Chapter 6: Farewell with a Smile

Chapter 6:
Farewell with a Smile

 

THE CARRIAGE ROCKED along the now familiar road that connected the capital of Tils to the border town governed by the Margrave Lockwood. Lately, a lot of people had been traveling away from the currently unmanaged border town to the much safer capital and other cities. Naturally, there was almost no one traveling in the opposite direction. The only people foolhardy enough to travel to a place where war loomed on the horizon were mercenaries, hoping to make a name for themselves in battle, and those engaged in the sort of shadowy professions that they could not speak about with others.

As such, there were only three people within this carriage: Lily, Lafine, and this time, Veil. It was a bit lonesome, but the fact that they were able to speak about their current situation without reservation was a blessing. Lafine spoke first.

“The night that the Lockwood manor was attacked, the Lockwoods fled the scene in their fastest carriage. Given that they haven’t shown their faces since, I had assumed that they were hiding out somewhere, but now it seems they were waylaid by agents from the Albarn Empire somewhere en route to the capital and dragged off to some secret prison near the border.”

“Is that what you found out from Big Bro?” asked Veil.

“Yeah, it is. It’s pretty rough, but I did get a map, too.”

Incidentally, the slum broker, Big Bro, had not shown his face since giving Lafine this information. There were two possible reasons for this: Either he had been taken out by spies from the Albarn Empire or paid off with instructions to make himself scarce.

Veil hoped for the second explanation to be true, although he realized that it was probably unlikely.

“Plus,” Lafine continued, “there’s some evidence to support this. Most importantly, that the kingdom has not abandoned its border. In fact, it seems the king moved immediately to secure the border, sending his troops out to the unsecured area right away.”

“So, a provisional border guard…?” Veil asked suspiciously.

Lafine shook her head.

“No. Defense of the border is already bolstered by a military patrol, around not just the towns, but the plains, the mountains, the coastline—everywhere.”

“So they’re looking for my mother and father?” Lily wondered.

“Correct. Which means it’s possible they’ll be locking down the national border, hoping to catch any secret agents from the Empire who might try to exit Tils.”

Veil covered his mouth with his hand in dawning realization. “So that means the agents responsible are still wandering around Tils, unable to return home.”

“Bingo. Meanwhile, the Lockwoods are their hostages. That’s the info that your ‘Big Bro’ sold to me, anyway. It does seem that he likewise sold the information he got from me and Lily—about the secret eldest daughter of the Lockwoods—right back to the agents, though. What a wild informant, selling information to both sides at the same time!”

“My apologies.”

Lafine snorted. “Well, I’m certainly not going to hold it against you. You’ve been looking out for Lily, and I’ve already caused plenty of trouble for you… That said, I’ll be holding you to your promise to make sure that Big Bro of yours is held accountable, once you find him.”

Sitting alone on the bench opposite Lafine and Lily, Veil clenched his fingers atop his knees. Then, he looked up at Lafine, eyes filled with determination.

“Yeah. I’ll need some time before that, though. When we find him, can you give us a little time to talk, just me and him?”

Lafine’s face tensed. “Come again? Sorry, but right now, your Bro is a traitor to the kingdom. I can’t just let that go.”

“I know. I just need a few minutes.”

As Lafine scratched her head, her mouth twisted as though she had just tasted something bitter, Lily wrapped her arm around Lafine’s, admonishing. “It’s fine, Veil.”

“You little…! Just how soft can you be?!”

“I’m the one he sold out, Lafine.”

Lafine looked all the more bitter but clamped her mouth shut. “Jeez… Fine, do what you want…”

“Thanks.”

Then, Lafine yanked her arm free of Lily’s. She poked Lily in the nose with her pointer finger, eyes narrowing.

“And you.”

“Huh?”

“How do you feel about your parents, the Lockwoods?”

“How? I mean, they’re my family.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that they fled and left you behind, whatever their reasons were. I was there. I know. Your brother and sister aside, do you not at least hate Neiham and Ivanna?”

Lily’s eyes went wide.

“You get it? They abandoned you.”

“H-hey now, Lafine. You don’t have to put it like…”

“Quiet. This is important. If it weren’t, we wouldn’t be staking our lives on it,” said Lafine, holding up a hand to hush Veil. She continued, “Veil and I are the only ones here. Lily, I want to hear how you really feel.”

“How I…really feel…?”

It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about it. No matter how she tried to justify it to herself, on the night of the attack, her mother and father had abandoned her. They had taken her siblings with them when they ran, but they had left her all alone, knowing that she very likely wouldn’t have the resources to save herself. That much was certain.

It had been impressed upon her that the Lockwood family had no need for her—by her own parents, no less.

But, perhaps, had they had a bit more time, they would have taken her along, too?

Reality—and Lafine—were not so optimistic.

“Lily, if you’re in this to get revenge or tell your parents how much you hate them, then we should stop here. There’s no need for you to risk as dangerous a situation as this for some people who are worthless to you. Don’t worry about Veil’s Bro for now. If you want revenge on your parents, you can leave that to the imperial spies.”

“Yeah,” said Veil. “I agree. This carriage ride could be a watershed moment for you. I would never judge you if you wanted to turn back now.”

Lily stared hazily into the distance. Then she grinned, the way she always did. Or rather, she tried to, but her mixed-up emotions only manifested as an equally mixed-up expression. Finally, she opened her mouth and spoke, her voice trembling weakly, “Is it wrong to love them, when they don’t love me?”

Lafine and Veil both gulped, their expressions identical.

“As long as I just don’t ask for too much, I’m sure I wouldn’t be a burden on them, right?”

Both of the adults’ eyes opened wide, their expressions twisting with sorrow before they averted their gazes.

Seeing this, Lily was certain that she had given the wrong answer. So, she frantically added, “A-and anyway, Mother and Father aside, someone has to look out for my brother and sister. They’re still too little to know anything…”

Suddenly, something squeezed tightly around her. Lafine had wrapped her strong arms around Lily, who looked as though she might be on the verge of collapse.

“Lily. You really are stupid. More than I ever imagined,” said Lafine. “No, far, far more than I ever imagined.”

“Lily,” Veil chimed in, “I won’t say that I understand everything that you’re going through, but my parents abandoned me in the slums, so I can guess a little bit of what you’re feeling. So can I say something?”

Lily nodded weakly from within Lafine’s arms.

“I don’t think you need to decide anything about your family now. When you see them again, you just need to hit the Lockwoods with everything you feel in your heart in that moment. And when that happens, Lafine and I will be right there beside you.”

As he spoke, the comforting sound of Veil’s voice vibrated all the way through her chest, and the warmth she felt from Lafine’s body seeped into every corner of her own. Lily felt she had known such happiness once, long ago, when she had only just been born, but not since then—not until now.

“Yeah.”

As the carriage swayed onward toward the border, Lily smiled happily, listening to the sound of horseshoes and wagon wheels.

 

***

 

The crackling of the bonfire echoed throughout the night.

The three had set up camp in the shade of a boulder out in the fields. Partway to the border, they had paid the driver their fares and hopped out on the side of the road. The moment the driver had received his payment, he turned around and double-timed it back to the capital.

Though they had passed many carts and travelers along the way toward the capital, they had not seen anyone else heading southward, away from the city. An uneasy atmosphere had arisen in the wake of both the attack on the Lockwood manor and now the border blockade—and the people were seeking refuge wherever they could. There were credible rumors among the citizens of the capital that the Albarn Empire would be attacking at some point in the coming days. On top of that, Lafine told the other two, the number of men at the blockade would be proportional to any incoming army. Plus, if any large-scale war broke out, the king would order them all to evacuate anyway.

“…or so I’d like to think,” Lafine finished, her hands over her face.

“If we were to take out the agents from the Albarn Empire in order to save Mister and Missus Lockwood, do you think that might pull the trigger?” asked Veil.

“I don’t think so. It would be one thing if we were already at war, but for now, both nations ostensibly want to maintain the peace. I doubt Albarn would want word to get out to other lands that they had been sending secret agents into Tils. If our plan succeeds, Albarn will probably just wash their hands of those agents—or even try to write them off as bandits.”

“They’d feign ignorance?”

“Yep. At best, those agents will end up indentured in the mines. At worst…” Lafine dragged her thumb across her own throat. “The Empire’ll vanish them to keep them from talking.”

Lily pursed her lips. “Really? Those poor people…”

Lafine’s face twisted. “Listen, kid. Those guys might have killed your entire family. We have no idea where they are right now and what these guys might be doing to them. So don’t be such a softie.”

“I guess you’re right…”

“I’ll say this once: While they might be keeping the margrave and his wife as bargaining chips, your brother and sister are worthless as hostages. From their perspective, there’s no value in keeping them alive. I need you to understand that. There’s no point in pitying the enemy. Got it? You cannot hesitate if we have the chance to strike them down.”

As Lily’s expression clouded, Veil hastily added, “But they also must be aware that murdering your siblings will put them in danger of much harsher punishments. Even if they can’t escape indentured servitude, they’ll likely want to avoid execution. So I’m pretty sure they won’t be killing anyone pointlessly, even if they aren’t useful in the negotiations.”

“O-okay.”

Lafine glared at Veil.

“Cool it, buddy. Could you not keep blowing her up with all this hot air? If she hesitates, we’re the ones who are going to end up dead.”

“That may be true, but let’s remember there’s only so much we can reasonably put on a nine-year-old’s shoulders.” Veil grimaced.

Meanwhile, Lafine took a warm drink in hand and started to sip.

Lily could not help but watch the scene with a smile. What fun this was, being with her two friends, in the midst of an adventure.

As Veil looked to Lily, she grinned wide, all innocence. “It’ll be fine, Lafine. I may not look it, but I’m pretty good at negotiating. You already know that all I have to do is show off a bit of magic, and everyone agrees with me right away. So, I’ll just hit them with something when we get there. Ka-boom!”

Veil raised his eyebrows. “That’s not negotiation, that’s just intimidation.”

Lafine shoved him aside, flexing one arm. The herbal tea in her cup went flying, splashing across Veil’s arm.

“Ow!”

Lafine ignored him. “Yes! That’s right! You keep up that fighting spirit! If you can avoid a battle, you should always avoid it! The easiest victories are the sweetest!”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Yep, yep.” Lafine nodded. “You just take it easy. Even if we mess up and can’t go back to that house, we can just go crash in the slums where the imperial agents won’t find us. Ha! This is working perfectly!”

Veil, who was busy blowing on the burn on his arm, looked up at her indignantly.

“Hey, wait! I’ve already got enough little brothers and sisters to look after…”

Lafine put a hand on his shoulder in an overfamiliar manner and gave a cutesy wink, followed by a thumbs-up. “Thanks a lot, Big Brother Veil! Hee hee!”

It was her patented congeniality attack.

“Y-yeah, you’re welcome…Big Sis…?”

“Ugh!”

A painful counterblow. It shook Lafine to her very core.

“Well, I mean, you are older, right?”

Lafine grabbed Veil by the throat, squeezing and shaking him back and forth.

“I’m supposed to be your little sister! Were you writing me off as some kind of old spinster just because you’re young?! Is that how you see me?! It’s not that I haven’t been able to get married, I just don’t want to! Don’t make assumptions about me!”

“N-no, that wasn’t what I… Gah! Why are you like this?!”

“Ah ha ha.”

Suddenly, the pair froze.

“Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

Lily had burst out laughing. It was not her usual cheerful giggle but a full-on belly laugh.

Lafine and Veil looked at one another, cracking a simultaneous grin. A gentle breeze blew across the isolated field…and then, the very next moment, Lafine seized Lily’s chin with her right hand, so tightly that one could almost hear a crack.

“Ho ho, and just what is so funny?”

“Uh? Aaaaaah! I’m sorry!”

Lafine was furious.

As Lily flailed, Lafine pulled her hand away from her. Veil was already reaching for his sword. However…

“Don’t move.”

Realizing what was happening, Veil froze and hung his head. He was suddenly aware of a knife blade being held to Lafine’s neck. He pulled his hand away from his sword and lifted both palms into the air.

They were fully surrounded by a dozen men.

Lafine clicked her tongue. Though they had chosen an inconspicuous spot to camp, it had been foolhardy of them to have lit a bonfire and roasted meat. The scent carried far and wide on the wind. In a flash, there was another blade at Veil’s neck, and he was being bound with rope.

“Damn it!” Lafine spat, facedown on the ground with her hands tied behind her back. Her weapons had been seized, and a foot pressed down upon her spine. “Ow! Hold it! Is this how you treat a lady?!”

“Idiots! Do you think bandits care about your gender?” asked the offender. “You’d be in a lot worse trouble if anyone else had attacked you.”

Lafine glared up at the man from the ground. “Well, thanks for the advice! In that case, are you gonna let us go home quietly?”

“Sure. If you don’t do anything stupid. Don’t get us wrong, though. We won’t go easy on you just because you’re a woman. You’re gettin’ the same as any man would.”

