at the time; nothing more than some brat that nobody would even stop to look at. And as he stood there bewildered, Michael puffed out some more smoke and muttered as if talking to himself.

“This might just be my imagination, but if you’ve got no clue who it is, then I’m betting it’s one of your parents or a relative of some kind. Save my son or brother or the like is a pretty common story, right?”

Setting aside any siblings, Zagan lived a life unrelated to the very existence of parents. He had gained a daughter in Foll and met Nephy’s mother, Orias. That was when he finally understood the affection between parent and child. He didn’t think he had anything like that himself. Zagan vaguely realized that Marc wasn’t as young as he appeared, but how long had he actually lived?

I guess I already know. It’s likely been a thousand years. The same amount of time as Alshiera... So what name did he go by a thousand years ago? Why couldn’t Zagan find out what that name was? He didn’t really want to think of it, but there were far too many points lining up here.

“Well, I was just helping out. I didn’t get any of the details from him.”

“...I suppose you’re not lying.”

But that in no way meant that Michael hadn’t done some investigation of his own. And here he was blatantly dodging the question. Zagan wouldn’t be able to get him to talk even by lowering his head. As such, he let out an angry sigh and let Michael continue with his story.

“Back on topic. He and I found you in Kianoides about ten years... no, eleven years ago now. And a little before that, something even I found unexpected ended up happening.”

“...The Sacred Sword?”

Michael nodded with a fed-up look.

“Yeah. The Sacred Swords pick their wielders, you see. Zachariel picked me 800 years ago and hadn’t shown any signs of looking for a successor even once. But, all of a sudden, it chose some dirty little brat in an alleyway.”

“Hey, hang on. So, what? The Sacred Sword had already chosen Stella back then?”

“Mhm. It was a total pain, you hear me? Old man Marchosias blew his lid at the thought of losing one of the Sacred Swords, and then a bunch of the original wielders went and died along with Orobas a year ago, so we ended up losing even more.”

“A year ago...? And Orobas...?”

“Oops, I say too much? That’s got nothing to do with what we’re talking about here.”

Michael shamelessly whistled and averted his gaze. One year ago, Wise Dragon Orobas had lost his life, while Raphael and Marchosias had suffered fatal wounds. Zagan had investigated that incident a fair bit, but any information regarding it was being suppressed in some manner. He couldn’t get a grasp of anything at all.

In short, they’d fought against demons, and the Wise Dragon, half the Archangels, and the Eldest Marchosias had lost their lives. The major powers of the continent were all concentrated in one place, and over half of them had died. The most important question was why the revival of demons happened in the first place, but Zagan couldn’t find anything about that, either.

“Zachariel chose Stella. But that jerk Marc disapproved of having a brat that young inherit the Sacred Sword. And with no other choice, I used every trick I could come up with to keep using it until she was an adult.”

“That’s possible?”

“Call it an Archdemon’s trade secret.”

He had no intention of revealing what that was, of course.

“...Why Stella?” Zagan groaned.

“Who knows? Oh, hang on. There’ve been other Archangels with red hair and eyes. Could be there’s some sort of regularity to the people picked by Sacred Swords.”

He had an irritating way of putting everything, but this was still a hint.

Red hair and eyes... Chastille? Is she also related to this chain of events?

Michael then put out his cigarette in a little box he pulled out of nowhere. He appeared to at least have the manners not to let the ashes fall to the floor.

“Anyway, just dealing with this was a big uproar for me. And that’s when Marc found little ol’ you.”

“That conveniently?”

The person Marc spent years looking for was right next to the person Michael’s Sacred Sword had chosen to be its next successor. It really needed more thought put into it as a story to get people to believe it. Michael shrugged his shoulders as if he was thinking the exact same thing.

“We also thought we were being set up by someone and were super careful about it. But we didn’t find anything like that going on.”

If an Archdemon was being careful, yet found nothing, it was very likely there really wasn’t anything behind it. It still felt unconvincing, but Zagan had no choice but to believe him.

“We argued quite a bit back then. In the end, the prick Marc decided to look after you two.”

It sounded like an awfully easy to understand relationship, but Zagan was growing more doubtful.

“I don’t get it. Marc lived in the gutters alongside us. If what you’re saying is true, he had significant status and power, right? Why would he choose a life of sifting through trash?”

Zagan wasn’t complaining about not being picked up and raised in a nice environment. But that sort of life wasn’t something people simply decided to set foot in. Just eating and sleeping together with Zagan and Stella should have been unbearably agonizing.

Michael’s eyes shot wide open, finding Zagan’s reaction somewhat unexpected. He then slackened his shoulders and smiled.

“Well, that’s ‘cause you were still a brat, I guess.”

“What are you saying?”

Michael gazed at Zagan like he was looking at a troublesome nephew or something.

“Isn’t that obviously ‘cause he wanted you to choose how you live on your own?”

“......”

The trigger for Zagan becoming a sorcerer was when he’d been kidnapped by a sorcerer called Andras when he was eight years old. Zagan had turned the tables on Andras and stolen his knowledge and assets.

But it’s possible Marc was nearby at the time. It stood to reason that he’d been right there, but had simply decided not to show himself because Zagan had gotten by on his own. That’s because Andras was a sorcerer skilled enough to be given the second name Resentment. There was no way he was so incompetent that he would’ve allowed a child who knew nothing of sorcery to escape. There was a fairly high probability that Marc was the one who’d given Zagan the opening to run away at the time.

“Just in case, let me tell you this now. The reason you’re an Archdemon is ‘cause you became strong enough to be chosen. I was actually in opposition to it ‘cause of my ties with Marc and all.”

“Aren’t you the head Archdemon? How did I end up being chosen if you objected?”

“The others who saw you devour sorcery were all in high spirits. I couldn’t stop them. Also, that guy, Bifrons, was super interested and pushed really hard for you.”

“...Haaah. That guy?”

So it was Bifrons, of all people. Zagan enjoyed fully wielding the status and power of an Archdemon, but he still had complex feelings about that. In any case, it appeared that Zagan’s choices in life were his own. However, he still shook his head.

“Enough about me, for now. But how do you plan on explaining Stella’s case? If Marc was protecting her, how the hell did she get caught by that idiot Decarabia...?” And the moment he said that, he realized the truth himself. “I see. Five years ago...”

“That’s how it goes.”

Five years ago, Shere Khan had perpetrated the rare species hunt. Kuroka’s hometown had been burned down, and Shere Khan’s subordinate at the time, Shax, had betrayed his master and guided Marc to him. As a result, Marc had lost his life.

Stella had been attacked by Decarabia and cursed by the King’s Silver Eye just around that time. In other words, she’d lost Marc’s protection five years ago.

To take it one step further, that’s also when Chastille’s brother lost his life. Zagan had received a report from Barbatos about the traitor in the Archangels’ midst. He’d been a little curious about his identity and figured out the details right away. Chastille’s brother Sylvester was betrayed by his adjutant and killed in battle against Shere Khan.

As such, the seat of an Archangel became vacant, and Chastille inherited his Sacred Sword the following year. That would mean that Shere Khan was indirectly responsible for Chastille becoming an Archangel.

All the threads had come together once five years ago. And now they were slowly beginning to unravel. It was very likely there was much more Zagan simply hadn’t noticed yet. The reason he didn’t think the incident at the time was in any way related to him may have also been because Marc was protecting him.

“My subordinate who stole the King’s Silver Eye five years ago was actually Shere Khan’s spy,” Michael said with a listless chuckle. “Anyway, in the middle of transporting it, he got devoured by the curse. My ineptitude is what caused it to fall into Stella’s lap.”

That’s why Michael felt obligated to her, considering she was the next wielder of his Sacred Sword. It may have been part of the reason Shere Khan dared to challenge multiple Archdemons at the same time, including Marchosias. It seemed extremely desperate, but was an Archdemon really one to act in such an unsightly manner?

Does that mean he had a means of winning even if he made all the Archdemons... no, the entire world, his enemy? He surely wouldn’t have been so foolish if he had no prospects for victory. It seemed that it ended in Shere Khan’s failure, but that means of doing so was possibly still within grasp. That’s why he could calmly pick a fight with both Zagan and Alshiera now.

Zagan plunked back into his throne. There was too much information to process at once. He pinched his brow, and Michael rose to his feet.

“Well, those are the circumstances behind nominating Stella as an Archangel. I dispelled the curse, and she’s a proper adult now. There are ways for her to throw it away if she doesn’t want it. She’ll be the one to make her own decision later.”

“...I see.”

Zagan had nothing more to say on the matter, and Michael scratched his head as if this was a bit of a let-down.

“I thought you’d press for more answers about Marc.”

“Would you answer me if I did?”

“No way, right?”

He really was an irritating man as always, but Zagan wasn’t all that angry about it.

There are only one or two places that guy could’ve lived around here... It was even possible that he lived in both. Zagan did get a clue from Michael’s story. He had no choice but to start by chasing it, even if it led to a dead end.

“Anyway, that’s all I had to say,” Michael stated as he changed tones and took on the air of an Archdemon. “That’s more than enough compensation for having you entrust Stella to me, right?”

“...I suppose.”

There was nothing left to talk about. Michael turned to leave, then suddenly remembered something as he tapped the sword at his waist.

“Oh yeah. I’ll finish off Shere Khan.”

His declaration came out of nowhere, leaving Zagan with a scowl.

“...What brought this about?”

“It’s just the old man Marchosias left for me. Besides, I’ve got some karma to settle with him ‘cause of Stella and Marc.” He then smiled as flippantly as he always did. “Well, that’s how it goes. You just take it easy and enjoy your big bath.”

