Chapter 3: Bravely Toward the Enemy

The sun had risen. Normally the breakfast table was full of lively and cheerful conversations, but today a tense aura hung in the air, and everyone ate their food in silence.

Soon enough, we all finished our preparations. We headed to the area pointed out to us by the bear — the place we were told of yesterday that supposedly held Keith. Although the location was in the same town of Noir, it was somewhat far away from our inn. We boarded our carriage, but planned to disembark when we were halfway there and travel the rest of the way on foot.

This was natural. If we went with an entire horse-drawn carriage, the perpetrators would definitely notice us. For some reason, we were also using a different carriage than the one we’d arrived in yesterday; this one was a lot more beaten up. Maybe this was also to deceive our foes. But I learned later that this wasn’t the only reason.

“How... How horrible...” I muttered. It was the only response I could think of as I looked at the scenes outside through the carriage’s window as it rumbled along.

Larna raised her eyebrows slightly and turned to me. “This part of town has always been lawless. Honestly, places like this should have been cleaned up a long time ago. But geographical influences on its culture are strong, since it’s so close to a foreign nation. Try as we might, the security around these parts has stubbornly refused to improve.”

Staring out of the small window, I saw people dressed in filthy clothing sleeping by the side of the road, next to mountains of rubbish. These people were so dirty that it made them hard just to look at, and some of them were also terribly thin.

“If we had gone through here with that borrowed merchant’s carriage of ours, we would have stood out too much. Don’t look outside too much, Katarina. They don’t let you go once your eyes meet.”

Taking Larna’s advice, I peeled my eyes away from the window. It felt real to me now — the fact that this was a lawless, dangerous place.

We eventually reached a point where the carriage, shabby as it was, would still stand out too much. Larna gave me a cloak of some kind to wear as we got off, and I obediently put it on. The fabric was dirty and thin, but wearing it was necessary to blend in. The clothing we were normally wearing would have drawn attention to us.

And so the five of us, all dressed in dirty hooded cloaks, grouped up and were led by Larna toward our destination. I was told that I should never meet the eyes of any of the people sleeping on the street, and that I should never turn around. All I could do was stare blankly ahead as I walked silently. It was a suffocating feeling.

“I can see the place now,” Larna said about ten minutes after we’d started walking.

I looked up ahead of us. In the distance stood a grand mansion that stuck out like a sore thumb around its filthy surroundings.

“...That place?” It was so big that, as we approached it, it became harder to look at the entire building. It really didn’t suit its surroundings at all. It was too extravagant, and too quiet. “Why is there a mansion like that in a place like this?” I muttered, confused by the contrast.

“It’s the mansion of whomever rules over this area, I suppose. I can’t imagine that any respectable person would be living in a place like this. Take a look, the security is tight.”

I looked where Larna had pointed. Sure enough, there were a few bulky, muscular men positioned around the place, keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings. As I looked around more, I saw that there were a lot of them positioned around the mansion. It made sense that a fancy house in such a crime-ridden place had to have some type of security, but this was a bit much; it was overflowing with guards. There was no way we could approach easily.

“Last night, I knew I couldn’t get any closer without causing a scene,” Larna said, turning toward everyone and then addressing Maria and Sora. “But if you two can’t get a good idea of the situation from here, I could cause a distraction so that you can. What do you think?”

Maria shook her head. “No, that is quite all right. This will do.”

“Can you see anything, then? Or should we...”

“I see it. The presence... very much like what I saw yesterday.”

With Maria’s confirmation, the party collectively tensed. Larna turned to Sora. “Do you see it too, Sora?” she asked.

“Well... not as well as Lady Maria, no. But I can sense that something is lurking there.” Apparently Sora, being a Wielder of Darkness, could feel what Maria had too. So there was no doubt about it. This was the place.

“Then Keith is in there! We have to save him, quickly!” I said, ready to dash into the mansion.

Jeord quickly restrained me. “It would be impossible to run head-first into such a heavily-guarded mansion, Katarina. Take a moment to calm yourself,” he said strictly. There was a hint of anger in his voice.

I guess he’s right... I thought as I calmed down. “...Yes. Sorry...”

Seeing that I had changed my mind, Jeord nodded. “All right then.” He was definitely acting as my guardian at this point. “But yes, I see now that there is a high possibility of Keith being held in this place. What shall we do, Lady Larna? Break in?”

Larna placed a hand under her chin, deep in thought.

“U-Um...” Maria interjected, stuttering.

“What is it, Maria? You don’t look so well. Would you like to return to the inn?” Larna was right — Maria was pale, even paler than she’d been yesterday.

But Maria shook her head. “No... I will be fine. However, everyone, I really do not want you entering that mansion...”

“What do you mean?”

“The presence I can see... the presence of darkness that’s emanating from there... it’s abnormal. I said as much yesterday, but this is a truly fearsome presence. It is more terrifying than anything I’ve seen before. And that feeling fills the entire mansion, as if the building itself is engulfed in darkness...” Maria looked at the building once again, only to start shivering once more. She soon wrapped her arms around herself to suppress her shivering.

Even I froze at Maria’s words. But Sora was quick to follow up on her point. “I agree with Lady Maria, too. That mansion really does not feel right. While I may not be able to visually perceive it like the lady does... I feel shivers run down my spine. It is indeed a very dangerous place, I’m afraid.”

Our party fell silent. A mansion filled with Dark Magic... I had never heard of anything so frightening. Maria’s pale face and Sora’s severe expression were more than enough to convince me to be wary of this place.

“...I suppose we have no choice, then. If it really is such a dangerous place, I don’t have any plans or strategies to offer, for now. In any case, we should put some distance between us and the mansion, and then contact the Ministry.”

Agreeing with Larna’s decision, our small group quickly distanced ourselves from the horrible place.

Larna had mentioned contacting the Ministry, but for some reason, she led us to a tall building and went inside. We waited for her to return, waiting silently until finally Jeord spoke.

“Lady Maria... if it does not distress you, I would very much like to know. How was that presence at the mansion different from what you have seen up until now...?”

“Well... I find myself unable to explain it very well. But... if I had to put it into words... it was a very thick, heavy darkness.”

“A thick darkness, you say?”

“Yes... The Dark Magic I saw before was almost a solid, black haze... a mist. And I have only seen it so concentrated in the small room where Raphael was during the school festival. That haze was dark and dense. It felt terrible. But this place...”

“Is worse, I gather?”

“Yes. The black haze I just saw simply dwarfs anything I’ve seen before. It is... incomparable. Terrifying,” Maria said.

Sora quickly added his observations. “I, too, felt an incredible sense of danger from the place. Something that seemed to be telling me that I should not be anywhere near it.”

“I see.”

I quietly listened to their exchange. A presence of Dark Magic stronger than anything they had seen before. A place that would be far too dangerous to approach...

It wasn’t too long before Larna stepped out of the building. “It is a very dangerous place, yes. I have called in reinforcements from the Ministry,” she said. I had expected this, given how dangerous this whole thing had turned out to be. But then she added, “So we should all return to the inn and wait for them to come.”

“Um, but Lady Larna,” I blurted out quickly. “When will we go back to the mansion, then?”

Larna seemed troubled by my question. “Perhaps tomorrow or later. We have to wait for the reinforcements to get here, after all.”

“...Tomorrow... or later.” This place was filled with intense Dark Magic. Something terrible would happen if we tried to tackle it ourselves. But... if Keith was really being held there...

The image from my dream floated into my mind. The young boy had looked just like Keith. He was crying. While we waited, terrible things could be done to Keith. Maybe he was crying right now, just like when he was little.

“Um, Lady Larna...”

“What is it, Katarina?”

I stared straight into Larna’s eyes as she turned to face me. “I... can’t wait.”

“But... that’s...” Larna’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I understand that it’s a dangerous place. But... But if Keith is really there... there’s no telling what could be done to him right now! We don’t even know if Keith will be alive tomorrow morning!”

