Chapter 1: The Girl in the Birdcage

1

Nagi’s heart pumped blood into his limbs. He was a commoner. His blood wasn’t special. Thus, nothing more came from this.

Unlike noble blood, he couldn’t turn it into a weapon.

Unlike noble blood, it didn’t grant him everlasting life.

Regardless, Nagi’s blood flowed through his body, granting his muscles strength. And with that strength, he could use the large knife clenched in his right hand to take a swing at the enemy before him.

The guard of the Forbidden Garden was a head taller than Nagi. His muscles were bulky and didn’t look well trained. He reminded Nagi of a beast of the forest that stockpiled fat so it could brave the winter. The movements of this guard were far duller than the prey Nagi had hunted many times before.

But the guard’s large build was a threat in itself. What’s more, his standardized equipment, consisting of a sword and buckler, was far superior to Nagi’s knife. Nagi was at a disadvantage just from the length of his weapon. He had a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back, but he didn’t have the leisure to ready a shot with it.

Furthermore, Nagi wasn’t used to fighting against people. He had never lost in a fight in his village up until now, but this was the first time he was fighting someone using a weapon. Above all else, however, Nagi was facing off against a noble.

Standing before the man, Nagi was but a hare in the presence of a lion. His heart quivered with fear. A commoner could never win against a noble... against a predator.

Even so, Nagi stepped forward. The guard likely never imagined a commoner would take a swing at him. The strike caught him off guard, and his shield didn’t make it in time. Nagi’s knife definitely tore through flesh.

Still, the guard didn’t panic. The corners of his lips rose into a sneer. The guard was a noble, whereas Nagi was a commoner. A blade wielded by a commoner meant nothing to a noble. Even if the blade itself could reach, there was no point.

Reality betrayed the guard’s disdain, however. Blood sprouted from the wound on his shoulder. His face was now colored with confusion and a far-too-late display of shock. He didn’t believe it. Nagi’s knife was large and sharp, but it was still nothing more than a blade wielded by a commoner. Even if cut by it, the guard’s noble body should’ve repaired the injury immediately. This was common knowledge.

But that common knowledge didn’t apply here. Nagi knew as much. It was the work of the Halahala that coated his knife. The guard’s shoulder tore apart, forcing him to drop his shield. The stiff sound of metal clanging against the hard floor rang in the air. After freezing up and standing there in a daze, the clang brought his consciousness back to reality.

He let out a meaningless scream. There was clear fear in his voice.

“Blood caliber? In the hands of a commoner? Impossible...”

The guard was unable to hide his agitation over the mystery of being dealt a wound by a commoner.

Nagi was also surprised by the effects of the poison. It seemed Keele had been telling the truth about its ability to wound nobles. Even though he was in the midst of battle, Nagi found himself remembering the past. He recalled why he had come to the Forbidden Garden in the first place.

A ghost had told Nagi about this place—the ghost of Nagi’s older brother, Keele. His brother was supposed to have died several years ago. The still-young Nagi hadn’t been told the reason at the time. He had only been told that Keele had died.

Thus, when Keele had secretly visited Nagi in the middle of the night a few days before the Blood Offering Festival, he’d thought it was definitely a ghost. Rumors of ghosts abounded. People claimed they saw some villager who was supposed to be dead, which became gossip among the children. Nagi didn’t believe the stories. He found such rumors to be rather irresponsible.

He wanted to believe an entirely different rumor altogether. It was a far more realistic rumor than ghosts, and a far more dangerous one at that.

Cobalt.

Just speaking of it could lead to imprisonment. Even though he knew this, Nagi couldn’t stop listening to gossip about Cobalt.

The brother before his eyes looked a bit strange for a ghost, but Nagi’s memory of him was a little vague. Keele’s sharp gaze turned even more severe, giving off the impression of a rock exposed to the elements. The one thing that remained unchanged about him was his dark-gray hair. It looked the same as in Nagi’s memories, but it was grown out, as if having it cut would’ve been too much trouble.

By contrast, his slender physique looked far smaller than Nagi remembered, but Nagi immediately realized that he was the one who had gotten taller. Nagi’s body had grown quite a bit over the last few years, but Keele still had half a head on him.

“So, there really are ghosts,” Nagi muttered.

“Don’t be stupid. I ain’t dead. I got kicked outta the village for certain reasons. It’s a pain to explain this kinda thing to kids, so they just make us out to be dead. If anyone happens to spot us alive and kicking, they just make a racket about us being ghosts.” Keele spoke as if it wasn’t his concern, then flashed a smile. “Hey, Nagi. I’ve got some juicy info for you.”

His brother’s expression made Nagi think this was what an actual ghost would look like. It was a wicked yet fascinating smile. Confronted with it yet again, Nagi remembered that he had gone through hell as a child many times over after being tricked by this exact smile.

“The Forbidden Garden. That’s apparently the name of the place. They call it a garden, but it’s actually a huge mansion. There’s a courtyard in the middle of it with a glass ceiling. You sneak in there, and you should be able to find the treasure right away.”

“And what exactly is this treasure?” Nagi asked hesitantly.

“Dunno.”

“What?”

“All I managed to get is a rough sketch of the building and word that they’ve got some crazy treasure there. Also, this Forbidden Garden is pretty much unguarded on the day of the Blood Offering Festival.”

“Isn’t that a little suspicious?”

Keele let out a snort. His behavior was clearly telling Nagi, “You’re as much of a wuss as ever.”

Nagi remembered now. He detested being laughed at by Keele. He really hated his brother. Keele had always made fun of Nagi, beaten him in fights, and trumped him in any and all arguments.

But the story his brother brought him now was strange. What was this treasure? Who had told Keele about this? Where had Keele been, and how had he survived after being exiled to begin with?

Keele looked ferocious. His slender body was radiating a new ferocity, as though he had to violently defend himself on a daily basis. He hadn’t had such an air about him before. That made things all the more suspicious.

If Nagi said anything about this, however, Keele would just make fun of him again. Nagi hated that idea, so instead he asked, “Why are you telling me? Can’t you just go do it yourself?”

“I’ve got things to do that day. I’d go if I could.”

Keele said no more of his obligations. Even if Nagi asked him, his brother would never tell. This man was full of secrets.

“So, say I go get this mystery treasure... What’s in it for me?”

“Oh, come on. You don’t need me to tell you that, do you? There’s definitely a treasure there. We can sell it and buy blood.”

The allure of blood had Nagi’s heart astir.

“I’ve heard people say you can buy blood in the capital,” Nagi said quietly.

“It’s true. Well, it apparently costs way more than the poor could ever hope to make, though.”

Nagi kept silent at this.

“How old are you now? Fourteen? Fifteen?” Keele whispered, pressing him for an answer. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter. At that age, you can’t help but think about it, yeah? You don’t even have half your life to go. It’ll be over in less than ten years.”

Nagi didn’t reply. Keele’s words were so on the mark, they gouged at Nagi’s heart. His older brother was a talented man who knew everything about him. Keele’s behavior clearly demonstrated that he could easily read his little brother’s thoughts. Nagi hated this part of him. He had always hated this part of him.

“And how will I be able to tell what the treasure is?” Nagi spat, forcibly redirecting the conversation. “What if the treasure can’t be carried out of there?”

“I mean, in that case, you can just steal whatever looks valuable. You listening? We’re never gonna get another chance like this. The security around this garden is only gonna thin out on the day of the Blood Offering Festival.”

“Why?”

“The haves are gonna be just as busy as the have-nots. Even though they’re nobles, they ain’t no different. They gotta go to the ritual held at the royal palace for the Blood Offering Festival. Being able to meet and greet the bigwigs who gather there can change their long lives. Nobody wants to draw the short straw of guarding some treasure in the middle of a forest on a day like that. So, only one guard gets left behind while everyone else ditches work and goes to the palace. Nothing’s happened there for decades, maybe even centuries. Who’d think a thief would sneak into a place like that? The one guard left isn’t gonna be paying attention. It’ll be a cinch... so long as you have this.”

With that, Keele took out a small bottle filled with a red liquid.

“This is Halahala. Poison that can kill a noble.”

Nagi was appalled. “Huh? Where’d you get something like—wait, hang on. There’s no way that kind of thing even exists.”

“It does. Even most nobles don’t know about it. I can’t say where it came from, of course.”

“How do you know it’s the real thing?”

“You sure like to worry about some trivial crap. If you’re not gonna do it, I’ll just go ask some other guy and he can have the treasure. I’m getting the same cut no matter what, so it doesn’t really matter to me. You can just stay here shivering over your lifespan.”

Keele stared into Nagi’s eyes. Unable to stand the pressure, Nagi averted his gaze.

The sight of the village seniors from last year’s Blood Offering Festival came to mind. What remaining lifespan they had had been sucked away as an offering, causing their bodies to rapidly shrivel up.

Their deeply wrinkled dry skin.

Their hopeless eyes.

Nagi’s life was already half over. Was he going to look like that in ten years?

If he had money, he could buy blood. He could buy life.

“I’ll do it,” Nagi said upon coming to his senses.

The corners of Keele’s mouth curved into a wicked smile.

The land of Agartha was essentially a large circle with the capital at its center. There were two main roads, which ran through the capital from north to south and east to west. Two other roads that formed concentric circles around the capital were referred to as the ring roads. These were the main avenues to traverse Agartha. Strano Village was located off the second ring road.

Nagi had been taught this by the village chief, but as most villagers lived their lives without ever leaving the village, it was nothing more than simple knowledge for him. Nagi had only ever gone as far away as a one-day round trip. The only one who ever took longer journeys from Strano Village was the chief, who had to go to the royal capital to fulfill his duty for the blood offering.

Just as Keele had said, the Garden lay within the forest a little off the second ring road. A small path led all the way to the mansion in the forest, but it was quite cleverly hidden by trees. Nobody would be able to find it if they didn’t know it was there.

Nagi ran down what was practically an animal trail for a few hours. He was used to running through forests, so he wasn’t bothered by this. Still, it wasn’t an easy trip.

Before long, a mansion suddenly came into view. It looked like it was a condensation of the forest’s darkness. The blackened mansion couldn’t be seen just a few steps back, but upon drawing nearer, its eerie presence became apparent.

According to the rumors, this was the kind of mansion the nobles in the capital resided in. Or so Nagi believed, at least. It was far larger than any building he had seen before. Nagi didn’t know this, but the Garden was a fair bit smaller than the noble mansions of the capital. In truth, this was very similar to a villa a noble would come to on vacation—excluding the fact it was thoroughly hidden deep within a forest, that is.

The door was probably locked. Not that Nagi was going to brashly march up to the front door, of course. He was here to burgle the place. Nagi looked up at the walls of the building as he began circling it. He then found what he was looking for: a protrusion from the wall which was just big enough to reach the rooftop.

The layout of the building was just as Keele had described. Nagi was starting to believe this dubious information his brother had brought him. Just maybe, this Halahala of his was the real deal. It was still hard to accept, though.

He took the rope he’d brought along with him out of his bag. He normally used it for hunting, and although it was thin, it was sturdy. After testing the hoop he made, Nagi threw it up at the protrusion. The hoop caught onto it without a problem. This was simple work for him, skilled with handling a rope as he was.

Nagi wrapped the rope around his hand and put strength into his arms, beginning his ascent of the wall. He spent his days running through hills and fields while hunting, so his willowy body was well trained. He scaled the wall with the agility of a beast climbing a tree. His supple muscles brought him up to the rooftop in no time at all.

Nagi made his way across the roof toward the center of the building. Just as Keele had said, there was a glass ceiling there. Peering into it, he could see the courtyard below.

He went to break the glass to gain entry, but hesitated upon seeing the brilliant workmanship of the gentle arc the ceiling drew. How exactly had it been made? Glass was a valuable resource in Strano Village, so it was only used for the windows of the chief’s house and the assembly hall. The glass used to make this ceiling must’ve cost a fortune.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t take the whole ceiling back with him. Being unable to take something and breaking it wasn’t all that different, so Nagi readied himself as he held his knife in a backward grip to break the glass.

“Who the hell are you?!” came a loud voice from the other side of the roof.

The lone guard had apparently come out onto the roof from within the building. He ran over while taking a detour to avoid the glass, during which time Nagi corrected the grip on his knife and stood at the ready. His blade was already coated with Halahala. It glowed red in the darkness as it reflected the light from within the building. Thus, the battle between Nagi and the guard began.

Nagi’s consciousness was drawn back from memories of the past to the enemy before him. The battle had reached a stalemate. After being dealt a wounding blow, the guard grew wary of Nagi’s knife and kept his distance. He didn’t actively go on the offense.

“What is a mere commoner doing here on the night of the sacred festival? Offer up your blood obediently and die already.”

His speech was typical of a noble, fanning the flames of Nagi’s anger.

“Don’t screw with me!”

He gripped his knife horizontally and charged in, driven by his rage.

“Tch!”

The guard leaped out of the way, and Nagi gave chase. Both of them had lost themselves to their emotions. As a result, they ended up moving in an unexpected direction: right toward the glass ceiling.

