Act 24 - The darkness' holy fire

Seirei Gensouki 24 - Yami no seika, The darkness' holy fire.(精霊幻想記24闇の聖火)

## Synopsis

* English
* Japanese

The boy falls. As he burns himself in hellfire -

Rio continues to explore the labyrinth and gather information in the Holy City Tonelico with Sora.

A young child wearing a white robe called out to the two who returned to the surface after fighting a large number of monsters. What is the true purpose of the child who calls herself Elle and blatantly closes the distance?

On the other hand, Takahisa Sendo, a hero who disappeared from the Galarc Royal Castle, wandered into a brothel district and was pressured by a prostitute girl to become a customer.

[eh, hehe... Thank... you. My Hero. Sama......]

A harsh fate awaits at the end of a reckless escape, and the end is--.

ソラと共に聖都トネリコで迷宮探索や情報収集を続けるリオ。
膨大な魔物との戦闘を終え地上へと戻った二人に声を掛けてきたのは、
白い法衣を纏った幼い子供だった。自らをエルと名乗り、
露骨に距離を詰めてくるその子供の真の目的とは？
一方、ガルアーク王城より失踪した勇者・千堂貴久は娼館街へと迷い込んだ挙句、
娼婦の少女から客になるよう迫られていた。

「え、へへ……。あり、がとう。私の、勇、者さま……」

無謀な逃亡の果てに待ち受ける過酷な運命、その結末は――。
## Contents

### Prologue.

Holy kingdom Armada, the dungeon in the holy capital Tonerico, at the same time that Rio and Sora got stuck in the dungeon’s eleventh floor. Somewhere in the dungeon’s depths a child wearing white priest clothes stands inside a magic circle in the center of a great space. The child seemed to be younger than ten years old and their long bangs covering their face didn’t let see if they were a boy or a girl. The child was looking at the ceiling while smiling happily when a man that resembles Reis wearing a white robe approaches them and greets them. The child tells the man that it has been a while and the man tells the child that he came to pick up a golem because he needed it and then he asks the child what they are looking at. The child tells the man that there is a very interesting existence and asks the man how it was the outside world lately.

The man tells the child that it is unusual for them to be interested in the outside world. The child says it suddenly got their interest and that they think it could also be related to the reason why the man wants the golem. The child finally stops looking at the ceiling and greets the man, Fenris nii-san, with a mischievous smile. Fenris stays silent for a moment wondering what the child might be thinking about. The child tells Fenris that there are two interesting people invading the dungeon and that right now they are on the eleventh floor. Fenris frowns as if realizing something. The child asks Fenris if he understood something with just that information. Fenris says he did because it is impossible to arrive at the eleventh floor without a group of hero-class people or at least a great hero-class person but those two must be exploring the eleventh floor without fighting or running away. The child tells Fenris that he guessed right, that the intruders annihilated the monster they sent their way and seems to be looking for the way down to the twelfth floor. The man says that for what he knows the fitting candidates are scarce, the three, now four, that he designed as caution warranting targets, and that the intruders must be two from those.

The child asks Fenris if there are still other two monster-like people like the two on the eleventh floor. Fenris tells the child that the world is wide and that there might still be strong people he doesn’t know about. The child says that it is like that and that he will teach Fenris about the two in the eleventh floor, a familiar of the dragon king and a boy in his teens they don’t understand well what they are. Reis says that as expected and sighs deeply while holding his chin on his fingers and sighing. The child asks Fenris if he can’t guess it already since there isn’t a reason for a familiar to obey someone else aside from their lord. Fenris asks the child if they mean that the boy is the dragon king and says that it is impossible, that there isn’t a way for him to mistake him for someone else and that his familiar aside he can’t think the dragon king is alive. Unlike Fenris the child is excited, they tell Fenris that they don’t think either the dragon king is alive and asks Fenris if the boy in the eleventh floor being the same as the person he has in mind doesn’t mean that he is acknowledged as a transcendental by the world. Fenris doesn’t answer. The child says that the boy probably used an authority and asks if it wasn’t then that God’s rules activated and he became a transcendental despite having a human body. The child says they can’t believe it, that there shouldn’t be a way for a human body to endure the use of an authority and that even the heroes would die despite them being assimilated with the great spirits. Fenris agrees with the child but tells him that the boy being a transcendental and him living in human society until now are unshakable truths.

The child tells Fenris sulkingly that he knows a lot about the boy. Fenris says that it is because he has a past with him, that even before he became a transcendental a lot happened. The child says that it seems like Fenris was having fun while they were locked in the dungeon. Fenris says he struggles to understand what gave the child that impression from their talk. The child asks Fenris if it isn’t because he got a rival, that a plan that is like a game where only one of the players can move their pieces through the board is boring, but that now it is getting interesting. Fenris tells the child that their plan isn’t a game. The child says that duty and pleasure go hand in hand, that it is because it is fun that a duty feels like a match. Fenris tells the child that the opponent in the match might be the wise God Lina. The child frowns unhappily listening to Lina’s name and says that it wouldn’t be strange for her to be involved too if the dragon king is there but that she thought she died alongside the dragon king. Fenris says that it is uncertain if she is alive or dead but that it is true that that Goddess’ existence seems to flicker on this, that she might have foreseen their plan one thousand years ago and have something prepared. The child says with a happy tone in contrast to their words that if that woman who can see the future is involved it will be complicated to do everything at once, that even though she is just playing small tricks she is insuperable.

Reis tells the child to go back to the topic, that it is an incredibly bad situation to have the boy that holds the authority of the dragon king that should be dead invading the dungeon while bringing along a familiar. The child says that normally it is impossible to access the twelfth floor without their permission but that if the dragon king’s authority is involved things change and asks Fenrir if they should eliminate the invaders even though sudden great battles aren’t of their liking. Fenrir tells the child to not do it, that they don’t need to do anything as long as the invaders stay on the eleventh floor. The boy tells Fenris that he is cautious, that several golems are in stand by where they are, that if them, the dungeon’s administrator, is with him they can reduce the effect of God’s rules and he should be able to fight while having recovered his original power to an extent. Fenris tells the child that he fears that if the boy can make full use of the dragon king’s power they will also suffer losses that they can’t ignore, that he is anxious but that it isn’t a situation where they can panic, that first they need to get information about that why he came to the dungeon and of how much he knows of their plans, that if he doesn’t go down to the twelfth floor they will do it like that. The child says they understand and tells Fenris to let it to them. Fenris asks the child while sighting what they say they will take care of. The child says with an intrepid smile that of course they mean the information gathering and asks Fenrir if they don’t need to know how many of their cards were seen.

### Chapter 1: At the holy city Tonerico.

While Fenris and the child are talking, Rio and Sora meet each other at the entrance of the eleventh floor after exploring it. Rio says that it doesn’t seem like there is a way down to the twelfth floor. Sora apologizes to Rio for not finding either a way down-looking path. Rio tells Sora that she doesn’t need to apologize and that there isn’t any visible corridor, that then as expected the path might be hidden somehow or the eleventh floor might be the lowest one. Sora asks if she should try to break the walls while making punching gestures with her arms. Rio tells Sora that they should just dig if they are sure there is a space beyond the walls, that if they dig without a plan there is the risk of a collapse. Rio also thinks inside his head while looking at the vast space that it would be a lot of work to search all of it, that even if he can check what it is beyond the earth circulating his magic power through it the several kilometers wide and hundred meters high eleventh floor is too big. Rio sighs reluctantly but there isn’t a way for him to just go back, the eleventh floor is the deepest part reached by humanity, that it might be where the divine war started or that there might me a clue about why Lina make the dragon king reincarnate, so he tells Sora to use spirit arts to search for spaces beyond the walls, floor and ceiling together even if it will take time. Sora says that there isn’t a way for her to allow the dragon king to do such a chore and tells Rio to please leave it to her. Rio tells Sora that he won’t have her doing such a thing alone, that they are in space that it is so big and they should do it together. Sora tries to refuse and Rio tells her that it is fine and that he wants to help her. Sora agrees happily after being told that and the two begin to inspect the eleventh floor.

At the same time the child looks at Rio and Sora continuing with their research, they say that it is as expected, that they don’t know the way to go down to the twelfth floor but that they seem to continue their investigation. Fenris says that the problem is if they are investigating because they are convinced there is a twelfth floor or because they think there might be a twelfth floor. The child say they wonder which will be, that if they came to the dungeon on Lina’s orders the way to go down to the twelfth floor is something they should know about, but that if they give up and leave the chances of they knot knowing if there is a twelfth floor or not might be high. Fenris agrees and says that for the time being they can just wait and see. After seeing Fenris sighing, the child tells him to let Rio’s and Sora’s surveillance to them and that it is fine for him to go back to his job and asks him if he isn’t busy unlike them who are locked in the dungeon. Fenris says he wouldn’t suffer if he could do that. The child asks Fenris if it isn't fine for him to trust more in his cute little sister. Fenris tells the girl that she doesn’t know well about Rio yet and that he has been an opponent he can’t lower his guard against even from before he became a transcendental. The girl asks sulkingly if that is the reason why he thinks she will do something that will ruin their plans. Fenris tells the girl that it is because with her personality she could go to meet Rio the moment he takes his eyes off her. The girl tells Fenris to be at ease because she will choose a time and place for that.

Fenris asks the girl with surprise if she will meet Rio outside. The girl says she will, that it will be suspicious if she meets him inside the dungeon. Fenris is dubious and the girl asks him if it won’t be not that bad if she appears in front of them outside the dungeon. Fenris tells the girl that she also is at risk of being too weakened while in the outside world. The girl tells Fenris that he really loves her, that when she thought he was worrying about her doing some mischief it turned out he was being overprotective. Fenris tells the girl that it is because her existence is indispensable for completing their plans. The girl says she will let things be like that and asks Fenris what they will do, she asks him with her gaze if she won’t let her go to meet Rio. Fenris agrees reluctantly while saying that the girl might certainly be more fitting for probing Rio than him. The girl says that it is decided then and that the first will be to make sure if Rio is or not the dragon king.

A little later, at the pope’s office, Fenris sits on his chair while sighing worriedly, then a priestess called Anna Mendoza, his secretary, knocks the door of his office with her arms full of papers and asks Fenris if she can enter. Fenris tells Anna she can come in. Anna greets Fenris and congratulates him for his hard work at the several months long sealing ceremony. Fenris says he is very tired so he wants her to let him have a rest because he will have to go back soon to the sealing ceremony. Anna tells Fenris that it can’t be, that during his absence the number of matters she needs him to look into piled up and tells him to please check them. Fenris says that it is because of that that he didn’t want to come back and asks Anna if she can explain the pending matters in an easy to understand manner. Anna says that gladly, that the thing with the highest priority would be the priests’ embezzlement. Fenris gives answers like “Aha”,”understood” or “I see” to Anna’s explanations while eyeing the documents. Fenris thinks that things got bad precisely when he finally came back home but then corrects himself, he begins to think it might be fortunate that Rio came when he was back, then he looks at the window.

Fenris thinks if Rio and his familiar are in the dungeon the defenses of the Galarc kingdom where Rio’s forces are dispersed should be thin, that it would be the perfect moment for attacking with the golem he came to get but… What if Lina is the one pulling Rio’s strings? Fenris can’t think Lina didn’t foresee this situation and what actions he would take after seeing the defenses around Rio’s group are thin, he fears there is a trap waiting for him. Reis thinks Lina is a troublesome opponent, that if that Goddess’ face hadn’t been flickering on this now he would be attacking the Galarc kingdom without any doubt, that with that he would eliminate Celia and with luck Aisia too. Anna calls out to Fenris when she sees him sighing with hesitation. Fenris asks Anna what it is. Anna tells Fenrir that seeing him looking at the window made her fear he had his mind on the clouds. Fenris says he was just thinking about other things while listening to her explanation and that he also got a good idea about what to do with the people embezzling donations. Anna says that as expected of him while taking back the documents from Fenris. Fenris says he just took a look at where the numbers were wrong or unnatural and that he will go give a warning to the involved people and see if things get better from now on. Anna says that then next in order is… Fenris tells Anna to take care quickly of everything, then he looks through the window at the city’s streets while thinking he needs to stay in wait and see mode until the information gathering is done, that it would be troublesome if he meets Rio in the city and that it won’t do either if he doesn’t take Renji back to the Proxia empire.

Two days later, at noon, Rio and Sora are finally leaving the dungeon after failing to find a way down to the twelfth floor with their spirit arts. Rio says that as expected the sunlight is dazzling when going out. Sora tells Rio to take care of not letting the sun damage his eyes. Rio says it is fine and that he will get used to it soon. Sora then begins to curse Lina for having Rio stay in such a dark and damp place. Rio says that it isn’t like it is Lina’s fault. Sora says that everything is Lina’s fault, that she can’t just make the dragon king reincarnate one thousand years later in order to have him do something and not let a single clue for him, that it is her fault that they wasted so much time. Rio thinks it might be obvious Lina would let a clue for him if she wanted to have him do something, but that if someone who can see the future didn’t let a clue that in itself might have a meaning too. Rio tries to calm Sora down telling her that it is also a good harvest to know they won’t find any clue-like clue and tells Sora to go eat something delicious in town to change their mood. Sora agrees happily and tells Lina to be thankful for Rio’s mercy.
Sora walks in a good mood towards the city but Rio takes a last look back at the dungeon while thinking it is a suspicious place, that it would be unnatural to not suspect of the dungeon seeing how it still produces monsters one thousand years after being turned in the place where the monsters from another world began to invade because of the wise God’s experiments, but despite that the during the last two days researching its eleventh floor he didn’t find a way down and not new monsters appeared either, he thinks researching with just the dungeon being obviously suspicious at the reason won’t achieve anything right now. Sora asks Rio if something happened. Rio tells Sora that it is nothing and to keep going. A little after Rio and Sora walk away from the dungeon a small child comes out of its entrance and follows after them.

A little later, Sora and Rio walk through Tonerico’s main street while looking for a place to eat, Rio tells Sora that he thought what Lina foresaw during the divine war era must have been something related to it, but that it could also be something completely different. Sora tells Rio that in that case they don’t have a way to investigate it anymore, and that he doesn’t need to concern himself with that because it would be that stupid Lina’s fault. Rio tells Sora that it is possible too that they overlooked something and that as expected the dungeon is related to it. Sora asks if they will enter the dungeon once more. Rio says that it might be fine to enter the dungeon one more time but that before that he wants to research the land in detail. Sora asks Rio if there is a place where there is information that isn't as shallow as the normal citizens’. Rio says that there is, that a place where it seems like he can investigate a lot of things comes to mind. Sora tells Rio that as expected of him and asks him where that place is. Rio says that it is the temple, that it is the residence of the people who rule the city, that it must have a library with ancient documents about the land. Sora says she understands and asks Rio if he wants to go to the library. Rio says he wants to with a troubled face because he doesn’t think it will be a place where anyone is granted access easily since a library is a place full of valuables called books.

Rio thinks he has no more option that sneaking into the library and staying there for a while after, that even if people won’t able to remember his face if they see him entering the library they will still remember someone got inside and reinforce the security accordingly, that he won’t be able to just come and go from there. While Rio was thinking about that someone called out to Sora and him. Rio lets out a surprised voice and looks at a child no bigger than Sora with white clothes and long bangs that cover their eyes standing next to her and whose androgynous face makes it unclear if they are a boy or a girl. The child asks Rio what about the temple. Rio wonders if the child’s priest clothes mean that they are an apprentice at the temple, Rio is also surprised at the child calling out to a transcendental and his familiar despite them not having done anything conspicuous. Sora tells the child that they are busy and that they have no time to lose with a brat and to go away. The child tells Sora that she is interesting and that she is also a brat. Sora tells the child that she is an adult lady and that they are a rude brat. Rio tells Sora to calm down, apologizes to the child and asks them who they are. The child tells Rio that as he can see they are someone from the temple so when they listened to him talking about the temple they got a little curious.

Rio says he understands and tells the child that rather than about the temple he is interested about the land’s history, so he was wondering if the temple would manage that kind of information too. The child says they understand while approaching Rio and looking at him with their face very close to his. Rio asks the child if something happened. The child asks Rio if this is their first meeting. Rio tells the child that it should be like that. The child says they understand, that they must have felt strangely nostalgic because of their similar hair color, that it is as Rio says their first meeting while laughing happily. Then Sora tells the child to get away from Rio and asks them if they plan on picking him up focusing in that similitude, she tells them they are getting carried away for a brat. The child steps away from Rio calmly while laughing and saying that it is really their first meeting. Sora tells the child that she would never forget a brat as rude as them. The child says it seems like they won’t forget about them either, then they also say they forgot to introduce themselves and say they are Elle while offering a hand to Rio. Rio introduces himself and Sora while returning the hand shake while Sora sulks next to him. Elle says that it is coincidence that three people with names with just two katakanas met, that that might be fate too and that they will teach them about the land if they want to know about it. Rio hesitates to accept the offer, the other person is a child he has just met. Elle says that despite their appearance she is a scholar working at the temple and is familiarized with the history of the holy city and with how things were before its construction during the divine war era. Rio says that it would be thankful if it is like that with doubt because the timing for Elle’s offer is just too convenient.

Elle says that it is decided then and tells Rio to be at ease because they are older than their looks. Rio tells Elle to please let him thank them with something for her teachings while bowing his head to her with a hand on his chest. Elle praises Rio’s flexibility when they see his change in aptitude, they tell Rio that there isn’t much they want so it is fine for him to just invite them to something delicious, that they also want to know more about him, that he is a traveler going by his appearance so they are curious about the outside world they don’t know much about, then they tell Rio and Sora to follow them, that it has a been while since their last visit but that there should be a restaurant with delicious food nearby. Sora sulks about Elle deciding their destination by themselves and Rio tells her that it is fine, that it is thankful to be guided to a restaurant and to go with Elle.

Elle says that they arrived when Rio and Sora come in front of a luxurious building that appears to have a story of centuries. Elle says they feel nostalgic while wondering how long it has been since their last visit. Sora whispers next to Elle about the evidence of how much they are forcing themselves to act adult-like. Rio meanwhile thinks despite their childish appearance Elle really makes one think they might be older than their appearance because of their aptitude and mannerisms, that they might be similar to Celia that also has a childish appearance despite her age, that contrary to that Sora is the one who really looks like a child trying to act more adult-like but failing because of her usual aptitude. Sora asks Rio what it is when she feels his gaze on her and Rio says it is nothing while laughing awkwardly. Elle enters the restaurant ahead of the group and asks an old waiter for a table for three, then the three are guided to a private room, the only unreserved place in the restaurant. When the three take their seats Elle asks the waiter for three servings of the pope style paella they think the restaurant is famous for.

