Prologue

Archdemon Zagan had been defeated. This shocking news spread across the entire continent like wildfire. How could it not? The man responsible for defeating multiple Archdemons, the man who had over half the current Archdemons under his rule, was considered the most powerful sorcerer in history. Zagan was the law among sorcerers. Some would even say he was the arbiter of the world’s order.

And yet, he had lost. Those who’d shared in his favor trembled. Those who’d been held in check by him shouted with joy. However, the latter were soon overwhelmed by fear because the Eldest had returned, bringing the age of terror back alongside him. It was precisely because of this fear that violence ran rampant—whether to protect the people or out of defiance. Lawless sorcerers committed acts of brutality, while Angelic Knights were dispatched to every front to stop them.

It was the beginning of an age of chaos. Among all this, only one was excluded from the mayhem. Now that Zagan was comatose, she was the most suited to protecting the world. Ever since she’d joined the church, she’d assumed she would never wear her robe again. However, after putting it on, the dark elf rose to her feet.

“Are you sure about this, Nephteros?”

“Is there any point in asking that?”

She shared Nephy’s features except for her silver eyes and dark skin. Not too long ago, she’d finally been freed from the chains of her cruel past.

“Big bro and Nephelia...no, sis are in trouble,” she said, sweeping back her silver hair before turning to look up at the man next to her. “They saved me. They protected me. They showed me unconditional love without asking for anything in return.”

She paused there and smiled faintly.

“It’s time for me to repay them.”

She’d been granted everything without ever giving anything back, which she was unable to stand.

Nephelia might not like it, though...

What Nephteros was about to do was considerably dangerous. Her kind sister wanted her to live a life free of her repulsive past and any conflict, but that now seemed impossible.

“What about you...?” Nephteros asked, averting her eyes. “What I’m about to do is unrelated to the church’s will.”

“A foolish question,” the man next to her said with a strained smile. “I exist only for your sake.”

“Thank you, Richard...”

With that, her pointy ears turned red right to their tips and quivered slightly.

Interlude 1

“Let’s get the facts straight,” Nephteros said. “Big bro had his heart pierced in the battle against Marchosias and lost his Sigil of the Archdemon. However, he still isn’t dead.”

“I’m not sure you can really describe his current situation as being alive, though,” Richard commented.

During the gathering of the thirteen Archdemons in Kaslytilio, Zagan’s group had fallen straight into Eldest Marchosias’s trap. They’d managed to break free but had been forced to flee when Marchosias had taken a Samyaza-class demon into his body. This had led to Zagan’s defeat, Kuroka’s capture, and Golden Lord Phenex’s sacrifice. What was more, Earthshaker Vepar’s whereabouts were currently unknown after he had suffered from an attack by Marchosias’s assassin in Kianoides.

Going over all that again, the situation seemed hopeless. Archdemons, a former Archdemon candidate, and a non-sorcerer, each of whom was technically the strongest among the group, had all been defeated.

Barbatos had inherited Zagan’s Sigil. He was currently busy protecting Chastille, who was extremely busy trying to keep the peace. For now, that was fine.

Nephteros had never met Phenex, but all the others had been so kind to her. Kuroka, in particular, had finally obtained true happiness. Her life should have just been getting started. Nephteros couldn’t forgive her loss.

Or maybe that wasn’t quite right. Everyone had put their life on the line. They’d all had the resolve to die if necessary. But it was still so vexing. Nephteros wanted to help. She held back her tears and spoke with determination.

“Marchosias obtained Azazel’s power. That’s why big bro hasn’t woken up after getting his heart pierced... Doesn’t that remind you of something?”

Back when Azazel had taken over Nephteros’s body, Richard’s heart had been pierced and he’d lost consciousness. Strictly speaking, Archdemon Bifrons had been the one to do the deed. Regardless, the situation was far too similar.

Richard nodded and replied, “I managed to return thanks to Sacred Sword Camael’s aid. It isn’t clear whether it was the sword’s power or something unique to Camael, though.”

With that, he lowered his gaze to the sword at his waist. Among all the Archangels, Richard had the unique talent of being able to speak with his Sacred Sword. It would be a great advantage to be able to get advice at this juncture.

“What did the person inside say?” Nephteros asked.

Richard shook his head and replied, “She won’t answer. It seems she doesn’t want to discuss it.”

“I see...”

It was possible to demand answers, but it wasn’t wise to offend the Sacred Sword given the current situation.

Nephteros took another look around her. They were currently in a dark cave. It was a natural formation that had taken shape over many long years. Crevices ran across the ground from the entrance, and several small stalactites hung from the ceiling. Going by the thin film of liquid on the ground, water seemed to be flowing in from somewhere.

“Bifrons’s research lab...” Richard muttered, nodding with a tense expression on his face.

Faceless King Bifrons had been the Archdemon responsible for Nephteros’s creation. In that sense, they could be called her parent. Though they’d already passed away and Foll had inherited their Sigil, Nephteros had mixed feelings about them.

“It’s more of a shelter than a research lab, though,” Nephteros corrected him.

This was one of Bifrons’s hidden bases. There had been nothing here beyond a simple place to sleep and a small amount of preserved food. There hadn’t even been a defensive barrier. Even the catalysts that had been lying around hadn’t been of particular use beyond providing emotional support. It was a stretch to call this place a lab.

“A shelter? For an Archdemon?” Richard asked in disbelief.

“Why does that surprise you?” Nephteros countered. “Bifrons made enemies all around the world. There was no telling when an assassin would come.”

Such a place was useless now that the owner was dead. Anything magic would be unusable by others. They couldn’t even be analyzed. Despite this, Nephteros had chosen to come here.

“In the battle against Shere Khan, Bifrons outsmarted everyone before dying with a smile on their face...or at least, that’s what big bro said. I doubt Bifrons would do anything so docile, though. They had to have left something behind just to harass him.”

Nephteros didn’t know what exactly that was. However, Bifrons wasn’t the type to let anything go just because they were dead.

“But Lady Chastille and Archdemon Zagan uprooted every last one of Bifrons’s facilities,” Richard said.

“I’m sure they did. I told them everything I knew, after all.”

Zagan and the church had destroyed all of Bifrons’s hidden bases. This one was no exception. Everything that had even a trace of sorcery in it had been obliterated or retrieved. The loss of all research results was equivalent to death for a sorcerer. It meant erasing their very existence. This was what an Archdemon’s revenge entailed.

Bifrons had done enough to deserve that, but Nephteros believed that Zagan and Chastille had done it for her sake. They were telling her that she didn’t have to remember the past. They were saying that nobody else would be born to go through what she’d had to suffer. That was why there was nothing left of Bifrons here.

“But the fact that we’re here means there was something left behind regardless, right?” Richard asked.

“I believe so,” Nephteros answered, though she didn’t have much confidence in that.

“Then we’ll just have to find it,” Richard replied, smiling pleasantly.

Nephteros felt her heart throb.

He’s always like this. Plus, he stays right by my side at all times.

He neither laughed at her nor denied her. He shared in her worries, believed in her, and stayed by her. Nephteros would never be able to find enough words to describe how he’d saved her, so she simply took a resolute step forward.

“There shouldn’t have been anything here to begin with,” she said. “Big bro and the church investigated the place regardless, so there should be absolutely nothing left.”

Not only had there been nothing of value from the start, but the church and an Archdemon had swept through the place. It had to be worthless now. However, that was exactly why Nephteros found it suspicious.

“If Bifrons was going to leave anything behind, this would be the place.”

It was precisely because it was worthless that nobody would investigate it. Bifrons loved places like that. They wanted people to feel vexed that it was hidden here, of all places. Nephteros was sure of it.

“The problem is how to find something that not even they did...” Nephteros said, coming to a stop. The base had been destroyed by Zagan’s ability to devour sorcery and a Sacred Sword. They were both a sorcerer’s natural enemies. How was anyone supposed to find something that had slipped beneath their gaze?

Richard nodded.

“Something that even an Archdemon and Archangel couldn’t notice...”

With that, the two arrived at the answer in unison.

“Celestial mysticism.”

It was a miraculous power that only high elves could use. It had the power to manipulate reality using different laws from sorcery. It would be the one way of slipping past an Archdemon’s and an Archangel’s countersorcery measures.

But big bro’s silver eyes would’ve seen any traces of celestial mysticism.

His eyes were said to be able to sense the flow of mana and aura. She could only pray that Zagan hadn’t personally come here, but there was no way he’d taken such half measures against Bifrons. Anxiety began to form within her, but she shook it off immediately.

I’ll just have to believe in Bifrons’s greed.

“[Thou art he who governs all memory. Shatter all fabrications and become he who speaks the truth.]”

Her melody quietly spread forth like a ripple over a lake. This was celestial mysticism that negated all mana and aura to break any seals or illusions. However, her song didn’t prompt any change in the cave.

“It’s no good...” Nephteros said, slumping over as she finished her song. “There’s nothing here.”

“It evaded both Archdemon Zagan’s and Lady Chastille’s notice,” Richard told her with a smile. “Let’s keep calm and continue searching, shall we?”

“Yes, you’re right...”

His voice was so comforting, but Nephteros didn’t raise her head.

Am I that useless...?

It was probably a coincidence that this thought brought her to a realization. While biting her lip and hanging her head, she just so happened to spot something. Nephteros crouched down and touched a pebble on the ground.

“Is something the matter?” Richard asked, crouching next to her curiously.

“This pebble is different from the others...”

It was a normal pebble. There was no mana within it, so it looked and felt like any other pebble out there in the world. However...

“It doesn’t belong in this cave. It was brought in from elsewhere.”

Much like Nephy was able to hear plants speak and manipulate them, Nephteros could sense something similar to a voice from all minerals and the earth. According to Orias, this was the voice of the spirits...and that same voice was now telling her that this pebble was an “outsider.”

She took a closer look and “smelled” something familiar. She wasn’t using her nose, though. It was something like the vestiges of mana.

“This is...a dragon’s scent?” she muttered.

“A dragon?”

If it possessed no power and only left behind a “scent,” perhaps that meant it had been brought in from a dragon’s nest or something.

Meaning it’s a message for Foll...?

If that was the case, it would slip beneath Zagan and Chastille’s notice, since only a dragon would be able to figure it out. Taking another look around, Nephteros spotted several other similar pebbles that led farther into the cave as if forming a path.

“Let’s go take a look,” she said.

The pebbles led into an empty cavern.

“A dead end...?”

It had been a room at one point but had already been destroyed by sorcery. Something might’ve been left behind, but any traces of it were long gone.

“I hear water...” Richard said, kneeling down without worrying about dirtying his pure-white mantle.

“Huh?”

“Water streams in through here but hasn’t formed a puddle.”

Meaning it had flowed elsewhere.

“Nephteros, step back a little,” Richard said, stabbing his sword into the ground. “Please lend me your aid, Camael.”

At his call, purple lightning shone from his blade. When it settled down, a hole just large enough for a person to pass through was revealed in the ground.

“A hidden passage...?”

There was a ladder inside. It was quite the primitive setup for an Archdemon. However, that was exactly why it might have evaded a search that was meant to discover any sorcery. Nephteros and Richard exchanged looks before nodding.

“Shall we?” Richard asked.

“Let’s go!”

Nephteros held out her right hand, and Richard took it with his empty left. The two then descended into the dark hole. She used sorcery to float them down. There was a ladder, but this space had been purposefully created without any sorcery, so she questioned how safe the ladder could be. Descending gently into the darkness, the two eventually landed inside a large cavern.

“We’ve gone quite deep,” Nephteros muttered.

Looking up, she couldn’t even see the hole they’d used to get in. There was no light to see that far, but she guessed they’d gone around a hundred meters down.

Any traces of sorcery would be too far away to detect here...

Returning her gaze forward, she saw a crystal large enough to cradle in one’s arms floating before her.

“What is that...?” Richard wondered.

“It’s probably a memory device.”

What could possibly be inside? Nephteros took a small breath, then quietly touched the crystal.

Chapter I: The Faceless Archdemon’s Butterfly Effect

1

“Hmm? So that old fart Marchosias really died. What a shock.”

Grinning without a hint of grief in their voice, and yet without any malice either, was a sorcerer who couldn’t be identified as either a boy or a girl.

Faceless King Bifrons was the youngest living Archdemon, as well as the youngest to have ever achieved the title. And yet, due to their inclination for enjoying other people’s suffering, they were already counted among the three most detestable Archdemons.

Bifrons was twirling in place in Kianoides’s Archdemon Palace. Deep inside, lying down within a coffin, was the figure of the most ancient Archdemon. All twelve other Archdemons had gathered here, either to check that such a great sorcerer was truly dead or out of simple curiosity. Each had come and gone one after the other, so only two or three had actually seen each other.

“So even he can die, huh?” Bifrons sang out as if having missed some fun game. “I wonder how it happened? That’s crazy. I’m dying to know!”

“Oh? You make it sound like someone killed Eldest Marchosias, my dearest friend,” another voice joined in.

“Hey there. Long time no see, Lord of Murder. Your hat is as wonderful as always.”

A sorcerer dressed like an old gentleman entered the room.

“You delight me to no end with your praise. You’re as lovely as ever too, Faceless King.”

The gentleman bowed elegantly at the waist with a gentle smile. Despite his mannerisms, this was the sorcerer known as Lord of Murder Glasya-Labolas. His reputation was even worse than Bifrons’s. Even though he was such a terrifying Archdemon, Bifrons got along with him mysteriously well.

I mean, no other Archdemon is as demonic as him!

The Faceless King loved to see people struggling to survive. The Lord of Murder loved to see people die. While in slightly different ways, they both had a deep affection for life itself.

As much as Bifrons wanted to chat with him, they suddenly remembered that they’d yet to answer his question.

“Hee hee hee, they say Marchosias died from an old wound from some lousy demon. You’d be crazy to believe that.”

It didn’t matter how many hundreds or thousands of foes he faced. The Archdemon known as Marchosias was one to trample all before him, performing any repulsive acts necessary to accomplish his goal.

So who would believe he went to sacrifice himself without even using any of the other Archdemons?

It would be far more convincing if there were some ritual that could only be performed using his own death as a trigger.

“Tsk, tsk.” the old gentleman clicked his tongue, wagging his finger about. “I hear even the great Wise Dragon Orobas lost his life. It must’ve been a spectacular battle.”

“Don’t say things you don’t actually believe, Lord of Murder. My heart is already filled to the brim just thinking about the one behind this marvelous farce and his true intentions.”

“Or perhaps this is simply a part of his scenario,” Glasya-Labolas said, shrugging.

“Hee hee hee, that would be far more interesting. But I question whether Marchosias would come up with a plan that we’d be able to imagine ourselves.”

Marchosias had been such an unfathomable Archdemon that Bifrons couldn’t help but have such expectations.

Bifrons then cocked their head and looked behind them before asking, “Don’t you think so too, Collector?”

Behind them was something akin to a black fog that gave off no presence. A girl with stars in her eyes walked out of it reluctantly to reveal herself. This was Collector Asmodeus. In contrast to her sweet figure, she was one of the most repulsive Archdemons. Now that their beloved compatriot had revealed herself, Bifrons smiled innocently.

“For you of all people to so meekly hide. What brought this about?”

“Aha, don’t you think it’s a little much for a plain little girl like me to join a conversation between two peculiar sorcerers?”

She smiled the fakest smile as if “complimenting” someone’s dress. If any Archdemon was more infamous than Bifrons, it would be her or the old gentleman. In short, the three most detestable Archdemons had gathered.

Any civilian, or even any respectable sorcerer, would run away, not wanting to get involved. It was a beautiful scene.

“Oh, how you flatter me,” Bifrons said, clapping as if surprised by this. “I still have a long way to go. Every time I hear of your great deeds, I’m reminded of how puny I am.”

“Whaaat...? What’re you scheming?” Asmodeus replied, clearly put off by this. “Flattery is creepy coming from you, Faceless King.”

“It isn’t flattery!” Bifrons exclaimed, shaking their head. “I respect you. To be so cruel to others over simple gems! Why, I never believed mortal malice could go so far! It’s so touching! You’re like an evil jack-in-the-box! You’re the very embodiment of malice’s ultimate potential!”

“I agree,” Glasya-Labolas joined in. “I have a taste for murder, but I have yet to reach your heights. I know of no other sorcerers who have such a large repertoire of ways to kill and are able to enjoy themselves with such an abundance of expressions.”

Perhaps due to her being deeply moved by the two Archdemons’ shower of compliments, tears formed in the girl’s eyes, and she began trembling. Bifrons was glad to see that she now understood how much they respected her.

“Anyway, you got here awfully late,” Bifrons said to Asmodeus. “Looks like you’re the last one to pay respects to Marchosias.”

Incidentally, the first to arrive had been Valley Cat Furcas. He’d apparently come by passing through subspace, taken a look, and immediately left. As always, there was no telling what went through that Archdemon’s mind. Still, Bifrons had a favorable impression of the way he would do whatever was necessary to accomplish his goal.

“Hmm, what a stroke of luck,” Asmodeus said, smiling.

Both Bifrons and Glasya-Labolas cocked their heads curiously when suddenly...

“So there’s no need for this anymore, right? What to do? What to do?”

With a dull crack, a black sphere swallowed the entire space where Marchosias’s corpse had been. It was as if she detested the thought of leaving behind any trace that the old man had lived.

Any Archdemon could easily see that this was a mass of gravity that could casually swallow an entire town if it was allowed to. And yet, not even the slightest breeze affected its surroundings. Bifrons gulped at how terrifyingly precise it was.

Even Bifrons had an unconscious fear of and respect for Marchosias’s corpse. That was why they had never even considered what was essentially trampling and dancing on his grave. However, this girl had crossed that line without a moment’s hesitation.

“Aha, cleaning up isn’t all that bad every once in a while,” Asmodeus said, clapping her hands and smiling cheerfully. “It feels so good now that things are nice and pretty.”

“I didn’t think you’d obliterate his body,” Bifrons said, a bead of sweat running down their cheek. “Did he do something to justify it?”

“I guess I held a bit of a grudge,” she answered. “Kicking a corpse is a little tasteless, but since he was right there, I figured I might as well.”

“Oh? That isn’t like you, Collector,” Glasya-Labolas said. “Aren’t you the type to go for the neck while your target is alive?”

“Hmm, that’s true,” Asmodeus confirmed, putting a finger to her lips and cocking her head. “He was maybe number two or three on the priority list, though. I got number one cleaned up only to find out that he suddenly died.”

Bifrons understood that she wasn’t being vainglorious. She was dead serious.

So she has a means of defeating even Marchosias...

Or perhaps she was prepared to take on all the other Archdemons at once. Bifrons shuddered inadvertently at the intensity of her resolve.

Asmodeus truly is a wonderful Archdemon!

It made them adore this girl more and more. That was what made the situation at hand so unfortunate.

“Haaah... It would’ve been so great if you were the next Head Archdemon,” Bifrons said, slumping over.

“Oh, now that you mention it, who’s up next?” Asmodeus asked, though she probably didn’t have any actual interest whatsoever.

“Andrealphus.”

He was technically strong—the strongest, in fact.

But he’s got nothing but strength...

He had no ambition and wasn’t mad enough to sacrifice everything to accomplish his goals. That apparently hadn’t been the case two hundred years ago, but he’d completely lost his spine since then. Something had happened to him.

Under that man’s rule, the world was sure to become boring. He was unlikely to be able to suppress the other Archdemons, however, so Bifrons predicted he would last a year at best.

“Uh, An...what?” Asmodeus said, knitting her brow. “Who’s that?”

Glasya-Labolas elegantly removed his hat and answered with a smile, “Sword God Andrealphus. A gentleman who wields a Sacred Sword while also being a sorcerer.”

“A Sacred Sword...? Oh, the guy with the beard? The old-looking one...I think?”

Asmodeus poked her forehead and groaned as if searching through ancient memories.

“You’re far too uninterested,” Bifrons said, unable to hold back a smile.

“I mean, I don’t really care about people,” Asmodeus said. “I have a hard time remembering faces.”

She was one of the oldest living Archdemons, right alongside Andrealphus and Shere Khan, but by the looks of it, she seriously didn’t remember him.

“Non,” Glasya-Labolas said. “He’s an outstanding sorcerer. I can’t suppress the pounding in my chest at the mere thought of his death.”

“How passionate,” Asmodeus said teasingly. “I’d be happy if you could go play with him somewhere out of sight until you die.”

“My lady, you shouldn’t flatter an old man so.”

“Have you heard of sarcasm, Glasya-Labolas? You should look it up in a dictionary one day,” Asmodeus told him, flashing him a tired smile as if saying she never wanted to get involved with him.

“Oh, while the Head Archdemon has already been decided, what of the new Archdemon?” the old gentleman said, putting his hat back on.

“Oh, right. That still has to be decided. Are there any candidates?” Bifrons asked.

“Several of our compatriots are endorsing their own disciples,” Glasya-Labolas answered. “Isn’t that right, my lady?”

“A disciple?!” Bifrons exclaimed, unable to believe it. “Asmodeus, you took in a disciple even though you hate people enough to shock me?!”

Asmodeus shamelessly averted her eyes and turned red in the cheeks as if she was actually embarrassed.

“I mean, he has a nice face...” she said.

“That’s even more unexpected,” Bifrons said. “Can you even distinguish people from one another?”

“How rude. I can tell the difference. See? I can tell who you are by the color of your hair. And the color of your eyes. And the color of your skin.”

“Ah. So you distinguish by color.”

Bifrons honestly admired how this was pretty much on the level of telling animals apart. They didn’t know how serious she was being, but this was just the type of person she was. That was exactly why Bifrons didn’t really care who the new Archdemon was going to be.

There can’t possibly be another sorcerer out there who’s as wonderful and mad as she is.

Using these three as a point of comparison was somewhat unreasonable. That said, it was true that all the current Archdemons were the type to casually do things Bifrons couldn’t even imagine. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had the qualifications to be Archdemons.

Maybe, just maybe, Bifrons was the one who had the most pride in and respect for those known as Archdemons.

“What do you plan on doing, Lord of Murder?” Bifrons asked.

“A good question. I suppose I will choose one among the others’ recommendations. There are those endorsing promising sorcerers who aren’t their personal disciples too.”

“Hmm, there are?”

“Oui. At present, Tiger King, Valley Cat, and Mystic Artisan have done so,” Glasya-Labolas explained with glee. “Mystic Artisan’s endorsement, Apparition, is of particular interest. Rumors say she is the Wise Dragon’s orphan.”

“The Wise Dragon’s child is obviously strong, right?” Bifrons said, drooping their shoulders. “There’s nothing fun about that.”

Also, Bifrons didn’t want to get involved with Mystic Artisan. This wasn’t a question of strength or mindset. It was physiologically impossible.

Bifrons then began throwing a tantrum like a child on the ground.

“I believe it would be difficult for anyone to be able to satisfy you,” Glasya-Labolas said, nodding with a smile.

It didn’t seem like the subject of the next head or the new Archdemon would be able to excite Bifrons.

I guess the only good thing that came from this was getting to see these two. What I’m looking for isn’t here, it seems.

Bifrons had come looking for a certain something Marchosias had snatched away from them in life, but it wasn’t here. It was something Bifrons had more interest in than anything else at present. And just as they were thinking of leaving, Asmodeus suddenly raised her voice.

“Oh, not that it has anything to do with disciples or anything, but weren’t there rumors of Marchosias’s illegitimate child?”

“Huh? What’s that?! It sounds so fun!”

Bifrons stopped squirming on the ground and jumped up to their feet, causing Asmodeus to recoil with a jolt.

“Don’t ask me. I only happened to hear about it. Marchosias had been searching for someone for many years, right?”

“Oh, I suppose I have heard the rumors.”

They tended to spread every few decades or so, coinciding with periods when Marchosias had acted in ways to prompt such rumors.

“So, a few years ago...ten, I believe, he found what he was looking for,” Asmodeus continued. “After that, he neglected everything else for a while to constantly attend to this child.”

“An actual child?” Bifrons asked.

“So they say. That’s why rumors conclude that it’s his illegitimate child. Not that I know anything more than that, mind you.”

It was strange for someone he’d been looking for for decades to still be a child.

Or maybe it was someone who’d yet to be born?

Due to the existence of souls, it was possible for someone to inherit one from ancient times—a reincarnation, in other words. There was no way of identifying a person as one, though.

“Hmm, is that so? Oh, I just remembered that I have something to do, so I’ll take my leave here!”

“You mean you just thought of something to do, right?”

After turning their back to the source of that teasing voice, Bifrons left Archdemon Palace in terrific spirits.

2

After leaving Archdemon Palace, Bifrons traveled up from below ground and into the town of Kianoides. This had been Marchosias’s territory. While entering a gloomy back alley as if evading any watchful eyes, Bifrons muttered to themself, “I suppose a child from ten years ago would be just shy of twenty now.”

There was nothing more unreliable than the word “child” coming from a sorcerer, but it probably implied someone younger than ten...probably.

“Humans are creatures who judge based on appearances, after all. Seventeen or eighteen sounds about right?”

With that, Bifrons raised their age a bit. Their limbs lengthened, and their flat body began changing to the point where their sex could almost be glimpsed. In just a few seconds, they’d grown from a young teen to a late teen.

It was still hard to tell if they were a boy or a girl, but with careful observation, a distinction could technically be made. Their hair had grown long enough to go down to their waist and was now tied behind them. Being close in age would make their target less wary. All that was left was to do something about their clothing.

“Oh? You there, are you perhaps a butler?”

“What?”

Perhaps wanting to take a shortcut, a man who looked quite out of place in his neat and tidy clothes was passing through the dirty alley. He wore a dashing tailcoat that was highlighted by a tie, which made him seem like a butler. He looked around forty years old, but conveniently, he had a slight build, giving him a physique similar to Bifrons’s current form.

“I have something I’d like to ask of you,” Bifrons told him. “Do you mind?”

“Um, what is it?”

He was probably bewildered by the sight of Bifrons in clothes that were clearly too small for them. He rudely stared at them from head to toe.

“I want the clothes you’re wearing,” Bifrons stated as if pleading for a snack. “Mind handing them over?”

The man’s eyes widened for a moment, and then he clicked his tongue quietly.

“You screwing with me? Try acting more pitiful if you’re gonna beg.”

“Hmm, the kind of boring response you’d expect from nine out of ten people. Still, the way you look down on others with such attitude is so human. I rather like that part.”

“Huh? What the hgh—”

His muttering just about turned into a scream right as his body crumbled away like sand. Bifrons picked up the clothing buried in the pile of ash, dusted it off, threw away their own clothes, then put on the servant’s. The pitiful man’s shirt didn’t even give off the slightest whiff of his body odor anymore.

“Oh! A perfect fit! Thanks for the clothes!”

The sorcerer who couldn’t be identified as a boy or a girl twirled on the spot in joy, then craned their neck to look behind them.

“So? Are you sure you don’t want to run away?”

Behind them was a waif who’d fallen back onto the ground and was trembling where she sat. Her ragged clothing covered her figure, but Bifrons could see that she was a girl of around twelve or thirteen years. Her skin was so filthy that its original color was a mystery. Unfortunately for her, she’d made this her nesting place.

Bifrons had intentionally taken the extra time to change clothes without using sorcery. They hadn’t imagined that the waif would stay put. When they flashed her a gentle smile, the girl finally spoke.

“A-A sorcerer...?”

“Hee hee hee, your first time seeing one?” Bifrons asked, squatting down with an elbow to one knee and resting their chin on a hand.

The girl shook her head and replied, “I’ve...seen one before. Several of my friends...were taken.”

Even though this had been Eldest Marchosias’s territory, nobody would care about children living in the alleys being abducted. For a sorcerer in need of sacrifices, it was somewhat similar to plucking fruit from a tree.

Or maybe public order has grown worse with Marchosias’s death.

Bifrons didn’t really care, though. Either way, this girl surely knew that staying here was the same as committing suicide.

“Oh dear, if you know sorcerers are bad people, you need to run away,” Bifrons said like a kind old man. “A naughty girl who can’t even defend herself will get eaten.”

Well, she’d seen a grown man reduced to ashes right before her eyes, so obviously she was pitifully frozen in fear. That was what Bifrons believed, at least.

“But...” the girl muttered. “So pretty...”

Bifrons was quite honestly shocked by that sentiment. The girl’s eyes weren’t those of someone begging for her life. Bifrons didn’t know whether she’d already lost her mind or if she was simply that innocent. Either way, they were now somewhat interested in her.

“Hmmm, you think someone’s death was pretty?”

The girl shook her head vigorously and responded, “No, I mean you, miss...”

“Oh? I never said I was a woman, though.”

“Huh? Then...mister?”

“Hee hee hee, now which is it?”

The girl was clearly confused. This was the standard reaction, but oddly enough, Bifrons found it amusing. Normally, they would just be bored by such a person.

“Hey, have you lived here long?” Bifrons asked, poking the girl’s forehead.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Then tell me, have you ever heard of a child getting taken in by a sorcerer?”

Bifrons doubted she actually knew Marchosias, but it was possible there were rumors of someone who looked like him wandering the alleys.

“Lots of kids were taken by sorcerers,” the girl answered, cocking her head. “Recently, it’s gotten worse.”

Public order really had deteriorated with Marchosias’s death. Or perhaps some idiot out there was trying to perform a ritual that needed a ton of sacrifices.

Bifrons shook their head, their hair swaying around behind them. Perhaps attracted by this, the girl’s eyes followed it back and forth.

“I’m not talking about abductions,” Bifrons explained. “I’m asking about a child who got along with a sorcerer.”

Well, even if Marchosias had an illegitimate child, Bifrons doubted they would’ve been in an alley like this. And yet, this seemed to strike a chord with the girl.

“I don’t know if he got along with one,” the girl said, “but I know someone who left here and became a sorcerer.”

“Hmm. How old is he?”

“Ummm, about the same as you, miss...ter?”

“Oooh.”

Bifrons had asked just to check but hadn’t expected to get such a response.

“He brings us food every now and then,” the girl continued, her expression brightening now that she had Bifrons’s interest. “He dresses like a sorcerer, but I think he’s a sibling of the streets.”

“A sibling? Your brother, then?”

It didn’t sound that way, though.

“Not by blood,” the girl explained, shaking her head. “Someone who once lived here. The bigger kids act like they know him.”

Bifrons didn’t know what the exact circumstances were, but it seemed the waifs here called each other siblings.

A child who couldn’t even read became a sorcerer?

That was likely impossible without someone teaching him. This conjecture turned to conviction with the girl’s next words.

“They say he became a sorcerer after beating up a bad sorcerer called Resentment.”

“Hmm...?”

Bifrons knew the name Resentment Andras. They’d never met the man, but he was a sorcerer who’d somehow incurred Marchosias’s wrath without suffering retribution. Well, the ridiculous reason for that was that someone else had killed him.

So a child did it?

How could an orphan kill a sorcerer with a second name? Bifrons would normally laugh it off as a wild rumor, but this was a good clue.

It’s entirely possible if Marchosias granted him power of some kind.

Even if this had nothing to do with an illegitimate child, it was suddenly getting interesting.

“Hm-hmm... Can you tell me more about this person?” Bifrons requested.

“Sure. He’s tall, has black hair...”

Perhaps he was famous among the waifs. The girl was very specific about his appearance. Given all this information, Bifrons would be able to find him quickly, which put them in a great mood.

“Okay, as a reward for telling me something nice, I’ll let you live.”

“You’re not gonna kill me?”

“Oh? Do you want me to?”

“I don’t want to die,” the girl said, cocking her head, “but it’s better than being taken by a monster.”

“Hmm, a monster? Not a sorcerer?”

“You’re...probably a sorcerer, but you have no face. So, a monster.”

“Oooh, is that so?”

Kidnapping a child was the act of a sorcerer who couldn’t perform anything of note without a sacrifice. Bifrons had no interest in that.

Perhaps sensing they weren’t going to protect her, the waif reached out a hand as if to cling to Bifrons.

“Um, if you won’t kill me, then teach me sorcery,” she pleaded. “I’ll do anything.”

“Why?”

“I want power...”

Bifrons thought about it. This, in itself, was rather rare for this sorcerer.

Even Asmodeus took a disciple.

Bifrons had never so much as spared a thought on doing something so unproductive, but perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to try it once. However, unfortunately for this girl, she’d chosen the worst sorcerer to ask.

“Okay,” Bifrons said, grinning widely.

“R-Really?”

“But I’m busy right now, so only if you survive until my business is done. Got it?”

“Mm-hmm!”

In other words, this girl was going to suffer a life-threatening experience. With no way of knowing their repulsive intentions, the girl whose name Bifrons didn’t even know smiled innocently.

3

“A sorcerer with silver eyes, huh? Maybe he’s from Liucaon? That old fart Marchosias was oddly obsessed with the place, after all.”

It wasn’t Marchosias’s territory, but all the other Archdemons had been commanded not to meddle with the island nation’s affairs. It’d been under his special protection. That was probably relevant here.

Bifrons searched Kianoides with light footsteps as if on a treasure hunt, but they hadn’t actually thought about what to do if they found this “illegitimate child.”

I hope he’s fun!

From their brief investigation, they knew this sorcerer had no second name. He’d set himself up in the area and had caused trouble with other sorcerers but hadn’t accomplished anything of note. The one curious thing about him was that he hung out with Purgatory—the sorcerer Furcas had nominated as an Archdemon candidate.

It was precisely because there wasn’t much information about this sorcerer that Bifrons’s hopes and dreams ran wild. If he ended up being normal, Bifrons would despair and kill him. They were well aware of the kind of sorcerer they were. That was why they enjoyed this period where they didn’t have to bother thinking about the future.

Well, the child Marchosias so zealously tried to protect getting killed for no reason at all would be hilariously fun too.

It would at least make for a good conversation when they next encountered Glasya-Labolas.

“Oh, is that him?”

The sorcerer known as Bifrons didn’t possess a singular body. By crystallizing a portion of themself and scattering it around a city, everything was “within” them. Thus, it was easy to find anything they wanted. That was exactly how they’d singled out their target.

Bifrons immediately turned their whole body to dust and reconstituted themself next to the man. This wasn’t teleportation. It was like swapping places with a piece of themself. That was what made it possible for them to slip through most barriers.

They found themself on a street near the center of town. There were few shops and houses in the area, but many warehouses. Why, there were enough for carriages to be more common than pedestrians.

After checking their surroundings, Bifrons found an evil-looking sorcerer with pitch-black hair. He was carrying a large number of books, having apparently just bought some grimoires, and was walking away from the center of town, so he seemed to be on his way out.

“Hey, hey, you there,” Bifrons said, not the least bit guarded. “Would you happen to be the sorcerer Zagan?”

“And who the hell are you?” the man—Zagan—replied, turning to Bifrons with a menacing gaze.

He was clearly wary of them. This was the proper response for a sorcerer. Bifrons felt their interest waning quickly at how typical it was.

“Ha ha, I heard from your sibling of the streets that you climbed up to being a sorcerer. How about it? Interested in a butler?”

Bifrons straightened their tailcoat by the lapels and kept an amicable tone. And yet, Zagan responded with rage.

“Did you kill them?” he asked.

Even the surrounding pedestrians sensed his intense wrath and backed away.

“Oh? Now, why do you think that?” Bifrons asked in return, raising a brow.

“Those clothes were stolen from a corpse,” Zagan explained. “Their remains are left on it.”

Now that Bifrons thought of it, they’d only lightly dusted the clothes off, so there was plenty of the original owner sticking to it still.