The guard was the first to notice. Upon realizing he was about to step on the fragile glass, he hesitated for a brief moment. Nagi didn’t let this opportunity pass by. He kept his knife at the ready and charged in for a ramming attack, not worrying about the consequences.

Nagi slammed into the guard, sending the two of them hurtling into the ceiling. Nagi tried to stab him... but couldn’t. As the glass shattered, both of them fell through. For an instant, it felt like he was floating in the air. Immediately following that came the intense crash against the floor.

Pain shot up Nagi’s arm and his knife fell from his hand, clattering against the floor. He had hit the floor right hand first. Nagi stood back up, enduring the pain... and suddenly realized someone was there. He couldn’t see them from the rooftop, but there was a person inside the courtyard.

He found himself staring unintentionally, his gaze fixed on the stranger. While he wasn’t aware of it, this very moment would change his life forever.

It was a girl in white.

She was beautiful. So beautiful that Nagi thought he was hallucinating. She had fine silver hair cut evenly at shoulder length. Her snow-white clothes were tailored from modestly woven cloth. Her porcelain skin rivaled the shade of her clothes, and her large eyes shone like gems. Just as she opened those eyes wide in surprise at the two men who had just crashed through the ceiling, Nagi saw that her eyes were... a faint red.

The color was lovelier than every beautiful thing Nagi had seen in his entire life put together. He felt fascinated by those eyes, drawn into them, but before he could lose himself in them, he realized something else. There were several transparent tubes coming from the girl’s white arms. They were filled with a liquid a far deeper red than that of her eyes. Nagi immediately understood what this implied.

A blood offering.

Moreover, it was far harsher than the ones done at Strano Village. A normal blood offering was done on one arm in one place, but this girl had tubes in both arms in several places. Having so much blood stolen from her would place a tremendous burden on her body. It was surely ruthlessly reducing her lifespan.

He realized she was being held captive here. Tonight was the Blood Offering Festival, and this was a blood offering. Not only that, it was being done far more viciously than in the village. This girl had been brought all the way out here from her home and made into a sacrifice. A torrent of emotions gushed forth all at once from within Nagi’s heart.

Stories of nobles using commoner women as their playthings were far too common. While he might have been spurred to save her because of desire, or a sense of chivalry, his primary emotion was anger. This girl, whose beauty surpassed that of anything he had ever known, was being made to taste a form of humiliation he knew far more of than he wanted to.

“I’m coming to save you!”

“Huh?”

Nagi ran toward the surprised girl, and in the next instant, he took a hit from the side and was sent flying.

“You filthy maggot!”

It was the guard who’d crashed through the ceiling with him. Nagi stood back up and observed him. The man showed no signs of injury. It was possible his noble body had healed any wounds he’d received from the fall in an instant. Nagi still didn’t know much about how Halahala affected a noble’s body; he had no idea how long it was supposed to last.

On the other hand, Nagi was covered in wounds. His whole body was racked with pain. His right arm was in particularly bad shape, still throbbing in pain from the fall. It wasn’t broken, but it was pretty much useless for now. Additionally, Nagi’s knife was still on the floor.

His opponent had also dropped his weapon after their fall, so it appeared that they were on even ground... but that was entirely wrong. Nagi’s only weapon was his Halahala-coated knife. The bottle of poison was still in his bag, which he had also dropped upon their landing. It was possible the bottle was broken. Even if it wasn’t, it served no use if he didn’t have it on hand.

The guard sneered at him. It was the face of a carnivore standing before its prey. He understood that Nagi was no match for him without his knife.

“You’re just a commoner,” he snarled. “I’ll kill you.”

“Stop!” the girl screamed.

But the guard only gave her a glance and ignored her plea.

“Die!”

He came down with a punch. While it was not a particularly skillful attack, Nagi couldn’t dodge it. The pain and numbness assaulting his body made him incapable of moving freely. Leaning over and making the strike deviate slightly was the best he could do. Still, it wasn’t enough to get out of the way completely. Nagi took the punch to his cheek. He was sent flying back while vomiting blood. The guard walked up to the now fallen Nagi and stomped on him with the heel of his boot.

“You lowly plebeian. You dare inflict a wound on me, a noble? Just killing you won’t be enough. I’ll break all the bones in your arms and legs and then tear out your bowels.”

The guard’s eyes were bloodshot, flickering with a cruel delight.

“Stop! He’s still a child! Can’t you hear me?!”

I’m not a child, Nagi thought to himself needlessly as pain staggered his mind. The girl looked about the same age as him. I’m not a child anymore. I’m way past that point. As proof, I don’t have that much time left to live.

The guard continued to ignore her.

“That’s why I hate this job,” he said in a purposefully loud voice to nobody in particular. “Getting stuck here today of all days... Fuck me, I think my ears were done in by the fall. I can’t hear a thing.”

The girl realized the reason for the guard’s act and clenched her teeth. He was planning on ignoring her completely. A cheerful smile took shape on his slightly dirtied face.

“Oh well. Guess I’ll distract myself by torturing this maggot! Playing with men isn’t really my thing, but I’ve got no other choice.”

The guard kicked Nagi hard in the belly, causing the contents of his stomach to lurch out of his mouth. His face was now a mess of tears, blood, and vomit.

“Haha. How filthy. Well, you are a commoner. Filth suits your kind. Now, now, you’ll dirty my boots.”

Am I going to be killed by a noble in a place like this? Without obtaining a thing? Being made fun of the entire time? Nagi thought to himself hazily.

“A low-born like you is no different from cattle. When you forget you’re only being allowed to live so that you can offer your blood, you need to be properly punished!”

Is this all my life amounts to? Nagi wondered, then suddenly realized something. If I die, what happens to her? He didn’t believe she would be all right after such a vicious blood offering.

“Run! Get away from here!” Nagi yelled.

“Run...?” The girl once more looked like she couldn’t understand what he was saying.

“Quit your yapping,” the guard said, grabbing Nagi by the collar and lifting him off the ground.

He chucked Nagi toward a large tree in the courtyard. Intense pain shot through Nagi’s back. As his body bent around the tree, he spotted a dim light. It came from his knife, which had fallen to the ground just a short distance away. It was the one and only weapon capable of defeating his enemy. The guard hadn’t noticed it yet, but it was still too far away. Nagi wouldn’t be able to pick it up in time with his wounded body.

“Shall I start by crushing that noisy throat of yours?” The guard moved in to torture Nagi some more.

“Don’t!” the girl cried as she began running toward them.

She was completely ignoring the tubes in her arms. After a moment of resistance, the needles at the end of the tubes were plucked out, scattering red blood into the air. She threw herself between the guard and Nagi to block his path, but the guard frivolously thrust her aside, sending her down to the ground next to Nagi.

“Shit, I’ve really done it now. Well, guess I’ve got to seal that mouth of yours, too.”

Nobody noticed.

Not Nagi, still hazy from the pain.

Not the guard, who was trying to figure out how to hide the fact that he’d unintentionally hit the girl.

Not even the girl herself.

When she had fallen, a single drop of the blood coming out of her arm had stuck to the guard’s body.

“Hey,” the girl whispered to Nagi. “Is it really okay for me to run?”

He thought it was an odd question. There was nothing else to do but run. Defeat the enemy before him and run away.

“Of course it is. Let’s run away together,” he answered.

All for the sake of living.

Nagi unconsciously gripped the girl’s hand. He was surprised by the soft sensation against his palm. He had never felt anything like it in his life. That fleeting feeling caused him to reflexively entwine his fingers with hers.

“Run away... together?”

The moment their bloodstained fingers were linked, Nagi felt like he heard the sound of two hearts beating—something he shouldn’t have been able to hear.

Their hearts were beating in harmony. In rhythm to the pulse, the girl’s eyes turned a deeper and deeper red. A crimson mark manifested on the back of her hand, taking the shape of some sort of crest.

Suddenly, the guard’s shriek echoed all around them, and he immediately collapsed to the ground. Nagi had no idea why it had happened, but his body instantly reacted to the opportunity he’d been given. He jumped up, grabbed his knife with his left hand, and launched himself at the fallen guard’s body all in one fell motion.

The knife plunged right into the guard’s heart. Having been dealt an unhealable wound to his most vital organ, the guard belted out another animalistic scream and perished.

It was an instant death.

Nagi had killed him.

He had killed someone.

Not just anyone—he had killed a noble.

A voice brought his dazed consciousness back to reality.

“Are you all right?”

It was the girl.

Nagi’s entire body felt like it was burning with pain. Several of his bones might’ve been broken. Nevertheless, Nagi nodded. He was alive, so everything was fine.

He took another look at her. Her beautiful eyes were once more a faint red, and her pale hand no longer had a mark on it.

What exactly was that?

It was as if he had seen a hallucination from the pain. Moreover, why had the guard collapsed? Nagi was about to ask the girl if she had any clue what happened, then realized he didn’t even know her name.

“Um, you are?” he asked.

“Saya.”

“I’m Nagi. Are you okay?”

“Okay?” she echoed.

“Erm... Did they do anything to you?”

The girl didn’t look humiliated, but it wouldn’t have been strange if something nefarious had been done to her considering she’d been held captive.

“No, no one did anything to me. Not ever.”

For some reason, Saya looked far off into the distance. Unable to understand the meaning behind it, Nagi felt a bit troubled. He instinctively averted his gaze and took a look around.

Saya apparently interpreted this gesture as wariness. “This man was the only guard tonight. There’s nobody else here.”

Was such a thing possible? This man had nearly killed him, but he hadn’t been skilled by any definition of the word. Regardless of the circumstances Keele had spoken of, was it really possible for such a man to be the only guard left to protect a treasure? This series of doubts racing through Nagi’s mind was abruptly wiped away by a single word: treasure.

“Where’s the treasure?” he asked.

Saya daintily cocked her head to the side. “Treasure...? This isn’t that sort of place. There’s nothing of worth here.”

Her red eyes looked truly dispirited.

“You’re kidding!”

All of Keele’s information had been accurate, but the single most important part was apparently wrong. Nagi looked around in a panic. The courtyard beneath the glass ceiling was quite literally a garden. It was filled with well-trimmed vegetation, but that was it. There was nothing valuable worth taking.

“Did you come all the way out here looking for such a thing? Just for treasure?”

“Not just for treasure... If I had treasure or money, then I wouldn’t need to go through the blood offering. They say you can buy blood—lifespan—in the capital. It’s possible to live longer that way.”

“Do you want to live longer?”

“Doesn’t everyone? There’s no downside to living a long life.”

Saya shook her head. “Being granted a long life without purpose only brings suffering. Only when one acquires hope does their life become their own.”

Nagi didn’t know what she was saying, but he somehow grasped the meaning behind her words. “You mean just living a long life is painful?”

That was a novel way of looking at it, from his perspective. Nagi had only ever thought that he didn’t have enough life. He tried imagining it for himself. Say he was given a longer lifespan. For example, eternal life, just like a noble. He couldn’t even fathom it.

“Someone once told me that even if one lives a long life, if there is no hope there, it doesn’t belong to oneself. Is that truly living?”

Saya’s words were becoming more and more unintelligible. But this time, Nagi managed to imagine it just a little. He had never once thought of his life up until now as his own. A commoner’s life was for the sake of nobles, after all.

“You have a point. I kind of feel like I get it. Just extending that kind of life is meaningless.”

Saya gazed at Nagi as she listened to him. Upon suddenly meeting her faint red eyes, Nagi’s heart leaped. He quickly averted his gaze.

“Oh well. Shall we get going?”

“Get going? Where to?”

“Well, I guess there’s nowhere to go but Strano. Back to my village, I mean. I didn’t manage to get anything here, though. Where are you from, Saya? I’ll take you there.”

Nagi was under the impression that Saya had been brought here from some village for the Blood Offering Festival. He had never heard of such a thing before, but it wasn’t unbelievable. It was possible that the noble who owned the Garden had long had his eyes on this otherworldly beauty and used the blood offering as an excuse to bring her here. She had spoken of some strange things too, so perhaps she was a resident of the rumored capital.

“I don’t know,” Saya said with a dark expression.

Evidently, she had her own circumstances to consider. It was likely that the noble who supervised her village had promised to reduce the village’s obligations for blood offerings in return for Saya’s surrender. If so, she couldn’t possibly go back.

“I see. In that case, you can come with me to my village.”

Nagi was excluded from this year’s blood offering. He would likely get yelled at for skipping out on the festival, but that was all it would amount to. Nagi was now a criminal who would normally be executed for laying his hands on a noble, but Saya was the only one who knew of this.

“Is it okay for me to go there?”

“People come to the village from elsewhere all the time. Like, brides and stuff.”

“Brides?”

Saya looked at him with a blank stare, and Nagi realized he had just said something with unthinkable implications. His cheeks turned bright red. It was as though he’d just proposed to a girl he had just met.

“We can think up the details later. Anyway, let’s get out of here.”