In other words, the man was suggesting, if they resisted, they would be killed.

Lafine grumbled, spitting out grit, but she did not speak. There was nothing she could do for now but wait. And Lily, meanwhile…was making a commotion.

“W-w-w-w-wah! B-bandits!”

No one had even bothered trying to restrain Lily. Clearly, they had not even factored her into the equation. Not only was she female and a child, but she was entirely unarmed. Even a mage would normally have had some sort of staff.

“That’s right, we’re bandits. You just play nice and no harm’ll come to ya,” the youngish man said calmly and plainly, an almost pleasant expression on his face.

All of the men appeared to be in their twenties or thirties, physiques honed from daily training. Their outfits were all different, but they were each equipped with a longsword. They were clearly well trained, moving swiftly into formation. Strictly divided in their roles, some were in charge of threatening the hostages and some in charge of binding them, some in charge of keeping lookout and some in charge of backup. Furthermore, they worked silently, not even employing hand signs. They kept their conversation to a minimum, their movements sharp and efficient.

“Look for food and valuables,” commanded the one who seemed to be the leader. After making sure the hostages were fully immobilized, several of the men began rifling through their things. They took Veil’s longsword and Lafine’s shortsword, scabbard and all, along with the sack that Lafine had at her waist and the food in Veil’s knapsack.

“Lotta food in here.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

They handily shoved their findings into the leather sacks that they were carrying and then silently nodded at one another.

All of the little group’s food and travel funds had now been taken. Next, the men kicked dirt over the bonfire and swiftly left, vanishing into the night. In a lot of ways, they had been lucky. The men had taken only their valuables, food, and weapons, eschewing the snatching away of young women that often happened during such attacks.

The leader, the last to depart, turned around and said to Lily, who was standing stock-still, “Sorry, Little Miss. We gotta work hard to make a living out here, too.”

“B-but, that’s no reason to go taking other people’s things! You’re doing something really bad,” she replied weakly.

The leader grimaced, taking a few silver coins out of the sack and tossing them at Lily’s feet.

“Here, that should be enough to get you all a few days of food.”

His voice was flat, so Lily could not tell what he was thinking. And while the gesture seemed kind, then again, those silvers had belonged to the travelers in the first place.

“You aren’t that far from the border town. I’m not really in any place to be saying this, but I wish you safe travels.”

And with that, the leader vanished into the night as well.

Once he had departed, Lily took the knife that was hidden in Lafine’s boot and cut through her bonds.

“Are you okay, Lafine? Those guys were really pushing you around…”

“It’s whatever. I’m just annoyed. I’ll definitely be getting back at them for this.”

Lafine stood and took her knife back from Lily, cutting the ropes binding Veil.

“He he, guess that went pretty well, huh, Veil?”

“Yeah, it did. I’m honestly surprised how quickly we reeled ’em in. Guess Big Bro’s info was good.”

Freed from his bonds, Veil stretched his wrists and then the rest of his body. Then, he dug under a rock, unburying two unsheathed swords, one long and one short. The weapons that had been inside the sheaths the bandits took were only wooden replicas. They had been whittled to the same thickness as a steel blade, but they were little better than stage props, useless even as practice swords.

“Miss Lafine.”

“Thanks.”

Lafine caught her shortsword from Veil as he chucked it over, sticking it through her sash in a practiced fashion.

The information that Lafine had purchased from the broker was roughly as follows:

Not long after the members of the Lockwood family went missing and the army of Tils set up their blockade of the border, an enterprising bandit troop had started running amok in the area. Casualties were few, and they hardly ever abducted anyone, so neither the guild nor the military had come after them.

However…

Big Bro had made the conjecture that the margrave and his wife, fleeing danger on the night of the attack, had hidden themselves somewhere between the border town and the capital, but their location had been discovered by agents of the Albarn Empire. They had, he guessed, been captured. However, thanks to the king’s swift decision to lock down the border, the agents in question had been unable to return to the Empire.

At this point, the men had two choices: betray the Empire and surrender themselves to the kingdom or take up work as bandits.

Given that they had taken the margrave hostage, even if only for a short time, there was no question that if they surrendered themselves, they would be enslaved. Meanwhile, the Empire would deny all knowledge of these men, abandoning them to their fates. Truly, the only choice they had was to take up as bandits and bide their time until the blockade was dissolved.

With this information in mind, Lafine had suggested, before leaving the capital, that they intentionally camp in the area where the bandit attacks had been taking place, choosing a location that was hidden yet purposely conspicuous. The plan had been a great success, as the so-called bandits had appeared on the very first night.

There was no debating the fact that these “bandits” were agents of the Empire. No matter how you looked at it, there was nothing bandit-like about them. They even conducted themselves with knightly chivalry.

It would be easy to wreak a bit of havoc in a place like this. They could just have had Lily use her magic. However, they still did not know the location of the Lockwoods. Depending on the strength of their loyalty to the Empire, torturing information out of these men might prove impossible. So, instead, they allowed the men to believe they had successfully robbed them and then followed after them.

This plan would have been impossible to implement if the men knew what Lily looked like, but for better or worse, no one even knew of Lily’s existence within the Lockwood household. They might have their spies, but even so, these agents were in a foreign land. Even if they were aware the margrave’s secret daughter existed, no one would have had any idea of what she looked like.

“Let’s tail ’em. Lily, can you really tell where they went? It’s pitch-black out.”

“I can! The spirits will tell me!”

“Wha…?”

Ignoring Lafine’s questioning gaze, Lily closed her eyes and sent out her thoughts to the nanomachines. Mr. Nano, are you there?

YES, INDEED. I AM EVERYWHERE.

So you already know what’s going on then, right?

OF COURSE. LET’S KEEP THOSE MEN UPWIND…

The wind began to blow, unnaturally, in a different direction from the way it had been blowing just a moment before. Obviously, this was the nanomachines’ doing.

So they won’t be able to notice me from my smell?

YES.

Are you saying I stink?!

NO IDEA. WE CANNOT DEEM PHENOMENA GOOD OR BAD IN TERMS OF HUMAN SENSATIONS, AS WE DO NOT THINK IN OLFACTORY, VISUAL, OR AUDITORY TERMS. IT’S MERELY, UM, THAT IT DOES APPEAR THAT YOU HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL FRAGRANCE.

“Wah…”

Lily sniffed her own arm.

“What are you doing?” asked Veil curiously, leaning closer to her.

Lily leapt back, screaming, “Wah! N-nothing! Veil, you pervert!”

“Wha?!”

The young man was shocked to hear this accusation—one that had never once been levied against him in his entire life. Lafine patted them both on the back.

“Enough! Just hurry up and follow them! I shouldn’t have to tell you all this, but if they get away, there goes all of our food and money!”

“Th-that’s true. Um, it’s dark, so both of you give me your hands.”

“Huh?”

“Why?”

“Hurry up. They’re gonna get away, aren’t they?”

Without waiting for confirmation, Lily took Lafine’s right hand in her left, Veil’s left hand in her right, and took off running upwind.

“This way. Just try to keep up.”

“O-okay.”

“All right…”

For some reason, all three of them were biting back the same grin, but in the dark of night, none of them noticed.

 

***

 

They paused at the crest of a shallow hill, beneath the verdant greenery of a patch of evergreen trees. A faint orange glow illuminated the night sky in the basin below. In a hidden corner of the valley, there were lights. By straining one’s eyes and peering through the gaps in the trees, it was possible to catch sight of some kind of structures. The glow of lamps seeped faintly from a building there at the edge of the basin. There seemed to be people moving around, too, though it was hard to judge how many.

“That’s probably it.”

Lily stopped walking. Lafine and Veil, still holding her hands, stopped as well.

“What is that? Since when is there something like that within Tils?”

“Looks like some ruins. Pretty spacious ones. Could practically be half of a village.”

Ruins. So, they were using some undiscovered ruins as their hideout. Lily strained her eyes. She could not see them, but her mother and father, her sister, and her brother were in there somewhere.

“Phew…”

They had run fairly far. Somehow, mysteriously, Lily had managed to keep her breath as steady as the two adults behind her, who had longer legs and were significantly more physically fit.

Mr. Nano, did you do something to me? It’s amazing—I’m not tired at all!

I HAVE DONE NOTHING. THIS WORLD CURRENTLY HAS NO EXPLANATION FOR THE CONCEPT OF ADRENALINE, BUT BECAUSE YOUR MIND IS CURRENTLY VERY EXCITED, IT IS TRICKING YOU OUT OF FEELING ANY PAIN OR FATIGUE. INCIDENTALLY, HOWEVER, IF YOU DO WISH TO HAVE “SOMETHING” DONE TO YOU IN ORDER TO STRENGTHEN YOUR BODY, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO DO SO. SHALL I?

These were the spirits that had already brought upon a dramatic alteration in Lily’s physiology: the restoration of her sense of hearing. If she were to carelessly mention something like body strengthening, she just might end up transformed into a beastgirl or demon. Imagining this, Lily quickly replied, I-I’m fine for now. Maybe later, okay? If things get dangerous.

………

Oh no… They seem disappointed. Did they really want to make me as strong as a monster?

I SEE. IT SEEMS YOU HAVE LET OUT SOME THOUGHTS THAT VAGUELY RESEMBLE AN ANXIETY OR FEAR…

No, no! Y-you’re just imagining it! I definitely wasn’t thinking that you seemed like some crazed mage trying to communicate with a monster or something!

There seemed to be a very long pause.

WELL, THAT’S FINE. NOW PERHAPS IF YOU WERE TO PRAY FOR A WEAPON… THOUGH, OF COURSE, THERE ARE NO GODS IN THIS WORLD.

Huh?

Save for the nanomachines, there was only one being who was aware that this world had been abandoned by the gods—a girl by the name of Mile, who had been reincarnated from another plane. That girl was, incidentally, Lily’s benefactor, but she did not wish to let that be known. Though she possessed power second only to an elder dragon, she wanted nothing more than to live as an average girl. In fact, she was the complete opposite of Lily, who longed to be a hero.

Appropriately enough, it would appear that Mile had pushed some small portion of her own hidden, undesired power upon Lily Lockwood, who had been born as a normal girl.

IT’S ALL CAUSE AND EFFECT…

Causanifect? That sounds like some kind of weird medicine.

IT ISN’T, the nanomachines replied shortly. ANYWAY, THERE ARE MATTERS IN THAT VEIN THAT WE WILL BE UNABLE TO EXPLAIN, SO DON’T WORRY YOURSELF OVER IT. JUST DO YOUR BEST, MISS LILY. SHOULD YOU FIND YOURSELF IN PERIL OF DEATH, WE SHALL BE READY TO DEPLOY THE AFOREMENTIONED MEASURES AT ANY TIME, SO PLEASE CALL UPON US AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE.

Ready to turn her into a beastgirl or demon…?

Uh, yeah… O-okay…

Anyway, Lily thought, she would try her best, only if to prevent that outcome from occurring.

WHAT’S WITH THAT REPLY?

“…Lily are you listening?” Lafine’s face was twisted, and she was looking at Lily intently.

“Uh, yeah? Sorry, what was that?”

Lily had been so concentrated on her mental conversation that she had not even realized Lafine was speaking to her.

“Are you really all right? You were spacing out for a good while there.”

“I was talking to a spirit. He’s the one who’s been guiding me. Er, is ‘he’ right?”

Lafine’s expression twisted even further. “…Are you messing with me?”

“I-I’m being serious!”

“Guys, keep your voices down, I’m begging you,” Veil interjected. “We aren’t out of the woods yet just because we’ve found their base.”

Lafine clicked her tongue, self-satisfied. “Well then, what’re we gonna do now? Do we go on in? Go back and report it?”

“Normally, this is where we’d go and call in the royal forces via the guild, but it’d be days before they could make it here. These guys are on the lamb, so there’s no telling when they might up and leave. I’m worried about the hostages’ safety, and I have no idea about Big Bro’s whereabouts. They may have even captured him already.”

Another problem: They had no idea what kinds of numbers they were up against. The men who had assaulted them earlier under the guise of bandits were around twelve in number, though one could be certain that that did not account for the full group. They would have had to leave behind enough members at the base to watch over at least four hostages, after all. Once you factored in the particular care necessary in guarding the margrave and his wife, who were key players, as well as more agents to patrol the perimeter of the ruins, they might be looking at least a dozen or more additional people lying in wait.

“There might be as many as fifty here, in total,” Lafine muttered.

“If we’re lucky,” Veil bitterly replied.

“Still a while until dawn,” Lafine said, standing.

“What are you doing?” asked Veil.

“Surprise attacks are my specialty. Better to hit ’em in the dark than to fight them head-on. I can preemptively take out as many of their number as possible before they catch on, and you two can just follow in after me. Though I understand this might not be your bag.”

Veil was slack-jawed.