With that, Michael left the castle. He was slippery as ever to the very end. After seeing him off, Zagan leaned back into his throne.

“Good thing the grand bath looks like it’ll make it in time...”

Michael claimed he would settle things, but was it really going to end that easily. There was certainly going to be a need to have somewhere to rest one’s heart. For Zagan, for Nephy, and for all his subordinates.

◇

Zagan found Nephy after leaving the castle and entering the forest. She seemed to be in the middle of practicing celestial mysticism together with Orias. The two of them were standing face to face.

When Michael arrived, Nephy tried to receive him as a guest as if it were the perfectly natural thing to do. However, it was clear that Zagan’s conversation with him wasn’t going to be pleasant, including their talks about Stella, so he used that as an excuse to have her enjoy some time together with Orias. He also did this because it seemed like it would’ve been a pain to have Orias and Michael meet here.

Nephy had her eyes closed and was holding up a worn-out old broom. This was Azazel’s Staff. The sunlight peeking through the trees looked like blades around her, giving off a solemn atmosphere. If a priest from the church were to witness this, they would surely claim that a miracle was manifesting before them.

Such a crowd would just be a nuisance and would need disposing of, but that’s how she looked in Zagan’s eyes. He was completely fascinated by her when the lovely girl’s ears twitched in the air.

“Master Zagan?”

Was this perhaps the staff’s power? Zagan was suppressing his presence so that he wouldn’t get in the way of her training, but Nephy noticed he was there and turned towards him. He lightly waved to her, but for some reason, Nephy’s pointy ears quivered greatly as if she was completely startled.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to get in the way.”

“Nothing of the sort... Um, did something happen with Lord Michael?”

“Uhh... Nothing much. I’m just headed out for a bit.”

He tried to act as casual as he could, but Nephy’s expression clouded over.

“I don’t mind. Go with him,” Orias said as she nodded and practically pushed Nephy from behind. Nephy held the broom preciously to her chest and rushed over towards Zagan.

“Um, if it would please you, could I accompany... No, not that. Umm...”

She shook her head and pulled herself together, then looked up at Zagan once more before picking at the hem of her dress and elegantly curtsying.

“Would you like to go on a date?”

And seeing that Nephy was finally suggesting they do something, Zagan nodded deep in thought.

“Hmm, a date, huh...? Hwuh? A d-d-d-d-d-date?!”

It wasn’t the first time they would have gone on a date, but it was, in fact, the first time Nephy had invited him on one. Rather, it was normally Nephy who responded to Zagan’s unreasonable requests. This may have been the very first time she’d invited him to do anything at all.

A-A date? Why? I mean, I’m happy she invited me. But why now? Nephy wasn’t one to ignore what he had just said about going out so that she could suggest such a thing. Seeing Zagan’s hands tremble from being so shaken, Nephy’s ears turned bright red as she smiled.

“Heehee. It was well worth gathering my courage if I managed to surprise you.”

“Th-That’s... Well, I’m surprised and happy, but why?”

Nephy put her hand to the bewildered Zagan’s cheek.

“You don’t seem to be aware of it yourself, but you’re making an awful face, Master Zagan. So, um... shock therapy, I think it’s called? I tried putting it to use.”

Zagan was far more shaken by his talks with Michael then he thought he was, and Nephy had seen through that entirely. She then held out her worn-out broom and twirled it around her waist to sit down on it. There were no signs of sorcery at work, yet the broom floated in the air and Nephy’s feet came off the ground.

“Mother just taught me how to fly through the skies with this. If you’re planning on going out, then shall I give you a ride?”

“A-And that’s a date?”

“Yes... Um, am I being too pushy, I wonder?”

Nephy shyly looked up at Zagan.

“No! I think it’s great! Yeah!”

Zagan could fly using sorcery, and if need be, he could use teleportation as well. However, how could he possibly be foolish enough to choose such crude and emotionless means of traveling? It was impossible. Rather, anyone who would get in his way now, be they Archdemons or Archangels, would have to be dealt with. And before getting on the broom, Zagan turned to Orias.

“Sorry, Orias. I’ll be borrowing Nephy. Do you mind?”

“If my daughter wishes for it, then that’s all that matters. There’s no need to mind me.”

There seemed to be a difference in leniency between fathers and mothers. It would’ve been nice if Raphael could show the same level of leniency, but Zagan didn’t feel like he would be capable of it himself, so he couldn’t really criticize the man.

“Thank you very much, Mother,” Nephy said with a huge smile.

“M-Mm...”

In an unusual turn, Orias averted her gaze in a troubled manner. She then waved to Nephy in a reserved manner.

“Be careful.”

“I will. See you later.”

Zagan endured his embarrassment and straddled the broom behind Nephy.

“Uhhh, is this how I seat myself on this thing?”

He once saw an image of a witch riding a broom like this in one of the picture books Foll had, but Nephy was riding it side-saddle. In fact, there were no pictures of two people riding a broom at once. The tips of Nephy’s pointy ears quivered about as she averted her gaze.

“Umm... You might fall off riding like that, so you should hold on to me tightly...”

“T-Tightly?”

It was honestly pretty hard for him to do this with Orias still waving them off, but his beloved bride was the one making the request. Zagan resolved himself and put his arms around her waist.

“M-Mmm. Like this...?”

“H-Huh? Y-Y-Y-Yes... Like that.”

Nephy nodded as her red ears trembled rapidly and her gaze wandered around in the air.

Her body’s so thin and soft... And her hair! Something smells good and it’s all silky! Now that he thought of it, even though he’d had her sit on his lap before, he’d never hugged her like this from behind. His first experience riding in tandem with her was far too stimulating. Nephy was equally embarrassed— he could feel her heart pounding—and she tightly pursed her lips before raising her voice.

“Th-Then, here we go!”

With that, the broom flew high up into the air.

“Hmmm, now this is quite...”

They instantly flew up high enough to look down on the castle. The sight of the trees swaying from the wind was somehow refreshing. Zagan let out a sigh of admiration, and Nephy smiled in high spirits.

“Heehee, I’m happy that you’re pleased with it.”

Zagan broke into a broad smile himself at Nephy’s unusual assertiveness.

“......”

A moment of silence.

Having Nephy in his arms made Zagan unable to think of what to say, while Nephy seemed to be concentrating on controlling the broom. She remained bright red and didn’t open her mouth at all. The broom flew over the forest and eventually came out over the open fields where the main road was.

They were making good progress, meaning the broom was actually quite fast. Their pace was about the same as a full-speed carriage. The floaty feeling of riding it was quite pleasant, so it didn’t feel like it was moving that fast though.

“Ah.” Nephy suddenly raised her voice.

“Wh-What’s wrong?”

“Ummm, where exactly were you going? I just ended up heading towards Kianoides.”

Now that he thought of it, he’d never mentioned his destination.

“Aah, Kianoides is fine. I have some business at the church.”

“The church... Are you meeting Chastille?”

“Well, things will go faster if I ask her about it, but Nephteros or the like will do too.” And upon bringing up his sister-in-law’s name, Zagan cocked his head to the side. “Now that I think of it, I haven’t seen Nephteros yet today.”

“Yes, she mentioned that she had to stay by Chastille’s side because Lord Michael will be visiting the church today. I believe she’ll come here after their meeting is over.”

“So we might have missed each other. Michael just dropped by here and all.”

He had gone to the church first. Well, that Archdemon was fundamentally a no good old man. Zagan was informed by Chastille that he was coming to Kianoides, but without knowing what his business was, she wasn’t sure whether he was going to visit Zagan’s castle. His actions were unpredictable.

“Nephteros is quite devoted, huh?” Zagan said with a strained smile. “It’d be nice if she pointed even a portion of it at that Richard guy.”

“Heehee. Chastille is a nice person, but there’s much about her which makes you worried. I’m sure Nephteros feels uneasy about leaving her alone.”

“I can’t refute that.”

Chastille was quite talented in work mode, but that girl was essentially an extreme crybaby wreck. And that facet of her sometimes showed up while in work mode, seldom as it was. It made it easy to understand the feeling of wanting to be by her side when she was meeting with an Archdemon, even if it was Michael.

“Oh yeah, Kuroka and the others were headed to town today, weren’t they?” Zagan asked.

“Yes. They went to buy a few things for the bath.”

Zagan had gone to inspect the bath at Archdemon Palace, but that one was nothing more than a ruin and didn’t tell him much. The ones who were going to enjoy the bath the most were the women, so the three girls from Liucaon, the most normal people among the castle’s residents, were sent to town to do the shopping. And with Kuroka’s name brought up, now it was Nephy who strained a smile.

“Does that mean Sir Shax is with them?”

“Yeah. He said he was going to tail them at a distance, but that’s probably meaningless with Kuroka there.”

Kuroka’s sharpened senses from her time spent being blind hadn’t deteriorated at all. It was even hard for Barbatos to tail her unnoticed. And it was surely even harder for Shax, seeing that she was used to his scent. Gremory also happened to be tailing them as well.

“...This morning, Kuroka entrusted her old clothes to me,” Nephy muttered in a troubled tone.

“I see.”

Some time ago, Zagan had bought Kuroka clothes, and Shax was hiding them for some reason. The new clothes they bought for her the other day were also meant to be replacements for her missing clothes.

Meaning she ended up choosing power... The fact that she’d handed her old clothes to Nephy meant that she had resolved herself to accepting the power Zagan chose to offer her.

“I suppose Kuroka has chosen to fight, then,” Nephy said.

“Both father and daughter are quite awkward, after all. Well, that’s pretty much how I thought it’d go.”

“But... She did say she was entrusting them only until the day that she no longer had to hold a sword.”