Saya looked up at the hole in the ceiling that Nagi and the guard had created. She then returned her gaze to Nagi, asking the same question she had during the fight. “Is it okay for me to run away from here with you?”

Nagi answered without hesitation, assuming she was uncertain because she didn’t want to impose on him and his village. “Obviously. It’s your life. You can decide for yourself.” With that, he held out his hand.

“I can do something like that?”

Nagi didn’t pay attention to the tremble in her voice. He thought little of what he was saying, after all.

“Well, yeah. Come on, I’ll protect you until we get somewhere safe. I promise.”

There was no deep meaning behind his words. Nagi’s mind was completely focused on the warmth of Saya’s hand as she grabbed his, causing his heart to throb.

Saya cast her eyes to the floor and slowly nodded. Her pale cheeks were kissed by a touch of pink.

Neither the girl, bewildered by this unknown emotion, nor the boy, who was instinctively charmed by her, had any idea of how many would die because of the blood bringing that slight tinge to her cheeks.

They didn’t know how much blood would be shed because of the feelings born between them in this very moment.

2

After taking a brief look around the building, Nagi and Saya left the Garden behind. Just as she had said, there wasn’t much of value within. The only objects worth anything were too bulky to carry out, like large furniture.

Nagi pointed out her white clothes stood out too much and were too thin to go through the forest, so Saya brought along a somewhat oversized ocher hooded overcoat. It had belonged to the guard and was quite valuable considering the noble family crest embroidered on its lining, but it was spoiled by all the blood on it. Saya didn’t seem to mind the blood as she put it on.

The boots they had nicked off the guard’s corpse were too big for her, but after packing them with cloth, she could walk in them without any problems. Nagi was worried whether the dainty-looking Saya could walk through the forest, but she kept up with him surprisingly well. On the contrary, Nagi was the one slowing them down because of his wounds. Having said that, they weren’t so bad that he needed to stop.

The return journey was long, but after a few hours, they came out of the forest and onto the second ring road just as the sun was rising. Saya found it blindingly bright and tugged her hood over her eyes.

“I’ve only ever bathed under the sunlight through the glass.”

Ever, she had said. Perhaps Saya had been in that building longer than Nagi had imagined. But he didn’t have the time to dwell on it. The pain and fatigue he was feeling were horrible. He had lost too much blood. It was difficult for him to think of anything other than getting back and falling asleep.

“It’s just a little farther to the village, so hang in there,” he said.

Saya was far more energetic than he was, though. “So beautiful,” she said as she gazed at the scenery painted by the morning glow, regardless of how bright she found it.

Fields stretched out from the road where lush wheat swayed in the wind. Wheat grew quickly and could be harvested several times a year, so this type of crop was cultivated all over Agartha.

It was a blessing bestowed upon them by the Intelligence. The land of Agartha was surrounded by a circle of enormous mountains, but there was nothing beyond them. The land, the crops, all of this had been given to them by the Intelligence.

“It’s a plain old wheat field.”

“I’ve never seen one before. Or maybe I saw one long ago but have forgotten now.”

“Hmm. Oh, by the way, keep your hood on and don’t talk until we get to my house. There’ll be trouble if they find out you’re a girl.”

As Strano Village finally appeared on the horizon, Nagi focused as he threw Saya some vague instructions.

Now then, how to dodge the question about Saya? he thought to himself as they walked toward the village.

Suddenly, a voice called out to him. “Nagi! Where’ve you been?” It was Nerthe, a villager who was about the same age as Nagi. “I didn’t hear anything about you skipping the festival to go hunting. You should’ve called me.”

Hearing this, Nagi was relieved; his absence apparently hadn’t become a serious matter.

“So, who’s that?” Nerthe asked.

“Just someone I met while out hunting. Well, a lot happened.”

Nagi’s explanation wasn’t really an explanation at all. Saya lightly bowed her head while still wearing her hood low over her eyes.

“Sorry about the festival. Was the chief pissed?”

“Not at all. He didn’t have time for that. The village is going nuts over a ghost.”

“A ghost?”

“Seems like Jozu saw a dead person walking around or something, so he’s been making a fuss.”

“Hmm, whose ghost?”

“Dunno. The chief went pale and took Jozu away when he heard it... Things turned weird, so the festival is done. This year was basically just the blood offering itself. It was super boring.”

Nagi realized this had to do with Keele. Someone had seen him. There were those in the village who truly believed he was dead.

Nerthe then took a close look at Saya beneath her hood. “A girl?”

“Y-Yes,” Saya blurted.

It was too late by the time Nagi noticed. Saya realized her own mistake immediately after. Nerthe began yelling upon hearing her feminine voice.

“Dammit! Really?! That’s so unfair! That’s what you meant by hunting?! You went to another village’s festival to hook up with girls?!”

Nerthe’s interpretation was somewhat unexpected, but Nagi decided to leave it at that. It was better than the truth: that he had killed a noble and brought the girl who was being held captive along with him.

“Sorry. Hey, keep it a secret, will you?”

“Only if you introduce me to another girl. That’s my condition.”

“Fine.”

So he said, but Nagi didn’t have anyone to introduce him to.

“Deal. Honestly, I’m finding it pretty hard to forgive you, but get home and start flirting already. Gah! What a pain!”

Setting aside Nerthe, who started mumbling, “Why only you?” to himself with downcast eyes, Nagi turned to Saya.

“Let’s leave this guy be.”

Saya silently nodded back. She was apparently reflecting on her earlier mistake.

By the time they arrived at the entrance of Strano Village, the sun was high up in the sky and the villagers were already up and about. Nagi had wanted to sneak back in during the night if possible, but it was way too late for that.

The person he least wanted to see right now was standing before him. It was the village chief, Badrino. He was the oldest person in the village at twenty-five. His skin was like the bark of a dead tree, covered in deep wrinkles. His voice was hoarse and his eyes were hazy. He had aged considerably. Having said that, his mind was still sound, and he commanded the respect of the entire village.

“What’s this about you missing the festival? Even if you’re not responsible for the blood offering this year, you should still be present.”

“No, I... Erm...”

“Besides, who’s this you’ve brought back with you?”

Nagi needed to think of an excuse for not participating in the village festival and for bringing Saya along. He couldn’t figure out an answer to either of these problems himself, so he decided to use Nerthe’s misunderstanding.

“I went to another festival and met her there. I mean, it’s about time I start thinking about this kind of stuff, right?”

Currently, there were a few more young men in the village than women. It was guaranteed some would be left without partners, which was a bit of an annoyance for Badrino. Naturally, Nagi was one of them. He had realized a while ago that the girls of the village avoided him for some reason. It had all started when Keele vanished.

“Is that so? Where’d she come from, though?”

Nagi mentioned the name of a village that wasn’t unnaturally far away. It wasn’t at a distance which he could visit frequently, but it was still within the range of a day trip. It would eventually become apparent that a girl named Saya had never existed there, but it would be enough to fool the chief for now. Saya kept up her silence all the while.

“You went all the way there? I’ve about had it with you. You brought her from that far away, too?”

“That’s how it is, yep. Look, we’re pretty tired. Can I go now?”

“If she’s here as your wife, then you have to register her.”

That word had Saya wide-eyed and Nagi in a panic.

“Hang on! Don’t be hasty! We’re not like that!”

“I see. That honestly saves me some trouble.”

Badrino looked dead serious. Apparently, his professional duties had already filled his head to the brim. In short, he had to manage how many villagers there were, keep them alive, and distribute who took part in the blood offerings.

“By the way, there’s something I want to ask you. It might sound a little strange. It’s about your brother.”

Nagi was glad he’d met Nerthe earlier. He’d known that the chief would ask him about this, so he managed to keep his composure. In a cold voice, he said, “My brother is dead.”

This was Nagi’s normal response when suddenly asked about Keele. He was the completely common little brother of a man who had vanished despite his promising talent.

“Dead... You’re right. Sorry for bringing it up.”

Faced with Nagi’s quiet irritation, he couldn’t possibly say the ghost of his brother had appeared. This was just an act, but the chief didn’t seem to sense anything out of place in Nagi’s behavior. There was no way he would. Nagi’s icy feelings toward Keele were the real thing. In any case, judging from Badrino’s tone, he probably knew Keele was actually alive.

“That man we just met, is he in poor health?” Saya asked after they had entered Nagi’s house and shut the door.

Nagi tossed his bag aside and took off his bow and quiver as he said, “No, I don’t think so. Well, he’s pretty up there. It’s rare for someone to be that energetic over twenty-five.”

“Twenty-five?” she echoed, dumbfounded.

“Surprised? He looks younger than that, right? The chief’s business apparently made a killing when he was younger. He managed to escape the blood offerings multiple times using that money.”

Badrino didn’t speak of it much, but Nagi remembered this clearly. He’d been floored when he’d first heard of it, thinking that maybe one day he could extend his own lifespan in the same way. That feeling still smoldered within him, and it was what Keele had used to get Nagi to act so recklessly this time around.

Saya sank into a gloomy silence, but Nagi didn’t know what had her making such a grave expression. He decided to brush it off as perfectly reasonable. Saya had practically been sold by her hometown as a sacrifice and made to go through that harsh blood offering before getting narrowly saved from it.

Nagi himself had fought until he was in tatters and killed someone for the first time. His fatigue was reaching its limits.

“You can use that bed over there. Sorry it’s a little dirty,” he said as he spread out an old blanket on the floor.

“I’ll be fine with that,” she replied, pointing at the blanket, but Nagi would hear none of it.

“Don’t worry, just take the bed.”

Nagi was a little curious as to what kind of expression she would make if he suggested getting in the bed together. On any other day, that would have been a very attractive proposition for a boy of Nagi’s age. Nagi had never known someone so beautiful existed in this world until now, and that person was in his bed. It was only natural that his mind would entertain such idle thoughts.

Saya had looked dazzled when the word “wife” had been mentioned earlier. Would such a thing be possible? If Saya had been driven out of her hometown, then wasn’t it possible for her to live here together with Nagi?

Just imagining it sent a sweet sensation through Nagi’s heart. But unfortunately, Nagi was in far too much pain and far too tired. He wanted to lie down on top of the old rag immediately. Getting some rest was far more attractive an idea to him than any strange desires.

“Good night.”

And as he listened to his own voice, Nagi’s consciousness rapidly drifted away.

Saya gazed at his defenseless sleeping face, at the boy who had broken through her glass birdcage and had fallen from the sky. The boy named Nagi looked terribly innocent like this. Saya couldn’t believe he’d managed to accomplish something so outrageous.

In truth, he had brought her out of the Forbidden Garden—her prison. What exactly had happened there? Saya’s captivity, which had been unchanged for hundreds of years, had suddenly come to an end. All because this boy had fallen through the ceiling and opened a hole in it.

Even though it had been the day of the Blood Offering Festival, it was strange for only a single guard to have been on site. They had always taken turns keeping her under surveillance, so at least two guards had needed to be present at all times. But now that she thought about it, there had only been one guard for the last few Blood Offering Festivals. Several decades ago, it had been two, and before that, there were three. Going even further back, there had been four guards. Evidently, the guards placed to keep an eye on her had grown fewer in number over time. Was such a thing possible? Had someone been preparing for years upon years to get Saya out of there? If so...

Saya once more looked at Nagi as he quietly slept. Had he been sent to her by that same person? The thought sent a slight pain through Saya’s heart, though she didn’t really understand why.

But Nagi hadn’t known that Saya was in the Garden. He’d said that he had gone there searching for treasure. What exactly was this treasure? Saya knew every nook and cranny of that building. There was no such thing.

It was all a mystery to her. Why had that guard suddenly collapsed? Certainly, it had been Saya’s doing, but how? At that time, she had felt something unusual: heat overflowing from within her body. It felt like something had been born from this heat.

It’s Nagi. When I touched Nagi, I... I wonder what happened exactly? The feeling had vanished in an instant, but she knew it was something important.

There was so much she didn’t know. What was with that man, the village chief called Badrino? His face was covered in wrinkles, and his eyes were clouded white. Was he not afflicted with some sort of disease? And twenty-five years old at that... It had been Saya’s first time meeting someone so young.

Incidentally, how old was Nagi? No matter where her mind wandered, it always drifted back to the boy sleeping before her eyes.

She couldn’t do anything but gaze at his face.

“You can run away,” he had said.

“Come with me.”

“I’ll protect you.”

Saya looked at her right palm. She felt like the warmth from Nagi’s hard and rugged hand was still there. Something within her had changed upon feeling the sensation she had never known before. She didn’t know what it was, but there was one thing she was certain of.

I want to be with this boy.

3

How much time had passed since he fell asleep? Nagi was woken up by the sound of banging on the sliding door to his house.

“Nagi! Hey, Nagi! Get up! It’s a noble! A knight is here!”

It was Nerthe’s voice. His words tore Nagi from his sleep in an instant. Nagi leaped up in a panic and opened the door, causing sunlight to pour into the room. He had apparently slept until just past noon.

“What’s going on?”

“I dunno. A knight suddenly showed up and started talking to the chief. You can’t just stay in your house with a noble here, right?!”