“...”

“Something terrible could happen to Keith before we get there... I can’t just sit here and wait. I don’t mind going alone if that’s what it takes. Please, let me do this.” I spoke strongly, in the only way I knew.

Larna seemed distressed, while Maria and Sora looked surprised. Maybe that was because they all knew that I had no real power of any kind. Even so, my dear brother was in trouble! He could be suffering at this very moment! There was no way I could simply wait.

I bit my lip, silently awaiting her response. That was when someone next to me spoke up.

“Lady Larna, please consider it.”

“Huh...? Prince Jeord?” My eyes widened in surprise as I turned to him. After all, wasn’t he absolutely against exposing me to any kind of danger? I would never in a million years have thought that he would approve of my proposal. With my mouth agape, I stared blankly at Jeord, who just gave me an uneasy smile in response.

Jeord then turned to Larna again. “It wouldn’t only be Katarina. I would be with her as well. Please give us permission, Lady Larna.”

“...Are you serious, Prince Jeord?”

Jeord responded to the still-shocked Larna with a serious expression and a nod. “Of course.” Then he looked back at me. “You see, once Katarina has decided to resolve something, there’s no stopping her. Even if you refused, she would surely attempt to break in on her own.”

Jeord hit the nail on the head. I withdrew slightly at his accuracy. “Ugh...” He was right, though. That was exactly what I had in mind. I would have run off on my own even if Larna had refused.

Jeord flashed me a more reserved smile in response. “I understand your thoughts relatively well, Katarina.”

“Hmm...” For a while, Larna was silent, alone in her thoughts. And then she finally said, “I suppose a quick rescue would be better, given how dangerous the situation is... but it wouldn’t do for you two to just run off on your own.” But judging by her expression, she seemed to realize that she didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. “All right then. In light of your resolve, I suppose we should break in.”

“Thank you, Lady Larna!” I literally jumped for joy.

“But we can’t go right this second. After all, it’s not like the place looks like it would welcome visitors. We have to survey the site first and identify possible points of entry.” Larna turned to the young man who had been silently observing all this time. “Sora, could you pull it off?”

The edges of Sora’s lips curled up at Larna’s words. “Oh, but of course. Now that we have decided on a course of action, I will do everything in my power.”

With that, Sora set off to scout the mansion and its premises. I thought that going alone would be dangerous, but he told me that he preferred working alone. “I am used to things like this, so leave it to me,” he’d said as he flashed me a mischievous, almost boisterous grin and set off.

From everything I’d heard, Sora lived a life like the protagonist of a spy movie. I supposed it was best to let him do his thing. He’s a useful guy to have around...

With Sora gone, the remainder of our party returned to a spot some distance away, waiting for his return.

“U-Um. Prince Jeord?”

“What is it, Katarina?”

I bowed my head. “Thank you for what you said just now. For... agreeing with what I said.”

“Haha. I understand too well, Katarina, that once you have that expression about you, you are all but unstoppable,” Jeord replied with a soft smile.

“...‘That expression’?” What is he talking about?

“That face you make when it’s time to resolve something.”

“...Huh.” I didn’t understand what he meant. Perhaps my expressions were just easy to read?

Jeord merely smiled at my apparent confusion. “The truth of it is, Katarina... I already knew that you would say as much, when you blurted out that you would rush in and rescue Keith right away. You are, after all, simply that sort of person.”

“?”

“If there is someone in need, someone asking for help... you simply run straight to them, even if you are ill-equipped to handle such a task.”

Does he mean that I’m impulsive? That I fly off the hook too easily? I withdrew slightly, feeling like I was being lectured.

“Ah, I’m not mad at you, Katarina,” he said, still smiling faintly. “I quite like that part of you. For example... if I were the prisoner in question, instead of Keith, you would still rush in to save me in that very same manner, no?”

I still didn’t understand what he was trying to say, but I had an immediate answer for his question. “Of course I would. No question.” I nodded with conviction.

Judging from his grin, Jeord seemed pleased with my response. “Ah, Katarina. I really do like that about you,” he said as he patted me on the head.

For some reason I found myself blushing, and my heart started beating a little faster.

“Haha... I hope you’ve steeled yourself, Katarina. Once this is all over...” He trailed off and didn’t continue, instead just smiling vaguely.

★★★★★

“So they really came... As I expected.”

“You say something, Sarah?” I asked. Sarah had been staring out of the window and muttering something I couldn’t hear.

She just smiled in that charming way and answered, “Oh, it’s nothing.”

“That right?”

My name is Thomas Coleman. It had been a month since I had met this woman called Sarah. At first I thought she was shady, but now I felt like she was the only one who understood me. I trusted her completely.

I was supposed to be the heir to the Coleman family. I would have been the viscount. I should have been raised like the special guy I was, like the heir I was born to be. But that was stolen from me by my younger brother. They even chased me out of the house.

It was a completely unbelievable thing to happen. In the first place, I didn’t do anything wrong. The reason I didn’t do well in school was because my tutors were useless. And all my servants kept quitting, ’cause they were useless, too. The people around me were no good. I didn’t do anything wrong.

My own father looked at me in shock and said, “How did it come to this?” He looked down on me. Me! It was humiliating to be stared at like that by that man. That womanizer.

And then there was my younger brother, who started following that man around. He looked down on me the same way, even though he should have been following me around. “Why don’t you think about the things you’ve done?” he’d say.

I was unlucky. It was all bad luck. For me to have a father like that, and a brother like that. It’s because I was surrounded by these goons that I couldn’t reach my true potential.

Since I was down on my luck, I just wallowed in it. Never did anything other than smack around some of those idiot servants. Before I knew it, I’d lost everything, and got chased out of the house.

I was given a bit of coin when I got kicked out, but that was soon used up. All I could do was bemoan my pathetic existence in the equally lousy home I was given. It was then I thought that I’d wander into town and get my hands on some booze... when I saw him.

I had never seen him since leaving my family’s home all those years ago. From what the rumors said though, he was taken in by some duke and was living large with society’s elite. When I heard that, I was pissed off. What was he doing, strutting around like that? He was nothing more than the child of a whore. But I was never part of the world of nobles, so I never saw him with my own eyes. Eventually, I forgot about that too.

Now that I had lost everything, I never thought I’d see the day where I actually saw him in person. My younger brother, Keith Claes. We didn’t even have the same mother. Of course not. His mother was a filthy whore. Disgusting.

But he didn’t care about his status. He attacked me with his magic, even. He dropped a bunch of hard rocks on my head. I was severely injured and even broke some bones. It was so terrifying that I even had nightmares about him.

He was terrifying, but at the same time I hated him. Keith really was the worst. Useless trash. How could a guy like him wear such nice clothes? Why was a woman next to him? What’s up with that happy smile of his? All that while I was made to wear dirty clothing, forced to live hand-to-mouth... while he gets to take advantage of a duke’s fortunes, living exorbitantly with women waiting on him? Unforgivable. All that just because he had some magical power. Just that, and he got taken in by a duke.

Keith is nothing... nothing more than some whoreson. Why, then?! Why only him...?

Unforgivable. Can’t forgive him. Unforgivable.

I want to bring him down to where I am. No... worse. Worse than that. A guy like that... he should just be a slave in some foreign place.

The more I looked at how Keith was now, the more I thought that way. Those thoughts took over my mind. But I didn’t have any status or coin. I was pissed off, but I couldn’t do shit.

And the days passed... and passed. Until one day, that woman appeared before me.

“Wah, that jet-black, abysmally dark heart of yours... Could you tell me a bit about yourself, hmm?”

“?”

A voice, from that black-haired woman, called out to me when I was wandering through town. At first, I didn’t know what she was talking about. I was surprised. But then I remembered... she was someone I knew, who often brought my alcohol. So I told her everything.