“The term ‘sibling of the streets’ is only used among friends,” Zagan continued. “You’re clearly not from the alleys, but you stink of them. It’s not coming from you but has seeped into those clothes.”

There shouldn’t have been any of the owner’s body odor left, but the clothes hadn’t been washed or anything. Bifrons couldn’t sense anything, but Zagan looked convinced. Now somewhat delighted, Bifrons shamelessly shrugged.

“Oh my, isn’t it a bit hasty to come to that conclusion?” they said. “I might’ve been in a similar place too—some hundreds of years ago.”

Bifrons had never lived in such a trash heap, but they had at least experienced tasting the mud of a battlefield. In the sense of having lived a filthy life, it was pretty similar. This wasn’t a lie. And yet, Zagan denied it vehemently.

“No, those brats in the alleys claw at the ground to survive. It’s easy to identify someone who’s sipped mud to fend off starvation, no matter how affluent they’ve become. You’re different.”

That made sense.

I’ve tasted mud but never tried eating it!

Was this something only people who’d experienced it for themselves could see? Even after three hundred years of life, there was still a lot Bifrons didn’t know about the world. There was so much to prod out of this man. This revelation only made Bifrons grow more excited.

“Hmm, you have keen eyes,” Bifrons said. “It seems you’re awfully confident for other reasons as well. Mind sharing?”

Bifrons urged him to continue and could see a bead of sweat running down Zagan’s brow.

“You’re far too powerful a sorcerer,” he said. “At your strength, brats crawling in the alleys don’t even look like people anymore.”

It seemed he understood his place too.

At the very least, he’s a top-notch sorcerer.

Bifrons honestly wanted to assess how much power this boy possessed.

“Wow! Your insight isn’t bad either,” they said, nodding as their mood improved with every passing moment. “You’re not quite on the mark, but you have a general idea of who I am as a sorcerer. I suppose I can see why you were Marchosias’s favorite.”

“Marchosias...?” Zagan repeated, knitting his brows. “What does this town’s Archdemon have to do with me?”

“Oh?”

It didn’t look like he was playing dumb. He truly didn’t know. In fact, he didn’t even seem to be aware of Marchosias’s death. It was, of course, possible that Marchosias had never told Zagan his name, but his expression stated that he had no idea someone had ever shown him any favor.

Hmm, do I have the wrong person?

Well, it was nothing more than a rumor that Asmodeus had overheard, so it was possible that conditions had simply overlapped and Zagan was unrelated.

“Aww, so you’ve got nothing to do with him? What a pity.”

Bifrons slumped over, but this was still amusing. At the very least, this man was fascinating enough for Bifrons to mess with.

“It seems I mistook you for someone else,” Bifrons continued. “As an apology for making a fuss, I’ll share a toy with you.”

And so, Bifrons honestly did as their desires demanded. They reached out a hand and the light of a magic circle spread forth. However, nothing manifested from it. There was no hellfire, no roaring winds, no ferocious lightning, and no vicious beasts. Regardless, Zagan’s eyes shot open and he rolled to the side to dodge. Immediately following that, the pedestrians and curious onlookers behind him were decapitated.

“Oooh!” Bifrons exclaimed in sudden delight.

Blood spurted out of the headless bodies, drawing the outline of “something” in the area. It was an ominous creature that looked like it was made of nothing but tubes. Judging by its appearance, it hardly looked like it could be a living being. It floated in the air as if it weighed nothing and let out a strange cry. The blood that had splattered against it vanished as if it was all being sucked into its body, and in a few seconds, it could no longer be seen. Regardless, it was still there.

“It’s an invisible monster that’s said to drift in subspace,” Bifrons explained. “It has quite a pretty name: Celeste’s Moon. Isn’t it cute?”

The terrifying part about this creature was that it attacked without making a sound, had no scent, and didn’t even possess a presence. If not for the cries it let out every now and then, even the caster would question whether it was truly there.

And yet, this boy saw it and dodged its attack just now, right?

How had he done it? Without the ability to predict the future like Eligor, it was nearly impossible to be so ready for it.

If I had to guess, maybe he can see the flow of mana?

It was said that a dragon’s eyes held such power.

“What a disgusting pet,” Zagan murmured hatefully as he broke into a run.

Celeste’s Moon hadn’t stayed put, but he was still heading straight toward it.

“Hmm, you can really see it? My pet’s pretty strong, just so you know!”

Its many tentacles were sharp as scythes. To add to that, it was constantly wreathed in an intense coating of mana, allowing it to blow through any simple barriers. And above all else, it was genuinely fast. Its attacks were like whips. Even a sorcerer’s eyes couldn’t keep up. One such invisible attack rushed straight down toward Zagan.

“Impudence.”

Zagan clenched his fist and punched the incoming tentacle. Bifrons could sense mana charged within his fist, but that was little more than basic sorcery to empower a punch. Such a lowly spell couldn’t beat Celeste’s Moon in a head-on clash.

“Gyeeeeeeeee!”

Letting out a jarring scream, the creature squirmed in pain. Still, that was only one tentacle. The next attack came slamming down immediately, but by that point, Zagan was already in range.

Leaving behind a sound akin to splashing water, Celeste’s Moon was blown back. Its oddly red body fluids poured down like rain over their surroundings.

“That was great! You’re amazing!” Bifrons shouted, hopping around in joy.

Using that opening, Zagan weaved through the red rain to close in on Bifrons.

“If you like it that much, I’ll give you one too,” he said, taking a swing at Bifrons’s face. However, his fist didn’t land.

“Hmm, it really is just a reinforced punch,” Bifrons observed. “But I suppose it’s my first time seeing one of this level. What exactly do you plan on fighting?”

The iron fist had pulverized Celeste’s Moon, yet Bifrons had stopped it with ease as if brushing off some dust.

He’s not weak, but if that’s all he has...

Sorcerers had several barriers protecting them at all times. A sturdy fist wasn’t enough to counter that. Still, Zagan had promise. His growth was worth looking forward to.

“Have you ever seen high-level sorcery?” Bifrons asked, smiling affectionately. “It’ll be fun if you learn this kind of thing too.”

Zagan made a horrified expression before looking up at the sky and seeing a shining cross floating overhead.

“Divine Crucifix.”

It was a hammer that corroded anything it touched and turned it to salt. This was a failed attempt at reproducing the power of the ancient seraphs’ spear of light. It didn’t reach the same heights as said spear, but in a certain sense, it had also surpassed it. Simply being capable of such sorcery was enough to be nominated as an Archdemon candidate.

“Hm...?”

Zagan reached a hand out toward the hammer of light. For a single instant, the light wavered.

What’s going on? It’s like he’s trying to interfere with my sorcery...

However, the hammer didn’t stop and came crashing down on him.

“Ooooooh!”

Zagan gathered his mana and caught the blow with both hands, but the moment the cross touched him, his mana was scattered. Nevertheless, he endured. He could probably hold on for just a little longer.

“Come on, hang in there. Here’s another! Divine Crucifix!”

That was why Bifrons prepared another reward for him.

“Gh?!”

Zagan let out a scream at the sight of the second hammer. It came crashing down, boring into the ground and scattering fragments of light all over. Bifrons was shocked by the phenomenon.

Fragments of light...?

In other words, the Divine Crucifix had shattered. The cloud of dust cleared and Zagan was standing there, gasping for breath. Both his arms had almost been reduced to salt, but he was still alive.

“Huh?! Wow! How did you withstand it?!”

Bifrons shuddered in excitement. The other Archdemons were one thing, but it should’ve been impossible for a sorcerer using only a reinforced punch. It was even questionable whether the current flock of Archdemon candidates could’ve endured such an attack.

Zagan smiled, a hint of conviction in his expression, and regenerated his damaged arms. It seemed strengthening his flesh was his specialty. It should’ve been a fatal wound, but he’d recovered in an instant.

“Try it again,” Zagan said, wagging a finger. “I’ll show you something even more interesting.”

“Really? You’re getting my hopes up by speaking like that.”

Bifrons had no choice but to play along before such an attractive invitation, so they responded with everything they had.

“Then show me what’s so interesting! Divine Crucifix!”

Glowing crosses manifested in enough numbers to cover the sky. The sight brought to mind what the apocalypse would look like. There had to be around a hundred of them. Faced with such despair, Zagan laughed.

“Bring it.”

He was inexperienced but young and arrogant. Bifrons mercilessly brought down the hundred hammers of light, and of all things, Zagan clenched his fist and punched back in response.

He must have some kind of plan, right?

As if living up to Bifrons’s expectations, a cross shattered.

“It broke!” Bifrons exclaimed joyfully.

Zagan continued punching and shattering the crucifixes that were raining down on him one after the other.

What’s going on? That’s not brute force. It’s more like he’s hijacking my sorcery?

There were techniques to hijack another’s magic circle, but that was only possible when there was a large disparity in skill. It didn’t work in an even match. Regardless, every cross Zagan touched shattered like glass. It was as if he was corroding them instead of the other way around.

Hang on, is that it?

Using a similar power...no, maybe he was corroding the sorcery itself. This was Bifrons’s first time seeing anything like it, which brought a sense of exultation they’d never experienced. Before they even knew it, Zagan had closed in on them, having made his way through the rain of crosses.

A regular fist isn’t going to do anything even if it hits me, though.

The moment that thought crossed Bifrons’s mind, a cold shiver ran down their spine.

“Gh!”

They immediately twisted their body. As they questioned whether that was the right call, they sensed their barriers shattering with a clang. At the same time, they felt a hot sensation on their cheek. Wondering what it was, Bifrons wiped it off and was left in shock.

“Blood...?”

It seemed Zagan’s fist had grazed them. A thin line of blood ran down Bifrons’s cheek. It had been decades, perhaps even centuries, since they’d seen their own blood. Zagan had wounded an Archdemon. Faced with that fact...

“You’re the best!”

...Bifrons smiled in ecstasy. Zagan jumped back as if he was looking at the most repulsive sight in existence.

“Not only did you break my sorcery, but you elevated your own mana in proportion to what I lost. Did you eat my sorcery?”

“That’s the gist of it.”

However, a fist clad in all that mana still wasn’t enough to break Bifrons’s barrier, so there was only one other possible answer to this mystery.

“Not only did you devour my Divine Crucifixes, but you ate my barrier too.”

Zagan probably hadn’t expected Bifrons to see through his trick so quickly. He maintained a bold smile, but a bead of sweat ran down his cheek.

If he could devour barriers, then any sorcerer would be essentially naked before him. A simple fist would be more than enough. If anything, his punch that moved faster than all else, using the shortest path to strike, was optimal.

And yet, this was still sorcery. In other words, at such a young age, this boy had designed and developed a completely new sorcery that Bifrons had never even considered.

“Amazing. This is a first for me,” Bifrons mumbled.

“It’s also my first time using it in combat.”

It probably hadn’t been fully completed to a level where it could be used in a real fight. That was why he hadn’t been able to block the first crucifix. By clashing with Bifrons, he’d managed to perfect it.

This is so fun!

Bifrons had never expected that any man aside from an Archdemon would make them feel such joy.

“I’ll back down for today,” they said, doing their best to suppress their ecstasy.

“Running away?” Zagan asked, clearly trying to provoke them.

Bifrons nodded with a tremendous smile and replied, “Mm-hmm. That I am. I mean, if we keep playing like this, I won’t be able to hold back anymore.”

With that, Bifrons floated into the air and vanished like mist. It was a bad habit of theirs to break their toys when they got too obsessed with them, so they wanted to be careful. After all, it would be such a waste to crush Zagan here.

Oh, I know. Let’s nominate him to be the next Archdemon.

Everyone would surely be shocked. They were sure to have high expectations.

Zagan must’ve understood the difference in power between them too. He wasn’t able to move from where he stood.

“You damn monster...” he muttered, a hint of admiration in his voice.

One month later, just as Bifrons had hoped, Zagan became the next Archdemon. Then, he proved his strength by defeating Purgatory, the other leading candidate at the time.

4

“Haaah... That was so fun.”

After playing with Zagan, Bifrons had nominated him as an Archdemon candidate, emphasizing what interesting potential he possessed. For some reason, Andrealphus had looked rather annoyed, but the other Archdemons had seemed interested.

Incidentally, Andrealphus’s own recommendation, his personal disciple, had suffered a mental breakdown, leading to her removal as a candidate. It was hilarious.

Just as Bifrons was about to leave Kianoides, they suddenly remembered a certain someone’s face.

“But...so pretty...”

That was what a little girl had told them, pleading with them to teach her sorcery. As they were in such a good mood after the fight with Zagan, Bifrons went back to take a look at her on a whim. And as they arrived in the alley...

“Oh. She’s dead.”

It seemed a stray Divine Crucifix had flown this way. The girl whose name Bifrons didn’t even know was crushed under a destroyed building. Since everything from her chest up seemed untouched, they were somehow able to tell it was her. Unfortunately, she hadn’t died quickly. There were scratches on the ground that were deep enough to have peeled off her nails.

Bifrons crouched down to get a closer look at her. It seemed she’d died some time ago. Her body was cold and was starting to go rigid.

“How unfortunate. If you were still alive, I would’ve been fine with making you my disciple...”

For whom were those words meant? There was an unusual hint of despondency in their voice, especially for this repulsive Archdemon. That said, Bifrons was exactly the type to never look back once something had happened.

“I know. I’ll use you as ingredients for a homunculus. I never did end up finding that white-haired elf, but I did get strands of hair and such. You’ll be of use to me. Doesn’t that make you happy?”

After plucking the girl’s corpse out of the rubble, Bifrons used sorcery so that it floated on its own. They then took her hand and left Kianoides with light steps as if they’d just picked up a fun new toy—or as if they’d just found a new friend.

Interlude 2

“Haaah... Haaah...”

“Nephteros! Are you all right?!”

After watching the memory in the crystal, Nephteros fell to her knees and her breath grew ragged. Richard supported her, but it didn’t seem like she was going to be able to stand for a bit, so he helped her settle on the ground.

That girl who died... She couldn’t be...

A homunculus didn’t normally possess an ego. They were puppets who did exactly as their creator instructed. It was only on special occasions that one established an ego, but the process for achieving that result remained a mystery. If it was by using a human corpse as an ingredient...

Nephteros shook her head.

That doesn’t matter right now.

She’d come here to save Zagan, so she couldn’t let that vision shake her. And so, she wiped the sweat from her brow and stood back up.

“Just as I thought, this was Bifrons’s memory storage device,” she said. “Their Sigil of the Archdemon governed the eyes. It seems they used that power to record what they’d seen inside this crystal.”

She had no idea how long it had been active, but there were countless memories within the device. If there was a record of Richard’s heart getting pierced, it could lead to a clue. And just as she prepared to investigate the next memory...

“Please wait a moment, Nephteros. Camael is saying something.”

“Your Sacred Sword?”

Richard nodded with a bewildered look and replied, “She has something to tell us, but it’ll be difficult in her current state.”

“Meaning we need to move elsewhere?”

“Actually, she’s asking to be let out.”

Nephteros’s eyes widened.

“Let...out? You don’t mean...”

“I do.”

The two exchanged looks once more, then left the cave.

◇

“I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve been here.”

Nephteros and Richard’s destination was Zagan’s castle. They were not beneath Kianoides at Archdemon Palace but at the castle deep within the forest. Everyone related to Zagan had been granted the teleportation coordinates for this place, so Nephteros had been here many times.

The memory storage device was no more than a crystal, so there was no need for her to stay in that cave. It would take time to analyze anyway, so she prioritized the talk with Camael. After all, the fact that Camael had chosen that moment to speak meant it had to be related in some way.

Nephteros looked up at the castle, then turned around and asked, “Richard, can you take care of the Sacred Sword?”

“Leave it to me. Please go and see her.”

Without her having to tell him all the details, he understood immediately.

Nephteros made her way to the room where Zagan was sleeping. They couldn’t leave him in the same sick room as his subordinates, so they’d carried him to his private quarters behind the throne. She was here to see not the sleeping king himself but the other person who was probably with him. Nephteros took a small breath, and just as she reached out to knock on the door...

“Huh?”

...it opened on its own. On the other side was a woman with the same face and pointy ears as her.

“Nephteros?”

The two looked identical, except this woman’s hair was more of a transparent white than silver and her skin wasn’t dark. Her eyes were also a deep azure, like that of a lake, instead of golden. She hadn’t gotten away from the battle with Marchosias unscathed. Her body was covered in bandages.

This was Nephelia—Nephteros’s origin, and the woman who’d accepted this replica as her little sister.

Seeing Nephteros, Nephy’s eyes widened and her ears quivered in confusion.

“Um... Are you all right, Nephelia?” Nephteros asked.

I didn’t manage to call her “sis”...

Nephteros hung her head at the thought and was then enveloped by a gentle sensation. For some reason, Nephy was hugging her.

“Welcome back, Nephteros,” Nephy said. “How are things going in the city?”

Nephteros was thrown off by Nephy’s sudden concern.

“I’m fine,” she answered, shaking her head. “Richard and Chastille are protecting me, remember?”

Pretty much the moment she’d returned from Opheos, Chastille had been swamped with work trying to maintain public order. Despite this, she’d taken the time to worry about Nephteros’s safety.

“That’s a relief,” Nephy said, letting go and taking a step back. “I’m not well-informed about what’s going on outside.”

“You have it far worse than me, don’t you? I mean...”

The person dearest to Nephy, dearer to her than her own life, was comatose. Despite this, Nephy shook her head resolutely.

“Master Zagan will definitely wake up,” she said. “It is my role to take charge during his absence.”

Nephteros’s eyes widened.

Amazing... How can she be so strong...?

She couldn’t possibly be fine. She had to be in anguish. She wasn’t suppressing her emotions like she had in the past either. Nephteros could have seen this even without Nephy’s swollen red eyes. And yet, Nephy didn’t show any weakness. That was because she had to stand in for Zagan now that he was unconscious. At the same time, it looked like the strings holding her up could snap at any moment.

Not knowing what exactly she could do for her, Nephteros took Nephy’s hand.

“Nephteros...?”

“There’s no need to act strong,” she said, her pointy ears drooping. “Just because you believe in him doesn’t mean you aren’t in pain, right?”

Word of Zagan’s shocking proposal had reached Nephteros’s ears too. That, along with the wedding ring Nephy had received, should’ve made this the happiest time in her life. And yet, now the man who was to be her husband was on the brink of death. It was like falling from heaven to hell. No, perhaps it was even worse than that.

At the very least, Nephteros wouldn’t be able to endure it if she went through the same thing. She didn’t know what she was trying to say, but she continued speaking nonetheless.

“You don’t have to do that in front of me.”

She took Nephy’s hand and pressed it against her own chest.

“You consider me your little sister, right?” Nephteros continued. “So don’t act like a stranger. When it hurts, say it hurts.”

Nephy gulped, and a long silence followed.

“Master Zagan...punched him in the end...” she finally said, her voice quivering.

“Mmm...”

Zagan always fought with his fists. None could withstand that Archdemon’s punch. However, that wasn’t what Nephy was getting at.

“His fist struck dead on...”

“Mmm...”

His foe had been Eldest Marchosias. That wasn’t an opponent to hold back against. It was a foe that had to be defeated at all costs. However, Marchosias had also been like a big brother to Zagan during his youth.

“He could’ve killed him had he wanted to...but he didn’t. He couldn’t.”

“Mmm...”

Zagan was an Archdemon who didn’t show the slightest mercy to his enemies. However, he was also a king who showed unconditional generosity to his family. He’d surely wanted to stop Marchosias, not kill him.

“And yet, he...!”

His punch hadn’t reached Marchosias.

“I can’t believe him...! He disgusts me...! How could he?!”

Nephy said no more. She cried as Nephteros pulled her into an embrace. Nephteros tapped her heel on the ground and put up a barrier. No sound leaked out as Nephy continued crying.

When Nephy eventually calmed down, the two sisters sat side by side outside the room.

“I’ll wake big bro up,” Nephteros said, trying to cheer her up. “I don’t exactly have anything concrete enough to call an idea yet, but I’ve grasped a thread of hope.”

Perhaps Nephy had realized this from the very beginning. Her pointy ears trembled slightly, but she didn’t look particularly surprised. Instead, she replied with a helpless smile.

“Don’t do anything dangerous, okay?”

“Would you listen if someone told you the same?”

Zagan had saved Nephteros. Nephy had saved her in an even more profound way. Nephteros couldn’t possibly sit back quietly while her saviors were in peril.

“I suppose it isn’t right to tell someone to do something that I myself can’t do,” Nephy responded, smiling slightly. That was surely what Zagan would’ve said as well.

“Will you...come with me?” Nephteros asked, reaching out a hand.

She spoke the words Nephy had once said to her. Nephy wanted Zagan to open his eyes more than anyone else. If they were going to wake him up, she would want to do it herself. In that case, Nephy was more suited to this role.

Nephy reached out her hand but stopped and shook her head lightly. Instead of taking Nephteros’s hand, she gently wrapped her hands around it.

“No, I’ll leave that to you,” Nephy told her. “As I said, it is my duty to take charge during Master Zagan’s absence.”

Zagan’s faction contained the strongest fighting force among all sorcerers, but a large part of their cohesion was due to the power and character of its leading Archdemon. Now that he had fallen, some were likely to leave.

Seeing that Kuroka had been captured, even Zagan’s most loyal retainer, Raphael, was unlikely to sit still. In fact, Shax had already left the castle. Foll was still here, but she, Kimaris, and Gremory wouldn’t be able to keep others from leaving. Only Zagan’s bride could.

I’m sure she also wants to stay by his side...

Nephteros processed that fact, then gathered her resolve.

“Got it. Hang in there. You have, um...my support...sis...”

Nephteros’s voice was so quiet that it seemed like it was fading away completely, but she somehow managed that last part. Nephy’s large eyes widened so much that it almost seemed like they would fall out.

“Nephteros, wh-what did you just say?!”

“N-N-N-N-N-N-Nothing!”

“I didn’t hear you properly! Please say it once more! I’ll sit on my heels and listen properly this time!”

Upon seeing her big sister actually sit on her heels and straighten up, Nephteros turned red to the tips of her ears.

“Ugh! Fine! I said, ‘Hang in there, sis!’” She then shyly added, “Also, thanks...for everything.”

“Hnnngh...”

Nephy hunched over with a hand to her chest. After that, she finally smiled. However, this time, it didn’t look like she was being held up by fragile strings. Instead, this was her usual gentle and reassuring smile.

“Nephteros.”

“...What?”

“Thank you very much. I feel like I can keep going until Master Zagan wakes up now.”

“Hmph!”

Nephteros averted her eyes, profoundly aware that her cheeks were bright red.

◇

“This is the Sacred Sword’s vessel...?”

Upon linking back up with Richard, Nephteros was left bewildered. She didn’t know whose research lab this was, but it was awfully tidy for a sorcerer’s room. There were two sorcerers with them—the ones who could be called Zagan’s left and right hands, Gremory and Kimaris.

The four of them stood before a single puppet. It was so elaborate that it was hard to believe someone had crafted it. It was about the same size as a person, its delicate white hair like silk threads. Its eyes were closed, but apparently the sockets contained azure glass balls. It wore a frilly dress like that of a noble. If not for the ball joints on the fingers peeking out of the sleeves, nobody would think it was a puppet.

Sacred Sword Camael had requested to be let outside because she had something to discuss. That meant releasing the seraph that served as the Sacred Sword’s pillar. Nephteros had been informed of this, but she hadn’t imagined it would involve such a lovely puppet.

“Ummm, can it...move?” Nephteros asked.

“It should be able to...” Richard replied, turning to Gremory.

“It’s perfectly functional,” she said. “Its creator isn’t completely satisfied, though.”

This puppet was apparently an imitation of Furfur.

“Mind if I ask one thing?” Nephteros said. “Who chose these clothes?”

“Me,” Gremory answered. “What about it?”

“Figures...”

She really hadn’t needed to ask.

Nephteros looked up at Richard. He maintained a tense expression as he drew the sword at his waist.

“Confession Camael.”

He called out in a whisper, and the Sacred Sword shone, and the pale-green lightning almost seemed to get sucked into the puppet’s body.

Silence followed.

Nothing happened.

Confession was supposed to be a power that materialized the seraph as a subordinate knight. In spite of that, nothing happened.

The moment everyone thought it had failed, one of the puppet’s fingers creaked. Then, its eyes slowly opened, revealing azure globes. It was difficult to believe they were just glass balls. They were the same color as Nephy’s eyes.

The puppet moved its fingers, clenching and opening its hand a few times in confirmation, then reached out both arms and opened its mouth.

“Having my own body is a strange sensation. Moving...isn’t really a problem. Oh, my voice sounds somewhat distorted. Well, I don’t have organic vocal cords. Not much can be done about that, I suppose.”

It was as if Nephy’s clear voice was mixed with a bit of distortion.

“Are you...Camael?” Richard asked timidly.

“I don’t mind if you call me that,” the puppet answered.

Her roundabout manner of speaking reminded Nephteros of Alshiera during their first meeting. She now understood why Richard had trouble conversing with her.

“Please, Camael,” Nephteros said, bowing her head. “I want to save Zagan... If you know anything, tell us.”

According to Richard, Camael had been the one to save him from the brink of death. The puppet opened her mouth, but no voice came out. She paused, then hesitantly repeated the motion.

“I’ll tell you what I know. But before that, would you mind listening to what I have to say?”

“What is it?” Nephteros asked.

“Nothing serious. It’s just a bit of a complaint.”

Nephteros felt something hot snap within her.

“A complaint? That can wai—”

“Nephteros,” Richard said, cutting her off. “When she talks like this, it’s usually something important. Please lend her an ear.”

“Fine...”

It must’ve been very important for Richard to interrupt Nephteros like that.

He seems to know this woman awfully well...

Nephteros knew that Richard thought of her most dearly and didn’t doubt his feelings for a moment, so what was this hazy feeling in her chest? It was as if Richard was being taken away.

Is this the thing that sis always suffers from?

In other words, this was jealousy. Nephteros understood that it was strange to be jealous of a Sacred Sword, but she still couldn’t stop herself from puffing out her cheeks.

“Hee hee hee, there’s no need to take offense,” the puppet said. “I have no intention of seducing your precious man.”

“Mgh!”

Nephteros’s pointy ears turned red. Camael had seen right through her.

“Camael, don’t tease her,” Richard said as he took Nephteros’s hand to calm her down.

As shameful as it was, Nephteros was keenly aware that this was all she needed to find peace of mind.

“Don’t be so angry,” the puppet said, smiling without a hint of remorse. “It’s been a thousand years since I’ve spoken to anyone like this. I can’t help but be a little excited.”

Still, she likely understood that now wasn’t the time to take things easy. Thus, the puppet finally straightened her posture.

“What I’d like you to hear is related to the sin I committed a thousand years ago. It also has to do with the situation you find yourselves in now. I’ll try to keep it as brief as possible, but it’ll still take some time.”

Nephteros and Richard exchanged looks, then nodded.

“Let’s hear it,” Nephteros said. “We won’t know what kind of person you are until we do, anyway.”

The puppet’s eyes widened in shock. She then chuckled, turned to Richard, and said, “I see. I can understand why you’re head over heels for her.”

She then calmly began her story.

Chapter II: The Night Queen’s Oratorio

1

“I won’t let you kill Ashy!”

A boy threw himself in front of the intense light unleashed by a seraph. He was around fifteen, too young to be called a man. The seraph was clad in indigo armor that seemed to absorb all light. She had three—not two, but three—Hex Wings on her back and floated in the air. This was High Seraph Camael.

The being before the boy was a High Seraph, special even among its own kind, possessing triple the usual number of wings. Of these six wings, three had been taken out one by one through sniping. She probably hadn’t expected her precious Hex Wings to be destroyed. The High Seraph’s movements were far slower than expected. Miraculously, they’d had the upper hand against her...until this very moment.

Despite the fact that it looked like she’d been cornered, the seraph with three wings still possessed power on an entirely different level from any seraphs they’d faced before.

“Stop, Asura!” a man screamed, but it was too late.

The spear of light deviated from its path slightly but still smashed through the boy’s arm easily and reduced his body to atoms. It then continued and pierced the landscape behind the boy. One beat later, an explosive blast rocked the area in a storm of fire.

“Ashy!”

The man’s companion—the girl who’d been the pillar of their entire strategy—was in the middle of it. Despite sacrificing his life to strike the spear, the boy hadn’t been able to stop it. That wasn’t all the bad news either. The boy had been propping up this entire battle against the seraph.

There were three people at the center of the rebel army. The first was the hero of the west, Asura. He was the boy who always fought at the front and supported the entire battlefield.

The second was Alshiera. She was a sniper capable of destroying a seraph’s Hex Wings from one kilometer away. Working with Asura, she’d defeated countless seraphs.

The third was a young man who called himself a sorcerer. He was the developer of the one and only weapon capable of defeating the seraphs—the Seraph Hunters. However, his primary duty wasn’t on the battlefield. He was a technician, so he wasn’t here now.

In one attack, two of those three people had been lost.

It’s over.

Not just the battle—the rebel army’s hopes of ever accomplishing anything had been destroyed. The man had also been granted a Seraph Hunter, but he hadn’t been blessed with Asura’s and Ashy’s talents. The reason he was still standing here was simply because of good luck. He was no different from his many companions who’d already been defeated. He was no more than one part of the masses who’d formed a wall so that the heroes could defeat the seraphs.

Over half of those masses were now dead. Only a handful were capable of putting up a proper fight. Even though Asura, Ashy, and many others had given their lives to the cause, it had all amounted to nothing.

The man felt like all hope had been lost. He wondered if this was what true despair felt like. However, what then fluttered before his eyes like a petal on the wind was the image of a certain girl’s face.

I promised we’d meet again!

He stood up, and as he did, a line of light shot past him. By the time he realized it was a Seraph Hunter’s bullet, one of the seraph’s wings shattered.

“It can’t be... Ashy...?”

Was she all right? No, in all likelihood, she’d fired right as the seraph had unleashed the spear of light. The girl’s location was already a sea of flames. It was impossible to snipe from there. The bullet had reached the seraph one second after the spear of light had struck.

“Aaaaaah!”

The man broke into a run. This wasn’t out of despair. No, quite the opposite, in fact. This was his only chance. It was the one and only opportunity he would have to defeat this terrifying High Seraph. He thrust his Seraph Hunter forward and shot wildly at his target.

Slowed down by losing a fourth wing, the seraph took several hits. The bullets etched with draconic magic circles pierced the seraph’s indigo armor. With only two wings left, even the man’s Seraph Hunter was capable of wounding her.

Still, the seraph wasn’t going to just sit there and take it. It once more formed a spear of light. Even with two wings, it had enough power to turn an entire village to ashes. Even if it didn’t hit the man directly, he would be annihilated the moment she unleashed it.

Like I care!

He just needed one shot. He could kill the seraph if he could just hit a vital spot. Even if he died, so long as the bullet reached its target, he could defeat her—just like the sniper had done. The death of a High Seraph would shake the world. Someone would surely rise up in his wake.

Or maybe he didn’t really care about the world. The only thing on the man’s mind was a single girl whose real name he didn’t even know. He wanted that girl to be able to live with a smile on her lips. That was why he wanted to change the world, even if only a little.

The seraph brandished her spear of light overhead. That simple motion created a gale, blowing away the man’s partially destroyed helmet. Blood ran down his brow and into his eye. Even as his legs failed to drive him forward against the wind, the man steadied his aim at the seraph’s heart.

She’s faster than me...

He squeezed the trigger. The hammer fell, striking the bullet’s fuse. That had given the seraph more than enough time to throw her spear.

“Sorry, Elly.”

He’d failed to keep his promise. And just as he muttered those words...

“Ah...”

It looked like the seraph had gasped mid-swing. A gunshot echoed in the air. The spear of light vanished from the seraph’s hand and she slowly fell to the ground.

“Haaah... Haaah...”

The man was alive. The spear of light hadn’t been unleashed.

Why...?

Even if she hadn’t been able to block the bullet, she’d had enough time to drag everyone here down with her. And yet, the seraph hadn’t done so.

Or...she couldn’t?

In that moment, it’d seemed like something had caught the seraph’s attention, freezing her movements.

“Ugh...”

“Aaah...”

“It hurts...”

“Someone... I don’t want to die...”

The man started hearing groans from all over. There was no mistaking it for any other sound. A seraph was capable of killing anyone with a single strike, but the man’s fallen companions were groaning.

Something’s off here...

They were still alive. They could be saved. The man should’ve felt joy but was instead struck by a feeling that he’d committed an unbelievable error.

He slowly approached the fallen seraph. Bright red blood pooled beneath her. Even after all this time, the realization that seraphs also bled red came to mind.

The seraph’s hand twitched.

She’s still alive!

He had to finish her. Seraphs couldn’t be captured alive. Humanity had no means of restraining them. Even if their hands and legs were ripped off, they could regenerate them using their astronomical mana and massacre humans without the need for weapons.

So the only way was to kill them, and the only way of doing that was using the Seraph Hunter in his hand. And yet, the man didn’t point his weapon at the seraph. Instead, he lifted her up into his arms. She was so light. It made him wonder whether that heavy armor was empty inside.

The indigo armor crumbled to pieces at his touch, and then—

2

“Dammit, where’d she go?!”

“This is bad. Find her!”

“Why did you take your eyes off her?!”

“You’re one to talk!”

“Now’s not the time for this! We’re done for unless we find her!”

Stone towers stretched high into the sky. They were intricately made, their sides forming perfect squares. No seams were visible. It was as if each had been carved from a single rock.

These towers were castles belonging to the race known as seraphs. They were also the domain in which their retainers dwelled. Those vassalized by the seraphs didn’t have the qualifications to live inside them. The towers were lined up as if on a chessboard. Their windows had a 1:1.16 ratio and were inlaid along the walls at the same ratio. This metropolis sat atop one of the continent’s most prominent ley lines. The whole thing had been built as an apparatus to pump power from them. During the night, golden light leaked from the towers’ windows. That was why it was commonly known as the City of Gold.

In contrast to the dizzyingly beautiful towers, several men ran through grimy alleyways. They wore pitch-black clothes and had slender swords at their hips. The clothes resonated with aura to amplify their durability. They were no heavier than normal clothes but served as armor that would resist the finest blade.

Any one of these men was said to be able to crush a rebel organization on their own. Despite this, their shouting contained more fear than irritation.

“Was that incident the other day...?” one man muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Definitely not.”

“But she’s only fifteen. It’s still too early...right?”

“That’s why I was against that brat becoming a High Seraph!”

Silence fell over the group.

“Hey, watch what you say,” one of the men whispered, looking around in fear. “Despite her age, she’s one of the Celestial Blades. Piss her off, and she’ll snuff us out like candles.”

“I know that... C’mon, let’s just find her.”

Clenching her fists, a certain girl muttered quietly to herself, “It’s not like I wanted this duty...”

She was holding her breath in the shadow of a tower, hiding from these men. She wore an oversized flat cap over her eyes, a frilly violet dress, and a white jacket over it. She was trying to disguise herself as a normal townsperson, but it was clear to anyone that she was the daughter of some well-off family.

That was only to be expected. This girl’s name was Camael. She was a resident of the tower at the center of the City of Gold, one of the strongest seraphs, the High Seraph charged with guarding this metropolis, one of its most influential authorities, a general who led its armies, and the princess who was closest to being a god.

