Port City Libelle

The sun sat on its throne in the clear sky, its rays baking the earth.

These sunbeams flooded the ruins. Plants had withered, and water was so scant that even the air itself felt dry. Each gust of wind sent sand spinning into the air. It was clear at a glance that this gray-brown wasteland, extending as far as the eye could see, would be a difficult place for any living thing to call home.

This desolate terrain was the region known as the Wild Frontier.

There was not much of interest in sight. Dust clouds drifted across the dried-up land. It was a harsh environment that few people dared to tread; an arid, ruinous wasteland that separated one sheltered country from another.

Only one road led through it, climbing up a small hill. It could hardly be called well-maintained—if anything, it was such a sad excuse for a road that it was almost as if the ground had just been worn down by chance.

Two girls were walking down this long path.

One was a mature-looking young woman with lovely features. A large, black ribbon secured her hair in a stylish ponytail, and she wore the indigo robes of a priestess. The deep slit in the right side of her skirt revealed stunning long legs in knee-high laced boots.

Her footsteps were swift and sure. This young woman seemed well accustomed to travel and showed no signs of exhaustion.

The other girl had a more childlike face.

Her black hair seemed to tangle around her shoulders. At a glance, her chest was one of her more prominent features, even completely covered by her clothes. Her steps were a bit unsteady. Noticing that exhaustion was wearing her down, the other girl shortened her stride to match her companion’s pace.

The two girls were wearing matching cloaks, partly to protect them from the sun. As they walked down the path in silence, one of the girls mumbled to herself.

“My soul’s too worn out to go on…”

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be able to complain about it.” The more mature-looking young woman shot down the girl with the baby face.

This was far from the first or second time she had made such a declaration. In fact, she’d complained countless times over the course of the journey thus far. The cold response seemed to imply it wasn’t worth taking her moaning seriously anymore.

The baby-faced girl wasn’t discouraged in the least, however.

“Hee-hee, maybe you’re right, Menou. If I really couldn’t go on, I guess I wouldn’t have enough energy to complain, either. Do you wanna know why I still have a little energy in spite of this awful journey?”

“Perhaps those humps on your chest store enough moisture to keep you hydrated…?”

“Of course not!”

The response from the girl called Menou clearly indicated that she didn’t care to waste energy thinking about the answer. The other girl flailed her fists indignantly at Menou’s rudeness and disinterest.

“Menou, you perv! Reserve those types of comments until we’re at the next stage of our relationship!”

“I’m sorry, Akari. I won’t say that ever again.” Menou’s expression turned serious. She bowed immediately. “I sincerely apologize. I went too far this time. Could you please refrain from spouting that sort of nonsense in the future?”

“Aww… Why’re you being so cold?”

For some reason, Menou’s apology was met with displeasure.

The girl called Akari sounded genuinely upset as she pressed closer to Menou.

“You don’t want to deepen your relationship with me, Menou? You can be so mean!”

“Is it impossible for you to walk in silence…?” Menou looked up at the sky, lamenting that talking to her traveling companion was like talking to a brick wall.

The journey across borders by way of this pilgrimage route was a long and arduous one.

On this continent, virtually every border was surrounded by the Wild Frontier. The rugged terrain could only be traversed by foot through this unforgiving path. As if spending time in undeveloped territory wasn’t difficult enough, the fact that it was no-man’s-land meant there were outlaws, too. On top of that, wild animals, monsters of all kinds, and conjured soldiers from the eastern Wild Frontier could attack at any moment.

Travelers walked on foot amid these threats.

They would walk the path in the morning and reach a lodging area in the afternoon. There, they could tend to their belongings, wash their clothes, buy supplies, and otherwise prepare for the next day, and go to bed as soon as the sun set. Then they would wake up at dawn the next morning and do it all over again.

On the pilgrimage route, all aspects of life revolved around walking.

On all but the worst parts of the road, they would travel even in the rain, pressing ever forward. This simple lifestyle—in which everything was devoted to moving ahead—was said to purge anything superficial from the soul and spirit. That was why traversing the Wild Frontier was considered a pilgrimage and had a spiritual significance to priestesses.

Two weeks had passed on a journey that even the toughest priestess would consider a challenge, but the girl next to Menou was as chatty as ever, much to Menou’s surprise.

“Hey, Menou? Hey! Can you hear me? It hurts when you give me the cold shoulder, you know! Haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘speech is silver, silence is golden’? It means that being quiet is important, but there’s value in talking, too. In conclusion, chatting is fun!”

“Fine, fine. I just have to hear you out, right? Once you’re done, will you please be quiet?” Menou finally caved when Akari dragged out ancient wisdom to back up her baseless argument. Reluctantly, she asked the question Akari wanted to hear. “Well? Why do you still have energy to go on?”

Akari grinned and puffed out her chest proudly as if Menou had just happened to stumble on the perfect question. “It’s because having you next to me is like an oasis for my soul, obviously!”

“I swear…” Menou sighed wearily at the answer, which was somehow even sillier than she’d expected.

It was impossible to tell from the way Akari was so attached to Menou, but the two of them had only known each other for about three weeks. From the moment they first met, Akari was strangely fond of Menou, but she’d only gotten more persistent about it over the past few weeks. At this point, Menou was beginning to give up on treating Akari like a guest.

“Can’t you find a way to be more self-sufficient? When I’m with you, it feels like… I don’t know, like you’re absorbing all my energy or something.”

“Sorry, no can do. I need Vitamin Menou to live, and the only way I can get it is from you! Otherwise, I’ll wither away!”

“I seriously doubt that… You lived perfectly fine for sixteen years before you met me, didn’t you?”