Elle asks the old waiter what happened when she sees him standing there dumbfounded. The waiter apologizes and says he was just surprised about listening to a nostalgic name of the menu. Elle asks if that means they don’t serve the dish anymore. The waiter tells her that the restaurant still serves the dish, that it just has a different name now and to please wait for a bit until it is ready. Elle says they don’t mind the wait and asks the waiter why they changed the names on the menu. The waiter says it happened more than ten years ago, that a lot of the priests visiting the restaurant used to complain about the disrespectfulness of using the pope’s title in the menu. Elle says that that is silly and that their older brother wouldn’t have minded such a thing, she asks the waiter if it wouldn’t be presumptuous for mere priests to criticize an article with the pope’s name on it. Elle asks Rio and the waiter what happened after seeing them letting out surprised voices. Rio says there is something that caught his attention and asks Elle what they mean by older brother. Elle says they mean the pope Fenris Tonerico and asks Rio if he doesn’t at least know his name.

Rio says he does with an awkward smile and the waiter apologizes in a fluster for being so casual with a relative of the pope. Rio thinks he never believed Elle would be related to the pope despite his conviction of them not being just a commoner. Elle tells the waiter still in the middle of his reverence to raise his head, that she isn’t officially treated as the pope’s little sister, that more precisely speaking she is an existence that can’t be treated like that. Rio thinks in his head that as expected when the words little sister confirm to him that Elle is a girl while wondering about the meaning of “not being possible to be treated as the pope’s sister”. The waiter makes a worried face wondering if he listened to something bad. Elle tells the waiter to not misunderstand things, that she is just a child from one of the orphanages managed by the church and that he must know how things are from listening to that. Rio asks in exchange of the hesitating old waiter if Elle means that she isn’t a blood relative of the pope. Elle says that that’s it and that that’s why they don’t need to humble themselves so much with her, at least officially. Elle laughs when she sees Rio and the waiter not knowing how to answer, she says her last words were just a joke, that she can’t help it but want to have fun talking with people after so long because normally she is locked in the temple.

Rio says he won’t ask Elle how much of what she said is a joke. Elle tells Rio to please do that, that it is still true that she is an existence that normally doesn’t enter the main stage anyway, that the pope Fenris Tonerico has no little sister so he has to stay quiet about it if he likes his life. The waiter says that of course, that the only thing he asked for was their order.  Elle then asks Rio and Sora if they want to order anything else while warning them to take into account in their orders that the paella servings will be big. Sora then orders a steak after obtaining Rio’s permission. The waiter takes the order while being surprised about Sora’s indifference to Elle’s background. Elle tells Sora she is quite the meat fan. Sora asks Elle if there is anything else to look forward to but the meat when eating out. Elle asks Sora if she doesn’t want to know who she is. Sora tells Elle she cares about her identity the same as about the weather one thousand years ago and that she has no memory of giving Elle permission to treat her so casually. Elle laughs at that and tells Sora that that sounds just like she has been alive one thousand years ago and that she is interesting.

Sora tells Elle again that she didn’t give her permission to treat her so casually. Elle tells Sora to not be like that and to please become her friend. Sora tilts her head and asks Elle if she wants to be her friend. Elle says she does, that she got excited when she met someone that seems like they can be her friend after long, she asks Sora what she thinks of being friends with a fellow adult lady and if she won’t accept. Sora doesn’t know what to answer after her one thousand years of keeping her distance from people because she will be forgotten anyway. Rio asks Sora what she will do and tells her he would be happy if her number of friends rises. Sora says she understands and that if Rio is like that she will give Elle permission to act casually with her just that once. Elle says she is happy about that and that she will be in Sora’s care then. Sora says she will be in Elle’s too while looking away in embarrassment. Elle says she wanted to meet Rio and Sora sooner, but that if she had they wouldn’t be able to become friends, that things just don’t go her way. Sora asks Elle what she means. Elle says that her words have no deep meaning and to be done putting their orders rather than that.

Once the waiter leaves with all of the orders Elle asks Rio what he wants to know about the land’s history. Then while Rio wonders about what to ask first Elle tells him to use the same casual tone from when they first met. Rio tries to refuse but decides to cede to Elle’s insistence. Elle then asks Rio once more what he wants to know. Rio asks Elle if there is any record of abnormalities and of problems occurred in the land during the last one thousand years. Elle tells Rio that his question is about a topic very wide and asks Rio how much he knows already about the city and the Armada kingdom. Rio says he has just arrived at the Armada kingdom and only has surface level knowledge. Elle says she understands and asks Rio if he knows what can’t be let out when writing about the land’s history. Rio asks if it is the dungeon. Elle tells Rio he is right, that the holy kingdom was founded more than 950 years ago, that then there wasn’t a holy city or a pope and the dungeon still was managed by the royal family, that the magic stones obtained when defeating the dungeon’s monsters are an attractive resource so the king wanted to get it, but the dungeon has its downsides too like the times when a great quantity of monsters comes out from it, the dungeon catastrophes.

Elle says that the first one that occurred 900 hundred years ago was specially big, it is said several hundreds of thousands of monsters came out from the dungeon at the time, with the monsters destroying the city still in development at that time and spreading through the whole kingdom first and the rest of the Stralh region later. At that time all of the kingdoms wondered if it was that the war hadn’t ended yet but discarded the idea when they saw that the monsters weren’t moving with a goal in mind and just ended dispersed in swarms through the Stralh region and taking random places as their habitats, but despite that the king of Armada was strongly criticized. The rest of the kingdoms concluded in the end that they couldn’t blame of everything the Armada kingdom because it was impossible to predict the monsters’ actions and because it wasn’t like they caused the catastrophe, but that there were a lot people saying that there must have been any omen or that they could have prevented the catastrophe. The damage was so wide that it was said that that catastrophe is the reason why the monsters are spread through the Stralh region now in the modern times.

The king of the past would have a hard time escaping the blaming voices and the criticism if there was another catastrophe, they wanted a way to escape the responsibility of managing the dungeon but it was impossible, if another catastrophe occurs they would be the first ones in suffering the damage and couldn’t afford either to lose the access to the magic stones, so they decided to not be directly responsible of the dungeon, they created the church and the adventurers guild and had them be the dungeon’s manager and the magic stone’s collector respectively, and because the land around the city wasn’t suited for the agriculture the city couldn’t hog the magic stones because they would always need to get their foodstuffs from the Armada kingdom if they wanted to survive. Elle says proudly that it is a well thought system as if she had done it herself, then she asks Rio if all of that answers his question. Rio says it was a really interesting story but that there still are several things that bother him. Elle tells Rio that it is fine for him to ask whatever he wants.

Rio asks Elle if the dungeon catastrophes occur often. Elle tells Rio that it isn’t strange for the monsters to overflow from the dungeon, but that if it is on a scale big enough to be called catastrophe then it would be once every one hundred years and that the last one was thirty eight years and seventy five days ago. Rio praises Elle for remembering even those small details. Elle says she is a scholar hopeful despite her appearance and that she has confidence in her memory even if she can’t compare to the wise Gods. Rio asks Elle from which scale a monster stampede is considered a catastrophe. Elle says that there isn’t a clear standard and that there has been cases of stampedes from a few hundreds to two thousand monsters being considered catastrophes. Rio says that the bar fell quite much compared with the first catastrophe. Elle says that it is the opposite, that the scale of the first catastrophe was too irregular, that the biggest one after that one is of just some tens of thousands, that it had kept going down with time and that lately there hasn’t been stampedes of more than five thousand monsters.

Rio says he understands and asks if monsters coming out of the dungeon outside of the catastrophes is a common thing. Elle says that some group of ten or some monsters come out everyday and every few months a group of several dozens comes out. Rio says he understands and Elle asks if something worries him. Rio says he was wondering if there was a plan in the monsters’ movements, that he wonders if there is a commanding existence lurking in the dungeon’s depths instead of the monsters just entering a collective panic and rampaging like people believe. Elle asks Rio if he thinks the existence that caused the divine war is still in the dungeon. Rio says he does, that if the monsters remain after the war it wouldn’t be strange for an existence that commands the monsters to remain too, that he thought the monsters’ actions showing some kind of plan could become a proof of that. Elle says that that is interesting, that the monsters usually behave primitively, not bothering to form groups and just attacking anything in sight with anger and no plan, but that if as he says a plan-like thing can be seen in the monsters’ actions it could become a proof of his speculations. Rio asks Elle if she thinks there is any plan to the monsters’ actions since the past until now.

Elle says that the sample cases are too scarce, that if she is looking for a plan she would have to look at the monsters’ actions after the catastrophes but that the times the monsters won were just the first catastrophe and that she already told him what the monsters did after that. Rio asks Elle if she means the monsters dispersing because of the lack of a target. Elle says she does, that if the monsters had had a plan they would have made a base next to the dungeon, but they didn’t, they just searched blindly and without leadership for the next place to attack, then she asks Rio if he thinks the monsters had a plan. Rio says that it doesn’t seem so. Elle says that even when she looked at the movements of the disperse monsters they just seemed to be rampaging as they pleased, that there weren’t damages that seemed to be the result of a plan either, that a lot of time happened until the next catastrophe, so the researchers of the past could only conclude that the cause must have been the monsters entering a mass panic. Rio says he understands while wondering if what Lina predicted was unrelated to the dungeon, he still thinks the dungeon is suspicious and feels there’s something there but the eleventh floor was a dead end, he wonders if what he did was just prevent the next dungeon catastrophe. Rio can’t decide yet how much to involve himself with the dungeon, the more he thinks about it the more unrelated to things it seems and it also exists the risk of the rules considering he is helping humans too much if he kills too many monsters.

Elle tells Rio his face doesn’t seem convinced with the conclusion. Rio says it can’t be helped if there is nothing but that he wonders if he overlooked something, that the dungeon is too mysterious. Elle tells Rio that it is his chance, that she will answer any question related to the dungeon’s mysteries he might have and then tells Rio while smiling slyly that he might not have another chance. Rio thanks Elle for that and asks her about the monsters’ ecology, if they have any base where they sleep or have their meals since there wasn’t any trace of that in the dungeon and they don’t tend to fields or raise livestock either. Elle explains that the monsters are omnivores that were also witnessed eating rocks and earth and that they seem to turn all of the substances into nutrition since they don’t excrete anything. Elle also explains that the monsters’ fertility is high but that it is hard to tell apart males and females because the females have no breasts, that because they don’t need to use them to feed their babies they never swell, that it is known that new born monsters eat just like the adult ones. Rio says he understands and Elle asks him what it is on his mind when she sees him doing a thoughtful face. Rio says he just thought about how much the monsters’ evolution differs from the humans’ despite them being both bipedal creatures and was wondering what kind of environment it takes to make one evolve like that. Elle says that that is interesting and tells Rio he is a sharp one. Sora says that it is like that, that Rio is the wisest person in the world and praises Elle for her good eye at noticing it. Rio thanks Sora with a troubled laugh. Elle says she thinks Rio’s observations are true, that the other world the monsters are said to have come attacking from might have been a place hostile to them. Rio says it might be like that, then the food arrives and the three decide to continue their talk after the meal.

After the food is put on the table he thinks as expected when he sees the paella, that it really seems to be the dish from earth. Elle tells Rio that he looks like he had eaten paella already. Rio says he can’t be certain without testing the dish but that he had similar dishes before and that the burnt parts seem delicious. Elle says Rio that he really understands it and to dig in. Rio agrees and tells Sora he thinks she will also like the paella. Sora nods and says she has expectations for it, then she tells the waiter to not put vegetables in her portion and he agrees with a wry smile. Elle tells Sora that she can’t approve of an adult lady being picky and that food is like life, that she will just be an adult when she tastes both the bitter and sweet things. Sora tells Elle that she is noisy and that taking just the delicious parts is the adult way to do things. Elle says she understands and praises Sora’s reasoning. After the waiter is done serving all the dishes Elle tells him he can leave and he lets the group to themselves.

They begin with the paella and when Elle sees both Rio and Sora like it she tells them that that taste was what she wanted them to know, then asks Rio how the paella compares with the things he ate before. Rio tells Elle that it is delicious, that he thought it would be difficult to unite the taste of the meat, fish, vegetables and seafoods but that they did it well, that there isn’t any smell and the dish is easy to eat. Elle tells Rio that he gets it, that there are a lot of types of paella but that only the pope style one has all of the ingredients on it. Sora is also happy with the paella and Elle says that it is the best if she likes it too. Rio tells Sora that he will make paella for her another time but that he isn’t sure he will be able to match the one they are having, that if it is for her a paella with just meat might be good. Sora thanks Rio for that. Elle then asks Rio if he can cook. Rio says he can do it at the level of a hobbyist. Elle says that then she wants to try eating the paella he made too. Rio says he will do it if there is a chance while feeling guilty about his condition as a transcendental getting in the way of that wish. Elle says that it is a promise then, that he one day will let her have the paella he made while having fun talking together just like now and that then she will obviously prepare something as thanks. Rio says he understands. Elle tells Rio that she already told him that he has confidence in her memory so later she won’t let him say that he forgot. Rio says that of course with a lonely smile.

Elle then says she has an idea, she asks Rio if she wouldn’t have his handmade cooking everyday if she becomes his wife, she asks Rio what about saying that she herself will be the thanks for the paella. Rio loses his words and Sora chokes with the food. Elle says she won’t let Rio get bored and that it seems that her face is more attractive than others’, then she raises her bangs and shows Rio her face. While Rio wonders about how to refuse politely Sora asks Elle screaming what she means by that and what she is planning. Elle says that it is because Rio is cool. Sora says that it is exactly like that and that Elle understands it well. Elle asks Sora if it wouldn’t be rude to Rio not saying a single word of love after finding such a man. Sora says it is like that, to her Rio is someone who is natural to be admired so she can’t deny declarations that do precisely that. Elle then reminds Sora of the existence of her steak and asks her if it doesn’t taste better when eaten before it gets cold. Sora says she knows that and that it is Elle’s fault for saying strange things, then she begins to do a sloppy face while eating the steak. Elle says with a smile that Sora really likes her meat. Rio sights and Elle tells him to tell her his answer to the proposal at the time of inviting her to the paella, Rio just laughs awkwardly at that.

An hour later, there were some awkward moments but the meal ended safely and Rio asked Elle some more questions about the dungeon, paid the bill and the three left the restaurant. Rio then thanks Elle for everything she taught him. Elle says that she was able to have a fun time after a while, that it is really good that she met them, that she would be happy if they could spend their time talking leisurely like today the next time they meet. Rio agrees with Elle’s words while making a lonely face knowing he will be forgotten afterwards, Sora also looks worriedly at Rio’s profile. Elle tells them that it is fine, she tells them to not worry, that they will meet again, that they are already friends. Rio agrees with a smile. Elle tells them that she will call out to them again if she sees them in the city, that as she said before she is confident in her memory, that now she will never forget their faces. Rio says he understands and that he will wait for that moment. Elle says she will do too and tells Rio and Sora to meet again. Sora says she will think about it.

Elle says she is bad with sad things so she will just say bye normally. Rio nods and turns to leave with Sora after saying his farewell. Then after Rio turns his back on her and walks some meters away from her Elle calls out to him. When Rio looks back at her Elle tells him that the information she gave him just includes the floors reached by humanity in the past and that she doesn’t know what is going on in the depths. Rio nods. Elle tells Rio that there are a lot among the adventurers diving in the dungeon that do it for the sake of solving the mysteries he talked about, so it might be fine for him to dive in the dungeon too and research it himself. Rio says he understands and that he will give it a try. Elle apologizes for holding Rio back and tells him that this time for sure is a farewell and to meet again. Rio agrees and leaves with Sora. Rio looked back one last time but Elle wasn’t there anymore. Rio thinks she just disappeared in the crowd but Elle is looking at them from a side alley, she says she is sure about it now, absolutely sure, that Rio is a different person that just has the dragon king’s authority but… Elle looks silently at Rio and Sora while wondering about something, when she can’t see Rio and Sora anymore Elle decides to go take a stroll before going to report to Fenris about her day, then she walks in the direction opposite to Rio’s with a smile.

### Chapter 2: Return.

At the same time that Rio and Sora met with Elle, in François’ office. Celia has finally arrived alongside Aria and Monica to Galarc’s capital and went to explain to François and Christina what happened in her end during her absence. Celia and Monica sit facing Christina while Flora, Liselotte and François look at them from the side. Celia apologizes to Christina for acting on her own outside of the scheduled plans. Christina sights with relief and tells Celia she doesn’t need to apologize and that she already listened to everything from Liselotte, that she is glad she returned safely and is also happy to meet Monica. Monica introduces herself to Christina and thanks her for how much she had looked out for Celia and her family. Christina tells Monica that she knows about the weakness of her body and asks her how her condition is. Monica apologizes to Christina for making her worry and tells her that she is fine right now and happy about having met her daughter after so long. Christina says that all is well then with some hesitation and asks Celia if she can explain from her mouth what happened once again.

Celia says that of course and begins her recollection, she explains about Helmut’s ambush, her escape until Amande to get Liselotte’s help, her trip to warn her family of the occurred at the fortress, the attack of the Heavenly lions and Roland’s decision of staying back while asking her to bring Monica with her to Galtuuk. Celia then tells Liselotte that without Aria she wouldn’t have reached her parents house and thanks her for letting her have Aria’s help. Liselotte tells Celia she doesn’t need to thank her, that it is really good that Celia returned safely and lastly she praises Aria’s goodwork. Aria says she is honored by Liselotte’s praise. Christina then asks Celia if she can’t explain in more detail how she escaped Helmut’s ambush, even if she doesn’t doubt Celia’s skill in magic she is supposed to be a rearguard, so how did she avoid being captured while surrounded and in an enclosed space? Christina is sure that some common sense breaking thing must have happened and wants to listen to it in detail. Then Celia explains about the new spells she learnt.

Some dozens of minutes later Celia arrives at Rio’s mansion where everyone was waiting for her at the entrance, when they see Celia they walk towards her together. Celia tells everyone she is back and then asks what is happening when she sees that all of them look like they want to say something. Charlotte tells Celia while grinning widely that after knowing of her return she explained everything to everyone. Celia makes an understanding and guilty face listening to that. Charlotte tells Celia that she just had to stay silent until her return so once she knew she was back she explained everything without hiding anything from everyone. While Celia laughs awkwardly not knowing how to begin to apologize Latifa hugs her and asks her why she stayed silent. Celia says she didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to make them worry about her and because doing what she did was her duty as a noble from the Bertram kingdom. Celia says she is sorry about making them worry but that she thought she couldn’t keep getting everyone involved every time something related to the kingdom happens, that it is because they are important for her that there are times when it is bad to rely on them. Listening to Celia’s thoughts abated everyone’s anger, but agreeing with what she says is a different matter. Sara and Alma say with frustration that putting it like that is unfair and offensive.