An unannounced visit by a noble didn’t even happen once a year. When one did happen to stop by, it was customary for the villagers to greet the visitor in the square.

“Thanks, you saved me.”

“Hurry up. The chief’s gonna gather everyone soon.”

With that, Nerthe ran off. Nagi closed the door in a hurry.

A knight? The day after the Blood Offering Festival?

It was abnormal. Nobles were always busy around this time, which was why they left the village chiefs in charge of carrying out the rituals and bringing the siphoned blood to the royal palace. Nagi had a clue as to what had brought about this abnormal situation—it was him. There was no mistaking it. The knight had come to find Nagi, a major criminal who had killed a noble.

“What’s the matter?” Saya asked as she got up.

“It seems a noble is here.”

“A noble?” Saya cocked her head to one side as though she didn’t even know what a “noble” was.

But now wasn’t the time to address it.

“We have to get out of here. They might already know.”

Saya seemed to understand; her expression hardened.

“For now, put that on,” Nagi said, opening the door just a crack to take a peek outside. There was nobody around. “Now’s our only chance to run. Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”

Nagi grabbed his bag as Saya put on her overcoat. Fortunately, he hadn’t unpacked, so everything he needed was already inside. He picked up his bow and quiver, then quietly opened the door. Saya timidly took Nagi’s hand. He gave her hand a firm squeeze as if to put her mind at ease. Despite their grave situation, his heart leaped.

They left the house and circled around it. No one was there to witness their departure. Nagi’s backyard led directly into the woods. It wasn’t as dense as the forest where the Forbidden Garden was, but there were enough trees to obstruct the view. An outsider like a noble would have an even harder time noticing them. Nagi’s only option was to get through these woods and run away from Strano Village without being spotted.

He’d managed to make it through the denser forest, so traversing this one would be nothing. Nagi and Saya quickly ran through the trees. Even as the village vanished from sight, the two of them did not slow their pace.

What was he going to do afterward, though? Nagi drove that thought to the back of his mind. Things would work out one way or another. It was possible he could return to the village once things had calmed down, but first he had to get away from here.

Suddenly, a voice called out, “You two, stop!”

Still running, Nagi turned to look behind them. In the distance, he could see someone in a military uniform. This was likely the knight in question; they had already been found.

“If you do not stop, I shall judge you guilty of treason!” the knight yelled in a dignified voice.

Nagi realized that the knight was a woman. Was she implying she would show mercy if he stopped? All commoners knew such nobles didn’t exist. Fortunately, Nagi was more familiar with running through outdoor paths than she was. There was no way a noble could catch up to him in a place like this.

However, this belief proved to be naïve.

“I’m telling you to stop! Don’t think you can get away!”

The moment she yelled, the knight leaped through the air with astonishing force. She flew up over twice the height of an average man and kicked off the thick branches. Her physical strength was unfathomable.

Nobles were so strong that commoners could never hurt them. In fact, no attack had worked on the guard of the Forbidden Garden aside from the sting of the Halahala. Nagi knew this as well. But what was this farce before his eyes?

At last, Nagi understood that nobles were genuine monsters. But there were still many things he didn’t know. He didn’t know that the nobles who normally came by Strano Village were not, in fact, soldiers. He didn’t know that the guard at the Garden had been an underling who’d drawn the short straw. He didn’t know that the knight before him in this very moment was an elite among the elite. He didn’t know she was a life-form on a completely different level, having honed her noble body for many long years, which already far surpassed those of humans to begin with.

The knight jumped off the branches with terrifying vigor, passing overhead and landing in front of Nagi and Saya. Her beautiful face was accentuated by glamorous blonde hair tied in a weave. Had he not seen it for himself, he would’ve never believed that a woman could just leap from trees like that.

“Don’t waste my time. There’s no need to run if you aren’t guilty of—” Her eyes opened wide as she looked at Saya, whose hood had come down while she was running. The knight’s gaze was fixed on the silver hair which was now out in the open.

“Silver hair... Red eyes... Lady Saya, you’re safe!” Evidently, she knew Saya. Her attitude left Nagi rather confused.

“Lady” Saya?

“It is an honor to make your acquaintance. My name is Jubilia Erste lu Listeta the Third. I have been ordered to see to your safety, Lady Saya.” The knight, Jubilia, bowed reverently before continuing. “I didn’t think you’d escape to this manner of village. Judging from how your guard was killed, I was under the assumption the culprit was a noble. I thought it was the work of one discontent with the present regime, so I had my troops head to the residences of nobles in every region.”

It seemed she still didn’t know Nagi was the actual culprit.

“What exactly happened? It seems you got away on your own, but what happened to the killer?”

Saya maintained her silence.

“Oh, pardon me. You can inform me of the details at a later date. For now, I shall see you safely to the royal palace.”

“I’m not going with you,” Saya told her bluntly.

“Uh... What?”

“I’m running away. I’m going with Nagi.” Saya suddenly grabbed Nagi’s left hand.

“Nagi? Do you mean this commoner boy?”

Jubilia shifted her focus to Nagi for the very first time. A commoner was completely worthless to a noble, but she didn’t treat Saya that way at all. Nagi could no longer suppress his suspicions, which had been taking shape within him ever since he’d heard Jubilia speak. Was Saya a noble? He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t want to believe it. But that was the only conclusion he could come to after listening to their conversation.

“Who is he?” Jubilia asked.

“Nagi saved me.”

“What?”

“He freed me. I won’t go back there ever again.”

Jubilia knit her brows. The air about her changed as she looked at Nagi. She now gave off the same impression as the forest’s many carnivores.

“What do you mean? This plebeian freed you?”

Nagi somehow overcame his fear and returned Jubilia’s glare.

“Do you mean to say you’re the one who killed that guard? That can’t be.” she asked him.

Nagi wasn’t stupid enough to say yes, but Jubilia could infer the answer from the atmosphere around them.

“I don’t believe it.”

Nagi couldn’t even believe it himself. Halahala was just that outlandish. Jubilia, however, was an outstanding knight. She sternly admonished those who would make light of an enemy by stubbornly adhering to what they believed was possible. Therefore, she recognized Nagi as her enemy.

Jubilia smoothly drew the slender sword at her waist. Her bloodlust sent a shiver down Nagi’s spine.

“Step away from Lady Saya. Now.”

In that moment. Saya tightened her grip on Nagi’s hand. The warmth he felt from her made him remember.

That’s right. I promised to protect Saya until we got somewhere safe. For now, he could leave the matter of her being a noble for later.

“I refuse.”

Nagi squeezed out those words as he drew the knife at his waist with his free hand. It was wounded, but he had recovered enough to at least use a knife. The poison that had coated the blade had long since dried up, though. Even Nagi thought this was rather foolish of him. He was bluffing. Not only that, he was bluffing to a noble.

“Then I shan’t show mercy.”

It happened in an instant. Jubilia was still a few paces away, but to Nagi, it looked like she suddenly appeared right before his eyes. She charged in at once with the overwhelming strength she had put on display earlier. Nagi brought his knife forward on reflex, which clashed with Jubilia’s sword and let out a shrill ring.

“Hmm, so you stopped it.”

Nagi swung his hand, still stinging with numbness. At this range, a knife was faster, but Jubilia frivolously dodged his attack and jumped back. Her movements made it seem as though the natural laws binding her body differed from his.

“I see. Rather impressive for a commoner. Compared to the norm of trembling and freezing up in fear, that is.”

Jubilia approached with a leisurely slash, which Nagi barely managed to evade. It was just as she said; Nagi had only just realized it himself. The man he’d defeated at the Garden had been mere small-fry. This was a noble. This was a vampire.

His instincts were screaming at him, telling him this knight was an apex predator. Her piercing glare was enough to urge Nagi to drop everything and run away. The only thing stopping him from doing so was his petty pride and his promise to protect Saya.

He could tell that despite saying she would show no mercy, Jubilia wasn’t serious at all. She was chipping away at Nagi’s fighting spirit without actually hurting him. This was likely out of consideration for Saya. Even so, it took everything he had to dodge her attacks. He was rapidly being driven into a corner.

Just when he thought all was lost, Saya challenged Jubilia. She had a branch gripped in her hands. It was nothing more than a branch, but Jubilia was forced to dodge and momentarily stop her onslaught.

“Lady Saya, you know such attacks are meaningless against me. You couldn’t possibly believe otherwise.”

Jubilia was perplexed. Saya said nothing and simply glared at her.

“I don’t understand,” Jubilia muttered as she looked back at Nagi. “Nagi, was it? How did you defeat the guard?”

It had been thanks to the Halahala, but he had no reason to tell her this. He still had some left in the bag he was carrying. So long as he had that...

“I did it. I defeated the guard,” Saya interjected, brandishing the branch.

“That’s a lie. If so, you wouldn’t be holding that thing in your hands right now.”

Nagi recalled that at the time, Saya really had done something. However, there was no way to tell what that something had been.

“No, it’s true. I don’t remember how, but I did it. I’m sure of it. So, I might be able to defeat you after all, even with something like this.”

“That would be impossible. Considering you believe something so ludicrous, it seems you have yet to awaken.”

There was too much about this conversation Nagi didn’t understand. All he knew was that the power Saya had used back then wouldn’t be of use here. More importantly, Jubilia’s attention had been drawn away from him. Nagi rummaged through his bag with one hand and removed the lid from the bottle of Halahala. Gripping the bottle tightly to keep it hidden, he carefully slipped it out of his bag.

“In any case, I must report this matter to Lord Lernaean. You need to come with me to the royal palace.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Saya yelled vehemently.

Jubilia’s eyes widened; her momentary surprise presented Nagi with a brief window of opportunity. He sprang forth with his knife at the ready. With an angry cry, he moved into a flashy strike that seemed like it would never reach her. Jubilia easily dealt with it.

“Too soft.”

Regardless, Nagi didn’t give up. He swung his knife to and fro with small, sweeping motions, and Jubilia lightly hopped back. In that instant, Nagi threw the bottle in his left hand. The knight was unable to react in time, and the bottle struck her. Poison spilled out and stained her clothes.

“And what exactly is this supposed to accomplish?”

The poison had no effect. Nagi was taken aback. This was impossible. Halahala was supposed to be highly effective on nobles.

Crap. How do I get out of here now?

“This isn’t the time to be playing around,” Jubilia said, shaking her head. “Lady Saya, you’ll be coming with me.”

“No,” Saya replied.

“Please do not oppose me. Your wounds will heal even if I cut you with this blade. Thus, the option of cutting off your limbs and dragging you along remains open.” Letting these terrifying words hang in the air, Jubilia turned to Nagi. “If Lady Saya was the one to defeat the guard in the Garden, that makes you nothing more than a commoner. You have no value. If you say you kidnapped Lady Saya, then the death penalty awaits you. As such, I can execute you right here. Your death will be much easier that way.”

“Stop it!” Saya cried.

“If you come along with me obediently, I will make it so this boy was never here to begin with. You escaped on your own. Without anybody’s help.”

Both Nagi and Saya instantly understood what she was getting at. If Saya obeyed her, she would show Nagi clemency. Saya looked clearly shaken by this.

“I...”

“Whatever you choose makes no difference to me. Either way, you will be coming with me to the royal palace.”

“That’s not gonna fly,” a voice said as a shadow suddenly fell from the trees.

The shadow swung a large sword at Jubilia. She managed to block the attack with her slender blade on the spur of the moment.

“Who goes there?!”

The interloper had long hair and thin cheeks. His gaze was like a blade sharpened to its limits.

“I don’t got a reason to tell you... But you sure are a beauty, huh? I’ll tell you if you tell me your name,” Nagi’s older brother, Keele, said as he sneered at Jubilia.

“Don’t mess with me!”

“Ain’t you supposed to declare your names at times like these? Come on. It’s part of that whole honor code bullshit you nobles like to wax on about, yeah?”

Jubilia was enraged by Keele’s teasing as she roared back at him. “I am Jubilia Erste lu Listeta!”

“Hah. You really told me. Well, I’m Keele.”

“A commoner,” she huffed. “If you are here to obstruct me, then I shall eliminate you.”

“I can’t let that happen.” Keele put his weight into his front leg, then aimed his sword over his left shoulder. “Let’s get it on!”

With that, he charged at Jubilia.

“You couldn’t possibly land such a wide swing!”

“You’d think so, yeah?”

In an instant, Keele’s sword suddenly changed directions and chased after the bewildered Jubilia as she dodged.

“What?!”

Unable to get away from the blow completely, the sword grazed her shoulder.

“Augh!”

Jubilia’s face was steeped in anguish.

“Sorry. I didn’t learn no fancy swordsmanship like some noble brat. I’ve got some pretty nasty habits. But man, you’re good. Didn’t think you’d dodge it. That’s a knight for you.”

Jubilia held down the wound on her shoulder as she groaned. Her voice couldn’t hide her agitation. “What... What is going on?”

“Hurts, don’t it? A wound that doesn’t heal, that is.”