“I no longer have any recollection of my past sixteen years.”

“Wow.”

It had been more than two weeks since they left Menou’s hometown of Garm, the ancient capital, and began their trek through the Wild Frontier. After putting up with this behavior for the entire journey, Menou couldn’t find it in her to engage with Akari anymore.

Speaking of which, there were two main methods of crossing the Wild Frontier.

One was walking by way of the pilgrimage route. Though the Wild Frontier was undeveloped, the route featured a clear path and regular rest stops along the way, so it was relatively safe. The other option was to take on the Wild Frontier, but it was much more dangerous than the route Menou and Akari were currently taking. Those who chose to do so were called adventurers.

“This is our time, Menou,” Akari appealed. “We’re young, so we gotta live in the present! There’s no point looking back at the past! We’ve gotta walk toward the future!”

“You should glance at the past to prepare for the future.”

Their optimistic journey across the wasteland had gone well overall, aside from a few minor hiccups. Over the course of the past two weeks, Menou had learned exactly how to deal with Akari.

It was the same way she dealt with Momo, who wasn’t at her side right now. And unlike her dependable assistant, Akari was a hindrance. In other words, the best way to handle her was to be even colder and blunter than she was with Momo at her most excited state.

Their days spent doing nothing but walking were almost over.

“Ooh!”

The two had reached the top of the hill. Their view opened up, and Akari exclaimed in delight at the sight that spread out below them. The deep-blue sea could be seen on the horizon.

“Menou, look! It’s the ocean! And ships! And a town!”

“Yeah.” Menou smiled.

She felt a sense of accomplishment, too. Her body was exhausted, and her spirit, worn down. But once they reached their goal, all those hardships would become a sense of fulfillment.

There was a seaside town below the hill. The reddish-brown outline of the buildings was decidedly jagged. The salt breeze from the sea had worn down the cliffs into a strange shape.

“That’s Libelle, our next stop.”

Libelle, the port city.

It was a city that could be reached by leaving through the border of Grisarika Kingdom from the ancient capital of Garm and walking the pilgrimage route across the Wild Frontier for two weeks. Libelle was not as prosperous as the famed sightseeing city of Garm. Though it was a port city, it primarily served as a fishing harbor, so its economic scale was relatively limited.

Menou looked in the opposite direction of the town, back down the path they had traversed.

This was her second time on this journey. When Menou was young, she once took this pilgrimage with her Master and mentor—Flare.

“Look. The ocean,” Flare had said.

“Yes, ma’am.”

The familiar view and the scent of the sea must have jogged her memory, for a conversation she had in this very same place replayed in the back of her mind.

“…Come on. It’s the ocean.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“This is your first time seeing it, isn’t it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well? What’s your first impression?”

“It’s big.”

“Is that all?”

“And blue.”

The red-haired priestess stared down at young Menou. “…Sheesh, you’re a boring one.”

Standing here now, Menou finally understood how her master must have felt when she made that almost sulky remark.

“I wasn’t a very cute kid, myself, but…she did have that sort of side to her, I suppose.”

“What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking back on the past.” Menou narrowed her eyes, spying something more important.

She looked out across the enormous sea to the horizon. Far off in the distance, a splotch of white was faintly visible. Following Menou’s gaze, Akari noticed it, too.

“Oh, there’s some clouds over the ocean, huh?” Akari commented. “If the weather’s gonna take a turn for the worse, we better hurry into town.”

“…No, that’s no cloud.” Taking care to keep her tone steady, Menou corrected her. “There’s fog over the sea.”

“Fog?”

“Yes.”

Since they were in a somewhat elevated area, they could see a shroud of white over the horizon, dense enough to be mistaken for a cloud. Its permanent presence had nothing to do with the climate or the currents. It was because the most frightening being in existence was sealed in that spot.

A Human Error.

The cause of one of the great disasters that had scarred this world was trapped inside.

The port city was on the southern tip of the continent, closest to the site of one of the Four Major Human Errors: Pandemonium.

The church here stood on high ground that overlooked the entire city.

Libelle was in the Vanira Kingdom and south of Garm, the ancient capital of Grisarika Kingdom.

Once Menou completed the immigration check necessary to enter the city, she headed to the church. As soon as she applied for funds, the pastor wanted to speak to her.

This was part of Menou’s role as an Executioner. She couldn’t get Akari involved, so she sat the girl down in a pew and spoke to her seriously.

“I have to greet the pastor in charge of this church. You sit here and wait in the chapel, all right? No talking to strangers or following me. Understand?”

“Okay. That’s fine, but… Menou…”

“But?”

“What’s this?”

After Menou addressed Akari like she was instructing a five-year-old, Akari held up her hand to indicate the object wrapped around her wrist. Menou had tied it there herself just a moment ago.

“It’s a rope,” Menou responded calmly.

Akari’s mouth moved to repeat the word rope, but no words came. Incidentally, Menou was holding the other end.

Akari had such a strong tendency to wander off if something caught her attention. She made the perfect target for a kidnapping. Even on the pilgrimage route, she had managed to cause Menou plenty of trouble. So, as she had once threatened to do, Menou had put her on a leash.

Not literally, of course. It was only attached to her wrist, but Menou was still nodding with satisfaction.

“You can’t be trusted to wait quietly on your own. I’ve learned my lesson. Whenever I take my eyes off you, I’ll be sure to keep you on a tight leash.”

“C-come on, Menou!” Akari came back to her senses with a start and began struggling against the rope. She held her hand to her chest and raised her voice in a way that seemed almost deliberate. “Not in front of other people! Save it for when we’re alone! I know we’re attached at the hip, but I’m not ready to do this in public! It’s embarrassing!”