Celia tries to make them feel better by flexing her left arm and telling everyone that she got stronger recently without their knowledge but she just earns herself a round of glares. While Celia laughs awkwardly Charlotte tells everyone to please scold Celia more in the place of the her who was forced to stay silent by herself. Celia apologizes to Charlotte for that. Charlotte tells Celia to not apologize for that because she will just let her be for the time being because they have a guest, but that later she will trouble her with things she won’t have a come back for and tells Celia to please resolve herself. Celia says she understands while Charlotte separates from her sulkingly. After Aisia also welcomes Celia back telepathically Charlotte asks Celia who is the woman accompanying Liselotte and Aria that resembles her so much. Monica then introduces herself to everyone as Celia’s mother. Satsuki lets out a surprised scream listening to that and asks if it is true. Monica says that it is. Satsuki tells Monica that she just seems to be in her twenties despite that. Monica says that listening to that makes her happy but that she has lived for twice that time already. Satsuki lets out another surprised scream while thinking in her head that it is impossible, that Monica looks too young and she and Celia just look like sisters, then she begins to murmur to herself that if Monica really is Celia’s mother it is convincing, and that she wonders if Celia’s childish appearance is because of her mother.

Latifa also murmurs dumbfoundedly that Monica is beautiful while still hugging Celia. Gouki does the same and earns himself a cold glare from Kayoko. Celia laughs embarrassedly at everyone’s reactions. Charlotte recovers from the shock the fastest and introduces herself to Monica with a happy smile. Monica thanks Charlotte for how much she takes care of Celia. Charlotte says that it isn’t like that, that Celia is the one helping her and that she thinks about her as an important friend. Monica asks Charlotte if she isn’t exaggerating and Charlotte tells her that everyone in the mansion is the same. Monica says that their conversation already taught her that they really care about her daughter and that as a mother she is happy about that. Latifa jiggles while still hugging Celia that is getting red faced while listening to Monica. Then after everyone is done telling Celia welcome back they enter the mansion. Now inside the mansion Celia informed everyone about what she did during her absence and about her last talk with François and Christina. There are parts in Celia’s story that are hard to believe and that’s why François and Christina said they would come later to see Celia her new spells and Celia asks Gouki if he can serve as her opponent in a mock battle so she can demonstrate the power of her new spells. Gouki says he doesn’t mind but he is dubious, right now Celia is her usual full of openings self and can’t imagine how it is that she will put up a fight. Celia can just tell him that he will understand the moment he sees her magic.

Later when Christina, Flora and François arrive everyone moves to the mansion’s backyard and Celia begins her demostration showing everyone her wings of light. They can just look wordlessly at Celia floating while making a dumbfounded face. Latifa says that it is incredible and that Celia looks like an angel. Celia then warns the Latifa that approaches her with shining eyes and that looks like she wants to hug her about the heat coming out of her wings and tells her to make sure not to touch them. Flora also praises the beauty of Celia’s wings while agreeing with Latifa’s evaluation. Celia thanks them for their words and shows everyone the speed of the force wings with a short flight above the garden, after that she asks everyone if they have any question about the spell. Christina asks Celia if the force wings are a new spell and if she developed it. Celia tells Christina that the force wings are an ancient spell not a new one and that she learnt it by analyzing its formula. There is no way she can explain to everyone that spells one day were just poured inside her mind after all.

Christina asks Celia while being impressed if she really managed to do that, the feat of analyzing the ancient magic formulas that are said to be impossible to use is just too big, Celia could live in luxury for generations if she makes a thesis about it. Celia says she did, that she has been analyzing those spells for years since she was in Bertram’s academy and that recently she finally succeeded. Celia is worried about everyone finding her story suspicious because of the convenience of the timing of her mastering of the spells, but Christina just praises Celia without suspecting her. Celia thanks Christina for her praise with shame and remorse because she didn’t learn the magic because of her efforts. Christina asks Celia if they can learn to use the force wings themselves too. Celia says she can divulge the magic formation but that there are several problems with the spell itself. Christina asks what those problems are.

Celia tells Christina that the force wings are a spell that chooses its users, that the quantity of people that can take in the magic formation is probably quite small and that even after succeeding in the contract ceremony it is a spell quite hard to control. Christina asks Celia if she means that the possible users are limited. Celia says that the force wings also use a lot of magic power so that will also restrict a lot the possible users, that the magic formation is also a complicated one so preparing a contract ceremony would be troublesome, that even with her support she doesn’t think she can teach more than four people at once or ten people at best. Christina asks Celia with sadness and reservation because she doesn’t think the current Restoration can repay her if she can prepare what it is necessary for the contract ceremony then. Celia says that of course she can and tells Christina to please use the promise of the teaching as a bargaining chip if she needs to. Christina thanks Celia and promises to prepare a proper reward the moment it is possible to do so and Celia tells her to please to not mind it, then she says she will show her too the effects of her other spells and asks Gouki if he is ready. Gouki says he is ready whenever and tells Kayoko to be the referee.

Celia and Gouki take some distance from everyone and stand facing each other wooden swords in hand. For Gouki Celia’s countenance and stance is that of someone who never used a sword, she also looks as full of openings as always, he understands from Celia’s story that she fought while strengthening her body with a powerful spell but Celia still looks like someone without techniques or skills, she doesn’t look like she is hiding her strength on purpose either. The spectators looking from afar also couldn’t find the sword holding Celia reliable at all. Liselotte asks Aria, the only witness of Celia fighting with a sword if Celia will be really fine. Everyone’s attention focuses on Aria and she smiles wryly while knowing the surprise coming to them and tells them that it will be fine and that it will blow their minds away. Celia tells Gouki to please let her use two spells before their fight, that they are necessary for her to wield her sword and not something to attack him. Gouki tells Celia that of course she can, he has no reason to refuse since he is there for the sake of verifying the power of those spells after all. Now with Gouki’s consent Celia activates swordmaster’s alter ego. The spectators make a fuss and Gouki lets out an admiring voice while preparing his sword stance when he notices the change in Celia. Sara and the others can’t help but wonder if Celia is really the same person.

Gouki thinks it is strange while smiling when looking at the change in Celia, all of her previous openings are gone. Then once the light of the first spell dies down Celia activates Thy wish became parabellum to strengthen her body. Gouki says that that certainly is it while strengthening himself with spirit arts when he feels the magic power overflowing from Celia’s body rising. Celia says her preparations are complete. Gouki tells Kayoko to signal the start quickly. Kayoko tells Celia and Gouki to not make any mistake when getting too carried away and after both agree Kayoko tells them to begin. Both fighters close the distance between them and fill the backyard with the sounds of the wooden swords clashing, both block all of their opponents attacks, fight standing still at times, take distance just to get close for a new short exchange mixing feints and a lot of small tricks in their attacks. The spectators lost their words. Christina asks Aria, to whom Celia gave the paper of commentator before the sparring, when Celia did learn that level of swordcraft.

Aria tells Christina that the first spell is something for recreating the movements of a master swordsman, that by Celia’s words she was in a condition of cheating and that it is exactly like that, that it is a spell to make someone able to use instantly the swordcraft of a warrior that spent years training in an instant, that it certainly can just be called cheating. Christina asks Aria if that means that whoever can fight like a swordmaster if they use that spell. Aria says that it is possible in theory but that the spell is also difficult to use and that for someone with a certain level of combat training the use of that spell has too many demerits. Christina asks Aria why it is like that. Aria says that the movements ingrained in one’s body will get in the way of the ones made by the spell, that that magic exists for those that never trained with a sword, that it is a spell that only those with talent as mage but without talent as a warrior can use. Christina asks what is the other spell. Aria tells Cristina that the second spell is the same one the magic swords are enchanted with, a superior version of enchant physical ability, a spell that allows someone to fight like a magic sword user but without the magic sword.

Chistina loses her words, she asks herself if it is for real, if Celia really analyzed those three spells by herself when just one should be impossible already, how it is that she did it when it is dubious if mages that left their names in history would be able to analyze at least one. Is something like that possible for Celia? Where did she find those magic formations to begin with? Meanwhile Gouki thinks it is incredible how Celia isn’t showing any opening. Celia thinks about her new found respect for the people that fight with weapons now that she has a better understanding of their strength. Gouki asks Celia if she wants to end the spar now that she achieved her purpose of showing her spells. Celia asks Gouki if they can continue for a little longer, she says that she wants to know how much she can do with him as her opponent. Gouki says he will do it gladly and asks Celia if she won’t use any other spell. Celia says she wants to try fighting with just a sword this time. Gouki asks Celia if that means that a fight with magic will be the fun for the next time and tells her that it is fine, that then he will also just use his wooden sword too. Celia says that they can’t make everyone wait for too long so she will attack with the intention of ending the match in the next exchange. Gouki tells Celia that that is fine while laughing, that he never thought even in his dreams that the day when he would have such an exchange with her would come and that he will take her challenge.

Both fighters keep their distance while waiting for the moment to begin their last exchange, both approach the other at the same time, Celia uses her accelerated thought for seeing in slow motion Gouki’s horizontal swing, she then decides to knock away Gouki’s sword from below with an horizontal swing of her own, but just before the swords clash Gouki changes the trajectory of his swing, Celia hesitates watching that and slows down her attack when trying to match Gouki’s movement, Gouki takes that chance for knocking Celia’s sword away. Celia tries to go after her sword to pick it up but the tip of Gouki’s sword in her throat stops her and she admits defeat while thinking Gouki is incredible because Gouki’s last movement is a fruit of his long years as warrior and the spell can’t give her the knowledge about how to move in a situation where victory and defeat are so close by. Gouki tells Celia that he doesn’t know what trick she used but that it was a great heart dancing fight, that it was splendid.

Celia, Gouki and Kayoko rejoin the group after the match. Latifa runs towards Celia and tells her she was incredible while hugging her. Celia thanks Latifa while petting her head, then she takes a peak at everyone’s faces, all of them are of course their own degree of shocked, she has just showed three ancient spells and fought toe to toe with Gouki with just swordcraft after all, the change with her usual self is too big already even without the spells she hasn’t shown yet. Celia wonders if she overdid it but concludes that she didn’t, she can’t rely on Rio and Aisia anymore so going a little overboard should be just fine, that it won’t do if she will hesitate at the time of using her power because she decided to hide it. Latifa asks Celia what her spells were and tells her that they were incredible and cool, Celia agrees with the praises with some shame but then began to feel something is off. Masato that seems like someone who would be the most boisterous at this kind of time is silent, or rather he isn’t there, Miharu and Aki aren’t there either. Celia calls out to Aisia telepathically and asks her if she knows their location. Asia tells Celia that the three are in the castle and Celia asks her if something happened. Asia tells Celia that Takahisa went missing. Celia lets out a surprised voice and Satsuki asks her what happened. Celia tells her that she didn’t see Miharu, Aki and Masato and was wondering if something happened in her absence. Satsuki’s face clouds while she doubts about how to explain everything and Celia asks her what happened. Satsuki sights deeply, tells Celia that now is their turn to explain things and to come inside the mansion.

After François’ and Christina’s group goes back to the castle Celia enters one of the mansion’s drawing rooms with Satsuki, Charlotte, Sara, Ouphia and Alma and listens to what happened during her absence, lastly Satsuki tells her it was that same morning when they realized Takahisa’s escape. Celia says she didn’t think something like that would happen in her absence and asks if that is the reason why she didn’t see Miharu, Aki and Masato. Satsuki tells Celia that it is, that the three of them went to the castle to wait there for news about Takahisa with Liliana. Celia asks Satsuki if they have any clue about Takahisa’s whereabouts. Charlotte tells Celia that with how unusual are the heroes’ faces and hair color in the Stralh region he should be found in the next days if he doesn’t leave the capital. Unfortunately the divine weapon’s body strengthening is powerful, if Takahisa runs with his everything he can leave behind any wild beast, jumping over a ten meter high wall shouldn’t be complicated either, he can’t be assumed to have the movement speed of a normal person.

Sara says that if it is possible she wants to cooperate with the search too. Charlotte asks Sara what she means. Sara tells Charlotte that Hell has a sharp nose, that she heard that the search squad will use dogs too, so if she gets permission she thought she could join too, that the quantity of information that she and Hell can get thanks to how well they can communicate is big too. Satsuki says it would be reassuring to have Sara’s help if it is like that and asks Charlotte with her gaze if the royal family will give permission. Charlotte asks Sara if the people of the city wouldn’t panic when seeing Hell with how big and conspicuous he is. Sara tells Charlotte that Hell can change his size to a certain degree, that she thinks the people shouldn’t get scared if they think Hell is just a big dog. Charlotte says she understands and that she will explain things to he father and get his permission, then she asks Sara if she can join the search from the next day on since now is late already and tells her that she will have her escorts accompanying her so she can search more freely. Satsuki asks herself while biting her lips with frustration what Takahisa is doing making everyone worry about him and causing them problems. Celia asks Satsuki if Miharu, Aki and Masato are fine. Satsuki tells Celia that the three of them have a lot on their minds, that it would be fine if they don’t get too caught up in some strange sense of responsibility but… Charlotte says that then is for the best to have the three come back to the mansion early and tell them that Sara will be helping in the search from tomorrow on and that they could also unexpectedly come back when they get hungry. Satsuki says it would be good if that happens with a weak smile, then while looking through the window says that it would be good if Takahisa didn’t go to some strange place.

### Chapter 3: At the world that extends outside the castle.

Earlier that day, at dawn. When he realized it Takahisa had already sneaked out of his room, avoided the sight of the guards, jumped over the castle walls and was running through the dark noble district with his front dripping sweat. Despite the strengthening of his divine weapon Takahisa’s legs were heavy, the palpitations of his heart kept getting worse and he couldn’t breath well. He climbed up the wall of the noble district with erratic movements and looked down from there at the commoners’ districts. It was dark and hard to see, Takahisa isn’t good with high places either but he began to climb down the wall bit by bit, unlike the noble district the commoners’ ones doesn’t have many lights on so Takahisa advanced through the alleys relaying in the moonlight. After walking for some minutes Takahisa looks back at the castle and Miharu’s words begin to play back on his mind. “You’re the worst. Takahisa-kun you’re the worst.” Miharu’s angry face appeared on his mind. It was the first time he saw Miharu so angry and of course it was the first time he was slapped by her. “I hate you Takahisa-kun. I despise you. I won’t be with you. I don’t want to. So don’t show your face in front of me again.”

Miharu rejected him like that, she showed her anger while telling him to go back to Centostella and to not show his face again. And it wasn’t only Miharu. Liliana, Aki, Masato, Satsuki. Everyone there rejected him, none of them allowing him to stay in the Galarc kingdom is the evidence, none of them were his allies. His only option was to go back to Centostella by magic ship at dawn but he disliked it. He shook his head in fear while getting away from the castle. He thinks he hates that and that he doesn’t want to go back to Centostella. He wanted to stay in the Galarc kingdom but no one would allow it, two or three hours later he would be forcefully deported to the Centostella kingdom without being given any other option so when he realized it he escaped the castle. The breathing that was just about to calm got rough again and the palpitations of his chest got stronger again, he can still feel the heat on his cheek after Miharu’s slap, he tries to distract himself from the sensation gripping strongly his left cheek but he can’t, he just continues to walk into the dark city with unsteady steps.

He continued to walk in a direction where he didn’t see any light, after ending in a dead end, he sits down there shrugging on himself while holding his knees for a while until the noises of the city’s early risers coming from the main street spurs him into action again, he begins to walk away from that noise until he reaches a silent place. He sits alone in another alley just like before, he wants to be alone, he doesn’t want to meet anyone, he doesn’t want to think about the castle or his current situation, he doesn’t want to remember being slapped by Miharu, he doesn’t want to face reality or think about anything but… won’t the castle be in an uproar in the morning? Won’t everyone be angry? Wouldn't it be better to go back? A lot of things keep coming to Takahisa’s mind and every time he fails at emptying his mind he shrugs on himself more strongly, but that ended up being his salvation, the more chaotic his heart and mind get the slower his thoughts get and only the feeling of disgust for the things he doesn’t like remains and he doesn’t have to face reality anymore.

At sundown, it has been more than half a day, with the coming of night more people began to use the alleys, Takahisa tried to ignore it as something temporary but the silence didn’t come back, so he got up slowly in order to go to anywhere else, but the moment he got out of the alley the street was full of women with clothes that exposed a lot of skin and men following them to other places. Takahisa loses his breath while freezing in place when he realized he was in the red light district. At the end of the street a man with sharp eyes inspects the passersbies, he also sends an evaluating gaze the way of the dumbfounded Takahisa. Takahisa wonders if the man runs a brothel since there are prostitutes next to him and the man doesn’t look like he came to have fun, he asks himself what place he is in, he feels awkward when the smell of perfume finally makes set in what kind of place he got into and tries to leave that street but one of the girls behind the man hugs Takahisa’s arm while calling out to him, he can just look powerlessly at the girl. The girl asks Takahisa what it is, he hesitates for a moment and decides to tell the girl to let go of him if she doesn’t want anything while shaking his arm to free it from her.

The girl tells Takahisa to wait for a bit and asks him if he didn’t come to play while strengthening her hold of Takahisa’s arm and emphasizing her cleavage. Takahisa tells the girl she is wrong while feeling awkward and shaking his head. The girl then asks Takahisa while caressing her chest if he won’t come to play then and if he doesn’t have money. Takahisa tells the girl he has no money. The girl tells Takahisa that that’s a lie, that he must come from some good place if he is wearing those expensive clothes and asks him if he is a noble. Takahisa doesn’t know how to explain himself while looking at his clothes that can’t help it but seem expensive since they were custom made for him, they are conspicuous too, it can’t be helped if they pull people’s eyes towards him, even now gazes that say an incredible noble brat came to play keep coming his way, and it was precisely because of that that the girl called out to him. The girl asks Takahisa if he won’t play with her while checking the reaction of the man at the end of the street while hugging Takahisa’s arm more strongly, the man tells the girl with his gaze to be more insistent in her seduction.

Takahisa tells the girl he didn't have that intention and that he didn’t come to that place knowing what kind of place it was. The girl mocks herself now, she says it must be like that, that there isn’t a way a blessed young person would want to be the partner of a woman working in a place like this such as her. Takahisa tells the girl that he isn’t blessed, that he really doesn’t have money and.. the girl asks him and what. Takahisa says there is a person he loves while frowning bitterly. The girl stays silent not understanding why Takahisa would say with such a pained face that there is a person he loves. Takahisa tells the girl that that’s how things are, breaks free from her and walks away. The girl panics seeing Takahisa walking away and the angry face of her pimp and tells him to wait while catching his hand. While Takahisa is dubious about the girl’s intentions she asks him if he didn’t end in the red light district because he didn’t know his way around the city. Takahisa says that it is like that. The girl then begins to pull Takahisa outside of the red light district by the arm while telling him that it is because the roads there are complicated. Takahisa tells the girl to wait and asks her what she is planning. The girls say she will be her guide since he doesn’t have any business with the red light district.