She lived in an entirely different world from the common people. This poor mimicry was the best she could manage.

After making sure the men charged with watching her were far away, the girl let out a sigh of relief.

This was the seraph’s capital, the City of Gold. It was large, nearly the size of the Holy City Raziel, and also the fortress that stood as a line of defense against recent rebellions. Despite this, there were no walls. Such unsightly structures were meaningless to seraphs. A stone wall without any aura in it would be little more than a pile of sand before a seraph’s power. When defending, every form of power was blocked by their divine barriers. Thus, building a wall would simply ruin the beautiful city’s scenery.

Those guys can break through such barriers, though...

This metropolis was the symbol of the seraphs’ prosperity, but the girl looked at it as if it made her sick to the stomach.

“What a hideous town... It has no purpose in this world.”

Her voice was filled with despondency, disappointment, lament, and irritation. By all rights, the seraphs shouldn’t have been fighting something as trivial as a rebel army. They were meant to fight demons.

Demons couldn’t be allowed to exist in the world. They’d appeared since times of myth, bringing untold calamities with them. A low-class seraph had no means of opposing them. Even a High Seraph would die against a horde of them.

The seraphs protected the world from demons. Their Celestian language charged with godlike powers, their authority over the people, this capital with the power to alter the land itself—all of it existed to fulfill that purpose. From the moment of her birth, this girl had been obligated to put her life on the line in the battle against demons.

But what for?

The world was disgusting. Despite being charged to protect the people, the majority of seraphs had forgotten their purpose. They took advantage of their position to exhaust all limits of gluttony and sloth. A fair number had grown so fat that they didn’t even look like they could fight. Not only that, but they treated the other races like slaves, oppressed them, and used them like disposable trash.

These nobles were so fat that, forget being able to stand from their chairs, they’d practically fused with their seats. And with their vulgar smiles and filthy breath, they’d ordered this girl to fight. They remained safely in the back—not that they could fit through the doors to so much as step outside—preaching to her to put the seraphs’ power on full display.

Were these the world and people she was meant to protect? Was this why she was risking her life? The girl was incapable of finding a reason to fight. With such thoughts on her mind, she continued walking the streets of the city.

“This is horrible...”

Geographically, this was the main street running through the center of town. And yet, the people using it looked exhausted, their filthy clothes dragging along the ground. These weren’t citizens. They were slaves who just happened to not have chains around their legs.

However, these weren’t slaves or refugees who’d come from the outside. No, they were regular citizens of the capital who were wasting away precisely because of the seraphs’ tyrannical rule. In contrast, this girl had been blessed with the benefits of said rule.

Even without any demons, the world will perish in the near future.

The seraphs—including the girl herself—would only bring harm to the world with their continued existence.

That was when the girl finally questioned her choice of clothing. She looked at her reflection in a window and twirled around.

“Am I perhaps not dressed appropriately to walk around town...?”

She’d asked her maid to bring her something as close as possible to what one of the townspeople would wear, but there was no way a maid would give her rags. Her clothes were simple but clearly not something any commoner could afford.

The girl took her hat off, revealing her azure eyes and letting loose her fluffy white hair. The image reflected in the window looked like little more than a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old girl. However, what drew the eye above all else were her pointy ears.

The clear difference between a seraph and a human was a gap in power that came from aura. This gap couldn’t be closed even after a thousand years of training. They weren’t all that different in terms of appearance, though, so the easiest way to distinguish a seraph was their ears.

“Spirits, if you will,” the girl whispered to the air.

Her figure wavered for a moment. By the time it settled, her ears had transformed into those of a human. This was a power called a charm, which only the highest-class seraphs could use. By warping light, they were able to distort their appearance a little. It was possible to make major changes, but the greater the change, the greater the risk of being detected by other seraphs. That was why the girl had only hidden her ears.

It won’t be a problem as long as no seraphs find out.

Despite being ignorant about the ways of the world, she knew that the people weren’t exactly fond of seraphs. This would be enough to walk around outside.

And just as she began walking again, a shadow suddenly fell over her.

“Hey there, little girl. Hasn’t anyone told you that it’s dangerous for kids to walk around on their own?”

3

A greasy, bald, large man looked down at the girl. He was quite literally over twice her height and probably many more times her weight. Several ugly chains dangled from a belt at his waist, their use a complete mystery. He had the fakest smile on his villainous face. Looking up at the enormous man, the girl only felt pity. He was a human, but unfortunately, he wore no clothes.

Even with his build, he has difficulty obtaining clothing...?

His poverty pained the girl’s heart.

The man let out a sigh, perhaps seeing the girl’s pain. Honestly, the smell was bad enough for her to want to avert her gaze, but she endured. His state of dress and the stench of his breath were both due to the seraphs’ tyranny, so she didn’t have the right to feel disgusted.

“Hmm, how fine!” the man exclaimed, peering at the girl from head to toe as if appraising her. “Being human is a flaw, but you’ll fetch a high price regardless.”

She didn’t really understand what he was saying. At the very least, he didn’t see her as a seraph.

“Your concern is unnecessary,” the girl said, shaking her head. “I’m just going for a walk. I’ll return home soon.”

If he’d called her a seraph, others would come to drag her away. She was, of course, capable of escaping through sheer force, but a High Seraph charged with protecting the people bringing them harm instead would be a travesty.

“Oh, that’s no good,” the man said, smiling lecherously. “Didn’t you hear me? Even in the City of Gold, there’s nothing more dangerous for a girl than walking around on her own. Come on, I’ll take you home.”

The man looked more dangerous than anything else she could think of on these streets, but his words were oddly kind. They were completely unwanted right now, though. She’d finally slipped out. If she went back, she would never be able to venture outside again.

What should I do? Will he be hurt if I run away?

To this High Seraph, the large man before her was hardly different from a lost child.

“Right this way,” the man said, slowly reaching out to her.

Just then, someone cut in between them as if blocking the large man’s path.

“Elly! Why did you run off?! I was worried!”

It was a young man. It sounded like he’d just called the girl “Elly.”

“Hmm...? Are you talking to me?” the girl asked curiously.

The new arrival pointed to the large man with his eyes as if yelling at her to match his story.

“Oh, come on, are you still angry at me?” he said. “It’s my bad for forgetting our promise, but what could I do? I’m busy too.”

“Hey...what’s the big idea, you li’l brat?” the large man said, grimacing in displeasure.

“Sorry, sir! This is my little sister. If she did anything rude, I’ll apologize on her behalf! Please let us go!”

“Hey, what have you been—?” the girl began saying.

“Come on! You apologize too!”

“Hrm?!”

The young man interrupted the girl and pushed her head down forcefully.

Hwaaah?! Huh?! He’s touching my head?! Huh?! Why?!

As she’d been granted the Celestial Blade from the moment of her birth, all had knelt before this girl. This was the first time in her life that someone had forced her head down like this. She froze in shock, forgetting to even yell about how disrespectful this was.

“You look nothing alike!” the large man shouted.

“Oh, don’t you know that siblings don’t necessarily look alike?” the young man said. He then threw a small pouch at the large man’s nose.

The pouch exploded in an intense flash of light. It seemed to have contained some kind of substance that emitted a scathing light when burned. The girl had never heard of this sort of tool. Even staring straight into the dazzling flash, her charms protected her from needing to do much more than squint. However, as a normal human, it had to be unbearable for the large man.

“Gyaaah!”

“Run!”

The young man grabbed the girl’s hand and started running. Completely taken aback, she could do nothing but follow him.

“You little shit! Get back here! I spotted her first! I’m not giving up, dammit!”

The large man flailed one of his thick arms around, the other pressed to his face. His attitude had done a complete one-eighty from his earlier gentlemanly behavior.

Leaving him behind, the young man continued running with a look of desperation on his face.

4

“Haaah... Haaah... It should be safe this far away...”

The girl had no idea how long they’d been running. After turning several corners, the young man finally came to a stop.

The girl was a High Seraph, but she wasn’t used to running without relying on her charms. She was out of breath and couldn’t even begin to speak. After a while longer, she finally caught her breath and somehow managed to respond.

“I think...you’ve mistaken me...for someone else... I’m fairly certain...I haven’t...met you...before.”

“Hmm...? What’re you talking about?” the man asked, cocking his head.

“You called me...your sister...yes?”

“I was obviously making stuff up,” he said, looking somewhat baffled. “Figure it out.”

“You lied? Doesn’t that mean you did something really bad to that man?” the girl said, turning around to leave.

“H-H-Hey! Hang on a sec!” the man yelled, grabbing her arm in a hurry. “He’s a manhunter. Can’t you tell?”

“A manhunter...?” the girl repeated, frowning at the disturbing name.

“Seriously...?” the man sighed, utterly astonished by her reaction. “That guy you met is a famous manhunter called Purson. He’s a total scumbag who abducts people off the streets and sells them to the seraphs.”

“He sells people...? You can do that? Why? What do you even buy one for?”

The girl’s eyes darted about. She truly didn’t understand.

“Where the heck did you come from?” the man asked, feeling a headache coming on. “I’m guessing you’re not from around here...”

It really had been unreasonable for her to pass herself off as a normal civilian. She didn’t look like a seraph, but she was still clearly suspicious. The girl’s eyes wandered in a fluster before she eventually gave up.

“I’ve never left my room except when I’m to fulfill my duty,” she muttered. “I don’t know much about the outside world.”

“Your duty...?” the man asked curiously.

“It’s...”

There was nothing dutiful about it. All she did was kill people. It didn’t pain her when she faced demons, but lately, she’d spent far more time suppressing powerless civilians who called themselves a rebel army. She didn’t know what to say.

“Oh, you don’t gotta tell me,” the man said with a reassuring smile. “It’s hard to talk about, yeah? Everyone’s got one or two things like that...especially those connected to seraphs.”

“Thank you...”

The man shook his head to pull himself together, then straightened himself up. Now that she got a better look at him, she realized he was younger than she’d believed. Just maybe, he was still in his teens.

He had chestnut hair and scarlet eyes. His face gave a somewhat weak-spirited impression. It was as if he had countless worries. His body was lanky, and he was a head taller than the girl, but she was pretty short, so that didn’t make him particularly tall.

Despite this, probably due to having gone through many hardships, the hand he’d used to lead her here was covered in scars.

“I’m Suleiman...” the man said. “Oh, no, call me Sulei. And you are?”

The girl wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

I can’t possibly say I’m Camael.

She’d never been out here on the streets before. There was no way anyone recognized her face, but her name could give her away. After giving it a little thought, the girl made a decision.

“I’m Elly.”

Sulei’s mouth popped open and he asked, “Isn’t that the random name I picked earlier?”

“What a complete coincidence. That happens to be my name. It isn’t an unusual name or anything, yes?”

“Well...whatever.”

Coming to an understanding, Sulei didn’t prod any deeper. He then stared at her for a while.

“More importantly, Elly.”

“...”

“Hey, Elly?”

“Hmm...? Oh, me? Yes, I’m Elly.”

Sulei grimaced and continued, “Anyway, your outfit stands out way too much. Walking around like that is like asking to be abducted.”

“S-So it really is strange? This was all I could acquire...”

“I figured it was something like that...” Sulei paused there, sinking into thought for a while before continuing, “You headed anywhere in particular?”

“Well...”

Why had she even thought of going outside to begin with? What had she planned to do? Where had she wanted to go? Elly grasped her own shoulders tightly at the thought. Seeing her like this, Sulei reached out a hand...then began petting her head.

“Myaaaah!”

“Whoa!”

Elly toppled backward, leaving Sulei completely bewildered.

“Wh-What insolence!” she screamed. “You crushed my head earlier too!”

“Whaaat...? How is that insolent? I’m just petting you.”

“D-Do you do that to everyone you meet?”

“Well, I’ve got a ton of little siblings, so I guess kinda, yeah.”

This was apparently normal for him.

“You looked anxious, so I was just trying to calm you down...” Sulei said, smiling weakly.

It seemed “petting someone’s head” was an act to cheer people up here on the streets. Elly lowered her eyes and pulled her flat cap down tightly.

“Ummm, I’m not familiar with such things,” she said. “I thank you for your consideration, but I would rather you refrain from such acts.”

A seraph’s head—or rather, their ears—were sacred. No matter how clearly one was ranked above another, slighting their ears was out of the question. As such, everyone naturally avoided touching others’ heads too. Even when washing her hair, Elly’s maids paid careful attention not to touch her head more than necessary. And yet, Sulei had touched such a delicate portion of her body without any reservation.

He remained stunned for a while.

“Ha ha...”

And then, he started laughing. How could this man do this before a girl who was on the verge of tears?

“Wh-What are you laughing at?!”

“Oh, my bad. It’s pretty unreasonable to ask me not to when you react like that, though.”

“Mrgh...”

Elly crouched down, pulling her flat cap down lower. Sulei held out his palm like he was showing a small animal that he had no hostile intentions.

“Come on, I won’t touch your head anymore, so relax.”

This clearly wasn’t enough for Elly to lower her guard. She glared back at him. He couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Pfffffft!”

“Y-You laughed again!”

Sulei shook his head in a fluster and replied, “No, um, you’ve got the wrong idea. I just remembered how you screamed earlier even though you were totally unfazed by Purson.”

“Why would you laugh at other people screaming...? Wait, I screamed?”

“You did. It was really cute...I mean, loud.”

Elly reflexively covered her mouth. Before this, she’d never let out a scream, even on the battlefield. After all, as a High Seraph, she had to maintain a certain level of dignity at all times. She’d never thought she would put on such a shameful display.

“Wh-What kind of sound did I make?” she asked after a pause, looking up at Sulei.

“Huh? Well...kinda sounded like...‘m-myaaah’?” he answered shyly.

His courage in replicating her high-pitched squeal was praiseworthy, but Elly shot him an exasperated look.

“Good grief, there’s no way I would make such an unseemly sound,” she told him.

“You totally did!” Sulei sighed, then held out his hand once more. “Man...that’s not the point. You’ve got nowhere to go, yeah? Wanna come to our place?”

“Your place...? Where exactly is that?”

“I don’t mean to pry, but you’re running from seraphs, aren’t you?” Sulei said, smiling awkwardly. “Guys like us huddle together to survive.”

In other words, they were the oppressed.

“I’m...”

As a seraph herself, she couldn’t possibly take his hand. However, it was true that she had nowhere else to go. She remained at a loss for words, and without waiting for an answer, Sulei took her hand.

“It’s decided, then!” he exclaimed.

“Wh-What?!”

It should’ve been trivial for her to shake off his hand, yet Elly could do nothing but go along with him as he tugged on her without reservation.

5

“A castle...under the ground?” Elly muttered, unable to believe her eyes.

There was an enormous cave beneath the capital. Buried within one of its walls was an old-fashioned castle.

The city sat on a canal, so to preserve the beauty of the water, there was a well-maintained sewage system. Sulei had guided Elly down into them, and after following him blindly through its tunnels, she’d ended up taking in such a shocking sight.

This has been under us all this time? Since when? How did they even build it?

It would’ve been no easy feat, even with the seraphs’ powers. Well, the fact that it hadn’t been devastated by the seraphs to begin with meant it had probably been built in the age before the seraphs’ rise. Completely overwhelmed by this fact, Elly gaped.

“Ha ha, it was worth making the trip just to get that shocked reaction out of you,” Sulei said. “This is our roost.”

He smiled as if showing off his favorite toy. This time, it was Elly’s turn to feel a headache coming on.

Does he have any idea what kind of outrageous place he’s living in?

If seraphs couldn’t build it, that meant something existed that surpassed them. Elly took a look around her, feeling a mix of both wariness and inquisitiveness.

“Huh?!”

Suddenly, she felt a tremendous bloodlust directed at her. It was as if someone had a firm grasp of her heart. She’d never felt anything like it, even when facing a horde of demons. A bead of sweat ran down her cheek.

“Whoa there, aren’t you a bit too shocked?” Sulei said teasingly. “Remember? Not even seraphs can find us here. It’s safe.”

It seemed the bloodlust was directed only at Elly. It was like someone was questioning who the hell she was and what she was doing here. It was intense enough to make even High Seraph Camael feel fear. That was why the source was easy to identify.

I see. A dragon, is it? And a surprisingly old one at that.

It had to have lived for at least thousands of years. The place being under its protection would explain this abnormal space. The castle was big but not large enough for a dragon. It must’ve transformed itself in some way. Though, that was as much as she could figure out from here.

Dragons aren’t supposed to publicly meddle in worldly affairs... Or wait, are the seraphs’ deeds simply so intolerable that dragons are making a move?

“Sulei...” Elly said, taking a step back. “I think I’ll head back after all.”

“Huh? After coming all this way? You’re really leaving?”

“You’re a good person, Sulei, but I doubt I’m welcome here.”

She turned around to leave, but Sulei grabbed her arm.

“Hey now, how can I possibly ignore you when you’re making a face like that?”

“Mrgh...”

Elly wondered what kind of face she was making. She touched her cheeks in bewilderment.

“But...”

“It’s fine. Come on.”

The bloodlust was still as strong as ever, but Sulei seemed unconcerned as he pulled Elly toward the castle. She planted her feet to resist, but it was meaningless due to the disparity in weight. Her feet dragged along the ground as they entered the building. That was when she heard a quiet grumble.

“Hmm...?”

Sulei seemed to have heard it as well. He came to a stop. The pitiful grumble resounded yet again. A pleasant smell wafted over from the castle, and Elly felt her face flush. The sound was coming from her stomach.

“Th-This isn’t, um...”

Why would her stomach grumble when faced with bloodlust in enemy territory? She tried to deny it in a fluster, but Sulei narrowed his eyes and nodded as if to say he understood completely.

“Oh, I was wondering why you’re being so hesitant,” he said. “You’re hungry, huh?”

“I-I’m not!”

“It’s fine. It’s fine. My little sister’s stomach grumbles all the time. She also tries to hide it even though it’s totally obvious.”

“You should be more considerate of your sister’s dignity.”

Elly puffed out her cheeks, which got a good laugh from Sulei. It really did remind him of his little sister. This only grated Elly’s nerves more, deepening her frown.

“You should learn restraint,” she told him. “You touched my head earlier without asking too.”

“Ha ha! My bad. Come on, I’ll get the kitchen to give you some food, so cheer up. The geezer should be cooking something up around now.”

Elly wondered whether “the geezer” was referring to the chef or something.

“I’m telling you I’m not hungry...”

However, her stomach was in fact grumbling, so Elly timidly followed Sulei.

The bloodlust...has faded. But I’m still being watched.

It wouldn’t be strange for her to be suddenly attacked if she stepped out of line. She had no intention of angering a dragon. It would surely lead to the destruction of Sulei’s home, after all.

“What? Are you scared of being somewhere unfamiliar?” Sulei asked. “It’s all right. Everyone here’s really nice.”

“That’s not it...”

He showed no signs of noticing the dangerous being who was carefully watching every minuscule movement she was making.

Sulei invited Elly into the castle. Taking a step inside would surely lead to her immediate death, so she froze in place. She could just run away, but for some reason, a part of her was unable to shake off Sulei’s hand.

Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to die here.

She felt sorry for Sulei, seeing how he was inviting an enemy into his home, but it was his fault for refusing to listen. And so, Elly gave up and stopped resisting.

“Very well, Sulei,” she said, smiling weakly. “Let’s go.”

“That’s the spirit,” he responded, nodding happily.

Now that she’d given up, she felt a lot more at ease. She followed Sulei into the castle as he led her by the hand. He guided her through several curving corridors and they eventually ended up in a large room. This seemed to be the kitchen. It was fitted with a long table and sinks upon which sat a line of ingredients that were probably about to be cooked. It was large enough for five or six people to work in at once, but the only one there was a single old man.

His hair and beard were long, both tinged a greenish gray, and his amber eyes stared sharply at Elly.

This old man must be the dragon.

Even with her Celestial Blade, it would likely be difficult to defeat him. If she was lucky, she could take him down with her...or perhaps it would be a miracle for her to deal a significant wound. That was how much aura she sensed in him. And faced with that terrifying man...

“Hey, geezer, we’re hungry,” Sulei said. “Give us some food.”

Elly shot Sulei a flabbergasted look.

“Um, isn’t this a man of status?” she asked. “I mean, should you not watch your tone a little...?”

“Ha ha, you’re so kind, Elly. There’s no point being unreasonably polite just ’cause he’s old. He’s just a grump who never shuts up over the tiniest crap.”

“What...?”

Elly glanced over at the old man, her heart pounding.

“No one here knows how to use proper speech,” the old man said, sighing with a grimace.

“Is that so...?”

He then cut some bread with practiced motions and placed ingredients atop it.

“I haven’t seen you before,” he commented.

Elly had no idea how to react, so she answered honestly while pointing at the ceiling.

“Oh, umm, I was led in here from above...”

“Don’t start any trouble,” the old man told her.

“I don’t intend to.”

It seemed they were both going to pretend they didn’t know anything.

What’s going on? Why is a dragon serving humans?

It was inexplicable. Elly remained bewildered when suddenly, her stomach grumbled yet again. This time, the sound wasn’t so cute. It was like the growl of a wild beast. Elly covered her face in shame, while Sulei bent over and burst into laughter.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

“Quiet, you...” Elly protested.

“Are you hungry?” the old man asked, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“Um...to tell you the truth, I haven’t eaten today.”

During meals, especially during breakfast, those tasked with keeping an eye on her were less diligent in their duties. Elly had used that opportunity to escape the seraph’s tower. That was why she hadn’t had the chance to eat anything. And after that, she hadn’t been able to stir up an appetite upon seeing the state of that capital.

The sun was already setting to the west, so it was perfectly reasonable for her stomach to growl.

Even without that, I’ve hardly been eating lately...

Meals had been prepared for her, of course, but she hadn’t been in the mood to eat much.

Unable to watch her like that, the old man held out a plate with a sandwich on it before Elly.

“Oh! It’s got ham in it!” Sulei exclaimed. “Going fancy today, huh?”

“Is this valuable?” Elly asked.

Ham had also been featured in Elly’s uneaten breakfast, so she didn’t feel like it was particularly unusual.

“What? Never had ham?” Sulei said, a hint of pity in his voice. “Well, meat’s pretty hard to come by, so I guess that makes sense. Even we only get some a couple times a month.”

“Is that so...?”

Now that she thought of it, it was perfectly natural. There was no way to find proper food under this tyrannical rule. Things seraphs ate in abundance were out of reach for the common people. Guilt stabbed at Elly’s heart as the old man held another plate out to Sulei.

“Hey, geezer,” Sulei said, frowning quite clearly. “There’s no ham in mine.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the old man told him.

Sulei’s sandwich had nothing but vegetables in it.

“Whaaat?! Oh, come on! Gimme some too, you cheapskate!”

Elly backed away from Sulei as he continued shouting. She then heard the sound of the door opening behind her. She turned around to see a girl with golden hair and scarlet eyes entering the kitchen. Her hair was tied up in long pigtails, making her look a fair bit younger than Elly.

“Oh, hey, Ashy,” Sulei said, noticing the girl. “You tell him too. This old geezer has ham, but he won’t hand any over.”

“Hmm...? What do I care?” the girl said, giving Sulei no more than an uninterested glance. “Orobas, I want food.”

“Of course,” the old man said. “Just wait a minute.”

The ingredients were already out on the table, so he prepared something for her immediately. However, her plate had two sandwiches on it.

“Here, take this to Asura too,” the old man told her.

“Why me...?”

“It’s easier for me to make several at once.”

“Haaah... Fine.”

The girl took the plate reluctantly, but she didn’t look as displeased as she let on. Noticing the ham in her sandwich, her scarlet eyes widened.

“Orobas...” she said.

“What?”

And then, in the quietest voice, she told him, “Thanks...”

The girl quickly left the room after that. Seeing her off, Sulei shouted with tears in his eyes, “Oh come on! Why won’t you give me any?! Ashy got some too!”

“I’ve made more than enough for a brat who doesn’t watch how he speaks.”

Sweat ran down Sulei’s brow.

“Ummm, geezer...I mean, Orobas, I’d like some ham too...please.”

“Zero out of ten. Try again next time.”

“You’re shitting me, you old fart!”

Sulei persisted, but the old man simply waved him off without giving him the time of day.

6

“Dammit... Dammit... That old geezer... He really didn’t give me any ham... C’mon, man, this is a step too far...”

After stepping outside of the castle, Sulei slumped over in grief. Elly could understand the old man’s feelings. She’d been pretty uncomfortable about the way Sulei addressed him from the very beginning.

Since he gave me such luxurious ingredients, does it mean he’s permitting my presence?

It would probably be a different matter if she started any trouble, but for now, it seemed she didn’t have to worry about suddenly being attacked. Sulei had gotten the short end of the stick, though.

“Um, I’m not that hungry,” Elly said, holding out her plate to him. “Could you eat some of mine for me?”

She didn’t sound very persuasive, but Sulei’s eyes sparkled. He reached out for just a moment, but then shook his head rapidly.

“Ugh...! But! But! I-I can’t! That one was made for you! I can’t possibly steal it!”

He was stubborn in the weirdest ways.

It would be impolite to force it on him, I suppose...

Elly was ignorant of the customs of the common people, so she didn’t know what was right or wrong.

“Understood,” she said. “Then I’ll have it.”

She took a bite of one triangular half of the sandwich. A certain acidity spread over her tongue, accompanied by the taste of soft ham. She’d had plenty of it before, but it was as if she was experiencing this flavor for the very first time.

“I-It’s delicious,” she said, biting into the sandwich in a trance.

“Ha ha, glad you like it,” Sulei replied, narrowing his eyes.

“Mmm... It’s better than anything I’ve eaten before. That old man must be a terrific chef.”

“That so? Pretty sure this is normal... I mean, it’s not even that good,” Sulei stated as he cocked his head, then took a bite of his own sandwich. “Yup, totally normal.”

“What? Then try this one. I’m sure it’s delicious.”

Elly held out her half-eaten sandwich, and for some reason, Sulei’s face turned red.

“I-I can’t do that...” he protested.

“I already ate half of it. Surely, there isn’t a problem sharing it now.”

“Th-That’s not the problem.”

Elly pushed the sandwich toward Sulei, a glimmer in her eyes. Giving in to her persistence, he brought his face closer to it.

“Y-You sure about this?” he asked. “I’m really gonna eat it.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“I’m really gonna do it, ya know?”

She had no idea why he was hesitating. With a look of resignation, he finally opened his mouth wide. The crisp sound of the green vegetables crunching resounded through the air.

“I-It’s really good...” Sulei said, hanging his head, completely red to the cheeks.

“Isn’t it?”

Elly puffed out her chest despite the fact that she hadn’t made the sandwich herself. This only made Sulei turn redder.

“D-Don’t do this stuff with other guys, you hear?” he said.

“Hmm, because of the valuable ingredients?”

“Not at all! Well, there’s that too, but... C’mon, you get it, don’t you?”

“Huh...?”

Elly cocked her head. She had no idea what he was talking about. Sulei seemed really conflicted, like he had to get something across before it reached the point of no return.

“You know, the whole ‘Aaah’ thing,” he said after gathering his nerve.

“Hmm...? What ‘Aaah’ thing?”

“You don’t know?!” Sulei exclaimed, shaking his head in exasperation. “Oh yeah, you did mention being a sheltered princess...”

Elly didn’t quite know what being a sheltered princess entailed, but she could at least infer it had negative connotations.

“How rude,” she said. “I may be poorly informed about the circumstances of the outside world, but I am no sheltered princess.”

“Would ignorant have been a better word?”

She couldn’t tell exactly why she was being criticized. Still, she knew less about the world than Sulei, so she couldn’t refute him.

“Very well,” she said with a sigh. “Let us proceed on the assumption that I’m sheltered or ignorant or what have you.”

“It’s not just an assumption.”

“So? What is this ‘Aaah’ thing you speak of?”

“Erk.”

For some reason, Sulei was at a loss for words.

“Ummm, just forget about it.”

“I will not. I have no idea what I’m being criticized for. How am I supposed to correct my behavior?”

“Ugh...” Sulei’s expression twisted in anguish as he was driven further and further into a corner. “Ummm...it’s...you know...?”

“I don’t. Speak plainly. I cannot hear you.”

“It’s when you feed each other! You know, like lovers do!”

Elly blinked in confusion and replied, “Hmmm, so it was that manner of custom? Forgive me.”

“It kinda pisses me off when you apologize for it!”

“Good grief... What exactly must I do to satisfy you?”

Elly shook her head in exasperation.

“Okay, then you try it,” Sulei said petulantly.

“Hmm? Well, I suppose I don’t mind.”

Elly handed her half-eaten sandwich over, and Sulei held it out to her.

Is this all it will take to satisfy him? I don’t understand the way the common folk think.

Either way, she didn’t mind cooperating if this was enough for him. She swept back her white hair and brought her face closer to the sandwich...then came to a sudden stop.

“It is rather difficult to eat with you staring like that,” she said.

For some reason, it was strangely embarrassing to open her mouth when someone was watching her that closely. And yet, Sulei continued staring, his expression somewhat stiff.

“What? I’m just doing what you did,” he told her.

“That may be the case, but still...”

She recalled when he’d so rudely petted her head. It’d been shocking, but now that she thought of it, it hadn’t felt so bad.

It’s your fault for staring. Now I’m remembering something strange...

Elly felt her cheeks flush. Her heart started pounding like a hammer too.

What’s going on? This is getting really embarrassing...

Regardless, she felt bad for making him wait too long. She resigned herself and opened her mouth once more...when Sulei stopped her.

“Sorry. Let’s not,” he said. “It’s my bad.”

“Hmm?”

Elly looked up at his face. For some reason, he was bright red too. It seemed this was embarrassing for him as well.

What is this? I don’t like being embarrassed, but making him feel that way isn’t bad.

The thought delighted her as she snapped at the sandwich. She’d bitten off too much and had stuffed her cheeks, thus needing some time to chew. She eventually finished swallowing it all, then put a finger to her pink lips and smiled in satisfaction.

“How’s that?” she said. “I did it.”

“Whoa...”

Sulei’s mouth popped open in fascination.

“Hee hee, I didn’t know ham tasted this good,” Elly said, smiling teasingly. “I’ll remember this.”

“Huh...? Ah! All the ham is gone!”

Elly had eaten all the meat in that one bite. She laughed, thinking he would be vexed by that revelation.

“You finally smiled,” Sulei said, smiling in turn.

“Huh?”

“Elly, you’ve been looking down all this time. Well, I’m sure something happened to you, but while you’re here, you can feel free to relax.”

“Ah...”

His smile was so free of worry. It made Elly want to rely on him. She was about to smile back at him...when she hallucinated herself covered in blood.

“Ugh... Guh... Blaaargh!”

She emptied the contents of her stomach and hunched over. She covered her mouth in a hurry, but it was meaningless. She couldn’t breathe. The sandwich she’d so gracefully been given was completely expelled. Even though there was nothing left in her stomach to vomit, it kept convulsing, and she continued to heave.

“Elly!”

Sulei pulled her into a hug without hesitation.

“It’s okay,” he said, gently stroking her back. “It’s safe here. C’mon, relax and take a slow breath.”

“Guh... Ugh...”

Regardless of all the vomit, Sulei patiently continued stroking her back.

Unaware of how much time had passed like this, Elly finally caught her breath and squeezed out her voice.

“I’m...a sinner...”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve done...many...unforgivable things...”

“Oh...”

“That’s why...I ran...”

Elly pressed herself against Sulei’s chest. He didn’t ask a single question and continued nodding along.

High Seraph Camael was one of the strongest seraphs guarding the City of Gold. Her duty was to fight. She’d sung her celestial mysticism many times, consigning even demons to oblivion. She’d done the same to the mob who called themselves the rebellion. She wielded her powers as commanded, mowing down the strong and weak alike. No matter what kind of monster she faced, they were all mere rabble to her.

One day, she’d allowed the enemy to close in on her. Using a weapon with the exaggerated name Seraph Hunter, her opponent had posed somewhat of a threat. Naturally, she’d won with ease. However, that had been her first time killing the enemy from up close.

Bright red blood had burst into the sky and had come down like rain. Her enemy had died quickly but had muttered “I don’t want to die” to the bitter end.

That was when she’d first come to the realization that the enemy who called themselves the rebellion were humans. The people she’d thought she was protecting were being massacred by her own hands.

I don’t want to kill people anymore...

That was why she’d chosen to run away. Or maybe that wasn’t quite right. Honestly, she was probably looking for a place to die. However, she was too strong to die in battle.

Even when facing demons, she’d never so much as been wounded. The regular civilians who called themselves a rebel army had no means of opposing her in the least. It was nearly impossible for anything to kill her.

But I don’t want to fight anymore.

If she ran far enough away, far from any civilization, she wouldn’t have to kill people anymore. That was the simple reason she’d fled the tower.

She was such a hideous girl, yet Sulei gently embraced her.

“Mmm... You really did your best.”

He surely hadn’t heard her saying she was a sinner. Elly raised her head in disbelief, and just as before, he smiled at her.

“It’s all right,” he told her. “You’re Elly, right? You finally managed to run away and get this far. It’s all right now.”

Maybe the person I killed was your friend.

She didn’t believe the people who took part in this rebellion were upright citizens. They could be hiding underground, just like Sulei. If he knew about her origins, he surely wouldn’t be able to smile at her anymore. Elly had to confess her sins.

“...”

And yet, she couldn’t. Of all things, she chose to cling to him. Sulei didn’t ask any questions and continued stroking her back as tears streamed from her eyes.

I’m such a coward.

However, the hand being held out to her was so warm that she was unable to brush it away.

7

“Intruders!”

How long had she spent in Sulei’s arms? When Elly finally calmed down and got around to cleaning up the vomit on the floor, a voice echoed from the path leading to the sewers. Several boys came running out of the castle in response. They gave Sulei a look, and he signaled some kind of order to them. This didn’t appear to be a first for them. The boys ran off without a moment’s hesitation.

“Intruders...?”

Elly froze upon hearing that word.

It can’t be... Have demons come all the way here too...?

If so, she had to fight. Demons were well beyond the means of even low-class seraphs. As they lacked any real aura, Sulei’s group couldn’t even put up a fight. However, if she used her powers here, they would realize she was a seraph.

“Don’t worry,” Sulei said, hugging Elly as she trembled. “We’ve survived beneath the seraphs’ heels all this time. You’ll see how strong we are.”

It sounded like he was running off to his death. Elly turned pale at the thought.

“Don’t,” she said. “Humans die so easily. You should run away.”

“I...can’t do that. Even if we run, there’s nowhere else for us to live. It’ll be hard for the old folks and kids to run too. That leaves us with no choice but to fight, yeah?”

“But...”

Sulei stood up, ignoring Elly’s warnings.

“Well, if you’re that worried, you can join us,” he said. “I have a pretty good idea who these intruders are, anyway.”

“Huh...?”

Either way, it wasn’t a bad idea to follow him.

Sulei will come to hate me, but I should at least be able to protect him.

When that thought came to her mind, she realized how afraid she was of being hated by him. She found herself unable to give him an answer.

Oh, I see. It was my first time being touched like that.

It had been so warm, gentle, and impossible to resist. She’d surely led a life without experiencing the slightest inconvenience inside the tower. However, she’d never experienced such comfort either.

I have no right to be granted such warmth.

However, just for now, just for a little while, she wanted to stay here.

“I’ll go with you,” she said, standing up. “I don’t know if I’ll be of any use, though.”

“It’ll be fine.”