“Would you please be quiet?”

Akari started exclaiming hysterically in a voice loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Menou bore down on her with a calm yet threatening smile.

“You have got to learn some self-awareness. If you keep acting this way, I’ll roll you up in a mat and drag you around instead, understand?”

“I say no to violence! Be gentler with me! All I want is your love, Menou!”

“Then you’d better behave yourself.”

“So all I have to do is behave to get your love and affection?!”

“Over my dead body.”

Anyone would guess from this exchange that they were just engaging in friendly banter.

This was a church, however. As a priestess, Menou could hardly bear Akari’s rowdiness and grabbed both her shoulders to give her a stern reminder.

“Listen. Just sit there quietly and wait, all right? That’s all you have to do. Even a ten-year-old could do it, so a sixteen-year-old can manage, right?”

“Menou, you worry too much. Can’t you at least loosen the rope a little bit?”

“Oh, I worry, all right. Sometimes, you’re so oblivious to danger, I worry you might be mentally ten years old. If you prove you can wait this time, I won’t have to tie you up anymore. Got it?”

“You really don’t trust me…” Akari slumped, and Menou left her there and headed for the inner sanctum of the church.

All churches were basically laid out in a similar manner, though there were some small, aesthetic differences to match the townscape. Menou reached the pastor’s office without any issues and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.” Menou entered the room. Sitting at the desk was a gloomy, nervous-looking woman with slender features, bags under her eyes, and glasses.

She was the pastor in charge of the Faust in Libelle. Menou wasn’t familiar with her temperament, but she did know in advance that her name was Sicilia.

“Well, let’s get down to it, Ms. Menou. About your application. Let me give you my opinion…”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As soon as Menou arrived in the city, she had applied for expenses related to her duties.

Carrying money during a journey on foot would be risky, not to mention a physical burden. If she had a regular bank account, however, influential members of the Noblesse would be able to track her.

Thus, Executioners like Menou relied on loans from the churches in their destinations. No matter where the church might be, they were expected to provide as much assistance as possible.

Of course, the amount that could be granted varied greatly from one church to the next.

“At a glance, many items in your application strike me as unnecessary. Why would you do all your traveling in the kingdom on the expensive long-distance trains, I wonder? There are certainly more cost-effective methods of transportation. In fact, I believe you could save even more money by walking from place to place. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Menou had requested money to travel from this city to the next, but the pastor in charge of the church was taking issue with her plan.

“Of course, we would like to help you as much as possible, but don’t you think it’s your responsibility to reduce your expenses as much as possible, too?”

“Yes. You’re exactly right.” Menou responded relatively calmly. She knew it was her position as an Executioner that the pastor disliked so strongly.

Executioners who worked for the holy land specialized in dirty work, and they were considered outsiders by most parishes. An unexpected visit would never be met with a warm welcome. The hospitality she had received from Archbishop Orwell in the ancient capital of Garm was a rare exception.

And as it turned out, Orwell had been committing atrocities to resist the onset of age.

Sicilia’s attitude was unpleasant but not strange. If anything, it was almost a relief to get such a normal reaction.

That said, it was a little frustrating. Menou kept a firm hold on her irritation as she objected to the pastor’s complaints.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the dangers posed by an Otherworlder. The longer our journey takes, the more danger there will be, hence the preference for rapid transportation. Could I ask you to reconsider my request, given the circumstances?”

“My, my. So you haven’t been able to get this situation under control? Isn’t that gross negligence on your part? What have you been doing all this time? It’s your job to deal with Otherworlders, not ours, as I recall. Besides, what do you intend to do by traveling with such haste?”

Menou’s one protest was met with another wall of complaints.

She fell silent for a moment, which Sicilia used to drive home her final rejection.

“Nowhere in your plan is the ultimate goal of figuring out how to dispose of the Otherworlder accompanying you. Surely you do not truly intend to bring her to the holy land?”

Menou flinched and maintained her silence.

She was an Executioner, working in the shadows of the Faust.

It was her duty to kill Akari, who had been summoned from another world. The reason she made contact with her when she arrived in Grisarika Kingdom was to execute her.

Menou, however, had failed her duty.

She was physically unable to kill her.

“I understand this Otherworlder, Akari Tokitou, cannot be killed by any normal means. She recovers with the Pure Concept of Time, correct? That will not be easy to undo, I’m sure.”

Sicilia was right about that.

The moment Otherworlders were summoned, they acquired abilities called Pure Concepts. These powers were all supernatural, but Akari’s power of Time automatically invoked a skill called Regression when she was killed, undoing the very moment of her death.

Thus, Menou was traveling with Akari to keep an eye on her dangerous powers and, if possible, find an opportunity to kill her.

And Menou still had yet to discover any way to successfully execute the girl.

“You have no destination in mind and no confidence in your ability to restrain the Otherworlder, yet you ask for more money to continue your journey? I wish you’d stop joking around. You ought to take your job more seriously.”

“May I ask what exactly you’re trying to say, ma’am?”

“Certainly.” Sicilia held up the application in front of Menou’s face. “I’m saying I won’t provide you with a single coin for your shoddy travel plan.”

With that, she ripped the paper to shreds.

Menou watched expressionlessly as her application was reduced to garbage. Her eyes trailed after the strips as they fluttered to the floor, until Sicilia drew her gaze back up with a finger.

“Perhaps you weren’t aware, but our budget is far from limitless. The amount we have to provide for outsiders like you is tight.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“Very good. Then you understand we must expend our money with care. We’re always looking to ensure that there’s a return proportionate to the cost demanded of us. Wouldn’t you say that makes sense?”

“So what do you propose?”

“There’s something we would like you to help us with.”