“You’ve gotta be kidding… You may’ve caught me off guard with that ambush of yours, but after the first blows you were way stronger. Honestly, I was pretty much gambling on being able to keep up with you. I had a trick or two up my sleeve, but once those didn’t work I would definitely have ended up on the losing end.”

Lafine quirked an eyebrow in practiced fashion.

“Oh? Nice to hear something so encouraging from you for once. But, Veil, you underestimate yourself. I never expected you to be able to guard against that attack. Did you maybe pick up your sword skills from someone who had a unique style, not like your average knight or swordsman?”

Veil’s eyes went wide.

“Oh, y-yeah! Back at the Hunters’ Prep School I studied with a girl who had no form and relied on her speed and power, just like you.” His gaze moved downward in thought. “Yes, okay, I see. So that’s why I was able to react and deflect your surprise attack just in time. That was all thanks to her, too.”

“Most people trained in proper form are no match for my surprise attacks. It’s more like the way a wild animal hunts, or like an assassin’s technique. Heh! I’m guessing that, given that you were able to protect yourself against me, that master of yours was considered a bit of an oddball, as far as swordfighters go?”

“Y-yeah. Well, she was pretty much an oddball all around. And actually, she wasn’t a swordfighter—she was a mage.”

There was a pause.

“Huh?” Lafine knitted her brow.

“Well, she was a mage, primarily. She was a strange girl, ridiculously strong, so much so that she could hold her own against an A-rank hunter with just a sword, but her magic was even stronger than that. As far as I’m aware, there’s no one who could beat her.”

“Wha…?”

“She never bragged about it, though. In fact, she seemed to try to conceal her abilities, for some reason. She was always saying how she just wanted to be a normal girl,” said Veil with a wry smile.

“Well, that’d be impossible,” replied Lafine with a strained smile of her own.

“Totally impossible. She seemed to think that she was doing a good job of hiding her strength, but everyone, classmates and teachers alike, realized how talented she was.”

Lafine pointed at Lily.

“Just like our little make-believe hero over here?”

“It’s not make-believe!”

Ignoring Lily’s protests, Veil continued, “Actually, I’d say it’s the opposite. In her case, she was a make-believe normal girl.”

Lafine grimaced.

“She really was an oddball, huh?”

“If you really want to know more about her abilities, I could introduce you to the leader of the Roaring Mithrils, the man that she faced in a sword battle at the Prep School’s graduation exam. Though, Gren is an A-rank hunter and pretty busy, so I’m not sure when you’d actually get a chance to talk to him.”

“Gren of the Roaring Mithrils is a pretty big deal, isn’t he? How do you have enough of a connection to get in contact with him?”

Of course, Veil had won his own fight against Gren at the graduation exam, though it could not exactly be called a fair contest. Just before their match, Gren had taken a huge beating from Mile, after all. Even under those circumstances, Veil had still claimed victory by only a thin margin, using tricks that were unlikely to work twice. Veil, however, talked around this.

“Well, let’s just say we have some acquaintances in common.”

Lafine gave a small shrug and pointed to Lily.

“I’m good on the introductions, thanks. Gren would be one thing, but I’ve got no interest in this master of yours. I’ve already had my fill of weirdo mages with this little critter here.”

This time it was Veil who grimaced. He glanced at Lily and mumbled seriously, “Yeah, we do have one of those right here, don’t we? I guess there’s more than one in this world.”

Of course, the two of them had no clue that the weirdo mage present had essentially been created by the other weirdo mage in question.

“I’m not that weird!”

“Sure thing. Keep it down.”

Lafine rolled her shoulders.

“All right then, let’s see if we can take out twelve or so of them from behind, quietly. Be absolutely sure not to make too much noise.”

“Got it. And if it starts to look dangerous, get out of there immediately.”

“Roger. And, Lily—”

Lily tilted her head.

“You can’t use any magic during this secret mission.”

“What?!”

“Listen, dummy, if you use that flashy, overblown magic, we’ll be spotted and surrounded immediately.”

“But then can’t I just let off a big kaboom once they’re all in the same place?”

Lafine poked her in the forehead.

“I already told you no. Don’t forget, there are hostages somewhere in there. The agents might use them as a shield. Plus, are you really ready to kill a person—enemy or not?”

It was only as Lafine said this that Lily realized the truth—all of the spells she had used up until now had been extremely lethal. Even that wind ball spell, which she had thankfully used only on orcs, was powerful enough to blow anyone away with a single strike. And if the victim did not perish instantly, they certainly wouldn’t be long for this world unless a very powerful healing mage was on hand to stop their bleeding.

“…”

“Until you know how to control yourself, let’s keep it to just threats.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lily nodded grudgingly. Still, deep down in her heart, she vowed: If either Lafine or Veil ended up in real danger, she would mow down everything in her path, if it meant saving them.

“All right, let’s get going.”

The three looked to one another and nodded. The next moment, Lafine was practically sliding down the slope toward the hideout, silent as the wind despite the dead leaves underfoot. She grappled along tree trunks, moving steadily downward at breakneck speed.

“Whoa! She really is like a wild animal. I can barely hear her footsteps or even the rustling of the foliage,” Veil muttered, impressed.

After watching for a short while, they saw Lafine raise a hand to them, her back still turned. This was the signal. Veil supported Lily with a hand so that she would not slip, and then they started down the slope. When Lafine gave another signal, the pair stopped, while Lafine went on ahead. They repeated this pattern a number of times as they continued down the slope.

And then, the signals stopped. The two waited a moment.

Lily steadied her breath. Her heart was racing. Then, Lafine leapt up.

There was an agent on patrol. Lafine grabbed the man’s neck, the tip of her hidden blade pressed to his carotid artery. Her lips moved against the patrolman’s ear. The man stopped moving. Then she strangled him until he fell, unconscious. Keeping an eye on her surroundings, she dragged the man into the grass, quickly covering him with leaves.

“I take back what I said,” said Veil. “She’s not like a wild animal, she’s like an assassin.”

“I-I don’t think she killed him, at least.”

The signal for them to halt changed to one of beckoning. They only proceeded a short distance, however, before they were stopped again. Lafine lay down on the ground, holding her breath.

“Huh? Why are we stopping again?” asked Lily, tilting her head.

“There are usually multiple men on patrols like these. She’s probably spotted another one,” Veil quietly explained.

“I see…”

The pair stood waiting at roughly the spot where Lafine had buried the patrolman in the underbrush. Lily picked up some of the leaves and placed her hand at the strangled man’s neck. There was a pulse. He was alive. However, there was a concerning amount of leaves stuffed into his mouth.

“I think he’s alive.”

“Lily, it’s gonna be a problem if he wakes up. You need to leave him be.”

“Oh, right.”

She diligently covered the man in brush again. She wanted to at least remove the leaves from his mouth, but she got the feeling Veil would scold her. After a brief wait, another patrolman came jogging along.

“Yo, hold up! You could walk a little slower. Jeez, Will, you’re always so serious. Er—huh? Where’d he go? Will? Wiiiill? Huh?”

They could only guess that the man lying unconscious at Lily’s feet was Will. At the absence of any reply, the newcomer seemed to notice that something was amiss. His face tightened, and he adjusted his hands on the grip of the spear he carried. However, it was already too late. Lafine had snuck up out of the darkness and had her arms around his throat.

“Hyuguh…!”

It was only a few short seconds before the man’s limbs sagged, and he was unable to even let out a sound. Once again, Lafine dragged the man along and hid him in the underbrush. It was strange, Lily thought, that she was taking the time to stuff leaves into the man’s mouth yet again and grinning all the while. She seemed to just be antagonizing him.

Following her hand signs, they continued down the slope, until finally they arrived at the bottom of the basin.

What stood before them was not merely wreckage, it was ruins—of a town, no less, a sprawling ancient ruin filled with structures that had seen the weathering of hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.

“Whoa…” Lily gasped, amazed.

Not a single roof remained intact on any of the buildings. The walls were all half-crumbled and covered in ivy. Trees grew up through the rubble, and the ground was almost entirely covered in foliage. Small streams, which appeared to have once been irrigation canals, were still flowing, but by now they looked almost like fully natural formations. Under the glow of the moon, the scenery was enough to make one’s heart dance with imagination.

“It’s beautiful…”

“Lily.”

She came back to her senses at a hand sign from Lafine and quickly followed behind Veil as they proceeded into the ruins. Veil pulled her by the arm to keep her from tripping on the rubble.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. Be careful, and try not to make any sound.”

“Okay.”

It was a lot easier to walk now that they were not traipsing down a slope covered in dead leaves. Now and then Lafine halted, looking around as though keeping an eye out for a trail. After a brief pause, her signal would come again, and Veil and Lily would stop, too.

Voices. They could hear voices speaking. They could not make out the words, but the sound was such that it had to be more than just one man speaking to himself. Veil let go of Lily’s hand and put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Lafine had crouched down low, half-hidden behind some rubble. She was just starting to peek out when—

“Lafine!” Lily screamed.

A figure appeared atop the wreckage that Lafine was hiding behind. They plunged down from above, striking down toward Lafine’s back, a blade glinting in the moonlight. By the time Lafine noticed, it was already too late.

She’d never make it in time!

The moment Lily realized this, a chill ran down her spine. Lafine was dead, she thought. A formless fear churned up inside of her. However, a longsword swung in at the last possible moment, deflecting the scimitar that struck down toward Lafine.

“…!!”

“——?!”

Veil’s upward swing fought back the slice of the scimitar. The sound of clashing metal rang through the ruins as sparks flew. Lafine dodge-rolled forward, immediately kicking off the ground to reverse direction again. She drew her shortsword, slicing at the ankles of the shadowy figure. The dark, scimitar-wielding form acrobatically evaded her blade, landing softly back upon the ground.

“He dodged that?!”

Numerous footsteps came thumping toward them. Either thanks to Lily’s scream or the sound of the blades, it seemed they had been detected by the guards—and not just two or three of them, judging by the sound of it.

Lafine clicked her tongue.

“Veil, let’s fall back!”

“Go on ahead,” Veil replied.

Lafine, who had already started running, froze. “Wha—?!”

Veil was facing the emaciated shadowy figure, the tip of his sword lowered. He should have been able to hear all of the footsteps, but he gazed only at the figure in front of him.

“Take Lily and go ahead, Lafine.”

“All right, what’s with the cool guy act?”

“Please don’t mistake me. I’m not doing this so that you all can get away. In fact, it seems I’m the one who was naively mistaken. I thought that I’d be rescuing my Big Bro. That was stupid to assume.” He leveled his blade. “I knew from the moment that sword came toward your back just now that I’d have some things to settle with him instead… Isn’t that right, Big Bro?”

Lily gasped.

“When a family member has gone astray, it’s up to the head of that family to correct it. So, please go.”

When Lily strained her eyes, she recognized the eyes that glowed faintly in the moonlight. The person’s face was hidden by a mask from the nose down, but there was no mistaking it.

Both the ashen gray eyes and the bangs that peeked out from under the hood sparkled silver in the light of the moon. It was the slum broker. The one they had thought was a well-intentioned ally, working for the sake of the orphans. But if that was the truth, why would he have made an attempt on Lafine’s life? Why was he being allowed to move about freely in a place like this, in the camp of the agents of the Albarn Empire?

There could be only one reason.

The many footsteps grew closer, and voices could be heard.

“I think it came from this way—hurry up!”

“What are the two lookouts over here doing?!”

There was no time left.

The broker’s muffled voice sounded from behind his mask.

“You’re such an idiot, Veil. It’s incredible to think you even made it this far. I abandoned the slums and gave myself up to the Empire long ago.”

Veil looked at him, clenching his teeth with a sorrowful expression.

“Why…?”

Before she could hear the answer to this question, Lily was bodily lifted up by Lafine, who slipped past Big Bro and ran.

“We’ve gotta go!”

“Lafine, wait! What about Veil?!”

“No time.”

Lafine took Lily into her arms and removed her from the area by force. The sound of swords could be heard. Again and again came the ring of clashing metal, followed by the cries of men’s voices.

“Lafine, please!”

Lily flailed her limbs violently against Lafine’s grip around her waist, but Lafine only held her tighter. Lily’s face twisted in pain.

“Gah!”

“Settle down.”

They were getting so far away now. They rounded a stand of trees, and Lily could no longer see a thing. In the nearly pitch black, she could not tell where they had run. Once they were a great distance away, Lafine finally set her back down on her feet.

There was no going back. She had no idea which way they had even come. They had left Veil, her mentor and her precious friend, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Her heart grew heavy and sank into the pit of her stomach. Her insides felt like lead.

“Lafine, why…?”

“Lily, what did you come here for?”

“…To…save my family.”

“That’s right. And this is your only chance to do so. Veil is buying us some time. We need to take this opportunity to reach the hostages and free them.”