“You’re saying that’s a blood caliber? Impossible. There’s no way a commoner could use one!”

“Of course not. This here’s Halahala. But that’s not the important thing here. You nobles—you fucking vampires—can be killed by this.”

“Don’t you dare use that word!”

Keele’s provocation, using what nobles considered to be the worst slur, was quite effective. Jubilia was now enraged. Keele took this chance to dart toward her, catching her off guard and delaying her reaction. She just barely managed to evade his attack.

“Looks like my idiot little brother misunderstood how this stuff works. This here saps a noble’s ability to regenerate. There’s no point in smearin’ it on somebody.”

Realization washed over Jubilia. “That liquid did this?!”

Keele was strong. In his current state, he couldn’t even be compared to the Keele who had lived in the village. His sword skills looked rough at a glance, but that was a lure to skillfully guide his opponent into a trap. Jubilia was a first-class warrior in terms of technique, but having only experienced proper training, she was a poor match for Keele. Thus, he continued to trifle with her.

Regardless, Keele lacked the means to deal a decisive blow. The difference between their physical abilities was far too great. No matter how much stronger Keele had gotten, it would be impossible for him to duplicate such feats of strength as leaping to and from treetops as she had done earlier. The only ones capable of doing so were nobles like Jubilia, and even then, only the best among those chosen as knights.

Despite being put on the defensive, Jubilia used her astounding jumping ability to maintain some distance between them. Keele had no way of attacking her, so it was a stalemate. At least, it would’ve been, if only the two of them were involved in this fight.

“Nagi! Shoot the wet spots!” Keele shouted.

Nagi quickly readied his bow and loosed an arrow. His fast and efficient movements were those of a skilled hunter. Jubilia dodged the arrow, as she had no other choice.

He was aiming for the areas dampened with Halahala. According to Keele, the poison stole a noble’s regenerative abilities. So, what would happen if an arrow pierced through a spot covered in the stuff? The arrowhead would surely pierce her body, poison and all. Unable to heal, the resulting wound could prove fatal.

Jubilia now understood why Keele had gone out of his way to tell her how it worked; it was so that he could make use of the opening born when she was forced to dodge Nagi’s arrows. She narrowly avoided Keele’s slash, and in the next instant, another arrow came flying in at her.

With the scales now tipped in her enemies’ favor, Jubilia’s demeanor changed. For some reason, she sheathed her sword, but the nearly tangible bloodlust radiating from her only grew. Upon seeing this, Keele grew giddy.

“Oh man, you’re gonna use it? I ain’t no noble.”

“You know what I’m about to do?”

“Not my first time fighting a vampire.”

“It can’t be... Are you a noble-killer? A member of Cobalt?!”

“So what if I am?”

Jubilia hesitated for a moment, then said, “Sorry, but I’ll be postponing this bout.”

The knight then turned and escaped deep into the forest. She was so fast that by the time Nagi noticed, she was already gone.

“Tch. You’d rather go pass on this intel, huh?” Keele spat as he sheathed his sword. “That’s some skill she’s got. Without a blood caliber, too. Things would’ve been bad for us if even one little thing had gone wrong.” In contrast to the gravity of his words, his lips twisted into a smile. “Next time, I’ll fucking kill ’er.”

Nagi was still in a daze. All he knew was that he had been saved.

“Thank you very much,” Saya said to Keele.

“Hmm, what a cutie. So, you’re Saya?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Keele, this guy’s older brother.”

“You’re brothers?”

“Oh, it’s weird for nobles, ain’t it? Siblings, that is.”

At Keele’s words, Nagi remembered their conversation with Jubilia earlier.

“Saya,” he said quietly, “are you a noble?”

Keele raised an eyebrow at this. “Ain’t it obvious? She look like a commoner to you?”

“I saved her because I thought she was.”

“Your eyes are rotten.”

Keele did have a point. The clothes Saya was wearing combined with the fact that she had been at the Garden clearly implied she was the daughter of nobility. So, why did Nagi think she was a commoner?

Right, if she’s a noble, then why was she hooked up to all those tubes?

“Do you hate nobles?” Saya asked him while he was trying to get his thoughts in order.

“Yeah,” Nagi replied automatically.

He regretted it immediately after, but Saya didn’t seem to pay it any mind. Her red eyes were serious.

“Why?” she pressed.

“Nobles... err, vampires steal from us commoners.”

“What do they steal?” Saya didn’t react to the slur.

“Life. They steal ours so they can live for ages in the lap of luxury while we die quickly without them.”

Saya looked appalled. “Is that so? Commoners die so that nobles can live a long time?” Her surprise appeared genuine, which left Nagi quite shocked himself.

“Are you kidding me? You didn’t know about all this even though you’re a noble?”

“I don’t know anything. I’ve always been in that place, after all. Hey, Nagi. I’m a noble... right?”

Her question left Nagi somewhat troubled. He hadn’t even realized this himself until just now.

“Aren’t you? That knight was treating you with so much respect. It’d be unthinkable for anyone but a noble.”

“I see. That means you hate me.” Her voice was tinged with loneliness.

“That’s not the case either,” Nagi said quickly.

“Why?”

Why? Uh, why is that? I think it’s because she’s like a child. Perhaps that was actually the case. If she truly had been trapped within the Garden all this time and therefore knew nothing, then she was no different from an infant. When he thought of it that way, bringing up his grievances with nobles and making her worry seemed rather pathetic.

“I didn’t know you were a noble. Even if you are, you’re still you.”

Saya broke out into a relieved smile. “Thank goodness. I don’t really know much about nobles, but I wouldn’t be able to bear it if you hated me.”

Nagi’s pulse quickened upon seeing her smile. His mind completely blanked out.

“Hey, let’s get moving,” Keele said, bringing Nagi back to reality. “It ain’t safe here. You probably get this, but Strano’s no good. You two’re comin’ with me.”

“Where to?” Nagi asked.

“Oh come on, why d’you gotta ask? A safe place. I’ve come up with a safe route and everything, so relax.”

Keele’s mockery got on Nagi’s nerves. His brother had always been like this. Just now, for instance, Nagi had been saved by him yet again. No matter what he did, he couldn’t live up to Keele. Regardless, that attitude of his that screamed “I’m definitely not wrong” was intolerable.

“Tell me where we’re going. Your intel on the Garden was wrong, you know?”

“Huh?”

“Most of it was right, but the all-important treasure wasn’t there.”

“Oh, that. I made that up. A little noble lady was there, so I figured there’d be at least one treasure. Ah well.” Keele showed no remorse and remained calm. “Well, maybe it wasn’t complete bullshit? I mean, look, you’ve got your treasure right there, don’tcha?”

Keele gestured with his chin.

“Me?” Saya asked.

“Those effin’ nobles are in a mad rush to get you back, so that makes you a treasure. There’s gotta be a way we can use that to our advantage.”

“Quit splitting hairs!” Nagi yelled.

“Don’t shout, man. We don’t know when the other ones’ll come after us.”

“You tell me about this safe place of yours right this instant!”

Keele sighed. “You’re the same spoiled brat as always, huh?”

Nagi flew into a rage. “A spoiled brat? I was almost killed because of you!”

He had only gone through so much peril because of Keele pressuring him to sneak into the Garden. Keele was being far too cold.

“I know. So what? You’re the one who decided to go, so hold yourself accountable. I’m surprised someone who spouts such naïve bullshit managed to get out of there alive. I thought you’d be nothing more than a decoy, but you really hit the jackpot.”

Nagi now knew that Keele had dared to send him to his near death on purpose.

A decoy? Don’t screw with me.

“Whatever, I’ll just tell you. You two are going to Cobalt.”

4

“Hey! Look, look! That thing is huge! What is it?”

“It’s a windmill.”

“What’s it for?”

“It turns wheat into flour.”

“Why turn it into flour?”

“Flour can be kneaded into bread.”

“Why can’t it be eaten as it is?”

“Huh? Good question. Maybe because it’s tastier that way?”

Saya seemed satisfied with his answer, so Nagi let out a sigh. He was getting a little worn out by the never-ending questions. Every time she spotted something “curious” like this, she would ask him about it. What followed was a storm of whys. No matter how thoroughly he responded, her questions kept coming. When he finally managed to sate her curiosity, she would spot something else and repeat the process. What’s more, everything in sight was a mystery to her.

The only relief he had was that he didn’t have to walk. Nagi and Saya were being shaken about by an old cogwagon Keele had arranged for them. Nagi’s thoughts drifted back to when they’d first boarded the vehicle. Once the three of them had gotten out of the forest, the cogwagon Keele had waiting for them appeared. His next words had baffled them.

“You two take this and head off to the capital. I already told the driver the way.”

“The capital? Isn’t that the nobles’ headquarters?! The royal palace is there too!”

“I bet you’ve never been. The capital is big. Nobody’s got a grasp of every nook and cranny, trust me. A forest’s the best place to hide a tree, so the best place to hide is somewhere with a whole lotta people.”

Keele had been composed at the time, but Nagi couldn’t even believe that Cobalt truly existed. He had only ever heard rumors. Cobalt was an organization which raised the standard of revolt against nobility. However, there was no way the nobles were so lax that they’d allow such an organization to exist. If the gossip were to be believed, those who merely spread rumors of Cobalt were immediately arrested and imprisoned. Regardless, it was impossible to shut the mouths of the public and stop the rumors themselves. That was how a rural hunter like Nagi had gotten wind of them.

Some of the rumors were even more unthinkable. For example, one claimed that Cobalt wasn’t only rebelling against the nobles, but against the Sovereign himself. A commoner like Nagi had obviously never seen the Sovereign; it was rare enough for the nobles to meet him. To everyone who knew of him, the Sovereign was practically a phantasmic being.

The daily prayers offered up to the Intelligence, which had once existed in these lands, were carried out in the name of the Sovereign. He was the Intelligence’s chosen representative of humanity. Thus, the commoners revered the Sovereign despite their hatred of nobility. To Nagi, he was a force of nature much like water or wind. The mere thought of rebelling against him was unfathomable, yet Cobalt was apparently doing just that. It was also difficult for Nagi to believe that Cobalt, whose very existence was dubious to begin with, had its base in the capital.

“I don’t want to go to the royal palace,” Saya had protested.

Keele had laughed scornfully at this. “Of course we’re not going to the damn palace. Seems like you’ve never been to the capital. The palace is there in the center, but it’s just a small part of the whole city. The rest is way bigger and chock-fulla people. We’ll meet up and hide out there.”

“We...”

Nagi’s brother claimed to be a member of Cobalt. What exactly had happened to him after he vanished from the village? One part of Nagi wished to know, and another didn’t. In any case, he hadn’t had time to ask Keele any questions before they had parted ways.

“Nagi, you’re making a weird face,” Saya said, bringing Nagi’s mind back into the cogwagon. “What’re you thinking about?”

“Keele,” Nagi replied honestly. For some reason, he was unable to hide anything from her. “I thought he was dead.”

Even though he had really hated his brother, Nagi had done his best to make peace with his memories after Keele’s disappearance. But now that he was alive, Nagi’s heart was in disorder. Thinking back on it now, this was why Keele had been able to manipulate Nagi into taking on something as outrageous as stealing from the Garden.

“But he’s alive. I’m jealous.”

“Why?”

“I feel like I had a little brother. I don’t really remember him. He died a long, long time ago. I’ve been alone ever since then.”

“I heard it was normal for nobles not to have siblings.”

Nobles lived long lives and rarely had children. They required the Sovereign’s permission to do so. Thus, having more than one child in the family was uncommon. When he’d first learned of this, Nagi had been quite surprised there was someone even those haughty nobles had to obey.

“Commoners have it better because they’re not so lonely.”

“No way. We all die before we can accomplish anything in life.”

Nagi normally would’ve taken offense to Saya’s words, but he was gradually getting used to her eccentricities. Moreover, he was far too tired from all her queries to get heated about it.

“Is that because the nobles steal your lives away?”

Nagi suppressed the urge to comment on the fact that she didn’t know this basic truth. “We have a duty to offer them our blood. Blood is life. The more blood they steal, the shorter our lifespans. The nobles use that blood to make medicine, and they extend their own lives by drinking it.”

“Can’t you just stop offering them blood?”

“No, we can’t. Nobles are strong; disobeying them will just get us killed. It’s impossible to win against them.”

“But you won against a noble. Twice.”

“It’s because of the poison I got from Keele.”

Nagi pulled a bottle out of his bag. Keele had given him another one.

“So, as long as you have that, you don’t need to offer blood anymore?”

Their current reality wasn’t kind enough to permit such a thing. Keele had already scolded Nagi about wasting his last bottle; Halahala was invaluable, after all. The whole thing wasn’t meant to be used as a projectile even in the worst of times. But what if it was possible to acquire a large amount? A chill ran down Nagi’s spine just from imagining it.

A world without blood offerings.

The cogwagon came to a stop with a clatter. Before them, rows of citizens had their goods spread out over straw mats. It was one of many small marketplaces which dotted the sides of the road. Even in Strano Village, there were merchants who did business with passing travelers. The driver informed them that they would be taking a break here.