About how I couldn’t reach my true potential because of my useless tutors. About my stupid womanizing father. About how I was chased away from my own home because of my stupid, foolish brother. And how I saw my other brother, born to a different mother, after all these years...

“Why? Why does a monster like that, with that dirty blood, get to enjoy all that’s good in life? Why does he get a good social standing? Why am I the only unfortunate one, the unlucky one, while he gets it all? I’ll never forgive him.”

The woman named Sarah, unlike the others, didn’t look upon me with pity when I uttered my curses. “It really is as you say. What an unfortunate man you are,” she said.

Until now, no one had actually listened to what I had to say. Guess they were all stupid. All talentless hacks and goons. She was different. For the first time in my life, I finally met someone who understood me.

I continued to tell Sarah all about myself after that. And then I said, “I want Keith to fall to the pits, just like me. I want to see him become nothing more than a pathetic, helpless slave... writhing on the ground.”

“That’s right... If you do that, the pain in your heart will heal, perhaps...” She smiled faintly. Sarah was around my age, from what I could tell. But her smile was like that of a child’s. It was... adorable. Before I knew it, I had handed Sarah everything. My heart included.

Sarah didn’t say very much. I didn’t know who she really was, but it seemed like she had a lot of money and a good position in society. I moved from that lousy home, which was given to me as some sort of compensation when I was kicked out of the family, to some huge mansion in a town I’d never heard of. The place was furnished, and Sarah even prepared proper clothes for me.

“These fixtures and clothing are much more suitable for the true you, don’t you think?” she said. Even the servants, too. They weren’t useless, like my family’s. These guys were very capable. They all listened to me. I regained everything I’d lost... all thanks to meeting Sarah.

And that wasn’t all. Sarah would go on and grant every single one of my wishes.

“Hey, I’ve gone and fetched Keith Claes. You may do with him as you please.”

Sarah led me to a room... and there he was. His limbs restrained to a bed frame. He looked dirty, his hair in disarray. He looked nothing like the person I saw in town back then.

That’s good. That’s what you get, you whoreson. Put on airs, will you? Becoming the heir of a duke doesn’t suit you... but this does.

After some time had passed, Sarah told me he had come to. I headed over to the room once more. When I entered, Keith had already woken up.

I stood in front of him. “Been a while.”

At my voice, his blue eyes turned to me. I remember feeling irritated. He was in this situation, and he still looked at me like that? For a while after that, he didn’t react. He just kept looking at me with those eyes.

Back when we used to live under the same roof, he would never dare keep quiet when I spoke to him. And here he was. Silently looking at me. That made me even more angry.

This guy... it’s because he became a duke’s heir! He must think he’s some big shot now!

“Yeah, don’t say anything, then. Guess you don’t want to say anything to lower-class nobles, huh!” I shouted at him, almost spitting out the words.

His eyes seemed to widen. “...Thomas?” And he said my name.

Even if he was my half-brother... he was a whoreson. He was sent to live with us because it’d be less troublesome that way. That’s why he always had to address us in the correct way, with the appropriate titles. We were his superiors.

He was supposed to do that... and now look at him. It’s only been a few years since I’ve seen him, and he’s forgotten all about it.

It’s like he’s looking down on me. Like I’m inferior to him. I could feel something inside me snapping.

I swung my fist down on the man restrained on the rickety bed. “D-Don’t you dare... someone like you... say my name so freely! SOMEONE LIKE YOU!”

You dare?! The likes of you, look down on me?

You’re supposed to be beneath me... just something beneath me. But now... you’ve come out on top.

Why did I fall so far? Why am I the only unfortunate one?

I kept swinging my fists. I kept hitting him. His limbs were restrained... and Sarah did something to him to seal up his magic. He couldn’t fight back.

But then... no matter how much I hit him, Keith never once cried out in pain. He didn’t ask for mercy or forgiveness. All he did was remain silent. His eyes were unwavering... as silent and still as he was.

It was like I wasn’t even reflected in those eyes. Like he didn’t even care. That pissed me off more. I hit him with my fists again and again and again. I couldn’t stop.

Eventually, my fists started hurting, so I stopped. But Keith’s expression didn’t change. I hated him. But no matter how much I hit him, I didn’t feel any better. In fact, I only felt more pathetic. Even as I thought about how he was about to be sold into slavery in some foreign place, it didn’t make me feel any better. Not one bit.

Come to think of it... lately I’d felt my body becoming heavier. For some reason, waking up was hard. I noticed that I was sleeping a lot more. Sarah was considerate. She even gave me a shoulder massage, but it didn’t help much. If anything, I seemed to be getting worse.

It was a strange feeling. As if someone else was taking something from me. Something important. Even so... when I felt up to it, I would go over to where Keith was locked up. I wanted to make him feel the pain, listen to his pleas and howls... but he never did any of that. He was silent, just like how he had been in the beginning.

No matter how much I struck him, no matter how much I yelled at him, his blue eyes never lost their shine. I only felt more pathetic as time passed.

“I’m not going to bother waiting for him to fall into the pits and be a slave anymore. I don’t need him. Someone like that... he can just go and break for all I care,” I said.

In response, Sarah asked, “Well then, should I do with him as I please?” She was smiling like usual.

“Yeah. Do as you like,” I replied.

Sarah left the room happily.

Meanwhile, I felt my body becoming even heavier. As if I was slowly... losing something...

★★★★

Sora finally returned from his scouting, and the time had finally come for us to break into that mansion. Since Maria was so frightened, she was told not to overexert herself and to return to the inn, but...

“No... I cannot possibly allow only Lady Katarina and everyone else into that mansion. I am a Wielder of Light... I’m sure I could be useful for something.” Maria then took my hand. “And... with Lady Katarina by my side, I will be all right no matter what happens. With her here... I find myself able to face any enemy, no matter how ferocious or terrifying.” Maria ended her statement with a slight smile.

I tightened my grip around Maria’s hand. “Thank you, Maria. I’ll be counting on you, too.”

And so Larna, Jeord, Maria, Sora and I — five of us in total — headed back toward the mansion.

We decided to enter from the back entrance, since the security there was lighter. Even so, there were still three of those muscular goons standing on guard.

“So what do we do from here?” I asked, turning to Sora as we surveyed the mansion from a comfortable distance.

“Perhaps we should wait and see.” This was Sora’s mysterious response, which was accompanied by a grin.

But he was right. We waited for a while in silence and then, out of nowhere, there was a commotion among the guards. Two of the three men ran off immediately, though I had no idea where they were going.

“What happened?” I asked.

Sora responded calmly and innocently. “If I had to guess, a particular shed in the corner of the manor’s gardens most likely caught fire.”

“Eh... that’s...”

“That would by my doing, of course. We should proceed now that security has been thinned.”

Looking at Sora and his nonchalant expression, I felt immensely impressed with him once again.

The remaining guard suffered a more unfortunate fate — Larna hurled some sort of projectile at him with her powers of wind magic. It promptly hit him in the head, knocking him out cold in an instant.

“That went well,” Larna said casually. This woman, too, was terribly impressive.

With that, our small group successfully infiltrated the mansion.

We were inside, and as I expected, the interior was just as gorgeous as the exterior. But I had to say, in my opinion, it was kind of overkill. Even the various art pieces on display seemed pointlessly flamboyant, so much so that it seemed like the person who’d chosen them had no taste. It seemed like the place belonged to a “new money” kind of person who just really liked shiny things.

Larna had mentioned that the governor of this area probably lived here. Hmm, I wonder what kind of person they are? An image of an individual covered in glittering gold necklaces came to mind. This person would be wearing something like a bathrobe and would be swirling a cup of red wine in his hand. That’s what I was thinking about as we cautiously progressed down the new-money mansion’s halls.