Executioners were near-universally hated. To local church administrators, requests for funding from people like Menou were nothing but outsiders coming in to beg for money.

At the same time, there wasn’t a single person in the Faust who would doubt the abilities of an Executioner, who had undergone arduous training in the holy land and been selected for the job.

“If you can offer a real contribution to our cause, I certainly won’t turn up my nose at you. We will offer the money you applied for as a contingency fee.”

Thus, it was quite common to be given conditions like this one.

“Sigh…”

After meeting up with Akari in the chapel, Menou heaved a sigh as they stepped outside.

The specifics of the request she’d been given sounded unmistakably annoying. When she submitted her funding application, she’d been resigned to a certain degree of haggling, but this was just aggravating.

They couldn’t continue their journey without any money, however. First, they had to secure a hotel. I’ll just have to figure something out, Menou thought, rubbing her temples.

She looked up to find Akari peering closely at her face.

“You tired, Menou?”

“I suppose. Money problems are universal, after all.”

“Really? I guess now that you mention it, you seemed kinda poor when we first met.”

“Well, excuse me for being broke.”

It was true that when she met Akari, she didn’t have much leeway in her budget. Besides, she worked for the church. She would never earn a salary beyond expenses for her missions and the bare minimum needed to live. That was the nature of the Faust.

As Menou looked back at Akari, her gaze automatically turned reproachful.

Originally, she was supposed to have killed Akari the day they met. In fact, she had buried a knife in the back of the girl’s neck so skillfully that Akari never even noticed.

But Akari was resurrected by the Regression ability of her Pure Concept, Time. Menou concluded it would be impossible to assassinate her alone, and thus, she was stuck traveling around with the girl—all to find a method to kill Akari, who was immortal with her Pure Concept of Time.

Immediately after that realization, however, they were confronted with the archbishop’s crimes and forced to flee Garm quickly.

I’ll lower my hotel standards by one star, Menou decided silently. I’ll put up with a cold shower if I have to. The sheets might smell moldy, but I can deal with that, too.

“Ahh… But…”

As Menou slumped with disappointment at the thought of resting her weary bones in a shabby hotel, a hand suddenly grabbed her arm tightly and tugged her forward.

“I dunno what’s bothering you, but a little sightseeing will cheer you up for sure!”

“Er…”

Akari’s eyes sparkled. Most likely, brightening Menou’s spirits was just an excuse to explore this unfamiliar city.

Menou was in no mood. More importantly, her wallet wasn’t up for the task. Putting her mission-related expenses in this town aside, the money for the next leg of their journey was a contingency fee, dependent on the completion of her task. What a dreadful world. Up-front payment ought to be a universal policy, Menou thought bleakly.

“We can’t. There’s not enough…”

Money, she was about to say, but then Menou trailed off.

She sensed a familiar presence from the shadows of the street. At the same time, her scripture glowed faintly. It was a Guiding Force signal that could only be relayed between scriptures that were in sync. Without opening her book, Menou silently read the message being spelled out inside, not alerting Akari.

“What’s the matter, Menou? Aw, it’s not your fault you’re poor. I can deal with it, don’t worry!”

“…Change of plans.”

Ignoring the other girl’s misplaced magnanimity, Menou adjusted her plans for the day. If she carried out her task, she would receive funds for the requisite investigation. Then she could simply cover the sightseeing costs as part of those investigation funds. Menou still held a little resentment toward that bespectacled pastor, after all.

“Now, let’s get going! We’re splurging today, Akari!”

“My love got through to you!” Akari always managed to twist her words. Menou eyed the exuberant girl suspiciously.

“I’m calling it off if you’re going to keep being stupid.”

“I’m sorry! Please go sightseeing with meee!” Akari immediately latched on to Menou. “I wanna see the sights with you, Menou! Okay? Okay! So please don’t change your miiind!”

“All right, all right. Fine. Just let go of me already.” Menou briskly pushed the crying girl’s face away from hers, and Akari broke into a smile. Menou couldn’t quite hold back a little grin when she saw her roller coaster of expressions.

“So where should we go first?”

“Let me see…”

Sightseeing could encompass any number of things. They could look at buildings, try some of the local delicacies, or go visit the harbor of this port city.

But they had just finished a long journey. Menou tugged on her ponytail and stared thoughtfully at Akari.

After two weeks of walking across a wasteland, they were more than a little dirty. And after considering the message she’d just received in her scripture, she came up with a destination that would accomplish several goals at once.

“Let’s go to the bathhouse.”

Plunk. Ripples spread on the surface of the hot water.

“Ahhh…”

Akari let out a sigh that was almost suggestive in tone. Judging by her expression as she sank up to her shoulders into the hot water of the steamy bathhouse, she was quite content.

“It’s the perfect temperature. All the stress is melting away… It feels so goood.”

Sure enough, her body and even her face were relaxed to the point of melting. Once she finished her assessment out loud, she let her lips slide under the water and blew bubbles, a decidedly poor show of manners.

Menou, too, was next to her in the public bathhouse. She had her light-tawny hair wrapped up in a towel and was stretching out her legs, enjoying the hot water.

“Phew…” She let out a sigh as she relaxed. The pleasant warmth spreading through her body seemed to melt the exhaustion away. On the pilgrimage, there were few opportunities to use hot water. Usually, they had the option of taking a cold shower or wiping themselves down with a damp towel.

Akari stretched both hands out in front of her.

“I sorta thought calling a trip to a bathhouse a ‘splurge’ was just proof of your poor-person mindset, but this is great. Plus, we’ve got the place to ourselves!”