Zagan was left staring in wonder at that unexpected reply.

“...I see. That’s good.”

He didn’t know what sort of conversation Nephy’d had with Kuroka, but he was sure that Kuroka had had a change of heart.

“Yes, it really is,” Nephy replied with a smile.

Zagan felt like he figured it out just from that.

I felt like something about Nephy has changed. I bet that’s also thanks to Kuroka. It wasn’t like she had masochistic tendencies or anything, but Nephy’s sense of self-affirmation was quite weak. It felt like that had been changing little by little ever since she healed Kuroka’s eyes. That was likely also the reason she was able to do something so assertive as inviting him on a date. Zagan nodded as he pretended not to notice, even as he felt earnestly moved by this.

“All that’s left is for her to somehow or other reconcile with that idiot Shax.”

“That’s true...”

Silence once more. However, it was different this time. It felt like Nephy was waiting for Zagan.

“Also, uhh...”

“Yes?”

“That nuisance Michael dropped by just now, right?”

“Yes.”

Nephy knew that just from the fact that he’d told her she didn’t need to treat him like a guest. However, Zagan wasn’t quite sure how to express his feelings, and once more sank into silence while trying to find the appropriate words. After worrying about it for a while, he couldn’t find any other way but to put it plainly.

“So... I heard a bit about Marc. It seems he was searching for me based on a promise or something with my parents or siblings, or... actually, it’s pretty unlikely it was a sibling... but it was a promise with that sort of person.”

Zagan was about seven years old at the time. Even if he had a sibling, he didn’t believe a child close to that age would have possessed the influence to move a man like Marc into action. If it was a sibling who was a fair bit older than him, then there was no reason for them not to come into contact with Zagan now. In short, it was extremely probable that someone like Zagan’s parents had made the request.

“Thanks to that, the identity of who that was is somewhat on my mind... or maybe I don’t want to know?” All he was trying to do was put it into words. There wasn’t supposed to be anything strange about this, but he felt disappointment in his heart for some reason. “Sorry. I don’t really get it myself.”

“No, I understand,” Nephy replied in a comforting tone while keeping her eyes on the horizon. “Is it possible that it feels like a betrayal to have a promise made with someone else suddenly inserted into the relationship between you and the man you considered to be a brother?”

She splendidly described the vague feeling that Zagan himself was unable to explain, leaving him wide-eyed in wonder.

“Is that so...?”

“That’s how it sounded to me.” Nephy pulled one hand away from her broom and touched Zagan’s arm. “I don’t know what sort of person he made that promise with, but it’s what introduced the two of you, is it not? Then I’m sure they didn’t mean to harm you, Master Zagan.”

“Hmm. That’s an optimistic lookout. Do you have a basis for saying that?”

He wasn’t really criticizing her opinion, but Zagan was unable to think that way himself. That’s perhaps why he wanted some advice. Nephy turned around with a regrettable look and smiled.

“Did you not teach me that yourself, Master Zagan? Parents love their children just the same way you and I feel about Foll.”

Zagan was left completely shocked, then smiled bitterly.

“Is that so...”

“Yes, it is.”

“But it seems children go through a rebellious age.” It was fortunate that such a period had yet to come for Foll, but he’d heard that regular parents often racked their brains over children who did. “In other words, you’re telling me I’m going through a similar period?”

“Wh-Wha? N-No, I didn’t mean to.”

“I’m joking,” Zagan said with a laugh.

“Geez... You’re being mean, Master Zagan,” Nephy replied and puffed out her cheeks.

“Sorry. You really spoil me. I’m alright now.”

Nephy didn’t reply right away, but pulled on his arm as if embracing him.

“...You owe me now. Please spoil me today until I’m fully satisfied.”

“How strict.”

“Yes.”

“Then... Please fly a little slower. We’ll reach town right away like this.”

Nephy’s ears turned bright red right to their tips at his meager request, and she nodded slightly in return.

“Please don’t get angry if the sun ends up setting, okay?”

Kianoides was already in sight, but the broom they were riding only moved ever so slightly towards it.

S-Spoil her? Until she’s fully satisfied?! He felt like she’d just said something extremely outrageous. Nephy’s ears were bright red and trembling as if to say she was only going with the flow and had just noticed what she’d said herself. He could feel her heart beating like a hammer. He couldn’t see her face because she was facing forwards, but he knew she was on the verge of tears.

“Aaaaaaaah! But I love this!”

The two of them screamed internally as the broom leisurely floated in the sky towards Kianoides.

◇

“Haah... I’m done. I’m seriously done.”

“Dexia, abandoning the mission is punishable by death.”

“So you say, but do you even know what we’re supposed to do?”

“Not at all. Did you hear anything?”

“We were together all this time. Do you think I got the opportunity to get an explanation on my own?”

“...Aristella is disappointed.”

“Could you stop making it sound like it’s my fault?”

After being thrown into Kianoides, Shere Khan’s two subordinates were left standing stock still in confusion. Dexia wore a plain breastplate and a short skirt. She was dressed casually with her shoulders and belly exposed, and she had a chainsword hanging from her waist behind her. Aristella wore a frilly dress that looked hard to move in, but she still had two dangerous-looking scimitars on her.

One was endlessly expressive, while the other was entirely expressionless. One had her hair tied to the right with a red ribbon, and the other to the left with a blue ribbon. They were exact opposites in many ways, but their faces were identical.

They were just about in the middle of the shopping district. The church’s steeple could be seen farther down the street. It seemed like they would get separated right away in the flood of people from different races and social statuses if they weren’t holding hands.

Dexia had no idea what was going through Aristella’s mind, so she tightly gripped her expressionless little sister’s hand. It wasn’t actually clear which was the older of the two, but Dexia recognized herself as the older sister. Although it was likely that Aristella also considered herself the older sister.

“I shall bestow upon you two a top-secret mission.”

That’s what the Archdemon with the repulsive smile said to Dexia and Aristella. Shere Khan had ordered the two of them to obey Bifrons, so they weren’t particularly discontent. Nevertheless, it was, in fact, troublesome to be thrown into the city without being told what said top-secret mission actually was. Thus, they had no idea what they were supposed to be doing. And yet, it would be dissatisfying for them to have their mission labeled as a failure.

That guy really is creepy. Dexia was anxious that Bifrons would bring harm to Shere Khan while the two of them were away. And as she grumbled to herself, Aristella thought things over a little before speaking her mind.

“This is the domain of an Archdemon.”

“Well, yeah.”

“There are several rare species gathered under Archdemon Zagan... Aristella thinks we’re supposed to capture them.”

“...You think the two of us can pick a fight with an Archdemon?”

That would surely be no different from suicide. The two girls were prepared to risk their lives and be cast aside, but they didn’t like the idea of dying meaninglessly. If they were going to be thrown away, then they at least wanted to die in a way that bought their master time.

“Uwah, oh wah...”

Dexia was nearly knocked over by the flood of people when she sank deep into thought.

“There are too many people here. Aristella suggests we thin them out.”

“You can’t. It’d be bad to get the Angelic Knights’ eyes on us when we don’t even know what our mission is.”

“Shocking. Dexia is being reasonable.”

“You’re seriously...” Dexia let out a sigh and pulled something out of her pocket. It was what Bifrons had given her when the two of them were thrown into town.

“I guess this is our only clue.”

“Dexia. These are called coins. They’re in circulation throughout the entire continent. They don’t appear to have any special sorcery cast on them.”

“I know.”

It was a handful of coins. One gold, three silver, and ten copper. It was just enough money to have fun in the city all day, and Aristella had her own share as well. They considered the coins having some sort of magical effect when put together, but they really did seem to be nothing more than normal coins. Dexia held one up to the sunlight, but it didn’t show any signs of change.

“So, why did we get these?” Dexia asked.

“An allowance?”

“And why would an Archdemon give us an allowance? It’d make more sense if they were cursed.”

Just then, Aristella’s stomach grumbled. Tasty smells were wafting over from every direction, befitting of a shopping district.

“Aristella is hungry.”

“We haven’t had anything to eat all day, I guess.”

The two girls looked down at the coins in their hands. As loyal servants of Shere Khan, they didn’t possess any money of their own.

“Should we get something to eat with this?”

“Dexia, how rash. It’s insanity to use something that could be trapped.”

“So you say, but we won’t get anything done just by standing here, right?”

Aristella was surely thinking the same thing, and she reluctantly nodded.

“That’s true.”

Dexia took a look around her. There was the smell of cooked meat mercilessly assaulting them from the butcher’s shop. She could see carts selling mouth-watering fruit juices. There were tea shops with lines of sweets on display. It was like temptations to overthrow the weak of heart were surrounding her. The two girls trembled at the dreadful situation they only just now noticed they were in.

“So, how about we go to that shish kebab shop for now?”

“How shallow, Dexia. Our funds are limited. We should charge into the inner citadel while we have the strength to spare.”

“Meat!”

“Sweets.”

Their futile dispute didn’t last long as both their stomachs growled.

“Haaah... Dessert is fine. Wanna get something already?”

“How unexpected. Dexia yielded.”

“...Whatever.”

Dexia huffed to the side and proceeded towards a tea shop that caught her eye.

“Wh-What?! This is...!”

The two of them raised their voices in unison. A terrifying dessert consisting of a tower of baked and frozen sweets was on display. Perhaps the shop owner was a sorcerer. The frozen dessert gave off a glossy and sweet sheen, yet showed no signs of melting. The girls gulped. Before they even knew it, they were pointing at the dessert.

“This, please.”

“Of course! Just one, right?”

“Huh? There’s two of us, so isn’t it obvious that we need two?”