“Nagi, what is this place?”

“It’s a rest area. There are several places like this along the main roads. Let’s go buy some food.”

Nagi’s finances were doing fine. Keele had given him five bloodpence coins to cover travel expenses, which was quite the sum for Nagi. He couldn’t shake the feeling he was dancing in the palm of Keele’s hand, though.

The merchants were selling bread and smoked meat, so he went with that. There was some other junk being peddled alongside the food. It seemed like anything with even miniscule value was up for sale.

Nagi pulled out a bloodpence, which caused the woman selling the bread to make a troubled expression. “Do you have anything a little smaller? I don’t have enough change.”

“This is all I have.”

“Hrm, then how about buying this necklace while you’re at it? I’ll give you a discount.” She held up a stylish pendant. “Look, you put your lover’s blood in here. That’s how you swear your eternal love to each other. Seems it’s quite a fad among nobles. This one’s just a cheap little thing, though.”

To the people of this world, the giving and taking of blood was quite common, so such an idea came naturally to them. Nagi felt that frankly, this sales pitch sounded like it was meant to trick children. The necklace was probably worthless.

Saya, on the other hand, seemed to be of a different opinion. She hummed with interest, her eyes aglitter.

“My neighbor John bought it in the capital for his fiancée, but she ended up getting pregnant from another man while he was working away from home.” The merchant giggled.

“How pretty,” she murmured, staring at it with rapt attention.

Well, if she liked it so much, Nagi couldn’t help but buy it for her. There was nothing else he wanted here, and it would’ve been troublesome if he couldn’t buy bread. It also felt a bit thrilling to squander the money Keele had given him.

The two went back to the cogwagon to have their meal. The driver wasn’t back yet.

“This is bread.”

“I at least know that,” Saya replied, puffing out her cheeks. But as she sat on the edge of the wagon and took a bite, she looked quite surprised. “It’s so hard.”

“You think?”

Nagi chewed through the bread easily. There were far tougher breads out there that needed to be soaked in liquid before eating. This was actually quite fresh for bread, and it didn’t smell weird either. It was a good treat to satiate his hunger.

“Here, lend me that.”

Saya looked to be having a tough time with her bread, so he took it from her and split it apart by force. The crust was particularly hard, but the inside was still soft.

“Thank you.”

Saya began eating the light-brown bread by nibbling off bits from the inside. She reminded Nagi of the squirrels he often saw in the forest. Saya was wearing a brown hood deep over her head, hiding her silver hair. Upon realizing she actually did look like a large squirrel, he snorted.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying. You’re definitely laughing.”

Seeing him stifle his laughter, Saya pouted once more. But that just made her look even more like a squirrel.

After finishing the bread, she moved on to nibbling the crust in small bites. Saya glared back at him when he stared, so Nagi focused on his own food. The smoked meat wasn’t bad either. It seemed to be venison. It was well salted, which his tired body was grateful for.

Once Saya was done eating, Nagi handed her the necklace.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. She lowered her head, put on the necklace, and let it dangle on her chest.

Nagi felt completely entranced by her actions and averted his gaze in a hurry.

5

The driver returned, and after he’d confirmed Nagi and Saya were there, the cogwagon got moving. Nagi gazed out of the shaking vehicle in a daze; he’d felt somewhat out of it for a while now. At some point, Saya drifted to sleep. Before he knew it, the cogwagon had turned off the main road and was approaching a narrow mountain path just about the size of a single vehicle.

Did they have to go down such a path to get to the capital? Nagi thought it over. The two of them were fugitives. It made sense to use a less traveled route to avoid prying eyes. Nagi could feel fear in the pit of his stomach. He had been taught as a child to never use such paths because bad things would inevitably pop up there.

Like ghosts, for example.

And also...

“Stop!”

It was as if reality was tracing Nagi’s thoughts. People poured out one after the other from the trees and stones on either side. They wore leather armor and were armed with spears, axes, and hatchets. Their faces each had a spotted birthmark on them.

Bloodmarks.

The driver, as if reading Nagi’s mind, shouted, “It’s the Tainted!”

Nagi had a bad feeling about this. “Saya, wake up!” he yelled.

According to what Nagi had learned from the village elders, the Tainted weren’t a peaceful bunch. They lived hidden within mountainous regions and attacked travelers. It was said that their homelands couldn’t grow wheat and were inhabited by ferocious, wild beasts. That was why it was easiest for them to make a living by attacking people.

Saya jumped up at Nagi’s voice. The Tainted warriors were quickly boarding the cogwagon. Nagi drew his knife from its sheath, but it was too late. Saya had a spear thrust before her.

“Drop your weapon.”

Unexpectedly, it was a girl. She looked a little older than Nagi. Her chestnut hair was tied up behind her. She had a sweet and innocent face, but that impression vanished the moment he saw her big, black eyes. The light within them was far too strong, making her seem more beast than human.

There was something like a spotted, dark-red birthmark on her throat. The spots drew a complex pattern along the side of her neck all the way up to her ear. This was a bloodmark, proof she was one of the Tainted.

Her quick and sharp movements betrayed no hesitation. She was sure to mercilessly slit Saya’s throat if Nagi moved. He shot a quick glance over to the driver, who also had a similar blade pointed at him.

“Don’t move. You move, she dies,” the Tainted girl said.

Nagi obediently dropped his knife. After tying them up, the Tainted took them and the cogwagon. The bag he had with the Halahala and money in it was also stolen.

They were brought to a settlement within the forest. It was larger than Nagi’s village, but he didn’t see it at all until they were pretty close. It was concealed by the terrain. This was apparently a Tainted village. They likely hid here and attacked those who passed by, just as they had done to Nagi.

He despised them, deep down. Much like the rumors, they were a bunch of ruffians. What he hated most, however, was that they didn’t fulfill the duty of blood offerings that caused commoners like Nagi to suffer so.

Although he couldn’t see Saya’s face very well because of her hood, she seemed calm. The three of them were forced to stand in a line in the village square with their hands tied behind their backs. They were surrounded by armed Tainted warriors. It didn’t look like they’d be able to escape. There was a small figure in the center of the Tainted who Nagi guessed was the village chief.

His skin was covered in wrinkles and his hair was completely white. Nagi knew this was proof that he was nearing the end of his lifespan; that was what it meant to age. These people were called elders. This man looked to have aged far more than Nagi’s chief, Badrino, showing how close he was to death.

The Tainted girl held her spear up threateningly at the driver. “Answer only what I ask. Why do you know of that road? Who are you people?” she asked.

“I can’t say,” the driver replied in a stiff voice.

“You don’t tell me, you die. I’m not bluffing.”

“I still can’t say.”

Nagi believed it was likely his loyalty to Cobalt which kept the driver from disclosing his secret.

“Then I’ll send you to the next world,” a Tainted man growled, stepping forward.

He was big enough that Nagi had to look up at him. His body was slender, yet buff. He was clearly a well-trained hunter.

Raising his enormous axe, the man lopped off the driver’s head in one fell swoop. It fell to the ground with a thud, causing Saya to gasp.

They’re insane. Both the Tainted and the driver. Why did they have to do such a thing?

“Right, I forgot to tell you. I’m Bandore, Garuga Village’s number one warrior. I’m sure you at least want to know the name of the man who killed you.”

The man who called himself Bandore spoke to the tumbling head, then brought his axe down once more. Flecks of blood and gray matter spattered everywhere, including Nagi’s body. The stench of gore washed over him.

Then, the girl pointed her spear at Nagi. “If you don’t want to end up like that, then talk. Who are you people?”

There was no way Nagi had the same loyalty as the driver.

“Will you let us go if I tell you?”

“We’ll release you if you’re not our enemy. We don’t want to take any lives unless we have to. The same goes for stealing, of course.”

“Didn’t you just kill someone?”

“We had no choice. This man called us a grave insult.”

“What was that?”

“The Tainted... We’re not tainted. We are the Crestfolk.”

That simple utterance was all that had brought about the driver’s brutal demise.

“I’m Nagi Strano.”

“Strano? You’re from Strano Village?” the girl asked, apparently familiar with the name of his village. “Why are you out here?”

Her high-handed manner irritated him.

Why do I have to put up with this kind of attitude from a bunch of damned Tainted?

“Before that. Now that I’ve named myself, isn’t it proper for you to do the same? Or is that something you only tell people after you kill them?”

Nagi’s suddenly provocative behavior fanned the girl’s anger.

“I’m the one asking questions here!”

She swept at Nagi with the handle of her spear.

“Nagi!” Saya screamed.

“Tess, stop.”

“But, Chief, he—”

“Calm yourself. You cannot accomplish anything with a disturbed heart. This boy has not treated us with the same level of disrespect as the driver. Perhaps it was too soon to entrust this investigation to you,” the elder said in a calm voice. He turned to Nagi. “My name is Zamin. I serve as the chief for the Crestfolk of Garuga Village.”

He had a deep and gentle voice that seemed out of place here. Zamin and Tess. Nagi carved their names into his mind. His cheek was throbbing with pain. The taste of iron spread throughout his mouth. Nagi could feel himself getting more and more heated up.

“Nagi, was it? You must also calm down. We do not wish to thoughtlessly hurt anyone.”

Nagi looked down at the driver’s head. Zamin understood what he was thinking.

“I shall apologize for what Bandore has done. But that man was also at fault. Calling us that word is unforgivable. So, for what reason have you come here? Depending on the cause, we may well release you safely.”

Nagi was reluctant to talk to the Tainted, but that didn’t apply to Saya.

“Zamin, we have simply been running away.”

“From whom?”

Crap.

Saya answered Zamin before he could stop her. “From nobles.”

The fact that they were running away from nobles meant the Tainted could hold them captive and turn them in for a bounty. The Tainted Nagi knew of were the type to do anything for money. And just as he thought, Saya’s words had them astir.

“You two are being chased by nobles?” Zamin asked.

“That’s right.”

Something dawned on Nagi at that moment. It felt like the animosity the Tainted had toward them had abated a little.

“Why are you headed to the capital, then?”

“We have allies there. I can’t say anything else about them,” Nagi cut in.

He felt like Saya was guaranteed to mention Cobalt if he didn’t. That would be really bad. Besides, now that he had cooled down, he was thinking much more clearly. Perhaps there was a way for them to get out of this predicament. To that end, he couldn’t allow Saya to continue speaking with foolish honesty.

“Why are you being chased?” Zamin asked.

This was the question Nagi had been waiting for. Knowing his answer would be a turning point, he steeled himself for what was to come.

“I killed a noble.”

Immediately, the Tainted were in uproar.

“Nonsense! A noble?!”

“You can’t kill a vampire!”

“Cut the crap!”

Nagi was ready for Tess to hit him again, but this time she simply grabbed him by the collar. She glared at him head-on, staring into his soul with her deep, black eyes. A sweet smell gently wafted over him, reminding Nagi that Tess was a girl. She was more violent than the ones he was used to, though.

Waving these idle thoughts away, Nagi chose his next words carefully. He spoke slowly, making sure everyone could hear him. “I’m not lying. If you let us go, I’ll teach you how it can be done.”

The commotion grew louder. Zamin held out his hand to stop them, and silence fell over the square.

“Nagi, do you have proof that what you say is true?”

“The overcoat this girl is wearing belonged to a noble. It’s got a family crest embroidered in its lining. Is that proof enough?”

Nobles treated goods marked with their family crest with extreme care. They would never hand them out to others. This was the best proof he had.

“How do we know it wasn’t just stolen?” Tess asked.

“It should be stained with a fair bit of his blood. Doesn’t that prove how big a wound he was dealt?”

“You could’ve just stained it with someone else’s blood, or that of an animal.”

“And why would I do that? I wasn’t expecting to be captured.”

“You... have a point there.” Tess unexpectedly cocked her head and accepted Nagi’s explanation. “Well, I guess we can take a look. Hey, undo her ropes.”

A Tainted man followed Tess’ orders and untied Saya’s ropes.

“You’d better behave. You do anything funny, and I’ll stab her. This spear can go right through a beast’s bones. A girl like her will die in a single thrust,” Tess said as she held out her weapon.

The tip of her spear had the dull shine of steel. Taking a closer look, the large axe Bandore and the rest of the weapons the Tainted carried were all made of the same metal. They were of far better quality than the weapons in Strano Village.

How did they get these?

Nagi had heard that the Tainted lived like beasts. As he pondered over these curious details, Saya calmly removed her overcoat, paying no heed to the blade pointed at her.

Her silver hair spilled out as she removed her hood. The Tainted men began murmuring. Nagi could even hear someone gulp. He suddenly cursed himself. The Tainted were known to kidnap women and use them as playthings. He shouldn’t have shown them Saya’s figure. Her beauty was likely to stir up lust in these savage men.

Unaware of Nagi’s inner turmoil, Tess accepted the overcoat with more than a little surprise and spread it open. There were indeed a noble family crest and bloodstains on the inside.

“Please inform us of how you accomplished this,” Zamin said.