Sulei took her hand and proceeded down the complex network of caves. Before long, the stench of the sewers wafted over them. Several boys were pressed against the iron bars leading into the sewers. Upon spotting Sulei, they pointed ahead.

“There are five intruders,” one whispered. “They’ve been circling the same area this whole time.”

It was pretty much impossible to find this hidden passage behind the iron bars without a guide. On the other side, five men were prowling around. Elly recognized one of them.

“Is that the manhunter from this afternoon?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah, Purson and his underlings,” Sulei confirmed. “I bet they followed us and lost our tracks here.”

All of them were adults and held thick chains and shackles in their hands. It was a relief that they were nowhere near as dangerous as demons, but they were still clearly stronger than Sulei’s group. Everyone other than Sulei was a child in their early teens too.

“So, what will you do?” Elly asked. “It seems like they’ll pass by if you just continue hiding.”

Sulei shook his head and replied, “No can do. If we don’t beat them up now, they’ll keep searching the area forever. Then they’ll eventually find this passage.”

With that, he punched the palm of his hand.

“Let’s show them it’s not worth getting involved with us.”

The other boys nodded. Elly could sense their confidence. They were sure they could win even though their opponents were adults.

I see. They’ve survived without being noticed by the seraphs too...

They hadn’t done so by simply running away.

“But how exactly will you do that?” Elly asked. “They’re adults.”

“Let’s see...” Sulei muttered. “It’d be easy if we could distract them somehow...”

“Understood,” Elly said, pushing her way to the front. “I just have to attract their attention, yes?”

“Huh?”

She’d learned the trick to this hidden passage on the way in. She easily lifted the iron bars, frame and all, then quickly slipped through the slight gap.

“Elly!”

“You’re going to beat them up, aren’t you?”

In truth, Elly wasn’t in any danger even if these adults caught her.

But how am I supposed to attract their attention? Maybe I can just clap my hands...? No, that would be too unnatural.

She pondered over what kind of loud noise she could make that would suit the area they were in. That was when she recalled what Sulei had told her before.

“I just remembered how you screamed earlier even though you were totally unfazed by Purson.”

Elly took a deep breath, then yelled with everything she had.

“Myaaaaaaaaah!”

The men turned around instantly. The boys on the other side of the iron grid also gaped at her in disbelief. Elly immediately crouched down.

It seems screaming really isn’t my style...

She turned red in the face with tears in her eyes, unable to do anything more than tremble in place. Sulei had said that she’d made this sound before, but he must’ve been mistaken. Or perhaps he’d been teasing her.

“You idiot! Run away already!” Sulei shouted.

“Oh, right.”

Elly mustered her willpower and stood up, then ran off after confirming the men were chasing after her.

“She’s really here! Catch her!”

It seemed they’d been on the verge of giving up. The delight in their voices made it sound like they’d been saved from a hopeless situation. That was when Elly realized how slow-footed she was.

I see. Running is quite difficult without using charms.

She ran out of breath within ten meters. She’d never really tried running around on her own two feet before. Combined with the difference in gait, the men caught up with her immediately.

I definitely have their attention, but maybe not for long enough?

She was astonished by her pathetic display. And just as a thick arm hovered over her white hair...

“Argh!”

...the large man slammed into the wall next to him.

“Huh...?”

Taking a better look, she noticed that a piece of the opposite wall had shot out like a cannon, hitting the man on the side of the face.

“B-Boss!”

The man’s eyes had rolled completely back. That had all the other men on guard, but it was already too late.

“Eek!”

“The hell’s goin—Agh!”

“Gyaaah!”

Blocks shot out of the walls one after the other. Some of the men managed to dodge one or two times, but they couldn’t keep it up. Within a few seconds, they were all incapacitated.

What was that? A trap...? No, if it was, why didn’t it hit me too?

The attacks had clearly been aimed only at the five men. Elly couldn’t figure out how it worked. Faced with this unexpected phenomenon, she froze in place, her mouth agape.

“Are you okay, Elly?” Sulei asked, running over to her.

“Wh-What did you do...?” she asked.

“Aaah... Keep it a secret, okay? It’s called sorcery.”

“Sorcery...?”

“It’s a power developed to oppose the seraphs,” Sulei explained. “I can’t use much of it, but there’s a guy who’s crazy good at it among us. He kinda looks lame with his huge round glasses, but he makes awesome weapons using sorcery too.”

The fact brought a natural smile to Elly’s lips.

I see. So they’ve already obtained the power to fight.

If so, it was time for Elly to do her duty.

“You’re all so amazing,” she said.

“Heh heh, we sure are!”

Sulei’s proud smile was so dazzling.

8

“You’re leaving?! Seriously?!”

After throwing the intruders out—though it’d taken several of the boys to just barely drag Purson—Elly didn’t return to the castle and had instead stated her intent to leave.

“You ran away, didn’t you?” Sulei said, grabbing her shoulders and trying to get her to reconsider. “Why would you go back?”

“There’s something only I can do,” she told him. “To that end, I need to return to where I belong.”

“What is it that only you can do?”

Elly could only shake her head.

“I can’t say...not yet,” she said. “But when everything is over, I’ll definitely tell you.”

She then looked at Sulei with upturned eyes.

“So when that happens...may I come here again?”

Sulei could see that she was absolutely not going to back down, so he slumped his shoulders in resignation.

“Of course you can,” he said. “This is already your home.”

“Thank you...”

Sulei had accepted her decision, but he still didn’t let go of her shoulders. And so, Elly took off her flat cap, her fluffy white hair spreading out over her back as she shook her head.

Then, as if granting him a special prize, she said, “Um, you may pet my head, just a little.”

“Huh?”

“Just a little, you hear me?”

Sulei blinked repeatedly, not quite understanding exactly what was going on. He at least saw that she wanted him to pet her head, so he did as he was told.

Mrgh... I’m still not used to it, but it might not be as bad as I first thought...

He’d said he did the same thing for his siblings, so he had to be quite skilled at it.

“How was that?” Elly said, puffing out her chest when Sulei eventually pulled back his hand. “Have you calmed down a little?”

“Huh...?”

“Weren’t you the one who told me that it is an act that provides comfort?”

Sulei’s eyes turned into saucers upon hearing that.

“Hmm...? What’s the matter?” Elly asked.

“A-Aaah... Nothing! That’s right! You really cheered me up! Ha ha ha ha...”

“Very good. Just so you know, it’s special that I allowed such a thing.”

“Ha ha, that so?”

He was making a face like he was looking at the cutest thing in the world, but Elly let it slide because he was feeling better. She then took a step back.

“It’s about time for me to go,” she said.

“Yeah.”

As she turned her back to him, Sulei called out to her once more.

“Elly.”

“What is it?”

“Next time we meet, there’s something I want to tell you, so...”

Elly decided to follow up on his kindness as well, just a bit.

“Yes. We’ll definitely meet again.”

She was a little scared of seeing him after this.

But I still want to.

That was why Elly returned his promise. Sulei turned on his heels and headed back to his home. When Elly could no longer see him, she started walking too...but came to an immediate stop.

“Don’t worry...I won’t tell anyone about this place,” she said.

A dragon in the form of an old man stood before her. Unexpectedly, he faced her not with hostility but with something akin to affection.

“You’re going back?” he asked.

“Yes. I thank you for welcoming me into your home.”

She’d ended up wasting the sandwich he’d made for her, though.

Next time, I’d like to eat it properly.

“Only ruin awaits you,” the old man said, a look of pity in his eyes.

Surprisingly, it seemed he’d come to stop her.

What a truly strange dragon...

Still, Elly shook her head.

“I’m well aware of that,” she said without a hint of hesitation. “The seraphs’ era will soon come to an end. Sulei’s group has obtained a power that doesn’t rely on aura. So, it is time for me to fulfill my role as a seraph for the sake of the next age to come...”

“The demons, you mean?”

There was hope in the power Sulei wielded.

But it’s still too immature.

It was far too early to use it to fight against demons, so until their era began, she had to defeat as many demons as she could. That was the one thing Elly—no, the one thing High Seraph Camael could do for them.

“Take care of them,” Camael said, turning back just this once. “It’s a very comfortable home you have. I’m sure it’ll be a place for many others to return to.”

That was when she came to a sudden realization.

I get it now. The reason that sandwich was so delicious was because of where I was.

She’d never had a meal with someone by her side that she could share a laugh with. Camael had been born with the qualities of a High Seraph. Even among her kind, she hadn’t been allowed to show any weakness.

“We do not interfere in the world of men,” the old man said solemnly.

And yet, this dragon was here making sandwiches for them.

“However, I shall keep that in mind,” he added.

Camael lowered her head deeply in gratitude. She started walking again, and as she passed the old man, he whispered quietly to her.

“I pray that light shines at the end of your path.”

“Thank you...”

A dragon’s blessing was far more than a seraph deserved, but Camael was still delighted to hear it.

It seems I’ve found a reason to live.

She wondered what she would talk about the next time she met Sulei. She didn’t know whether he would forgive her, but she hoped he would at least allow her a moment of nostalgia over their reunion.

9

When Sulei returned to the castle, a boring young man with round glasses just so happened to be coming out of the gates.

“Oh? Already done cleaning up the intruders?” he asked.

“Of course,” Sulei said. “Who do you take me for, Solomon?”

“You’re brave and smart, but you can be somewhat careless, Marchosias.”

Sulei shook his head and replied, “Cut that out. Right now, I’m your body double, Suleiman.”

Solomon’s name was apparently read as Suleiman in the seraphs’ language. That was why Sulei used that name.

“I’m opposed to the whole body double thing, though,” Solomon said, sighing.

“What’re you on about? If anything happens to you, we’re done for. You absolutely need a body double,” Sulei said, then cast his eyes to the floor. “I don’t have Asura’s strength, nor do I have any special skills like Ashy. I’m not particularly good at the sorcery you taught me either.”

He then raised his head, spreading his arms wide in an exaggerated manner.

“However, I can use a bit of sorcery, and I’m close to you in age and build,” he continued. “You need a body double, and I’m the most suitable for the role. Don’t take that away from me.”

Sulei slapped his chest, then held up a hand before his face and formed a circle with his fingers.

“All that’s left is to get glasses like yours and it’ll be perfect. I asked the geezer, but he couldn’t get me a pair.”

“Of course he couldn’t. Glasses are luxury goods,” Solomon said, then shook his head cheerlessly. “So? You finally found a girl you like, but you couldn’t even give her your real name?”

“I-I-I-I-I-I-I don’t like her or nothing!” Sulei protested. He could feel his face flushing. “I just...couldn’t leave her alone.”

He hadn’t asked her what had happened, but she’d seemed to be in pain.

I wonder if we’ll ever meet again...

She was so pretty, knew nothing about the world, was strangely haughty, and was extremely cute when she smiled. She was like the queen of the night who knew nothing of corruption to the very end, and her hair was an equally pure white.

Surely, Sulei’s battle would serve to protect her. Cheering himself up with that fact, he raised his head.

“Next time we meet, I’ll call myself Marchosias.”

That was why he’d promised to meet her again.

However, the reunion they’d both wished for came a mere few months later.

Interlude 3

“I was the first to burn Sulei’s...Marchosias’s heart.”

The seraph puppet’s story came to an end. Unable to stand it anymore, Gremory wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Hnnngh! What love power!”

“Miss Gremory, please restrain yourself!” Kimaris exclaimed, grabbing her by the shoulders as she writhed about, her face in a hideous state.

“I understand your circumstances,” Nephteros said, pretending not to see them.

Marchosias had fallen in love like a normal person and had struggled in his attempt to save someone. He wasn’t a heartless monster.

“But what do you want us to do?” Nephteros asked.

Even Eldest Marchosias had a heart. However, Nephteros already knew that due to his past with Zagan. Did Camael want them to try to win over Marchosias now that he’d turned into a Samyaza-class demon?

That’s impossible...

Even his friend Zagan hadn’t managed to reach him through either fists or words. Marchosias could no longer be stopped. This puppet understood that as well.

“I want you to save him,” Camael said, her ball-jointed fingers clenching tightly over her knees. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stop him. I couldn’t save him. I once served as his sword. But even though I was by his side, there was no point whatsoever when I was nothing more than a blade.”

A Sacred Sword was created by using a powerful seraph as its sacrificial core. Camael had given herself in this way after her death, yet even as a sword, she’d still struggled to try to save Marchosias. After all, one thousand years ago, he’d been the one to wield Sacred Sword Camael. However, he’d parted ways with her, and she’d been handed down from Archangel to Archangel over the ages.

“If killing him is the only way, then so be it,” Camael added. “Please, end things for him before he breaks even more than he has.”

She’d tried so hard but hadn’t been able to save him. The only choice left was to ask his enemies to do it for her. How must that have felt? Nephteros couldn’t even imagine it. She finally understood why Vepar had claimed that this puppet was incomplete. Camael shed no tears. Even after talking about her ghastly past, even as she expressed her suffering, not a single drop fell from her eyes. That was exactly why Puppetmaster Forneus had given his life for the puppet who’d shed tears.

“I...can’t save him,” Nephteros said, a hand clenched over her heart. “I don’t have the strength to do anything.”

She hated how powerless she was, standing there unable to give the answer that Camael wanted.

“But... But even so...”

She clenched her hand even harder into a fist.

That’s no reason to give up!

Nephteros returned Camael’s gaze, determination clear in her eyes.

“There may be one person capable of saving Marchosias.”

Eldest Marchosias’s objective was to save Alshiera. However, he also knew that Alshiera didn’t wish for that. He didn’t care about her opinion on the matter, so surely even his little sister’s voice would fall on deaf ears.

Thus, the only person who could do it was the man who stood in defiance against all irrationality. He might have lost. His fists might have failed to reach Marchosias.

But he’s not the kind of person to give up after a single failure.

Archdemon Zagan shattered any and all hurdles before him with his fists.

“Is there a reason you trust him so much?” Camael asked, looking up in shock.

The answer to that was obvious.

“Because he saved me,” Nephteros replied, gripping Richard’s hand. “He saved both of us.”

They’d both been beyond any hope. And yet, Nephteros was still alive with Richard by her side. Zagan would never admit it himself. He’d tell them that Nephy and Chastille had saved them. That was true. Those two had been the ones directly involved in the act. However, Zagan still stood at the center of everything. He’d never given up on saving her. He’d struggled long and hard. If Zagan hadn’t chosen to save Richard, if he hadn’t believed in Nephy and hadn’t sent her to help, Nephteros would be dead. She would’ve melted away in the depths of despair.

That was why Nephteros believed he could do it again. After all, Zagan had been defeated because he’d tried to save Marchosias. He hadn’t given up.

Camael looked down at her own hands.

“True, that man shatters all irrationality before him, making the impossible possible,” she said before finally smiling. “Very well, then. I shall believe in him too...but first we must wake him. Zagan’s body is currently missing its soul. It’s captive somewhere else.”

That explained why he wouldn’t wake up no matter how much his body was healed. The problem was where exactly this soul was trapped.

“Are you saying Marchosias has his soul?” Nephteros asked.

Unexpectedly, Camael shook her head and responded, “Sorcery has yet to reach the domain of the soul. At the very least, Marchosias can’t do it. That’s why he needed to erase Forneus, who’d done exactly that.”

Puppetmaster Forneus had wielded a power beyond sorcery to create Furfur. If that was the case, Marchosias couldn’t copy him. He was the pioneer of all sorcery, but couldn’t wield powers that surpassed its limits.

“So where is it?” Nephteros asked.

Camael narrowed her eyes sharply, then spoke a single word.

“Azazel.”

Nephteros gulped.

“Azazel is an enormous collective consciousness of all demons,” Camael continued. “Richard was also captured there through you when Azazel once corrupted your body.”

Nephteros wrapped her arms around herself and trembled. In other words, she’d devoured Richard.

“Thanks to that, I managed to touch your heart, remember?” he said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Jeez...”

That single phrase felt like it was enough to bring her absolute joy. She leaned against him and placed her head on his shoulder.

“However,” Camael added, “the reason I was able to bring Richard back is because I’d already acknowledged him as my master at the time. It took a while for that to take a firm hold, but we were already connected, since he was to be the next wielder of the Sacred Sword. That’s how I was able to find and protect him.”

“Then how do we save Zagan...?”

Camael shook her head and firmly stated, “I can’t.”

It felt like the ground had vanished from beneath Nephteros’s feet. The sole thread of hope she’d clung to had snapped. She’d told Nephy to leave it to her, but at this rate...

No, it’s all right. This is a proper clue.

Nephteros shook her head.

“Then we just need something like a Sacred Sword that’s connected to Zagan?”

Chastille and Raphael were both on Zagan’s side. Their Sacred Swords technically had a connection to him. Kuroka’s Moonless Sky was also a quasi-Sacred Sword and had been used by Zagan’s father in the past. There was a connection there too.

“The ‘connection’ I speak of is one between a Sacred Sword and its wielder,” Camael said, shaking her head. “It would be one thing if he were destined to wield a Sacred Sword one day, but that isn’t the case, is it?”

There was no Sacred Sword at present that could become Zagan’s. The next to speak was Kimaris, one of the sorcerers who’d remained silent during this entire discussion.

“So what we need is something that can make contact with Azazel’s domain and is strongly tied by fate to Sir Zagan, even if it isn’t a Sacred Sword, yes?”

“Exactly,” Camael confirmed.

“Then a possibility exists,” Kimaris said, a smile on his lion’s face.

“Really?!” Nephteros exclaimed.

“Kimaris, you don’t mean that thing, do you?” Gremory asked, looking up at the sky.

“Yes. What else is there?”

“We couldn’t even stand up to an imitation of that thing,” Gremory refuted him.

Nephteros and Richard exchanged looks.

“What are you talking about?” Nephteros asked. “What exactly do you mean?”

For the past few months, Nephteros had heard things in passing from Nephy and Orias, but she was generally an outsider. There was far too much that she didn’t know. After a pause, Kimaris answered in a heavy tone.

“Azazel can be called the peak of Samyaza-class demons. So, another Samyaza-class—namely, Samyaza itself—should be able to replicate its feat.”

Nephteros gulped. She’d been present in Kianoides when Samyaza had appeared in town.

I didn’t see it myself, but its mana was still suffocating.

She knew the fact that she was still alive was simply because she hadn’t caught its attention. That was how frightening a being it was.

“I’ll go,” Kimaris said, rising to his feet. “I don’t know if we can negotiate with it, but I can at least run away if I fail.”

“Out of the question.”

Unexpectedly, Gremory grabbed his sleeve and stopped him in a strong tone. Everyone looked at her. That wasn’t like her at all. However, the one with the most shocked expression was none other than Gremory herself.

“Did that look like something you can talk to?” she said, averting her eyes as if searching for the right excuse. “It took even our king and Lady Nephy everything they had to just barely repel it. You’ll only be running off to your death.”

“But...”

Nephteros felt a surprising amount of sympathy for Gremory.

She’s more of a woman than I thought...

What Gremory said made sense for a sorcerer, but her emotions were still taking the fore at present. Nephteros understood how vexing it was. If Richard had said what Kimaris just had, Nephteros would have tried to stop him too. So, not that she was siding with Gremory or anything, Nephteros stood up with determination.

“Richard and I will go see this Samyaza you speak of.”

“What?!”

The two sorcerers looked at her in astonishment, but Richard smiled as if he’d already seen this coming.

“I heard the demon called Samyaza was trying to verify humanity’s potential,” he said. “If it is in opposition to Azazel, then I believe Nephteros and I are suited for this task.”

Nephteros hadn’t consulted him or explained things at all, but he really understood. The majority of Nephteros’s body had been corrupted by Azazel. And yet, she’d returned from that state. Richard had been the one to pull Nephteros back from Azazel’s domain, even if he’d had to use a Sacred Sword’s power to do so. If anyone was more likely to pull this off, then Nephteros dared them to step up. She doubted anyone could refute her.

“Understood,” Kimaris eventually conceded. “We’ll leave it to you. However...”

He hesitated to say the rest.

“It’s strange that Lady Alshiera hasn’t made a move if this involves Azazel,” Gremory finished for him.

She had a point. The vampire remained in this world only to stop Azazel. It was unnatural that she wasn’t even trying to save her son, Zagan. Perhaps she simply believed in him, but it was still baffling.

“Is it possible our assumptions are wrong?” Nephteros asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s best to at least keep that in mind,” Gremory said.

“Understood.”

“Are you done discussing things?” Camael asked. “There’s one more thing I’d like to tell you before you leave. Do you mind?”

This sounded important. Nephteros and Richard exchanged gazes once more, then nodded.

“It’s about that memory you saw in the cave,” Camael said. “Bifrons, was it? Is that the sorcerer who created you?”

“Y-Yes...”

Camael was always with Richard. Anything he knew, she knew as well. Still, Nephteros didn’t like the way she kept bringing up difficult topics. She nodded to Camael, an air of wariness in her eyes.

“I believe that memory was addressed to you,” Camael said.

“Hah?” Nephteros unintentionally snarled. She knew Bifrons was completely in the past now, but she couldn’t help but feel animosity when someone suggested they were actually a good person.

Well, I suppose she never met Bifrons...

Nephteros shook her head and pulled herself together.

“Camael,” she said, “I don’t know what you see in Bifrons, but that can’t be true.”

“Hmm? And why is that?”

“First, that crystal was hidden in a way that only a dragon could find it. Foll is the only living dragon left, so it’s undoubtedly for her. There’s no other option. Bifrons even entrusted their Sigil of the Archdemon to her.”

Nephteros wasn’t speaking out of sentiment. This was the genuine truth. And yet, Camael shook her head, her joints creaking as she did.

“That may be the way it was hidden, but you were the one to solve it,” she said. “More importantly, did that memory seem in any way helpful to this dragon you speak of?”

“Well...”

Nephteros couldn’t answer. Setting aside whether it would’ve helped Foll or not, the memory clearly seemed to only hold any actual meaning to Nephteros.

“Perhaps it is better to call it a wish,” Camael said. “I don’t know if they assumed someone would find it, but that being the first memory that played meant they wanted to convey it to you. They wished to pass that memory along.”

Camael paused there, shrugging before she continued.

“Well, you’re free to interpret it however you want. If you don’t like it, just brush it off as the mutterings of an old woman. Still, I thought you should know.”

It was at this point that Nephteros knew this was the real reason Camael had asked to come out. She wanted to convey this directly.

What am I supposed to do with this information...?

Nephteros didn’t know what to say. Seeing that, Camael leaned back in her chair, her role now over.

“I may have spoken a little too much,” she said. “It is about time to go back inside my sword. Richard, would you?”

For some reason, Richard shot her a troubled look.

“Umm, how do we do that?” he asked.

“...”

Vepar had created the body, while Zagan had led the entire initiative. But right now, both were unavailable to answer that question.

◇

Nephteros and Richard were in the Holy City Raziel. With them was Camael, who could no longer return to her Sacred Sword.

“Teleportation sorcery, was it?” Camael said, turning to look behind her. “I’ve heard how advanced it is. It’s impressive to be able to instantly travel such a distance.”

“So long as there is a magic circle to set the coordinates, anyone can use it,” Nephteros told her.

It was something of a privilege for all those who served under Zagan.

However, there is evidence that someone else used it.

Nephteros looked at the magic circle. Given Zagan’s condition, it was natural for people to leave the castle. But why would anyone come to the Holy City? She looked up at Richard in concern.

“Um, Richard. Sorry for deciding this on—”

“Stop thinking that you dragged me into this,” he said, cutting her off.

Nephteros had decided to contact Samyaza without consulting him. And yet, Richard shrugged.

“I knew you would say that you’d go on your own, so I’m grateful that you included me,” he told her. “Even if you don’t put it into words, I understand.”

He then looked at her reproachfully.

“Could you not take away my joy so quickly?” he asked.

Nephteros giggled at the thought.

“Hee hee... You’re right. I suppose at times like these, ‘Thank you’ is more appropriate.”

“It is.”

“But it’s my first time seeing you make a face like that. It’s not so bad every now and then.”

“Please don’t tease me...”

Richard averted his eyes, his cheeks flushing slightly. He seemed rather pleased. Seeing this, Nephteros snuggled up to him.

“I don’t mind you getting along, but aren’t you looking for someone?” Camael cut in.

Richard and Nephteros jolted apart in a panic.

Is that Samyaza monster really here...?

The Holy City was the very image of peace. When Samyaza had appeared in Kianoides, its mana had been so overwhelming that it had caused people to choke without even seeing it. It was apparently because of that man’s work that this town was safe. Nephteros cleared her throat, speaking his name.

“Ummm, Andrealphus, was it...? That former Archdemon is here, yes?”

That sorcerer was monitoring Samyaza, so they had to start by getting in touch with him.

“Here in Raziel, using the name of former Archangel Michael Diekmeyer would work better,” Richard said.

He had a point. Going around looking for Andrealphus would probably be harder. Nephteros had been in the Holy City before, during Richard’s inauguration as an Archangel, but she wasn’t very familiar with the lay of the land.

Back then, mother and an Archangel named Stella showed me around...

Maybe it was best to start by looking for Stella. And just as Nephteros got moving with that thought in mind...

“Nephteros, over there!”

She turned around at Richard’s tense call. He was pointing at an alley where a man was lying on the ground.

“Ugh...”

Nephteros propped the man up in a panic. He seemed to be alive.

“Hey, are you all right?” she asked.

“It can’t be... Is that Lord Michael?” Richard commented.

They hadn’t been able to tell because he’d collapsed face down. Now that they could see his face, he very closely resembled the description of Michael they’d heard beforehand.

However, even though he’d given up his Sacred Sword and his Sigil of the Archdemon, he was still considered the strongest human in the world. Who could have done this to him?

That doesn’t matter right now. First, I need to treat him.

Nephteros got to work just as the man forced his voice out.

“Sam...yaza...”

Nephteros gulped.

“Samyaza? Did it defeat you?”

Filled with trepidation, the man began his story.

Chapter III: Gone from the House for Three Months Only to Find Something Crazy Living There

1

“Never thought I’d be able to return.”

The Holy City Raziel was the most prosperous city in the world. A lone man unexpectedly found himself back within the city once more. He had a sword at his waist but was otherwise plainly dressed in an old jacket and leather pants. He carried a dirty hempen bag over his shoulder and had a box of cigarettes tucked away preciously in his chest pocket.

It was impossible to tell given his appearance, but this was the man who’d once been known as both Archangel Michael Diekmeyer and Head Archdemon Andrealphus. He’d been known as the strongest man in history, possessing both a Sacred Sword and a Sigil of the Archdemon. And honestly, even after handing over both these powers to his juniors, his status as the strongest remained unwavering.

However, that same strongest man had needed to resolve himself for death in a recent battle. Stopping the machinations of Archdemon Shere Khan had been Andrealphus’s last job as an Archdemon. Shere Khan was said to have dealt the great Eldest Marchosias a severe injury, which had ultimately led to his death in a later battle.

Even though Shere Khan had been all but dead, he hadn’t been an opponent to challenge recklessly. There had been no guarantees that Andrealphus would return alive. Ultimately, Andrealphus had not only been defeated but had even been reduced to a pathetic puppet. He’d meant to clear the way for his juniors but had instead ended up being a hindrance. Thanks to that, Naberius had berated him constantly.

Due to a series of coincidences and luck, Andrealphus was still alive. He was living in disgrace, so to speak, but even so, he was of some use. He’d entrusted his Sigil of the Archdemon to one of his juniors and had helped the friends who’d had nowhere to go in the world find a place where they belonged. After relieving his shoulders of that heavy burden, he was now back home.

It was a bit too heavy of a burden for this old man to be carrying around to begin with.

From this point onward, he would be satisfied if he could simply protect everything within arm’s reach. If he could accomplish that and end his life quietly, there would be nothing better. Thinking back on his work, Andrealphus shook his head.

“Oops, that’s no good. An old man’s sentimentality is pretty worthless. Been a while since I’ve been home. I wonder how my daughters are doing.”

Currently, Andrealphus...or, rather, Michael Diekmeyer had two daughters: Stella and Lisette. It’d only been Stella at first, but she’d picked up Lisette as her little sister. Well, Lisette was yet another girl with a tragic fate, so that only made sense. It was far more of a relief to be taking care of her himself than to be leaving her to someone else, so he’d gotten her permission to do exactly that. Michael had been defeated and had gone missing immediately after taking Lisette in, so he hadn’t spoken with her much, though.

His house was now in sight. It was far too cozy for a place belonging to the strongest man in the world. It was made of brick and was three stories tall, so at a glance, it looked like a rich person’s mansion. However, it had no gate or fence. Instead, the only thing serving as a boundary was a small space with a flower bed. Facing the street were several white-framed windows and a single door.

The Holy City housed many citizens. This was a very common style of residence here. There were all kinds of internal layouts, but in this case, there were five apartments inside. One of these was Andrealphus’s beloved home. And just as he approached the door...something crawled out of the building.

Andrealphus’s hair stood on end. He was supposed to be the strongest, but he was shivering in fear. While this thing possessed a human shape, it clearly wasn’t one. It was wearing a hood, but its face—or rather, lack of face—was still visible. In its place was a strange crest made up of geometric patterns. Its figure wobbled about, making it questionable whether it even had any real substance. It also didn’t cast a shadow on the ground.

A demon...?

That was the first word that came to his mind. However, the demons Andrealphus knew weren’t supposed to make him feel conscious of death just by being within his line of sight. In his prime, he could’ve taken on hundreds of the things at once. Even now that he’d relinquished his power, they weren’t particular threats to him. The thing before him, however, was clearly on another level.

“Man... What the hell...”

It seemed he would have to put his life on the line. A bead of sweat ran down Andrealphus’s brow as he placed a hand on the sword at his waist.

I was looking forward to retirement with my daughters...

Well, he’d lived for eight hundred years already, so he was past the point of clinging to life. However, now that death was before him, he found it hard to simply accept it. Above all else, this monster had just come out of Andrealphus’s home, which mortified him.

Stella and Lisette have to be okay, right...?

Stella was Andrealphus’s disciple, his student, and the inheritor of the Sacred Sword he had once wielded. She wasn’t foolish enough to challenge an opponent she couldn’t beat. She also had the determination and wisdom to do whatever it took to survive. Lisette had survived living in the harsh alleys too. They weren’t the type to die so easily.

They had to be alive. So, to protect their home, Andrealphus had to fight.

If I leave this thing be, the Holy City is done for.

The future Angelic Knights would surely be culled too. Andrealphus wouldn’t hesitate for a moment if it meant protecting them. And just as he was about to activate his ultimate sorcery...

“Oh my, Michael. You’re out early today.”

...one of Andrealphus’s neighbors greeted the monster.

“Huh...?”

Talking to the monster like it’s nothing is one thing...but what did she just call it? Mich... Huh? Hang on. What? Why can she just talk to it normally, anyway?

The monster raised a wobbly hand and waved at her.

“It is garbage day today,” it said. “Being late would bother the workers.”

Taking a closer look, Michael noticed a garbage bag was dangling from its other hand.

“Oh, how nice. You’re the only man who does such things, you know? My idiot husband has never once taken out the garbage. I’d love for him to learn a lesson or two from you.”

“You mustn’t say such things,” the monster replied, shaking its head. “Every husband has his own hardships. However, he is capable of facing such hardships with a positive outlook thanks to his wife’s support.”

“My, you’ve got such a silver tongue,” the woman said, smiling broadly. “I can’t even scold him anymore after hearing something like that.”

“No, I do believe it is best that you scold him. It is through such efforts from a wife that a husband gains energy for the rest of the day.”

“Haaah... If only my husband was as good a man as you are. Well, I’m the one who chose him, so I suppose I’ll go give him another good scolding to fire him up.”

After her cheerful conversation with the monster, the woman left.

What’s going on...?

Andrealphus froze, his hand still on his sword. He had no idea what was happening.

Next, a group of young Angelic Knights on patrol walked by. Andrealphus turned completely pale. The knights of the capital were the elite trained by Andrealphus himself. There were no cowards among them who would run away when faced with the enemy. Even if they knew they couldn’t win, they would take up their swords to protect the people.

Normally, that would be fine. There were several Sacred Swords in the Holy City and all patrols were composed of more than two knights. Andrealphus had drilled them to fight while desperately clinging to life until reinforcements arrived. However, the monster before them wasn’t so easy an opponent. Things would end the moment the battle began.

“Stop, you guys can’t—”

Andrealphus broke into a run to stop them when suddenly...

“Good morning, Lord Diekmeyer!”

...the Angelic Knights saluted the monster.

Hmmmmmm? What the hell is going on?

Much like the woman before them, did they see this monster as Michael?

“Enough of that,” the monster said, waving its wobbly hand once more. “I’ve retired already. There is no need for you to salute me.”

“But...”

“Besides, there is another Diekmeyer you serve now, isn’t there?”

Andrealphus nodded vigorously, but the knights looked at the monster with pained expressions.

“You mean Lady Stella,” one of them said.

Andrealphus finally fell to his knees.

You’re right, but also not...!

He wanted to tell them that they weren’t talking to Michael Diekmeyer, but it was highly likely things would take a bad turn if the monster’s identity was exposed. Andrealphus could do nothing but choke back his tears.

“No one doubts Lady Stella Diekmeyer’s abilities,” one of the knights said, his eyes dead serious. “Still, you are the only Lord Diekmeyer to us.”

The monster shook its head in a troubled manner.

“Then could you at least call me Michael?” it requested.

“U-Understood, Lord Michael!”

The monster waved to the Angelic Knights, then walked off casually. Watching it leave, the knights wiped the sweat from their brows.

“I wonder why...” one of them said. “Lately, I can’t help but sweat and tremble in front of him.”

Andrealphus shot back up to his feet.

That’s what makes you my students! Even as it deceives you, you can tell it’s an enemy by instinct!

Not even noticing Andrealphus as he basked in such deep emotions, another knight nodded to the first.

“I get you. I was nervous too. I mean...”

“Yeah! He’s a knight among knights!”

All light vanished from Andrealphus’s eyes.

“He used to be little more than a lazy old man, but that must’ve been a disguise to hide his true nature from the world.”

“Yeah. Now that Lady Stella has taken her post, there’s no need for him to hide who he truly is. What a splendid man.”

“Mm-hmm. Honestly, I thought he was just a scumbag who wasn’t worthy of any respect, but I’m embarrassed by my thoughts now. Yesterday, he was in the middle of helping pick up some trash in the neighborhood when he stopped a sorcerer who was starting trouble. He didn’t even draw his sword, he did it with a glare. That’s the work of a true master.”

The knights watched the monster’s back with envious gazes.

“We must aspire to become a man like him.”

“Yeah! He’s a man among men!”

“Even though he taught us swordsmanship, we never saw who he truly was. We were so wet behind the ears.”

Andrealphus passed out. He couldn’t endure the fact that an imposter had garnered the popularity and envy he’d never obtained himself.

2

“Hey, mister, you’ll catch a cold if you sleep there.”

Andrealphus finally woke up when a child poked his head with a branch.

“Huh?! Wh-Where am I...?”

“Raziel. Mister, are you hungry?”

Andrealphus opened his eyes to see two children looking down at him. One was a girl. She was the one who’d poked him with a stick and was speaking with him. The other was a boy, but he was a step back, shooting Andrealphus a suspicious look.

They both looked to be around ten years old. Befitting children of the Holy City, they wore fine clothing like those of nobles and had healthy-looking faces.

I remember them. They’re brats from the city center.

Andrealphus had seen them now and then when going to church headquarters. He’d even played with them a few times.