“But…” Lily’s voice squeaked out from the depths of her throat. “But Veil…” Her voice was so small, weak, and faltering, it surprised even her. “Veil will die…”

“Lily, what did he come here for?”

“Same…as me… To save—”

“His family. Do you think he could turn tail and run when his family is right there in front of him? What would you do if you were in his shoes? Would you be persuaded to run away just because the enemy outnumbered you? If that’s the amount of resolve that you have for saving the hostages, then we’d be better off just abandoning this whole operation right now.”

Hearing these harsh words, Lily took a deep breath. Her mother and father had fled and abandoned her, but even so, if it had been them and her brother and sister back there…then yes, even if Lafine or Veil had ordered her to evacuate, she would not have heard them.

Lafine continued, “Even if the three of us could have somehow made our way through all of that, the main enemy corps was already aware of our position. They’d probably drag the hostages away or start some big game of tag with us. Naturally, that would mean a far greater chance of harm coming to the hostages.”

In other words, remaining with Veil would have been pointless.

“You and Veil are companions on the same path, with the same goal. So you should be able to understand each other’s feelings. You don’t want to make Veil give up on the thing he came here for just to help you accomplish your goals, do you?”

“No…”

“When he told us to go on ahead, that was when you got it.”

“Got it? Got what?”

Lafine balled up her fist and punched Lily lightly in the chest.

“Hey!” Lily stumbled a step backward at the unexpectedly heavy blow. “Lafine, that hurt.”

“Don’t you get it? This is the best chance you have at saving your family.”

“Ah…”

Gradually, her chest began to fill with warmth where she had been struck. The dull pain turned slowly into heat.

“So, seize that chance. It’s not often in a woman’s life that she receives the gift of a man putting his own life on the line to help her.”

“O-okay.”

Lafine paused and cleared her throat.

“Besides, you underestimate the C-rank hunter, the swordsman Veil. He’s guilty of underestimating himself as well, but you shouldn’t look down on his skills. No matter how you slice it, you have to be fairly skilled to make a C-rank.”

Approximately one year ago, when Lafine was still living as a servant at the Lockwood manor, she heard about a group of students that had caused quite the commotion at the graduation exam of the Hunter’s Prep School. Among this group were four young ladies and one young man.

“I never did imagine that he’d be talking about Gren of the Roaring Mithrils, of all people…”

There was no doubting it. You could count on one hand the number of people in Tils who could best Gren in a swordfight, after all. That one young man was Veil. And among those four young ladies was the master who had taught him that thoroughly chaotic sword technique.

“Huh?”

“Never mind. I’m just saying that Veil is a lot more talented than either you or even he realizes. That weirdo master of his that he talks about must be really good.” Lafine put one hand on her hip and chuckled. “So, well, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Before you know it, he’ll be trotting along after us. Until then, we need to hurry up and find your family and free them. Then we can all skedaddle together. Sound good?”

“Yeah!”

Lafine turned her back, the hem of her skirt swaying, and began walking briskly. Lily looked back one final time and then started running as fast as she could after Lafine.

 

***

 

In light of the number of opponents he was facing off against, Veil had already applied magic to his sword. The blade would never withstand the fight without it. His hands, gripping the sheath, began to go numb as the sound of metal rang out.

“You little—!”

As Veil used the heel of his boot to force back the man who came bearing down in front of him, he swept back with his blade to mow down the men around him. The tip of his sword scratched against the breastplate of a man who had been approaching from behind, sending sparks flying.

The surrounding enemies frantically opened a gap.

“You come here to take back the things we stole from you? Idiots. And here we thought we could let you off easy without anyone getting hurt.”

“Sorry. This is just what a hunter’s gotta do.”

Hunter. The moment the men heard this word, their faces twisted. However, they soon righted themselves.

“You all need to learn your places.”

Stepping back nimbly to evade the naked blades that came pelting onward, Veil repelled the onslaught with an upward swing.

“Guh…”

“Graaaah!”

The men tried to use this opportunity to strike him in the torso, but Veil deflected their incoming attacks with his sword, opening a greater distance.

“Well, you’re persistent.”

“This guy’s pretty good.”

“Be careful. Don’t go at him alone. Watch each other’s backs.”

Veil gritted his teeth. This was not easy. If they had come at him as recklessly as bandits did, he would have been able to dispatch many of them, but these were trained soldiers in formation, protecting each other’s weak points. Though they had disguised themselves as bandits, there was no mistaking now that these were indeed agents of the Albarn Empire. Of course, they would probably never admit to such a thing, even under torture.

“Phew…”

Veil regarded his surroundings briefly, without time to even wipe away the sweat pouring from his brow. There were seven imperial soldiers. Including Big Bro, that made eight. The situation was bad.

Big Bro had reclaimed his sword and clambered atop one of the remaining walls of a ruined house. He was surveying the skirmish intently, not lending his aid to either side. His intention was unclear, but Veil was glad for the reprieve, in any event.

He was surrounded on all sides, without even a wall to protect his back. He had thought of breaking through this siege and running to get some distance from the men, but frankly, he was not sure if he was strong enough to pull it off. Besides, he couldn’t risk the chance of Big Bro, who showed no signs of moving, getting away from him.

“This is bad…”

The moment Veil glanced carefully left, a soldier to his right swung his sword at the ground, kicking up dirt.

“Hi-yah!”

The soldier swung his longsword down at Veil’s head from an angle, attacking from a blind spot. As though he was already aware this might happen, Veil avoided the slash with just a twist of his body.

“What?!”

The moment the soldier’s blade grazed past his cheap leather armor, Veil pierced the man’s sword arm. He then quickly changed stances and went for the tendons of the man’s legs. The man had already dropped his weapon and collapsed on the spot, writhing as he grabbed his own legs to hold back the bleeding.

“Gw-haaaah…”

Giving the fallen man a wide berth, Veil renewed his grip. The man had foolishly acted on his own, stepping right into the gap that Veil had purposely created. Thanks to this, he had been able to easily reduce the enemy’s numbers by one, yet he was still most assuredly in dire straits.

Just as the soldier behind him lowered his blade, took the fallen man by the hands, and tried to remove him from the battlefield, Veil spun right around and cut through the arteries of the man’s arms.

“Hi-yaaah!”

“Gwuh?!”

A great spattering of blood and rivulets of sweat soaked into the dark ground. Before the man could even attempt to flee, his face twisted in horrible pain, Veil stabbed through both his greaves with his longsword.

“Argh…”

The man, having fallen on his backside, looked up at Veil. His expression was one of despair.

“Stop!”

However, Veil had already turned away from the fallen pair. He was not going to end their lives. Robbing their legs and arms of movement should be plenty to keep them from coming after him again. Plus, it was simply poor strategy to do anything that might incur the wrath of the remaining five. Speaking of which…

“You coward!”

“Cutting down a man who comes in to provide aid… Have you no pride as a swordsman?!”

“Bastard, you call yourself a hunter?!”

This time a squad of three ran out to drag away the two injured men. Naturally, he did not have the capacity to take all three of them at once. So he turned back and wiped the sweat from his brow, steadying his breathing and focus.

“Bold thing to say when there’s this many of you surrounding me, when I’m only one person. How can you shout at me about cowardice or a swordsman’s pride when you’re nothing but bandits?”

Of course, he was already aware that these men were not bandits. However, it was clear that they were, in fact, engaging in banditry. If they were the sort of proper soldiers who had pride in their profession, then it would hurt them to hear themselves denounced in this way. Veil hoped that perhaps, he could appeal to their consciences, make them feel a bit guilty, just break their strides even a little bit… But the men simply fell silent.

Had he miscalculated?

Veil chided himself inwardly. He seemed to have only confirmed what these men thought of him.

“Surround him. Simultaneous attack.”

“Roger.”

“Sorry, dear little nameless hunter. You’re exactly right. However, we’re on a mission.”

Five blades leveled at him all at once.

Ah, this was bad. In which case, he had only one card left to play.

“Yeah, I know. For the Albarn Empire, right?”

“——!”

All the men held their breaths—while Big Bro, standing atop the wall and watching over the whole scene, continued to look on, frozen.

The man who appeared to be the leader of the soldiers bitterly spat out, “H-how…did you…”

“It’s because I’m in charge of protecting the eldest daughter of the Lockwood family. I’ve done some looking into this incident. My goal is to free that girl’s family and reunite her with them.”

“The guild knows that we’re imperial agents, not bandits? The royal family does?”

The air prickled with tension. Veil decided to lie.

“That’s right. I got the guard job through the guild. I’m sure by now that all the information about you all has made it up to the Crown. If the Kingdom of Tils issues a formal complaint against the Albarn Empire, I’m sure that you all will be swiftly dispatched.”

Veil hoped that this would be over quickly if he could undermine the men’s fighting spirit. However, things were not so simple.

“I see. Well, in that case, there’s no more point in talking.” The leader shuffled closer to Veil, never loosening his grip on his sword. “Allow me to make one correction, though. Previously, you suggested that we were acting in service of the Albarn Empire. That was wrong. Dead wrong, boy.”

“…?”

The five men now held their swords at their sides, almost casually. Sweat dripped down Veil’s back. He could feel an unerring bloodlust, far stronger than he had up until now. The leader continued to speak in a calm, steady tone. “We’re not working for the Empire. We’re working for our families, who are waiting for us back there. Until we detain every last member of the Lockwood family, who are in charge of guarding Tils’ borders, we will not be permitted passage back home. Should there be any deserters or traitors, their families will be imprisoned… So, step aside!”

“………”

Of course, this was not unusual. Everyone fought for their families. It only stood to reason that these men had families that they wished to protect. Lily had a family she hoped to be reunited with. And Veil had a brother whose mistakes he had to correct.

In and out. Veil took a deep breath. Inhale and exhale. Then, he spoke. “Whatever you say, I don’t think we can avoid this. This world is full of so many unpleasant things.”

“That’s something I think we can both agree on.”

“Ah ha ha.”

“Heh heh.”

The squad leader began to laugh, and Veil followed suit.

Yet a moment later, there was a sudden shift, as both Veil and the five other men kicked off of the ground.

“Graaaaaah!”

“Waaaaargh!”

Veil swung back to avoid the blade that was swinging his way, striking forcefully at the man he had just been laughing with moments prior.

“Hi-yah!”

“Gwah!”

Both his arms went numb from the fearsome recoil, but he forcefully shook it off. His blade was strengthened by magic. It could strike against any metal without breaking. The squad leader was blown backwards, tumbling along the ground. Quickly, Veil changed grips, ready to run the man through, but at that same moment, another blade came swinging in from the side. He managed to duck in the nick of time, and the sword swung right over him.

“Nice try!”

“Surround him!”

He jumped up from his lowered stance all at once, dodged the attack that was launched toward him, and reached his left hand out into the night sky, grabbing at the air. The moment he landed, he struck down on the shoulder of the man who was approaching him from behind.

“Air Bullet!”

With a dreadful sound, the man face-planted onto the ground.

“Gwah…?! Guh!!”

“W-was that magic?!”

There was a great dent in the man’s pauldron, and his arm had been wrenched into a strange angle. Quickly, while the man was busy staring at his own arm in shock, Veil sliced through the tendons of the soldier’s legs.

And now, there were four.

“Gwaaah! You brat!”

Veil planted his feet firmly on the ground, blade in his left hand, as he bodily deflected a blow that came toward him with the attacker’s full weight behind it. Beads of sweat scattered into the night air.

“Guh…huh!”

“Graaaaah!”

The moment that Veil forced the man back, the soldier’s back wrenched, all his power lost as he tumbled forward. Veil slashed at the man’s thighs.

Three left!

Just then, a sharp pain ran down his back—Veil’s favored leather armor had just been sliced through from behind. There was no doubting if he had waited even a moment to take a half-step forward, the blow would have been fatal. He rolled to escape further attacks, struck the ground, and hopped back up. This was possible only because he was wearing leather and not metal. That said, were he wearing metal, he would never have taken the damage in the first place.

“Hff, hff, hff…”

“Don’t let up!”

Gritting his teeth through the pain, Veil took a heavy step forward, striking at the man ahead of him with his blade, now shining with a magical light.

“Ha!”

“…!”

The keening sound of steel rang out, and the man’s sword went flying. As the man staggered backward, his face cramping, he turned and called up to Big Bro, still atop the wall, “Oy! No Name! What’re you just standing there watching for?! Didn’t you convert to our side?!”

Big Bro ignored the man’s words and pointed behind him. “Have you really got the time to be distracted?”

“…!”

The man turned back to Veil just in time for an air bullet to crash into his face.

“Argh!”

There was a bursting sound…

The man’s neck warped and stretched like it was caught in some violent gale, his body tumbling through the air as though struck by a blunt instrument. As the man fell to the ground, he convulsed a number of times and then fainted, foaming at the mouth.

Two left! This was going surprisingly well.

Yet just as Veil was congratulating himself, the two remaining men came at him from both sides in a pincer attack. He caught the attack coming from his right side with his sword but had to block the left one, painful as it was, with his left forearm.