Takahisa and the girl leave the red light district with the man watching the brothel following them in silence. The girl guides Takahisa to a deserted back alley, now more relaxed due to the smaller quantity of people Takahisa asks the girl where she is going. The girl checks if she is being tailed and asks Takahisa with surprise if he doesn’t want to go back home. Takahisa says that that’s wrong, that it isn’t like he wants to go back. The girl then asks Takahisa if it is like that and if she won’t make good things with her then. Takahisa says he won’t, that it is fine already and tells the girl to please get away from him. The girl sticks her body to Takahisa’s and says that the truth is that a scary man told her to absolutely take him as a customer, that he will do horrible things to her if she goes back as is and asks Takahisa if he won’t come to her room while thinking it will be for helping her, be it just a part of her stratagem or because she is saying the truth the girl’s hands tremble while she says that. Takahisa asks the girl if there weren’t plenty of people walking the street before, if there weren’t plenty of people that could become her customer that aren’t him despite her words. Takahisa tries to separate from the girl but she doesn’t let go, she tells him that the scary man probably thought he has a lot of money and is planning to make him a vip customer, that that’s why he must have thought it was better to send him a young girl and ordered her, who was free at the moment, to go.

The girl also thinks in her head that she understood from talking with Takahisa that he is naive and kind, that the scary man must have thought he could take advantage of him, that there might be other reasons but that it is easy to make a naive young customer to come back many times if he wins his heart, and that if he has money he would be the perfect business partner for a prostitute. Takahisa asks the girl if he didn’t tell her a lot of times already that he has no money. The girl tells Takahisa that that is a lie. Takahisa tells the girl he really has nothing and that it is fine for her to check while touching his empty pockets. The girl asks if it is true and Takahisa tells the girl to go ahead while opening his arms widely so the girl has it easier inspecting him. The girl says that it is a lie when she finishes her body check, she crouches while holding her head in her hands and saying that it can’t be true that he really was penniless, then she asks Takahisa why he doesn’t have any money when he wears such expensive looking clothes. Takahisa says that it is because he didn’t have any need to use money. The girl lets out a dubious voice, tells Takahisa that there isn’t a way for him to not have needed money and asks him what kind of life he had lead until now.

Takahisa makes an embarrassed face when he can’t make any excuse, he can’t run away from the reality of his lack money being a problem anymore but he doesn’t want to face the rest of his problems yet so he changes the topic, he asks the girl if she understood already that he won’t become her customer but the girl is too busy worrying with a pale face about what will happen to her when she explains such a thing to the scary man to pay attention to Takahisa. Takahisa asks the girl if the man is so scary. The girl says he is, that he is known as the young boss, is an executive of the organization running the red light district, has a bad temper and is the worst kind of man that only thinks about the prostitutes as consumables, that she is definitely getting a fine if he discovers that she let go of such a vip customer looking guy. Takahisa says he is sorry about that and asks the girl if it wouldn’t be better for her to change jobs. The girls lets out a scared noise instead of an answer, she discovered the man followed her and was coming to the alley they entered so she hugs Takahisa. Takahisa doesn’t know what is going on and the girl tells him that it is the worst, that the man came to keep an eye on her.

Takahisa has the man at his back so he asks the girl who is there. The girl tells him that it is the young boss, that he came to check if she properly convinced him or not. Takahisa tries to look back to check but the girl stops him, grabbing his face in her hands while telling him that he will just make the man think she told him something weird. Takahisa freezes when he sees the girl approaching just like she is going for a kiss, he tries to push her away but she puts her arms around his back so he can’t do it. After a moment of hugging like that the girl makes a resolved face and tells Takahisa to follow her and walks through the alley entwining her arms with his. Takahisa asks the girl where they are going. The girl tells him that to her room and Takahisa lets out a surprised scream. They walk for some minutes after they reach a certain building and the girl tells Takahisa that they arrived. Takahisa asks with reservation where they are while taking a look at the building a little separated from the red light district’s main street, there aren’t as many people but there are still some pairs of man and woman entering the building together. The girl says that it is the brothel where she works and that her room is there. Takahisa lets out a shrill voice listening to that and the girl tells him that it is obvious, that she is a prostitute after all.

Takahisa looks wordlessly at the four stories stone building after listening to that. The girl tells Takahisa that it is a high class establishment and asks Takahisa if it isn’t a fine place even if it can’t compare to the buildings where the nobles live. Takahisa asks the girl why is a high class establishment in a back alley. The girl says that it is because it is high class, that the vip customers prefer places more out of sight unlike the main street, then she tells Takahisa to enter with her. Takahisa tries to tell her to wait but the girl interrupts him telling him to match her and stay silent so they don’t look weird and takes him inside the building pulling him by the arm. The girl tells the man behind a counter in the entrance that she brought a new customer, he writes something in a visit notebook after taking a look at Takahisa and tells him to enjoy his time while Takahisa looks away from him and his meaning smile awkwardly. Then the girl takes Takahisa to her room in the second floor of the building. The corridors were empty and silent while they were going upstairs so Takahisa could still listen to low voices and beds creaking from inside the other rooms, the smell of the stimulating incense wafting through the building don’t make things better either. Takahisa could feel his body heating up just from being there, his cheeks were red and the softness of the body of the girl pulling his arm was transmitted to him way better than what he wanted.

Then Miharu’s smiling face flashes through his mind, he feels guilty and embarrassed now. He turns back saying he will go back but the girl stops him, she asks him if she didn’t tell him already at the time of coming that it can’t be like that, that she will pay for it but that she needs him to stay with her in the room until the time is up. Takahisa asks the girl why she would go as far as to pay the money herself. The girl asks if she didn’t explain that already, that the fine for letting him escape would be high, that it is better to pay her fee herself, that it was her misfortune to be ordered by the young boss to turn him into a customer. Takahisa says he is unrelated to that and asks the girl if she isn’t deceiving him, if she isn’t just planning to not pay the bill at the time of leaving. The girl says that there is that option too. Takahisa tries to run away while saying that as expected but the girl doesn’t let go of him, she tells him that she wouldn’t admit to it so easily if she had that kind of plan and that he has a good brain because she was the one who didn’t think of that first. Takahisa is still looking at the girl dubiously and she tells him that she understands, that she will give him the money for the payment when they enter her room and asks him if he is fine with that. Takahisa reluctantly accepts with some suspicion still remaining. After that the two finally arrive at the girl’s room.

The girl opens the door,  lights a lamp and welcomes Takahisa in. Takahisa enters and takes a look around the room. The girl tells Takahisa she prefers him to not look too much since the room is both her office and her place to live and asks him if there is anything weird with the room. Takahisa apologizes for that and tells her that it is quite the wide room, that it seems like a good one. Takahisa gets curious when he sees the girl describe the room as good with a self-deprecating tone. The girl looks away from him while changing the topic, she tells him that as she already explained they are at a high class shop and that that’s why despite being an apprentice she is a high class prostitute. She makes her best to seem proud while walking to her closet and retrieving a coin from a safe to give it to Takahisa. Takahisa tilts his head looking at the coin, the girl tells him that that is the shop’s fee, a big silver coin per hour, she asks him if she didn’t promise already to give it to him when entering the room. Takahisa says he understands and extends his hands to receive the coin, then he realizes that the girl’s hands are trembling and asks her what happened. The girl tells Takahisa that the coin is her salary from two weeks and that losing that is…

Takahisa asks the girl how can the money of just one customer be the salary of two weeks. He doesn’t know how many customers the girl can get but it sounds too exploitative. The girl tells Takahisa she doesn’t even get the ten percent of what a customer spends, that there are a lot of deductions like the cost of the room, the clothes, the fees of the brothel and several debts. Takahisa says he understands while doubting about taking the coin. The girl tells Takahisa to take it while grabbing his hands and putting it there. He asks the girl if it is fine. The girl tells her that of course it is, that a promise is a promise so in exchange she wants him to properly stay with her until the time is up. Takahisa says he understands. The girl complains disappointedly about the money loss while setting a timer in a water clock, walking to her closet and beginning to undress. Takahisa asks the girl what she is doing while hurriedly turning his back on her. The girl tells Takahisa that it is tiring to use that dress because it is tight in the chest but that it is fine to not use it since he is a guest instead of a customer. The girl asks Takahisa if he won’t take a look and he tells he won’t. The girl says that she knew it, that he was a virgin. Takahisa just let out a flustered voice and the girl asks him if he won’t throw it away with her now that it is the perfect time for it. Takahisa tells the girl to please not make fun of him. The girl asks Takahisa if he didn’t have some expectatives if even for a second.

Takahisa tells the girl that he didn’t, that that is something to be done with the person one loves. The girl asks Takahisa if he hadn’t told her already that he had someone he loves. Takahisa then bites his lips while making a pained face when remembering Miharu. The girl puts herself in front of Takahisa and tells him that something like making such a pained face when thinking about one’s loved one is weird. Takahisa panics for a second wondering if she is still naked but then he gets surprised at how different from before she looks in the worn out one piece full of stains she has on now. The girl asks Takahisa if he thought she looks shabby for a high class prostitute.  Takahisa says he didn’t think that while shaking his head. The girls says that a lot of girls buy clothes and accessories with their salaries but that she doesn’t have anything she wants to use anywhere outside her room or someone she wants to show those things to, so she is just fine with her plain clothes, that rather than that she wants to save money and leave the brothel quickly.

Takahisa asks himself what he is doing in that place, some hours ago he was in the kingdom’s most luxurious place and now he is in a brothel in the room of a girl whose name he doesn’t know. While Takahisa is busy feeling weird the girl pulls his hands and asks him if he plans on staying the whole hour in silence, she tells him to make some talk with her for the time being while having him sit on the bed. Takahisa tells the girl she is too close when she sits close enough to him for their shoulders to touch. The girl asks Takahisa if that much isn’t fine while he takes some distance, she smiles softly while glancing at his profile and tells him that he is handsome even if he has a face that isn’t seen normally around the place. Takasia asks the girls why the sudden praise. The girl says she just said the truth, that he has good looks and wears expensive clothes like a prince would so he looks like he wouldn’t lack women but that it is cute how shy and naive he is. Takahisa tells the girl that he must look pathetic and to please not tease him. The girl says she didn’t think that, and that even the him blessed with appearance, that has expensive clothes and looks like he can get anything has things he doesn’t have too, that he looks like he doesn’t have any self confidence.

Takahisa stays silent.The girl them reminds him that he also didn’t have money, that she really thought he came to the red light district because he wanted to throw away his virginity but that it seems that that wasn’t his intention, she asks him why he came to a place like the red light district. Takahisa tells the girl that he got lost. The girl asks Takahisa where he wanted to go when he got lost. Takahisa can’t answer and looks away from the girl guiltily. The girl says Takahisa looks like he has his reasons but that that’s fine, she asks him if the girl he likes is related to it. The girl asks Takahisa if she had it right after seeing him grimace. Takahisa tells the girl that he was rejected, that he was told clearly that she hates him. The girl says that that must have hurt while hugging Takahisa from the side. Takahisa complains about the girl being too close while trying to get up and break free from her. The girl asks him if he dislikes it while tightening her hug to keep Takahisa in place and he stays silent, he just looks away from the girl while not letting his body lean against hers. The girl laughs and tells Takahisa he has an honest side too, then she asks him his name, she says she hadn’t asked yet after all.

After a moment of pause Takahisa says his name. The girl says that it isn't a name used around those places but that it has a nice sound to it. Takahisa denies it with a bitter face while remembering about Miharu. The girl tells Takahisa that his wound seems deep and that for her his name is a good one, like a prince’s. Takahisa asks why his name sounds like a prince’s when it isn’t something heard often. The girl asks why it wouldn’t while petting Takahisa’s head. The girl tells Takahisa that he must really like that girl while sighing because he still won’t look her way. Takahisa asks the girl why she thinks that. The girl tells Takahisa that he doesn’t look like he will put his hands on her despite how closely she is hugging him, she asks him if she is that unattractive. Takahisa tells the girl that it isn’t like that, that he already told her that those things are to be done with whom one loves. The girl says she is getting a bit jealous and… Takahisa asks her what else. The girl asks Takahisa if it isn’t good manners for a man to ask her name after she asked for his. Takahisa says he understands and asks the girl her name. She tells him that she is Julia.

Takahisa tells Julia that he understands and that he won’t forget it. Julia asks Takahisa if he is fine with saying that so lightly and tells him that there are countless men that forget the prostitute’s name after saying that. Takahisa tells Julia that it is fine and that he won’t forget it, that he is good at remembering girls’ names and faces. Julia tells Takahisa with surprise that he says quite the pretentious sentences despite his apparent timidity, she also tells him that it could be quite the disgusting sentence if told at the wrong time and place. Takahisa laughs awkwardly and tells Julia that there was a time when his head was completely blank and forgot the name of a girl meeting her everyday and how she was always kind to him, that he thought he did something incredibly rude so he promised himself to not forget again. Julia asks Takahisa while laughing how he can say those lame sentences while trying to keep a promise. Takahisa says that enough of that while sulking. Julia asks Takahisa if that girl was the one he likes. Takahisa says that she wasn’t while looking away guiltily at the same time that he remembered the last words he told to Liliana. He made her cry and angered Miharu, he tells himself on his mind that he is the worst, he asks himself why he said something like that, he tells himself that he is different from that while remembering his state of mind at the time, that there isn’t a way for him to be like that, that those weren’t his real feelings. He feels remorse but it is too late, he can’t swallow back words already said, he asks himself if that sentence being told when his emotions were at their limit isn’t proof of them being his real feelings, could he say that he never felt that Liliana liked him? Wasn’t he slightly aware of Liliana’s feelings? Then those words must have been his real fee… Takahisa shakes his head in denial while trembling and making a scared face. Julia asks him what happened and after Takahisa says that it is nothing she begins to pet his head to calm him down.

A little earlier, the young boss asks the receptionist of the brothel if Julia brought a client. The receptionist says she did and that he looked like the young master of some good place. The young boss asks the receptionist if there wasn’t something strange about the young master. The receptionist says that the young master seemed serious and common sense lacking, that he really felt like he just wanted to throw away his virginity in secret. The young boss asks if that was all. The receptionist says that the foreigner-like appearance of the young master was unusual, that he looked like the son of some immigrant. The young boss agrees and the receptionist asks him if something happened with the young master. The young boss says the young master has quite the good clothes and that it isn’t strange for young nobles to come secretly to brothels, but that he never saw one walk unarmed without escorts so he was curious about his identity. The receptionist asks if the escorts weren’t just hidden out of sight. The young boss says he thought the same and that he sent people to patrol in search of them. The receptionist says that as expected of him and that he has no openings.

The young boss says that he has no memories of a family of immigrants having a big fortune in the city, but that the young master can be the son of some powerful person that took an immigrant as his wife or the son of a family making a visit to the city. The receptionist asks the young boss what he will do in case the young master has no escorts. The young boss says he has no intention of doing anything special, that a serious looking moody young master like that should keep coming once he tastes a woman, that depending on his tastes he can become a customer of the basement too and is a good candidate to vip customer but… the receptionist asks what it is. The young boss says he wants to do some research for the sake of their future relationship like the boy’s tastes, his antecedents and other things. The receptionist says he will look into the young master later when he comes out then. The young boss says he will do it himself since the young master is a candidate to vip customer, so for the time being he will use the hour that should remain at minimum until the boy leaves the room to check if he has escorts or not, then he leaves the brothel.

An hour later, Julia tells Takahisa that it is almost time and he says he understands. Their hour of talking about small details like them being the same age and some other innocuous things without telling the other too much personal info came to an end, none of them wanted the risk of telling too much and ending too involved with the other. Takahisa thanks Julia for how much their talk allowed him to calm his mind. Julia says that that’s good then laments falsely about having to pay herself to satisfy Takahisa to cover her embarrassment. Takahisa apologizes for that. Julia tells him he doesn’t need to apologize. Takahisa asks if it is like that and Julia tells him that she was the one that brought him by force to the room. Takahisa says that it is certainly like that and Julia thanks him. Takahisa asks what he was thanked for. Julia tells him that it is the first time she brought someone to her room just to talk, that it was the first time she felt someone inside her room worried about her, that it was the first time in a long time that she felt she was having a talk with someone and that he made her think there are men like this too. Takahisa says he understands. Julia then tells Takahisa that the reason for him to not put his hands on her despite being so close might simply be that he is a coward.

Takahisa calls her noisy and asks Julia if she was really inviting him in. Julia tells him that she has been wondering if after doing that she would be pushed down, that she glued herself enough to him for her to not be able to complain about it. Takahisa gulps silently. Julia asks Takahisa if he is regretting not having made a move. Takahisa says he isn’t and asks if it wasn’t precisely because of that that he didn’t push her down. Julia says that it is like that while putting a hand on Takahisa’s cheeks and looking closely at his face. Takahisa asks Julia what she is doing and Julia says she is taking a last look at the prince’s face. Takahisa says he isn’t an existence so great. Julia pinches Takahisa’s cheeks and asks him if he can’t go back having got some self-confidence after she invited him to her room, if he can’t put up with it because she doesn’t have any other option. Takahisa says that it hurts and asks Julia what he has to put up with. Julia tells him to be fine with being her prince and asks him if he got some self confidence. Takahisa asks Julia what she means by being her prince but Julia just tells him to stop and that the time for dreaming is over already while putting a finger on his lips to silence him.

Takahisa doesn’t know what to say. Julia tells him that if he wants to extend the time there will be another fee for extending the dream and that she won’t pay that one too. Takahisa says that he understands and that he will leave. Julia agrees while feeling lonely. They go back to the reception together and the young boss enters the brothel at that same moment, Julia then warns Takahisa in whispers. The receptionist welcomes back the young boss and tells him he came back precisely when the young master was leaving. The young boss tells the receptionist to leave him for later and attend to the customer first. Takahisa gets nervous thinking about how the young boss is supposed to be something like a yakuza going by Julia’s explanation. The receptionist asks Julia about her change of clothes because she is forbidden to not use her work clothes during business hours. Julia makes a mischievous smile and says it was Takahisa’s request as an excuse. Takahisa laughs awkwardly in front of the receptionist’s understanding smile. Julia tells the receptionist to make Takahisa’s bill before they can say anything else. While the receptionist tells Takahisa that it will be a big silver coin the young boss clicks his tongue, he thinks Julia should have made Takahisa prolong his stay even if he doesn’t look like the type to get addicted to prostitutes on the first try.