“Genie, stop,” the boy said. “Don’t talk to strangers.”

“But Mister Michael said we should help people in need.”

Eek! Michael!

Andrealphus almost screamed at the mention of his own name. It’d become something of a trauma. He trembled violently.

“Mister Michael also said not to follow strangers, remember?” the boy said, placing his hands on his hips. “What’re you gonna do if he’s a bad guy?”

“No, um, I’m—”

—Michael.

For some reason, Andrealphus was incapable of speaking what was supposed to be his own name.

“But he collapsed,” the girl argued. “It’s sad to leave him like this.”

“Just look at him,” the boy retorted. “He’s walking around in filthy clothes carrying a garbage bag. No normal person does that.”

“Well...”

The girl fell silent. She couldn’t refute that. Andrealphus also fell silent. He couldn’t refute it either. He couldn’t tell them that what they called a garbage bag was his travel pack. Nonetheless, Andrealphus mustered the willpower of the strongest man in the world and stood up.

“N-Now, now, don’t fight,” he said. “This old man is just passing through. The streets of the Holy City were so beautiful that I passed out in shock.”

He flashed them a fake smile, and the two children looked back at him agape.

“Mister, did you come from the wilderness or something? How sad...”

“Huh...? So you really are pitiful. Sorry for doubting you.”

Andrealphus desperately held back his tears when faced with the sheer pity in their eyes.

But why do these kids know him too?

Well, Andrealphus had had some interactions with the townsfolk as Michael, but children this young didn’t know his name. In fact, they’d played with him unknowingly, referring to him only as “mister.” At most, they would just remember him as “that funny old Angelic Knight.” If Zagan or the like were to hear this, they would say, “You mean that suspicious geezer.” Andrealphus wanted to believe that such jokes came from a place of friendship, though.

I mean, Eligor and Phenex say far crueler things.

He banished such thoughts immediately. Thinking about their words was liable to smash his heart to pieces. Returning from his brief escape from reality, he crouched down in front of the children.

“Um, it seems Mister Michael is awfully famous. What kinda person is he?”

Having to ask other people about himself felt like a weight dragging down his heart. Nonetheless, he kept his voice as sincere as possible.

“He’s amazing!” the boy exclaimed proudly. “A weird thing attacked me outside town, and Mister Michael beat it in one hit! He did it with a swing like ‘Haaah!’”

The boy even struck a pose, mimicking what he’d seen.

“Angelic Knights are obviously strong,” the girl said, nodding along. “More importantly, Mister Michael is super nice. I was worried the flowers were wilting, and he made them all better for me! His hands got dirty doing it, but he laughed it off like it was nothing! He’s so cool!”

Their eyes sparkled as if speaking about a hero. Andrealphus felt like his heart was being crushed.

That’s me! That’s supposed to be my name...!

If this person the children described was Michael, then who was Andrealphus? The children weren’t to blame, though. Even when on the verge of tears, Andrealphus forced a smile.

“I see. Mister Michael is awfully impressive.”

“Mm-hmm!”

The children expressed their endless admiration. Faced with this, Andrealphus steeled his resolve.

“To tell you the truth, my name is also Michael,” he said.

The children blinked at him a few times, then laughed as if they understood.

“Really? Here’s hoping you can become someone as great as Mister Michael!”

“You’ve got the same name, so you can’t go being all pathetic, got it?”

“Ghhhhhh!”

Unable to endure it, the strongest man in the world fell to his knees once more. He couldn’t stand everyone being so envious of this other version of himself.

“No, you don’t get it,” Andrealphus said, grasping the boy’s shoulders. “I’m Michael Diekmeyer. Come on, I’ve played with you guys before, remember?”

He pleaded with them with all his heart, but the children now looked at him with contempt.

“Man, there are things you can and can’t say,” the boy told him. “Even kids know that. How come an adult can’t figure it out? Mister Michael’s an amazing guy!”

“Thomas, let’s stop. I was wrong. I’m sorry. Let’s just leave, okay?”

“I’m gonna tell the Angelic Knights! Dumbass! Hick!”

For the first time in eight hundred years, Andrealphus learned that nothing gouged the heart like a child’s disparaging words.

God, what did I do to deserve this?

He’d spent eight hundred years as a knight and a sorcerer, but this had to be his first time experiencing so much anguish in all those years. Even when Bifrons had torn out his heart, even when he’d heard of what he’d been forced to do as a puppet, he’d never found it this painful to be alive. It was laughable for a sorcerer to be praying to God, but just this once, Andrealphus implored God for an answer.

3

“What the hell is its goal...?”

Several hours later, after somehow managing to recover from the damage due to the children’s contempt, Andrealphus once more tracked the imposter’s(?) whereabouts.

While it was a demon, it was also a monster far beyond any standards. It wasn’t hard to trace its mana. However, in contrast to the monster’s outward appearance, it behaved like a total gentleman no matter whom it faced.

Upon spotting an old woman carrying heavy bags, it carried them for her. When it found a lost child, it searched for their parents with them. One time, it came across a scuffle between an Angelic Knight and a sorcerer and mediated the matter.

The more I watch it, the more it seems like a nice guy...

However, Andrealphus couldn’t accept this story, seeing how his name and place had been taken from him. A nice guy wouldn’t have stolen everything from Andrealphus to begin with. It had dared to steal the strongest man’s name and status, going as far as twisting the cognition of all people in the Holy City. Andrealphus had to find out its true identity.

But why would it be doing this...?

He couldn’t figure it out at all from what he’d heard from the children.

Stella might know something...

However, his daughter used sorcery to block any attempts to track her, saying it was a lousy joke to be bound by him. Not even Andrealphus could find her. Her mana was untraceable. She excelled in the strangest ways.

Andrealphus needed her power now, though. And as if the heavens answered his prayers, he heard a familiar voice.

“Whaaat? I’m sure he has a thing for you, Lisette. Whenever he talks to you, his face turns bright red.”

“Jeez. Sis, I’m telling you that’s not true. He’s just a classmate. I don’t even know his name...”

“Uhhh, you really should learn it...”

Walking side by side, having a rather pitiful conversation on the way, were two girls. One had scarlet hair and eyes, while the other had blonde hair and blue eyes. They didn’t look like sisters at all.

Stella! And Lisette too!

It seemed Lisette was on her way home from Angelic Knight school and had met up with Stella. Lisette was wearing her school uniform, while Stella was in her church uniform—though the latter was wearing it rather sloppily. Things had gotten somewhat complicated between Angelic Knights and sorcerers lately, so Stella was likely keeping a close eye on Lisette.

And then, the monster noticed them.

“Hrm? You two...”

As for how Andrealphus’s daughters reacted...

“Oh, we’re home, daddy.”

Stella grinned and waved.

Noooooooooooo! My home is goooooooooneeeeeeeee!

She’d never called Andrealphus that, even by mistake. He fell to his knees, slamming the ground with his fists. Stella had been his last hope, but she was already the monster’s captive. There was nobody in the Holy City who recognized him as Michael.

Not even noticing Andrealphus’s shattered spirit, Lisette bashfully smiled and ran over to the monster.

“Samya—I mean, father, did you have any trouble today?” she asked.

“There is no need for concern,” the monster answered. “The people here treat me very well.”

“You go around sticking your nose in everywhere, after all,” Stella said. “Of course you’re gonna get popular.”

“Hmm... Should I ease off somewhat?” the monster asked, somehow giving off a meek impression, its voice sounding somewhat troubled.

“I think you’re fine as you are,” Stella told it. “Just do what you want, daddy. I don’t hate the way you are now, just so you know.”

Andrealphus was convulsing on the ground while shedding tears of blood when a sudden suspicion came to mind.

Isn’t she acting kind of distant for someone speaking to a parent...or even with me?

It was as if she was still trying to measure the right sense of distance with someone she’d just met. Lisette then nodded as if to reinforce that theory.

“I also think it’d be nice for you to find your own place to belong, father,” she said. “I want to see you happy.”

Her true foster father was in the middle of having his spirit obliterated, but the innocent girl smiled so adorably. Andrealphus felt his consciousness waning but forced his eyes wide open.

Do Stella and Lisette actually know that isn’t me?

On top of that, they were speaking with it and accepting it.

Are they being threatened? No, it doesn’t look that way.

Then what was going on? Setting aside Stella’s personality, as both an Angelic Knight and a sorcerer, she was extremely talented. Her power was already on the level of an Archdemon. In other words, she understood the threat of this monster while accepting it as a father figure. It didn’t add up.

Andrealphus was still contorting himself on the ground with these thoughts in mind when the monster twisted its neck to look at him.

“By the way, it seems you’ve been following me around all day. How should I take that?”

Well, it was a demon capable of fluent speech. Even if Andrealphus was the strongest person in the world, it would be impossible not to notice him collapsing and screaming all the time. He stood up and put himself on guard immediately. As he did, Stella and Lisette looked at him curiously.

“Hmmm, who’s that?” Stella said, a mean smile on her face. “Daddy’s fan? You’re so popular.”

“H-Hey! Sis! You know who it is! Welcome back, mister!”

“Gyaaah!”

Andrealphus keeled over with a hand clutching his chest. His daughter called the monster “father” affectionately, but she still called him “mister.” The fact that there was no ill intent made it hurt more than Stella’s behavior. Andrealphus somehow managed to avoid falling over by using his sword’s sheath as a cane, then suddenly, a wobbling shadow fell over his vision.

“Gah!”

He hadn’t even noticed that it had moved. The monster was now standing right in front of him.

I couldn’t even react?! Seriously?!

It was close enough to touch him nose to nose. The strange crest on the monster’s head flickered as it then spoke in an unexpectedly quiet yet clear voice.

“So you’re the real Michael Diekmeyer, huh?”

“And what if I am?” Andrealphus replied defiantly, more out of despair than wanting to protect his daughters and the people.

With strangely refined movements, the monster raised one wobbling hand.

It’s attacking!

Andrealphus stood at the ready, weaving his sorcery, and the monster elegantly bowed at the waist.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Michael. I am Samyaza. For certain reasons, I am imposing on these two girls.”

It was a frighteningly human greeting. Andrealphus’s eyes shot wide open and his thoughts froze.

“Uh...hi. Nice to meet you,” he said, somehow getting his mind to start up again.

“There’s no point standing around as we speak,” the monster said, pointing at a nearby shop. “How about going inside? This store serves excellent scones.”

“Huh? Oh, sure... I’ll leave it to you.”

So, at the monster’s recommendation, Andrealphus entered the restaurant.

4

What the hell am I doing here...?

The unfathomable monster that seemed to be an intelligent demon called Samyaza took a seat and elegantly tipped back a cup of tea. Lisette took a seat to its left, Stella to its right, and Andrealphus took the last seat across from it. The four of them were sharing a table on a café terrace under the night sky.

As ever, it was questionable whether Samyaza’s head actually had a face, but the tea in its cup was definitely going somewhere, so it was technically drinking. It looked like the liquid was being absorbed by the crest. Andrealphus questioned how exactly that worked, but he knew that his bewilderment was starting to give him a headache.

“Now then, where shall we begin?” Samyaza started. “My circumstances are somewhat complicated. I cannot exactly tell you everything...”

“Oh, I think I understand...” Andrealphus said, his tone turning unintentionally polite since this felt like an interview.

“Sorry, mister,” Lisette cut in, looking somewhat guilty. “I’m the one who invited Samyaza into our home... Um, he looked kinda lonely in the alleys, so while feeding him, I just kinda asked.”

Andrealphus was shocked.

She just took it in? Like a pet?

“If Samyaza came in and out of the house looking that way, the Angelic Knights would have to act,” Stella explained. “That’s why I used cognition-blocking sorcery to put up a barrier so everyone mistakes him for you.”

“So it’s your fault?!”

Andrealphus had been under the impression that the monster had stolen everything from him, but it was actually his daughter who’d casually handed everything of his over. He wanted to complain that he had human rights to respect too.

“Any Archangels have the protection of their Sacred Swords, so the average barrier wouldn’t cut it,” Stella added. “Man, it was a ton of work.”

Even though the curse hadn’t exactly left her in a proper mental state, Andrealphus had never seen his disciple put in anywhere near that level of work before.

“Well, it just goes to show that I haven’t been neglecting my sorcery,” Stella continued. “Shouldn’t you be praising me, teach?”

“You put me through the lowest point of my life,” Andrealphus grumbled.

“Ha ha ha, you look so pathetic. You’re an adult, come on.”

“And whose fault is that, you little brat?!”

That said, he was astonished at the skill it’d taken to put up such a barrier over the Holy City. She hadn’t been chosen as an Archdemon candidate a year ago, but there was no mistaking the potential Andrealphus had seen in her. He was rather conflicted over how to feel.

“Forgive me,” Samyaza said. “It was by these circumstances that I borrowed your existence.”

“Oh, no, I understand. You don’t need to apologize...”

“Teach, you keep starting every sentence with ‘Oh,’” Stella commented. “Do you have a problem socializing?”

“And whose fault is that?!”

This was the first time that he’d ever felt so awkward in his eight hundred years as a sorcerer. He wasn’t exactly treated well at Zagan’s place, but this was far worse. He lamented that fact.

“You are these girls’ teacher and their substitute father,” Samyaza continued. “I also heard you are a respectable man in this city, so I couldn’t bring any disgrace to your name and worked to contribute to the region... Did I make some manner of error? If so, I apologize.”

Andrealphus covered his face.

“What’s wrong, mister?” Lisette asked. “Does your stomach hurt? Are you crying?”

“It’s nothing...” Andrealphus said. “I’m just wondering how long it’s been since anyone has been so kind to me.”

Thinking back on it, the “Michael” that Samyaza played was beloved by all people. If there was any flaw to it, it was that he was a far better man than the genuine article. He’d devoted so much effort for Andrealphus’s sake that it would be barking up the wrong tree to resent him for it.

Now that I think about it more calmly, it all makes sense.

Samyaza’s power was simply so tremendous that Andrealphus had been unable to think properly.

Samyaza and Lisette exchanged looks.

“You’ve had a hard life,” he said.

“Sorry I didn’t notice, mister,” Lisette added. “I’m really grateful for all you’ve done.”

Andrealphus wondered if Stella would follow up on their kindness. He shifted a hopeful gaze her way...only to see his daughter stuffing her cheeks with shortcake as if the conversation didn’t interest her at all.

“Waitress! Another one of these cakes please!”

“With pleasure!”

Andrealphus sank into despair as she ordered more food.

Forget respect and kindness, she doesn’t even have a heart!

Where had he gone wrong in raising her? Perhaps it’d been a mistake for Andrealphus to be her guardian to begin with. Watching him tremble in place silently, Samyaza turned to Stella.

“You seem to be in a rather good mood today,” he said. “Did something nice happen?”

“Hmm?” Stella blinked at him a few times as she ate her new cake. Then, with the coldest of gazes, she said, “Well, yeah. I thought I finally found the neighbor who’d gone missing for months that I didn’t even know was still alive, but he vanished again without so much as a word. Now, he’s back safe and sound. So that’s a little nice.”

“I’m really sorry,” Andrealphus said, lowering his head immediately.

That’s weird. I’m the one who went through hell, but this is also entirely my fault.

“Sis was really worried about you,” Lisette added with a teasing smile.

“Not really,” Stella refuted. “I heard from Zagan that he was alive. He’s also the kinda guy who won’t die even if you think you killed him.” She then paused and cocked her head curiously. “Hmm...? I guess maybe I was worried? I normally wouldn’t go around asking about someone’s circumstances and whereabouts.”

After mumbling quietly to herself, she nodded, then suddenly thrust her fork out to point at Andrealphus.

“Well, I’m not a kid anymore,” she said. “But still, you’re supposed to be my parent, right? Don’t make your daughter worry so much.”

“Yeah... My bad.”

He couldn’t refute that at all.

“Then I shall take my leave from this place,” Samyaza said.

“Huh? Why?” Andrealphus asked.

“Is it not obvious? The real man has returned, so the fake is simply a nuisance, yes?”

Why did this demon possess such common sense?

“But then, what do you plan on doing after this?” Lisette asked with a troubled look.

“I am not meant to exist in this world,” he answered. “I shall simply wait for the door to open, then leave.”

“No way...” Lisette mumbled, her expression ever so lonely.

“Now, now, no need to rush to conclusions,” Stella cut in. “The world’s gotten dangerous enough as it is. We’re really grateful to have you around, daddy.”

Was she referring to the frequent manifestation of demons? It seemed Stella was at least aware enough to not say that word in the city. Samyaza had apparently been secretly cleaning up the demons appearing around the Holy City too. The children had mentioned something along those lines, anyway.

I can manage demons on my own just fine, but it’d be hard to do it without damaging anything.

Demons posed an abnormal threat, but Andrealphus was capable of destroying an entire city just by using his sorcery while out on a stroll. Had Zagan not set up a restorative magic circle on that uninhabited island where they’d fought, the whole thing would’ve sunk to the bottom of the sea.

“But it will be difficult for me to remain here,” Samyaza said, shaking his head.

If not for the cognition-blocking filter, a normal civilian’s mind would shatter simply by witnessing Samyaza’s form. Even if he suppressed his power, it would be difficult to live here in hiding. And yet, Stella acted like it was no big deal.

“That so? But we can just keep things as they are,” she said. “I’ve gotten used to calling you ‘daddy’ already. Wouldn’t it be kinda cold to start acting like you’re some stranger?”

“Wait, what about me?” Andrealphus asked.

“Oh, you know, we can just say you’re daddy’s twin or something?” Stella suggested.

“Can you not change my whole life so crudely on a whim?!”

Stella shrugged, not looking the least bit apologetic.

“So you say, but Samyaza’s mana is too strong,” she explained. “A cognition blocker on its own won’t have much of an effect. He needs someone’s existence as an anchor—someone every citizen in the Holy City knows.”

It seemed Stella wasn’t just trying to tease him.

“Then what about Galahad?” Andrealphus suggested, groaning as he crossed his arms. “Not the second, but his old man. He was a good man. He should fit right in.”

“Out of the question,” Stella said. “Don’t you feel sorry for Ginias? Just imagine what it’ll feel like for a deceased relative to come back as an entirely different person.”

“I really don’t wanna hear that from you, but you’re right,” Andrealphus conceded. “Forget I said anything.”

“Oh, but how about this?” Lisette said, clapping her hands together. “Make Samyaza his twin instead.”

“Hmm...? What do you mean?” Stella asked. It seemed she didn’t understand either.

“Um, make it so that when he went missing, his twin brother pretended to be him,” Lisette explained. “By doing so, the cognition blocker’s original foundation should still hold out somehow, right?”

Andrealphus nodded.

That might be possible.

He could pull off that kind of sorcery himself. He glanced at Stella. She’d been the cause behind this incident. If she asked for his assistance, he would help, but that was something she had to explicitly ask for. After all, Stella had invoked this sorcery. Having acted as a sorcerer, she had to see things through as a sorcerer to the very end.

Stella sank into thought for a while, then nodded and replied, “Mm-hmm! Sounds like that should work.”

Andrealphus sighed in admiration.

She worked out sorcery that’s that complicated on the spot?

The reason Stella had fallen silent was to construct the circuit needed for the spell in her head. She’d come to that conclusion because it’d reached a practical stage.

She’s a full-fledged sorcerer already. This must be what it feels like when a child leaves the nest.

“Then give it a go,” Andrealphus said, taking a sip of his tea.

Aaah, this is good stuff. It might be the first time tea has ever tasted this good to me.

Thinking back on it, since returning to the capital, this was the first time he’d had a moment to relax. No, maybe he hadn’t relaxed and had a proper meal since picking up the bombastic titles of the strongest Archangel and Head Archdemon. Witnessing the growth of his rebellious yet honest daughter was like a reward that made up for all of his hardships.

“Anyway, that’s the gist of it,” Stella said, turning to Andrealphus. “Teach, go say hi to all the citizens one by one, ’kay?”

“How many hundreds of thousands of people do you think there are in this city?!”

The Holy City was large enough that its population was verging on a million. It would be madness to walk around greeting every person one at a time.

“But that’s the least risky way,” Stella argued. “You got any other ideas?”

“Well...no.”

“Right?”

Was Andrealphus being petty to see this as a burden? Either way, his daughter’s plan made sense.

“You said your name’s Samyaza, right?” Andrealphus said, ruffling his hair with a reluctant sigh. “Well, when you go out for the next while, make sure you take me with you. Talking to every citizen is unrealistic, but that should solve it.”

Keeping Samyaza within hand’s reach wasn’t a bad idea either. Defeating him was a bit too difficult for Andrealphus, but he could at least keep an eye on him that way.

“I apologize for causing you so much trouble,” Samyaza said.

“Cut that out. We were both dragged into this, right?”

With that, it seemed like Samyaza smiled. As always, he had no facial features except for that strange crest, but that was what it felt like.

“Oh, but I’m the big brother, got it?” Andrealphus added. “I dunno how long you’ve been alive, but it can’t have been more than eight hundred years, yeah?”

“My age? Hmm... I’ve never counted. I believe I took on this body a few thousand years ago.”

“I’ve always wanted a big brother! Looking forward to it, bro!”

Andrealphus accepted being the younger brother immediately.

“Oh, one more thing,” Stella said, suddenly remembering something.

“Erk... What now?” Andrealphus asked, jerking back in his chair.

“Teach, you had an adjutant, right?” she asked as if she truly didn’t care. “The woman with the glasses.”

“Oh, you mean Kudelka?”

Archangels were assigned adjutants to support them. For example, Lillqvist in Kianoides had the Three Knights of the Azure Sky. She couldn’t walk around with all three of them all the time, though. She was also accompanied by other knights on occasion. Still, having one didn’t mean they were always working together or anything. Archangel Michael had been assigned an adjutant too. That was Kudelka.

“What’s she been doing since I vanished?” Andrealphus asked. “Did she become your adjutant?”

“Nope. I don’t have one yet,” Stella answered. “It came up a few times, but everyone keeps quitting right away.”

Andrealphus could understand that. He sympathized with the Angelic Knights who’d fallen victim to her.

“So? What about Kudelka?” he asked.

“She’s been worried about you the whole time. Shouldn’t you go see her already?”

“Hmm...? Well, sure.”

Due to Stella’s cognition blocker, “Michael” should’ve been inside the capital this whole time. Seeing her now didn’t make sense. Andrealphus cocked his head, but agreed anyway.

For some reason, he was also left with paying the bill for the food.

5

“Oh, there you are, Lieutenant.”

After parting ways with Stella’s group and walking for a while, Andrealphus came across a bespectacled Angelic Knight. This was his old adjutant Kudelka.

Well, can’t just ignore her after my daughter told me to go see her.

It was pretty simple to trace mana to find someone. Kudelka was a woman with pale blonde hair and crystal-blue eyes. She’d mentioned she was turning thirty this year. She had prim facial features, white skin, and, unusually for an Angelic Knight, long hair she left down, letting it flow over her back. With her rectangular glasses and the church’s uniform instead of Anointed Armor, she looked truly suited to office work.

But she’s pretty skilled with a sword too.

Her abilities were enough to serve as Andrealphus’s adjutant. However, be it as an Angelic Knight or a sorcerer, the battlefields Andrealphus had been dispatched to had often been far too harsh, so she’d almost never accompanied him on the field.

Upon seeing Andrealphus, his capable adjutant smiled with the brightness of a spring sun.

“Oh, you’re back, you piece of shit captain.”

However, her gaze was far colder than freezing.

Did I do something to piss her off?

He’d finally reclaimed his identity from Samyaza only to be treated like this. Andrealphus had meant to be kind to everyone around him. Had he messed up with Kudelka at some point?

“Hang on... ‘You’re back’?”

With Samyaza around, “Michael” was supposed to have been in the Holy City this entire time.

“What the hell is that disgusting thing supposed to be?” Kudelka asked, pushing up her glasses neurotically and clicking her tongue. “Is he supposed to be a body double? He looks the same as some piece of shit I know, but he’s far too different a person. Do you think you’re tricking anyone like that? He isn’t like you at all except for his face. How could I not notice?”

“S-Sorry.”

How much abuse did he have to go through today? Andrealphus’s stomach was starting to hurt.

“I thought I was your adjutant,” Kudelka continued. “Was I mistaken?”

“No, you’re my adjutant.”

“Hmm...? Then why is it that you refused to send word when nobody knew if you were even still alive? Thanks to that, I’ve had to return to duty as a regular Angelic Knight. Isn’t that just grand?”

It seemed that due to Andrealphus’s neglect, she’d fallen off her highway to success. Her face was bright red and there were even tears in her eyes.

“Don’t cry,” Andrealphus said, lowering his head in a panic. “I’m really sorry. You might not believe me, but I definitely didn’t forget about you.”

The fact that Michael Diekmeyer was still alive after becoming Shere Khan’s puppet was an inconvenient truth for the Angelic Knights. After all, they had no way of knowing when exactly he’d been compromised.

If they started such an investigation, doubts would naturally be placed on his adjutant as well. That was why he hadn’t been able to risk contacting her. Thus, it was more convenient for his survival to remain a mystery.

Anyway, Kudelka seemed to hate Andrealphus. He’d thought she’d be relieved with him gone.

“You didn’t forget? Hah! So what?” Kudelka spat out at him. “I bet you were thinking some stupid crap about being a bother to everyone if you came back after being turned into an Archdemon’s puppet, right?”

“Why do you know about that?!”

“You were enough of a bother all the times I had to clean up after you,” Kudelka said, wiping her eyes and averting her face. “Start by apologizing for that. Also, I’m not crying.”

“Sorry ’bout that,” Andrealphus said, ruffling his hair. “I’ll treat you to dinner, so cheer up, Lieutenant.”

“Huh?! If you want to apologize, then at least offer to treat me to drinks! Are you messing with me?”

“No way, you only ever order the expensive stuff.”

“I’m sure I’ve put in the work to deserve that!”

“Well, yeah, but my wallet...”

Even as they continued arguing, the two made their way to their favorite tavern.

“Also, how long are you going to call me ‘Lieutenant’? I’m not your subordinate anymore.”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry ’bout that, Kudelka.”

His icy adjutant hung her head in silence for some reason, then readjusted her glasses once more.

“Huh? Why’d you go silent?” Andrealphus asked. “Did I do something wrong again?”

“Shut up...Mike. Oh, I mean you piece of shit Mike.”

“Why do you gotta tack that on?! Just say Mike! I have feelings too, dammit!”

And so, they drank until Andrealphus’s wallet was empty, but that is a story for another time.

Interlude 4

“Um...what does you collapsing have to do with Samyaza, then?” Nephteros asked, her voice incredulous at his quite frankly worthless story.

“I had to treat Kudelka to drinks for days on end after that,” Michael answered. “I ran outta money and have had nothing but water for three days. But when I try to do some work for cash, everyone keeps saying they’d rather have Samyaza do it, so nobody will let me...”

“Even with the seraphs gone, the people of the world are still so impoverished,” Camael muttered, both pity and disdain visible in her expression.

Nephteros felt sympathy for a moment too, but honestly, she didn’t really care.

“Um, we’d like to speak to Samyaza,” she said. “Is that possible?”

“Eek! You guys want Samyaza too?!” Michael yelped, fear plastered on his face. “Nobody needs me!”

It seemed the wound in his heart was quite deep.

What a nuisance...

Nephteros was considering just abandoning him when she spotted someone familiar walking by.

“Oh! Over there!”

“Gyah!”

She chucked the useless old man aside and ran toward the street. Richard didn’t seem to like the idea of this hopeless idiot touching Nephteros either. He gave Michael a single glance but didn’t offer a helping hand.

“You’re Shax, yes?”

It was Kuroka’s lover, the sorcerer who specialized in medicine.

So he’s the one who used the teleportation circle...

“And you’re Nephteros, I assume?” Shax said, his eyes wide in shock. “What’re you doing here? Given Zagan’s current state, you should refrain from being out on your own.” One beat later, Richard arrived and Shax turned to him. “Well, guess you’re not alone, at least.”

“We’re searching for clues on how to wake big bro up,” Nephteros said. “We’re looking for someone named Samyaza.” However, she was even more curious about why Shax was here too. “If you’re here, does that mean Kuroka is too?”

He’d left the castle to rescue Kuroka, after all. However, Shax shook his head.

“No, Kurosuke...Kuroka isn’t here. But...”

Shax took a look around. It seemed he couldn’t speak of the matter in public. The group returned to the alley where they’d left Michael.

“What’s wrong with him?” Shax asked with a troubled look on his face.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nephteros replied.

She would later find out that Michael/Andrealphus had temporarily served as Shax’s teacher.

“One of the Archdemons on Marchosias’s side offered me a deal,” Shax began.

“A-Are you betraying Zagan?!” Nephteros yelled louder than she’d meant to.

It was natural for sorcerers to leave now that Zagan was unconscious. Things were different when it came to Zagan’s inner circle, though.

“Kuroka’s safety was a condition,” Shax continued, keeping an eye on his surroundings. “I won’t ask you to understand, but I don’t have a choice.”

Nephteros couldn’t argue against that.

I want to save Kuroka too...

Kuroka was Nephteros’s precious friend. She couldn’t fault this man for wanting to save her. At the same time, she felt tremendous rage toward Marchosias for taking Kuroka hostage.

“Want me to guess?” Michael asked, finally standing back up. “Asmodeus brought you that deal.”

“Yeah...” Shax confirmed.

Nephteros hadn’t expected to hear that name.

“Then don’t criticize him,” Michael said, smiling helplessly. “No matter how bad the deal is for you, there’s no refusing one from Asmodeus. That’s the kinda villain she is.”

Nephteros didn’t know Asmodeus, but it seemed a troublesome sorcerer had set her sights on Shax.

“So? What’s the deal?” Michael asked. “The fact that you’re bringing it up at all means you’re not directly betraying anyone, but it’s a bit too much for you to handle alone, yeah?”

Shax nodded.

“You saw right through me. Shouldn’t you have kept serving as an Archdemon instead of passing your sigil on to me?”

“Hah, age comes with wisdom, that’s all,” Michael said, grabbing Shax’s shoulders. “The ones clearing the way through true hardships are always the current generation. That’s why I entrusted the Sigil of the Archdemon to you. Take pride in that.”

Nephteros was taken aback by those words.

Is that why sis, Foll, Furfur, and Shax all became Archdemons at once...?

Maybe that was also the case with Furcas now that he’d lost his memories. All of the new Archdemons were young sorcerers who hadn’t even lived a hundred years. Looking back on the history of all sorcery, it was abnormal.

During the meeting in Kaslytilio, Marchosias had informed everyone that the world would end in one year. It was questionable how much of that was true, given what had happened next, but it was still true that an impending crisis was looming. The rapid changing of generations that had taken place in the last year could be related to that.

“So, what kinda unreasonable demand did she make?” Michael asked.

Shax took a deep breath. It seemed even an Archdemon needed to prepare to speak of the matter. He steeled his determination, then opened his mouth to speak.

“Win Samyaza over as an ally—that’s Asmodeus’s demand.”

It was extremely unreasonable. It sounded possible after hearing Michael’s story, but Samyaza’s current docility was a complete mystery. A single mistake could lead to the Holy City vanishing from the face of the continent. Getting Samyaza to cooperate with Marchosias was highly improbable too.

“Hmm...?” Michael groaned with a curious expression. “That’s it? Try repeating exactly what she said.”

“I mean, that’s all she requested,” Shax said. “‘Win Samyaza over as an ally. Do that, and I’ll hand Kuroka over.’ Nothing more.”

“Whose ally?”

“Huh?”

Shax looked confused.

“Whose ally?” Michael asked again. “Marchosias’s? Asmodeus’s herself? Or yours? You can interpret it in so many different ways.”

“You mean...it’s not a deal?” Shax mused. “Oh, I see. It’s a message for Samyaza!”

“I bet it is.”

The teacher and student had come to a conclusion, but Nephteros and Richard couldn’t keep up.

“What do you mean?” Nephteros asked.

“It’s impossible to win Samyaza over,” Shax explained. “However, the world can’t afford to leave something so powerful at large. Even our boss couldn’t beat him on his own, after all. And so, Asmodeus’s objective is to get him to pick a side. It doesn’t matter whose.”

Now that Zagan was defeated, the world moved according to Marchosias’s will. In such a world, Samyaza’s existence itself introduced chaos. From Asmodeus’s perspective, he was a pawn who had the greatest effect when moved a single time. Thus, by dragging Shax into it, she was able to get his cooperation without doing anything. Kuroka’s life was worth more to Shax than his own, after all.

Do Archdemons always make such deals like it’s nothing?

Even if he’d needed advice, Shax also lived up to his title as an Archdemon for figuring it out so quickly. Nephteros gulped at the thought.

“Hey, Samyaza,” Michael said, looking up at the sky. “You heard all that, yeah?”

A swell of mana strong enough to choke on answered his call.

“I always thought that girl wasn’t one to be underestimated, but I never believed she would try to pull me into matters.”

A shadow with the silhouette of a human, while also being clearly inhuman, appeared. He had no face or expression to read. Instead, his head was accented by a geometric pattern made of light.

So that’s Samyaza...

During Zagan’s meeting in Kaslytilio, something similar had attacked Archdemon Palace. Nephteros could now understand why former Archdemon candidates like Gremory, Kimaris, and Vepar had been incapable of defeating it.

Now, it was said that Marchosias had acquired similar power. It thrust the reality of how dire the situation was in front of everyone once more.

Samyaza held a wobbling hand in front of his face in consideration, as if he were stroking his chin.

“I cannot read the intent behind those words,” he said. “What is she telling me to do?”

Michael shrugged casually.

“No idea. Ain’t that something for you to decide?”

“A difficult request for one who cannot interfere with this world.”

Samyaza’s very existence threw the world into chaos already. This incomprehensible contract was the only thing keeping the world alive. That was probably why Asmodeus wanted to win him over.

But this is a chance for us too.

Nephteros wanted to borrow Samyaza’s power to rescue Zagan. She didn’t understand what exactly Samyaza was, but at the very least, he was open to conversation, which meant there was room for negotiation.

Nephteros quietly took a breath, squeezed Richard’s hand, and gathered her resolve.

“Could you lend us your wisdom?” she asked.

Samyaza turned his head. There was no expression to glean from that inorganic crest, but he still seemed sincere.

“And who exactly are you?” he asked in turn.

That simple question had the power to blow Nephteros’s consciousness away. This was a coercion technique—charging words with mana. However, there was no hostility in that action. It was like he’d accidentally forgotten to hold back. It was just the tiniest leak. But even then, it was enough to nearly bring Nephteros to her knees. She shook her head to muster her energy.

“I’m Nephteros. It’s somewhat difficult to answer beyond that.”

By profession, she was the church’s technician. However, she was also former Archdemon Orias’s daughter, current Archdemon Nephy’s sister, and Nephy’s clone, but no longer a homunculus. She was a descendant of the seraphs from a thousand years past, but was also clearly something else entirely. Nephteros didn’t possess the words to convey all that properly.

Samyaza’s head remained fixed in Nephteros’s direction. She somehow knew it was focusing on her.

“Let’s hear it,” he said. “You’ve piqued my curiosity.”

Nephteros let out a sigh of relief. She’d accomplished her initial goal of establishing communications.

No, the real challenge comes next.

She went on to give a brief explanation of her connection to Azazel and about Zagan’s current situation.

“That’s why I’m looking for a way of retrieving Archdemon Zagan’s soul.”

“...”

Samyaza didn’t immediately give an answer.