“Well, it is the middle of the afternoon. Also, you don’t have to keep pointing out that I’m poor. A priestess is pure, proper, and powerful, remember? In other words, this is honorable poverty.”

“Okay, okaaay. You’re pure, proper, and powerful. I get it.”

Akari and Menou were the only two people in the large bath. Since there was no one around to see them, they were free to stretch out and relax in the hot water.

“Heeey, Menou.”

“Hmm?”

“We’re traveling to a place called the holy land, right?”

“That’s right.”

As they soaked in the hot water, the pair conversed in sluggish tones.

“So you actually remembered. I’m glad I bothered explaining it to you, then.”

“Of course I remember. So there are other people in this world who got summoned like me or came through natural phenomena? You said protecting those people in this ‘holy land’ place is part of your job.”

Officially, the Faust called people like Akari who had come from other worlds “lost lambs” and took care of them. Menou had told Akari when they first met that the point of their journey was to take her there.

“And you said that long ago there was a more advanced state of cultural development and stuff, too! That’s why people understand Japanese, even though it’s a different world, right?”

“That’s correct. There was an ancient civilization that used the knowledge of Otherworlders to advance themselves. And so the language here is quite similar to Japanese.”

Menou nodded, pleased that her teachings on the road thus far had been worthwhile.

However, there was one part of the truth that differed drastically from what Akari had learned.

When they were summoned, whether intentionally or by chance, Japanese people gained powerful abilities called Pure Concepts. These powers were inevitably unstable. Each time they were used, the Otherworlders’ memories faded, and their personalities changed, until finally, they became threats known as Human Errors and caused immense damage at random. This was also what had destroyed that highly advanced culture and its science, which was said to have even reached the stars.

The Sword of Salt. Starhusk. Pandemonium. Mechanical Society.

These four Human Errors were especially damaging and had left massive and unusual scars on the land that remained even a millennium later.

Based on this grim history, a system was formed in which Executioners like Menou quietly erased Otherworlders before they could cause harm in this world. Menou was bringing Akari on this journey to find a way to assassinate her despite the power that resurrected her when she was killed.

“But y’know, it’s been fun being in this world, even if some stuff has been hard. Which gets me thinking…”

Akari knew nothing of Menou’s true intentions or circumstances.

She placed her full trust in Menou, smiling warmly at her in the bath.

“It might be nice if I could just keep traveling with you in this world forever.”

Her blissful voice punctured a hole in Menou’s chest. Her eyes widened in surprise, and her lips moved in silence as she searched for an answer. Eventually, her shoulders sagged.

“…Don’t be stupid.”

Though Akari looked like she still wanted to enjoy the bath, Menou stood up, sending waves across the water’s surface.

Her body was sufficiently warmed up. There was no point staying any longer.

“There wouldn’t be a journey without a destination. Traveling without a purpose is just putting the cart before the horse.”

“You think? Personally, I’ve always liked making little stops along the way. Sometimes you learn a lot while you’re on the road, too.”

“Is that right? Well, I’m getting out.”

“Okaaay. I’ll be out in bit…”

Akari was the type to linger in the bath. She started to wave from the tub, but her hand paused as she stared at Menou.

“…Y’know, you have a great body, Menou,” Akari murmured, full of admiration.

Menou had long, smooth legs and a balanced build. She looked slender, but her muscles were solid. Though she wasn’t especially tall, she had a powerful presence with her lovely facial features and self-assured stature.

Just as Akari said, she had a well-proportioned body that could make even other women fall in love.

Menou narrowed her eyes as Akari stared.

“Stop ogling me.”

“Ack!”

She used one of her slim legs to splash water at the other girl, reprimanding her for commenting on someone else’s body in a bathhouse. Then she used the towel that was keeping her hair in place to cover up her front and prodded at Akari’s considerable bust, which was bobbing in the water.

“You wouldn’t like it if someone told you ‘you’ve got a great rack’ or something, would you?”

“Hmph. I don’t mind if it’s you, Menou!” Akari stood up from the water with a splash, responding almost instinctively.

Compared to Menou, who was toned from years of diligent training, Akari’s body was soft enough to pinch around her belly and arms. Her feminine curves contrasted with her youthful face, and they seemed to only accentuate each other. Most of all, her chest was impressive enough to warrant envy from other women and tended to attract attention from others.

“Please describe your opinion of my body in two hundred words or less!”

“How stupid are you?”

“Very!”

Akari was at least self-aware. In response to her nonsensical request, Menou only offered one short sentence: “Be quiet and bathe.”

“Waaa-brg-lb-lb-lb-l!”

Knocking Akari back into the water with a quick foot sweep, Menou promptly left the bath behind.

Menou swiftly put on her priestess robes in the changing room and moved to the post-bath lounge. Since it was the middle of the day, there weren’t many other patrons around. But just as Menou was sitting down on a sofa…

“Darliiiing!”

…Someone tackled Menou’s still-steaming, freshly bathed form.

Unlike Menou’s indigo getup, this girl was wearing white priestess robes. Her pink hair was put up in two pigtails with the scrunchies Menou had bought her as a present in Garm.

“Finally, my darling in the flesh! The real deal! It’s me, your beloved Momo, and you’re mine, all miiiine!”

It was a passionate embrace; the attacker seemed to be in shockingly high spirits.

This was Menou’s junior and assistant, Momo. Menou was unsurprised. After all, it was she who had sent Menou a message via her scripture before they came to the bathhouse.

“You took a bath, didn’t you? You’re so warm and smooth and wonderful fresh out of the baaath. I would’ve liked to relax in the bath with you, too… I’ll put a curse on that damned boob-lady who got to take a bath with you so she slips in there and drooowns!”

“Yes, yes. We’ll have to bathe together some other time.”