The receptionist receives the big silver coin from Takahisa while keeping an eye on the young boss’ mood. Julia tries to send Takahisa off quickly so he isn’t asked more questions but before she can do that the young boss asks Takahisa if Julia left him satisfied. Takahisa says Julia treated him well a little awkwardly. The young boss says he understands and that that is the most important, to please tell them without reservation the next time if he has any request, that answering to their customers’ requests as much as possible and for a price is their policy, that they can also make Julia more shabby if he wants it. When Takahisa doesn’t know how to answer to that unexpected offer Julia says she will see him off and takes him outside pulling his arm. Takahisa says he understands and follows after her. The young boss tells Takahisa they will be waiting for his next visit while cursing Julia in his mind for not making Takahisa stay longer. Outside the brothel Julia tells Takahisa that it is finally time to say goodbye. Takahisa says that it is like that and was just about to turn his back on Julia when she calls out to him and grabs his arm again while making a resolved face.

Julia asks Takahisa about his previous words, about those things being done with whom someone likes. Takahisa nods after a moment of doubt. Julia says she is the same, that she isn’t such a cheap woman, that that’s why she just wants to do those things with whom she likes or at least someone that makes her think “this person is fine”, that if not for her work she wouldn’t do something like seducing men. Takahisa agrees and understands while being happy about Julia agreeing with his valors. Julia sighs and tells him that that is the reaction of someone who didn’t understand. Takahisa asks what he didn’t understand. Julia tells Takahisa that she tried to seduce him, that she invited him to her own room even if she had to pay her fee and asks him while looking up at him if he knows the meaning of that. Takahisa can’t answer again and Julia asks him whispering in his ear if he understood that she thought he was a bit fine. Takahisa looks down in embarrassment and red faced, Julia makes him turn his back on her and tells him to go already, that it is bad to come back again to the brothel and that if he keeps going straight he will leave the red light district. Takahisa tells Julia to wait while she is pushing him away from the brothel but what he sees when he looks back is just Julia saying goodbye with a lonely smile. Takahisa says that until next time after a moment of doubt and leaves after Julia tells him that until next time with a surprised happy smile.

Takahisa hadn’t walked ten meters yet and feels like he wants to look back already but tells himself to not do so because he can cause trouble to Julia, he wonders what he will do now, he thinks he doesn’t want to go back to the castle but he has no other option, he didn’t secure a place to sleep, food or water despite the future where he is reprimanded for escaping the castle at his return being clear to see. Just from thinking about being deported to Centostella he gets depressed. He asks himself what he wants to do, what he should do to be satisfied. The first thing he thought about was Miharu, there is a hole in his heart that won’t fill up because Miharu isn’t there, because he rejected him. He grits his teeth and frowns to hold back the tears, he wants salvation, a salvation that can fill the hole in his heart, then he remembered about Julia. It’s strange, he met her just today, they just talked for an hour but a part of him wanted her, that’s why just once, isn’t it fine to look back if it is just once, he feels like he will be able to do his best if he sees her face just once. Then Takahisa turned back and what he saw was the young boss dragging Julia to a back alley by pulling her hair, he froze on the spot while doubting his eyes.

The young boss was observing secretly Julia’s and Takahisa’s farewell, he can’t listen to what they say but they look serious, it seemed to him like Julia has got a hold of Takahisa’s heart. He doesn’t know why but he doesn’t like how Julia is making Takahisa fall for her, he clicks his tongue while frowning. The receptionist says that it isn’t good when he notices his boss’ bad mood. The young boss looks sharply at the Julia that looks silently at the back of the leaving Takahisa, he asks himself if it could be that that woman… he thinks it is the perfect moment for a performance and for educating Julia, he approaches her, grabs her hair and begins to pull her towards a back alley. Julia complains about the pain and asks the young boss what he is doing. The young boss says it is punishment for a stupid woman and tells Julia to follow him because the customers can’t enter the brothel if they stay at the entrance. Precisely at that time Takahisa looks back and freezes on the spot. Julia’s gaze met Takahisa’s and she looks away with a pale face while being dragged away.

The young boss finds that pale face funny and when he enters the back alley he throws Julia to the ground. She tries to stand up but the young boss crouches next to her and pulls her hair again, he asks her sarcastically if she didn’t do a good job of making that young master fall for her. Julia asks him what about it, she says he shouldn’t have any complaint if it is like that. The young boss says he has a big one, he tells her to make the moody young master that doesn’t know about the world to spend more than one big silver coin if she made him fall for her. Julia says that it was precisely because Takahisa doesn’t know about the world that he didn’t know how to use money. The young boss tells her that she is wrong, that it is precisely because he didn’t know about the world that she had to teach him how to spend money, that that’s her job and that one big silver coin isn’t any decent profit. Julia says that one big silver coin is her earnings from working two weeks and asks if it isn’t enough money. The young boss strengthens his grip on Julia’s hair bit by bit while telling her that her earnings are low because of her parents’ debt, he asks her how much she thinks it costs to train a high class prostitute and what it is so bad about wanting to recover that, he asks her if it isn’t natural to be thankful for having some pocket money, he asks her if it isn’t her job to use her body to get money from the customers for the brothel’s sake.

Julia says that it hurts and tells the young boss to let go of her, but the young boss ignores her while making her look at him, he asks her if she didn’t got in the way when he was trying to figure the young master out. Julia tries to play innocent but the young boss tells her that her eyes are swimming and asks her if she thought he wouldn’t notice it, that she pulled the young master away from the brothel because she hated him talking to the young master. Julia asks the young boss why she would need to do such a thing. The young boss says he is asking her the reason for that, he asks her if it isn’t for the same reason why she didn’t make that young master spend more money, that she is quite attached to the young master. Julia tells the young boss she doesn’t know what he means. The young boss asks Julia if she fell for that noble young master or if she was expecting that moody young master that doesn’t know about the world would take her as a concubine. Julia doesn’t say anything. The young boss asks her if the shabby clothes were to get the young master’s pity, if she wasn’t appealing to his protective instincts by showing her miserable side. Julia denies it.

Takahisa then appears at the entrance of the alley and tells the young boss to stop. The young boss greets Takahisa with a friendly smile while letting go of Julia and opening his arms widely in a welcoming gesture. Julia asks Takahisa from the ground why he came. The young boss tells Takahisa that he has an unusual name without abandoning his friendly tone. Takahisa asks the young boss what he was doing and tells him that he listened to Julia screaming. The young boss tells Takahisa that as a brothel’s chief he needed to discipline a little that thing while pulling Julia up from the ground by her hair. Takahisa tells the young boss to stop while Julia moans in pain. The young boss asks Takahisa why he should stop while tilting his head with curiosity. Takahisa asks him if he shouldn’t stop because Julia is suffering. The young boss says that if it isn’t painful it won’t do as discipline, that it was Julia’s fault for acting rebellious so he is making her understand her position, that he has no reason to blame him for anything. Takahisa asks the young boss if it is fine for him to do something like that even if he is Julia’s employer, he asks him if that isn’t a crime. The young boss laughs loudly and asks Takahisa what is a crime.

Takahisa asks the young boss what he is laughing about. The young boss apologizes and says that it was because Takahisa said something out of topic, he tells him that Julia is a slave and that the collar she wears is the proof of that. Takahisa lets out a surprised voice while widening his eyes. The young boss tells Takahisa that Julia became a slave because of the great debt that her parents left her, that she belongs to the brothel and that there are behaviors that masters can’t tolerate from the slaves, that there isn’t any problem with this level of discipline so he doesn’t understand why he is being accused of a crime. Takahisa tells the young boss to stop when he lets go of Julia and she falls to the ground. The young boss lets out a false “scary,scary” before blaming Julia for being the reason of Takahisa’s scolding and kicking her. Takahisa tells the young boss that he told him to stop while walking towards him to push him away from Julia. The young boss takes out a dagger and points it at Takahisa while telling him that that isn’t an elegant expression. Takahisa stops on his tracks. The young boss tells Takahisa he can understand to be passionate about one’s first time but asks him if he understands that the prostitutes aren’t his. Takahisa says he understands that and that that is obvious. The young boss asks Takahisa if he isn’t getting so heated up precisely because he doesn’t understand it.

Takahisa tells the young boss that it is different, that he just wants him to stop being violent with Julia. The young boss tells Takahisa while putting more strength in the foot stepping on Julia that he has no reason to be preached by him about that, that Julia is the brothel’s slave, that he is properly respecting what the law dictates and that he wouldn’t hurt Julia meaninglessly if she did well her job. Takahisa trembles in anger while sharpening his expression. The young boss asks Takahisa if he likes Julia that much while pretending to sigh in exasperation and stepping away from Julia, he asks Takahisa if he wouldn’t become Julia’s owner then. Takahisa lets out a surprised voice not getting what the young boss says. The young boss tells Takahisa that if he wants to save Julia he will sell her to him for three hundred gold coins. Takahisa parrots the sum without having any idea of how crazy that price is or about the worth of those three hundred gold coins. Julia tells Takahisa that he can’t do it, to forget about her already and go back. The young boss tells Julia to shut up while stepping on her again, he tells her that that it isn’t a topic things can butt into, that it is talk between him and the young master. Julia complains about the pain and Takahisa tells the young boss to stop again.

The young boss tells Takahisa to become Julia’s owner if he wants him to stop, that if he does that no one but him will be able to put a hand on her. Takahisa tells the young boss that people aren’t things. The young boss tells Takahisa that people aren’t things but that slaves aren’t people. Takahisa loses his words. The young boss tells Takahisa that despite his pretty talk he also paid for buying time with a prostitute and asks him how is that any different from buying bread when one is hungry. Takahisa says that it is completely different, that he didn’t… then he remembers what might happen to Julia if he says he didn’t buy her and stops mid sentence. The young boss tells Takahisa to be honest with himself while putting an arm over his shoulders, he asks him if he isn’t accumulating desires till the point of coming to play in secret at the red light district despite how serious he is acting, he tells Takahisa that if he is honest and tells him those desires he will be able to satisfy them. Takahisa says he has nothing like that while pushing the young boss away, but the young boss is too big and strong for Takahisa to be able to shake him off. The young boss tells Takahisa that he has a lot of chances to take care of young rich men like him that come to play in secret, that it is his organization who controls the red light district, that if he lets it to him there won’t be any type of fun he can’t have, that he obviously will take what he is owned to but that he will be able to play with Julia.

Takahisa tells the young boss while he drags him towards Julia that he won’t do that and that Julia is a person and not an object. The young boss tells Takahisa that it is wrong to believe in the prostitutes’ words when one goes to a brothel, that their job is to show men dreams, that if it is for the sake of that they are fine with saying lies that they don’t believe in their hearts, that they tell sweet words to whoever, that he doesn’t know what Julia told to him but that it wasn’t her real feelings. Takahisa denies the young boss’ words while trembling in anger. The young boss says he isn’t lying and tells Takahisa to think about it as an advice for his sake, that all of the sweet words that Julia whispered to him were just for the sake of getting him to like her, that she just wanted to make him come to the brothel again and having him take her as a concubine if she was lucky. Takahisa says that that is absolutely wrong. The young boss tells Takahisa that he likes Julia quite much, that Julia is that good of a prostitute, he asks Takahisa if it is fine for him to think he will take her as a concubine for the three hundred gold coins if he will say that much. Takahisa lets out a surprised voice and the young boss tells Julia to try asking her beloved young master Takahisa to take the shabby woman he likes as a concubine, that she might graduate from prostitute today depending on how she asks for it but Julia just trembles in fear.

The young boss laughs and tells Takahisa that Julia is scared because he might not take her as a concubine if she doesn’t ask well for it, he asks Takahisa if he isn’t curious about it. Takahisa tells the young boss to shut up and uses his powers to shake the young boss off. The young boss says that that hurt, that it is a bother when sales don’t go well, he calls out to Julia and tells her that Takahisa doesn’t seem to think she is worth three hundred gold coins but Julia just stays silent. Takahisa says that it isn’t like that and that he just doesn’t have that much on himself now. The young boss tells Takahisa that he isn’t telling him to pay right there and now, that it is fine for him to go get the money and come back. Takahisa stays silent, he hasn’t that money, Liliana might give it to him but how is he supposed to ask her for it. The young boss says that it was obvious, that he himself didn’t think he would buy a woman like that for three hundred gold coins, that he never saw either a man whimsical enough to make a woman his concubine after coming for the first time to a brothel and that if he likes Julia he can come again to their shop, then he tells Julia to stand up, he grabs her arm and makes her stand up. While Julia keeps looking at the ground the young boss puts an arm around her shoulders as if showing off to Takahisa and asks her if she understood with that that there won’t be something like a rescue, that there isn’t anywhere something like a prince that will save her, that even if she shows dreams to men they aren’t a thing for her to look at.

The young master begins to walk back to the brothel with Julia. Takahisa doubts about extending his hand towards Julia or not, he asks himself if things are fine like that, if it is fine for him to abandon Julia, what will happen to her if he lets her go now. The young master tells Julia that he will console her that night in exchange of Takahisa and that he will even pay a big silver coin since that is her real worth. The blood rushes to Takahisa’s head and he goes and pushes the young boss away from Julia while pulling her away from him. Julia calls Takahisa’s name with surprise while the young boss tastes the mud on the ground and Takahisa can just breathe heavily because of his nervousness. The young master gets up in a hurry, takes out his dagger again and points it at Takahisa while saying that that hurt. Takahisa doubts for a moment and then puts himself between Julia and the young boss. The young boss asks Takahisa if he thought he won’t be killed because of who he is, he tells Takahisa that even if he disappears then and there no one will realize it.He walks towards Takahisa with big strides while Takahisa tells him to stop because he doesn’t want to fight. The young boss throws a kick at Takahisa’s stomach while telling him that he was the one who began the fight.

Takahisa dodges to the side and the young boss follows after him. Julia tries to stop the young boss clinging to his arm while telling to wait but he just throws her away while telling her that she is noisy. Takahisa gets angry seeing the Julia who seems to have hurt her left wrist in the fall but still doesn’t fight back. The young boss, unlike Takahisa, is used to violence and isn’t opposed to it so he doesn’t doubt on punching, kicking or swinging his dagger regardless of how easy it is for Takahisa to dodge with his powers. Takahisa breathes heavily while getting closer to the bottom of the no way out alley and the young boss asks him if he is just going to keep dodging. Takahisa falls to the ground after slipping with some trash on the floor. Takahisa finally got scared of diying when he saw the young boss’ dagger advancing towards him, then by reflex he pushed his hands forward as if he was holding a sword. Laevatein appeared in Takahisa’s hands when the young boss was at less than a meter away from him and the impulse of his own attack had him impaled by the sword without anything he could do to stop himself.

Takahisa can just let out a surprised voice while looking at his sword piercing the young boss’ chest, he gets scared of what he did and steps back in panic pulling the sword partly out of the young boss’ chest with that. The young boss’ pained voice freezes Takahisa on the spot but the wound in his chest keeps spilling blood in the sword’s blade and on the ground. Takahisa’s hands tremble while he can just let out scared noises and the young boss curses him, he glares at Takahisa just like he wanted to kill him with his grudge alone. Julia looks dumbfoundedly at the scene while falling to the ground on her butt. Takahisa lets out another scared voice while looking at the pool of blood forming on the ground. He looks from his hand holding the sword to the pool of blood and to the young boss’ chest wondering if he has a way to avoid his death but he can’t think of anything. He says that it is bad, he thinks it is bad, that it is absolutely bad, that only killing people is supposed to be absolutely wrong but… it is already too late, the young boss keeps glaring at Takahisa hatefully through his clouded vision while vomiting a great quantity of blood.

Takahisa steps away in panic while getting scared of that glare and pulling the sword completely out of the wound this time, the young boss that lost its last support falls limply to the ground, a great quantity of blood comes out from his wound making the pool of blood below him bigger. The sword finally disappears from Takahisa’s hands, he can just look at the corpse horrified at having killed a person. Julia stands up and walks towards Takahisa, she calls out to him while holding his hand but he can’t give a proper answer. Julia tells Takahisa to follow her and pulls him by the hand until the entrance of the back alley, she takes a look around to make sure there are no witnesses and tells Takahisa to wait for her for a bit because she will come back soon, she enters the brothel in a hurry and suddenly begins to rain strongly. Takahisa just stands there dumbfoundedly unable to shake off the shock of the murder, less than a minute later Julia comes out from the brothel and pulls him away from the red light district through the back alleys while telling him to go and that it will be bad if they don’t run away. A little later the receptionist comes out from the brothel asking Julia in screams why she is in such a hurry and where the young boss went to but he can only see Julia and Takahisa running away together in surprise.

### Chapter 4: Search.

Several hours later, at midnight, the red light district’s rush hour, more than twenty men gathered at the back alley where Takahisa killed the young boss. The twenty men look at the corpse full of anger and sadness in the rain. All of them were surrounding the same man, the brothel’s receptionist, the man who found the corpse of the young boss, a while after the death he found the corpse, notified his superior and now all of these men were gathered there. The receptionist prostrates himself in front of the men while trembling with a pale face. A man in his forties with a face like a demon’s was standing in front of him. The moment the man was done listening to what the receptionist knew and opened his mouth the temperature fell and the rest of the men began to tremble too. The man asks the receptionist if, to summarize, he just kept doing his work normally while Sammy, the young boss, left to educate Julia, then Julia came back alone, went to the second floor, came back down shortly after that and ran away from the shop. The receptionist tells Norman, the man in his forties, that it was like that. Norman asks the receptionist if he left the brothel because he thought something was strange, called out to Julia just to see her run away with some noble-like immigrant brat that wore good clothes, the same brat that had entered the brothel a little earlier as Julia’s costumer. The receptionist says that it is like that.

Norman says he understands and tells the receptionist to raise his face, the receptionist obeys just to receive Norman’s kick square on the mouth, the receptionist’s body flies back while his teeth and blood spill from his mouth and is now lying on his back. Norman asks the receptionist if he is looking down on him, he asks why he continued normally with his job after he saw Julia run away, why he continued to take care of the shop with a dumb face without realizing Sammy’s death. The receptionist apologizes again and again after going back to his prostrated state. Norman screams at the receptionist that his apologies won’t revive Sammy while kicking his shoulder this time and his body flies back again. Norman steps on the receptionist’s legs while asking what he will do, he says Sammy was his only cute nephew and asks the receptionist what he can really do now that that nephew died, he tells him to try and make some excuse.