“Sh…it!”

A violent pain ran through him, blood dripping from his damaged leather armguard. The man to his right immediately drew back his sword again, aiming for Veil’s neck.

“Hah!”

Veil avoided by ducking, though the blade grazed his cheek. He took some distance, catching the attack from the man on the left with his sword. With his leather armor, Veil had the upper hand in terms of agility but was lacking in terms of protective power. He tried to refresh his grip on his hilt, but he had all but lost the strength in his left hand, his fingers unable to bend. Much worse still, his arm was beginning to numb, so he could not even lift it. His arm hung limp, droplets of hot blood dripping from his fingertips down onto the ground.

Without a free hand, he could not use his air bullets. He could, of course, drop the sword that was in his right hand and use the air bullets instead, but that was too risky. Without a sword in hand, he would not be able to catch or deflect any attacks at all.

There were still two enemies left—three, if you included Big Bro.

Strangely, Big Bro showed no signs of moving. There was no telling what he was thinking. He claimed to have pledged himself to the Empire, but all he was doing was standing by and watching these imperial soldiers perish. Yet for now, that was none of Veil’s concern. In fact, it was favorable for him.

Back and forth Veil swung, his sword clashing against the soldiers’, no time to even bind his limp arm. The sparks that spouted into the night air lit all three men’s faces, mixing with droplets of blood and sweat. Of course, this sort of one-armed fighting was far less taxing than it would have been when taking on five opponents at once. Still, the bleeding was not slowing. If the fight dragged out too long, sooner or later, Veil would be unable to move.

He crossed swords with the men, changing position again and again in order to avoid their pincer attacks. Though five of their allies had fallen, these two showed no signs of letting up.

Of course—after all, their families were being held hostage as well.

“Ugh! This just keeps getting better and better.”

He caught the blade that swung down toward him with his longsword, forcefully swinging his paralyzed left arm up to splash blood upon his opponent’s face.

“Eurgh!”

It hit the man square in the eyes. Then, the other man leapt out right in front of Veil, who frantically retreated.

“Cha!”

With a shout, Veil evaded the downward diagonal slash of the man’s blade, twisting past his side in pursuit of the man who was retreating. The man, blinded, had no means of evading Veil’s sword. The tip of the blade plunged deep into the man’s right thigh.

“Gaah…!”

Veil kicked the collapsed man’s sword away, leaving one final opponent—the leader, currently slashing down at him from behind. Veil caught the leader’s blow with his sword, sending the blade glancing off.

“Give it up already. All of your allies have fallen. Please just back off. If you can do that, I’ll just leave you all be.”

“You know I can’t do that. If we want to see our loved ones or set foot upon the ground of our hometowns ever again, we require all the blood that flows through the Lockwood line.”

The man changed his grip. He rested his blade on his shoulder and twisted his leg, lowering his body and screwing his torso to the right, so far that his back was exposed to Veil. It was obvious that he was determined to settle this once and for all. This was an all-or-nothing move, one that would leave a huge opening if it was not successful.

The man’s cheeks twitched softly with a smile.

“It’s probably a bit of an affront to say this, but I’ve gotta thank you. Sorry… You see, my wife just had a kid…”

Veil’s face twisted.

“The Lockwoods have family, too. And I have brothers and sisters back in the slums.”

For just a moment, the man’s gaze shifted up to Big Bro atop the wall, before it turned right back to Veil.

“I see.”

Apparently, that was all the man had to say. He faced Veil and kicked off from the ground. With his body still twisted, back showing, he struck in close to Veil’s chest.

“………!”

It was a killing blow. Still focused on the man’s words, Veil stepped back too late. He had no chance to evade the man’s attack. He was completely unguarded. However… He could not fall now and leave the others behind. He would not falter.

With the last of the strength in his left arm, Veil caught the blow just before it landed. The edge sunk into his palm, ripping into the flesh and bone and leather upon his forearm, but—before the blade could take his life, it stopped clean.

For some reason, he scarcely felt the pain.

“Looks like I’ve lost…”

Veil’s blade traced the leader’s legs as he uttered these words. The man collapsed. Veil removed his own leather gear with his intact arm. He ripped his shirt and tightly wrapped his left arm using his right hand and his mouth.

His makeshift bandages did something to staunch the blood, but it still flowed. Even so, it was unclear how much longer he would be able to stay on his feet without some healing magic.

Veil had to make this quick. He looked upward—to his elder brother, who stood leisurely atop the ruins, the moon shining at his back and a scimitar in his hand.

 

***

 

Lafine and Lily proceeded carefully, keeping themselves hidden. They passed by numerous patrolmen, but Lafine did not go ahead of Lily as she had before. She held on to the girl’s hand the whole time. Now that Veil was gone, this was perhaps necessary, to keep Lily from being on her own. Leaving the girl without an experienced hunter at her side would be as good as leaving a sheep alone in a forest full of monsters. Though, of course, if this particular sheep were left unsupervised, she might just turn into a beast herself.

Either way, for now, she must be guarded.

“Lafine, we’ve been going for a while now. Do you know where the hostages are?”

Lafine followed the retreating form of a passing patrolman with her eyes, her light brown hair swaying.

“I can triangulate it from where we’ve encountered the guards and their patrol areas. These don’t seem like the kind of guys who would go around patrolling areas that aren’t important. Chances are high that the hostages are being held somewhere around the center of that big circle they keep making.”

“Whoa…”

With every passing day, Lily was seeing Lafine in a new light. Back when she was a servant at the Lockwood home, she seemed like a truly useless, unproductive person. She was supposed to be Lily’s attendant, but there was a different servant in charge of cleaning Lily’s room and the area around it. Lafine didn’t cook for her, either. The only thing she seemed to be capable of was going out to purchase the storybooks that Lily liked to read. Some days, she slept the whole day in the mansion’s bay window, or even on the roof. Other times, when things were particularly rough, she went so far as to sleep in Lily’s big, fluffy bed. Even when the head butler scolded her, she replied only with a yawn.

And yet, after they had fled from the border town, there was a big change in Lafine. She was making fools of bandits, going sword-to-sword with active-duty hunters, and even cooking breakfast every now and then. Moreover, there were suddenly some implications that she was once a hunter herself.

Suddenly, her slender form seemed so much sturdier and more reliable.

They proceeded stealthily into the crumbling ruins. Finally, they spotted a yawning opening within the ground, which continued on to a set of stairs. One did not even have to peek within to see that it was not dark inside. A faint orange light seeped out into the night. Lafine turned to Lily and put a finger to her lips. Lily nodded obediently.

In this area alone, the grass had been trimmed back, and the exposed ground showed countless footprints. In fact, upon closer inspection, it seemed that the grass had not been trimmed but was so thoroughly trampled down that it no longer grew. There was no mistaking it. Quiet sounds drifted out from the hole as well. Not voices but the gentle clack, clack of footsteps.

After taking a look around at their surroundings, Lafine let go of Lily’s hand. She peeked inside the hole, took a few steps down the stairs, and paused. She took a few steps more and then beckoned Lily with a signal much like the ones from before. Timidly, Lily snuck down the stairs. She stepped by tiptoe onto the ground, steeling her heart and calming herself with each careful lowering of her heels. Still, she moved quickly. When she caught up with Lafine, Lafine gently stretched out her hand and patted Lily on the head.

“………”

That’s good, well done, the gesture seemed to say.

In contrast to the childish way she was just treating Lily, an almost lascivious smile spread across Lafine’s face.

Ahead of them was a hallway. Though the men were making use of the pre-existing structures of the ruins, this hallway was clearly being in active use. Here and there lamps were lit, with small flames swaying inside, which made it easy to see.

Though the hall was well maintained, the ruins were still ruins, with countless walls reduced to rubble. For every usable space, there was a pitch-black hole opposite. It was unsettling and eerie. Still, Lafine slid silently into the darkness. Lily followed after, minding her footsteps, waiting for another signal. Finally they began to hear the sounds of human activity. There did not seem to be any doors between them and the voices, so though the sounds were faint, they could hear clearly. There was definitely someone there. There were voices, speaking as softly as possible. Lily still could not tell what was being said.

Lafine walked, and Lily followed. Still holding one finger to her lips, Lafine used her other hand to indicate for Lily to look ahead. She was pointing to a guard, reclining in a chair and dozing. Both his breastplate and sword sat at his feet. Lily looked to Lafine, and they nodded at one another. The two snuck forward—but just as they attempted to pass in front of the man, his eyes suddenly opened.

“Wh-who are y—oof!”

Lafine covered the man’s mouth before he could finish speaking, the tip of her shortsword drawn and pressed to his neck. Just before she could pierce the man’s throat, Lily grabbed Lafine’s arm with both hands.

“Lafine, no!”

“Listen, y—hh!”

The man twisted his body, escaping from Lafine and running deeper into the ruins, shouting.

“Intruders! We’ve got intruders!”

Countless footsteps sounded from inside. They echoed off the walls and ceiling, making it impossible to tell how many people approached.

“We gotta head back!”

Lafine pivoted, running back toward the entrance.

“I’m gonna hide. If you’re with me, they’re gonna come after you, too. Go on ahead.”

Lily, however, did not move. Lafine stopped and shouted, “Lily!”

“I’ll be fine. I’m going to hide myself and wait.”

The footsteps were approaching. There was no more time. Even if they ran at full speed now, they would likely be captured before they could ever make it back to the entrance of the passage. Or at least, Lily would.

There was no time to even think about it.

Lafine pounded one of the walls in frustration. Her teeth clenched and her eyes filled with resentment, she glared at Lily and spat, “Fine. I’ll draw them off. But you listen to me. I’m not gonna come back in here to save you.”

“I know. I’ll try my best. Thank you for bringing me this far, Lafine.”

“…”

“I love you, Lafine. Even if you hate me, I still love you.”

Lafine clicked her tongue, her face twisting horribly, and then ran back down the path by which they had entered, shouting loudly, “Hey, wait! Don’t run so fast! Lily! Lily Lockwood!” Not waiting to watch her go, Lily quickly ducked behind a crumbled wall, hiding herself in a small, darkened room. Not a moment later, a number of soldiers went running past.

“Did you hear that voice just now? A woman?!”

“Wait, did she say something about Lily Lockwood?”

“The last remaining Lockwood is here?!”

“The fool. Did she come here for her family?!”

“Sure is convenient that she walked right in here to be captured!”

“After them! Do not let them get away! We’ve gotta catch her if we wanna go back to the Empire!”

None of the men passing by took any notice of Lily hiding in the side chamber, and soon they had all vanished, running after Lafine. The moment they were out of sight, Lily proceeded quietly down the hallway.

Now that she was alone, the darkness was incredibly eerie. Her heart was pounding much more fiercely than before. Her palms were slick with sweat, and all of her body screamed for her to run.

There were probably around twelve men chasing after Lafine. If her and Veil’s predictions were correct, there would still be more enemies remaining within. Lily’s legs threatened to seize up on her, but she forced them ahead. Her family was waiting for her. Her real, biological family. She could not even imagine how she might feel if she were able to find them safe and sound. But they were still waiting—waiting to be rescued. She had to go. She had to be strong. Both in body and heart.

She put her hand into her pocket and took out her butterfly mask, her usual disguise. Even the main characters of the stories she read were afraid sometimes. However, they never stopped moving. As long as there were people who needing saving, they always pressed on. That was what made a hero.

And so, she would transform. That alone would make her stronger…or at least, she hoped it might…probably…hopefully…

“Okay.”

Feeling her heart pounding in her chest, she took off running. Thanks to Veil keeping most of the patrolmen occupied and Lafine drawing off most of the underground enemies, there seemed to be no one else around.

A door!

Finally, she reached a single door. It was quickly obvious that this door was not part of the ruins but a wooden one that had been recently installed. Even Lily could infer that this was a clue that she had found the secret base of the agents of the Albarn Empire. She took in a long breath and then let it out slowly. Softly, she pushed open the door. The hinges creaked.

As she slipped inside, three pairs of eyes fell on Lily. Unfortunately, they were not those of her family. They were soldiers, all wearing the same garb as the men who had run after Lafine.

“An intruder…?”

“Just one little girl? And what’s with that freaky mask? This some kind of kinky game?! That’s disgusting! What’re they teachin’ kids here in Tils these days?!”

Ugh! This man has no taste!

“Anyway, I guess we’d better catch her. Even if she’s got nothin’ to do with this, she knows our location, so we can’t just let her stroll on out of here. If the king finds out about our position, it’s really gonna mess with our plans. Gonna have to keep her here until we can find a new base.”

Across from the men was an iron door. This was clearly another new installation. Lily stared at it, imagining her parents and siblings just beyond the doorway.

One of the soldiers moved around her, blocking her path of retreat. Lily thought, these men had not yet realized that she was the remaining Lockwood. Lafine’s shouts would not have reached this far. So, they had just mistaken her for a lost child who had come wandering in.