“I would like to add my voice to this request,” Camael joined in. “Could you lend them your strength? Think of it as a request from a former brethren.”

Everyone’s eyes shot open at that single unbelievable word.

“You’re...a seraph?” Samyaza asked, turning his head toward her.

“A mere shadow of one,” Camael answered. “In that sense, maybe you and I are the same. Even a shadow is capable of giving the living a push on the back. How about looking at it from that perspective?”

“Hmm...” Samyaza’s crest flickered as if he was deep in thought. “Archdemon Zagan... Solomon’s grandchild...”

“Hmm...?”

He’d spoken someone’s name, but a strange noise had drowned out the sound. Nephteros hadn’t been able to make it out.

“Allow me to ask you a question,” Samyaza said. “What will change if he wakes up? He has already been defeated.”

“I don’t know...” Nephteros answered honestly, placing a hand over her heart. “But he isn’t one to bend the knee due to having lost once. Next time, he’ll definitely win. He’ll definitely turn things around. After all, he was the one who saved me when I was beyond saving. My very existence now is proof of that.”

Samyaza once more sank into thought. It didn’t last long this time, though.

“Very well. Allow me to verify humanity’s potential here and now.”

“You mean...”

“To do so, I will need that man to wake up first.”

He was going to cooperate.

“We did it, Nephteros,” Richard said.

“We did...” she replied, then turned to Shax. “Does this count as fulfilling your part of the deal as well?”

“Probably...” He nodded, then held out a hand. “Thanks. Now I can get Kuroka back.”

“Good.”

Nephteros shook his hand, then felt something out of place in some of the wording that had led up to this.

“Wait, hang on,” Shax said, perhaps thinking the same thing. “No matter how things ended, she would’ve released Kuroka. Was Asmodeus planning that from the beginning...?” With each word, Shax’s face turned paler. “Crap. Asmodeus is gonna get killed.”

He ran off without waiting for anyone to say anything, and everyone else followed him.

◇

“How pathetic...”

Kuroka muttered to herself self-deprecatingly. She was inside a jail, the walls made of mud. It was a confined space that was about five paces across with no windows. Only the bed was strangely luxurious. The wall in front of her was made of iron bars, but there was no door of any kind. Beyond the bars, the speckled sky looked far removed from reality. It seemed this prison was in subspace.

There was nothing else there—no food, no water, and not even a toilet. It wasn’t just a matter of treating prisoners humanely. This place didn’t even consider the bare minimum that was necessary for her survival. It was probably unnecessary. Kuroka had no idea how much time had passed in here, but she didn’t feel the slightest bit hungry, thirsty, or in need of relieving herself. It was a strange sensation. She wondered if it was some kind of barrier.

Time probably flows differently here... It’s stagnated.

She was also in handcuffs. They were similar in design to Nephy’s collar, so they probably sealed mana. This was overdoing it, considering the fact that Kuroka couldn’t use sorcery. They were also sturdy enough as physical restraints. Kuroka was unable to break them bare-handed.

I can’t kill myself. It’s simple for a sorcerer to manipulate the dead.

If anything, it would be even easier if her will was no longer there to control her body. Kuroka had committed many sins. She had no intention of forgetting them or acting like they’d never happened. However, that didn’t mean she treated her life cheaply. She was the last survivor of the Adelhide family and the woman Shax devoted his life to protecting, so she had a responsibility to live.

The biggest problem now was that, given her current situation, she was liable to become a burden to someone. She didn’t know what had happened to Zagan, but the people in his camp were likely going to try to save Kuroka so long as she was alive. More importantly, Shax would go along with any demand if she was being held hostage.

In that case, she had to break out on her own, but it was impossible for her to escape subspace unarmed. Nevertheless, she’d tried in vain for a while. And just as she was about to shed tears over her own powerlessness...

“So you’re Kuroka?”

“Gah!”

...an annoyingly casual voice echoed out from right in front of her. Kuroka’s hair stood on end. A girl with silver hair had suddenly appeared close enough to touch noses with her despite the fact that she’d been alone inside this prison.

I couldn’t sense anything!

A cold bead of sweat ran down Kuroka’s cheek to her jaw. She recognized this girl. It was one of the Archdemons who’d been present at the meeting in Kaslytilio—Collector Asmodeus.

Despite being in Marchosias’s camp, she had a friendly relationship with Zagan...or more specifically, with Foll. She was almost a neutral party. Kuroka had heard about how strong she was, but hadn’t expected to fail to detect her so completely.

But she’s not an ally or anything...

Kuroka knew how others referred to her too: the abominable Archdemon. She was a sorcerer known for her excessive cruelty, even among all the Archdemons. Kuroka had witnessed Zagan’s defeat at the hands of Marchosias. Given that outcome, how would this sorcerer act? Kuroka stiffened in fright, raising her guard.

“Hmm? You okay?” Asmodeus asked, her starry eyes blinking in wonder as she waved a hand in front of Kuroka’s face. She then began panicking. “Huh? What did they do to you?! I said I’d take care of you!”

Those words pulled Kuroka out of her stupor.

“Um...what do you mean by ‘take care of’ me?”

“Oh, good. I thought you fainted on your feet.” Asmodeus laughed, then curtsied. “I haven’t introduced myself, have I? I’m Asmodeus. I’ll be taking care of you while you remain a prisoner here. Isn’t that nice?”

She then took a look around the prison and plainly grimaced.

“Ugh, what’s with this place?” she said. “There’s nothing to change into and it’s totally exposed to the outside. Did they think this was an appropriate place to keep a growing girl? There isn’t even a door! How am I supposed to bring food in?”

She shook her head in exasperation, then held out a hand.

“Well, no point in chatting here,” she said. “How ’bout we go get something to eat?”

“H-Huh?”

Kuroka hadn’t expected that at all. Unable to see Asmodeus’s intentions, she was left standing there, feeling utterly befuddled.

“Oh,” Asmodeus exclaimed, looking down at Kuroka’s shackles. “You can’t even eat like that... Sooo, there!”

With a childish shout, Asmodeus tore off the handcuffs using her bare hands.

“What?!” Kuroka yelped at the inexplicable action of unbinding a prisoner without hesitation.

“Aha, it’s all right,” Asmodeus said. “This kinda handcuff is nothing if you just break it before the sorcery inside can even activate.”

She’d interpreted Kuroka’s reaction the wrong way. While Kuroka was curious why she was so familiar with it, that wasn’t the main issue here.

“Um, I’m...a prisoner, aren’t I?” Kuroka asked. “Is this okay? Um, you taking these off, I mean.”

Asmodeus blinked once more as if she’d never even considered it.

“Aha, that doesn’t matter,” she said. “With or without handcuffs, nobody escapes the Collector.”

She was implying the gap between them when Kuroka was unarmed was simply that large.

I really can’t let my guard down around her...

Kuroka only grew warier of the Archdemon.

“That said, leaving a girl unarmed is just plain rude,” Asmodeus said, fishing around in her robes. “Kuroka, you use a shortsword, right? Umm... Oh, there it is.”

With that, she handed over a majestically decorated shortsword. It looked to be made in Liucaon’s style. Kuroka drew the blade a little, revealing a black edge charged with an abnormal amount of mana.

“It’s called Serpent Slayer,” Asmodeus explained. “As the name implies, the edge is sharp enough to cut a dragon’s scales. It used to be one of Liucaon’s treasures or something. Should be easy for you to use, right?”

“S-Serpent Slayer?!”

That was the dragon-killing blade said to be wielded by the Silver-Eyed King in legends. It was a Holy Treasure that was in no way inferior to Kuroka’s beloved Moonless Sky.

“Why do you have this?!” Kuroka shouted. “Wait, no, what do you plan to do by giving this to me?!”

“Aha, just the right reaction. You’re so worth teasing.”

I’d rather you not whip out a legendary weapon just to tease me...

“We’re gonna be going somewhere a tad dangerous,” Asmodeus said, her expression suddenly serious. “I’d rather you be able to protect yourself.”

With that one statement, Kuroka figured it out.

Is she...the same kind of person as father and Zagan?

Despite actually being kind, their behavior misled others and they were easily misunderstood. It seemed in Asmodeus’s case, she acted this way intentionally. Now it all made sense. Her earlier statement that “nobody escapes the Collector” meant that, because others believed that, there was no need for Marchosias to worry about Kuroka getting away.

In that case, I should trust her.

Kuroka was in a desperate situation, so her decision was swift.

“Understood. I’ll do my best not to be a hindrance.”

Asmodeus looked somewhat surprised, then smiled.

“I’m a little thirsty,” she said. “How about having some tea first?”

She crudely shoved the bed aside and pulled a table and a tea set out of nowhere. Steam was already wafting out of the pot. She’d likely used sorcery to store it in a boiling state.

“I still don’t really know how to tell good and bad tea leaves apart, though,” Asmodeus said.

She put the tea leaves into the pot with somewhat awkward but accustomed movements. She’d surely practiced this the slow and steady way.

“Here, enjoy.”

After pouring a liquid with a brilliant copper-like sheen into a cup, she presented it to Kuroka.

“Wow, it smells really nice...” Kuroka observed.

“D-Doesn’t it?”

It seemed Asmodeus was rather pleased. She twirled her finger through her silver hair, her cheeks turning slightly red.

She’s cuter than I thought...

“Do you...like tea?” Kuroka asked timidly.

“Well...I had the chance to have some delicious tea recently, so...” Asmodeus muttered, lost in thought as she stared off into the distance through the iron bars. “Not too long ago, someone told me my sense of time had stopped...and he was exactly right. It was so vexing that I wanted to show him I got better.”

With that, she brought her cup to her lips.

“Anyway, the tea he made was extremely good,” she continued. “Maybe that’s why...before I knew it, I found myself practicing how to make it myself.”

The words “my sense of time had stopped” were like a dagger to Kuroka’s heart.

If I’d never met father and Mister Shax, the same would apply to me.

That was what the person who’d made Asmodeus tea was to her. That was why Kuroka nodded like she could relate.

“I feel like I understand,” she told Asmodeus. “I also lived only for revenge, but the organization meant to help me accomplish that was destroyed and I lost my eyesight for a while... After that, a certain man held out his hand to me and poured me a delicious cup of tea.”

She couldn’t forget the taste, even now.

“Back then, when my tears started falling, it felt like my heart began functioning properly again—like the frozen hands of time had started moving.”

A single cup of tea had saved her from all that anger and despair that she’d been unable to vent. That was why she’d run wild when she’d thought her father had died.

“So I understand how you feel, just a little,” Kuroka said.

Asmodeus smiled gently.

“I see. You really are Raphael’s daughter.”

“Huh?”

Asmodeus stood up without clarifying.

“Now then, it’s about time to get going.”

“Where, exactly?”

We’re not actually going out to eat, right?

As expected, Asmodeus smiled without answering, then took Kuroka’s hand.

◇

“Where are we...?”

Asmodeus had likely used teleportation sorcery. Kuroka found herself in an unfamiliar prairie. It must’ve been a small village at some point. What looked like remnants of stone foundations could be seen every here and there. However, there were no people. Many years—centuries even—had passed, but there was still nothing here.

Were they attacked by sorcerers...?

Many of the stones were burnt and marked by scars from bizarre claws.

“It’s the place I ran away from long, long ago,” Asmodeus answered quietly.

The two then walked over to a graveyard. There were countless lines of wooden grave markers, but none of them had rotted. There were no weeds either. It was clear that this was the one place that was regularly maintained in the area.

“Sorry, sis,” Asmodeus muttered. “Let me just take a quick look.”

She suddenly started digging up a grave. Kuroka couldn’t stop or help her. She sensed this was something she shouldn’t dare to interfere in.

After finding something, Asmodeus’s hands came to a stop.

“It really is here...”

A crimson gem the size of a fist was now in her palm.

“Aha, it’s the last one. I never thought it’d be hidden so close to home. I could never have imagined digging up sis’s grave, after all.”

Kuroka took a quiet breath before speaking.

“Mind if I ask what happened here?”

Asmodeus turned around, finding herself already on the verge of tears.

“It’s a boring story, just so you know...”

And with that preface, she began talking about her gruesome past.

Chapter IV: Asmodeus on the Lunar Eclipse

1

“Sis...! Sis...!”

A girl ran through the forest while calling for her sister.

“Lily, they say there’ll be a lunar eclipse on the fifteenth of next month! Lunar eclipses are special nights for sorcerers. That’s why we have to go see it together.”

Her older sister had told her that proudly just moments ago during dinner. How had the girl responded?

If she remembered right, she’d mentioned something about not wanting to because she’d be sleepy.

Why hadn’t she told her sister she’d go with her? No matter how much she cried and regretted her actions, she no longer had her sister by her side.

The girl continued running desperately through the forest. She’d fallen countless times. Her sandals had fallen off somewhere long ago, and her face was a mess of mud and tears. Her hair was also smeared in mud, dirtying it to the point where its original color was no longer clear.

She had no idea how long she’d been running. Perhaps having caught it on branches during her escape, the dress she wore, one that perfectly matched her sister’s, was torn all over the place.

Her heart pounded so hard that it was liable to burst. Her lungs ached as if they’d forgotten how to function. Only by focusing was she able to breathe. And yet, every single breath felt like fire in her throat. If she stopped concentrating, she would surely pass out on the spot. Nevertheless, she mustered all her willpower and continued running. After all, she’d abandoned her sister to run away.

“It’s okay. Your big sis is a sorcerer. I won’t lose to any bad guys.”

Those were the final words her sister had said as she’d created an opening for the girl to run away. There was no way a little girl who’d only just started to learn sorcery could take on the many sorcerers who’d attacked the village. The girl knew this, but she’d used her sister’s words as an excuse to abandon her. She couldn’t possibly afford to stop.

“Agh...!”

For the umpteenth time, she fell over.

I have to stand...! I have to run...!

And yet, she couldn’t get any strength into her legs.

“Hak... Gah... Blaargh—!”

She covered her mouth, blood seeping through her fingers. It seemed either her throat or lungs were bleeding. She looked at her bloodstained hand as it distorted in her waning vision.

No. I have to stand... I have to run...

Her body was as heavy as lead. Even as she tried to stand, she could manage little more than to crawl pathetically on the ground. It was as if she were stuck in a bottomless bog.

But I got so far away already... I must’ve escaped them...

“Oh? Is our game of tag already over?”

And just as she was about to let go and pass out, the laughter of vulgar men yanked her back to reality. It was none other than the sorcerers who’d attacked the village.

“How...?”

Fear and bewilderment were plastered on her face.

“How? We’ve been kindly watching over the little girl who suddenly ran away from the village this whole time,” one of the men explained with an amused smile. “It’s dangerous for women and children to be out on their own, after all. Gya ha ha ha ha!”

Even though her sister had sacrificed herself to let the girl run away, the sorcerers hadn’t lost sight of her for the slightest moment. The girl gritted her teeth and stretched out an arm with the last of her strength.

“Tilt the Scales!”

“Oh?”

A strong pressure suddenly pushed down on the men. The girl had secretly learned the sorcery her sister had been studying. Naturally, it was a poor imitation she’d put together by peeking, but it still took proper shape.

Weighed down by several times the force of gravity, the men’s feet dug into the ground—but that was all. One of them waved his hand in the air like he was casually brushing away a fly, effortlessly breaking her sorcery.

“Whew, now that’s a surprise,” he said. “I heard carbuncles have a ton of mana, but even a little brat can use gravity sorcery?”

Yes, it had been enough to surprise them, but it hadn’t had any effect. Carbuncles were a rare species who possessed an abundance of mana. Some in the village had studied sorcery, even if few in number. Their barrier had protected the village. Sorcerers capable of attacking a carbuncle village couldn’t possibly be some random mob.

“A-Aaah...”

The girl finally gasped in despair.

“But this ain’t even the basics,” the man continued. “Sorcerers start by reinforcing their bodies first, ya know?”

She, in fact, did not know any of that. Sorcerers were superhuman. It was wrong to think of them within the framework of a regular person. No matter how much a girl ran using her natural muscles, it would be no different than a baby crawling away to them.

Sorry, sis. Even though you helped me get away, I...

Ugly tears spilled from her eyes. And yet...she clenched her teeth.

The men looked at her curiously.

“Hmm? That’s quite the face you’re makin’, given the situation.”

She didn’t possess the strength to stand up. She had no way of resisting. Only death awaited her. Thus, the only form of resistance she could put up was glaring at these men. However, the men seemed to enjoy this reaction.

“Seems like we can expect a lot from her.”

“Huh...?”

“Oh? Looks like you don’t know. They say a carbuncle’s Spirit Blood is a crystallization of the soul. That’s why saints make for far better materials than scumbags, and why the gutsy ones are better than chickenshits.”

He grabbed the girl by the neck and lifted her into the air. He then placed his other hand on her collar and tore off her top, exposing her breasts, which had just begun growing, and the crimson jewel embedded between them. Her face twisted with an expression of shame and bitterness as the men whistled.

“See what I mean? Ain’t this one even better than that last girl?”

The girl froze at those words. She no longer had the ability to speak, but it seemed they could understand based on the expression in her eyes.

“Judgin’ by them eyes, I’m guessing you were sisters? Hey, wanna hear what happened to your big sis?”

The men knew and were taking their time tormenting the girl. That, in itself, made the answer perfectly apparent. Regardless, the girl clung to a single ray of hope, but the men mercilessly thrust the truth before her.

“She was the best of the bunch! That goes for both her jewel’s purity and them starry eyes!”

The girl fell into the depths of despair. Her sister was gone. She was gone because the girl had abandoned her.

Sis... I can’t keep going...

Her vision was plunging into darkness. A cold sensation rose from her feet. After that, she stopped feeling anything at all. She wondered if this was death.

Just then, she heard footsteps behind her.

“Eek!”

“Gah! Hak! Hmgh!”

Immediately after that, she fell to the ground. The man had released her. Now able to breathe again, she tried to suck in air but vomited due to the intense pain.

“Wh-What the hell’re you doin’ here?!”

The men had previously been smiling like the vile scum they were, but they were now screaming in fear. It seemed there was someone behind her, but the girl was unable to stop coughing to turn around and look.

“I-I get it! You’re after the carbuncles’ jewels, yeah? You can have this one. She’s the best of the bunch, just so ya know. C’mon, we got a deal?”

She heard one of the men begging for his life. After that, she heard no more words.

The only sound was the thudding of heavy objects hitting the ground. She looked up toward the noise, seeing what could only be a head. It was the head of the man who’d just been strangling her, an expression of fear plastered across his face.

She timidly looked up, seeing the man standing there with his arm still held out, but he’d been decapitated.

One beat later, blood burst from the body’s neck like a fountain. A bright-red and warm rain stinking of rust poured down like a nightmare over the girl. Perhaps due to relief, or due to fear, having reached the limits of her stamina and willpower, the girl slowly collapsed under the hellish rain. The last thing reflected in her starry violet eyes was a single sorcerer dressed in a black coat.

2

“Yo, rare to see you drinking the night away, Crow.”

Inside a tavern of a certain town, a sorcerer approached a man drinking on his own. Knocking back some brandy straight from an expensive bottle, the man called Crow spat back at him.

“It’s Big Crow...”

That was the second name he’d been given. Not paying any particular attention to his complaint, the other sorcerer laughed.

“Ha ha, I guess even a future Archdemon gets depressed every now and then. Hey, barkeep, get me a brandy too!”

“It hasn’t been decided yet...”

The sorcerer ordered the same brandy as Crow and took a seat next to him without asking.

“Well, ain’t you humble,” he said. “Rumors say the next Archdemon is gonna be either you or Valley Cat. Anyway, I placed a bet on you. You better win it, boss. My dinner’s riding on it.”

It was only natural for betting to start up when a new Archdemon was being selected. Crow hadn’t even asked, but the sorcerer kept blabbing about it.

For the first time in thirty years, one of the seats of the Archdemons was open. Thirty years ago, Mystic Artisan had vacated a seat—the teacher to the current Mystic Artisan Naberius. Ultimately, the title had passed down from master to disciple.

But things were different this time. There was no clear successor. And so, the next Archdemon was being selected based on power. That was why every sorcerer was desperate to make a name for themselves.

The ones closest to becoming an Archdemon among them were Big Crow and a sorcerer named Furcas, who was also known as Valley Cat.

“Oh yeah, I’m actually the one who gave him the name Valley Cat,” the sorcerer said in a great mood. “It’s a cat from a fairy tale that pops up in unexpected places. He gave me quite the look when he heard it. Ha ha ha!”

That was quite the boast to make. When it came to giving an Archdemon candidate a second name, only Archdemons or those close to being one could do so. There were times one was just arbitrarily given one due to a bad reputation, but having lived for only about a hundred years, that didn’t apply to Furcas. Crow didn’t really care about any of that right now, though.

Why did things end up like this?

Crow sighed. It was like his whole life up to this point was meaningless. Seeing his melancholy, the sorcerer gave him a curious look.

“Hey, man, you okay?”

Getting a bottle of brandy from the barkeep, he handed it over to Crow, who hadn’t even noticed that his bottle was empty. It felt like he was being coerced into talking, but he still accepted the bottle. Watching this with a smile, the sorcerer leaned in and whispered into his ear.

“Hey, I’ve got a cool story for ya. Wanna hear it?”

“What?” Crow prompted curtly, giving the sorcerer a suspicious look.

The sorcerer took a look around carefully, then whispered, “Seems like there’ll be a carbuncle hunt tonight.”

“The hell...?” Crow said, knitting his brows.

“Ha ha, some idiot out there is gathering people to go catch carbuncles.”

Crow shook his head in exasperation and replied, “Cut it out. They’re weak, but they have a strong aptitude for sorcery. Underestimate them, and they’ll strike you down.”

Carbuncles were a species who had gemlike crystals embedded in their bodies. These crystals were clusters of high-purity mana, so sorcery used by carbuncles was said to be several times stronger than the same spell performed by someone else. If a sorcerer was capable of gouging out the crystal, they could expect similar results. That naturally made them tempting targets for many years, yet they could still be found all over.

In other words, that many sorcerers had been struck down trying to hunt them. Even Archdemon candidates, let alone sorcerers with second names, would have a hard time facing them. Despite this, the sorcerer grinned as if he was waiting for those exact words.

“About that, just between you and me, an Archdemon’s apparently leading the hunt. I hear the guys gathering for it are all elites too.”

“An Archdemon? Marchosias won’t keep quiet if he hears that.”

Crow shook his head. That made it sound all the faker. Eldest Marchosias was an Archdemon among Archdemons who’d stood at the summit of all sorcerers for six hundred years. It was said that it was impossible for any of the other Archdemons to defeat him.

Rare species hunts incurred Marchosias’s wrath. They came with significant risks. Hunting one or two would allow someone to slip under his notice, but aiming for an entire race would invite a purge, even for an Archdemon.

Anyone related wouldn’t get off lightly either. After all, the reason there was an empty Archdemon seat was because someone had laid their hands on the rare species in Liucaon to the far east, leading to a complete and utter purge. Because of that, all sorcerers were avoiding getting involved with any rare species.

“Even Marchosias can’t purge two Archdemons back-to-back like that,” the sorcerer said, shrugging. “It’ll mess up the power balance with the church.”

“Then everyone except the Archdemon will be massacred. That’s what I’d do.”

In other words, make an example of the peons. If the Archdemon couldn’t be purged, then everyone else was fair game. That was how an Archdemon should serve retribution.

“Hee hee, figured you’d say that,” the sorcerer said, narrowing his eyes in glee.

“What?”

Why would he solicit Crow for help if he knew he’d refuse?

Something stinks here...

It only made Crow warier of him.

“Sorry for testing you like that,” the sorcerer said, straightening his posture. “I’ve got a job for you. The client is Marchosias.”

It seemed someone far worse was trying to solicit Crow for help.

“Do I even have the right to refuse?” Crow asked.

“You’ll take it regardless. You want a diversion, yeah?”

The sorcerer was convinced of this.

“So you want me to get rid of these guys who are going on a carbuncle hunt?” Crow asked, taking a swig from the brandy bottle.

The sorcerer whistled, then snapped his fingers.

“Bingo, boss. Glad you pick things up quick.”

“You’re not gonna correct me and say I need to protect the carbuncles...?” Crow said, an air of disgust in his voice.

“Marchosias ain’t that overprotective. You mess with the wrong guy, you get what’s coming to ya. That’s the point of a compromise. I’m sure you don’t need me to explain.”

There was more than one carbuncle village. By abandoning one, he had just cause for a purge.

The Archdemon behind this lit a fire under those idiots despite knowing that.

Everything had been decided from the very beginning. Crow was unable to hide how repulsive such a gamble felt to him.

“The reward’s ten thousand gold coins and a recommendation to be the next Archdemon. Not a bad deal, is it now?”

Crow was already a prime candidate to become the next Archdemon. If the current Head Archdemon gave him a recommendation, it would be the same as guaranteeing him the spot. There was no more tempting offer for a sorcerer, but Crow still looked gloomy.

“I don’t like it...” he grumbled.

“Oh? Something wrong?”

“I don’t want to get involved in a squabble between Archdemons.”

The sorcerer grinned.

“But once you become an Archdemon, maybe you can solve that problem of yours. You catch my drift?”

“You bastard...”

Crow was ready to kill the sorcerer for that, but he had nowhere to direct his anger. The sorcerer had disappeared, leaving behind no trace of himself except for three gold coins in an empty glass.

“Hey, barkeep! Where’d the guy who was sitting here go?”

“Sir? I believe you’ve been sitting on your own...” the barkeep answered in confusion.

Crow was at a loss for words.

“Well, if you change your mind, then go do it for me,” the sorcerer’s voice echoed in his ear. “Oh, you don’t got much time, so you better hurry.”

“Who the hell are you...?”

Only then did Crow realize that he couldn’t remember the sorcerer’s face. In fact, he couldn’t even remember if it was a man or woman, if they’d been old or young, any features including clothing, or what the voice really sounded like. It seemed he’d fallen under the sorcerer’s spell from the very beginning.

Only one person can pull that kind of crap on me...

It seemed Crow had no right to refuse this job. He turned to look at the window. It was already completely dark outside. No matter how fast he worked, he wouldn’t be able to stop the attack on the carbuncle village.

“What a shitty job...”

And with that, he made his way to the carbuncles’ hidden village.

3

“Sis...?”

The girl opened her eyes upon hearing the crackling sound of a fire. The sky was pitch-dark with just a few tiny stars visible. Now that she thought of it, it was the night of a full moon. The moonlight was drowning out the light from all the stars.

The girl loved looking up at the moon with her sister on nights like these. That was why, without even having to promise to do so, she’d planned to go see the next lunar eclipse with her too. Looking around for the moon, she only just noticed that a campfire was burning next to her. Sitting across from her was an unfamiliar man.

“Eep!”

She unintentionally stifled a scream, then remembered a rather tragic fact. She’d abandoned her sister. And yet, she hadn’t been able to get away. The sorcerers had tormented her. And then, they’d been mercilessly killed.

She tried to run away, but the most she could do was get her body to stir slightly. She trembled in fear.

The man said nothing and tossed another branch into the fire.

Taking a closer look, she saw a pot over the fire. She could smell burning butter and a faint sweetness in the air. It seemed to be some kind of potage.

The girl sat up, only then noticing that she had a blanket over her. Her torn top had also been cleanly mended. She wondered if it’d been done by sorcery.

The man picked up the metal pot and poured some soup into a bowl, then silently handed it over to her.

“U-Umm... Th-Thank...you...”

That was when she had a sudden realization. She’d fallen countless times, had been tormented, and had even torn off her muddy nails, but all traces of that were gone as if it’d been a bad nightmare. Her dirty hair had regained its silver color and the face reflected in the spoon showed no injuries.

Did he...save me?

She finally understood the situation she was in. She brought the spoon to her mouth and a warmth seeped into her core. Her body must’ve cooled down quite a bit. The corn soup had a gentle flavor.

“Hgh... Hic... Waaah...”

Perhaps due to relief, she began crying. The man remained silent and merely sipped his soup until she finished. She didn’t think she’d spent that long doing so, however.

Now isn’t the time for tears. I need to survive, then get revenge for everyone!

She wiped her tears away, raised her face, and sipped her soup. Perhaps because she’d cried, or because she’d run so much beyond her limit, she desperately slurped it down even though her stomach didn’t seem to want to accept it. She then took a better look at the man.

He wore a pitch-black coat and a similarly black felt hat. He looked to be around forty or fifty, his graying hair bundled to the back. Wrinkles were starting to show on his finely chiseled face, and a scar ran down his cheek to his nose. He kind of looked like a big humanoid crow.

However, what drew her eye above all else was the sword dangling at his waist. It was still sheathed, so the girl couldn’t tell what kind of sword it was exactly. It had a slender curve like a bow, and the hilt was wrapped in a delicate weave of silk. She’d never seen anything like it before. Staring at it sent a cold chill running down her spine, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from it. There were apparently cursed swords out there in the world, so perhaps this was one of them?

Sensing her gaze, the man pulled his coat over the sword to hide it, then returned her look with his blue eyes.

“I killed the guys who were chasing you.”

The girl started and trembled at those words. She recalled the suddenly headless body and the rain of blood. Now that she thought of it, there were no traces of blood on her hair or clothes. Had this man cleaned that up too? She didn’t know how to react.

“I killed the guys who attacked your village,” the man continued.

The girl and her sister had been the youngest carbuncles in the village. The adults had fought to let them escape. They’d surely been killed too. It seemed all those terrifying raiders had also died.

Huh...? Then what should I do...?

Her revenge had ended before it had even begun. She remained in a daze, then remembered that this man had saved her.

“Um, should I...thank you?” she asked timidly.

The man averted his eyes.

“Unnecessary. That was the job.”

“The job...? Why?”

“Your village had protection. The person responsible for that desired that all those who violated it die. That’s why I acted.”

In other words, this man was some kind of assassin.

“I doubt anyone will chase you for a while,” he said after finishing his soup. “Do as you like. If you hide the fact that you’re a carbuncle, you should be able to lead a relatively safe life.”

A safe life...?

That would surely bring her happiness. If she avoided people, she might even live to her natural lifespan.

Is there even a point to that...?

Her sister had told her to live. Didn’t living mean walking toward a future? Would hiding away like a corpse, waiting for the storm to pass like a weed, truly be living?

Still, the girl didn’t know what else to do. She couldn’t find a reason to live in a world where her sister was gone. She then recalled what the man said.

“Um...the people who attacked the village are all gone, right...?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“I want to...check what happened to the village.”

That was what she finally came up with. After all, that village was her entire world. The village’s boundary was the end. The forest that extended beyond it was another world entirely. It was a tiny garden that she could easily run a lap around. It was everything to her.

“Don’t,” the man grunted. “There are no survivors.”

That was perfectly obvious. That was why they’d been able to spare several sorcerers to chase a single girl.

“Even so,” she said, shaking her head. “I need to find out.”

“Tch...” the man clicked his tongue, then flopped down and placed his hat over his face. “Sleep. We leave at sunrise.”

It seemed he was planning to take her all the way to the village.

He’s scary but not a bad person...?

It seemed he only had one blanket, but he had given it to the girl. She pulled it back over herself and did as she was told.

Sis...

Nobody would be waiting for her. She knew that, but she couldn’t go anywhere else until she saw the truth for herself. Even now, she hoped this was all just a bad dream. However, the pain and fear that the sorcerers had drilled into her couldn’t be a dream, and her desire to enact revenge that could no longer be accomplished remained strong within her.

With that mess of emotions in her heart, she closed her eyes and was assaulted by intense drowsiness. She fell asleep immediately.

The next morning, after the man struck camp, he saw the girl to the village without saying a word. Just as he’d told her, there were no survivors.

Things that had once been people, that had always called out to her kindly, that had laughed with her, that had sometimes yelled at her, had casually been left all over the place. Each and every one had died with a look of agony on their face, their core jewel having been ripped out.

One in particular was in a horrible state: the girl’s sister. Not only was the core jewel in her chest gone, but her eyes had been gouged out. Perhaps because of her beauty, they’d exhausted all forms of violence on her too.

The girl went on to bury each and every one of her people. As ever, the man didn’t say a single word, but he did help her dig the graves. By the time they were done, three days had passed. She’d cried her eyes dry, and by the end, it’d felt like she’d been moving emotionlessly.

For the first time in three days, looking at the countless simple grave markers, the man opened his mouth.

“Satisfied now?”

“They’ve all lost their core jewels...”

“That’s what those guys were after.”

However, the girl hadn’t found any core jewels on the corpses of the sorcerers in the area.

“Someone took them...” the girl said.

“Seems so.”

A dark emotion granted her the desire to live.

“So your job isn’t over yet, mister,” she said, turning to the man. “Please find and kill them!”

“That’s not part of the job.”

His answer was only to be expected. The girl felt her will faltering. Regardless, she mustered her courage.

“I’m not asking you to do it for free. You can do whatever you want with my core jewel, my eyes, even my v...virginity. I’ll give you my everything.”

“What a brat...”

“I have a name! It’s Lily!” Lily clenched her skirt and lowered her head. “Then please at least teach me sorcery.”

“And what exactly do you plan to do by learning it?” the man asked, staring back at Lily. “You have no one to enact your revenge on. I killed them all.” He then turned to look at the fresh graves. “The guys who took all the jewels are probably no more than merchants. They might not even know anything. Will killing them satisfy you? If they’ve been passed to others, you’re gonna have to kill them too.”

He wasn’t questioning whether revenge was a meaningless act. He was asking whether she was prepared to kill people who weren’t directly responsible for the massacre.

“I want... I want to take back sis’s...no, everyone’s jewels.”

How would the stolen jewels be used? Would they be decorations? Or would they be used as some kind of material? In either case, they would be treated crudely as tools.

A carbuncle’s core jewel was proof of their entire life. It was a crystallization of their being left behind for the future. And right now, the sanctity of those jewels was being trampled on. They’d all been so kind in life, but their dignity was still being crushed after death. It couldn’t possibly be permitted.

“Please...”

Lily refused to back down. Before long, the man sighed in resignation.

“You carbuncles have a high aptitude for sorcery...”

Lily cocked her head.

“I’ll teach you,” the man spat out. “Do the rest on your own.”

“Thanks, mister!”

And just like that, the strange association between Lily and this man began.

4

Even after he started teaching her sorcery, the man still wouldn’t tell Lily his name. Not that that was necessary to establish a conversation when they were the only ones around, of course. He never called her Lily either, and she just called him “mister.” He looked kind of like a big crow, so she referred to him as Old Crow in her head.

The man’s lessons were severe. The first thing he taught her was sorcery that helped her reinforce her body. Taken to an extreme, it would apparently allow her to go days without sleep. What he taught Lily for now was the basic manipulation of blood flow—in short, a way to strengthen the heart.

“Listen up. The heart is an engine that distributes blood through the entire body. Controlling it allows you to quite literally control the entire body. Start with that before learning tricks like manipulating brain matter.”

Sorcerers possessed skin tough enough to prevent blades from penetrating it, leg power to outrun a horse, arms strong enough to tear steel apart, and stamina to run for miles on end without tiring. Only by accomplishing all that was one considered a proper sorcerer.

At the very least, the sorcerers who’d chased Lily that day had been able to do it all with ease. So ultimately, that was the minimum level she had to reach. Otherwise, retaking the core jewels would remain a distant dream.

The man’s lessons were thorough and practical. Even a complete amateur like Lily was able to use the sorcery he taught her fairly quickly. However, there was an entirely separate problem with his teaching style.