As expected of a grandiose mansion such as this one, there were many guards on the inside, too. We ran into them a few times, and sometimes where there was no place to hide, Sora would just raise his fist, and a moment later, the guard would be on the ground — out cold without a sound.

Other times, Larna would cast some unknown spell with a wave of her hand, and the guard would be sent flying. He would soon be out cold on the ground — without a sound, of course.

And then there was Jeord, who used a quick pommel strike with his blade. This would cause the guard on the receiving end to collapse onto the ground — again, without a sound.

There were times when the three of them couldn’t control the force of their attacks. In those cases, Maria stepped in to heal minor scrapes and bruises with her Light Magic.

Looking at all this from a distance, I felt moved by the sheer power of my party members. If this was like one of those RPGs I played in my previous life, this was surely the most powerful party possible in the game. Split into classes, Larna would be the mage, Jeord the swordsman, Sora the soldier or rogue, and Maria the priestess. In that case, Keith, who was being held captive, would be the princess.

With all those class roles sorted out, I started picturing all of them as characters on the cover art of an RPG game. That kept my mind busy as we went deeper and deeper into the mansion, with the gaudiness of the decor increasing the further we went. Although we had faced nothing but small fries until now, this would be a good place for a mid-boss to appear.

Just when that thought crossed my mind...

A nearby door opened with a slight creak, and out came a man. Our eyes met. “Wh-Who are you people?!”

I felt like I’d heard that phrase from somewhere specific before. But here he was: that pompous, new-money-rich old man I’d been imagining ever since setting foot in here. I mean, not exactly. He was dressed in fancy clothing, but he didn’t have a puffy bathrobe or a glass of red wine. Well, considering it was only around noon, walking around in a bathrobe and drinking wine might have been odd.

In any case, the scene played out just as I imagined it would. There were a few burly men behind him — his personal bodyguards, probably. The gaudily-dressed old man immediately turned to them. “I-Intruders! Get them!” he shouted.

I could hear the random encounter music of that one RPG I liked playing in my mind. As expected of the flunkies of the mid-boss (that new-money old man), they were somewhat stronger than the mooks our party had been facing up until now. But still, they were no match for us. In a series of quick movements, Larna, Sora, and Jeord had silenced them. Soon, they lay in a heap on the ground.

It really was over in an instant. This party was simply too strong. It was like a bunch of level 99 characters walked into a level 1 dungeon.

With the new-money old man left alone, Sora swiftly cornered him and drew a knife seemingly from thin air. “So you own this place, huh?” he asked in a low voice.

All the old man could do was nod vigorously, his face pale. Yep, it was just as I imagined. This old man was the so-called governor of this area. So this is the mid-boss or maybe the final boss? Hmm. Seriously, how underwhelming.

The way he’s squirming about, he seems more like a small-time crook. What a lame final boss.

“Then ya know where Keith Claes is, right?” Sora said while ensuring the knife in his hand was visible.

The more I thought about it, the less this old man seemed to be the final boss. If he was really who he claimed to be, then we had this in the bag — all we had to do was find out where Keith was being held, and that was that.

“K-Keith Claes, you say? Who is that? I don’t know anything about that name!” the old man said, desperately shaking his head.

“Won’t do you much good keepin’ it to yourself...” Sora said, approaching the old man somewhat menacingly, knife drawn.

What little color remaining in his face instantly disappeared. “N-No idea! I have no idea!” he said, continuing to shake his head this way and that.

Larna soon stepped up. “This won’t take long. You lot wait here.” With that, she entered the room the old man had come out from, with Sora following and dragging the unwilling old man.

After a while, they came back out of the room. “Unfortunately this old man really has no idea,” Larna sighed.

I stole a peek into the room and saw that the gaudily-dressed old man was out cold on the ground. I wonder what happened in there? While I was somewhat curious, I decided that it would probably be best not to think too hard about it.

As I pulled my thoughts away from that subject, Larna continued. “Also, this guy was under the influence of Dark Magic. He was being controlled by someone.”

“Eh?! But isn’t he the most important person in this mansion? He was the mastermind, right?” I had been thinking that the old, unimpressive-looking man was the final boss, but it turned out that I was wrong!

“Well, it does seem that he owns the mansion, that much is true. However, he doesn’t seem to be involved in what happened to Keith. They probably used the Dark Arts on him so they could use his home for the kidnapping.” Then she turned to Maria and asked, “Could you confirm this, Maria?”

Maria checked the room and then came back and said, “It is true, I can see remnants of Dark Magic around the old man. It’s separate from the aura surrounding the house.”

So, that new-money old man was just being controlled, and wasn’t the real mastermind, huh? So that means the villain behind this and Keith are both still somewhere out there.

“But Alexander is still pointing toward something. Do you sense anything, Maria?”

“Yes. The churning, dark mist grows thicker the more we progress through these halls... there may very well be something at the end of all this.”

After hearing Larna’s and Maria’s observations, our party decided to go deeper into the mansion. Once we passed the new-money old man’s room, the art pieces on display were no longer obnoxiously flamboyant. The atmosphere actually felt somewhat... lonely. The halls were empty and dark.

“Ugh... the mist is really getting... thicker...” Maria said, placing a hand over her mouth in a seemingly involuntary action.

“Yeah... this place is bad news,” Sora agreed. Then he muttered under his breath, “Just how much mana capacity does this guy have...?”

“Mana capacity? What’s that?”

“Precisely what it seems, Lady Katarina. Our mana is not infinite. If we use up too much, it will dry up, will it not?”

“Well, yeah, but it comes back after some rest, right?”

As Sora said, mana could be used up. Every person had a different amount in them, but that didn’t change the fact that using it would cause that amount to go down. But then it would naturally recover when the person took a rest, just the same as physical stamina.

“That is correct. But you see, that only holds true for the five elements. Dark Magic is different; as you use it, the amount of mana goes down and it never recovers.”

“!” This was shocking to me. I continued listening to Sora with my eyes wide.

“Even Raphael, who used to wield Dark Magic, confirmed this after some testing. Dark Magic is very much a finite resource. So you see, to be able to use it on so many people like this is quite a feat.”

“Then... is the Wielder of Darkness here someone really strong?”

Then they’re totally the final boss, right?! Even the strongest party wouldn’t have any hopes of victory...

“...I have no idea. It is a terrifying level of mana for one person to have, certainly. But there may be a few of them, if you think about it...”

A few Wielders of Darkness all in the same place... that was quite a terrifying prospect.

“Either way, we’re grasping at straws if we don’t keep at it.”

“R-Right...” I suppose it was a given that it was terrifying to wonder about the unknown. Yes, we should keep going.

And the party did just that. Eventually, we came to a large door that was made of metal or some other sturdy material. If this were an RPG, this would be the door to the final boss’s chambers.

Ugly Bear pointed confidently at the door, as if to say that Keith was being held within. But I couldn’t rely on just that stupid thing for a true answer, so I turned to Maria.

“Beyond this door is... a most terrifying presence of Dark Magic...” she said.

“Yes, this place feels very dangerous. It is certainly the source,” added Sora. They both had severe expressions on their faces.

In that case, the final boss was probably here. And Keith would be there too.

The party and I — well, just the party actually — took some time making preparations, and then we all went through the sturdy door. And behind that door, in the room filled with the swirling mists of Dark Magic...

...Was nothing. There was no final boss waiting for us there. In fact, this seemed like just some kind of guest parlor. In the middle of the room was a table, and around it, some chairs. A very simple setup.

I had been steeling myself for an impressive and terrifying room all this time... so I was let down horribly. Hanging back at the entrance, I peered around, but there was no one there! I couldn’t feel the presence of any living being. Eh...? Maybe this isn’t the final boss’s chambers, after all...?

With that in mind, I stepped in, only to see something in the corner of the room. The furnishings had been blocking our view — but now I saw that a man was collapsed in the corner.

“Eeek! Wh-What?!” I involuntarily let out a squeal at the sight of him, but there was no reaction from the man in the corner.