“All right, kid, just be good and you won’t get hu—”

The man who had blocked her way suddenly paused; a wild wind had just whipped up within the sealed underground room.

“Wh-what is this?”

Lily stretched out both her hands, seizing the air. The air raged around her palms, whipping up a whirlwind. She had not come this far just to be captured! So, like she had with the bandits, she would show them her strength, and then they would have to negotiate with her. Within the violent, unnatural wind, Lily shouted proudly in her childish voice, “My name is Hello World Mask! I’m an ally of justice protecting the Kingdom of Tils—in other words, a hero! I hear that you have hostages here! Release them at once! If you do not, I’ll make you regret it!”

For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of the wind. Overcoming their initial surprise, the soldiers collected themselves. Even if this appeared to be a magical wind, it was just blowing around chaotically. So much so that it didn’t appear that it would even be able to knock over a single iron sword stood on its end. Clearly, there was no reason to fear the likes of this little girl. Though, child or no, she was still a mage. They could not let down their guard.

The soldiers leveled their swords at her. Lily faltered, taking a step back.

“Stop that magic now. If you don’t—”

“I-I can’t!” Lily shouted, whipping her head back and forth.

“You idiot! Are you saying that that magic will hurt even you?!”

No, no, that’s not it. It’s not.

Lily shouted, nearly ready to cry, “No! I just have no idea how to stop magic once I start it!! So…do you mind if I shoot it into you?”

Veins bulged on the soldiers’ foreheads.

“Of course we friggin’ mind! If it’s that much of a problem, just shoot it into the wall over there or somethin’!”

“B-but Lafine said that if I destroy the walls, the ceiling of the ruins might fall down and bury this whole underground place…”

“Look, these ruins might be old, but they’re not gonna be knocked down by some little breeze like that! Quit complainin’ and just let it go! W-w-w-wait, wait, hold on! Don’t point that this way! W-we won’t forgive you if you shoot that into us!”

The men were wrong. Walls that old and weathered would most certainly crumble in the face of her wind magic. Lily was confident of this. She knew the rotations of this spell were even more powerful than the ones she had struck the orcs with. Even if she tried to hold back the power within the spheres grasped in her hand, violent winds were already seeping out beyond them. Just in case, she called to the spirits.

Mr. Nano, what’s going on? My magic seems even more powerful than before!

THAT IS LIKELY BECAUSE YOU ARE USING YOUR MAGIC WHILE AGITATED, AND YOUR THOUGHT PULSES ARE THAT MUCH MORE POWERFUL. INCIDENTALLY, BY OUR CALCULATIONS, THERE IS A 98 PERCENT PROBABILITY THAT THE WALLS WILL CRUMBLE IF YOU RELEASE THE WIND. THE REMAINING 2 PERCENT IS THE CHANCE THAT THE WIND WILL SIMPLY PASS RIGHT THROUGH THE RUINS ENTIRELY.

Purr-sent? That sounds like some kind of cute animal!

Lily sensed something like a weary sigh.

ACTUALLY, A PERCENTAGE MEANS THAT, IF YOU STRUCK THE SAME WALL ONE HUNDRED TIMES WITH THE SAME SPELL, NINETY-EIGHT OF THOSE TIMES, THE WALL WOULD COLLAPSE.

She was crestfallen.

FURTHERMORE, IF THE WALL DOES COLLAPSE, THERE IS AN INCREDIBLY HIGH LIKELIHOOD—78 PERCENT—THAT THE CEILING WILL COME DOWN WITH IT AS WELL. SHOULD THAT HAPPEN, THERE IS NEARLY THE SAME PROBABILITY THAT YOU, AND EVERYONE ELSE DOWN HERE, WILL BE BURIED ALIVE AND PERISH. AS YOUR OBJECTIVE SEEMS TO BE THE RESCUE OF YOUR FAMILY, WHO ARE BEING HELD HOSTAGE BEYOND THIS ROOM, I WOULD NOT ADVISE THIS METHOD.

The nanomachines’ response was calm, but Lily got the sense she had just been told something of dire importance.

What if she had simply asked Mr. Nano to determine her family’s location from the start? No, there was no point in thinking about that now.

Waaaah! So it’d be dangerous to hit a person with this, even if they’re wearing armor?!

NO, THEIR ARMOR IS QUITE STURDY, SO EVEN TAKING A DIRECT HIT SHOULD ONLY DENT IT.

Oh! Well, in that case!

The soldiers took a step back as Lily pointed her hands toward them.

“H-hey, you little witch, what’re you doing?! We told you not to point that at us!”

In a slightly frantic tone, the nanomachines added, WE SHOULD MENTION THAT THE HUMANS INSIDE THAT ARMOR WILL BE CRUSHED TO DEATH, THOUGH. QUITE PAINFULLY, AS THEIR BONES PIERCE THEIR ORGANS. ALTERNATIVELY, THEY’LL BE BLOWN BACK INSTEAD AND THROWN INTO THE WALL, WHERE THEIR INNARDS WILL GO KA-SPLAT.

Ka-splat, huh?

She had no idea how high the likelihood of this ka-splat was, but regardless, it seemed best that she not pursue this course of action. Lily pouted, pushing out her bottom lip and staring at the soldiers with tearful eyes.

“Umm…”

The fiercely powerful wind swirled in her hands. It was as though a tornado had been compressed down to palm size, which made it all the more difficult to handle. It was something a wooden house would not be able to withstand, made even more powerful by virtue of being highly concentrated.

Not thinking, Lily blurted, “Hey, Misters, can you help?”

“With what?!”

“Putting this out?”

“How should we do that?! Just hurry up and shoot it into the wall and get rid of it!”

She had honestly assumed that at long as she did not use any spell that was like her fireballs—or rather, her pseudo-suns—everything would be fine. Those were dangerous. Underground, with nowhere to run, the men would be burnt to a crisp. However, it turned out that her wind spheres weren’t exactly safe, either. She should have refrained from magic entirely, just as Lafine had told her.

Lily looked upward to keep the tears from falling. Yet even as her vision blurred, she suddenly realized something. Wouldn’t everything be all right if the ceiling that was going to topple down on them was gone entirely?

Mr. Nano?

YES, THAT SHOULD PROVIDE A MUCH GREATER CHANCE OF SURVIVAL THAN SHOOTING YOUR WIND INTO THE WALL.

Lily’s gaze flicked back to the soldiers.

“Wh-what?! You back to tryin’ to shoot us with that thing?”

“Misters! Please, watch out and get down!”

“Huh?”

Without waiting for a reply, Lily pointed both hands toward the ceiling.

“Uh-hup!”

The air exploded. It would be absurd to even refer to it as anything so ordinary as wind. A powerful wall of air, with Lily at its center, shot upward from the underground chamber. The soldiers, with nowhere to run, were blasted back into the walls. Probably, this was the best-case scenario for them.

There was a thunderous sound. The earth itself let out a shriek. Lily’s maelstrom pierced through the ancient underground ruins, blasting the heavy earth that enshrined them into the night sky.

It was like a cold volcanic eruption…

The rubble that was shot high into the air rained down on the ruins like meteorites, once more shaking the earth. Finally, when everything had settled again…

“………”

The rubble that had once been the ceiling tumbled down over the walls, bit by bit. A dense cloud of dust surrounded them.

Everyone in the room, including the perpetrator herself, was flattened to the ground, staring up at the night sky in shock. Where there was once a sturdy stone ceiling, there was now nothing but air. The ceiling was gone. Kaput. Vanished without a single speck. Lily turned slowly to the soldiers, who were plastered to the walls.

“Um, so anyway, could I please ask you to just go ahead and release the hostages?”

The men, still on their knees, only gazed at the girl who stood before them. Yet now, they looked at her in fear.

“Um.”

At their lack of response, she once again thrust her hands out toward the soldiers. The soldiers scuttled back, pressing themselves against the walls.

“Please release the hostages. They’re my beloved family.”

“——!”

“Y-you’re Lily Lockwood…?”

She nodded.

“Damn it, no one told us that the other girl was a mage!”

“How the hell were we supposed to capture a monster like this?”

The men’s faces were painted with despair. One of them, however, rose to his feet.

“Monster? What of it? If we don’t capture all the Lockwoods, we won’t be able to go back home! Do you not want to see your homes or your families again?! Is this not the time to put our lives on the line?!”

The other soldiers looked at one another, fear still in their eyes. Their expressions were clearly bitter, but the next moment they stood, either in resignation or resolve, and opened their mouths.

However, before they could speak, Lily cut in. “No, I don’t think that’s right. You all can’t die here. No one would be able to smile tomorrow if something like that happened. Wouldn’t it just make your families sad if you threw your lives away for them?”

The soldiers shut their mouths again, as though they had lost all their vigor. The first man, however, shouted more loudly, “Then what exactly do you want us to do?! We don’t have anywhere else to go! Considering that spell you just let off, we’re probably gonna die here anyway! But if we run, we’ll be executed! And our families will be punished, too!

“We’re in the same boat here, little Lockwood. Our families are being held hostage as well. We never had any choice to begin with. It’s better for us to die here.” The man pounded his chest with his fist, resolve strengthened. “That said, our deaths will not be in vain! With our deaths here, the Empire will reward our families handsomely!”

In contrast with the man, Lily was smiling sadly.

“I don’t really understand all this complicated stuff about your country, but I don’t think your families would take that kind of reward. They’d say it was bad and that they didn’t need it. Really bad. I’m sure they’d rather see you alive once more, no matter how.”

Lily’s smile twisted.

“Even someone like me, a child abandoned by her own parents, would feel that way.”

The man’s face changed. What was once an antagonistic glare was now a look of confusion and pity.

“You…you came here to save them, even though they abandoned you? Is that why your name wasn’t on the list of the Lockwoods? Because you were abandoned?”

“Yes. So, I have nothing to lose. But I still don’t want to die. I didn’t come here to die. I just came to see them. And I want you all to live, too. If you keep on living, then there’s always a chance that you might be able to see your families again someday.”

Words were so difficult to use. Nothing Lily wanted to say was coming out right. She lacked confidence in her own words. She could use them, but it was incredibly hard. She could not express even the smallest part of what she truly wanted to convey. Now that she could hear, now that she could speak, she finally understood this.

The man looked down and spat, “Someday, but when? It’s already been two years since we left the Empire and have been wandering around this place. Two years… We’ve fallen so far as to live like bandits, just dreaming of the day we might see our homes again.”

Never in her life had Lily seen a grown adult with his face screwed up like a little child’s, quietly trying to hold back a more pitiful expression. It was sad. It was scary. But she knew he had to bear it.

“There’s nothing more you can do with words.” The man picked up his fallen sword in his right hand. “So, please… Just…end me. End us.”

“All right,” Lily softly replied.

The man gave a twisted smile. He chuckled quietly and said, “Thank you, Miss Lockwood.”

Then he sighed and bent his body down, kicking off of the rubble-covered ground. He flew toward Lily with his sword in hand and the intent to kill, wholly unguarded.

“Hi-yaaaaah!!!”

For Lily, it would have been simple to murder this man. It would actually be far harder to fell him without doing so. She could not use either her flame sphere or her wind. However, there was one other type of spell that was burned into her memory. Lily extended her right arm, tracing it with her left hand, from her upper arm to her fingertips.

“Magic Sword.”

She did not have the power to hold a sword and swing it around. She could barely even manage a knife. She lacked the physical strength required. So, she had no choice but to strengthen something that she could not drop. As her arm was coated in a dull glow, she lifted it upward to defend against the raised swing from the man now stepping toward her.

She was prepared for the pain. As she imagined it, the worst-case scenario would be that the magic misfired, and she would lose her arm entirely. However, unexpectedly…there was an impact. Her elbow did not catch the blade. Instead, she felt a heavy blow to her shoulder. There was no metallic sound. But the blade was repelled, as though it had struck something unbreakable.

She still had an arm. She was not hurt. Her clothes were not even cut.

However.

“Ah!”

Her right arm, strengthened with magic, was fine…but a sharp pain ran through Lily’s right shoulder. Before she knew it, she had been pitched into the rubble. The difference in physical strength between a grown man and a young girl was immense. Her back slammed against the ground, and she went rolling.

“Uh…”

The man slashed diagonally upward, the tip of his sword scraping along the ground, aimed at Lily’s neck. Lily moved the moment before he could strike, pulling her right arm up to catch the attack, but this time she was blown back into the crumbled remains of a wall. She fell to the ground, red staining her vision.

“Uh…wuh…”

She turned only her eyes to the approaching footsteps, to see the tip of the man’s sword trained on her, approaching at high speed.

I’m gonna die…

It would be simple. She could just hit him with a fire or wind sphere. If she died now, she’d never see her family again. She would die, never knowing if she loved her family or hated them.

So, would she have to kill him?