The receptionist says that it was raining, that he thought the young boss must have been done with Julia’s punishment and gone to another brothel and he couldn’t leave his post because there were still customers and that he is sorry. Norman keeps stepping in the receptionist’s leg until he breaks it, then he begins to stomp the fractured part again and again, the receptionist tries to escape while screaming in pain but other men help pinning him to the ground before he can while making pitying expressions. After a while Norman takes a deep breath and stops kicking the receptionist then he calls out to a man named Nick and asks for his opinion. Nick crouches and inspects the corpse, he says he can’t be certain without evidence but that the wound seems to have been made with a sword, that it seems like it was pushed with great impulse from the front and killed in one hit, that thinking normally Julia and the brat with her would be the main suspects, that the moment they decided to disappear is like saying they are guilty of something. Norman says that as expected, that it is like that. Nick says that but… and Norman asks what else. Nick says that the brat came unarmed so that is making him doubt.

Norman asks Nick if the culprit is someone else then. Nick says that it might be and that the receptionist might be lying too. The receptionist says he isn’t lying and that the brat didn’t have something like a sword. Norman asks the receptionist if it is the truth and says that there won’t be mercy if he lied while giving one more kick. The receptionist screams in pain and says that it is the truth and that the young boss also made sure the brat was unarmed and without escorts. Nick tells Norman to let the receptionist be with just that much since he still is the only witness and that it is also possible the brat was armed even if the receptionist is telling the truth. Norman asks Nick what he means. Nick says that he thought if the brat is a noble it wouldn't be strange for him to have some ridiculous magic tool weapon on him, like an invisible blade. Norman asks if the brat was the main suspect as he thought then. Nick says he is, then he thinks about what he heard about the heroes being able to make  their weapons appear and disappear, he asks himself if the noble like immigrant brat wearing good clothes could be a hero.

Norman says that for the time being he will find and kill that immigrant brat with his own hands without fault, he tells his men to not think they will be able to sleep during the night and to begin the search. The men nod and Norman calls out to Nick. Nick asks what it is and Normal tells him he wants him to research who that brat is and that there shouldn’t be many candidates if the brat is from a family of immigrants. Nick says his specialty is mercenary work and that he wasn’t born in the city either. Norman tells Nick it is fine for him to use freely their young members. Nick says he understands and tells Norman to wait for the night, he says he will sneak into the noble district and see if anything happens there and that having companions will be a hindrance so he will go alone. Norman tells Nick that he lets it to him and to let the search to the places aside the noble district to other fellows. Nick says he understands and that he will go quickly. Nick walks away from the group of crooks while smiling and thinking about how he believed gathering information in the royal capital would be a boring mission but that if the brat is a hero things will get interesting and that he also has to report this case to Reis.

Galtuk’s west district, a kilometer away from the brothel, two young robe wearing people were running towards a cheap inn while the young boss’ corpse was being discovered and Norman’s group began to gather. The innkeeper welcomes them disinterestedly and one of the two people asks him for a room for two. The innkeeper says that it will be four big silver coins for the room and that the meals are five coppers per person. One of the visitors says they won’t need meals for the time being and puts four big silver coins on the counter. The innkeeper gives the visitor a key and tells them to use the room at the left end of the corridor upstairs. The visitor takes the key and pulls the other one upstairs by the hand. The visitor ahead opens the room’s door, pulls the other in, takes a look outside to make sure they weren’t followed and closes the door. That visitor, Julia, tells the other one, Takahisa, that they should be safe for the night there while taking off her robe, that she bought in the way to the inn with the money she picked up from her room, then she tells the still silent Takahisa to take off his too, but Takahisa stays silent and unmoving so she had to do it herself.

The robe protected Takahisa from the cold and the rain but he trembles despite that, he lets out an scared voice now that he can look at the hands that the robe kept out of sight, he still can’t forget the sensation transmitted to his hands when he killed the young boos. Julia hugs Takahisa and pets his back while telling him that it will be fine and making him sit on the bed so he calms down. Takahisa asks himself in a loop what he will do now that he killed someone. Julia tells Takahisa that he saved her so he isn’t in the wrong and that they shouldn’t be found anytime soon if they stay in the room. Takahisa keeps trembling even while in Julia's embrace, then he gets surprised when Julia decides to kiss him to break him out from his stupor, he tries to push her away but she clings strongly to his face. Takahisa breathes heavily when he is finally released and pushes Julia’s face away while asking her what she was doing with a red face. Julia apologizes, she says it might be rude to say things like that in their current situation but… she moved Takahisa’s hand away from her lips and approaches her face to his again. Julia looks Takahisa, who is so flustered that the thoughts about the murder were completely blown away from his mind, in the eye from up close and tells him she will say it in advance, that she loves him, then she pushes him down and begins to kiss him passionately again.

Holy kingdom Armada, at Tonerico, at night, at the same time that Julia and Takahisa arrived at the inn. The pope Fenris continues to take care of the paperwork that piled up on his absence alone in his office until a child comes inside from the balcony saying she came to give her report. Fenris sighs and tells Elle that she took quite long to come back. Elle says she took a stroll through the city after talking with Rio, that her rise to the surface after some time was quite fun. Fenris tells Elle that she is as free as always, or unpredictable rather than that. Elle tells Fenris that she isn’t at his level yet. Fenris asks Elle how it was her attempt at meeting Rio. Elle says there was a harvest, she tells Fenris that Rio isn’t the dragon king they used to know, that he didn’t react at all even when looking at her face, that it is fine for them to think he has no memories or that he just is a different person that just has the dragon king’s authority. Fenris says he understands. Elle also says that Rio doesn’t seem like he came to the city on Lina’s orders, that at least for now she thinks the chances of that are low. Fenris asks Elle the reason why she thinks like that. Elle tells Fenris that Rio himself looked like he was looking for a purpose to have come to the city himself, that he suspects there is something wrong with the city but he didn’t have any concrete evidence or clear conviction, that it felt like he was investigating precisely because he didn’t have any evidence. Fenris says he understands.

Elle tells Fenris that she thinks it is fine for him to keep his wait and see stance if he is wary of Rio doing something in the city but that she wants to deepen her interaction with Rio for the time being. Fenris tells Elle to please abstain from contacting Rio without any meaning. Elle says she understands and tells Fenris to let it to her keep track of Rio’s movements, then she asks Fenris if he doesn’t want to do something while Rio is still in the city, that he even came to pick up a golem. Fenris says he planned to stay in the city for some time anyway. Elle asks Fenris if he is worried about that woman. Fenris says he is, that even if she didn’t give any order to Rio he can’t think Lina didn’t foresee Rio’s visit to the city. Elle tells Fenris that that might be Lina’s aim, that hinting at her own existence to keep her opponents in check was that woman’s insidious way of doing things, she asks Fenris if there weren't a lot of things he regretted resulting from him being overly cautious of her. Fenris confirms it and sighs deeply as if wanting to say that it is precisely because of that that he dislikes fighting with the wise God Lina. Elle tells Fenris that there is a limit to that woman’s future sight, that even if she foresaw it she won’t be able to do anything about a situation that got too out of hand, so she thinks it is fine to act more openly, even more when it is plan with high winning chances when thinking normally about it. Fenris tells Elle that she is pushing his back quite much. Elle asks Fenris if it isn’t more interesting to do things that way. Fenris is exasperated by Elle. Elle asks Fenris if he isn’t going to take out even the golem that he keep in custody for one thousand years, she say she doesn’t think no one aside from a transcendental or a familiar could stop that in the present era and that if it is stopped it will be an evidence that a transcendental or a familiar aside of the dragon king exist too, so she doesn’t think attacking is a bad plan, that if it is like that it is also fine to use several golems instead.

Fenris agrees with that, he says that if he is going to step on a dragon’s tale anyway then… someone knocks on the door of his office. Elle hides in the balcony while shrugging and Fenris tells the person who came to enter. Anna apologizes To Fenris for the late hour of her visit and tells him that a man asking for an audience with him came, that she thought it would be illogical to grant him the audience at this late hour but that he had an object with his crest so... Fenris asks about the man’s name while remembering about the few individuals he gave his crest to and that know he is back in the holy city. Anna tells him it was a mercenary called Nick. Fenris says he understands and that he wants to talk with that person alone without fault so he wants Anna to bring him to his office, he also says he won’t need an escort. Anna says she understands and goes to search for Nick. Fenris thinks it is interesting that Nick, the man in a cover mission in Galarc’s capital, came with this timing, he wonders about what kind of report he will make while leaning on his chair’s backrest with a smile.

At Rio’s mansion, Miharu couldn’t sleep and just sighed again and again in the dark, she keeps remembering the last words she told to Takahisa, she bites her lipid bitterly while looking down at the hand that slapped Takahisa wondering if the current situation was caused by her words and actions, but she also remembers what Takahisa told Liliana just before that, she wasn’t able to hold back the anger that came out from her heart at that time. Why did Takahisa blame Liliana starting from the premise that she would answer to his feelings when she already told him that she couldn’t do that. Why did Liliana have to be the bad one? That’s why she couldn’t forgive it, not the Takahisa that hurt Liliana neither the her that didn’t reject Takahisa more strongly before, so when she realized it her body moved on its own and she slapped him. It was the first time she was so angry at someone, she thought she had no more option than doing that and that that was the right thing to do, but now Takahisa went missing. Miharu asks herself what she should have done. Was it wrong to reject Takahisa? Should she have accepted Takahisa and answered to his feelings? What was the correct thing to do? In the middle of all those doubts Miharu remembered the dream she had the other day and what she was said in that dream. She asks herself if the choice she would thought would be absolutely wrong was to forgive Takahisa, she asks herself if the woman who spoke to her in that dream knew the future and if that was the reason she gave her that advice, would she know where Takahisa is now too? It wouldn't be strange for her to know it if she knew the future. Miharu asks herself if she would understand else something if she sees that dream one more time while lying on her side without feeling like sleeping.

When Miharu came to herself she was in a white space, she looks surprisedly around her while thinking there’s no mistaking it, that it is that dream, then the voice asks Miharu sarcastically if she hadn’t taken quite long for her to come back. Miharu lets out a surprised voice when she listens to the voice again. the voice tells Miharu that it is the first dream in two days and that she must be having a good sleep. Miharu tilts her head curiously not getting what the voice means. The voice asks Miharu if she didn’t sleep bad too the previous night after slapping him. Miharu nods absentmindedly but then remembers her objective and asks the voice if she knows where Takahisa is. The voice tells Miharu that she is quite sudden after their reunion but that she knows it. Miharu tells the voice to please tell her. The voice says it can’t be and that she won’t do it. Miharu asks the voice why. The voice tells Miharu that it isn’t like she wants to bully her, but that the future she knows isn’t something that it is fine for her to teach to others to begin with, that there is the risk of receiving a penalty if she breaks the taboo, that she can teach her where Takahisa is resolving herself to the risks and the penalty but that this time it can’t be.

Miharu stays silent while making a frustrated face. The voice now tells Miharu that she is taking for granted that she knows the future, then she asks Miharu if she doesn’t think she is just seeing a dream. Miharu says she thinks it is just a dream but… The voice tells Miharu she seems to be grasping at straws and asks her if she wants to know Takahisa’s location that much. Miharu says she does. The voice asks Miharu if she wasn’t unable to forgive Takahisa, if she didn’t want to not see his face again, if she hasn’t no reason to want to know where Takahisa went to. Miharu loses her words and the voice asks her if it is that she never thought something like that would happen. Miharu says she didn’t. The voice tells Miharu that she is a big idiot but that she is honest. The voice tells Miharu that the reason why she won’t teach her Takahisa’s location is that it is already too late, that the future has already diverged. Miharu asks the voice what she means. The voice tells Miharu that the future can branch infinitely from the smallest of things and that when she rejected Takahisa the previous day the future branched into a troublesome one. Miharu says that as expected, that the choice she would think it would be absolutely wrong was… The voice tells Miharu that it was like that, that it was to forgive Takahisa then and there or not. Miharu asks the voice if her clue wasn’t too hard to understand. The voice asks Miharu if she hadn’t told her already that the future she knows isn’t something she can teach to others, that in order to avoid the penalty and the risks she could only give hints. Miharu asks the voice if she can’t give her just a hint to find Takahisa then. The voice says she won’t do it and Miharu gulps after her refusal. The voice tells Miharu to no make a face like that, that she should have already told her too that the future has already diverged, that it would be troublesome if the future branches into some strange path by having her do unnecessary things because the current her can’t see the future anymore.

Miharu asks the voice what will happen to Takahisa from now on then and the voice asks Miharu exasperatedly if she had properly listened to her words. After Miharu lets out a surprised voice the voice tells her that she can’t teach others about the future so easily and Miharu apologizes for her insistence. The voice sights and asks herself with frustration why to this stupid woman… Miharu can only stay in silence awkwardly before the voice’s anger. The voice then says that fine then, then she tells Miharu that she can only make herself the effort to compensate for her unreliableness. Miharu lets out a surprised voice not getting the meaning of those words. The voice tells Miharu that time is almost up, that from now on she will control what parts of this dreams she can remember because it would be troublesome if she gets information from talking to her in dreams and does something unnecessary. Miharu protests, but the voice ignores her, she tells Miharu that there won’t be any event in which she will have to rely on her in the close future anyway and that because she made the future diverge there will be events she can do nothing about. Miharu wants to ask the voice what she is talking about but stops herself mid sentence. The voice tells Miharu that it seems she got a little smarter, that if she keeps showing her that smart side of her she will rely on her again in the future and to work hard. Miharu nods and the voice tells her that there will be also times when she borrows a little her body. Miharu lets out a surprised voice and the voice tells her that there will also be a big reward for her and to have expectations for it. Then while Miharu was still confused the dream came to an end.

### Chapter 5: Already too late.

The next day, at noon, in a certain inn, Takahisa opened his eyes and Julia’s face was just in front of his, the two were sleeping hugging each other beneath the same blanket. Julia tells Takahisa that he woke up. Takahisa blinks repeatedly with a still half asleep face and Julia tells him that good morning when he begins to look like he is finally waking up completely, after a moment Takahisa gets red faced and gives back the morning greeting. Julia asks Takahisa if he got embarrassed. Takahisa tells Julia while looking away from her that she could have woken him up if she woke up before him. Julia tells Takahisa that she wanted to look at his sleeping face. Takahisa says he understands and Julia tells him that she has just woken up herself too but that it seems to be already noon. Takahisa asks if he slept that much. Julia says that yesterday they did all of that after all while grinning mischievously. Takahisa gets red faced and Julia tells him that he is easy to understand while hugging him. Takahisa gets flustered and tells Julia to wait, that a lot of things are hitting him, he asks her if she doesn’t have clothes to put on while pushing her away. Julia asks Takahisa what he is worrying about that late in the game with how glued to each other they were the previous day. Takahisa tries to but fails to make a retort and Julia asks him who was the one who devoured her body as he pleased. Takahisa asks Julia while accepting her hug with resignation if she wasn’t the first one to devour the other. Julia says that they are the same then. They spent a moment laughing, then when their stomachs make noise at the same time Julia tells Takahisa to go for a meal for the time being.

Some time later, Takahisa and Julia are done eating. Julia says she feels she is having the time of her life now and asks Takahisa how he feels. Takahisa tells Julia he is holding on somehow thanks to her while biting his lips guiltily when he remembered the things he made at the castle and the murder the previous night. Julia tells Takahisa that it wasn’t his fault, that the young boss’ death wasn’t his fault, that all of the bad things he did until now piled up and he received his divine punishment, that it was obvious that a man like that would die. Takahisa keeps looking down in silence with his expression still clouded. Julia tells Takahisa that the young boss treated people as objects, threatened them, stole their freedom, took away almost all of the money they made with their bodies, and all of that with the face of someone who is doing the obvious thing to do, if someone told something to him he would quickly get angry and swing a knife at them, he was the worst scum bastard. Takahisa tells Julia that it is wrong to kill people despite that. Julia tells Takahisa that he is wrong and he gets surprised. Julia tells Takahisa that he is wrong, that he didn’t kill, that he saved her.

Takahisa can’t be content with that and Julia asks him if helping people is a good thing or a bad one. Takahisa wants to say that that’s a sophism but stops himself mid sentence, he wanted to make it easy on himself and use Julia’s words to lessen his guilty feelings, he might have wanted to get spoiled by her words. Julia says she really disliked it, that it was horrible, that she was made to return a money she didn’t borrow, made a slave, turned into a prostitute, locked in a brothel and didn’t have something like freedom, that she was made to understand there wasn’t anything she could do, so she run away, that she lived without thinking in order to run away from the reality of her daily life with no tomorrow. Julia stands up while caressing her slave collar and sits next to Takahisa, she tells him that she helped her, that he gave her a tomorrow, that thanks to him when the young boss died she thought she might be free, she tells him that everything is thanks to him, that he is her prince of justice, she hugs Takahisa while telling that that’s why he isn’t a bad person and that if someone tries to blame him for what he did she won’t forgive them.

Takahisa thanks Julia and tells her that he isn’t a prince. Julia asks Takahisa if she didn’t tell him yesterday already that she was fine with him as her prince. Takahisa asks Julia if she likes princes. Julia says she had a longing for them, that she lived thinking one day a prince will save her. Takahisa says he understands nervously while Julia decides to change her chair for his thigh, then she tells him that the first time she saw him she really thought about him as a prince-like person since he has quite good looks. Takahisa laughs shyly, then Julia also tells him that inside he is quite the coward and his laugh changes to an awkward one. Julia asks Takahisa what he is if he isn’t a prince. Takahisa says that now that she asked that he realized he didn’t say anything about himself yet and that she didn’t ask either. Julia says she didn’t ask because he seemed like he had some circumstances. Takahisa tells Julia he is a hero. Julia looks at him dumbfoundedly while letting out a surprised voice. Takahisa tells her that he is Centostella’s hero and that he had been in the royal castle until the previous day but Julia can only let out another surprised voice.

Takahisa asks Julia if she knows what heroes are when he sees Julia’s lack of reaction. Julia says she knows what heroes are and asks Takahisa if he is one. Takahisa says he is and Julia asks him with a high pitched voice if that isn’t more incredible than a prince. Takahisa says he doesn’t think it is like that and Julia can only let out more surprised screams. Takahisa asks Julia if it is something so incredible. Julia says that of course it is surprising, that the heroes come out in the fairy tales that everyone knows, that people made a fuss before about heroes appearing but that she never thought one of them would be in front of her and talking to her. Takahisa tells Julia that how glued they are to each other should be more surprising than them being able to talk normally after being together all the time since the previous day. Julia agrees embarrassedly to that, she says it certainly is like that and that the previous night was also a mess, stands up and takes some distance from Takahisa. Takahisa asks Julia if it isn’t fine even if she doesn’t take some distance. Julia says she needs to put her mind in order and begins to talk to herself.