“I mean... This isn’t really something little girls can finish on their own, you know?”

Taking a look around the shop, the other customers who had ordered the same dessert were eating them in groups. Such an amount was trivial for a sorcerer’s stomach, but now wasn’t the time for them to stand out. Dexia and Aristella exchanged looks, then reluctantly nodded.

“Then just one.”

“Coming right up!”

Dexia handed over her own coins to the waitress as Aristella looked on in astonishment.

“How shocking. Has Dexia awoken to self-sacrifice?”

“Oh, come on, how about just thanking me honestly?”

Aristella looked at Dexia with a bewildered look for a moment, then eventually replied in a very quiet voice.

“...Thank you.”

“Y-You’re welcome!”

It would be difficult to react to something happening within such a cramped shop, so the two girls picked a seat towards the exit. After a short while, a giant dessert was brought over to their table.

“Oooh...”

The glass was large enough that one could mistake it for a vase. There was enough whipped cream and frozen sweets that one had to look up at it from the table. It truly was sufficient for both of them to share. The two girls exchanged nods, then picked up their spoons.

“So sweet! What’s with this? Isn’t it stupid to have so much sweetness? Mmmm... Hey! Aristella! That’s my half!”

“We never decided anything like that.”

In complete contrast to Dexia’s excitement, Aristella was silently putting her spoon to work and had managed to stretch out all the way to the other side of the dessert.

Well, whatever. Dexia pushed the glass over to Aristella.

“Leave some for me, okay?”

“...? You’re acting strange today, Dexia. Are you dying?”

“Why would I be?!”

Dexia didn’t intend to pick a fight despite raising her voice. She planted her elbow on the table and began muttering quietly.

“During that thing that happened... You covered for me, right?”

“What’s this about?”

Aristella tilted her head in confusion, and Dexia made a sour look.

“Back in Raziel’s treasury, when we got rid of that little kid, the woman got serious, remember?”

The woman had used her terrifying sword skills to completely overwhelm Dexia, swiping the sword right out of her hand. Aristella then jumped in to cover for her and ended up suffering major wounds. All that even though Dexia was supposed to take on the woman while Aristella handled the boy.

She was more dangerous than that girl we fought during the Azazel case... Back when Dexia and Aristella crushed the church’s dark sect, Azazel, there was one girl who was abnormally stronger than the rest. She looked to be a tabaxi who wielded two blades. They even used the prohibited spell that was Shere Khan’s trump card, but were unable to finish her off. But that woman in the treasury saw through the same trick and pulverized it in an instant.

“Aristella doesn’t remember,” she said as the spoon came to a stop.

“Yeah, right. You were so close to dying there.”

“Aristella doesn’t remember, but if such a thing happened, then that was the rational thing to do.”

Dexia glared at Aristella, who began fiddling with the frills on her skirt as if dodging the topic. This was a tic of hers whenever she tried to play dumb.

“Haah... Well, that’s how I felt about it. So this makes us even!”

And with that, Aristella pushed the glass back towards Dexia.

“Aristella doesn’t know what you’re talking about. So you have some, too.”

“...Hmph. Don’t expect me to do something like this for you again.”

Dexia started putting her spoon to work to hide her embarrassment. And, after that went on for a while, about half the dessert had been consumed.

“Dexia, would Aristella dying be inconvenient?”

“Haah? Isn’t that...?”

She couldn’t answer. It wasn’t just a matter of inconvenience. She felt like she wouldn’t be able to bear losing the girl who was practically her other half.

“Aristella doesn’t get it...”

“Hmph. So why did you cover for me?”

“...Aristella doesn’t know, but... probably because Aristella didn’t like the idea of you dying.”

Dexia was somewhat astonished as Aristella drooped her shoulders.

“So isn’t that fine? The same goes for me.”

She had to kill a whole lot more for Shere Khan’s sake. She couldn’t stand not having Aristella with her for such times. She probably wouldn’t be able to fight if Aristella wasn’t with her. No matter how much they fought, that’s what this girl was to her. And yet, Aristella hung her head in a troubled manner.

“Aaah, whatever. Let’s stop thinking about this complicated crap! Let’s eat! Let’s kill! And let’s get back to Master Shere Khan quickly!”

She didn’t know who to kill yet, but that was all they were capable of doing. And yet, Aristella repeated herself once more.

“...Aristella doesn’t get it... not anymore...”

“What are—”

And just as Dexia tried to ask her what she meant...

“Don’t screw with me!”

An angry roar broke out as a man fell onto their table. It seemed a fight had broken out. Their half-eaten dessert was sent flying into the air.

“Aaah...!”

They shrieked in sorrow. It would’ve been simple for them to catch it with sorcery under normal circumstances, but their reactions were hampered by Aristella’s state of mind. The dessert they’d gone out of their way to get pitifully splattered across the floor.

“I’ll fucking kill you!”

“Stop! Dexia!”

Dexia reached for her sword, but Aristella stopped her and brought her back to her senses.

Oh right, we can’t afford to stand out right now. But she had already raised her voice. The man who’d fallen on their table watched Dexia put her hand to her sword.

“The hell are you looking at, brat?!”

Things had become troublesome. The man appeared to be some sort of mercenary, judging from the sword at his waist and his build, which implied he was only capable of solving things through brute strength. It was clear he wasn’t a sorcerer.

It was simple for Dexia to kill such a pest, but the risk of attracting the attention of the Angelic Knights or Archdemon Zagan was too high in doing so. That’s because it was fairly likely her face had been seen back in the treasury. Dexia let out a groan, but suddenly, a dignified voice could be heard throughout the shop.

“You there, what’s this commotion about?”

Even though it was a calm, and even gentle voice, it had an intimidating air that felt like it would force one to prostrate themselves before it. The owner of said voice was an elf with silver hair. She appeared to be related to the church, seeing that she was accompanied by a young Angelic Knight.

My sorcery was erased? Sorcery was a technique that largely relied on drawing a magic circle or performing a long chant. That’s precisely why sorcerers walked around with several spells already prepared so they could be fired at any time. And the sorcery which Dexia had at the ready had been scattered by that single phrase.

No way, did she load mana into her voice...? Dexia shuddered upon realizing the true nature of what had happened. She had no way of knowing this, but it was the same sorcery Zagan used when he faced off against Orias. Just like how Valefor took the power Zagan gave her and developed it into her own as the Divine Echo, this girl obtained her own power while under Orias’ tutelage. It was a form of mana that could force any average sorcerer to faint on the spot.

What was even more terrifying, though, was the fact that the masses around her showed no signs of being frightened. This attack of hers was only directed at the man and Dexia. It was dreadfully precise.

“Eep, what’s with you...? Wait, you’re...”

The mercenary trembled violently and shrank back. His earlier vigor had completely vanished, and he was now reduced to hemming and hawing pitifully. But Dexia couldn’t laugh at him. Rather, he was on the stronger side for keeping his consciousness.

I can’t move...! The same applied to Aristella. Normally, there was no way Dexia and Aristella stood no chance against their opponent, even against an elf. However, the sorcery they had prepared beforehand was destroyed. They were rendered powerless before the fight had even begun.

After confirming the man had lost all will to fight, the elf put her hand to her jaw.

“Get lost then if you aren’t going to fight. After you reimburse the shop, that is.”

“E-Eek!”

The man forced a pouch of coins into the hands of a nearby waitress then ran away like a startled hare. The elf then turned towards Dexia and Aristella.

Crap. It was perhaps possible for them to escape. However, it was impossible to do so unharmed. That’s just how much power the elf before them possessed. The girls froze up instinctively, and the elf suddenly held out her hand to them.

“Are you two alright?”

“Huh...?” Dexia mumbled, unsure of what was going on, but nodded anyway. “Uhhh, yes.”

“I see, then be careful not to cause any trouble. Both the Angelic Knights and the sorcerers are on edge today.”

The two girls were, of course, oblivious to the fact that Archdemon Andrealphus was currently visiting the town. Nevertheless, they realized this elf had come to help them. Those who knew what to look for could identify a sorcerer in an instant. This elf was apparently trying to stop sorcerers from the “outside” from getting caught up in any trouble.

“I-It’s none of your business,” Dexia said as she averted her gaze and refused the elf’s hand. “We didn’t want to cause any trouble either, you know?”

“I see. How about you, are you alright?”

The elf didn’t seem to be interested in the least and held out her hand to Aristella. Dexia didn’t notice it because she’d ended up stepping forward, but Aristella had fallen back onto her butt. Her gaze wandered around in bewilderment for a while, but she eventually took the elf’s hand timidly.

“Thank— Argh?!”

A crack resounded through the air as if the very world was creaking. The elf stumbled back as if she had been pushed away, and Aristella pulled her hand back in a hurry.

“Aristella!”

“Lady Nephteros!”

Dexia immediately supported Aristella by the shoulders, while the Angelic Knight next to the elf caught her before she fell over.

“What on earth happened...?” he asked.

“I-I’m okay. It was probably a static shock or something...”

The elf saw the Angelic Knight shift his focus to the sword at his waist and frailly shook her head. Aristella also looked like she was in a complete daze and didn’t know what had happened. It didn’t seem like either of them had done anything from Dexia’s perspective.

“Hey, Aristella. Are you okay?”

“...Aristella is fine. It was nothing.”

She nodded in confusion. It had to be quite serious for this normally expressionless girl’s agitation to be so clearly evident.

It kind of looked like some sort of resonance... Such a phenomenon was entirely possible between fellow elves or Archdemons, but Aristella and the elf had no such commonality between them.

“Did she really do nothing to you?”

“Probably. Aristella also didn’t do anything.”