“Run.”

“Huh...?”

“Let’s see... It’s about ten kilometers from here to the summit of that mountain. A round trip is about the same distance as what you covered running away from your village while vomiting blood.”

“...”

It was pretty unfair to bring that up. Lily couldn’t back down now.

“Under...stood...”

“I’ll kick you if you stop for even a second. I’ll kick you if you walk. I’ll kick you if you fall over. Got that? All right, then go.”

Is he heartless?!

Despite being at a complete loss for words, Lily had no choice but to start running.

One hour later...

“Haaah... Haaah... Ahhh... Ack...”

Even with her knees trembling violently, she managed to finish the course. She’d covered a distance that had taken her an entire night before in just one hour. The man hadn’t lied either. She’d fallen three times along the way, and he’d kicked her three times. The fact that she’d still managed to finish was proof that the techniques he’d taught her were truly useful.

“I-I did it...mister...”

“Then go one more time.”

“What...?”

Lily’s face spasmed. She couldn’t understand what he was saying. She’d pushed herself to the limit. It took her everything she had just to remain on her feet. There was no way she could repeat the exercise. And yet, the man showed no mercy.

“Run. This shouldn’t be enough to exhaust you. Keep constant control over your heart. This is the minimum level for a sorcerer. Don’t even speak the word ‘sorcery’ until you can do that.”

“I’ll...do it... I’ll do it!”

As she tried to get her legs moving again, she suddenly keeled over.

“Ugh... Blaaargh...”

By reinforcing her heart, she could move her legs. However, her innards were incapable of keeping up with her first use of sorcery. She emptied her stomach and immediately fell to her knees.

“Gyaaah!”

Inexplicably, the man kicked Lily in the stomach. Her small body floated in the air like a fly before slamming back down onto the ground. She coughed up blood along with the vomit as he then grabbed her by the bangs and forced her to look up.

“What the hell’re you crying for? Smile.”

Lily’s face paled as he practically tortured her, a gruesome grin on his face.

“Just like this. Smile. C’mon, let’s see it.”

He was sure to torture her until she did as he said. However, with her innards convulsing, getting her face to twitch was the most she could manage.

“Agh!”

Seeing this, the man pushed her face into the pool of her own vomit. She was unable to breathe. She flailed around violently but was pulled back out just moments before passing out. Looking down at her, the man smiled again.

“What do you see?” he asked.

“Huh...?”

“What do you see when you look at me?”

“A...devil...”

Upon seeing that minimal show of defiance, the man finally released her bangs.

“That’s right. A devil. Me, the guys who attacked your village, all sorcerers are devils. You wanna kill them? Then you have no choice but to become an even greater devil.”

“Ah...!”

The man was merciless, but he was right. Lily was studying sorcery so that she could reclaim the stolen core jewels—even if she had to kill people to do it. She was different from her sister, who’d learned sorcery for the sake of the oppressed. Lily didn’t have such noble intentions.

“Devils don’t cry. They sneer at humanity. That’s ’cause, of all human expressions, the smile hides what you’re thinking best. Anyone who tries to trick others while looking like a sour grump is second-rate.”

This didn’t make sense to Lily. Her sister’s smile had always brought her peace with its genuine warmth. And just as she tried to deny his claims, she came to a realization.

Oh, I see... I don’t have anyone who’ll smile like that at me anymore.

The day would never come when Lily could smile like that. After all, she’d already lost everyone.

“Then smile,” the man said. “If it hurts, smile. If you’re frustrated, smile. If you hate someone, smile. When you kill your enemy, smile.”

“Ah...ha...”

She had no other future, so she was going to learn how to kill from this man. She somehow managed a smile, tears still welling in her eyes, and for the very first time, the man seemed to be praising her.

“That’s right. So you can do it. Smile. Ha ha ha ha ha!”

“Aha... Ha ha ha...”

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

The two of them continued laughing like idiots until Lily passed out.

The man hadn’t held back in the slightest, but he hadn’t lied about teaching Lily sorcery either.

“The quality of sorcery is equivalent to the accumulation of knowledge. Don’t think some cheap imitation a little brat made up after peeking at someone else’s studies can be called sorcery. Finish reading all these grimoires by tomorrow morning.”

“Huh...? That’s all?”

“You need me to explain how to read a book?”

There was a mountain of books before Lily, each thicker than one of her slender arms.

“Mister, a question.”

“What?”

“So...what was the point of me running to death?”

“That was to steel your resolve. It had nothing to do with you becoming a sorcerer.”

First, his lessons had been all “where there’s a will there’s a way,” and now this. He wasn’t even going to explain the contents of the grimoires to her. He was just telling her to read. He’d only made things simple for her when teaching her that first bit of sorcery. Didn’t that make this simple harassment? Lily was finally reaching her limit.

“Mister, are you really going to teach me? Aren’t you just having fun bullying me?”

He was a teacher and Lily was a student begging for instruction. She’d done her best to remain polite, but she couldn’t remain silent at this stage.

“Then get lost,” the man scoffed without showing even the slightest hint of interest in her. “It won’t matter to me at all.”

“Oh? Really?! Then I will!” Lily yelled, shooting up to her feet.

“You running away?” the man sneered. “Well, fine. Being a loser means staying alive. Living like that is worthless in my eyes, though.”

He really was good at pissing her off.

“How dare you make fun of me! Tilt the Scales!”

Now that she was able to properly reinforce her body, Lily’s sorcery was several times stronger. She’d learned the basics. She understood how childish her sorcery had been. After using her new knowledge to rearrange her spell, it was on an entirely different level.

“Zero out of ten.”

“Huh? Gyah!”

The next instant, Lily collapsed.

“Hgh... Ah... Gah...”

She could hear an ominous creaking coming from inside her body. She would only realize this was the sound of her bones cracking at a later time.

“The quality of sorcery is equivalent to the accumulation of knowledge, remember? You have no knowledge, so your sorcery is easily hijacked. The feebleminded will never become first-class by relying purely on power.”

The man was saying something, but Lily couldn’t hear him anymore. Her body was half-sunken into the ground. Her blood vessels had burst, turning her vision red. Due to her strengthened body, she remained conscious even in this terrible state. To add to that humiliation, this sorcery had come from Lily herself.

The man snapped his fingers, and the pressure crushing down on her finally dispersed.

“Gah...”

“Have something to say?”

“I-I’ll...kill you...” Lily answered with the last of her strength.

The man smiled in exasperation and replied, “At least you’ve got guts.”

She felt like she heard a voice from afar, but by that time, Lily had already lost consciousness.

And then there was the sparring. It was complete nonsense for a sorcerer to even partake in it, but the man was merciless there too.

“Your heart’s not in it. Didn’t you say you were gonna kill me? Then come at me like you mean it. Kill me. No matter how you feel, your enemy is always gonna go for the throat. You kill me, and I’ll acknowledge you as a proper sorcerer.”

“Gyah...”

Lily was already sprawled on the ground as the man heartlessly hurled more abuse her way. He was inhuman.

“Hey, I’m only using one hand, no weapon, and no sorcery. Don’t you think it’s pathetic that you haven’t even touched me?”

Just as he said, he wasn’t even strengthening his body with sorcery. Lily, on the other hand, was of course strengthening herself and had no restriction on her use of weapons. Despite this enormous handicap, she hadn’t so much as laid a finger on him. It was simply a difference in technique.

“Punching a girl in the face...is the worst...” Lily said in a minimal show of defiance.

“You think the guys who wanna kill you will give a single shit about that?”

Annoyed by his answer, Lily stood back up.

“Listen up,” the man continued. “You’re weak. You’re powerless. You have no talent. Your existence is meaningless. You’re worthless. However, your dead body has plenty of value. The guys you face will be dying to make a corpse out of you. Forget all that clean and pretty stuff. Only an idiot fights fair and square. Someone calls you a coward? Take it as praise.”

With that, the man tossed sand into Lily’s face.

“Bwah! Ugh!”

He then mercilessly punched her in the stomach. Lily thudded to her knees, but she maintained a smile.

I figured you’d do that!

This wasn’t the first time, so Lily had somehow managed to protect one eye.

“This time I’ll—”

Lily jumped up, but the man’s hand was already right in front of her eyes.

“Huh?”

He flicked her right in the forehead just like her sister always had. However, combined with the momentum of her jumping at him, the impact felt like she’d struck a log. She tumbled backward, her vision rotating a complete one-eighty.

She couldn’t understand why she was tumbling backward despite leaping forward. Even after she settled on the ground, her sight kept spinning and spinning. She didn’t even know if she was sprawled across the ground anymore.

“It’s a concussion,” the man explained coldly, looking down at the immobile girl. “Even a sorcerer can lose against an ordinary civilian if you charge in like an idiot. Put another way, if you can manage the same, you can overcome a difference in strength to an extent... Oh, she can’t hear me.”

Lily’s eyes had already rolled back and she’d passed out. Day after day, she was drilled like this to the point of unconsciousness, then woken back up until she finished her quota. This was definitely too much for a thirteen-year-old girl to experience.

Nevertheless, retaking the core jewels was everything to Lily. And so, she greedily absorbed everything he had to teach her.

One day, I’ll definitely make him pay for this...

But maybe, just maybe, she was driven harder by her defiance.

5

About a month had passed since Crow had taken Lily in.

I thought a carbuncle would have some talent for sorcery, but...

Lily’s growth had been astonishingly fast. In just a month, she’d become able to fight well enough to call herself a sorcerer by Crow’s standards. Given ten years, she would surely be able to defeat him. She learned everything he taught her in one try, and she also had the skill to put his lessons into practical use. Above all else, she was tough. The more she was knocked down, the more she grew. Crow definitely wasn’t suited to teaching others, but she even made him feel like she was worth teaching.

It’s been a while since my drinks have tasted this good too.

Watching her growth was pleasant. That said, her hatred for Crow was growing stronger by the day. Still, that was a cheap price to pay to make her stronger. If she ever grew strong enough to kill him, he could simply praise her from the bottom of his heart.

And on one certain day...

“Hey, boss, I heard you got yourself a girl,” that same sorcerer from some time ago casually called out to him in a tavern. “Ha ha, don’t gimme that look. You got your reward, didn’t you?”

Not only had Crow been paid ten thousand gold coins, but he’d even gotten Eldest Marchosias’s personal recommendation to be the next Archdemon. That guaranteed him the spot. Still, this sorcerer was unquestionably suspicious. Despite his close proximity, Crow couldn’t properly make out his face. Even so, his expression was still being conveyed somehow. It was quite mysterious.

“She’s still a brat...” Crow mumbled, turning away and drinking his brandy. “She’s, um, you know...a-a disciple.”

“You wanna try repeating that without stuttering?” the sorcerer quipped, recoiling a little. “Now it’s really fishy.”

Crow put his head in his hands. He really had put that the wrong way. This reaction only drew the sorcerer’s attention further.

“You never let anyone close to you, and now you’re taking a disciple? Is she that promising?”

Crow shrugged and replied, “That’s up to her.”

No matter how much sorcerers perfected their art, they quite often died once they threw themselves into conflicts between sorcerers. Surviving that was what separated outstanding sorcerers from the chaff. At any rate, Crow found himself in a surprisingly good mood.

In terms of pure talent, she’s terrifying.

Lily coveted strength. Perhaps it was better to describe her as implacable. Not only that, she had a tremendous talent for sorcery itself. From what he’d heard, she’d been able to invoke Tilt the Scales by peeking while her sister had read a grimoire. The average sorcerer wouldn’t even be able to invoke gravity sorcery. If she was raised correctly, she would surely one day become an Archdemon.

But it’s wiser for her to keep her head down...

At the very least, she had to avoid garnering any attention until she was strong enough to protect herself. That was why Crow continued speaking in a cold tone.

“If there’s one thing I can praise her for, it’s her guts. No matter how many times she’s knocked down, she never whines.”

She always cried and acted rebellious, but she never gave up. Her heart would surely break if she ever did. That was why Crow had respect for her approach of taking everything head-on.

At thirteen, I would’ve run away from this crap long ago.

She was a splendid student. If possible, he wanted to watch over her until she could stand on her own.

Hah, what kinda self-serving crap are you thinking...?

“Then how ’bout treating her a little nicer?” the sorcerer said with an amused smile. “You wrung her dry until she coughed blood again, then totally abandoned her.”

It seemed this sorcerer had been watching them...and he had no intention of hiding it either.

“She’s a growing girl,” he added. “If she’s your disciple, then you should at least get her a change of clothes.”

He did have a point. Crow had never gotten anything for her aside from food and grimoires. They’d recovered some of her belongings from the village, so he’d thought that would be enough. Without any extra clothes, he wasn’t even providing a bare minimum to treat her like a person.

“If I find the time...” Crow said, shrugging as he pulled his hat over his eyes.

Carbuncles weren’t capable of surviving without protection. Even if they were relatively strong, they were easily crushed by gatherings of sorcerers, much like at the village. To add to that, Marchosias had abandoned Lily’s home.

Even if she went to another hidden village, she would be treated as an outsider. And frankly, they had no reason to accept an outsider at the risk of exposing their secret. Still, Crow knew he wouldn’t be able to watch over her forever. Lily was alone in this world.

She has to get strong fast.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to survive. He had to give her everything he was capable of while he was still by her side. There was no time to treat her dearly.

Crow shook his head, then glared at the sorcerer.

“More importantly, what about what I asked for?”

Crow had been the one to call the sorcerer here.

“It’s still under investigation,” the sorcerer answered. “Spirit Blood is traded deep inside the black market. It’s not easy to find.”

Crow placed a pendant on the counter. He’d found it in the marketplace on the way here. It’d been taken from Lily’s village.

“Plunder from the village has started circulating already. It’s proof that they’ve finished sorting through it all. There’s no time left.”

It’d been a small village, but it had still housed a hundred residents. That meant there were a hundred core jewels. Once they were on the market, it would be nearly impossible to track them all.

“Mystic Artisan Naberius was the recipient, at least,” the sorcerer explained, shrugging.

“So he’s the culprit behind this rare species hunt?”

The sorcerer shook his head.

“No, another Archdemon was behind the attack.”

“What do you mean? Are you saying they weren’t after the carbuncles’ core jewels?”

“That’s not clear yet. It’s still being investigated,” the sorcerer said, then swept back his hair before continuing with an air of bewilderment in his voice. “The mastermind behind the hunt is probably Shere Khan. He was very likely behind the past rare species hunts too.”

“Tiger King Shere Khan...”

He was a veteran even among the Archdemons and was in contention for number two with Andrealphus.

“You don’t sound sure. Why?” Crow asked.

“He has nothing to gain from it. He didn’t lay a hand on any of the Spirit Blood. Not a one. The previous time, there was plenty to gain for the attackers too, but nothing for him. If he pilfered even a single corpse, we could say it’s him for sure, but...”

Going by Lily’s reaction, that wasn’t the case either. There was a corpse for every villager in the graveyard. That was why she was sure there were no other survivors. Perhaps Shere Khan was just being that careful, but it was still eerie that the reason behind the attack remained a complete mystery.

“Maybe he had a grudge or something?” Crow mused. “Or maybe they were in the way.”

“That’s hard to believe. Rare species don’t get involved with the outside world. I took a look at his history, but he has no connections to any rare species... And if we’re talking about grudges, there’s someone far higher on his list.”

There were some serious implications behind those last words, but Crow doubted the sorcerer would elaborate if asked.

Lily’s only objective is finding the Spirit Blood, though.

In that case, knowing Naberius was involved was enough.

“You have my thanks,” Crow said, taking a gold coin from his pouch and holding it out.

“I haven’t done anything worth that much.”

It seemed to bother this sorcerer that he’d yet to figure out who exactly was behind this. He was being quite obstinate. Crow pulled back the coin and stood up.

“I’d give up on picking a fight with Naberius if I were you,” the sorcerer said. “His retribution will be nothing to laugh at.”

“It was my job to take out the guys who attacked the village. It isn’t over so long as any Spirit Blood is missing.”

The sorcerer shook his head and replied, “Well, if you insist, I’ll look into it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you, though.”

Crow returned a ferocious smile.

“You have my thanks, Marchosias.”

With that, the sorcerer’s lips curved into a grin.

“When did you notice?” he asked.

“Right after we first met.”

“Hee hee, you really are amusing,” Marchosias said, then turned a repulsive and overpowering gaze toward Crow. “Allow me to warn you out of concern. Don’t get too engrossed in helping that girl. The burden is far too heavy for you to bear.”

Crow found himself unable to say anything, though not because the meaning behind those words was lost on him. In fact, he understood better than he wanted to. Marchosias’s eyes were fixed on the sword at Crow’s waist. Crow reflexively reached a hand out to hide it with his coat but stopped due to how meaningless that would be.

“Wait until you inherit the Sigil. It would be a waste to lose a sorcerer like you.”

“Unfortunately, I’m the type of person who ignores any advice given to me.”

“I warned you...”

With those last words, Marchosias vanished as if he’d never even been there in the first place.

From beginning to end, he was a fishy bastard.

Crow didn’t accept Marchosias’s words. If he claimed Shere Khan was the mastermind, then that was surely the case. Still, there was something weird about all this.

Marchosias was the type of Archdemon to mercilessly purge someone once he’d identified the culprit. If he couldn’t afford to vacate another seat, he could do everything but kill Shere Khan. It was precisely because of this that the other Archdemons feared and obeyed him. Plus, why hadn’t he prevented the attack on the carbuncles when he’d known about it beforehand?

“In that case, the one really pulling the strings is...”

He couldn’t finish that sentence. It wasn’t hard to imagine that he, too, would be erased if he made that realization known to the world.

6

“Ugh, every time... Seriously, he goes way too far...”

Lily’s body still throbbed in pain as she dragged herself into town. She should have been able to heal herself with sorcery, but the pain and fatigue wouldn’t go away. In all likelihood, she was so exhausted that any treatment couldn’t work fast enough. She’d been worked to the bone to the point of passing out yet again, but the man had been gone by the time she woke up.

He just up and vanishes every now and then.

It happened once every few days. He never told her where he was going and usually returned when Lily regained consciousness. If anything, the sound of him returning typically woke her up. Lily had recovered relatively quickly this time, so she was searching for where he’d gone.

He might let his guard down...

He was always such a nag, telling her to resort to any means necessary and go for the throat. He couldn’t complain if she took him by surprise. And as she continued looking for him...

“Mrgh?!”

Someone suddenly covered her mouth from behind. She was then pushed against a wall and her arms were pinned down. Her feet couldn’t reach the ground. She had no means of resisting.

“You’re finally on your goddamn own! We’re gonna dice you up and chuck the pieces in front of that bastard Big Crow!”

“Whoa there, little lady. Quit struggling. Wouldn’t you prefer to live just a li’l longer?”

There were two men assaulting her. One was gangly with a beard, while the other was large with a potbelly. Both were middle-aged, and judging by their robes, they were sorcerers.

“The thieves who stole everyone’s core jewels...?”

Someone had taken the core jewels from the village, which meant the culprit had to still be alive. Lily’s objective was to get them all back, but if any of the attackers were alive, she had to kill them. However, she hadn’t expected them to be targeting her too. That was what she assumed, but the men looked at each other with blank expressions on their faces.

“Those guys are long dead,” one of them said. “That bastard Big Crow offed ’em.”

“You don’t know that despite hangin’ around him all the time?”

Lily was confused. They were probably referring to the man who taught her sorcery when they spoke of Big Crow, but...

He told me he killed the people who attacked the village, but he also told me to do the rest on my own...

And yet, these people were saying he’d also killed those who’d stolen the core jewels.

“Th-Then why...?” Lily asked, her voice trembling pathetically.

“’Cause there are a ton of guys who missed out,” Fatty answered. “Just like us.”

Beardo nodded and continued, “The Archdemon snatched all the jewels, but there’s been talk of a survivor—a rare one with stars in her eyes. People’ll get reckless over that.”

“That’s the gist of it. Spirit Blood amps up mana. With that, becoming an Archdemon is within reach. They say Big Crow and Valley Cat are the only candidates, but screw that. There are plenty of sorcerers who just aren’t well-known, like us!”

So that was the reason Lily’s village had come under fire?

Sis and everyone else were killed just for that?

Anger boiled within her. But then the sorcerers’ next words caught her off guard.

“Anyway, that Big Crow asshole sure seems infatuated with this one.”

“Huh...?”

That was about the worst description of that cold-blooded man she could think of.

“Oh, looks like you didn’t know,” one of them said.

“Hee hee hee, there ain’t no reason for a sorcerer to keep a living carbuncle. But here he is, leaving that jewel in its place and teaching you sorcery, knowing full well he’ll just make enemies of guys like us.”

He had a point. That man was teaching Lily sorcery, but he’d had no reason whatsoever to accept her request. If anything, as a sorcerer, he could’ve simply stolen her core jewel and pretended that there hadn’t been any surviving carbuncles. Despite this, he was spending a good portion of his time training Lily. It was only now she realized how miraculous her situation was.

“But after gettin’ attacked day in and day out, he’s gotta be reaching his limit. Must be why he’s let his guard down.”

That fact was a shock to Lily.

What the heck? I didn’t know anything...

After laying Lily out, the man had always vanished to go somewhere. Was that because he’d been fighting sorcerers like them?

He was protecting me...?

That sounded unlikely. He’d never even said a kind word to her. In fact, he’d spent every single day wringing her dry until she collapsed. However, she recalled the gentle flavor of that soup he’d given her on that day. And at night, he always slept in a chair. Was he perhaps letting Lily use the only bed and blanket? His scent was deeply ingrained in that pillow, so he’d had to have used it before. Lily hadn’t even realized that until now.

I need to find out...

For yet another reason, she couldn’t afford to die here.

“Well, who gives a shit?” Fatty said, smiling dirtily. “Alls we want are your jewel and eyes. Oh, don’t worry, we’ll make good use of your corpse too. Hya ha ha ha!”

“Keep her still,” Beardo said, drawing a knife. “We’ll take the jewel last. I’m starting with the eyes.”

“Sure, just don’t mess up her body. Gonna be usin’ it afterward.”

As they let out vulgar laughs, Lily found herself on the verge of tears from utter frustration.

I can’t even strike back against guys like them?!

She cursed her own weakness...then came to a sudden realization.

Huh? Wait, his hold isn’t as firm as I thought...

Maybe they were being careless because she was so small. Now that she’d learned to reinforce her body, she seemed to be able to brush them off without much effort. She gulped.

If I just sit here and cry, he’ll make fun of me.

She had to fight. Wasn’t that why she’d gone through hell every day to learn sorcery? Beardo tried to grab Lily’s head, but Fatty was in the way, so he had to circle around to the side. Using that small opening, Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Huh...?”

Fatty grimaced, and then suddenly, Lily snapped her eyes open and yanked her arm down.

“Huh?!”

He was taken by surprise. She easily got her arm out of his grip.

“It’s not about wanting to kill or intending to kill. I’m telling you to kill.”

The man’s words came back to her. He was right. He would strike her again if she said something naive like she’d given it everything she had. If she was going to hit these sorcerers, she had to strike to kill.

Landing on the ground with a thud, she took a firm step forward.

“Yah!”

By the time Fatty looked down, Lily’s fist had finished taking a large circular path, riding the momentum of her twisting waist. It felt like some kind of thick curtain impeded her progress, but her fist tore through it in an instant. This was a wall of air, a phenomenon caused by surpassing the speed of sound. The air exploded with a white bang. Accelerating so fast that she’d left even the concept of sound behind, she rammed her fist into Fatty’s potbelly. She twisted as if to wind up his fat and blubber into a whirlpool, digging in deep as if to thrust her hand out through the other side.

“Guh...!”

Fatty went flying backward. His enormous body had to weigh hundreds of kilos, but he flew in a straight line like a bullet. He blasted through the brick wall behind him as if it were made of paper, smashing tables, chairs, and furniture to pieces before finally tumbling to the ground on the road on the other side. Unfortunately, it was quite busy over there, so Lily wasn’t able to check how far he’d traveled.

“Whoa...”

She recoiled a little at what she’d done. An elderly couple who’d had the misfortune of having a meal right in the flight path were repeatedly scooping up nothing with empty spoons, a look of complete bewilderment on their faces. Meeting their eyes, Lily bowed her head lightly.

Fatty must’ve been protecting himself with some kind of sorcery. Otherwise, his body would’ve exploded on contact with her fist, turning him into a big red stain. The fact that he’d been able to react like that meant that he had to be a considerably skilled sorcerer. Still, Fatty showed no signs of getting back up.

“Y-You little...!”

Finally regaining his senses, Beardo swung his knife at her.

So slow. There’s no mana in it either.

It was a meaningless act coming from a sorcerer. He had to be trying to keep her in check so that he had time to weave sorcery. Lily didn’t even need to give any thought to arrive at that conclusion. After all, that was what she would’ve done.

“Distracting someone with a blade to weave your sorcery isn’t a bad idea, but it’s pointless if you’re making that fact so obvious.”

She’d gotten knocked down mercilessly before for trying the exact same thing.

The knife wasn’t even worth defending against. She casually inclined her head to let it fly past her and clearly saw Beardo preparing his sorcery.

Fire? But the magic circle is completely exposed...

Perhaps that was why he’d used the knife so sloppily to keep her in check. Drawing a magic circle like this posed the risk of having his sorcery hijacked. That was exactly how the man had given Lily a taste of her own medicine when she’d first defied him.

Lily quickly waved her hand, overwriting Beardo’s circuit with her own.

“Dancing Crimson!”

Flames of a temperature approaching a thousand degrees twisted up like a whirlwind. It was a hellfire capable of fusing copper or silver. Here, it simply danced upon Lily’s palm. She’d taken control of his sorcery.

“No way...” Beardo muttered, fear evident in his voice.

Lily was even more shocked than him, though.

I can fight!

The world she perceived was clearly different from when she’d run away from the village. A conflict between sorcerers was about observing magic circles and controlling them. The man had drilled that one thing into Lily’s head over the last month. The only other thing she’d done was read those thick grimoires without any help, yet these techniques that had been hammered into her through pain and fear stirred Lily’s body into action faster than she could even have imagined.

“O Dancing Crimson.”

As she called out to it, the flames jumped toward Beardo as if they had a will of their own, then engulfed his lanky body.

“S-Spare meeeeee!”

“Ah...?”

Lily was taken aback by Beardo’s shriek.

He’s going to die!

She canceled the sorcery in a panic and Beardo collapsed to the ground, his entire body burned to a crisp.

“Heeeh... Heeeh...”

His breathing was faint, but he was still alive.

Lily sank weakly to her knees. However, this was when Beardo, who was supposed to be on the verge of death, shot up to his feet.

“Hya ha! Naive li’l bra— Huh?”

He tried leaping at her, but his body never left the ground and his face smashed back down.

“Dumbass. How many times do I have to tell you? Kill.”

The man had stomped on Beardo’s head. Lily had no idea when he’d shown up. No, wait, perhaps he’d been there from the very beginning. Beardo started trembling violently, apparently having some idea who this was as he began begging for his life.

“H-Hang on. Let me go. I’ll hand over all my research, so—!”

“How unfortunate for you.”

Beardo’s head popped in a red cloud. The man had heartlessly stomped all the way down.

“Sorcerers are devious. They never know when to give up. From now on, consider any begging for their life as a preface to them stabbing you in the back.”

He turned to Lily and raised an arm.

He’s going to hit me!

Lily stiffened but was met with the warm sensation of his palm instead.

“Still...I guess you get a passing grade for your first time.”

“Huh...?”

Lily’s eyes turned to saucers. She’d never expected to hear such kind words from this man. Her mouth popped open as he then spun on his heels.

“Let’s go.”

“Mmm...”

Without any real sense for what had just happened to her, Lily followed him.

7

Lily’s focus remained on her head as she followed the man.

It’s the first time he’s ever praised me...

Him gently petting her head should’ve been creepy, so she couldn’t believe that she actually didn’t hate it.

She stared at his back.

Has he been protecting me...?

She couldn’t believe it, but everything about her current situation confirmed that fact. If he hadn’t been, Lily wouldn’t still be alive.

But why...?

She wanted to find out.

“Um...mister?”

“What?”

He was responding to her, but she wasn’t sure what to ask. After all, her memories of him were filled to the brim with instances of him calling her an idiot and hitting her. She’d been under the impression that he hated her and was bullying her, so how was she now supposed to ask whether he’d been protecting her? It was apparently common for kidnapping victims to sympathize with their abductors. Perhaps that was happening to her right now?

“The one they called Big Crow...is that you?” she finally asked.

“Some people call me that.”

He hadn’t been trying to hide it or anything.

So it’s true...

According to those sorcerers, he was one of the closest sorcerers to becoming an Archdemon. That surely had to be something amazing, so why had someone like that taken her in? As she racked her brain over the matter, a shop they just happened to pass by caught her eye. There were robes on display that seemed to be for sorcerers, but the clothes underneath—a skirt and a shirt with a tight corset—were targeted at women. The belt with several pouches hanging from it was also cute in its own way. As a bonus, that outfit covered the chest completely, so Lily would be able to hide her core jewel. She’d never seen such clothes in the village.

Sis wanted to try wearing something like that...

Her sister had studied sorcery with her sights set on traveling to the kingdom of the oppressed. She would surely have worn something similar.

“Hey.”

The man’s voice brought Lily back to reality. It seemed she’d stopped walking to look at the clothes. She was about to catch back up to him in a fluster, but he walked back to her first, then turned to the shop Lily had been looking at.

“Clothes, huh...?”

“It’s nothing.”

Now wasn’t the time to be wanting such things. Lily had to get stronger. She’d won through sheer luck today, but she would have to fight far stronger sorcerers to get the core jewels back. And yet, the man walked into the store, called a clerk, and pointed at Lily.

“Let her try on the robe out front.”

“Huh?”

Lily doubted her ears.

“It’d be a real pain to have worthless scum like that pick a fight every time you go into town,” the man said, averting his eyes. “You should wear something suitable.”

“Ummm...”

Lily had no idea what to say. While she remained in a daze, the clerk pulled her into a changing room.

“There. How do you like it?”

Several minutes later, Lily was looking at herself in a mirror, seeing herself dressed like a sorcerer. She’d been somewhat bewildered by the unfamiliar clothes, but the clerk had skillfully helped her get into them. What was more, she’d combed Lily’s hair and had bundled it up nicely.

Lily knew she was looking at herself, but the vision in the mirror still looked like someone else. When she stepped out to show the man, he looked her up and down with some inexplicable gaze.

“I suppose clothes can make anyone look good,” he said.

“Shouldn’t you at least praise me at times like these?” Lily complained.

“I’ve never done that before,” the man told her, awkwardly pulling his hat over his eyes.

Lily cocked her head. What could that mean? That was when she came to a sudden realization.

“Hey, mister? Don’t tell me...you’re embarrassed?”

“Can it.”

She’d always thought he was a brute, but maybe he was just clumsy. As that thought crossed Lily’s mind, she suddenly found herself in a great mood.

“Oh? Is that so? Your heart thumped when you were looking at a young girl and you’re all shy about it. What a pervert!”

Lily had built up a lot of resentment from getting beaten up all the time, so in this one case, she’d stirred herself up into a certain victory.

“I’ll remember this...” the man muttered, grimacing at her.

Even that worthless threat felt truly pleasant. The man then took another look at Lily, and the corner of his mouth lifted just a little.

“Anyway, it’s my first time seeing you smile like that.”

“Ah...!”

It felt like he’d just poured cold water over her head.

What am I getting all giddy for...?

Everyone she knew was dead. They’d all been murdered. She couldn’t possibly be happy. She decided to get out of these clothes immediately. With that thought in mind, she reached for a button.

“What’s with the gloomy face?” the man said. “That’s a good thing.”

“Huh...? What do you mean?” Lily asked, furrowing her brow.

“I taught you to smile no matter the situation, remember?” he explained in exasperation.

That was one of his first lessons—while shoving her face into her own vomit, he’d stressed that she had to keep a smile on her face at all times.

“I’m not gonna say anything about your objective,” he continued. “But if you want power, be greedy—more than any normal person.”

“Be...greedy?”

“Those who have nothing but revenge on their minds are troublesome but not frightening. It’s obvious what they’ll do, after all. Anyone can strike them down. However, there’s no telling what those with tremendous greed will do. They’re endlessly cunning. Humanity’s greatest strength is greed. I need that. I want to do this. I’m gonna punch anyone I don’t like. That’s humanity’s driving force.”

There was no way that was the case. Lily’s sister hadn’t been such a repulsive person.

But maybe wanting to become a leader to protect everyone is a type of greed too...?

Perhaps that had been the source of her sister’s strength.

“I don’t get it,” Lily said, shaking her head. “What am I supposed to want?”

“Anything that comes to mind that you want, you take. You wanted to try those clothes on, right? Well, don’t deny that desire.”

“B-But...I don’t have any money.”

She’d run away from home with nothing but the clothes on her back. Plus, trade in the village had been conducted through a barter system, so currency had been a rarity. Lily had only ever seen any when someone had shown her some in the chief’s house.

“Then steal,” the man said, smiling boldly.

“Isn’t that why people hate sorcerers so much...?”

The man was telling her that might made right. For her to become mighty, she had to be arrogant. The common sense she’d learned in the village was futile before him. Seeing his intolerably smug smile, Lily suddenly thought of a way to get back at him.

“So then, I just have to steal what I want?” she asked.

“That’s right.”

Lily grinned before thrusting a finger at the man.

“He’ll pay the bill!”

With those parting words, Lily smashed her way through the glass window and ran. Despite doing something awful like some kind of thief, she felt hopelessly giddy. Left behind on his own, the man pulled his hat over his eyes and sighed.

“I didn’t say to do it right now...”

“You have quite the mischievous daughter,” the clerk said, a vein bulging on her forehead.

After repairing the window, the man paid for the outfit.

8

Several days later, Lily was making an evening meal while in a terrific mood. Despite getting worked to the bone every day, she’d lately had some energy to spare once training was over. Because of that, she could now make her own dinner.

When I leave it to him, I get nothing but preserved food...

His staple food was probably alcohol. She’d never seen him actively eating anything proper. She wanted him to take the needs of a growing girl into account.

Back home, sis and I took turns...

Whenever Lily cooked, her sister had given her all kinds of instructions from right next to her while sneakily stealing some food. Whenever this happened, Lily had confiscated her appetizers, often leading to a fight.

There was nothing to gain from looking back at what she no longer had, though. She understood this, but if it was so simple to come to terms with, she wouldn’t even dream of retaking all of the core jewels. Lily shook her head, finished making the meal, and plated it.

“Mister, dinner’s rea— Oh, he’s sleeping.”

He was sitting in a reclining chair, his hat over his eyes. This was pretty common, but it was rare that he didn’t wake up when Lily called out to him. Standing up against the side of his chair was his sheathed sword.

He always carries that around.

It was weird for a sorcerer to use a sword, but seeing how he always had it on him, it must’ve been something precious. Lily also recalled shuddering upon first witnessing it. Maybe it was what people referred to as a magic sword.

Lily set the food on the table, then reached out for the weapon.

“Don’t touch it!”

“Hyah!”

The man’s eyes suddenly shot open and he shoved Lily aside, knocking the table over and scattering the dinner she’d just made across the floor.

“Don’t ever touch it,” the man repeated, awkwardly grabbing the sword. “It’s cursed.”

“C-Cursed...?”

Lily was dumbfounded. It didn’t seem like something he would worry about.