“Yaaay!”

Menou comforted her rather overdramatic assistant and was rewarded with a glowing smile.

Since Momo was assisting Menou as an Executioner, they had to keep her existence a secret to Akari. Thus, Momo was acting alone and had arrived in the city shortly before Menou and Akari.

This meant she had taken a far harsher route through the Wild Frontier with barely enough equipment and still got there faster than the pilgrimage route. And as if that wasn’t already impressive, she had managed to contact Menou via a communication conjuring as soon as she arrived in the city, all while avoiding being seen by Akari. In fact, her grasp of Menou’s movements was so thorough that it almost made Menou want to ask how she had done it.

“I can’t believe we were separated for two whole weeeks! Your poor Momo was so lonely, thinking only about you all day and night! I even dreamed about this day. Our reunion calls for a celebratiooon!”

“All right, all right. I was sad to be separated from my brilliant junior, too.”

“Hee-hee! Me? Brilliant? Only just a little!”

When Menou patted her hair, Momo melted into a dreamy smile. A simple girl. But that simplicity was reserved only for Menou. When she wasn’t acting cute, Momo could be downright merciless and cold-blooded.

“You’re the best in the whole world, darliiing. No one else could make me so happy with just a brief meeting! You’re my oasis!”

“There, there. Good girl, Momo. You’re the best assistant in the world.”

“That’s me! A good giiirl. Don’t be shy—keep petting me and praising me. I live for nothing but your head pats!”

“Well, anyway. There’s work to discuss, Momo.”

“Awww, man…” Momo was busily rubbing her cheek against Menou’s hand, but her face turned pouty when the other girl changed the subject. “Work again? When you just got in to tooown?”

“Afraid so. I’ve been given a job to do in exchange for the funds.”

“Come on. This always happeeeens…”

“It certainly does.”

Momo reluctantly pulled away from Menou, looking very dissatisfied. She was an Executioner’s aide, after all, so she was used to getting bogged down with other work to earn their regular pay.

Menou explained what Sicilia had told her about the city’s situation.

“The Fourth are currently infesting this city, it seems. So they want our assistance in dealing with them.”

“Yikes… The Fourth are in this city, too?”

“They’re everywhere, really. Where there’s one mouse, there will be more.”

The Fourth referred to a citizens’ group who touted ideologies that once dominated the continent. In a world where society was divided up into three estates of the realm—the Faust, the Noblesse, and the Commons—they were a self-proclaimed fourth group in the social hierarchy.

To put it simply, their group believed that humans should not be limited by social estates or status.

This “Fourth Ideology,” which extolled freedom and independence, once experienced a brief bout of explosive popularity. Associated with his group were the terrorists Menou and company had encountered on the train here from Grisarika Kingdom.

“The group is just dregs at this point. If Master hadn’t caught their so-called Director, they could have been a serious threat by now. We mustn’t let our guards down.”

“Yes, I have heard they had influence in the paaast. Master should’ve torn up the whole group from the roots while she was at it. Because she left the job half-finished, these offshoots got carried awaaay…”

“She’s certainly the one who caught the Director of the Fourth, but I don’t think even she could have wiped them out entirely…”

Momo was blaming their Master, but the Fourth was more of an ideology than a single organization.

They maintained themselves as a sort of coalition of organizations with similar beliefs, which was why the leader was referred to as the Director. The remnants that had scattered across the nations varied in scale and power; since they weren’t actually working together, it was that much harder to eradicate them completely.

“They call themselves a citizens’ group, so what they’re doing isn’t technically illegal, riiight? Can’t the Order of Knights just take care of it?”

“Of course, they’re already monitoring the Fourth in Libelle, too. I have a written report from them.”

“Ooh. Sounds like the Faust and the knights get along surprisingly well in this city, hmm?”

The Noblesse and the Commons forming and managing a citizens’ group was permitted in nations all over the continent, so that was ordinary enough in itself. Generally, the stance was that as long as they weren’t committing any crimes, they were free to believe whatever they pleased. They were allowed to refer to themselves by the name of the Fourth, which was generally seen as a semi-terrorist organization. It simply meant that most other Common folk frowned upon them, the Order of Knights—the Noblesse—kept close watch on them, and the Faust considered them potentially dangerous.

“From what I heard, I can’t criticize Pastor Sicilia for her work…though her personality leaves a lot to be desired.”

“Well, a good personality and job proficiency are rarely related. Master is a perfect example of thaaat.”

“True. In fact, her awful personality might be part of why she was so good at her job.”

While the pair took pleasure in badmouthing the unusual leader of the monastery where they were raised, Menou pulled out some documents from a bag she had left in the changing room: the information Sicilia had given her at the church.

There was no sign that Akari would come out of the bath anytime soon, so Menou continued her explanation to Momo.

“Pastor Sicilia wants the assistance of Executioners for two reasons. First, because just the other day, a knight was seriously wounded by a member of the Fourth.”

“A knight, you saaay…” Momo’s eyes sharpened immediately.

In this world, the Noblesse carried out the duties of a government. Among them, the Order of Knights was responsible for law enforcement in most cities and towns and thus underwent arduous training to be ready for battle. It was unthinkable that they would be defeated by a group that only dabbled in conjuring.

“I suppose the occasional Common adventurer might have enough skill, but that’s so raaare…”

“And certainly not the case this time. Here, read this.” Menou pointed at one of the bullet points on the documents she’d given Momo, which contained the relevant information. “It seems a strange drug has been circulating among the Fourth in this city for the last two or three weeks. The top brass have been supplying them with something called ‘monstrine.’”