They both remained completely baffled, and Aristella somehow or other managed to stand up. The Angelic Knight looked extremely wary of her, but there was no merit for the two girls to cause a disturbance here.

“If you’re fine, then it’d be best for you to leave here. Someone troublesome is in town today,” the elf said after gathering herself.

“Someone troublesome...?”

The elf refrained from replying and left the shop herself.

“What was that...?”

Dexia doubted her eyes as she watched the elf walk off. The shadow at her feet looked like it was grotesquely distorted. Dexia rubbed her eyes and took another look, but by that time the distortion was gone.

Was I seeing things...? There was nobody around who could answer her. And as she stood there stock still, Aristella pulled on her hand.

“Dexia, we should get away from here.”

After suddenly coming back to her senses, Dexia noticed that everyone was watching them. The girls were outsiders and they were just talking with an elf. There was no way such an elf wouldn’t be conspicuous in the middle of town. She even had an Angelic Knight as an escort.

It really is a bad idea to stick around here.

The girls forced their way through the crowd of people and ran off.

◇

“Hahaha, we got a ton of freebies, huh?”

Selphy was carrying bags in both her hands with a cheerful smile as she walked next to Kuroka and Lilith. Kuroka was wearing the military uniform she got from Zagan the other day. It could also be called butler clothing, but that gave her more excuses to talk with Raphael, so she was quite happy with them.

She had her sword cane in hand. It was useless now that she could see again, but her short swords were essential if a fight were to break out. Her clothing was a little mismatched to her appearance, but it suited her more than the dress she got from Alshiera. She had to thank her for those clothes sooner or later as well.

The girls had finished their shopping and were now on their way back to the castle from Kianoides.

“Selphy, I won’t care if Mister Zagan gets angry at you for buying too much useless stuff, okay?” Kuroka said.

The three of them came to town to buy decorations for the grand bath. The larger items like statues and such were going to be delivered, but they were carrying the lighter goods like buckets and soap.

I feel like this kind of thing should be done by the owners of the castle, though... Kuroka had only just started living at the castle, so she wasn’t sure whether it was really alright for her to be picking things out for its interior design. And as she ruminated over that, Selphy raised her voice in great humor.

“It’s totally A-OK! Mister Zagan doesn’t, like, care about the small details. He also rewards people who hang in there and do their best!”

“Even if that’s the case for His Highness, Lady Nephy might get angry, you know?” Lilith chimed in.

“Huh...? Oh. Ahahah... It’ll be... okay. She won’t get angry... Right?”

Selphy turned pale and began trembling as Kuroka stared on in wonder.

“Does Nephy ever get angry?”

Kuroka only managed to start having proper conversations with her after it was decided that she would have her eyes healed, but even before that, she was quite focused on Nephy from afar. She was always gentle and quietly nestled up next to Zagan. Kuroka had a hard time imagining her getting angry.

“She gets angry if you insult His Highness,” Lilith said as she grabbed her shoulders and trembled.

“You insulted him?”

“I-I didn’t mean to! I just... um, have a sharp tongue.”

Now that she thought of it, the group had first met Lilith when they went to Atlastia. Nephy really seemed to be on edge at the time because of the abnormality of what’d happened to Zagan’s body. Apparently, something had happened at the time between Lilith and Nephy.

“I-It’s okay, Lilith. Miss Nephy isn’t, like, angry with you anymore, right?”

“I-I know that.”

Well, they did say that people who were usually gentle were all the more frightening when they were angry.

“Also, she scolds Miss Gremory, like, all the time.”

“Miss Gremory...? Oh, that makes sense.”

Kuroka had been toyed with like a doll the other day by Gremory. She was surely talented for Zagan to employ her as his entrusted retainer, but Kuroka didn’t really want to get involved with her.

It looks like she’s following us again today... Kuroka could tell that Gremory was following them from a small distance away and watching over them, perhaps as a guard. Incidentally, she could also sense Shax just a little farther away. Honestly speaking, she didn’t want him to be keeping such a distance from her forever, but Zagan’s consideration was all in vain and she hadn’t been able to properly speak with Shax yet. All that even though she’d had plenty of opportunities to do so, like asking for advice regarding the construction of the bath.

There was no way Lilith didn’t notice this situation, either. She snuck a glance behind her and sighed in astonishment.

“Hey, Kuroka, how long do you plan on leaving him be?”

“I-I’m not really ignoring him...”

Having said that, was it even possible to have a proper conversation with him when Raphael was glaring at him all the time?

Besides, it’d be fine if he at least said something himself...

She felt like her love was completely one-sided, and was beginning to lose confidence.

“Haah...”

Just as Kuroka sighed and Lilith was about to comfort her, Kuroka’s triangular ears pricked up.

“Lilith, stop.”

“Huh?”

Kuroka heard some hurried footsteps and raised her voice. Just a moment later, a small figure jumped out from the shadow of a building. Lilith managed to avoid bumping into them, and the figure also realized the close call and came to a stop.

“Fwah?”

“Huh?!”

Selphy also came to a stop, but she was just a step ahead of the others. Because of that, she ended up bumping into the figure. She dropped her bags and fell backward face up.

“Selphy!”

Kuroka let go of her sword cane and supported Selphy by the back using her left hand while catching the bags with her right. Her sword cane started falling to the ground, but Kuroka managed to catch it by wrapping her two tails around it.

“Phew...”

Kuroka Adelhide had a misfortunate disposition, but unlike Chastille, she wasn’t really clumsy or anything. Lilith clapped her hands at the blinding speed which had just been put on display, and Kuroka shifted her attention to the one Selphy had bumped into. On her own, she had no choice but to stop at supporting Selphy.

“Are you okay...?”

And the moment she called out to them, she realized something.

Huh? This smell... The ones who bumped into Selphy were two girls. One dressed roughly with what looked like a breastplate and waistcloth, while the other wore a dress like Alshiera’s. The one wearing a breastplate was the one to bump into Selphy and had fallen on her backside.

However, Kuroka faintly recognized her scent. The girl also recognized Kuroka, and plainly stiffened up.

“You’re... Azazel’s...”

She was instantly convinced of who these two girls were.

They’re the last sorcerers I fought as part of Azazel! They were her sworn enemies who had stolen the light from her eyes. She didn’t have the composure to consider why they were even here.

“Wait, Dexia—”

The girl in the dress tried to say something, but the girl in the breastplate put her hand to the longsword at her waist and began drawing it.

I’m at a disadvantage like this...!

Kuroka’s decision was swift.

“Selphy, I’m throwing you.”

“Huh...?”

She forced the bags into Selphy’s arms and tossed her out of range. But Lilith was still in danger. The non-combat civilian was standing there stock-still and had yet to grasp what was going on. Kuroka used both her hands to toss Selphy away, so she let go of her sword cane with her tails and wrapped them around Lilith’s tail.

“Hyah?!”

Lilith’s tail was her weak point. She sank to the floor as if losing all the strength in her hips, and a longsword sliced through the air right above her head.

Now that Kuroka was defenseless, the longsword came rushing at her throat. But by that time, Kuroka also managed to squat down and fall to the floor. She managed to completely escape a surprise attack while covering for two defenseless girls. The girl in the breastplate opened her eyes wide in shock. However, Kuroka wasn’t so gentle that she would forgive an attack against her childhood friends.

“Take this!”

She kicked back her sword cane with her toes as she fell backward and rotated her body to drive her foot into the girl’s face.

“Gah!”

The girl bent backward and screamed in pain, but Kuroka was the one to stiffen up in the next instant. The girl in the dress charged in over the other girl as she bent back. They didn’t exchange any words, but could understand each other’s intentions perfectly. They had terrifying coordination.

She had a scimitar in each hand, and her eyes were golden like the moon—they were the evil eyes of sorcery. Kuroka remembered those eyes. They were the last thing she had seen before losing her sight.

Kuroka didn’t have her swords in hand, and her posture was completely broken after protecting Selphy and Lilith. She was completely defenseless. All that awaited her was death.

“Kurosuke!”

Something large and warm wrapped around her as if to block her from those golden eyes. And one step later, a dull shock ran through her body. The face of that warm body hung over Kuroka’s head.

“Mister... Shax...?”

She could tell it was that awkward man just from his scent and touch. One of the girls’ scimitars was stabbed into his back as he hugged Kuroka.

“Ah...”

It wasn’t Kuroka who let out a shaken voice, but the girl wielding the scimitars. She was trembling as if she had just stabbed a close friend.

“What are you doing, Aristella?! Get back!”

The girl in the dress pulled out her scimitar and jumped back. At the same time, Shax lost all strength in his body and fell over.

“Mister Shax, why...?”

There was no need for her to even ask. She knew full well that this was the sort of man he was. Blood was pouring out of his back. As Kuroka desperately tried to stop the bleeding, Shax plopped his hand on her head and petted her.

“Sorry. I got your clothes dirty again...”

“What are you saying? That doesn’t...”

“Sorry about... your other clothes, too. I knew... you were treating them preciously... so I wanted to... return them to you... somehow or other...”

Kuroka pressed her face into Shax’s chest.

“Please stop. Don’t speak like this is the end.”

She then looked to the side. Selphy was thrown into the air, but didn’t fall against the ground. She was being caressed by a beautiful sorcerer. Taking a closer look, Lilith was also sitting on the floor by her feet. It was Enchantress Gremory, who was also watching from nearby.

“Now then, do you need some help?” she asked.

“...Yes. Please take care of Mister Shax.”

He appeared to have avoided a fatal blow, but the wound was still deep. He couldn’t even stand on his own.

“Hang on, Kurosuke.”

“It’s alright. I’m stronger than I look.”