“It’s called the Hex Katana. It can cut anything, even sorcery and space itself. However, each use shaves away at its wielder’s lifespan. It’s a sword that severs everything using the power of that curse.”

It seemed that was why Lily had felt chills upon seeing it.

“Are you okay using that...?” Lily asked.

“A civilian or Angelic Knight would be helpless, but powerful sorcerers conquered the very concept of a lifespan long ago.”

Lily found herself unable to accept his explanation. The sorcerers that afternoon had said, “But after gettin’ attacked day in and day out, he’s gotta be reaching his limit.” There were apparently plenty of unnamed sorcerers who were close to becoming Archdemons. Even if the majority were blowing smoke, there had to be some who weren’t.

It was unlikely for the man to remain safe after fighting people like that every day. Besides, the fact that he’d shoved Lily aside for trying to touch it meant it was considerably dangerous even to hold it. While she didn’t think he was lying about sorcerers conquering the concept of a lifespan, that still didn’t make them immortal. And so, she looked at the man anxiously.

“Sorry,” he said, looking down at the food on the floor. “I wasted the food you cooked.”

With that, he twirled a finger in the air, and the table righted itself as the food settled back down on top of it. Lily was capable of this simple sorcery as well, but she couldn’t do it so casually. The man then took a seat and began picking at the meat with a fork.

“H-Hey, that fell on the floor,” Lily said.

“It’s still edible.”

He continued eating in silence.

I made extra, so we technically had more...

She’d prepared enough for tomorrow’s breakfast as well, but she took a seat and reached for the food in resignation.

“You don’t have to eat it too,” the man told her.

“I made it, so you have no right to complain about what I choose to do with it.”

Lily had tasted her own vomit smeared in dirt. Worrying about food that had fallen to the floor after all that was laughable. She began eating without hesitation.

“Whatever...” the man mumbled, shrugging.

Lily grinned. Upon closer inspection, she realized this man never made light of her. He never looked down on her. “Kind” wasn’t quite the right word for him, but he did at least treat her dearly. He treated her like a normal person. He simply didn’t know how to express that through his attitude or words. Ultimately, he was just an extremely awkward man.

“Mister?”

“What?”

There was a hint of annoyance in his voice but also a slight bewilderment over how exactly he should interact with her. Lily didn’t actually need anything from him. She’d simply wanted to call out to him. Her gaze wandered through the air for a full minute before she realized the words she wanted to get across to him.

“Um...thank you...for everything.”

The man’s face contorted as if he was looking at something creepy.

“What’re you scheming...?” he asked.

“So mean! What’s with that?! I was sincerely thanking you!”

“The one thing you’ve been getting good at lately is foul play.”

“Only because that’s all you ever teach me!”

The man averted his eyes, pretending not to remember that. Lily sighed, then pointed her fork at him.

“If you’re going to say stuff like that, then at least teach me how to fight fair and square.”

“You can’t kill a sorcerer fair and square. You wanna learn how to do that? Go be an Angelic Knight or something.”

“Are Angelic Knights and sorcerers on good enough terms to hire each other for work?”

She had a feeling Angelic Knights killed sorcerers for a living.

I’m sure they’re nice, but I doubt they’d shelter a carbuncle unconditionally.

Lily had learned to suspect others.

“Say that after you become a full-fledged sorcerer,” the man replied.

“Yeah, yeah. How I’d love to be one already.”

Unexpectedly, the man smiled gently at her and said, “Well, take it step by step...”

“Huh? It feels kinda gross when you act like that...”

“The hell do you want from me...?”

The man grimaced, and now it was Lily’s turn to avert her eyes.

9

“Seriously, what a noisy brat...”

Late at night, Crow put a blanket over Lily, who’d fallen asleep while poring over a grimoire.

She can smile now.

When he’d first taken her in, she’d always had a look that made it feel like the world had already ended on her face. This was a good trend.

Her life should be about more than just revenge.

She could become an amazing sorcerer. She could obtain anything she wanted. The carbuncles might have lost their lives, but this girl’s future was full of possibilities.

If new clothing was enough to get her to smile, I should’ve realized it sooner...

“Gah... Hak, hak...”

As those thoughts ran through his mind, Crow suddenly broke into a coughing fit. He wiped his mouth, covering his hand in red blood.

Well, no point in her getting close to someone who’s at the end of the road.

They were going to part ways soon. Even if she grew attached to him, it would only cause her pain. That was why he had to push her away. That was the way it was supposed to have gone, but...

Tch, I don’t wanna die...

Crow had power but no desires. He’d learned sorcery to make a living. Over the course of a life spent killing people for money, he’d become known as a bird of ill omen—Big Crow. He’d always liked the idea of becoming an Archdemon, but now that the goal was within reach, he suddenly didn’t care. For the first time, Crow wanted to live. He wanted to live and raise this girl.

It doesn’t look like I have the time for that, though.

If one’s lifespan was an hourglass, then sorcerers were capable of slowing the sands falling within to an extreme. It was so slow that it seemed imperceptible. However, they weren’t capable of flipping the hourglass over.

This was the reason Crow wasn’t able to accept the Sigil of the Archdemon despite Marchosias’s recommendation. There were disagreements over handing the Sigil over to someone who didn’t have much life left in him. Crow had almost been out of time before even meeting Lily.

If he became an Archdemon, the Sigil could help slow down what was left, but there was no adding to his remaining lifespan. In this last month, Crow had used the Hex Katana dozens of times.

This sword granted him power at the cost of the sand that remained in his hourglass. He’d faced terrifying sorcerers who’d forced him to use it. To the sorcerers who craved becoming an Archdemon, Lily was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. With her Spirit Blood, they could become the next Archdemon. That was more than enough of a reason to challenge a stronger sorcerer like Crow.

“I have lingering attachments now...but no regrets.”

Muttering that to himself, Crow left the cabin with his Hex Katana in hand. The forest outside was dark enough that he couldn’t see his own feet. It was supposed to be a full moon. Wondering if he’d finally lost his eyesight, he immediately realized that wasn’t the case. He looked up to see a dark red moon overhead.

“Oh yeah... Tonight’s a lunar eclipse...”

The waxing and waning of the moon had a considerable effect on sorcery. A lunar eclipse was the most extreme case of that phenomenon. It could render some sorceries useless, while there were others that could only be used on such a night. Even if he’d had other concerns over the last month, it was the height of idiocy to be unaware of when this night was.

“If you’re picking a fight on a night like this, I guess that means it’s advantageous for you?”

Walking through the forest, Crow came out into an opening where a single sorcerer was waiting for him. He looked to be in his twenties, but there was a powerful will behind the eyes under his tawny hair. He wore a coat with many pockets, making him look more like a traveler than a sorcerer. Crow had an idea of who this was.

“So you’re Valley Cat Furcas?”

The sorcerer nodded and replied, “And I assume you’re Big Crow?”

Crow was unable to hold back a smile at the thought of two sorcerers bumping into each other and starting with introductions.

“This your first time killing for hire?” Crow asked. “You look nervous.”

Furcas looked down at his hand and clenched it tightly.

“Honestly, I am. It’s pathetic, but my hands are trembling.”

Crow found this surprising.

He’s young...

Furcas was supposed to be around a hundred years old, but his mindset was far younger than that. Sorcerers like this were inexperienced, but also troublesome.

“Then give it up,” Crow told him. “You’re not suited for this role. Come at me once you’ve killed some more.”

His client is probably Naberius.

Crow was looking for the whereabouts of the carbuncles’ jewels and had hired Marchosias to look for them, so Naberius definitely wanted to get rid of him before that happened. Honestly, Crow would’ve done the same in his position.

Furcas shook his head.

“I can’t afford to do that. The only way I can become an Archdemon is by beating you.”

“How surprising. You don’t seem like the type to be fixated on becoming an Archdemon.”

Furcas shook his head once more.

“There’s something I’m searching for. I can’t find it as I am now. The only way of widening my search radius is with the power of an Archdemon.”

Those were the words of a man with his eyes set on the future. While it wasn’t clear whether this was born from hope or from despair over the past, it was clear that he had a will to push forward, which was something Crow didn’t possess.

“I guess there’s no other choice, then,” Crow said with a resigned smile.

“No, there’s no other choice.”

With that, the two sorcerers who were closest to becoming Archdemons clashed.

“Sorry, I’ve got no interest in playing around at night. It’s time to send you packing.”

Crow was the first to make a move. He opened his clenched fist, sending pitch-black feathers dancing through the wind. Each feather was about the size of a forearm. As they fluttered to the ground, they rendered everything around them to ash with a burning gush of wind. Each only had the effective radius of a human arm, but there were innumerable feathers in the air. Faced with this black blizzard, Furcas remained calm.

“Messenger Bird of Death—sorcery that reduces everything it touches to ashes. It’s my first time seeing it. Is the underlying principle based on vibration?”

As Furcas spoke, his body crumbled. It was as if he was breaking apart into creatures like bats. This wasn’t caused by the black feathers. That said, it wasn’t a transformation either.

“And you can cross space,” Crow said. “I see. Definitely a Valley Cat.”

Furcas was hiding in subspace, so Crow had no way of getting to him.

“I don’t really like that name...” Furcas grumbled, discontent clear in a voice that came from nowhere.

Not a single black feather had reached him.

Even one of these would be enough to defeat an average sorcerer...

That said, Crow already knew that Furcas specialized in his kind of sorcerer, so he hadn’t used something that wouldn’t work against him.

“Leaping through space is certainly powerful, but if you wanna attack, you’ve gotta come out.”

Black feathers danced around Crow. It was impossible to approach without touching one, even if Furcas opened a hole in subspace. In a sense, this was a barrier.

“Gah!”

And yet, Crow was suddenly struck by a heavy impact. Despite being on guard for any attacks from all directions, he hadn’t been able to sense anything coming. It wasn’t something he could brace himself for either. His innards and bones were shaken directly. He didn’t hesitate to throw himself to the ground.

Impossible! Where did that come from...?

The black feathers were still floating in the air—except for where Crow had been standing. It was as if only that space had been gouged out.

I can’t stay still!

Now on all fours, Crow leaped to the side right as the spot he’d been in burst. Like before, he hadn’t sensed anything coming. There were no premonitions like the air trembling or a hole opening in space. There was only one thing it could be.

“You’re shaking space itself?”

And since he was able to do it in rapid succession, Crow was forced to snake left and right, running as the air and ground around him kept bursting.

It seems accuracy is its weakness.

“I never thought you’d see through it in a single glance,” Furcas’s bitter voice resounded from nowhere. “You really are a frightening man.”

Furcas was far more terrifying, though.

When you’ve got this much of an advantage, shouldn’t you at least show one opening?

In very un-sorcerer-like behavior, Furcas was wary of Crow, seeing him as the stronger of the two. Crow’s focus shifted to the sword at his waist.

I guess I’ve got no choice but to use it.

He gripped the Hex Katana and slashed at empty space.

“Hgh?!”

Blood sprayed out from thin air, accompanied by a yelp. Crow hadn’t been running around aimlessly.

Coordinates exist in subspace too.

Corresponding points existed between realspace and subspace, so Crow had simply cut one such point.

“Too shallow, though...”

He’d wanted to finish this in one blow, but Furcas was an Archdemon candidate too. There was no way he would be such an easy opponent.

“So that’s your Hex Katana?” Furcas said. “What a bizarre sword. I can’t see the blade.”

This time, Furcas’s voice came from a clear location. Just as he said, Crow’s sword had no blade. And yet, blood ran down like a thread over nothing as if “something” was there.

Crow turned to the voice to see dust gathering together to once more take on a human shape.

“Haaah... Haaah...”

Furcas’s chest was split open diagonally from his shoulder. It wasn’t a fatal wound, but it was still severe. Cuts inflicted by the Hex Katana weren’t easy to heal with sorcery either. Furcas collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.

“Oh? I didn’t think you’d reveal yourself,” Crow said. “Aren’t you better off hiding in subspace?”

“That isn’t funny... That’s just what you’d want with a sword that can reach into subspace.”

There was no ground or gravity in subspace, so it was impossible to move around in there normally. That was one of spatial sorcery’s weaknesses.

“I get it now,” Furcas said. “I’m not the top Archdemon candidate. You are. You’re clearly better than me.”

“I’m nowhere near that impressive. But if you believe that, then how about just backing off now?”

“That’s even less funny,” Furcas answered, smiling fiercely. “If I run away now, I’ll never be able to surpass you.”

“You think too much of me. Given a few more years, you’ll become far stronger than the likes of me. I just happen to be stronger than you right now.”

He wasn’t lying. However, it was precisely because he refused to back down in such situations that Furcas had made enough of a name for himself to be an Archdemon candidate in a scant hundred years.

“Is there nothing your Hex Katana can’t cut?” Furcas asked, standing back up with a hand over his wound.

“Who knows? I’ve never tested it, but so far, there hasn’t been.”

“Well, I just so happen to have a blade that can cut anything too.”

Still dribbling blood to the ground, Furcas swung his arm vigorously.

“Vacuum Blade Dancing Mesh!”

“Tch! Dislocations in space!”

Touching those was equivalent to being utterly annihilated. There were enough of the blades to cover Crow’s entire field of vision. There was no way of escaping them, nor were there any gaps to slip through.

“Still, it’s useless.”

The Hex Katana could cut space itself. He severed the dislocations head-on, shattering them like glass with a pressurized whump, but it was Crow who was left baffled.

“What?!”

He felt the impact of something hard. His Hex Katana had been repelled, unable to cut what it’d collided with. Something akin to a black serpent coiled around Furcas. It was similar to a whip, but far longer and thicker than any whip should be. The weapon undulated around Furcas like a living creature.

“Black Whip Star Eater. This was Naberius’s payment.”

Crow felt a bead of cold sweat run down his cheek.

“Star Eater... I’ve heard of it. It’s one of Liucaon’s treasures. Legends say it shattered a falling star.”

What looked like a snake was actually steel wire. Seeing how the Hex Katana had failed to cut it, sorcery had to have been woven into it as well. With a closer look, it was clear that the steel wire was engraved with delicate spells.

“It was simply given to me,” Furcas said. “I don’t know where it came from, but it doesn’t have that kind of special power. It’s just stupidly sturdy and long.”

“Being overly humble comes across as sarcasm. There’s nothing in the world you can’t break by swinging something that tough and heavy around at the speed of a whip.”

If it was truly made of steel, then it had to weigh over thirty tons. And yet, the tip of the whip had surpassed the speed of sound. The human eye was incapable of keeping up with that. And by using sorcery, it could probably go even faster. At over thirty tons and going over three hundred meters per second, it could easily shatter even a falling meteor.

“But can you wield it with your body like that?” Crow asked.

The wound from the Hex Katana was deep. The red puddle at Furcas’s feet was still expanding. Swinging a weapon around would only make the wound worse.

“I’ll show you that I can!” Furcas said, gritting his teeth and swinging the black whip. “This is my final attack, Big Crow!”

“Reap his life, Messenger Bird of Death.”

Black feathers fluttered into the air and rained down on Furcas. However, they were all mowed down by Star Eater.

So his weapon is faster than the corrosion from my sorcery.

It was probably the same logic behind why his Hex Katana hadn’t been able to cut it. The whip was faster than his sword. That was why his blade hadn’t dug in. Due to the simplicity of its ferocious mass and speed, it was impossible to defend against.

It took Crow everything he had to somehow dodge the incoming whip. With Messenger Bird of Death broken, he would only last a few seconds. Crow was definitely being pushed into a corner, but Furcas was the one breaking into a cold sweat.

“How terrifying...” he muttered. “Even in this situation, you’re still smiling.”

Crow’s smile hadn’t vanished for even an instant of the battle.

“That’s my style,” Crow told him.

“Meaning you still have something up your sleeve?”

“Feel free to think that and test me.”

“You asked for it!”

Furcas swung the whip with all his might, mowing down every last feather in the vicinity. The whip undulated and came down on Crow again and again.

“Hgggh!”

He blocked with his Hex Katana but couldn’t withstand the impact. The sword was blown out of his hand. The black whip crashed down on Crow repeatedly. No matter how he tried to defend against it with sorcery, it would be meaningless. Bone and meat were smashed to bits under the weight of the steel whip.

“Haaah... Don’t you know how to hold back?” Crow sighed as his body was annihilated.

Despite the scenery behind him now being visible, there was no blood or viscera staining anything in the vicinity. Furcas gulped at that phenomenon.

“You crossed space...?”

“First time fighting someone who uses the same sorcery as you?” Crow’s voice answered from nowhere.

Crow had vanished from this world, and still in that state, he unleashed a dislocation in space.

“No way! A direct attack from subspace?!”

The shock in Furcas’s voice implied he was incapable of doing the same thing. Hiding in subspace meant being severed from the real world. Mana couldn’t be transmitted over, so activating sorcery there didn’t really accomplish anything. To use sorcery, one part of his body had to remain behind. Furcas was practically a genius for being able to do that, even with his relatively inaccurate sorcery. And yet, Crow was doing what Furcas considered impossible. Not even Star Eater could block a dislocation. The weapon he’d considered invincible was torn to pieces.

“There’s no way!”

He screamed and fired a dislocation of his own, but he was a little too slow.

“Hgh!”

The Vacuum Blade bisected Furcas at the waist.

“Aaaaaaaaargh!”

He screamed and fell to his knees, but his torso was still attached to his legs.

“Haaah... Haaah...”

He didn’t seem to understand what had just happened. Sweat poured down from his brow as he heaved for breath.

“You should’ve trusted your own strength,” Crow said, thrusting his invisible blade before Furcas’s neck. Crow was completely unharmed.

“What in the world...did you do...?”

Crow pointed at the night sky. There was a dark red moon hanging overhead, but it wasn’t the only one.

“Two moons...?”

“Lunar Eclipse. It’s an illusion that probably wouldn’t have worked on you if not for this night.”

As the name implied, this sorcery exhibited its greatest effect on the night of a lunar eclipse. Furcas was strong. It would be difficult for Crow to beat him in his current state. However, Crow had been weaving this sorcery during the entire confrontation. He’d completed it around the time Furcas had drawn Star Eater. Nothing from then on had happened in reality.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the strength to swing this Hex Katana multiple times anymore. If you just kept running around in subspace and threw Vacuum Blades at me, I would’ve used up all that I had left and self-destructed.”

It was a virtue to be careful at all times, but taken too far, such vigilance could backfire.

Furcas laughed.

“Hah... A few more years and I’ll be stronger than you? Being overly humble comes across as sarcasm, remember?”

“I wasn’t lying. That’s why you’re too dangerous to leave alive.”

And just as he was about to bring down his blade...

“G-Gah...!”

Crow vomited blood. Unable to keep a grip on his sword, he dropped it. It felt like he couldn’t get any strength into his legs. If anything, it was like his very life was leaving him. He knew the last drop of sand had just fallen.

Aaah, dammit. I guess that’s it...

He’d known it would end up like this if he fought. Unfortunately, his life hadn’t held out long enough for just one more swing.

“You won this fight, but...” Furcas said, looking down at Crow. His expression wasn’t that of a victor.

I doubt he’ll kill her too.

Furcas’s only objective was stopping Crow from searching for Naberius. Lily was now strong enough that the average sorcerer was nothing to her. Crow had given her the wisdom to cunningly survive. She would surely grow stronger on her own. Crow’s role was over. And so, he smiled.

“Don’t...worry about that... You’re the one...who’s still standing...”

“Sorry...”

And just as Furcas readied his black whip...

“Mister!”

Lily came running out of the forest.

“Huh? A child...?”

Furcas came to a bewildered stop. Maybe he hadn’t even been informed of Lily’s existence.

But if she gets in the way, Furcas won’t sit still.

Mustering the last of his strength, Crow yelled, “Dumbass! Stay away!”

Nevertheless, Lily ran all the way over to him.

“I won’t let you kill him!” she screamed.

“Big Crow’s disciple? Sorry, I can’t let him live.”

There was a hint of pity in Furcas’s voice as he raised Star Eater overhead. However, the black whip didn’t obey his will. It remained planted on the ground and wouldn’t budge.

“Wha— Gah?!”

Furcas fell to one knee and started sinking into the ground. The black whip was already completely buried.

“Gravity sorcery?!”

While manipulating gravity was an advanced technique, Tilt the Scales was completely elementary within that category. Despite this, a sorcerer of Furcas’s level was incapable of moving.

Star Eater boasted overwhelming strength, but if it had one weakness, it was its own weight. Lily’s sorcery was still immature, but that immature gravity sorcery was enough to completely seal Star Eater.

Severely wounded as he was, Furcas no longer possessed the means of shrugging it off. Lily thrust out both her hands, concentrating the gravity on Furcas. With gravity growing denser and denser around him, the air itself began twisting.

“Aaaaaaaaah!”

And then, it burst. The world shook.

A gravitational wave!

This phenomenon was a nightmarish form of energy that pierced all things in creation with no means of dampening it. What Lily had unleashed was momentary, but it was still a gravitational wave. This was the birthing cry of the sorcery that would one day be known as World Shaker.

She’s just a little girl who started learning sorcery a month ago...

Her tenacity had far surpassed Crow’s imagination. Furcas dove into subspace in a panic. Immediately following that, a shock wave blew through the forest, destroying everything in its path.

Had Furcas been a split second slower, he would’ve died. The gravitational wave had even shaken subspace itself. By the time the shock wave settled, complete silence fell over the area.

What had once been a forest was now a wasteland without so much as a splinter on the ground. Up in the sky, a brilliant full moon drowned out the light from the stars. The girl who’d once cried, unable to do anything but run away from home one month ago, had now become a sorcerer.

10

“No way. Mister, please don’t leave me...”

Lily cradled Crow as large teardrops spilled from her eyes. She surely understood already. Crow’s life was coming to a close. These were his final moments. He somehow managed to reach a hand to her cheek.

“Don’t cry...” he said. “You just blew away an Archdemon candidate. You won.”

“Then stay with me... Don’t leave me alone...”

She was still thirteen. No matter how much he’d pushed her away, having lost everything, it was only natural for her to seek support from the man who’d been right next to her.

“You’re not alone,” Crow said, pulling a pendant from his pocket. “The one who helped you get away is surely...”

He pushed the pendant into her hand. It was a locket, and inside was a picture of two sisters with silver hair and starry eyes.

“This is sis’s...”

“I found it in the market the other day... I just happened to be in town, just happened to find this pendant, and it just happened to be your sister’s memento. You think that could really happen?”

It sounded like nonsense coming from a sorcerer, but surely Lily’s sister had wanted to give this to her. That was why Crow had found it.

“See? You’re not alone,” he told her once more.

Lily shook her head, her silver hair swaying behind her. “I want...you to be with me...” Then, holding back her sobs, she added, “You still haven’t even told me your name.”

Crow was left agape at those words.

“I haven’t...?” he asked.

“You haven’t!”

It was preposterous. This girl had been living with a man whose name she didn’t even know.

I’m really not suited for raising children.

Exasperated with himself, he smiled bitterly.

“Sorry about that. I meant to tell you.”

“What does that even mean...?”

She was quite reasonably taken aback.

And so, Crow introduced himself.

“Asmodeus. I’m Big Crow Asmodeus.”

He placed his hand over hers as she held the locket.

“Take everything I own,” he told her. “It’s all yours.”

He looked up at the pure, white moon glowing down on them. The lunar eclipse was over. Under the moonlight, tears spilled from the girl’s starry eyes, wetting his face.

“Aaah, what a sight,” he said. “If only I had a drink to go with it.”

“Aha... Thinking of drinking even now?”

Fascinated by her helpless smile, the man slowly closed his eyes.

“Mister...?”

And with that, he never spoke again.

Several months later, the girl stood where the carbuncle village had once been located. There were very few who knew that there was one new grave marker there.

The sorcerer known as Furcas had become the new Archdemon. He was the one who’d fought the man on the night he died. Furcas had declined but had been unable to refuse in the end. He’d come here to tell the girl that.

“I couldn’t beat him.”

She was honestly grateful that he paid his respects to the man. Ever since that night, no sorcerers had come after her. Furcas didn’t say anything, but she believed that was his doing.

That was why she was able to return here now.

“Sis, I’m leaving the name Lily here,” she said, talking to the graves.

She clenched the locket hanging from her neck tightly, then turned to the newest grave.

“From now on...I’m Asmodeus.”

With that, she put on the worn-out felt hat that had been sitting on the grave marker.

“You’re fine with that, right? You said you’d give me everything.”

It would take nearly four hundred years for the sorcerer known as Asmodeus to retake all of the carbuncles’ core jewels.

Epilogue

After hearing the story from hundreds of years ago, Kuroka pressed a hand against her chest.

She’s the same as me.

No, despite going through something far worse than Kuroka had, she hadn’t lost heart and had continued fighting.

“Seems we talked a bit too long,” Asmodeus said, standing up as three figures floated down from above.

“Marchosias!”

It was Eldest Marchosias and his two confidants, Lord of Murder Glasya-Labolas and Astrologian Eligor.

“You’re betraying us, Asmodeus?”

“You jest. Our contract has come to a satisfactory conclusion. I did my work properly until I got my full reward, right?” Asmodeus hugged the red gem to her chest, then continued speaking as if in a dream. “Thanks to you, I’ve gotten every last one back. Nobody will touch them anymore. They can all finally sleep in peace.”

She then suddenly raised her face as if remembering something.

“Aaah...but there’s still one left,” she said. “I’ll have to take that back too.”

Watching her eyes roll over to look menacingly at Eligor, Kuroka gulped.

“Kuroka, will you lend me a hand?” Asmodeus asked.

“Yes,” Kuroka answered, her new shortsword in hand.

She wouldn’t be able to return to Shax’s side unless she got through this. And so, Kuroka became a witness to Asmodeus’s final battle.

◇

“Hey, what do you mean Asmodeus is going to be killed...?”

In the Holy City, shortly after making contact with Samyaza, Nephteros followed Shax as he bolted off somewhere.

“Asmodeus’s deal wasn’t a deal to begin with,” Shax answered without slowing down. “She meant to let Kuroka go from the beginning.”

“She’s betraying Marchosias?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

Eldest Marchosias certainly had no reason to let any traitors live. However, that didn’t seem to be the only reason for Shax’s panic.

“Asmodeus is said to be extremely careful and tenacious,” Shax elaborated. “She must have something prepared for exactly this moment. However...”

Nephteros had a feeling she knew what Shax was getting at.

“I see. All the Archdemons who can make a proper move right now are on Marchosias’s side...” she concluded.

“With the boss and Phenex gone, there’s nobody left to help Asmodeus.”

“So why would such a cunning Archdemon choose this exact moment...?” Or maybe it was precisely because of this moment—precisely because Marchosias had won.

“People show the biggest opening when they think they’ve won.”

Though she was still reluctant to accept it, a sorcerer had once taught Nephteros that. That Archdemon had been more talented than all others at seeing people’s true nature. Shax had to understand this too.

“Now is the only time to let Kurosuke get away,” he said. “Making a deal was only a means of tricking Marchosias to buy some time.”

That was why he was in a panic. It was a gamble whether Kuroka could be saved. If Asmodeus failed, Marchosias would never reveal another opening for Kuroka to escape. Above all else, the one making this gamble to save Kuroka was at risk of dying.

Shax came to a sudden stop. They were still in the suburbs of the Holy City, but there was a deserted house before them. Nephteros could sense an ingenious magic circle within it.

“A teleportation circle?” she asked.

“She marked this spot for the handover,” Shax explained. “Meaning she wants me to go over there.”

“You’re going? You don’t even know what’s going on over there.”

Shax turned around to face Nephteros. Richard stood next to her, while Camael, Samyaza, and Michael were behind her.

“If the boss wakes up, tell him hi for me. I’ll definitely bring Kuroka back.”

“I’m coming too,” Nephteros said without hesitation.

“N-No, you can’t. We have no idea how dangerous it’ll be.”

“So what? Kuroka is my friend. More importantly, do you really believe I can just see you off with a smile when you’re acting like you’re running off to your own death?”

She then poked Shax in the chest.

“Do I look like a princess who needs to be protected in a tower? I don’t care if it’s dangerous or how hard things will be. I’ll clear my own path. I want to be able to tell those who saved me that I’m living my life with no regrets.”

She then looked up at the man next to her.

“You’re fine with that, right, Richard?”

“All is as your heart desires.”

Despite her deciding everything on her own, Richard accepted it with a smile.

“I don’t mind if you get just a little angry...” Nephteros said.

“You’re acting of your own will. Why should I get angry?” Richard asked.

Seeing that she couldn’t win, Nephteros’s lips twisted peevishly.

“If possible, I’d like to come as well,” Camael said. “Marchosias must surely be there too. I doubt I will be able to persuade him at this point, but I may at least be able to create an opening.”

“What are you even saying?” Nephteros asked, her tone harsh due to those unforgivable words. “Believe in yourself. You’re the one who wants to save him, remember? How’re you going to do that when you don’t even believe in yourself? Just so you know, I can’t trust someone like that.”

Camael swept back her bangs, a look of shock on her face. Her shoulders then trembled with laughter.

“I see. Forgive me. You’re right. I must be the one who believes in that possibility.” She then turned to Richard. “You really have been blessed with a wonderful partner. I’m a little jealous.”

“I have, and I will not hand her over to anyone,” he told her with a straight face.

Nephteros felt her ears turning bright red.

“I shall go as well,” Samyaza joined in.

“Huh? Are you sure?” Nephteros asked.

“You’ll show me humanity’s potential, yes? Then I must see it for myself.”

“You have my thanks.”

Samyaza’s power was necessary for waking Zagan up. Nephteros had told him this, but if she parted ways with him here, she might never meet him again.

“Then I’ll stay behind,” Michael said. “I’ve gotta tell my daughters about Samyaza and all. Besides, someone’s gotta stay here in case demons show up.”

He had a point. Even with Stella, Ginias, and the other Angelic Knights around, demons would cause casualties. This man was the only one who could prevent that.

Ultimately, I can’t tell if he’s amazing or not...

In that sense, maybe he was somewhat similar to Shax. According to Kuroka, Shax simply had extremely low self-esteem, though.

“Everyone ready?” Shax asked.

They all nodded back to him. Shax looked a little troubled, but he was also relieved.

“Right. Let’s go!”

They then stepped into the teleportation circle. As for what awaited them on the other side, well...

Afterword

It’s been a long time, everyone. I’m Fuminori Teshima, and I have come to deliver An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf BrideVolume 20.

This series has finally reached twenty whole volumes! This is my first time having such a long ongoing series, so I’m both happy and nervous. We’re at the climax, but please stay with me until the very end.

The next volume will involve Kuroka’s and Asmodeus’s fates. And what exactly is happening with our Sleeping Beauty (Zagan)? Plus, the shut-in Barbatos will finally make a move! It’ll be a battle-focused volume.

Also, last month, HJ Bunko published my new series, 義妹なら本気になってもいいよね (Literal translation: Is It Okay for Stepsiblings to Get Serious?). It’s a modern rom-com that differs quite a lot from Elf Bride, but please check it out too.

Now then, to my chief editor A, to COMTA, to everyone else who worked on this book, and to you, my dear readers, who are reading the book at this very moment, thank you very much!

May 2025: On a Devilishly Hot Night

Fuminori Teshima

Bonus Short Stories

The Truth Sometimes Leads to Misunderstandings

“Ginias...? What are you doing over there?”

Lisette cocked her head as she spotted the young Archangel peeking out of the alley that led back to her home.

“Don’t tell me...you’re tailing sis...”

“I-I’m not!” Ginias protested, his face bright red. “You misunderstand me. I would never act so rude toward Lady Stella!”

Lisette giggled.

“Well, I doubt you even have the courage to do that.”

“Please don’t tease me... It’s about Lord Michael.”

“What about him?”

Michael was technically Lisette’s adoptive father, but she still didn’t really see him in that light.

“This might sound a little strange...” Ginias started. “Does it seem like there are...two Lord Michaels?”

“Aaah...”

Ginias wasn’t an Archangel for nothing. It seemed he’d realized that Samyaza was impersonating Michael.

Oh, but can I mention Samyaza’s name?

“Um, he apparently has a brother that he’s been separated from his whole life,” Lisette explained, choosing her words carefully. “That’s my dad.”

“Hmm? Lord Michael’s older brother? Or is Lord Michael the older one?”

Ginias was confused by the lack of detail.

“Oh, no, you’ve got it all wrong. There’s another dad that isn’t Michael.”

“Huh? Meaning you found your real father? And he is Lord Michael’s older brother?”

“No! Um, it’s hard to explain. I don’t have a real dad or anything...”

Lisette’s current family hadn’t told her anything about where she’d come from. However, from witnessing Zagan and Shere Khan’s battle, she had a vague idea. She’d been artificially created. She didn’t lament this fact, but she had no idea how to explain it to others.

“I see... You’ve led a hard life,” Ginias said.

“Hang on. You’ve definitely come to the wrong conclusion.”

Ginias averted his eyes upon hearing that.

“It’s all right. I lost my father too. There’s no need to force yourself to talk about it.”

“You’ve! Got! It! Wrong! Michael adopted me, but I have another dad...”

“Hmm... Meaning you were forced to move? If you’d like, I could lend you a hand in resolving the matter.”

“Wrong!”

It would take several more hours to undo this grave misunderstanding.

Romance in the Countryside

“B-Big bro brought his girlfriend over!”

That one phrase from Micca’s little sister Ayla had the Salvarra household in an uproar. Public order had deteriorated due to Archdemon Zagan’s defeat, so they couldn’t afford to leave any Sacred Swords idle. That was why Micca had been sent home to guard the place.

“Sh-She’s not my girlfriend!” Micca exclaimed.

“Is that not our relationship?” Furfur asked, cocking her head.

“Y-You’re not...entirely wrong.”

Micca was unable to refuse her outright.

“Thought so!” Ayla yelled. “Wow! Are you a maid? You’re so pretty. What’s your name? Are you from around here?”

Faced with this rapid stream of questions, Furfur answered one after the other, her expression remaining constant the whole time.

“I am Furfur. I served my master. He has passed away, so I am now with Micca.”

“Squeeeeee!”

Ayla was somewhat confused by Furfur’s rather peculiar manner of speech, but she immediately started hopping around and squealing once she heard what she was hoping for.

“Maybe you should’ve booked an inn after all...” Micca said, getting a headache.

“Why is that?” Furfur asked. “I will remain by your side.”

She made it sound like that action was perfectly obvious. Micca felt his face turning red.

“Wow... How did you meet big bro?” Ayla asked.

“He helped me when I was lost and looking for my master.”

“And then? And then? Oh, have you two done anything real couple-like?”

“Hmm...? Micca helped me put on lipstick the other day. Is that ‘couple-like’?”

“Squeeeeeeeee!”

Micca covered his face due to how easily Ayla exposed his secrets.

Just then, a sorcerer crept up behind Micca.

“Die! Archang—”

“Huh? Whoa!”

By the time Micca turned around, the sorcerer was already unconscious on the ground. He hadn’t seen it, but Furfur had knocked him out before the man could use any kind of sorcery.

“Augh... Um, thank you, Furfur.”

“It’s my job to protect you.”

The problem was that Ayla had witnessed all of this. Her mouth flapped open and closed before Furfur pressed a finger to Ayla’s lips.

“Please keep me being a sorcerer a secret.”

“Sorcerer romance! Yesssssssss!”

Ayla didn’t shut her mouth for a single moment during Furfur’s stay.