“Take off these ropes first. I won’t struggle.”

“We cannot—very well. If you promise to remain obedient.”

“I promise. I wouldn’t have gotten caught in the first place if I were strong enough to fight off this many people.”

Zamin signaled a man over with his eyes and had Nagi’s rope undone.

“Do you have my bag? Return that to me, too.”

One of the men brought over the bag at his request. Nagi searched through it and took out the bottle of Halahala.

“This is Halahala. It’s a poison that takes away a noble’s regenerative abilities. A blade coated in this stuff can wound them.”

The Tainted gaped at the bottle in shock, their voices picking up once more.

“I would like you to yield that to us.”

“I can’t give you all of it. We’re being chased by nobles, after all; I’ll need some if worst comes to worst. But if you let us go, I’ll give you half. Do you have something to put it in?”

“Very well. In return, I would like you to promise that you will never disclose the location of our village to anyone.”

“I promise.”

Did he even have anyone to talk to about it? Nagi exchanged glances with Saya, who nodded back at him.

“Okay then,” Nagi said as he held out a hand to Tess.

It was common in Strano Village to seal a contract with a handshake. Nagi was actually negotiating with Zamin, but he was a little farther away.

“What’s this?” Tess asked, tilting her head to one side. It seemed she didn’t know about it.

“A handshake. We grip hands to seal our deal. Come on.”

“Uh, right.”

Nagi had forgotten that commoners avoided physical contact with the Tainted. It was impossible for anyone to request a handshake from them. Tess timidly gripped Nagi’s hand and he squeezed back tightly. The sense of relief he felt from escaping this dilemma made him inadvertently put too much strength into it.

“Ow.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“N-No... It’s fine.”

Tess looked down at their joined hands. Her cheeks were ever so slightly red. Zamin walked up next to her, his gaze fixed on Saya. There was something strange about that look in his eyes. Now that Nagi thought about it, Zamin had become strangely courteous partway through their conversation. When had it been, exactly?

Right, it was ever since he had seen Saya’s face.

6

After being seen off by Tess and a group of villagers, Nagi and Saya returned to the mountain path where they had been attacked and went on their way. They had left the cogwagon back in Garuga Village, seeing as the driver was dead. According to Tess, the main road was a two-hour walk away. After that, it was a straight shot to the capital. This was much closer than Nagi had expected; it would take days to reach the capital from Strano Village, according to the chief. The dangerous mountain path was apparently quite the shortcut.

Some time after they reached the main road, the sun began to set. Fortunately, the weather was good, but Nagi and Saya decided to sleep against the trunk of a tree just in case it rained. Nagi, who didn’t have the leisure to worry about who would keep watch, dozed off in no time at all. His fatigue had long since reached its limits, and he was swiftly conquered by his drowsiness.

The following morning, as he opened his eyes to the rising sun, he found Saya’s defenseless, sleeping face in front of him. The sight of her long eyelashes made his chest tighten. They were the same silvery shade as her hair and shone under the light of dawn like dandelion puffs.

Nagi wanted to keep gazing at her forever, but he was brought back to his senses by a sudden gust of wind. He was then struck with terror at how careless they were being and shook Saya awake in a panic.

The heat passing into his hand, the soft feeling of her shoulder, the sweet scent wafting his way... Like a solitary flower growing in a field, she seemed completely out of place on this roadside. And yet, he felt like he wanted her to freely bloom here.

Saya let out a soft groan, then opened her eyes. “Morning,” she said, smiling like a pampered child.

“Come on, we should get moving.”

Willing away his earlier thoughts, Nagi hurriedly prepared to leave. He had to reach his destination soon and make her feel at ease. Sleeping outdoors wasn’t easy on Nagi, so it was probably worse for Saya.

They continued down the road, taking breaks at rest areas along the way. By the time the sun began to set, the scenery around them had changed. They could see more buildings now.

“Is this the capital?” Nagi wondered aloud.

Saya cocked her head; surely she had no idea. He found it strange how, despite being a noble, she had apparently never been to the capital. If this was the right place, then he figured it probably wasn’t that big a deal.

However, Nagi was sorely mistaken.

The buildings grew increasingly clustered together the closer they drew to the city. Eventually, there was no space between them at all. Along every single street and alley, houses were crammed tightly against one another.

Eventually, they laid their eyes upon an astonishing sight. Far beyond all the crowded streets of the capital stood an enormous structure which loomed above all else. This was the royal palace, where the Sovereign resided.

“It’s my first time seeing so many people,” Saya commented.

She was as surprised as Nagi was. He finally understood the meaning behind what Keele had said; it would be pretty much impossible to find a single person within this overflowing sea. They could definitely hide here. His chest began to swell with hope.

When he stopped to buy some drinking water, Nagi asked about the place Keele had mentioned—a bar somewhere in the capital. Fortunately, they knew at least a little bit about it; with their driver dead, they would’ve been at a complete loss otherwise.

The water vendor informed Nagi that it was somewhere near the city outskirts, although the bar itself was a bit of a mystery. Nagi figured he could just ask someone else once they got closer. Eventually, he and Saya ended up in a jumbled-up district full of stone buildings.

“This looks like the place,” Saya said as she pointed at one signboard in particular.

With that, Nagi realized that Saya could read. He timidly opened the door, revealing a bar inside, just as they had expected. Still, he had never been to such a place before. He simply knew they existed within the capital, and it matched the description he’d been given. There was a heavy-looking wooden counter lined with liquor bottles and cups. Seated there were two people: one he recognized and one he didn’t.

“Well, aren’t you late? Where’s the cogwagon?” Keele asked.

“We were attacked on the mountain trail. The driver was killed. We left the cogwagon behind.”

Keele raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think those guys were the type to go that far. Did he piss them off?”

“He called them Tainted.”

“Aah. Yep, that’ll get you killed.” Keele let out a sigh as if he were making fun of the driver.

Nagi swallowed his urge to say “Then you should’ve told us about it beforehand.” This was just the kind of person his brother was.

“Hmm, so this is your little brother?” said the unfamiliar man at Keele’s side.

He looked to be around the same age as Keele, or perhaps a little younger. He had the general air of a kindhearted young man, but his expression was quite bitter.

“That’s right. But rejoice, he’s a commoner,” Keele replied sarcastically.

“Hmph.”

The man seemed irritated by this. They didn’t seem to be on friendly terms.

“You two, this way. Senak, keep an eye on the front.”

“Fine.” The man called Senak sounded dissatisfied, but he still agreed.

Nagi and Saya followed Keele through a door at the back of the bar, which led to a sort of storeroom. It was far more spacious than the bar out front, which came as a surprise to Nagi. There was a large quantity of boxes and bags here. They didn’t look like liquor or food to Nagi, but he didn’t know what was actually in them.

A man was waiting inside for them. “Nice to meet you. I’m Crow,” he said in a gentle voice.

There was something unfamiliar on his face. Nagi wondered if they were glasses. He had heard of them before, but he had never seen them in Strano village. It was said that one’s eyes could go bad from reading too much, and these were used to correct that. Strano Village had no books, so the villagers never needed to worry about it. Badrino was just about the only person who could read in Strano to begin with.

Crow wore a cordial smile, but there was a fierce light in his eyes.

“Nagi Strano.”

“I’m Saya.”

“I’ve heard all about you. Welcome to Cobalt.”

“This guy’s the head honcho here,” Keele said.

Nagi was shocked. It meant Crow was the one leading the rebellion against the nobles.

“Could you please not make it sound like we’re a bunch of thugs?” Crow murmured as he scratched his head. He really didn’t look like one.

“Thank you very much for saving us.” Saya politely bowed her head.

Seeing this, Nagi followed suit in a fluster. He didn’t know what was going on, but he was definitely indebted to these people. Thanks to them, he and Saya had managed to escape from the nobles and get this far.

“There’s no need to thank me. We did it with an ulterior motive in mind, after all.”

“What is it?”

“We’ll answer all of your questions later. Shall we start by getting the whole situation in order? I’m sure you two are quite confused.”

This was the first time Nagi had met someone who spoke like this. He was different from a noble, but different from the villagers. He wasn’t as overbearing as the nobility, but there was something about him that made it impossible to object.

“We are Cobalt, an organization that works to oppose the tyranny of nobles. You’ve heard the rumors, I assume?”

Nagi nodded, while Saya shook her head.

“Well, just think of us in the way I described for now. Unfortunately, our current situation cannot exactly be described as ‘good.’”

Crow’s way of putting it was rather roundabout. In short, things were bad.

“Do you two know the ratio of nobles to commoners in Agartha?”

Nagi shook his head. He had never even thought about it.

“Just give it your best guess,” Crow added.

“About... ten commoners to each noble?” Saya answered.

“I’m afraid there are far fewer nobles than that. There are about a hundred commoners to each noble. The commoners are the overwhelming majority.”

Nagi didn’t understand what Crow was getting at.

“Don’t you find it strange? Why must commoners suffer under the tyrannical rule of the nobles when there are so many more of us?”

“Isn’t that obvious? We can’t win against nobles,” Nagi said.

“Exactly. But why is that?”

Why, why, why. It reminded Nagi of Saya. Crow was nowhere near as endearing, though.

“Nobles can’t be hurt.” At that moment, Nagi realized something. He was here right now because that assumption had been overturned. “But it’s a different story with Halahala.”

“Precisely. In fact, that is the very reason Cobalt was born. Once upon a time, a certain man discovered the way to make Halahala. It was nothing but a byproduct of some other research, though. He didn’t realize it himself, but this was something which could uproot the very structure of this society. That’s when Cobalt was born.”

“So you use Halahala to defeat nobles?”

“Yes. Even if we do not crush them, we can prove that defeating them is possible. Once commoners are armed with the strength to oppose them, the nobles should no longer be able to steal from them unconditionally.”

That might be true. Nagi could’ve never even imagined being able to fight against a noble before, but it was certainly possible with that poison in hand. So, what if everyone in Agartha knew of this?

“But it isn’t going well? That’s what you said,” Saya commented.

“Indeed. A special ingredient is required to synthesize the poison. It’s tremendously difficult to acquire and extremely valuable.”

“And you went and threw a whole damn bottle of the stuff,” Keele spat, causing Crow to look rather startled.

“That’s... quite extravagant of you. A whole bottle is very expensive.”

Crow looked at Nagi somewhat reproachfully through his glasses. Feeling awkward, Nagi averted his gaze.

“Well, setting that aside... what do you think is the difference between commoners and nobles?”

Crow apparently liked talking entirely through questions. Was this just how people were in the capital? Or was this a peculiarity to Crow himself? In any case, Nagi found it rather annoying.

“Nobles live long lives. Commoners die quickly.”

“There’s that. What else?”

“Nobles can heal their wounds right away. Commoners stay wounded.”

“Very good. What else?”

“Umm... Nobles have monstrous strength.”

“Indeed. Now then, what do you think it is that makes all this true?”

Nagi finally understood what Crow was getting at. “Blood. The vampires drink blood.”

“Correct. To be precise, they drink a drug made from blood: Amrita. By taking it at regular intervals, they obtain eternal life and wondrous powers. To put it more accurately, Amrita is absorbed into the drinker’s blood and grants them supernatural powers. Regenerative abilities, enhanced strength, and one other. A power called blood caliber.”

Nagi recalled hearing that term several times before. The first was in the Garden. After that, the knight named Jubilia had mentioned it. Then it had come from Keele. Nagi’s eyes met Saya’s. Having also heard the term, she cocked her head.

“Blood calibers are weapons born from noble blood. A noble is considered an adult when they first manifest their blood caliber. That’s how important it is to them. Fights between nobles take place using blood calibers. In other words, those who don’t possess one are simply unarmed children.”

Nagi was starting to get dizzy from the constant stream of new information. What did this man really want to say? What did any of this have to do with Nagi and Saya?

“Blood calibers take on a different shape for every noble, but all of them are powerful weapons. And that’s not all. There’s one other important property all blood calibers possess. A noble’s blood rejects another noble’s blood. In other words, blood calibers nullify a noble’s regenerative abilities.”

Nagi now understood why nobles fought one another with their blood calibers. A fight where neither party could hurt each other didn’t make any sense. That’s why they used their own blood as weapons.

“Now, does this sound familiar to you?”

There was only one thing Nagi knew of that could nullify a noble’s regenerative abilities.

“Halahala...”

Crow smiled. “Exactly. Halahala has an effect similar to that of blood calibers. That’s because they use the same ingredient.”

“A noble’s blood,” Saya muttered, realizing the answer a little before Nagi did.

“A very special ingredient. Rather extreme, don’t you think?”

“Where did you people manage to get such a thing?” Nagi asked.

Crow shook his head. “I can’t tell you the specifics. All I’ll say is that we have a collaborator. That’s also how we learned of the Forbidden Garden’s existence.”

“Hey, come on, you didn’t even believe it. You gave me other shit to do, so I got him to go to the Garden instead,” Keele cut in.

Nagi finally realized that it was Crow who had sent Keele to provoke Nagi into entering the Garden. Even so, he kept quiet about it. He wanted to hear the whole story first.