No. No, no, no. Someone. Someone had to save her. Anyone.

VERY WELL, UNDERSTOOD!

The nanomachines’ voice resounded in her mind, and Lily was overcome by an odd sensation, as though something was racing throughout her body. A bizarre sense of power bubbled up from every pore. Before she even noticed that her pain had dissipated, Lily’s hands began to move. They were striking the ground, bouncing up from where she was collapsed.

She was moving. Her body was moving, just as she had pictured. Just like those people in her stories. The man’s sword pierced into thin air as she leapt over him. He looked as though he was truly taking his time.

Lily landed silently behind him and struck the man powerfully in the side with her magic blade-arm, just as he was about to turn around.

“Wha…?!”

The man suddenly disappeared from view, and there was a sound of the right-hand wall collapsing. By the time Lily turned her head, he was already unconscious and buried in the rubble.

An anticlimactic resolution.

Lily was not the only one who was stunned at this result. The other soldiers, now having lost all will to fight, were equally flabbergasted.

The nanomachines whispered to Lily, WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED THE BODY STRENGTHENING THAT WE DISCUSSED PREVIOUSLY. DO NOT WORRY, YOU HAVEN’T TURNED INTO A BEASTGIRL OR DEMON OR ANYTHING. IF YOU ARE CURIOUS, THIS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BY NANOMACHINES PROLIFERATING IN EVERY PART OF YOUR BODY. IT IS ONLY TEMPORARY, BUT WITH OUR HELP YOU CAN OBTAIN THE STRENGTH OF THOSE HEROES YOU SO ADMIRE. IF YOU PRAY TO BECOME FASTER, YOU’LL BE FASTER. IF YOU ASK TO BE STRONG, THAT WILL HAPPEN AS WELL.

Whoa…

A rare response, even for them.

NATURALLY, THERE ARE LIMITS, AND THERE IS NO CHANGE TO YOUR BODY ITSELF, SO PLEASE BE AWARE THAT YOU WILL LIKELY BE IN A LOT OF PAIN AFTER THIS BATTLE, AS A SIDE EFFECT.

Side effect?

MUSCLE PAIN, STRESS FRACTURES, STRAIN, AND SO FORTH.

Lily whipped her head side to side.

Nooo!!

WHAT WE’RE SAYING IS THAT IT’S JUST BEST NOT TO ABUSE YOUR POWERS. HOWEVER, YOU HAVE ONLY BEEN FIGHTING FOR A SHORT TIME, SO YOU’LL PROBABLY GET AWAY WITH NOTHING MORE THAN BRUISES. IF YOU WISH TO USE THIS POWER FOR A LONGER SUSTAINED PERIOD IN THE FUTURE, WE WOULD RECOMMEND DAILY PHYSICAL TRAINING.

At any rate, it seemed she was saved. Lily removed the magic from her right arm and brushed the dust off her skirt. Then, she turned to the now-silent men before her and said again, “I’d like you to release the hostages now.”

There was no response to these words.

And so, Lily pulled the keys hanging on the wall down with her fingertips and put them into the iron door at the deepest point of the underground chamber. With a little pushing, the door opened, hinges creaking, allowing the little girl inside.

 

***

 

Showers of sparks flew again and again into the night, and a shrill clanging echoed through the darkness.

He’s fast!

Veil’s skills had grown even more since the intense training he had received under the supervision of a certain girl at the Hunters’ Prep School. However, even if you took away the fact that he could only use one arm right now, and that the loss of so much blood was clouding his vision, it was clear that the scimitar-wielding broker before him—Big Bro—was a worthy opponent.

“………!”

He could not fight back Big Bro’s attacks with only one arm. Meeting his strength with more strength would only see his own sword repelled. He had to take the blows and let them slide. Rather than fighting power with power, he had to allow the force to flow past him. He had no other choice. Not only was his left arm entirely useless, he could no longer use his air bullets, the ace up his sleeve.

The blows came again and again.

“Please, Bro, stop! Why are you fighting for the imperial army?!”

“It’s not for them.”

Veil deflected a blow aimed at his thighs just before it struck. Sword slipped across sword, sending a font of sparks flying into the night air. Each time, his opponent’s ashen gray eyes flickered in the darkness. The tip of the scimitar whipped a sharp wind over the end of Veil’s nose, grazing past his face as he bent backward.

“I’m fighting for the slums. I did yesterday, I am today, and I’ll do it again tomorrow.”

“What are you talking about?!”

Big Bro turned his body and avoided the downward slash Veil unleashed as he stood again. It was a razor-thin margin, a snap judgment. Big Bro’s skill with a sword was fully on par with an A-rank hunter’s. This probably should not have come as much of a surprise, considering that he had managed to live this long as a broker of illicit jobs, doing business with bandits. In fact, what was hardest to believe at this point was that this was a man who had ever been gentle or kind.

Still twisted, he unfurled a rope and spun around, launching a scimitar attack at Veil’s side with the centrifugal force of his movements. Veil was only barely able to block the blow, standing his sword up with the tip against the ground and pushing his immobilized left shoulder against the top of it. The powerful attack reverberated, and pain coursed throughout his whole body.

Veil bit back the pain, gritting his teeth, and yelled, “The slums have already been saved! Things are getting better now! There’s no reason for you to keep sacrificing yourself for them! We don’t need you to do that dangerous job anymore!”

The slums had been saved. Previously, it was not uncommon to see children dying of starvation, but thanks to Veil’s dedication, his resolve to stick around after his fifteenth birthday, and the changes enacted by the Crimson Vow, starvation was now quite rare.

A change was underway. For everyone and everything.

Veil stepped forward, swinging his sword, but Big Bro caught the blow cleanly and pushed him back at full force.

“That’s not enough.”

“What do you mean?!”

This time, Big Bro took a heavy step forward as Veil stumbled back, right foot plunging between both of Veil’s. He was so close now that Veil could smell his breath. So close that he could feel death beside him.

“Can you care for your little brothers and sisters when they’re wasting away from illness? Can you shoulder the burdens of the expensive medicines they need?”

His longsword keened as he caught another blow. Or wait—it was not the sword itself that was keening. Veil soon realized it was his own right arm, now starting to go numb. As he noticed this, Veil’s body went limp. He had been knocked upward. He was not high off the ground, but both of his legs were most certainly in the air.

Where did he get all that power within such a thin frame?!

Veil put all his strength into his fingers, consciously gripping the hilt that threatened to go flying from his hand. If he lost his sword, the battle would be over.

He landed. His heels skidded backwards.

“Is watching over them as they die your idea of salvation?”

“Guh!”

Veil bent down in the nick of time, avoiding a blow aimed relentlessly at his neck. Before that thrust could turn into a slash, he jammed his ruined left shoulder into Big Bro’s side, pushing him away.

There was a gap. Veil’s vision was still blurry. He no longer knew if the liquid trailing down his own cheeks was blood or sweat. He was seeing a double image of the man before him. He shook his head.

“Let me explain, Veil. I want to get rid of the slums. I want to erase even the notion of the slums from this world entirely. And so, I had no choice. Just like when I had to involve myself with bandits during my time as a broker.”

At this, Veil’s expression shifted.

“What do you mean?! What are you gonna do to the slums?!”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that I’m going to slaughter everyone there or anything. I’m saying that I wish to change the Kingdom of Tils. And for that to happen, it is necessary to utilize the Albarn Empire.”

There was a pause of just a few breaths. Then, Veil’s eyes opened wide.

“Don’t tell me you intend to help the Empire invade Tils? Did this whole thing with the Lockwoods, who are supposed to guard the country’s borders—did it all come back to that?”

“Yep.”

Big Bro removed the mask covering his mouth and tossed it down at his feet. Veil got the sense that this was how he meant to show he was not lying.

“I made an agreement with the prime minister of the Empire, in exchange for the lives of Margrave Lockwood and his family. When the Empire invades the capital of Tils, only the slums will remain untouched. Then, in the aftermath of the invasion, the children of the slums will be treated as normal citizens.”

“Do you really think that promise is going to be kept in the midst of a war?! Plus, the slums are already starting to flourish without you having to do all tha—”

Before Veil could finish speaking, Big Bro shouted back, “Getting a few jobs doesn’t change the fact that they’re urchins! How can you forgive a royal family who can just turn a blind eye and leave children to suffer? Don’t you get it, Veil?”

A crazed grin spread across his face.

“Both the royal family and the urchins of the slums—all of us will live together as equals! What could be a more splendid outcome than that?”

Veil gritted his teeth and yelled back, “But they’ll die! Even if the orphans aren’t caught up in the war, there will be countless casualties, among commoners and nobles alike. Can’t you see that?”

“That doesn’t matter!”

His bloodshot eyes wide, the crazed smile still upon his face, Big Bro spoke quietly now. “I don’t care how many tens of thousands of people fall victim outside of the slums. How many hundreds of urchins in the slums have the royal family and the common people abandoned and left to die? They’ll get what they deserve.”

Veil hung his head as Big Bro continued.

“Now, it’s our turn to abandon them. The crimes cancel each other out. Everyone will be equal—royals, commoners, and urchins alike.”

Veil had no words. What could he say to this? He felt only an intense sorrow. To think he would be hearing such things from the kind Big Bro, who had always cared for everyone. It was miserable and frustrating. Somehow, he managed to hold back the tears that threatened to overflow.

“You aren’t doing this for the slums. You’re just doing this because you want revenge.”

“Won’t you join me, Veil? Unlike our other big brothers and sisters, who ran away and left the slums behind them, you chose to remain there. You’re the same as me. You should be able to understand how I feel.”

“Big Bro, I can’t…” Veil choked. “There are a lot of people among the commoners who do support the urchins…”

“Reform comes with sacrifices. The people of this country are far too insensitive to the plight of urchins. We need to tear down Tils and rebuild it from the ground up.”

Veil could see that it was already too late for him. He was so hellbent on his own revenge that he was using the slums as a tool. His very sense of humanity seemed to be slipping.

Veil looked up at Big Bro meaningfully.

“Lily. That girl, Lily Lockwood, who you tried to sell out to the Empire, said that you were a nice person. She’s been lending her strength to help out the slums. All of the children of the slums love her. Would you kill her, too?”

“Well, unfortunately, that girl is still a noble.”

He knew. Veil knew that would be the reply.

He wasn’t going to be able to get through to him with words. That part of him was already gone. So, there was only one thing left for him to do, as his brother.

“Come with me, Veil. We can liberate the slums together.”

Big Bro held out his right hand, but Veil shook his head and steeled himself, longsword in hand.

“I’m going to stop you. If I win, you have to abandon this stupid plan and go somewhere far, far away.”

There was a momentary pause. The cold night wind blew languidly around them both.

“Sorry, Veil. Looks like our path as brothers parts here. Still, I’ll honor that promise, even though there’s no chance of you ever beating me.”

He put both hands on his scimitar.

Veil breathed out softly and kicked off the ground. Almost at the exact same moment, Big Bro kicked off as well. They closed the distance in an instant—but just before they met, Veil put all of his strength into his diagonally propped longsword and flung it at the other man’s head.

“Raaaah!”

“——?!”

Big Bro just barely stopped the spinning longsword with his scimitar.

“What are you d—”

He was unable to finish that question.

It was but an instant that Big Bro’s gaze was trained on the flying longsword, but in that time, Veil had already stepped in close to him, still empty-handed.

He stooped down. Low, very low. By the time Big Bro tried to swing his scimitar, it was already too late.

“Air Bullet.”

The bullet of compressed air that shot from Veil’s right hand crashed right into the his opponent’s solar plexus. His thin body was bent sharply in two. He crashed backward into the ruins with a fearsome force, hacking up blood and bile.

“Guh-guh!”

Veil picked up his sword in a leisurely manner and stood before his now-collapsed big brother. The man glared up at him, his eyes fierce, but then his face slackened as he sighed. Finally, he whispered, “I guess I lose. Kill me.”

There was no hesitation.

Veil gave his sword one great swing and plunged it through his sash. Then he said, “No…you’re going…to keep your…promise…” His vision was blurring.

Veil swayed violently forward.

“Veil?”

“But…no matter how…far away…you are…our…bond will never…be so easily…broken… I will al…ways be your…little brother af…ter…all…”

Then darkness encroached from the edges of his doubled, blurred vision. There was a sound like something snapping inside of his head, and all Veil’s strength left him. He crumbled to his knees, losing consciousness as he fell across his brother’s body.

“Hey, Veil! Veil!”

It was just like when they were younger. Veil had contracted a grave illness while in the slums, and without medicine, found himself on the verge of death. He now remembered that night, where his nameless big brother sat by him, worriedly calling his name just like this the whole night through.

From behind his closed eyes, a stream of tears finally began to flow.

 

***

 

The hinges creaked. The heavy door slowly opened.

At the end of a narrow passageway, there was yet another door—to make escape that much more difficult. Lily Lockwood’s family was beyond that door.