“…So it’s an illegal drug, hmm? I can’t understand why anyone would take that stuuuff. Are they out of their minds? I bet they’ll self-destruct if we leave them alone, nooo?”

“That would be great, but I think it’s worse than what you’re imagining.”

Momo wrinkled her nose skeptically; she must have assumed monstrine was a stimulant that made one feel powerful or pumped happiness-inducing chemicals into the brain. Menou pulled out a sample that had been given to Pastor Sicilia by a knight who was investigating the Fourth.

It was an unnaturally deep-red pill, almost like coagulated blood. Any experienced conjurer would be able to feel the Guiding Force radiating off of it.

Momo couldn’t hide her revulsion at the sinister aura the pill produced.

“To think they committed taboo related to the Concept of Original Sin just to make some silly drug… The Fourth in this town sure have some nerve, don’t theeey?”

“Agreed. They’ve certainly underestimated the Faust, too.”

Original Sin Conjuring.

It was a form of conjuring that involved offering a sacrifice to draw out power from another world. In most cases, Original Sin Conjuring required the offering of human flesh, spirits, or souls. The creation of the red pill in Menou’s hands, then, had almost certainly involved a human sacrifice.

“It’s possible they wanted to make money by circulating it through a port city, or that they were trying to increase their fighting forces by giving it to more extreme members. Whatever the goal, they’ve gotten involved with illicit activities. Executioners have every right to deal with whoever knows the recipe for this drug accordingly.”

“Can’t we just forget about this one, darliiing? It’s the city’s own fault for letting their Fourth run wild.” Now that she knew the situation, Momo had on a fierce smile. “We have enough on our plate trying to kill that boob-lady! Let’s just keep moving instead of getting involved in this city’s probleeems.”

Momo seemed to feel that none of this was important to them, but Menou frowned.

“But we don’t have any money.”

“No need to fear. Leave those money troubles to your dear Momo!”

“How do you mean?”

It was highly unlikely that Momo was any better off in the financial department. After all, it was usually Menou who covered her funds since Momo was her aide.

“Hee-hee, I found some real treasures in the Wild Frontier. And I sold them in the market for a pretty hefty profit! It seems like even junk goes for a good price in this tooown.”

Unlike Menou, who’d taken the pilgrimage for two weeks, Momo had made her way through the untamed part of the Wild Frontier.

Off the beaten path, the Wild Frontier was so dangerous that there weren’t even any detailed maps in existence. This meant, however, there were ancient ruins still undiscovered. The job of exploring those areas fell onto the adventurers, but Momo had evidently dabbled in a bit of adventuring herself along the way.

“And I ran into that damned Princess-poo for some reason, so I shoved her into a dangerous part of the ancient ruins and left her there. If we’re lucky, she might even be deeead!”

Momo’s eyes sparkled as she made this disturbing declaration, which involved a very unexpected guest appearance.

Menou hadn’t met her personally, but the princess of the Grisarika Kingdom seemed to be linked to Momo by some strange stroke of fate. They had been staying in Grisarika Kingdom until not too long ago, and during the incident with the archbishop, Momo and Ashuna had somehow faced off and teamed up temporarily.

“Wait… Why would the princess be coming here? Isn’t her nation in a state of utter chaos right now?”

“Nothing that Princess-poo does makes any sense. She probably just wanted to satisfy her thirst for battle, I beeet.”

Momo didn’t seem to be very fond of Princess Ashuna, and apparently, they’d butted heads again in the Wild Frontier. Certainly, if the princess had chosen to plunge through the Wild Frontier rather than take the pilgrimage route to cross the border, then she clearly wasn’t the rational type.

Although Momo said she’d ditched her in some dangerous ruins, she was likely still alive. Based on what Menou had heard, Ashuna had an incredible natural talent for conjuring. She wasn’t the sort of princess who would die if left in a little danger.

“Well, that’s enough about Princess Ashuna for now… The church has given us quite a job, like it or not. So I’m going to see it through.”

“Booo…” Momo puffed up her cheeks. Her attitude clearly stated that she would ditch the job if it were up to her. “You’re too nice. People who can’t even keep their own territory in check should just be left to their own devices.”

“Don’t say that. Anyway, you ought to use your money however you like.”

“But, darling, I can’t think of any use for it but to give it to yooou.”

“Cut it out,” Menou declined. Was she in such a sorry state that she had to be financially supported by her assistant?

Besides, though she hated to admit it, Sicilia had spoken the truth when they discussed the application. There was no point in pushing ahead aimlessly without a concrete goal.

Menou had to come up with a plan to kill Akari.

And it just so happened that there was one place in this city that might serve as a clue.

“As far as the monstrine, it doesn’t seem like it’s coming from outside. They must be managing the production of the illicit ingredients somewhere within city limits.”

“Which means those materials must be made from…”

“Residents of this city, yes. Most likely. But the strange thing is that there haven’t been many people reported missing.”

“Well, it could be that no one is filing missing persons reports. We’ll need to wait for more information, I thiiink.”

Holding the reports from Pastor Sicilia, Momo and Menou exchanged information. The next topic of discussion was about the nature of research conducted by the Fourth. Since a knight had managed to infiltrate their ranks to investigate, the report was considerably detailed.

When she read the last part of that report, Momo’s face stiffened.

“They’re analyzing Pandemonium… You don’t think—?”

“You can ignore that part.”

Momo looked serious for the first time, but Menou shook her head.

It was understandable that Momo would be alarmed. The threat was so grave that even Menou had let her expression slip when she first saw it.

Pandemonium.

It referred to a certain area on the ocean to the south of this city. It was the place Menou had briefly discussed with Akari on the hill right before they arrived.

Pandemonium. The remains of one of the Four Major Human Errors.