She tells herself that even if Takahisa tells her so suddenly that he is a hero… that she knew Takahisa was a big shot, that of course he would use good clothes, that it must be wrong to drop the honorifics around him, she asks herself if he has to call him Takahisa-sama from now on. Takahisa tells Julia to calm down, that everything is fine, that she can keep calling him like until now and to take deep breaths. After Julia takes a series of deep breaths Takahisa asks her if she calmed down and she says she did somehow. Takahisa tells Julia that she believed quite easily he was a hero despite her reaction. Julia tells Takahisa that she trusts him. Takahisa gets teary eyed when Julia trusts in him so easily when everyone in the castle didn’t believe his words and thanks her for it. Julia sighs seeing Takahisa like that again. Julia asks herself why is it that she might be incredibly weak to that face of Takahisa while sitting next to him again and petting his head while hugging it against her chest.

Julia asks Takahisa if he was that hated. Takahisa says it was horrible, that he was told they don’t want to see him again and pushed him into a kind of isolation. Julia tells Takahisa that that woman surely doesn’t have an eye for men, that she had a man so good under sleeve but didn’t see it, that right now she must be regretting his leave. Takahisa asks her if it is like that and Julia tells him that it is for sure. When Julia feels that Takahisa finally relaxed a little she asks him what he will do from now on. Takahisa asks Julia what she means and she asks him if he will go back to the castle. Takahisa stays silent and his body solidifies again as if wanting to express his denial in his place. Julia begins to talk about their options, Takahisa doesn’t want to go back so there is no relying on the castle, she can’t go to the brothel either, she doesn’t have a place she can rely on either and it would be dangerous for them to stay in the capital as things are. After a moment of doubt Julia asks Takahisa if he won’t run away with her until some far away place. Takahisa asks about the idea. Julia tells Takahisa that she will keep healing his heart infinitely until he is sick of it and then the two of them will live happily until their deaths, they will grow old and will remember about what happened for this two days and say that something like that happened or thank goodness that guy died, that there was a woman like that but I met Julia and I was happy and the two of them will laugh happily about it, that by then time would have healed everything so they should leave all behind and run away. Takahisa agrees and says that that might be fine.

Julia says that it is decided then while strengthening happily her embrace on Takahisa, then she says that they have to prepare for the trip, she asks Takahisa what they will need, she asks if her money will be enough. Takahisa asks Julia what about selling his clothes to get money for the trip. Julia asks Takahisa if he is fine with selling those expensive looking clothes. Takahisa says that it is precisely because of that that he will sell them, that just by wearing them he stands out, that he was thinking about throwing them away but that selling them is better than that. Julia says she understands and that she will take his word on that. Takahisa says that the problem is when and where to sell them. Julia tells Takahisa that she thinks they need to hurry with the sale and departure, that the young boss’ organization is very spread through the commoner districts so she doesn’t think they will be able to stay hidden for long and that they must have already discovered the young boss’ death and begun searching for them as suspects. Takahisa says that he understands and that they have to hurry then. Julia says she knows of a good looking store that would buy the expensive goods that other stores would avoid because of their suspicions.

Takahisa asks Julia if that store isn’t a suspicious place. Julia says she thinks it is fine, that there are a lot of suspicious people among the customers but that the store seems to be strict with the information because of that and that the prostitutes use to sell the jewels they don’t need there. Takahisa says he understands and that he will go sell the clothes with her. Julia says that it can’t be and that she will go alone. Takahisa asks her why. Julia tells Takahisa that it must be known that they run away together, that even if they hide their appearance they will suspect them just from seeing them walking together. Takahisa says he will do the sale himself then. Julia tells Takahisa that he must have never been to the commoner districts before and that she thinks he won’t find the place even if she teaches him the way. Takahisa can’t deny that and Julia tells Takahisa to leave the worldly things to her because he knows nothing of the world after having been living for free at the castle. Takahisa says he understands and tells Julia to take care. Julia says she will, sits on Takahisa’s lap again and begins to touch his upper body. Takahisa gets red faced and asks Julia what she is doing and if she wasn’t going to sell the clothes now. Julia says she is just seeing what she can sell and what not, she tells Takahisa that it would be pitiful to let him naked so he can keep his underwear, then she begins to undress Takahisa.

A little earlier, at the same time that Takahisa woke up, Sara leaves the castle accompanied by Charlotte’s escorts and by her contracted spirit Hell pretending to be a big dog by reducing his usual size in order to cooperate with the search of Takahisa. Because of the rain last night the search was paused and Takahisa’s smell getting thinned by the water made things more complicated but Sara and Hell can compensate for that strengthening their olfact with spirit arts. They go to the entrance of the red light district where the search squad needed to stop the tracking the previous day and soon find traces of Takahisa’s smell. Sara tells the knights that there is no mistaking it, that the trace continues up ahead. Louise says with a sour face that it seems the smell goes into the red light district. Sara asks Louise what is the red light district because she didn’t know the meaning of those words since there wasn’t a place like that in her village. Louise tries to explain it but gets too embarrassed to do it and just tells Sara that it is a place with bad public order, that there shouldn’t be any problem during the day but that they have to proceed carefully. Sara says she understands.

While going down the street the unique smells of the place finally make Sara realize what kind of place she is getting into and she gets red faced, she clears her throat awkwardly and tells the knights to follow her to a back alley with no way out away from the main street. Louise asks Sara if they aren’t at a dead end while taking a look around the back alley. Sara tells Louise that it seems Takahisa spent a while in the back alley, probably sitting down while pointing at a place where the smell is particularly strong. Louise says it is incredible that she can know even that, that no one will ever escape Sara’s and Hell’s pursuit. Sara tells Louise that it isn’t like that and to go see where Takahisa went next, then she follows Takahisa’s smell until another back alley. The group checks several back alleys more until they arrive in front of a certain building. Sara points at the brothel where Julia worked and tells the knights that Takahisa went inside. All of the knights make awkward faces, they don’t want to think the hero went to a brothel regardless of how depressed he was. Sara hesitatingly adds when sensing the mood that she thinks Takahisa was probably accompanied by a young woman. Louse sighs and says she understands and that she will enter to talk with the workers. Sara tells Louse to wait. Louise asks Sara if something happened.

Sara tells Louise that the smell continues into the back alley next to the building too and asks Louse why not to look there first since it seems like it is a dead end. Louise says she understands and the group goes into the alley. Louise says she wonders what Takahisa was doing there while looking around the alley, in her eyes there isn’t anything worth looking at there but it is different for Sara. She sharpens her expression while following Hell deeper into the alley until they stop at the point where the young boss died. Sara thinks there is no mistaking it, that it smells of blood. The problem is  whose blood is that and why they were bleeding. Sara asks herself if Takahisa went there, the smell of the woman that followed him into the building is there too, she wonders if Takahisa is related to the person that bleeding in the alley. Sara spends a moment thinking of different possibilities and then she looks at the entrance of the alley. Louise asks Sara if something happened but before Sara can say anything a man accompanied by ten crook-like men calls out to the group. Louise and the other four knights put their hands in the hilt of their swords and turn towards the voice. Louise asks the men who they are. The man leading the group tells the knights to wait and that he has no intention to attack them. He says he is Norman, the man who controls the zone and also the owner of the brothel next to them.

Louise tells Norman he came at a good time and that she had business with that brothel so she will have him say what he knows. Norman licks the group with his eyes and opens his eyes widely, he tells the group they are greatly welcome if they are looking for a job, that one of their prostitutes has just disappeared and need to get personal, he tells them that the silver haired girl in the back is incredibly beautiful and that she could earn dozens of gold coins in a night. Louise prepares to unsheathe her sword while calling Norman rude. Norman says again he has no intention to fight, that it is just a matter of being rude of him to not offer a job to a group of beauties if they come to the red light district. Louise clicks her tongue and tells Norman that they are there just to investigate something and that if he answers honestly she will let him go but that if he says another vulgar thing there won’t be mercy. Norman says he understands and asks Louise what she is researching. Louise tells Norman they are looking for a teenaged dark brown haired boy, between 170 and 180 centimeters tall, that wore expensive clothes. Norman sharpens his expression when listening to that description, he says his shop’s priority is trust since it is a high class one and that there isn’t a way for him to blurt his customer’s information in case that young master came. Louise asks Norman if that means that he has no intention to answer. Norman says things change if he has any obligation to answer, that at least he can’t tell them anything without knowing their identity.

Louise tells Norman while showing a metal plate with the royal family’s crest that they are royal guards serving the royal family and are investigating on the king’s direct orders and that all of the kingdom’s residents have the duty to collaborate with their research. Norman says sarcastically that then it won’t do if he doesn’t answer. Louise asks Norman if a boy who matched the description came or not. Norman says it seems like a boy like that came but that he wasn’t who received him, that customers like that aren’t weird at a high class shop like his, that the boy’s good clothes were conspicuous and that he came saying he wanted to try doing it with a woman with a wonderful body no matter what. Louise says she understands while facepalming and sighing exasperatedly. Norman asks the group why they are searching for that young master and who he is. Louise tells Norman to not make unnecessary questions because the boy is an important person, then she asks him if he has any idea about where the boy went afterwards. Norman says that as expected he unfortunately doesn’t know even where he went after leaving the shop. Louse says she understands.

Sara says she has a question too, she asks Norman if someone was gravely wounded in the back alley or if someone died. Norman lets out a shocked voice and Sara tells him that the smell of blood is still strong. Norman makes a shocked expression wondering how Sara knows that but sees Hell and makes an understanding face. Louise asks Sara if it is like that. Sara says it is, that the smell of blood aside Takahisa’s smell also remains faintly, then Sara asks Norman if he won’t tell them if the boy they are looking for has any relation to the blood spilled in the back alley. Norman says that certainly a man died there the other day and asks Sara if the dog knows who killed the guy. Sara says it doesn’t, that a lot of smells of other people remain in the alley too. Norman says he understands and Louise tells him to answer Sara’s question, to say if there is any relation between the boy they are searching for and the blood. Norman says there isn’t, that there was a fight but that the victim was his nephew and not the young master but that he doesn’t know why the young master’s smell is there too.

Louise  says she understands and that she is sorry for asking something bad, she says that if the culprit hasn’t been found yet she will inform the guards of the case herself. Norman tells Louise that she doesn’t need to do that and that his side is already working towards a solution. Louise says she understands and asks Norman’s group if any of them knows about the boy they are searching for, she says there will be a reward for those who give any information, she tells the group she will come again and to go the guards’ office if they discover something in the meantime. Norman tells Louise that they seem quite serious and that they are also quite widespread outside the red light district so he will do whatever it takes to find information about that young master, Louise says they will have some expectations and take their leave then. Norman says his group will also go back to the brothel and takes his men out of the alley. With the way now open Sara tells the group the next search direction, when they are some distance away from the brothel Sara takes another look back at the alley next to it, she thinks the smell of blood from there, even if just slightly was beginning to mix with Takahisa’s, she shakes her head in an attempt to push away the negative thoughts and continues the search.

Inside the brothel, Norman tells Nick that now that even the knights dispatched directly by the king came to the red light district the rumors he brought from the noble district about a hero going missing seem real. Nick agrees, he says he was half in doubt himself, that he couldn’t think a legendary hero would come to a brothel to play with women but that now it seems is almost confirmed who is the culprit that killed the young boss. Norman agrees and says they have to find the hero before the fellows from the castle no matter what. One of Norman’s men asks him if they don’t have it bad now that the people from the castle are searching too. Norman looks angrily at the man and he asks Norman if it might not be complicated to secure the hero first, that those fellows even found their way to them using a dog, so he asks if they wouldn’t be discovered in case they discover the hero first, that as expected, killing a hero and going against the country is bad, he asks Norman if they wouldn’t earn quite the sum if they give to the kingdom the hero they secured. Several other men agree with all of that and make similar questions.

Norman screams angrily at his men for getting scared of a big opponent, he tells them they were the ones who made the red light district prosper instead of the king or the hero, he tells his men he has no memory of having become a subject of the kingdom, that the red light district is their kingdom. Norman continues his speech while his men look silently at him, he tells them he will give a load of gold coins to the one that finds Sammy’s murderer, and even a higher post in the organization, he says he has no plan of backing away even against a king or a hero, so if there are people who want to back away they can do it but they shouldn't think they will be able to live anymore where his eyes can reach. The men change their minds thinking about the new rewards. Norman orders his men to move already if they want to rise in the world, that they already know that Julia took the brat with her and bought robes, that the fellows from the castle aren’t the only ones who can narrow down the inns where they could stay starting from that point and that the men already watching the scene will get the jump on them. The men leave the brothel in a hurry and begin to search for Takahisa. Norman thinks to himself there won't be anything he can do if the fellows from the castle hide Takahisa, he thinks he absolutely won’t let him run away, that he doesn’t care about him being a hero, that he will kill him with his own hands.

Some time later, in a run down shop in an alley out of sight next to Galtuk’s market. Julia comes out of the store with her robe on, she looks with a happy smile at the bag with the gold coins and six big silver coins she got selling Takahisa’s clothes, almost four gold coins if she adds her savings. She thinks with that money they should be able to focus on traveling for a while, that with that money she and Takahisa will… she tells her prince or was a hero in her mind to wait for her while going back to the inn where he is waiting. Julia is both happy and scared about her new happiness being stolen away, of the young boss organization coming from revenge even now, but their departure is tomorrow, they just need to stay hidden until then. Julia begins to trot towards the inn in an attempt to let behind her fear but then a bag appeared in front of her face and her vision turned black.

Hours later, it was almost dusk. Takahisa walks anxiously around the inn room while thinking it was strange. Julia said she would be back in one or two hours but no matter how long he waited she didn’t come back. Did something happen? Was she captured? Takahisa puts on the robe and leaves the room with the hood hiding his face and decides to wait for Julia wandering around the inn’s entrance. After thirty minutes like that several men approach Takahisa and call out to him. Takahisa asks the men warily what they want. One of the men tells Takahisa that he has been acting suspicious for a while and asks him if something happened. Takahisa says he is just looking for a person and asks the men if they have a problem with it. One of the men asks Takahisa if it could be that he is looking for a woman called Julia. Takahisa makes an anxious face. The men celebrate that they seem to have the right person. Takahisa asks the men who they are. One of the men asks Takahisa if he understands when being told that the manager of the store where that woman went to sell clothes is with them, the same with the store where she bought the clothes he is wearing right now. Takahisa asks the men what they did to Julia. One man tells Takahisa that Julia wasn’t telling them his location at all but that they have an idea of all the places where he was likely to be and were checking them in order. Another man tells Takahisa that how he came carelessly out himself helped them a lot. Takahisa grabs one of the men and asks him if Julia is safe. The man tells Takahisa that that depends on him and asks him if he can let go. Takahisa lets go of the man frustratingly and he tells him to follow them because his boss is looking for him. It was just several minutes after Takahisa followed the men that Sara’s group arrived at the inn.

At sunset, Takahisa arrives at the brothel where Julia worked and is told to wait at the hall while one of the men goes upstairs. After some minutes the man comes back down and tells Takahisa to follow him to Julia’s room where Norman was waiting for them. Norman tells Takahisa that he has been waiting for him and Takahisa asks the Norman that received him sitting on the bed where Julia is. Norman tells the Takahisa looking for Julia around the room with his gaze to not be in a hurry, immediately after that someone hits Takahisa in the head from behind and leaves him unconscious, the last thing that Takahisa saw before losing consciousness was Nick’s chest.

After arriving at the inn where Takahisa was staying Sara and the knights changed places with another search unit and went back to the castle. They go to a drawing room where François, Miharu, Aki, Masato, Satsuki, Charlotte and Liliana were waiting for news and tell them about her day searching for Takahisa. Louise tells everyone that the search is now in the hands of the main unit accompanied by Liliana’s escorts, that they will try to convince Takahisa to come back to the castle once he goes back to the inn and that Takahisa’s return should be a matter of time. Liliana thanks Sara and Louise’s group for searching for all the day. Louise says she just tagged along and that if Sara hadn’t been there she wouldn’t have found Takahisa’s staying place so quickly. Sara says she wouldn’t have been able to move so freely without Louise and the others guiding her around the city and that alone she would have got lost. Miharu, Aki and Masato thank Sara and the knights too. Masato also apologizes to everyone for his older brother causing them problems. Liliana tells Masato that he doesn’t have to apologize, that it is her fault for failing in her duty to support Takahisa. Miharu says it is her fault for getting emotional and slapping Takahisa. Aki tells everyone they are wrong and that she didn’t support Takahisa properly either.

Satsuki tells everyone to stop, then when they are paying attention to her she tells everyone that now that they found Takahisa’s location she will make one thing clear, that none of what happened is their fault, that the only culprit is Takahisa, that what he is doing is gonedoku. Charlotte asks Satsuki what is that. Satsuki tells her that gonedoku means to keep pushing unreasonable complaints and dissatisfaction at people in order to gain concessions from then when things won’t go one’s way when thinking with common sense, that precisely because the complainer (gonetasha/ごねた者) will get the profits (toku/得) its called gonedoku/ゴネ得. Charlotte says she understands, that it is an interesting word and that it is something seen often in the royal court. François also laughs listening to that. Satsuki tells everyone that Takahisa wanted to make them do as he wanted, so he escaped from home in order to make them feel guilty, that that is what Takahisa is doing, that in fact all of them are feeling guilty, she asks everyone if they thought they should change how they treat Takahisa if he comes back. Miharu, Aki, Liliana and Masato stay silent while making awkward faces. Satsuki says that it seems she got it right so she will properly make it clear to them, that none of them is in the wrong and that it is absolutely wrong to forgive Takahisa’s gonedoku.

Charlotte says she agrees with Satsuki, she tells everyone that if they spoil Takahisa this time he will think that if he complains he will get what he wants, that that won’t be good for Takahisa and will also increase their future burden. Satsuki says that it is exactly like that, that it is a matter of what they will do if Takahisa does the same thing again, she asks everyone if they will keep making things as Takahisa wishes so things don’t get like that, she warns then that not being able to say that they hate the things they dislike will be quite stressful and that the one that will have to endure the most will probably be Miharu. Masato says that it is like that, that it is wrong to spoil Takahisa this time, that he also thinks it is wrong for Miharu and everyone else to feel responsible, that what Takahisa told to Liliana was the worst, that he can’t absolutely forget those words, that it was obvious for Miharu to slap Takahisa. Satsuki says that that’s it, that it is wrong to forget what Takahisa did and that that’s why Miharu, Aki and Liliana don’t need to feel responsible for this incident, that it is the opposite, that it is fine for them to get angry, she asks them if they got that Takahisa is the one in the wrong.