Sora approached the man cautiously, calling out to him as he did so. “Oi... you!” But there was no response. He shook the man in an attempt to wake him.

Wow. That’s really something... The man did wake up, and I was surprised by what I saw. He seemed very plump when he was collapsed in a heap, but now that I looked at him better, I saw that it was much more than that.

He had messy hair and an incredibly fleshy body. Even the features of his face were buried in fat, and his skin was glistening and oily. He was quite the sight. For some reason, this person really looked like he’d play the role of a villain in any production or game.

Since he was on the ground, I had assumed that he was a victim of some kind, but a look at his face was enough for me to realize that he was up to no good. Well... I suppose I have a villainess face too, so I’m hardly one to judge, but...

“Oi. You. Are you okay?” Sora said after checking that the man’s eyes were open.

“Guh...” was all he had to say. It would seem like the large man was alive, at least. What a relief.

“I don’t see any wounds on ya, but you’re definitely weak. Who are you?”

The man’s eyes seemed to open somewhat wider at Sora’s question, although it was difficult to tell due to his engorged features. But he didn’t say or do anything else. All he did was stare into space endlessly.

Hmm. It doesn’t seem like we’ll be able to hold much of a conversation with him. That’s what I thought, anyway.

“Hey, do you live here? Do you know where Keith Claes is?” I asked, although I wasn’t expecting much of an answer.

“...Keith,” the man said. His previously unfocused eyes trained onto a single thing in the room — a shelf in the corner. “...That whoreson... monster. I have to see him kick the bucket...” With those violent words, the man propped himself up, pushing Sora’s arms away. His eyes stayed focused on what was immediately in front of him.

All we could do at this sudden development was stare as the man slowly moved across the room, eventually making his way to the shelf, and then placing his hand on its side. With that, the shelf slid away to the side, revealing a hidden door.

What’s this? A secret passage? I felt like I had seen something like this during the school festival incident, too. More importantly... I was now sure that Keith was just beyond this door.

“Kick it... See him kick the bucket...” The man continued to mutter his slurred threats. Before I knew it, Jeord had approached him.

What’s going on?

Jeord turned to the man and raised his sword.

“GAH!” the man spat, and a moment later he was down on the ground.

“Surely he has identified himself as a hostile, from his very own words. I suppose we have heard enough, no?” Jeord said, sheathing his sword with the darkest of smiles on his face.

“...Well. Yes, I suppose that’s fine.” Larna nodded.

Eh?! That’s fine? Well... I guess he really was saying some terrible things

“But from what he was saying, we can be sure that Keith is beyond this point. He may be in danger,” Larna continued, looking grim. Then she announced, “We have to hurry. We’re breaching and entering.”

She pushed on the door and Jeord and Sora both drew their weapons, preparing for a potential ambush.

With a loud creak, the door swung open. The room didn’t seem to have any windows — it was completely dark, so the only light was from the room we were in. There were no windows, no table, chairs, not even a bed. It was like some sort of dungeon.

And then, collapsed in the corner of the room was... someone. The light flooding in from the door illuminated this person. His hair was muddy, and his clothes were filthy. Although he looked nothing like how he usually did, I instantly recognized him. He was the person I had been searching for all this time... someone dear to me.

“Keith!” I shouted, immediately rushing to his side.

Someone from behind me told me to be careful or something like that, but I didn’t hear much of it. “Keith, Keith! Are you all right?! Wake up!” I knelt down, holding Keith in my arms — and that was when I noticed the countless bruises on his face.

I felt my heart breaking from what I saw. Keith’s face was pale and he was cold to the touch. I-It can’t be! I felt my blood freeze in my veins.

I quickly put my ear by his lips. Although it was faint, I clearly heard Keith’s breathing. What a relief Keith is alive! I sighed as a deep sense of relief washed over me. “He’s alive! Keith is alive!”

“I see. That’s wonderful, Katarina,” Jeord said, standing next to me. He seemed genuinely relieved too. “But you feel no ill effects, touching that mist?” he asked, sounding surprised.

Mist? What mist? I followed Jeord’s gaze, and, “Eh?! Wh-What’s this?”

My surprise almost caused me to drop Keith in shock. An unbelievable sight was before my eyes — there was mud all over Keith, yes, but there was something else, too. A black, mist-like substance was wrapped all around him. It was like a long snake of some kind had entwined itself around his limbs and abdomen.

“P-Prince Jeord... what is this?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea. However... it would seem that you are unharmed, even if you do come into contact with it. I had thought to warn you, to tell you that it might be dangerous and not to rush in... but of course, you were never one to listen.”

“...Ah.” I hadn’t noticed it at all. I guess I heard him say something, maybe? Anyway, my spirits were high now that I had finally found Keith. I supposed I just hadn’t heard Jeord’s warnings or seen the black mist around him.

As I calmed down a bit, I looked around the room and saw Maria holding onto the door for support, her knees trembling and her face pale. Sora wasn’t faring any better — he had the same kind of expression on his face, and was backed up against the wall as far as he could go. Even Larna was standing far away, her hand raised cautiously. She was absolutely silent, like she was ready to cast a spell at a moment’s notice.

Even Jeord, who had approached me, seemed skittish. Was he simply being cautious... or was this black, misty object too visually similar to the one thing he was afraid of in the world?

“Apparently you’re unharmed by it, Katarina. Maria, Sora, are you two all right?” Larna said, after confirming that I was unhurt. She turned to her subordinates for an answer, only for the two of them to shake their heads.

“I-I’m all right... but I cannot... approach. Any further. My sincere apologies...” Maria stuttered, her face the palest shade I had ever seen it.

“I am the same. I feel a powerful magical force; I cannot get any closer. Not more than this.” Sora’s fear, made obvious by the sweat on his brow, was the real thing.

So from what I had gathered, this mist was the source of that strange hazy aura filling the mansion. It was giving off a strong magical effect, to the point where Maria and Sora couldn’t even approach it. In fact, it was so strong that someone like me, who normally couldn’t detect Dark Magic, could see it with my own eyes.

“Then... does this mean that Keith has had Dark Magic cast on him?” I thought that must be why these black tendrils were all over him.

“I... I believe that is the case, Lady Katarina,” Maria replied, occasionally stuttering.

I see. In that case...

“Keith! Wake up! It’s me, Katarina! I’ve come to get you!” I was almost shouting as I called out to Keith.

I had been told that Dark Magic could only be dispelled by the caster, but I knew better. After all, I had dispelled it before on my own. So there was only one thing to do: I had to inspire Keith to defeat this magic from within, by his own power.

Back then, when I had been put to sleep with Dark Magic, everyone called out to me, and that was how I managed to break free. That was how I won. Surely it must be the same way for Keith — if I called out to him, he would surely wake up, too.

It was with those thoughts in mind that I desperately called out to him. I shook him slightly, still cradling him in my arms. “We’ve found you, we’ve come to get you! Wake up, Keith...” And then, “I won’t cause any more trouble for you Keith, I promise, so wake up...” I kept calling out to him, again and again.

Everyone else pitched in, too. Even so...

“Why won’t you wake up, Keith...?” No matter how much we called out to him, he didn’t move an inch. For some reason, his breath became even shallower, and his hand even colder to the touch.

“I have to see him kick the bucket...” I remembered what that hollow-eyed man had said. Is Keith going to die if this goes on...?

“...Why? Why isn’t it working...? Why?”

As she continued watching my futile attempts, Maria lamented, “Perhaps the Dark Magic cast on him was too strong... and Master Keith is unable to break out of it by his own power...”

“In that case... can’t we get the caster to dispel it? Who is this person, anyway...?!”

It seemed like the hollow-eyed man we had seen earlier was not the original caster of this dark mist. In that case, who was this Wielder of Darkness? We didn’t know. Was there really nothing we could do? If this goes on, Keith will...!