As Lily walked along the stone path, she removed her butterfly mask. The only footsteps she heard were her own, and there were no signs she was being followed. The soldiers had already lost all will to fight.

What should I say first? Lily wondered. I’m sure they’re going to be surprised to see me here.

“How have you been? I’m here to save you.”

“Guess what, I can hear now!”

“I’ve practiced speaking, too.”

“And I can even use magic.”

“I’ve made a lot of friends.”

“Why did you leave me behind that night?”

“Was I always just a burden to you?”

“Have the two of you been good little children?”

“Have you been taking good care of Mother and Father?”

“You haven’t just been crying the whole time, have you?”

“Did you…even know about me?”

“Did you know…that you had a big sister who has never even spoken to you?”

Her steps began to slow, until finally she stopped dead in the middle of the hallway. Her hand, gripped somewhere around her heart, trembled faintly.

She was afraid. Her legs would not move. This whole time, she had only been plunging blindly forward, thinking of how she was going to save her family. And now, the moment was suddenly right before her eyes.

The trembling in her hands spread to her legs, from her legs to her whole body. She was not cold, but her teeth were chattering.

It was too late to turn back.

Her breath was as ragged as if she had just run a marathon, but she dragged her legs forward. After a short distance, when she was just close enough to touch the door, she stopped again.

She could hear voices. She could hear her brother and sister crying, and her mother comforting them.

They were here. Right on the other side of this one little door. The family who had abandoned her. Her body was soaked with so much sweat that it terrified even her.

Would they accept her? Or would she be rejected?

The moment she put the key to the lock, she was overtaken by the urge to flee.

No, no, no, no. That would be far too irresponsible. Veil and Lafine had given up so much to get her here. She tried to put the key into the door with her trembling hands, but it would not fit. It clacked and clacked, but would not go into the keyhole. She had to hurry, before the soldiers came back to their senses. She had to.

Lily was so wrapped up in thinking that she did not even hear the footsteps approaching from behind her. A warm, soft hand rested atop her own trembling fingers. Then, the key slipped right into the lock.

“…?!”

“Don’t chicken out after you’ve made it all this way, idiot.”

Hearing this voice in her ear, all the tension flooded out from Lily’s body.

“Lafine…”

She looked back over her right shoulder, to see a woman with light brown hair standing there. She was covered in bruises, smeared with blood and sweat, panting heavily.

“What?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Heh heh.”

This time, the key, gripped firmly in both of their hands, turned solidly within the lock. Ka-chak, sounded the lock as it opened.

Lily looked over her left shoulder and saw a masculine face, covered in half-dried blood—Veil. He was breathing raggedly as well, as though he had hurried here.

“Veil!”

“Hey there. I got to talk to my Big Bro, thanks to you.”

He was alive. He had stayed alive—for her. Thank goodness. Lily felt relief in her core. Then she noticed, Veil’s whole body was dyed red, as if he had been bathing in blood. His left arm looked particularly bad.

“You’re really hurt!”

“Don’t worry about it. Looks like Big Bro tended to my wounds while I was unconscious. Before he left. I think it was magic.”

Though he had never once used magic when battling me, Veil thought, smiling bitterly. Still, there was a faint happiness in his smile, as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

His face was pale, but he appeared to be telling the truth. Lily did not see any fresh trails of blood on him. Everywhere it was visible, the blood was mostly dried.

“Plus, it seems like I was able to thwart a huge plot that was about to get underway. But I’ll tell you more about that later. For now, there’s something you have to do, isn’t there? My work is finished. Now it’s your turn, Lily. Go on in.”

“No need to worry! No matter what happens in there, we’re right here. You go and say everything you need to say to that stupid family of yours!”

Lafine kicked the door open, and Veil gently shoved Lily in. She staggered into the cell, swallowing nervously, and slowly raised her eyes.

There, she saw her beloved family, the ones she was supposed to hate. Had her father Neiham lost some weight? His cheeks were sunken. He regarded Lily in shock, his eyebrows knit together. Her mother Ivanna was cradling her two siblings to protect them, while the pair looked up at Lily, eyes filled with a blank wonderment.

“Ah…”

Her voice caught in her throat. No words came out.

“Uh…”

It was like before, when she could not hear or speak. Finally, Neiham broke the silence.

“Lily, is that you…? What…are you doing here…?”

“…”

Neiham’s cheeks sagged. “Ha! So you were captured. You were lucky enough to escape the first time, and yet you let yourself be captured without even putting up a fight. You’re as useless a half-wit as you ever were.”

“………”

The words feel so heavy in my stomach. It’s like I’ve swallowed lead weights. I bet he still thinks that I can’t hear.

Both Veil and Lafine wore fierce expressions, but they did not move. They remained hidden on either side of the opened door, pressed just against the walls.

“I’d thought that maybe that explosion just before might actually be someone coming here to save us, yet here before me is a face I never hoped to see again. Looks like our luck has finally run out.”

Lily’s face slackened. She closed her eyes and then faintly opened them, wringing the sounds from her throat.

“N…no. I brought…myself here…”

Both Neiham and Ivanna’s faces shifted in an instant. Their eyes were open just as wide as when the door had first been opened, mouths gaping. Lily put a finger to her ear. She tried to force a smile back across her sorrowful expression, but it was strained.

“I can hear now… I…can hear everything…”

There was a beat.

There was a beat, and then the margrave drew back.

“Impossible! You had an illness that even the most expensive healing mages in the capital couldn’t cure! Even the court magicians rejected it! So, why now…? Y-you can really hear me…?”

Lily continued, her voice shrill, “F-father! I…can use magic now, too. I defeated all those bad guys, and made it all…the way…here…”

She could not go on. She finally knew it. She knew how her father truly felt.

They really didn’t want me. My mother isn’t saying a word, and my siblings are looking at me like I’m crazy. I’m just some girl who they’ve never seen before. They were never even told about me, their deaf older sister.

Her chest was tight. It ached. She wanted to run away wailing.

“Aha… Okay… I see…”

She hung her head. All the strength left her body.

Neiham began muttering nervously. “D-don’t tell me you came here seeking revenge on me? Would you really hurt me, your true father, with that magic of yours?”

She had no words. It was not that she could not continue, it was merely pointless. She should have known.

Neiham held his hands out, eyes fearful.

“H-hey! Well, now that you can hear and speak, everything is fine! If you’ve come here to save us, then we’ll happily welcome you back as a member of the family again!”

Her heart quashed every single word that she could think of saying. Every one of them felt wretched.

“Listen! We can just say that we’ve learned that our eldest daughter, who was abducted as an infant, is still alive and has finally returned to us! You have a happy future ahead of you as a noble! Not only are you fair of face, but you’ve come back with magic as well! Yes, it’s perfect! Perhaps the Lockwoods will even marry into the royal family one day!”

Enough. That was the word she could not bring herself to say.

“I know that you’ve had an unfortunate life up until now, but from this point on, you can have whatever you like! Now, return to my side, Lily!”

Lily could do nothing but stand there, hanging her head, her shoulders slumped. Lafine pushed her forcefully aside, approaching the margrave.

“Pardon me, Your Excellency.”

“Hm? Well, if it isn’t Lafine. Glad to see you’re safe as we—wh—? Gah!”

Lafine’s fist smacked straight into Neiham’s cheek. He fell, neck twisting, his face going red.

“Y-you little harlot! My face!”

Lily grabbed Lafine’s clothes.

“That’s enough, Lafine,” she said calmly, smiling purposefully, as wide as she could. “I didn’t come here to save them in the hopes that they would love me. I came here because I love them. That’s what a hero does. So, I’m fine. It’s okay if they hate me. Even if it is a little sad to hear. So, please, don’t do something like that just for me.”

Lafine snorted and shook her arm free of Lily.

“You’re way off the mark. Don’t get me wrong. I only punched that man because he was standing in my way.”

“Are you mocking me?! Do you not recall the debt you owe me for being so kind as to hire the likes of a common girl from the family of a once-knight?!”

Lafine narrowed her eyes, glaring at Neiham.

“I think you’d better shut your filth-spewing mouth now if you don’t want me to cut it right out of your face, pig.”

“Wha—?!”

Lafine strode boldly past him, staring down at Ivanna, who still clutched her two children.

“Do you have any defense to make to Lady Lily, Lady Ivanna?”

Ivanna softly pushed the two children back to the wall and then slowly stood, puffing out her ample chest. Her dress was soiled, but an air of refinement still hung around her as she spoke with dignity. “I have none. For what should I apologize? My husband and I are members of a noble family, tasked with defending the borders of the Kingdom of Tils. That night, to assure both the preservation of the Lockwood line and the safety of our kingdom, we made the choice that was most prudent, and fled.”

“And?”

“Yes. We ranked the deaf Lily below our two younger children, who were strong and healthy. Leading us to the result you see now.”

Ivanna stared back at Lafine, resolute and unflinching. But her amber eyes were not looking at Lafine. They were looking at Lily Lockwood herself, who stood dumbfounded beside her. Ivanna walked around Lafine and stood in front of Lily. She folded her hands in front of her stomach and bent forward in a bow.

“I’m sorry, Lily. There is no denying that we abandoned you.” She lowered her head. “I suppose if I were to say anything else to you, it would amount to little more than excuses. It’s just that, well, the unfortunate way that things ended up—no, even that is little more than sidestepping the point.”

Lily looked at her mother through hollow eyes.

“You are free now,” the woman continued. “Should you choose to return to the Lockwood home, I swear to you that we will welcome you back as a rightful heir. However, if you are disillusioned with us, and desire to live in the outside world, then we will simply watch over you. The decision is yours to make.”

“Wh-what do you think you’re doing, Ivanna?!” Neiham shouted. “I am the head of the Lockwood family, and I am the one who makes the decisions! Lily is our wonderful daughter, who understands the principles of magic! We may even be able to join her to the royal family in marriage! She’s not going anywhere!”

Ivanna’s eyes pierced right through him. When she spoke, her tone was low but scathing. “Neiham, be quiet.”

“Guh…”

Everyone said that Neiham never would have gotten where he was in life if Ivanna had not become his wife. And now, it was clear to everyone present that the rumor was true. Ivanna once more turned to Lily and smiled at her wistfully, her resolve fading.

“Should you choose to spread your wings in the outside world, I promise you that from here on out, we Lockwoods will do nothing to impinge upon that freedom. That is the best gift that I, a mother who abandoned her own precious daughter, can give you.”

Lily looked up. She glanced at Lafine, who quietly averted her eyes. Veil merely leaned against the wall with his arms folded, watching stalwartly.

There were so many things she wished to say. You could have built a mountain out of them. However, most of those words vanished in her mouth before she could ever speak them. What could possibly be left now, inside this empty shell that she had become?

“Hey, Lafine,” she spoke.

“What?”

“Thank you for your help. I’m sorry you got involved in something so dangerous.”

“Hmph. What’re you acting so out of character for? What a drag. All I’ve done is cause trouble for you since that night, haven’t I? And so, what, after all that, that’s all you have to say?”

“Yep.”

“I see. Well then, just hurry up and get the hell out of here. I’m lookin’ forward to getting back to my single life.”

Next, she turned to Veil.

“Veil.”

“Yeah.”

“What happened with your big brother?”

Veil unfolded his arms and gazed at his blood-soaked left side. The wounds were completely closed. He had heard his brother desperately calling his name while he was unconscious. In that moment, Veil was certain that the shady broker had turned back into the Big Bro he knew and loved. And so, he smiled faintly.

“Who knows. He’s gone off somewhere far away, now. But I’m sure that someday in the distant future, should we happen to run into one another on some city street somewhere, we’ll be able to talk and laugh again as brothers. It’s all thanks to you, Lily, that I had this chance. Thank you.”

“I’m glad.”

“Yeah.”

Lily smiled at Veil, and then, she turned back to Ivanna Lockwood. In the corner of her vision, she saw Neiham Lockwood as well. She straightened her back, fixed her posture, and opened her mouth.

“Mother, Father. Thank you, truly, for giving me life. Thank you for raising me for nine whole years, despite my shortcomings. Thank you for looking out for my little brother and sister as well, in that same home,” she said. Then she firmly declared, “I still love every single member of the Lockwood family!”

For a third time, a look of awe spread across Neiham’s face.

“Lily… We treated you so poorly, but you’re still forgiving us?”

Ivanna smiled quietly, opening her arms to welcome her daughter.

“Welcome home, Lily.”

With a pained expression, Lafine covered her ears, while a faint smile crossed Veil’s mouth. That was the Lily Lockwood they knew and loved, after all. The girl overflowing with such foolish kindness that she would declare her love for everyone and everything in the world, even those who betrayed her.

However, Lily was not finished speaking. She did not rush into her mother’s open arms. It was not over yet.

“Right now, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. So…”

That day, through a tear-filled smile, Lily Lockwood bid her birth family farewell.