However, the very nature of the place was that it was sealed away.

“This is the closest settlement to Pandemonium. And they’re making this pill here. If there are people who thirst for power, it’s only natural they would take an interest. But they’ll never be able to figure out Pandemonium’s secrets. Even the Faust can’t do anything about that fog. The ancient civilization might’ve been able to do something, but it’s beyond the reach of any humans alive today.”

One of the Four Major Human Errors… An existence on par with the Sword of Salt, which Menou had seen stuck into the far-west island as a child. It was lurking somewhere in that fog.

The Alliance of Southern Islands, which had flourished as its own major nation, vanished from the map a thousand years ago. Entire islands disappeared without a trace, and there was no longer any way to guess what remained within the realm where Pandemonium existed.

The entire concept of the territory had been eaten away.

Just as the Sword of Salt turned the former western continent into salt that melted away into the ocean, Pandemonium was what remained of the maritime nation known as the Alliance of Southern Islands, which once prospered.

Such a legendary atrocity existed in the sea to the south of the port city of Libelle.

“If they had any type of magic powerful enough to undo that fog, the Fourth wouldn’t just be sitting around distributing suspicious drugs. So we can ignore that.”

“Riiiight! Of course! A brilliant theory. I love my darling—so cool, clever, and incredible!”

“All right, all right.” Menou dealt with Momo’s usual onslaught by patting her on the head. “One more thing. As far as this so-called monstrine, there’s a bigger problem besides the Fourth’s research findings, which is—”

Just as Menou was about to explain something that wasn’t in the documents, she heard footsteps in the hallway leading to the changing room. Momo exchanged looks with Menou. As soon as Menou nodded, Momo left without a sound.

Just as Momo disappeared, Akari poked her head into the room.

Fresh out of the bath, steam was still coming off Akari’s head. Droplets of water slid down her flushed face and neck as she peered around the changing room.

“Hmm? Menou, were you talking to someone? I thought I sensed some kinda presence in here that made me really angry for no reason…”

“Since when can you sense presences? You’re just imagining things. Hurry up and dry yourself off.”

“Oomph!”

What was she talking about? She had never even met Momo. Besides, there was no way that Akari—dense, happy-go-lucky Akari, whose crisis management abilities were somewhere in the negatives—could sense any sort of presence. As Menou tossed a towel over the girl’s soaking head to silence her, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

Akari wasn’t just immortal.

She could travel from the future to the past with Regression.

It was hard to say without any evidence, but it was possible that Akari had invoked a worldwide Regression with her Pure Concept of Time, returned to the past, and was doing this journey over again. Akari didn’t seem to have any memories or awareness of this herself, but Menou was halfway convinced this might be the case.

After all, from the moment they met, Akari had immediately trusted Menou. She wasn’t just being overly familiar—even at their first meeting, she showed complete, defenseless faith.

So maybe her statement just now was affected by vestiges of prior memories.

Menou asked as casually as she could: “Say, Akari. Since we arrived here, have you had a sense of déjà vu? The first time we met, you went on about fate. Have you felt anything similar?”

“Hmm? Not really.”

“I see.” Menou had slightly hoped she might glean some kind of information, but the response yielded no such thing. “Well, I was given a little assignment at the church, so we’ll be staying in Libelle for a week or so. Let’s find a hotel and call it a day. We can sightsee tomorrow.”

“Okaaay.” Akari rubbed the moisture from her hair with the towel.

“Sit here, Akari. I’ll dry your hair for you.”

“Yaaay!”

“In exchange, I’ll be borrowing some of your Guiding Force.”

“Aww, whaaat? But that really tickles…”

“No complaining.” Menou placed a hand on Akari’s shoulder and reached for the flow of Guiding Force.

Guiding Force: Connect—Akari Tokitou—Extract [Power]—

“Eek!” Akari’s shoulders shivered. Her lips twitched as if she was holding back laughter.

Normally, when one person tried to use another’s Guiding Force, their body, soul, and spirit would react and reject the other person. The only people who could connect Guiding Force were those who trusted one another in their hearts.

Menou let the power she’d extracted flow into the crest on her dagger.

Guiding Force: Connect—Dagger, Crest—Invoke [Gale]

The crest conjuring took the form of a soft breeze and ruffled through Akari’s hair. Menou directed the breeze from her dagger, combing Akari’s hair as it dried.

She didn’t really need to borrow Akari’s powers to invoke such a small conjuring, but for some reason, she had the urge to confirm Akari’s trust.

“…Well, we’ll just have to be careful. Remember, you’re an easy target. To people in the know, lost lambs are highly valuable and sought-after.”

“Okaaay. It’ll be fine, though! I’ve got you to protect me.”

“That’s easy for you to say…”

As she dried Akari’s hair, Menou mused on the piece of information she hadn’t managed to finish relaying to Momo earlier.

Manon Libelle.

The name appeared in the documents as a provider of the monstrine. As her surname implied, she was the daughter of Count Libelle, the head of the Noblesse in this city.

If she was in the highest ranks of the Noblesse, she must have had access to some knowledge of conjuring. The use of conjuring, however, was highly regulated by the Faust. Especially if it involved the Concept of Original Sin.

She was evidently right around Menou and Akari’s age. It was highly unlikely, then, that Manon Libelle had managed to produce the Guiding vessel for the creation of the monstrine alone.

“Maybe there’s something at work in the shadows here.”

The particulars of this incident were still shrouded in fog. Menou would remember the name of Manon Libelle as someone to be highly cautious of while they were in this city.

What was the reason Akari might have turned back time for the world?

Since she didn’t know the future, Menou couldn’t exactly say that it wasn’t related to this Libelle person.