A strong, resolute voice soon cut through the atmosphere of despair. “Then we have to find them.”

I looked up and saw determination in Larna’s eyes.

“To use such a huge amount of magic, and to control everyone else... this mystery person must have some sort of plan. This was why they still haven’t shown themselves. The enemy is probably still in this mansion, or at least close by. Maria, Sora, and I shall conduct this search. In the meantime... Katarina and Prince Jeord, stay with Keith until we return.”

With that, Larna patted me on the head a few times in a reassuring fashion. I could feel my despair slightly ebbing. “Yes... Please do everything you can,” I said, bowing my head deeply in Larna’s direction.

“Well then, Prince Jeord. I leave the two of them in your care.”

Larna left with Maria and Sora following close behind her. The trio once again commenced their search for this mystery Wielder of Darkness.

After the three of them had left, I turned my attention back to Keith and kept calling out to him. Maybe he’ll wake up now, I thought. But there was still no reaction from my brother.

Although I had been discouraged, although I sank into the depths of despair at first... I was now upset. I was angry. Why did this happen to my dear brother? Who would do this to him?

Perhaps it was a bit biased for an adoptive older sister like me to say, but Keith really was a wonderful person. He was kind and gentle to everyone. Why, then, did he have to go through all this? To suffer this much? This was unfair. Too unfair.

I could feel the anger rising up from within me.

To hell with Dark Magic! Why would something like that be cast on my cute brother! I’ll never forgive this Wielder of Darkness or whatever the hell they are! Once I find them, I’m going to take this lousy black mist and wrap them up in it, just like they did to Keith!

Actually, this black snake thing wrapping itself around Keith is probably the reason why he’s still not waking up, isn’t it?!

This stupid black thing is too long! Some snake it is, it doesn’t even look the part! Urrgghhh! I’m so mad!

Something like this... I should just pull it off and toss it into some river!

Just when my rage had hit its peak, I felt a strange source of heat from the right side of my waist. Right where my pocket was.

It was so hot that for a second I thought a burning piece of coal had been placed in my pocket. I stuck my hand into it and pulled out the strange mirror-looking disc that Jeord had gifted me with a few days ago.

Ah, Jeord bought this for me, didn’t he? I had forgotten all about it. But as soon as I touched the disc, the black mist began to solidify. I could see it a lot clearer now, though I didn’t know why.

Huh? Why? Actually, I can see it very, very well.

In fact, I feel like I could hold it in my hands. I wanted to grab it off Keith and toss it somewhere — maybe I could actually do exactly that now.

I reached out toward a loop of the black mist. Although it had been translucent and immaterial earlier, I could now clearly feel it in my hand.

I can do this! I gripped the black mist tightly. Then I started to mercilessly tear loops of it off of Keith, tossing them onto the ground next to him with a flourish. “Ha! Take that!”

Jeord, who had been standing next to me all this time, watched on with his mouth agape. The mist that had been ripped off now wriggled helplessly on the muddy ground, looking like a bunch of black snakes. As a final gesture, I gathered all of the mist together with my free hand before relentlessly crushing each and every single one in my fist.

The mist seemed to condense into a droplet around the size of a person’s fist — and then, it stopped moving.

Oh-ho. I guess that black mist does become a variety of shapes after all. If only it had become some sort of cute shape, like a puppy or something, I might have even showed it some degree of mercy.

Well, that aside...

“I suppose that’s that! Done and done.”

Shifting his eyes to the now immobile, fist-shaped droplet, the frozen Jeord seemingly snapped out of his trance. “Eh?! Wh-What was that, Katarina?! What have you done?” He had completely lost his usual confident smile and refined manner of speaking.

Just as his horrified and surprised expression nearly got the best of me... I heard a familiar voice from the person I had been cradling in my arms. “U-Ugh...”

“!” A reaction from Keith!

Soon enough... Keith opened his eyes. At first, his blue eyes seemed to be wandering, lost amongst the stars... before they finally focused upon me.

“Big... Sister...” he said in a soft, trembling voice.

This was unmistakably Keith’s voice — one I had not heard for days.

“...Keith!” I hugged my brother, who I was still cradling in my arms, tight.

★★★★★

It was a cold, dark place. I kept absolutely quiet, and absolutely still. For that was how I should be.

My first memory was doing exactly as I was told by my mother, hugging my knees in a dark room. “Shut up and just stay there!”

I would be given food at irregular intervals. I ate what I was given, bit by bit. If I ate it all at once, I would have nothing left. By rationing it out, I could bear with the hunger for just a little bit longer.

When I began to gain a sense of self and learn a little more about the world, I learned that I was an unnecessary existence in the eyes of my mother.

Soon enough, I was three years old. Someone claiming to be my father told me I would move in with my brothers — born to a different mother, apparently. But I was unwanted and unneeded there, too.

At first, they would call me names like “son of a prostitute” and “whoreson.” And when I injured my brothers with my magic, they called me “monster.” I spent my days alone in my room, doing as little as I possibly could. I pretended that I didn’t exist.

Yes, that was how I had lived. I lived alone, in that room, never making myself known to anyone. I was unwanted. I was not needed by anyone. And that was why I wouldn’t mind even if I were to disappear in this cold, dark place.

I was afraid of the darkness at first. I shivered and cried. Tears flowed down my cheeks. But now... it almost felt comforting. Soothing. I felt like I wouldn’t mind at all if I were to just dissolve into the darkness without a sound.

I was unwanted, unneeded, right? What did I live for? To be abused? To put up with extreme acts of violence...? That would hardly be worth living for. Just as that thought crossed my mind...

“...Keith.”

I felt like someone said my name.

It was my name, I guess. The name that was given to me. But few called me by it...

Who could it be, I wonder? It was such a familiar voice.

I looked around me... and yet, there was nothing but an endless expanse of darkness. Perhaps I was just imagining things.

Yes... it must have been nothing more than my imagination. There was no one in this world who would so gently say my name.

I curled up once more. I stilled my breathing. I would disappear, melt into the darkness, just like this.

“...Keith.”

That voice, once more. I could hear it much more clearly now.

“...Who is it...?” I replied to the unseen voice in the darkness.

I looked around again. As I expected, there was no one there. However, I soon heard that voice again.

“Keith, wake up!”

It was a voice I had heard before... somewhere. It was a very, very familiar voice. And yet... I did not know who it belonged to.

“...Who? Who are you?” I asked again.

“Keith, it’s me! I’ve come to get you!”

Come to... get me? Nonsense. No one would do that for me. After all, all of them abused me. My mother, father, even those brothers of mine, born to a different mother. Who is this person...? It’s no good. I cannot remember a thing.

I held my head in a mixture of confusion and frustration. Indeed, I was abused. I was mistreated. I was cast aside like trash. And yet... I felt like I was forgetting something very important every time I heard this voice. Just as I thought I would remember... the darkness snatched that thought from me.

“Keith... hey. Open your eyes...”

That voice desperately called out to me, again and again.

Ah... do I have someone like that, too? Someone who would say my name in such a fashion...?

I want to remember. I want to know... But the darkness hindered my thoughts. It tempted me. That it was fine to never remember, that it was fine to just sink into the darkness as I was. It would be much easier to just surrender, as opposed to thinking about it all... or so I thought.

“Keith!”

That voice. It simply wouldn’t stop. As if it was telling me not to go there. Not to go into the darkness. Should I surrender myself to the darkness... or should I listen to the voice? I did not know. I was at a loss.

It was then that a single speck of light appeared in this world of darkness. What... is that? I kept staring at the light. As I did so, it slowly expanded. Slowly but surely... the memories returned to my mind.

“Hello, you are Keith, yes? Welcome to the Claes family.”

The spring when I turned eight, that was what I was told as I was brought before a woman and a girl with aqua-blue eyes.