“Making use of the opportunity presented by the Blood Offering Festival was a major factor. I needed you for something else, Keele. I admit misevaluating the worth of the information, but it all ended well. Saya, you are a noble. Correct?”

“I don’t know. I’ve always been in the Garden.”

“For how many years?”

“I’m not sure. It was a long, long time.”

“Over a hundred years?”

“Probably longer than that.”

Nagi was shocked that Saya was over a hundred years old.

“So, that definitely makes you a noble. That’s precisely what we’re looking for.”

The dots quickly began to connect in Nagi’s mind. The conclusion he came to was repulsive.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning on using Saya’s blood? You people are sick!” Nagi roared. “I won’t let you lay a hand on her!”

“I’m not asking you. Saya will be the one to decide.”

Saya cast her eyes down. “I don’t know. I’ve always been in that place... I don’t even know what a noble is. I also don’t know about commoners or the Crestfolk. That’s why I can’t tell if what you’re saying is right. Besides, I don’t believe my blood possesses such power. Didn’t you see it for yourself? I couldn’t do anything.”

Saya was referring to the fight against Jubilia.

“That’s true. The little princess here didn’t use a blood caliber. Actually, it didn’t look like she could,” Keele confirmed.

Crow pushed up his glasses and sank into thought. At that moment, the door blew open and something flew into the storeroom. It was Senak, who was supposed to be standing watch outside.

“Knights... Run!” he gasped.

The knights surged into the room as if to substantiate his words. Nagi recognized one of them.

“We meet again,” Keele said.

Jubilia glared back at him as someone else stepped inside.

“Allow me to intrude,” came a gentle voice unbecoming of the situation.

Something about it sent a terrible chill up Nagi’s spine. The man who had spoken was enormous—not just tall, but well muscled without any excess body fat. It was as though his entire body were tempered steel. His long, glamorous tresses fell in waves past his shoulders. He had finely chiseled features. The symmetrical bridge of his nose was accompanied by deeply set eyes, whose powerful gaze looked upon those in the room.

His clothes identified him as a noble at a glance. They were embellished without seeming gaudy, and they showed he was of a higher social standing than the knights. The moment he had entered the room, nobody had been able to look away from him. That was just how strong a presence this man had.

“Stand down! You are in the presence of His Excellency, Lord Lernaean Edel Trouta lo Granapalt!”

A high-ranking noble. Nagi just barely kept himself from falling prostrate on reflex. If a commoner like him didn’t immediately do so upon meeting a noble like this, they could easily be slain on the spot.

“Lord Granapalt... Quite the honored guest we have here,” Crow said. He appeared calm, but his fists were clenched.

“Lady Saya,” the man named Lernaean said, looking in her direction. “It has been a long time. I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to gaze upon your beauty once more.”

“I don’t know you.”

“We have met just once before. You were sleeping at the time, so I’m sure you do not remember.” Lernaean acted as if nobody but Saya were there. “First, I would ask that you return to the royal palace.”

He held out his hand to Saya, but she ignored it.

“Return? I don’t have anywhere to return to.”

“It will be troublesome for me if you insist on acting so selfishly.”

As Lernaean took a step forward, Nagi stepped in front of Saya to protect her.

“Seems like Saya won’t be going with you.”

“You plebeian! How dare you speak to His Excellency like that!”

Jubilia drew the sword at her waist, but Lernaean stopped her with his gaze.

“She is of the highest class of nobility. Normally, you would never even have had the chance to meet her. There was a bit of trouble, and she ended up wandering into a place like this. We have simply come to pick her up and bring her back to where she belongs. I assure you, she will be dearly taken care of.”

His words were benign, but Lernaean was making light of Nagi. The boy couldn’t help but tremble in the face of this man’s power. He had thought he understood the dread nobles could inspire from his fight against Jubilia, but this man was on an entirely different level. There was absolutely no opposing him. Obey or run—there were no other options. It took everything Nagi had to suppress his urge to do either one.

Nagi somehow pushed through his fear and objected, “You call locking her up in that kind of place ‘taking care’ of her?”

“Hmm? You have some determination, little one. I see; you’re the intruder who snuck into the Garden.”

Nagi nodded.

“May I have your name?”

“Nagi Strano.”

“Nagi... Are you perhaps the one who killed the guard in the Garden?”

“That’s right.”

“Quite impressive, even though he was a fool who couldn’t even have hoped to become a knight. Jubilia, was this the boy you lost to?”

“Yes, he and the long-haired man over there,” Jubilia answered, vexed.

“Do you desire the opportunity to regain your honor?”

“I do.”

Lernaean looked into Jubilia’s eyes, then nodded slightly. “Capture them all.”

“Draw your blades!”

At her command, the other two knights drew their swords in unison, to which Keele and Senak reacted in kind. The sheen of their blades proved they were already coated in Halahala.

“Good grief, I’m not well suited to fighting, but I suppose I can at least provide support,” Crow said as he stood at the ready. He wielded a strange tool that somewhat resembled a bow.

Nagi also drew his knife while keeping Saya behind him.

“Charge!”

The knights leaped into action. However, because they needed someone to block the exit, only Jubilia and one other knight charged forward. Keele and Senak each blocked a knight. Lernaean observed the fight from behind with a composed expression, smiling as if he found something about this enjoyable.

“Their weapons are coated in poison! Fight as if they’re blood calibers!” Jubilia yelled.

The other knight looked startled by this as Senak slashed at him. The fight between Jubilia and Keele looked even. He blocked her strikes while she parried his counterattacks.

“I so wanted to meet you again!” Keele shouted.

“Cut the drivel!”

Senak, on the other hand, was having a hard time. His skills were far inferior to those of the knight he was facing. This was actually the norm; Keele was abnormal for being able to put up a proper fight.

“Crap... Crow!” Senak cried.

“I suppose I have no other choice,” Crow answered, fiddling with his weapon.

Nagi had never seen this sort of weapon before, but it was apparently something like a bow. A thick arrow flew out, accompanied by a dull thwack, and the knight fighting against Senak collapsed with a scream.

“Even the arrow was coated in poison?!”

“Keep your eyes on me, dammit!”

Keele came swinging in at Jubilia while her focus was momentarily drawn to the collapsed knight. She managed to block the blow on reflex, but she ended up dropping her sword from the powerful attack.

“Halahala... I see. It’s quite effective,” Lernaean murmured to himself.

Nobody had the leisure to answer him. Even though Senak had defeated one knight, the other came rushing in at him right away.

“Hey! Crow! Hurry the hell up!”

“I don’t have any more ammunition. This is just a prototype.”

Senak was left in despair as a sword came ruthlessly down at him. Nagi jumped in promptly and blocked the blade.

“Whew. Thanks.”

“Save it for later. We’re taking this guy on together.”

Senak nodded to Nagi and fixed the grip on his sword. Meanwhile, Jubilia continuously dodged Keele’s attacks.

“I find it hard to believe you’re a commoner.”

“I look like a commoner to you?”

Keele jeered at her, but she didn’t respond. Jubilia came to a stop, retrieved her sword, and sheathed it. She then twisted the ring on her thumb, triggering a blade to come out of it. The tip of the blade plunged into her own index finger.

“Oh man, seriously?” Keele said as he watched the blood pour out of her finger.

“I’ll be making full use of this. Excitation: Blood Blade!”

Blood burst from her finger as she yelled. It dispersed into the air in red crystals, then took on the shape of a slender, red sword.

“Blood caliber!”

The imposing pressure brought about by the sword silenced the chaotic battlefield.

“Dame Jubilia, you would wield your blood caliber against a mere commoner? Are you insane?!” the knight in front of Nagi said.

“I’m fully aware that this is a disgrace, but this man is formidable.”

“B-But—”

“I ran away from him once already. I don’t believe that choice was a mistake; I had to report the information on Cobalt. However, the knight in me recoils at my actions. He was an opponent I should’ve faced with all my strength from the very beginning.”

Jubilia held her red sword at the ready. Keele licked his lips as her palpable bloodlust washed over him. His eyes were sparkling like an innocent little boy’s.

“Well ain’t that amazing,” he remarked.

“This man is dangerous. Your orders were to capture him, but I’ll be striking him down here.”

“Do as you like,” Lernaean replied.

With that, Jubilia charged in at Keele once more. The speed of her blade was clearly on another level. Keele somehow managed to block the blow. But...

“Whoa, you kiddin’ me?”

Keele’s sword was cut clean in two, showing how terrifyingly sharp Jubilia’s red sword was. However, Keele’s sword style was one of deception. He was always doing the unexpected.

“Haha! You’re the best!” Keele yelled with a laugh as he gripped his shortened sword and dove toward Jubilia.

“Wha—?!”

Keele had judged that he couldn’t win through swordsmanship, so he instead challenged the noble to a close-range slugfest. Meanwhile, the knight facing off against Senak and Nagi took heart from Jubilia’s spirit. It took everything the two of them had to fend off his relentless blows.

Then, the balance was broken. The knight’s sword struck Senak in the abdomen. It came in at a poor angle and didn’t cut him, but the blow to the stomach was enough to send Senak to the floor. The knight immediately turned to face Nagi.

Crap, I can’t hold out one-on-one.

“Lady Saya, shall we put an end to this farce?” Lernaean said, “If you come with us, I do not mind overlooking these people and their misdeeds.”

His voice was frighteningly calm and as cold as a strong winter wind. It was enough for Keele, Jubilia, and the knight who was attacking Nagi to freeze in place.

“Don’t fuck with me!” Nagi yelled, but Lernaean paid him no mind.

“Thank you. You’ve truly done well in showing me something magnificent. You’ve made good use of Halahala, I see. You will all surely play an appropriate role in the times to come. If you survive, that is. But at this rate, that would be impossible, no matter how hard you try. Allow me to show you.”

Lernaean moved his finger in the same way Jubilia had when she’d brought out her blood caliber.

“Excitation.”

In the next instant, an intense pain shot through Nagi’s shoulder. He screamed as his shoulder was torn open. His clothes were drenched in blood in the blink of an eye.

“Nagi!” Saya screamed.

“Hmm, I suppose I cannot scold Jubilia for this... I, too, have used my blood caliber against a commoner.”

Nagi hadn’t even seen it happen. The only traces that such an attack had transpired at all were Nagi’s wounded shoulder and the small amount of blood dripping from Lernaean’s palm.

“The hell was that?” Keele blurted.

Lernaean’s ability was of an entirely different dimension.

“Do you understand now, Lady Saya? I missed on purpose. I am fully capable of consigning everyone within this room to death in an instant.”

They all knew he was telling the truth. Even Jubilia and Keele couldn’t hope to compare.

“However, I am reluctant to kill you all; it would truly be a waste. I’d much prefer to let you all go. As such, Lady Saya, I would like for you to come with us.”

Keele, Crow, Senak, and Jubilia looked at Saya, who continued to glare at Lernaean in silence. Her trembling lips showed her hesitation.

“If you refuse, then someone’s head will fly next... Perhaps his, to start.” He gestured casually toward Nagi.

After hearing such a cruel declaration, Saya finally opened her mouth and said, “I’ll go, so don’t kill anyone.”

Lernaean smiled. It was perfectly arranged on his statuesque face, making his expression seem excessively arrogant.

“A truly wise decision.”

“You can’t!” Nagi protested.

Lernaean looked down on him with cold eyes. “If you plan on making a fuss, I don’t mind silencing you.”

The man’s violent aura enveloped Nagi, and for a moment, the boy stopped breathing.

“Stop this at once! If you hurt Nagi, I’ll stab this through my own heart!” Saya shouted as she picked something off the ground and held it to her chest.

It was the piece of Keele’s sword that Jubilia had cut off. Seeing that, Lernaean righted himself and relaxed his muscles. Feeling as though he had narrowly escaped danger, Nagi broke out in a cold sweat.

“I have no interest in that boy to begin with. You should not injure yourself over something so trifling.”

“I told you I’d go with you. Before we leave, though, I want to say a few words to Nagi.”

“Very well.”

Saya walked up to Nagi’s side. She put a finger to his lips as he tried to say something, hushing him. Saya’s finger trembling. With Saya directly in front of him, nobody but Nagi could see anything in between. This tiny space was the only one in the room that belonged only to them.

She discreetly lifted something out from beneath her clothes. It was the phial adorning the necklace Nagi had bought at the rest area. Saya tugged on the phial, easily breaking the cheap chain. She then opened the bottle and gripped her hand over the naked blade she was still holding.

Though she grimaced in pain, Saya didn’t raise her voice. A few small droplets of blood ran down the blade and fell into the vial. She closed the lid, then pushed the necklace into Nagi’s hand.

“Thank you for taking me out of there. This is the first time I’ve ever had so much fun.”

Saya’s wound closed before his eyes and quickly vanished. Nagi watched this in a daze as he took the necklace.

“Goodbye,” she said. With that, she stepped out of the storeroom.

Nagi was unable to do anything but stare at her back as she did.