Kuroka wouldn’t lose to anyone, especially as she was now. And, seeing that she had no intention of backing down, Shax gave in.

“You saw her eyes just now, right? Those are—”

“The Entangling Gaze. It destroys the sight of any who look into them, right?”

It was the sorcery they had used when Kuroka had fought against them once before. Even though she’d defended against it with the Moonless Sky, the light had still been stolen from her eyes. It was sorcery so atrocious that it was designated as a prohibited spell several hundred years ago.

“That makes things faster.” Shax nodded as sweat ran down his brow. “You can block it by not looking into her eyes.”

Kuroka got by safely from the Entangling Gaze earlier because Shax had covered her field of view. He surely used his body as a shield so that he could verify that for himself. Just how little did he think of his own life?

“Prohibited spells aren’t the type you can use willy-nilly. The one in the dress should be out of shots. Be careful of the other one.”

“Okay.”

Having said that, it was completely natural for a master to read their opponent’s movements by looking them in their eyes. Kuroka was just in the process of doing so precisely because she had regained her vision. Fighting an opponent head-on without looking them in the eyes was a near-impossible undertaking. Nevertheless, she stood before the sword cane that was lying on the floor.

Picking it up would create an opening. The two girls were likely waiting for that. Both of them were tensed up with their swords at the ready.

“So this is what this mission’s about, then, Aristella?”

“It’s not, Dexia. Aristella suggests a retreat. This is probably a mistake.”

“What’s a mistake...? In any case, we’re not gonna be able to run away unless we deal with her.”

These girls had calmly gotten Lilith and Selphy involved, and even injured Shax. Kuroka naturally had no obligation to let them get away.

“Are you done talking?”

Kuroka quietly got her breathing in order and took a step forward. She couldn’t raise her gaze beyond the girls’ shoulders. She had to read their movements based on scent and the feeling on her skin.

“Samurai of the Adelhide School, Kuroka Adelhide. Prepare yourself.”

She didn’t name herself as part of Azazel, nor did she choose to step forth as Zagan’s subject. She chose her name as the clan which stood at the side of the legendary Silver-Eyed King of Liucaon.

She stomped on her sword cane and it flew up into the air. And using that as a signal, the girl in the breastplate swung her longsword. She was far out of range, and yet, her blade stretched out.

A chain sword. She’d seen this sword the last time they’d fought. However, its irregular movements and range weren’t something one could grasp by eye.

“Huh?”

The chain sword only lightly grazed Kuroka’s bangs. It was as if the sword itself had dodged her. This was the result of her heightened sense of perception that she’d gained from losing her eyesight. As she grabbed her sword cane as if nothing had happened, the girl in the dress charged in as if to say Kuroka would definitely not be permitted to draw her blades. Her scimitars closed in on Kuroka’s torso and neck from both sides.

“Wha—?”

Kuroka’s sword cane neatly sat diagonally between both scimitars. She then spun the cane around and repelled both swords. By the time that was over, she had already finished drawing both her blades.

“Keehee, she’s like a dancing dervish. The movement used for defense connects straight to the attack,” Gremory said with a whistle.

The girl in the dress standing before Kuroka turned pale.

“Dammit! Get away from her!”

The girl in the breastplate once more swung her chain sword. And, once more, it looked like it dodged Kuroka on its own, but the other girls used that opening to roll across the ground and escape.

“Tch. She’s strong. Let’s keep our distance, Aristella.”

Kuroka was armed with her short swords. Her range was limited, so fighting from a distance was an exemplary tactic. These two girls weren’t warriors, they were sorcerers. Not only that, but an attack from both sides would also surely be capable of pushing Kuroka back. However, that course of action was useless in this case.

“Can you dodge this?”

The chain sword drew an abnormal path through the air quite literally like a snake. No matter how much she excelled in seeing through the sword’s movements, this wasn’t something she could dodge since the blade moved as if it had a will of its own.

“Kuroka!”

Lilith screamed upon seeing the blade tear through her.

“Huh...?”

But the one who sounded completely dumbfounded was the girl wielding the chain sword. Kuroka vanished as the blade cut her apart, and another Kuroka appeared on either side of where she was. It wasn’t that there were two Kurokas. She took a step to the side and swayed in such a way that her figure appeared to multiply like a mirage.

“What the...? I’ve never heard of sorcery like this!”

“The Adelhide School’s Misty Night. This isn’t sorcery, it’s an art.”

Kuroka’s footsteps produced no sound, and even though she stood before them like this, they couldn’t sense her movements. This was an art that imprinted an afterimage in one’s eyes by moving at a varying tempo. This was a secret art that took talented samurai decades of training to master, but after going through a turbulent life and regaining her sight, Kuroka had arrived at this ability at the tender age of sixteen.

The two girls were surrounded by countless afterimages of Kuroka before they even knew it.

“Very well... Let’s begin.”

The many afterimages raised their short swords all at once. Even though there was only one real Kuroka, there was no technique in existence that could identify her real blades.

“Agh!”

“Ugh!”

Nevertheless, these girls were sorcerers with many years of combat experience. They stood back-to-back and somehow or other managed to avoid any fatal wounds.

“Dexia, wall.”

“Right!”

They leaped out of the siege of afterimages while swinging their swords and managed to get away from the Misty Night. They charged towards a sturdy-looking brick wall and pressed their backs against it. With this, they only had to focus on what was in front of them. The girl wearing a breastplate then charged mana into her eyes.

“With this, you won’t be able to look me in the eye, can you now? Entangling Gaze!”

Kuroka swung her right hand through the air the moment the girl’s eyes turned golden. This was the hand she was using to press down on Shax’s wound. The blood that had covered her hand flew through the air and splattered across the girl’s face.

“Gah?!”

Powerful sorcerers had many limitations to match their strength. The Entangling Gaze required direct eye contact precisely because of its destructive potential. To put it another way, there was no need to dodge it if the caster’s own sight was blocked. And, with blood in her eyes, this girl was a simple and defenseless target.

“Dexia!”

As Kuroka raised her sword overhead, the girl wearing a dress jumped forth and pushed down the other girl to cover for her. Kuroka’s blade came to a complete stop right at the tip of the girl’s nose.

“What are you doing, Aristella?! Move!”

“No way.”

Kuroka let out a sigh as she watched the two trembling girls. She then punched the girl in the dress right on the nose with all her might.

“Gwuh!”

“Aristella?!”

Kuroka ignored the screaming girl and grabbed the girl in the dress by the collar.

“...I don’t really think it’s possible, but do you two truly believe something so convenient like you won’t get killed yourselves even though you kill others?”

Kuroka used to be an assassin for the dark side of the church. She had killed many sorcerers to fulfill the grudge of her people. That was the sin that Kuroka had to bear for the rest of her life. However, she never once fought while thinking she wouldn’t die.

That should have also applied to Nephy when she had let her people get slaughtered. That’s why Kuroka sympathized with and respected her. Kuroka had a desire to meet her end in battle, but the simple act of stealing the lives of others placed one’s own life on the scale, as well. That’s why she never thought of getting revenge against those who took her eyesight away.

So what was this farce before her? Killing people without considering each other’s deaths was a foolish thought even the worst assassins didn’t harbor. This time it was the girl in the breastplate who was covering the girl in the dress, who had fallen to the ground.

“S-Sorry. Sorry. We won’t attack you anymore. So forgive us.”

Kuroka looked down at her with disdain as the girl despicably pleaded for her life.

I lost to this manner of opponent...? They had no pride, no elegance, no guts, and no resolve. Even with all their talent, they truly were just children. Kuroka turned her back to them and picked up her sheath.

“I’ll let you go this time. You didn’t kill Mister Shax, after all.”

The girl in the dress was perfectly capable of skewering both Shax and Kuroka at once. The reason she stopped surely wasn’t simply because she was shaken. This girl had enough doubts as to what they were doing to at least hesitate.

Kuroka practically spat out at them, and the girl in the breastplate supported the other girl with her shoulder and left.

Kuroka then turned to Shax and her two childhood friends.

“Sorry. Were you frightened?”

“Sorry?! That’s the wrong thing to say!”

“Uwaaah! Kurokaaa!”

Kuroka was knocked down by their ramming attack.

“Don’t be so reckless. I thought you were going to die.”

“Yeah. You’re a girl too, Kuroka.”

Kuroka wasn’t able to do anything but make a troubled look at having worried them so.

Shax then held out his hand.

“I’d also like to ask you to cut your recklessness down...”

“I don’t want to be told that after you did something even more reckless.” She huffed to the side, but still grasped his hand. “But... I’m happy you saved me.”

Kuroka was finally able to smile.

“Keeheehee, nice love power! Thank you for the meal!”

Although, the granny making a fuss next to them ruined the moment.

◇

“It looks like Kuroka and the others got through things safely.”

“Yeah.”

Nephy and Zagan looked down on the scene from above while riding a broom. He’d noticed the presence of Shere Khan’s subordinates the moment they entered the town. There was a fairly high chance that Kuroka’s group was their target, so he put his date on hold to observe them, but it turned out to be needless anxiety.

In any case, I didn’t sense Bifrons’ presence. At the very least, this was not Bifrons’ plan. There was a possibility that Shere Khan was plotting something, but that would be a poor move. Even if those twins won against Kuroka, Gremory was still there, and Zagan was observing from above.

They were severely lacking in means to slip past Zagan to kidnap Kuroka. It was likely that the battle just now wasn’t planned by anyone and was just a simple coincidence.

Anyway, that Kuroka got a lot stronger than expected. Shere Khan’s subordinates were in no way weak. Even though she completely overwhelmed them, Zagan had yet to grant her any power. It was entirely within the realm of reason that her blade could even reach an Archdemon were she to become even stronger.