“Call me Big Sister!” the girl had said, beaming at me. And then she took me outside the house, and taught me many, many things.

Even so... I ended up accidentally hurting her with my magic. I was unable to control it. I was sure she hated me after that. I would be mistreated and abused once again, I was so sure.

The girl, however... forgave me. With a smile on her face. And then she said to me the words I wanted to hear the most.

“Let’s stay together from now on!”

Ahh... how could I have forgotten?

With that, I remembered. All of it, everything, all at once. My capable and noble stepfather, and my gentle and loving stepmother. The kind and caring servants, too... my dear friends, who accepted me with all of their being. And the person I loved most in the world... my adoptive sister, Katarina Claes.

It was true. Up until that spring when I turned eight, I did not mean a thing to anyone. But I was different now. Now, I had many people who cared about me. Important people. Should I disappear... they would surely mourn me.

I had also made up my mind that I would stay next to Katarina, and I would do everything I could to protect her. And so, I couldn’t just disappear. I could not simply be swallowed by the darkness.

I raised my head — and before I knew it, I was enveloped by a warm, soothing light. The darkness that I had been lost in before... was now all but gone.

As I slowly opened my eyes, awakened by that gentle sensation... her face came into view. The face of the person I loved the most. Her aqua-blue eyes stared straight into mine. Large tears were falling from her eyes.

I found myself cradled in Katarina’s arms. She was the first one to hold me in such a way... ever since I had become aware of myself. It happened when I tried my best to catch Katarina as she fell from a tree, and then lost consciousness from the impact. She held me so tightly. And just like now, tears flowed from her eyes as she continued to worry about me. It was then that I first understood the kindness and gentleness of others. My chest felt warm, then.

Ah... I’m dreaming about my childhood. Although Katarina did do that a lot as a child, my stepmother was somewhat strict with her as we got a little older. As time passed, she eventually stopped hugging me so casually.

However... Katarina was much older in this dream. In fact, she looked just like I remembered. Even the soft sensation of her skin felt different. It was nothing like when we were children. Was this just a dream of my desires, then? After all... I was incredibly envious of how Prince Jeord touched Katarina however and whenever he pleased, on account of him being her fiancé.

“...Big Sister...” I said.

“Keith!” Katarina sounded happy. She held me tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay... so glad...!” she mumbled, burying her tear-streaked face into my chest.

Katarina never really did grow very tall. To think that we would be embracing like this, at such a distance... Ah... what a blissful dream. I hadn’t had any such pleasant dreams as of late.

“Keith, are you all right?” Perhaps Katarina found my blissful silence strange. She looked at me with a surprised expression. Her glistening, aqua-blue eyes... so lovely. How else would I describe them?

If this were reality, I would not be able to handle the embarrassment. I would surely have pushed her away. This was just a dream, though... and so I guessed a little more contact wouldn’t hurt. To make up for what I could not do in reality...

“Keith?”

I placed a single hand on Katarina’s face, before placing my lips against her tear-stained cheek. As she stared at me, frozen in place... I slowly moved my lips toward hers.

Soon enough, my lips were against hers — her lovely, pink, adorable lips. They were softer than I’d imagined.

For a while, I thoroughly enjoyed the softness of her lips, before finally pulling away. Her face was flushed red, and she was frozen in one of her amusing expressions.

Ahh... Katarina really is adorable, just as I’ve always thought. In fact, she was probably more adorable than anything I had imagined, or was capable of imagining.

“Ah... what a nice dream, truly...” I muttered as I felt my eyelids become impossibly heavy.

It was a little strange for me to feel sleepy, considering that I was already in a dream... but there was little I could do to ward off the sensation. Soon enough, I felt myself sinking into a deep, deep sleep...

★★★★

Huh? What was that? What just happened?

I was frozen in place, unable to comprehend what had just happened, as usual.

Hmm. Let’s go through the chain of events leading up to this point. First, I thought of tilling the fields back at Claes Manor to increase my magical powers... no, that was a little too far back. Let’s try this again. After all, it would take a long time to summarize events from my childhood up to this point in time.

Ugh, that wasn’t it! Remember, Katarina! Think of what just happened a while ago! Firstly... we got to this room, and found the missing Keith. But Dark Magic had been cast on him, and he wouldn’t wake up no matter how much I called to him. That was why Larna and the rest left in search of the individual who cast the spell. Only Jeord and I were left in this room.

But no matter how much or how loudly I called to Keith, he didn’t react at all! And so I got really angry and said, “Why? Why does Keith have to suffer like this?!”

And then I felt that mirror that Jeord bought for me heating up. And then I touched it, and felt that I could do something about that black mist-snake. Hmm. Actually, I do remember tearing it apart and crushing it with these very hands... and then Keith woke up, and then...?

“Auuuggh!” I held my head as a weird sound escaped my lips. I could see the events that had just occurred replaying in my mind, in real time.

When Keith had opened his eyes, he’d called out to me in a feeble voice, and then for some reason, placed a hand on my cheek. That was fine and good. At least, up until that point.

But then, what happened after! Keith placed his lips against my cheek and then... he k-kissed me!!

In my confusion, I didn’t know how to react, and could only stare blankly with my eyes wide. But then, Keith...! He looked at me with that pretty face of his, with an expression like he was ready to melt! And he just kept staring at me, just like that! Just thinking about it was enough to almost cause my head to explode.

And that sensation, too! I never thought that someone else’s lips would be so soft. Wasn’t that my first kiss? Hmm? Wait... why does it feel like I’ve felt something like that before?

In fact... is the feeling of someone else’s lips really a first for me? Why does it feel like I’ve experienced this before? And... whose lips?

“...Katarina. Are you all right?”

A voice called out to me as I remained lost in my thoughts. I turned around, only to see Jeord standing behind me, with an expression of displeasure on his face.

“Y-Yes!” Still shaken, I managed to squeak out a response.

Jeord stepped forward, inspecting the now-sleeping Keith — the very same Keith who had just done something baffling, and then fallen asleep again.

“That was... quite the reaction, from what I could see. Perhaps a side effect of the magic being dispelled. He is most likely simply sleeping.”

“I... see.” I was so relieved that the magic had been dispelled. But what just happened was way too intense. I still couldn’t get my thoughts together.

“However... even if he was half-awake, he really went and did it, I see.” Jeord placed a hand on my chin.

In my confusion, all I could do was gape. Could it be...?! Just when I thought Jeord’s face was a little too close for comfort, I felt that same soft sensation on my lips once more. The thing responsible, of course, was another person’s lips.

With a soft sound, Jeord drew away. “A disinfectant, you see. You are mine after all, Katarina. I cannot simply overlook another man trying to snatch you away,” Jeord said, sulking like a child.

I suddenly remembered everything that I had forgotten — all at once.

That’s right... that kiss just now wasn’t my first kiss. My first kiss was taken by Jeord a while ago... and on top of that, he even proposed to me, saying that he loves me!

I had forgotten about all that in the chaos of Keith’s disappearance. But how could I have forgotten something like that...!

Then Jeord, who was still sulking childishly, said, “Hmm. It would seem that my feelings were not appropriately conveyed. Perhaps one kiss isn’t enough? Then shall I do it again...?”

What terrifying words! I immediately shook my head. “No, I remember all of it! I’m fine, just fine,” I replied, desperately.

Jeord seemed a little disappointed at my response. “Is that so... I see.”

From there, my confusion continued to build. What am I going to do? What am I supposed to do? I was in a panic! Jeord kissed me, said he loved me, and then... but then Keith, why did he...? It was no good. There was simply too much at once.

Ugh, my face feels like it’s on fire! My heart won’t stop beating either! I can even hear it! Augh!

“Woof!”

And on top of all my confusion, a mysterious sound joined the fray. Of course.

“Woof woof.”

I had no idea what was going on anymore. I couldn’t grasp this situation at all. What was all this woofing during this tumultuous time?

...Wait. What?! The mystery sound came from very close to me. It obviously sounded like a puppy of some kind, but there shouldn’t have been anything like that in this room.

Glancing toward the source of the sound, my eyes fell upon the remainders of the black snake, which I had compressed into a ball earlier. The sound had come from within that mass.

“...Eh? What?” I stared blankly at the black ball. It seemed to be... moving, forming itself into a new shape. Is that snake thing back again?! I steeled myself, and was ready for anything... but the new shape that the ball took was...

“...A puppy?”

Where the black mass once was now sat a black puppy — an adorable one, too.

“Wh-What?!” I could only guess that this puppy was formed from the black thing I’d torn off Keith! Why is it a puppy now? One thing after another... nothing makes sense!

Both Jeord and I seemed at a loss for words as we stared at the newly-materialized puppy. And then its eyes and mine met, and the puppy made a beeline for me.

Up until now, every single dog I had encountered in my life saw me as a mortal enemy. So I was prepared for anything... but then the puppy wagged its tail in joy as it approached me.

“Wh-Wha...” I could only stare on in shock.

Jeord’s reaction was different from mine. “Are you all right, Katarina?!” he said, moving to peel the puppy off me.

“H-How cute...!” I said, hugging the puppy automatically.

“...Huh?” Jeord made a funny expression due to his surprise, but that didn’t really register in my mind.

After all, I was incredibly moved! Ever since I was born— no, even in my previous life before this one, I had always been disliked by dogs. I loved animals, of course, including dogs, and I had no idea why they hated me. I was popular with the monkeys in the zoo and the mountains behind my home, for some reason, but dogs were always hostile toward me.

Petting a cute puppy this way made me feel like an ancient war had ended. Mutual enemies had finally put down their arms. Ah... I was finally able to feel a dog’s soft fur. Hugging a puppy was really a dream come true. I had lived all these years, and a lifetime before, disliked by dogs. And now this day had arrived!

I continued ruffling the puppy’s fur. It never once even bared its teeth at me. At long last, my dream had been fulfilled! I held the puppy tight, spoiling it in all the ways I could. The puppy seemed to enjoy this, if its rapidly wagging tail was anything to go by. Ahh, so soft! So adorable. It was like I was dreaming.

I could so easily lose myself in this newfound world, with my puppy, myself and... well, I guess it was just my puppy and me. Just as I was about to continue enjoying myself, mysterious laughter interrupted me.

“Hee hee...”

It was a clear voice, ringing out like a bell. I assumed that it was Jeord making a strange noise after being left out of the good time I was having with my puppy, but that was not the case. In fact, Jeord positioned himself before me and the puppy with his sword drawn and his expression grave.

He seemed to be glaring in the direction of the door. I followed his gaze, only to find a woman standing at the room’s entrance. At a glance, she seemed to be a black-haired girl of around my age. The laughter probably came from her.

“What an interesting one you are... really,” the black-haired girl said casually. It seemed like she was looking right past Jeord and his blade.

What a mysterious girl. Even though she seemed close to me in age, the way she laughed and smiled seemed almost childlike.

We continued to stare at the girl cautiously as she continued speaking. “But... after all that effort. I wanted to do a Dark Magic experiment and make a familiar of darkness, but I see that you’ve claimed it for yourself, hmm?”

“Familiar of... darkness?” I repeated after her blankly, unable to understand.

“That puppy. I used the Dark Arts on your brother and made that familiar. But I see you have dispelled that magic too.”

“E-Eh?! This little thing here is a familiar of darkness? W-Wait! So you’re the one who cast Dark Magic on Keith!”

“Why yes, that’s me,” the girl said, her expression not changing in the slightest.

How... How terrible! I couldn’t believe that the perpetrator that Larna and the others had been looking for all this time would turn up on their own. From what Maria and Sora said, this person commanded immensely powerful Dark Magic. Would we be okay, facing such a foe?

I grew more uneasy, regarding the girl more cautiously than before. But she didn’t seem to notice or care. “But then... how did you manage to take it for yourself? How mysterious... you don’t have a drop of Dark Magic in you, from what I can see...” the girl mused, placing a hand on her cheek.

And then she suddenly asked, “Hey... tell me. Why? How?”

“E-Eh?! You ask me that, b-but...” I turned to look at the happy puppy, which was still wiggling in my arms.

Is this really true? This puppy is a familiar of darkness? I... guess it did come out of the black thing, yeah. But what is a familiar of darkness anyway? Is it dangerous? But it’s so cute, I don’t think it would hurt anyone...

“But, well... since you’ve taken it for yourself, there’s not much to be done. Can’t do much now, so... you can have that puppy.”

“E-Eh...? Really? Thank you...” I thanked her reflexively, but... hmm? Something didn’t feel right.

“Hee hee. You really are an interesting one, Katarina Claes...” the girl said, once again laughing in that same way.

“Wait... why do you know my name...?” There was no reason for her to know something like that.

Before I could ask, the girl moved. She raised an arm and muttered something under her breath. I saw Jeord raise his sword in response to her movements, but—

Before anything else could happen, the room was enveloped in an absolute, pitch-black darkness. It was a pure absence of light. I could not see a thing.

In the darkness, her voice echoed. “Honestly... I wanted to chat more, but I have to be going soon. We’ll meet again somewhere, I’m sure...”

And with that, light suddenly returned to the room. But the girl was long gone.

“What... was that?” I muttered.

There was no response except for a single happy bark from the puppy cradled in my arms.

Immediately after the woman vanished, Larna and company rushed into the room. They had finally picked up on the trail of the perpetrator, and then felt a strong presence of dark magic, which eventually led them back to this very room. Jeord and I explained everything that had happened up until this point to Larna.

“Hmm. I see. And this is the familiar of darkness?” Larna asked, looking at the puppy in my arms. “There are many questions I would like to ask you, and in great detail. But we shouldn’t stay here. Now that the Dark Magic cast upon Keith has been dispelled, we should go to a safe location immediately.”

As she said, that was the best thing to do. So our little group started to exit the new-money mansion.

“...Um. Could we bring the little puppy with us?” It was simply too adorable. I couldn’t just let it go. When I had set it down onto the ground and tried to leave, the puppy immediately plodded after me — it would break my heart to simply leave it in that room.

“Of course. It’s definitely an interesting thing. And it doesn’t pose any harm, from what I can see. Yes, we shall take it with us.”

“Great! Thank you!” With Larna’s permission, I scooped up the little black puppy and took it with us.

Perhaps because Keith was simply that tired, he remained fast asleep. He was terribly hurt all over, with injuries visible everywhere. But Maria helped heal his wounds with her Light Magic, and he at least looked a bit more like his old self now.

Our conversation shifted to the question of who should carry the injured and sleeping Keith.

“Ah, I have just the thing,” Larna said. She withdrew a mat from the luggage pack Sora was carrying. It was the same one we’d had our picnics on.

Keith was laid gently on the mat, and Larna said something under her breath. Before I knew it, the mat had lifted a few centimeters off the ground.

“Wow! That’s amazing!” I cheered, unable to contain my excitement.

Larna informed me that this was nothing more than a simple adaptation of the Wind Magic she specialized in. It was very much like a flying carpet of some kind. I asked enthusiastically if the mat would take to the skies and zip around freely in the air, but unfortunately it turned out that a few centimeters was the limit.

As I described my vision of a flying carpet to Larna, her eyes sparkled with delight. “I see... what a novel idea! Perhaps we could expand on that...” Maybe we would see a real flying carpet in the future!

With Keith now safely on the hovering mat and the black puppy cradled in my arms, we finally stepped out of the new-money mansion. There were hardly any guards on the way out. I asked Larna what that was all about, and was told that they had been dealt with while the three of them had been searching for the Wielder of Darkness. This really was the strongest party ever.

With that... my journey, and the search for Keith, was finally over.