Well, it was somewhat nerve-wracking to watch, though. Kuroka wasn’t wearing any sort of protective gear today. It was perhaps a better idea to have her wear Alshiera’s dress despite being a little harder to move in. It really was good fortune that she got through it completely unharmed.

“What shall we do about those two?” Nephy asked as she watched the twins run away.

“Leave them be. They’ll serve as a good trail if they return to Shere Khan.”

The girl in the dress ate a faceful of Kuroka’s fist, so there likely wasn’t a need for further punishment. It also appeared that her spirit was utterly crushed.

“Besides...” Zagan said with a squint. “Kuroka didn’t seem to notice, but there’s something awfully suspicious going on.”

“What do you mean?”

Nephy cocked her head curiously, and Zagan hesitated as to how he could answer. However, his principle was to keep no secrets from Nephy. He was worried, but didn’t keep his silence.

“Do you remember that dirty little brat Stella brought along on Alshiere Imera?”

“Yes, Lisette, was it?”

Nephy nodded, and Zagan continued in a stern tone.

“Those two were the spitting image of Lisette.”

“Ah...!” Nephy spontaneously turned around to look at Zagan.

Having said that, Lisette was covered in dirt and grime on Alshiere Imera. She also had quite the stench about her, so it was fairly reasonable that Kuroka didn’t notice. Even Raphael, who had spent a short amount of time with those girls, didn’t realize this either. But even so, as a fellow alleyway rat, there was no way Zagan would mistake her.

“Now that I think of it, Lady Stella said that she took Lisette in because she was being attacked.”

“I see, so there’s a connection.”

Meaning Shere Khan was definitely involved.

The only thing that immediately springs to mind is Lisette also being Shere Khan’s subordinate... However, she was far too ignorant of sorcery for that. Moreover, the fact that those twins had the same face as her weighed on his mind. They might have been homunculi like Nephteros, but homunculi possessing an ego couldn’t be pumped out constantly. Besides, Zagan could tell whether someone was a homunculus or not by “looking” at them. Meaning there was something else about them...

“Seems there’s a need to give Stella a warning about this.”

If things were just as Michael said, then Stella was currently at the church headquarters. Regardless of the number of inexperienced newcomers there, it still wasn’t a place even an Archdemon could rashly mess around in. It was likely safe there for the moment.

“Anyway, this grates on my nerves,” Zagan mumbled.

“Hm...? Oh, do you mean...?” Zagan was being vague, but Nephy realized what he meant. “Lady Stella met Lisette in the same place as you...?”

“Yeah. It’s probably the same alleyway. Lisette was one of the brats I talked to at the time, after all.”

It was back when Zagan was gathering information on Marc and taught those children simple self-defense. It may have been better to investigate the area a little more. Far too many important meetings had happened there. It was even worth considering whether the place was cursed. It wasn’t amusing for Zagan to have his little siblings of the streets get involved in any more strange incidents.

“Well, Kuroka and Shax look to be fine,” Zagan said as he let out a sigh of frustration. “Let’s head for the church, Nephy.”

“Of course, Master Zagan.”

And, with their date over, Nephy flew her broom swiftly over to the church. After arriving, they were let through to the waiting room right away. The three idiots glared at Zagan as always, but they really had gotten used to it already. They even brought out tea and treats.

“Everyone is so kind.”

“Well, that’s because you’re here today, Nephy.”

Zagan wouldn’t receive this sort of treatment on his own.

Chastille arrived a short while later.

“It’s unusual for the two of you to visit the church at the same time.”

Now that he thought of it, Zagan always came to the church on his own when he had business. He also didn’t come along with Nephy when she came to play with her friend.

“How about holding a ceremony while you’re here?” Chastille asked with a charming smile.

“A c-c-c-c-c-c-ceremony?!”

“Hawawawawa, um, that’s a little early... for us... I think...”

Chastille looked on nostalgically as the Archdemon and his bride immediately became incoherent.

“Well, that’s exactly what makes you two who you are, huh?”

Her tongue was this sharp in work mode? He never thought she’d have the courage to tease an Archdemon. Zagan endured his embarrassment and began scoffing.

“Hmph. And you’re the one making that sort of joke? You two couldn’t even have a proper conversation during Alshiere Imera.”

“Fwuh?! H-H-H-H-H-H-H-How do you know that?!”

“How? That’s my castle!”

“Gaaaah! I shouldn’t have gone to an Archdemon’s castle!”

Chastille’s work mode mask was torn off in an instant and her crybaby self was now fully exposed.

“Please calm down, Chastille. Everyone understands. Master Zagan, please don’t be so mean.”

“Ugh...”

Nephy’s words brought Chastille to her knees.

I know you have no ill intent, but you totally delivered the finishing blow, Nephy... In any case, they didn’t come to the church to pick on Chastille. As such, Zagan cut to the chase to wake Chastille from her hazy state, even as he found her quite pitiful.

“Chastille, there’s something I’d like you to investigate.”

“Something to investigate...?”

She somehow or other managed to reboot her work mode and stood back up. He couldn’t get anywhere with her crybaby self, but she truly was talented at doing her job. After confirming that she had regained her composure, Zagan went into the details.

“I think Clavwell was his name? How long was he the head of the church here?”

The previous cardinal of this church had apparently assassinated multiple Angelic Knights in the past. That dark history of the church was exposed in broad daylight when Chastille was appointed as the local leader. All those who had mysteriously vanished or died of unknown causes were also made public.

“Cardinal Clavwell...?” Chastille pinched her brow and searched her memories. “I wonder... I’ll need to investigate to determine the exact period, but I’m pretty sure he served for a fairly long time. Three generations of Archangels including myself served under him, after all.”

“Three generations...? Meaning it was more than five years ago. Then were there any people from this church who held important positions and went missing, or perhaps someone who came to this church and went missing?”

Nephy surely realized what Zagan was getting at as she quietly gulped.

“Master Zagan, you can’t possibly mean...?”

“It’s about 50-50.”

There was a limit to the number of people who could stand on equal grounds with Marchosias and Michael in this town, such as the upper brass of the church—Archangels and cardinals—or perhaps...

“Do you mean to say someone you know may have been here?” Chastille asked as she knit her brows.

“It’s possible.”

“...Got it. Please wait a moment.”

Chastille left the waiting room and returned about half an hour later, carrying a bundle of bulky-looking parchments.

“This is the list of casualties and missing personnel over the last five years. Most of them are Angelic Knights who died in the line of duty.”

“Thanks.”

“Also, this may be unrelated since it doesn’t have anything to do with Kianoides specifically...”

Chastille lowered her voice and took a careful look around the room.

“There’s one more authority in the church who met a mysterious end. I also found out about it just recently myself...”

“An authority in the church? Who?”

It must have been something quite hard to say. Chastille’s expression stiffened up. She then nodded and whispered as quietly as she could.

“His Holiness the Pope. I tried looking into it, but I don’t know the exact time it happened.”

“The Pope?!”

“Shhh, you’re too loud.”

Zagan came to his senses and lowered his voice again.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Records of his official activities came to a stop several years ago. The last one I found was... five years ago.”

Zagan was greatly shaken.

Impossible. Marc was... the Pope...? However, many points coincided with that. The most conspicuous of which were the names Seraph Hunters and Azazel. If Alshiera was telling the truth, then half of Marc’s life was dedicated to the fight against Azazel. It was entirely reasonable that he would name the dark side of the church Azazel.

The Marc I remember loved that sort of irony. There was also the name seraph. The word itself had angelic connotations. It was abnormal how nonexistent the term was within the church. If the church itself squashed the use of the term, then it was entirely believable.

Above all else, it was extremely probable that Marc was one of the three people who’d created the Seraph Hunters alongside Alshiera. Alshiera was the guard, Marchosias became an Archdemon, so the last one becoming the church was far too natural a development.

But it was still hard to accept, so Zagan tried prodding a little further.

“Chastille, have you met the Pope before?”

“His Holiness...? Hmm, about that...” Chastille looked somewhat troubled. “I’m pretty sure I met him, but I don’t really remember. It may just be my imagination.”

And that was unshakable proof. Zagan was at a complete loss for words.

How idiotic... It had been three months since Alshiera gave him the clue of searching for Marc. And then there were the incidents during the church festival of Alshiere Imera, as well as what happened in the church treasury of Raziel.

It ended up being rather trivial. Zagan was headed straight toward Marc, but simply didn’t notice the answer right before his eyes. To begin with, he had investigated Marchosias and the Sacred Swords, but held no interest whatsoever in the church or its leader. He was being so idiotic that he could only sigh, and just then...

“Tch.”

Zagan sharply clicked his tongue. Kianoides was his domain. It was obviously protected by countless barriers which he could use to track individuals by mana, even if not to the extent that Barbatos could. And the signal he was tracing with his barrier had suddenly vanished.

“What’s the matter, Master Zagan?”

Nephy could tell this wasn’t a trivial matter.

“The signal I was getting from Shere Khan’s two subordinates just vanished.”

At the very least, they were no longer within Kianoides’ barrier.

“So... Did they escape the town, I wonder...?”

She asked for verification, but there was a hint of pain in her voice. Nephy surely knew the truth.

“One may have escaped,” Zagan said as he shook his head. “But the other one didn’t... It seems someone finished off one of the twins.”

The frail future of those pitiful girls had been cruelly shut off.

◇

“Haaah, haaah...”

Aristella and Dexia wandered into an alleyway in Kianoides after running away from Kuroka.

“They can’t be chasing us this far off, right?” Dexia asked while breathing heavily.

She still had bloodstains on her face, but she’d managed to regain her vision. After confirming there wasn’t anyone else nearby, she touched Aristella’s cheek.

“Aristella, show me your face... Shit, do you normally just punch a girl in the face like that?!”

Her face looked to be fairly swollen and was even bruised, but Aristella shook her head.

“...Aristella is fine. We were lucky to get off this lightly.”

“Hey, Aristella. Don’t tell me you seriously believe what she said?”

“...”

She couldn’t answer. She had first begun harboring doubts back in Raziel’s treasury. The woman they fought there was so strong it sent chills down her spine. That was the first time Aristella had felt death so close to her. And yet, she was far more terrified of losing Dexia.

That’s why she had taken a hit for her twin. She hated the thought of losing her. She feared it far more than dying herself.

Aristella doesn’t get it anymore... She was well aware that the two of them had never considered being killed, even without Kuroka telling her that. It was natural for the people they were killing to try and kill them back. There were also cases where someone they failed to kill would try to get revenge. So, would they be able to complain if they were killed in such a way? The two of them had been dancing atop a thin layer of ice, or perhaps even atop a bed of spears.

“Aristella is scared...”

If they were to continue as they had been doing, they would both die. But above all else...

The people Aristella killed may have been the same... She never even recognized the people she killed as humans before. But now she realized that the people she killed may have had people who thought of them the same way Aristella thought of Dexia.

Thinking of how she’d mowed down such lives without giving it a single thought made her so scared that it became hard to breathe. That’s because if Dexia was killed, Aristella would chase her killer to the ends of the continent.

In other words, it was hard to argue that the same could happen to them. There were probably multitudes of such enemies they didn’t even know about. The girl they just fought today was someone they bumped into by pure coincidence, and she had plenty of reason to kill them.

Dexia grabbed Aristella tightly by the collar.

“Do you even know what you’re saying? Do you plan on betraying Master Shere Khan?”

“But... At this rate, Aristella and Dexia will die one day... Aren’t you scared?”

“That’s...”

“Aristella doesn’t get it anymore...” she said as she cradled her knees. “What do we do? What’s the proper thing to do?”

“Isn’t that obvious?! We just have to obey Master Shere Khan’s orders. Isn’t that why we were created?”

“But Aristella is scared of dying... Aristella doesn’t want to be thrown away...”

Dexia embraced the trembling girl.

“It’s okay... Master Shere Khan won’t throw us away. We failed our mission. I’m sure we’ll get scolded a little, but let’s go back. Okay?”

“...Mm.”

Dexia was kind. That’s surely why Aristella came to realize something.

Aristella... can’t fight anymore. She was scared of holding a sword. And just as she clung to Dexia tightly...

“Heeheehee... I found a naughty child.”

A sweet, yet endlessly twisted laugh resounded through the alleyway. It came from a formless “shadow.” To be more specific, it vaguely had the form of a “person.” Such was the case, but Aristella couldn’t recognize it as such. It was like her brain refused to do so.

Aristella’s cognition is being blocked...? Was it sorcery? Or perhaps there was some other power at work which prevented her from directly observing the shadow. Two golden eyes floated within the shadow. They were like moons hanging over the dead of the night. Just the thought of those eyes looking at her spurred a sense of fear within her that felt like it would drive her mad.

“Aah...”

She figured it out. This was the same as the prohibited spell, the Entangling Gaze, that was granted to them by Shere Khan. Their sorcery was an imitation of these eyes before her.

“Wh-What...?”

Dexia shrank back upon sensing the mysterious being. She was actually able to maintain a fair amount of sanity by being able to do so. That’s because Aristella was no longer able to even scream after having had her spirit weakened in the fight against Kuroka.

“R-Run... Dexia...”

Upon somehow managing to wring out her voice, Aristella realized her own foolishness. Dexia’s face froze up as if she had sensed death, and she put on a smile as if it was inevitable.

“I’m telling you it’s okay. I’ll protect you, Aristella.”

“No...”

Her warning was in vain, and Dexia swung her chain sword at the shadow, which neither defended or evaded. It simply took the blade on defensively.

“What... the...?”

The chain sword made a dull thud as if it had struck a mountain of sand and began crumbling apart.

No... It’s being eaten! Shadow-like debris crawled up the chain sword and decomposed it along the way. It encroached on the blade at a terrifying speed and was quickly making its way to Dexia’s hand.

“Wh-What the hell is this?!”

She let go of her sword in a hurry, and that was the moment her fate was sealed.

“Huh...?”

Before she knew it, the shadow was right in front of her eyes. It was close enough to touch its nose against Dexia’s, and it felt like the shadow’s face warped with a smile.

“Eep...”

There was no way to avoid that golden gaze at point-blank range. Aristella had no way of knowing what Dexia saw in them as she jolted in place with her eyes rolling to the back of her head before collapsing to her knees. The shadow didn’t even look at the now completely immobile Dexia. Instead, it began whispering in an intoxicating voice.

“Teeheehee. What a naughty child. What a foolish child. But what a clever child, for you have opened the door for my sake. Alas! Aah! I’m coming to greet you now! My beloved Master ———!”

Who is she talking to...? Wait... Is it... Aristella...? Those golden eyes weren’t looking at her, but she could feel that the shadow’s consciousness was focused on her.

“Pl...ease...”

Aristella somehow managed to squeeze her voice out through her trembling lips, and immediately regretted doing so. The shadow’s golden eyes tumbled about and shifted their focus over to her. She could feel any and every negative emotion within them which couldn’t be simply described as malice, hatred, or despair.

Her consciousness began to fade. It would’ve been easier to just faint on the spot. That would’ve been salvation in this situation, but Aristella’s other half came into her vision.

Not... yet... she had to save Dexia. She was scared of dying, but she was far more scared of losing Dexia. That’s why she bit down on her lips and maintained her consciousness through the pain.

“Please... save...”

The shadow squinted in amusement at her pleading.

“What a cute child. What a pitiful child. Teehee, heeheehee. Alas, that won’t do. No matter how much I wish it to be so, nobody shall answer your pleas. Eeheeheeheehee.”

Cold wetness ran down her cheeks. It seemed that tears that flowed out of fear were cold. Aristella lost all feeling in her limbs. She no longer had the strength to grip her sword. But, even so, she earnestly raised her voice.

“Please... spare Dexia.”

The shadow stopped laughing.

“Aristella... will do... anything... So please... spare Dexia...”

The two of them were already as good as dead. She knew there was no way her pleas would be answered. But even so, even if there was nobody who would answer her, if there was just that one chance, then it was possible for Dexia to start over.

“If you live... you’ll surely...”

Aristella felt like the shadow’s eyes trembled with sadness upon hearing her earnest prayer.

“...I see.”

The shadow’s hand touched Aristella’s cheeks. They were cold. No, cold didn’t even begin to describe them. Those dreadful hands felt like they even froze her soul. They thrust the fact that her life was now over right into her face whether she liked it or not.

“What a gluttonous child. What a pathetic child. Yes, yes, I shall pity you. So at the very least—”

Aristella was now trembling to the point she could no longer breathe, and the shadow greatly opened its mouth directly above her.

“Shall we become one?”

Aristella may have screamed, but with the shadow’s mouth enveloping her entirely, her voice was no longer able to reach anyone. Something then flowed into her. It was so cold that it felt like her lips would tear apart and fall off, yet the thing flowing down her throat was scorching hot. Her limbs no longer had the strength to even struggle and could do nothing more than convulse pitifully. The blue ribbon tying up her hair came undone. Tears poured from both of her wide-open eyes.

Aristella is... disappearing...

She was vanishing.

She was melting.

Her entire body was vanishing, her life was melting, her heart was disappearing. Her memories of Shere Khan petting her head, of fighting with Dexia, of that girl who scolded her for the first time, all of it began to fade. And before long, she even lost the ability to feel fear. She lost the ability to think of anything.

But... But even so... Her thoughts shifted to her other half, whose name she couldn’t even remember anymore, who was right next to her. This girl was better than her at sorcery. That was why she’d decided to improve her swordsmanship to protect her.

Live... The light from a magic circle spread out. This would be her last teleportation spell. There was no way the shadow didn’t notice, but it did nothing. It allowed her this act.

As anything and everything vanished from her mind, the last thing she saw wasn’t her other half, but that tabaxi girl. She had gotten unbelievably strong compared to before. Aristella felt both fear and admiration toward her. If only she had more time, then...

Maybe Aristella... could have become... like that... too...

Aspiration.

That was the last feeling Aristella held.

◇

“Lady Nephteros! Are you alright?!”

“Huh?!”

Nephteros woke up from having her shoulders shaken. It seemed that she had lost consciousness.

“Richard...?”

“That’s right. Are you unharmed?”

Her head was in pain. She felt like she had seen a horrible nightmare.

“Umm...? What happened...?”

“Do you not remember? You weren’t feeling well after you met those two sorcerers this afternoon and decided to rest, and then...”

Richard looked around the area. They were in a dirty alleyway. It wasn’t an appropriate place to get some rest.

“I booked a room at the inn, but you vanished when I stepped aside to get you a drink. Do you not remember?”

Nephteros shook her head.

“Sorry. I don’t. I more or less remember those two sorcerers, though...”

They were two girls who got into a fight with some punk in town. Her memories after that were all a haze.

“Let’s return to the church for now. I believe it would do you well to rest for the day.”

“Yeah... I feel sorry for my mother, but I’ll have to skip today’s training.”

The two of them didn’t even notice. There was a tattered blue ribbon on the ground right at their feet. A blue ribbon that belonged to one of those two twins.