Miharu tries to add something timidly but Satsuki forces her to nod asking again more strongly. Satsuki asks Aki and Liliana again if they also got it. Aki seems dubious too. Satsuki tells Aki that Takahisa being in the wrong is a different matter from her wish of supporting him in other things, that it is fine for her to do that if she wants to. Aki nods. Liliana says she will do just like Aki. Satsuki says that then it is forbidden to talk any more about this incident, that rather than that now it is a matter of what to do with the Takahisa that went to a brothel to have fun with another girl and even stayed in the same inn with her just like a take away. Charlotte says that that is because for gentlemen is a problem when things accumulate while laughing jokingly. Satsuki says with flushed cheeks that it might be like that but still… Lliana says she is doubtful about that, she tells everyone that Takahisa shouldn’t have an assignment he could use freely, so she wonders where he could have got the money for the brothel and the inn. Satsuki asks Liliana if it is like that. Liliana says that it is, that the Centostella kingdom always prepared everything that Takahisa needed. Satsuki now wonders if Takahisa received money from someone before coming to the Galarc kingdom or if the girl accompanying him paid then. Liliana says she also can only think of those possibilities herself but… Satsuki says they will understand it once Takahisa comes back anyway and that then they will ask him about it. Liliana says that it is like that and that she will ask the people from her kingdom if anyone gave money to Takahisa. After that they ended the meeting and everyone went their own ways.

Somewhere inside Galtuk’s red light district, Takahisa recovered his consciousness after being thrown water in the head. Norman greets Takahisa when he wakes up. Takahisa opens his eyes slowly and looks around the room while lying on his side in the ground, he sees Norman sitting cross-legged in a wooden chair with Nick and the men that guided him to the brothel standing behind him. He asks himself where he is, he can tell he isn’t at the brothel because everything in the room is made of stone unlike the brothel that had everything inside made of wood, there isn’t any window and the only light comes from a magic tool. He wonders if he is in the brothel’s basement instead, he can’t move because he was put in chains and has a magic sealing collar on too. Norman tells Takahisa that the knights from the castle were looking for him using trained dogs to follow his smell so he changed their location a bit, that now they are at the basement that only special customers use so they won’t be found even if they use his smell, that even if they come again he just has to guide them to the room in the surface where he stayed with Julia and won’t suspect the basement.

Takahisa asks Norman where Julia is. Norman asks Takahisa if he really is worrying about that dirty prostitute before worrying about himself, he tells Takahisa he is kind, he asks if that is something as expected from a legendary hero, then everyone in the room laughs at Takahisa. Takahisa tells Norman that Julia has no relation to this. Norman gets angry, stands up and kicks Takahisa in the stomach, he crouches next to him ,raises his head grabbing his hair and tells him that Julia is related, that she hid the him who killed Sammy, that even without that is taboo for a prostitute to disappear alongside a client, a capital crime, that of course he will kill her and it won’t be an easy death. Takahisa tells Norman that it isn’t like that. Norman tells Takahisa he is noisy and to shut up while pressing his face against the ground, then he orders his men to bring Julia to the basement. The men nod and come back a little later with a tied up Julia and throw her to the ground. Both Julia and Takahisa call out worriedly to each other.

Julia had her eyes injected in blood from crying, her eyelids swollen, her nose bleeding and her worn out clothes stained with blood. Takahisa asks her what happened and if the red on her clothes is from blood. Julia apologizes over and over to Takahisa. Norman then grabs Julia’s hair and asks her if she isn’t mistaking to whom she has to apologize. Takahisa asks Norman what he did to Julia. Norman tells Takahisa that the healing magic is convenient, that if just after hurting someone you use magic the wound disappears beautifully. Takahisa screams at Norman that he asked him what he did. Norman says he didn’t do anything special, that he was just trying to make her spit his location and that he properly held back since she will still be a merchandise for some time in the future. Takahisa asks Norman screaming if he punched her in the face. Norman tells Takahisa that in the end Julia didn’t speak, that she just said that she wouldn’t say it or that she absolutely wouldn’t answer but that it seems like her heart broke when she listened that he was captured too because she got captured herself. Takahisa asks Norman screaming what he did. Norman tells Takahisa that that’s line while kicking his face and breaking some of his teeth.

When Julia calls out worriedly to Takahisa Norman asks her if she didn’t get carried away just because he was a little kind in his interrogation, he grabs her hair and makes her look at Takahisa’s broken teeth in the ground while asking her if she thinks she won’t end like that just because she will be merchandise, he asks her who gave her permission to speak. After Julia lets out an scared scream Norman tells her that there is a place where it is better if there aren’t teeth, that it is fine for him to hit her there too and that teeth if lost won’t come back with magic, he asks her if he should pull them out now. Norman laughs loudly while Julia can only let out scared noises. Takahisa tells Norman to stop. Norman can’t listen well to the toothless Takahisa so he approaches his ears to his mouth to listen better, then he asks Takahisa if he told him to stop, he asks Takahisa if he doesn’t understand the situation yet, he tells him they are in his kingdom, that he is the king, that the legendary hero isn’t better than a worm, he asks ´takahisa why did he give him an order, he tells Takahisa that he has to request things from a king, that he has to grit his front against the ground and beg him to stop. Then he grabs Takahisa’s head and puts his face against the ground and Takahisa begs as he was told with a frustrated face. Norman tells Takahisa that he isn’t saying anything while stepping on his head.

Norman asks Takahisa if he treasures Julia that much or if he speaks about himself, he asks him if he wants forgiveness for the legendary hero or for Julia. Takahisa tells Norman to please forgive Julia but Norman says that it can’t be, that he absolutely won’t do it and begins to stomp Takahisa’s head over and over. Even Norman’s men are taken aback, Julia begs Norman to stop while seeing the ground getting darker and darker because of Takahisa’s blood. Norman stops his leg and asks Julia while looking curiously at her if she forgot what he told her before and who gave her permission to speak. Julia hesitates because of the fear at first but after another glance at Takahisa she begs Norman to forgive him again, she says she will do anything, that she is fine with staying a slave for life and that she will earn a lot of money. Norman is surprised by the seriousness of Julia’s pleas, then he removes his foot, crouches and asks Takahisa if it isn’t good to have a woman willing to so much for one’s sake, he asks Takahisa how he made Julia fall so much and that it is incredible. Takahisa just cries without answering. Norman tells Julia that in honor to her spirit he will talk for a bit with Takahisa and to step back for a bit. Julia asks if it is the truth. Norman says it is and tells his men to take Julia away, then one of his men carries her outside while she continues to beg for Takahisa.

Norman asks Takahisa if he saw that, that it seems that that woman really thought he would be saved and that she is an idiot. Norman then begins to laugh while pulling Takahisa up by his hair once more. Norman tells Takahisa that the man he killed was his cute nephew so it is already decided that he will kill him, but despite that stupid woman was that happy even though he absolutely won’t forgive him. Takahisa cries while Norman holds back his laughter. Norman tells Takahisa that despite that he isn’t a demon and has promised to talk with him, so they will have a more interesting conversation, he tells Takahisa that that stupid woman said that she was going to earn a lot money but that he was planning on having her earn money until she died from the beginning anyway, but that despite that she thought that the money she would earn could be a bargaining chip. Norman laughs again while Takahisa just cries. Takahisa begins in an attempt to break free using his powers but the collar doesn’t let him do it. Norman tells his men to put Takahisa face up while holding him down and two of them do just that. Norman takes out a dagger and shows it to Takahisa, he tells him he will kill him stabbing in the same place he stabbed Sammy, that he will put his weight behind it while slowly piercing his heart.

Norman tells Takahisa to be relieved because he will properly pretend he let him go to give hope to that stupid woman and make her work, that he will introduce her to a lot of crazy customers, that in the royal capital there are so many perverts with crazy fetishes that pay well that they are left to rot, that normally they just give them consumables but that with that stupid woman they will pay to have her healed after she is with a special customer, that regardless of her breaking when the magic can heal her anymore or her heart breaking when she loses hope it will be an spectacle. The men tell Norman to do it quickly if he is going to do it and that Takahisa is seriously stupidly strong. Norman tells his men they are pathetic and tells Nick to hold down Takahisa’s legs too. Nick obeys and Norman swings the dagger down.

Takahisa cries while glaring at Norman just like he wanted to kill him by cursing him with his grudge, it was then that he realized it, that in the world there are incorrigible bastards, that there are demon-like people beyond salvation. That’s why he began to question himself, why was his previous self saying so obstinately that killing was absolutely wrong? Then he changes his valors. Killing, I can just kill, kill. If he was free he would swing his sword doubtlessly and kill that man, he wants to kill every man there. Takahisa finally embraced his killing intent for the first time in his life but it is late already, already too late. He can already see the tip of the dagger piercing his chest while Norman says that it is payback for Sammy, apologizing to the dead for being too late for them while stabbing him over and over. Takahisa finally loses consciousness and Norman tells his men to throw that trash hero to the incinerator and to not let clothes, bones or even the collar remain.

### Chapter 6: The darkness’ holy fire.

He felt he could listen to the sound of what seemed to be a strong wind, it was so hot that boiling water felt lukewarm, he wondered if he was submerged in hell magma, he tried to scream but no voice came out, it was like the inside and outside of his body were equally being burnt, he wondered what was happening, he didn’t know it but he wanted to get out, he wanted to run away from that hell, so… so Takahisa did…

In the brothel’s basement there is a secret high power incinerator that uses magic stones as fuel, the chimney for letting the smoke out is connected to the kitchen’s in order for the smoke to be let out discreetly, now that incinerator has Takahisa’s corpse inside. Three of Norman’s men comment about how scary Norman was and about how angry he was in front of the incinerator. A man says that he will have trouble sleeping for a while, another says that they really killed a hero, the last man asks if they will be cursed. Then they hear a noise inside the incinerator, a man asks the others if there was sound just now, one of them asks if they will be really cursed, the other tells him to not say strange things while cowering as much as him. Nick enters the incinerator’s room at that time and calls out to them. The men are relieved when they see it was just Nick coming. Nick tells the men that today was a cursed day. The men ask Nick if he heard the sound from before too and if it wasn’t bad news, if it wasn’t the hero’s curse. Nick apologizes while approaching the men, unsheathes his sword and kills them while telling them that he is leaving the organization just for that day. Nick removes the magic stones that power the incinerator, uses water and wind magic to extinguish the fire, takes Takahisa out of the incinerator while being disgusted by his vitality when he sees that he still breathes and is even regenerating his carbonized skin and flesh. Nick can’t believe Takahisa won’t die even with that, then he uses a teleportation crystal to get out of there with Takahisa.

Nick appears inside a cheap inn room anywhere in Galtuk and Reis praises him for his good work. Nick tells Reis he rescued Takahisa at the time of incinerating him just as planned and also set that basement as the teleport destination for their next infiltration. Reis tells Nick that it is wonderful, that he did really well, that having him infiltrate Galarc’s dark society was worth it and to put Takahisa on the bed. Nick asks Reis what is going on with Takahisa’s body while at looking with disquietness at his healing process. Reis tells Nick that it is as he explained, that the heroes have a powerful healing ability, that it has limits but that with just this much they won’t die. Nick asks if this isn’t already resurrection rather than healing. Reis agrees with a smile. Nick asks Reis what he will do afterwards. Reis says that of course he will put Takahisa on his debt but that what they will do afterwards will depend on what Takahisa wants to do after waking up. Nick tells Reis that he was present when Takahisa was killed and that he thinks Takahisa will think of them as enemies if he sees him. Reis tells Nick that that won’t be a problem, that for the time being he will have him go back to the organization of the red light district while playing ignorant but before that… Reis takes a look at Takahisa, he thinks the assimilation must have progressed quite much because of the incineration but that a complete recovery should still take some time because it is still his first death. After concluding he still has time Reis tells Nick to exchange information with him while Takahisa doesn’t wake up, he tells Nick to please inform him as detailedly as possible about what occurred during Takahisa’s murder and his impressions of the involved people

Takahisa asks himself when happened, it was when he came to Galtuk to attend the evening party. He finally met again with Miharu, Aki and Masato and told them that he wanted them to come with him, that he wanted to be with them forever from then on, that he would protect them, that he would show them he could protect them. Aki accepted his feelings but Miharu and Masato refused. They didn’t want to be protected by the him who was raised alongside them but by a stranger. He was jealous of that man that despite coming out from nowhere had the power to protect the two of them and the history of having saved them. That man was a murderer, Takahisas asked him if he had killed people and he said he did, Takahisa asked him if he wasn’t a murderer and he said he was, he admitted easily he was a murderer and didn’t show any remorse, he was the worst scum so Takahisa despised him from the bottom of his heart, he was convinced he would never get along with that man so he told him that Miharu wouldn’t be happy if she stayed with him, that it would be for Miharu’s sake if she was with him who was a hero, that if it was him he would protect Miharu.

Takahisa challenged the man to a duel, he lost easily, he lost completely, a crushing defeat, it was so frustrating, it was like being showed that he, the one who lost, was the one in the wrong and was going crazy about it, so he refused to admit it. He asked Liliana if she didn’t know it, that with the power he held inside as a hero, that if it was his power it could protect the people important to him. Liliana asked Takahisa if Lord \*\*\*\* hadn’t just defeated him, she told him that the special power contained within the divine weapon was certainly powerful but that if people as skillful as that man got close even the hero could lose, she told him to please understand that, that in the world there were evil happenings that simple power could do nothing about. Takahisa told Liliana that even then he would say he would protect them and that beyond that they would be walking parallel lines. The him of that time didn’t understand the slightest thing but said he would protect everyone with a stupid face while knowing nothing of the world, even though the current him understands that so well it hurts… he remembers Julia begging for his life with her front on the ground and Norman laughing evilly while remembering her pleas, he couldn’t forgive him, but more than that he couldn’t forgive the past him who believed he could protect easily his important people, the him who couldn’t do a thing to protect Julia, the fool and pathetic him from a little while ago, he was pathetic, really pathetic. He couldn’t protect Julia, that was the most frustrating, really frustrating. So, so frustrating…

The next morning, almost at dawn, Takahisa wakes up while crying with frustration for not being able to help Julia, he didn’t think at all about where he was, if he was safe, why he was there, he just thought it wouldn’t do if he didn’t go help Julia as soon as possible. He gets up from the bed and tries to leave the room but Reis tells him to wait and asks him where he is going. Takahisa lets out a surprised voice when he sees Reis reading next to the bed and cleans his tears while looking at him. Reis tells Takahisa it was unexpected that he would try to leave the moment he woke up while laughing lightly and closing his book. Takahisa asks Reis who he is and then lets out a surprised voice, he touches his mouth and realizes all of his broken teeth are back. Reis tells Takahisa he is supposed to be the benefactor who saved him when he was just about to die. Takahisa says he understands and asks Reis where Julia is, then when he can’t see her he tries to leave the room again. Reis tells Takahisa to wait again, he tells Takahisa he has no intention to retain him forcefully and asks him if he will be able to reach his destination when he doesn’t know when he himself is, that he said something about a brothel but that right now he isn’t in the red light district.

Takahisa tells Reis there is a girl he wants to help, that he has to help her, that if he doesn’t go to… right now Takahisa doesn’t care about anything unrelated to save Julia, he might not even understand well why he wants to save her, he has no clear plan, only the feeling of wanting to help her as soon as possible. Reis sees Takahisa like that, thinks he can make use of his absentminded state now that he has just come back from the death and tells him that he will show him the way if that is the case. Takahisa lets out a surprised voice and Reis asks him if he doesn’t want to go back to that basement, he tells Takahisa he will send him there and that if he wants to they can infiltrate right that instant. Takahisa asks Reis who he is and what is his relationship with those fellows. The more his thoughts begin to clear the more questions he has, he finally got wary of Reis’ presence and began to wonder why he is unhurt. More and more of his memories come back and he makes the face of a demon while remembering Norman and what he did to him. He thinks will kill him while the flame of hatred burns strongly in his eyes, he wants to kill, he would do anything in order to kill that man. Then Takahisa lowers his head at Reis and asks him to please quickly guide him to where Julia is. Reis asks Takahisa if he won’t think about asking more about his background, he tells him it is also possible he is Norman’s ally, that even without that there could be a trap or at least there could be a price for his guide. Reis asks Takahisa if it wouldn’t be better to be a bit more cautious but Takahisa says he doesn’t care about that. Reis lets out an admiring voice and Takahisa says he doesn’t care about that if he can help Julia, to please tell him if he wants him to do something in exchange of his help, that if it is something he can give he will give him anything. Reis tells Takahisa he is reckless but that he likes that resolve, that fine then, that he will guide him to that brothel’s basement, then he offers a hand to Takahisa as if welcoming him.

The high class brothel run by Norman has a vast underground space, it connects to the close buildings, its surface exceeds by far that of the building in the surface, there are countless rooms in the basement aside from the one with the incinerator and the one where Takahisa was confined. Those rooms imprison prostitutes forbidden to go to the surface and sold as illegal merchandise to special tight lipped high rank customers but… right now that basement is in chaos, there was a murder in the incinerator’s room and Takahisa’s corpse is missing. Norman curses while asking the men in his office if they have found Takahisa’s corpse already but they can just report they didn’t. All of the men in the incinerator’s room are dead and there aren’t witnesses, they don’t know where Takahisa’s corpse is, they have no clue of who might be the culprit or of where Takahisa’s corpse might have gone to. Norman asks the men if Takahisa’s corpse wasn’t taken to the surface. one of them says that that’s impossible, another one says that all of the ways to the surface were being watched, another one says that no customer brought a big baggage today and that none of their men took out a big package either.

Norman clicks his tongue wondering what is going on. If Takahisa’s body was taken outside things will get troublesome if his brothel is suspected. Even though he was finally in a good mood after killing him now he is in the worst of the moods again. Regardless of how big is the basement it is strange for a corpse to disappear and not be found anywhere inside an underground and closed space so Norman begins to think about possibilities. He wonders if it was customer but discards the idea, the culprit is someone who aimed at Takahisa’s corpse and took it away, the culprit can only be a man from inside that knew Takahisa was killed in the basement but can’t think of a reason to take the corpse away, he wonders if the culprit wants to take the corpse to the castle. It could be the doing of a mole from a rival organization or it might also be the doing of a subordinate that wants to take him down. Even if it is someone from inside could they carry a corpse away alone? Are all of the men in some entrance on their side? Norman thinks it might be safer to dispose of Julia already even if he wanted to have fun first. She still thinks Takahisa is alive but depending on how things go she can turn into a troublesome living witness. Then Norman tells his men to keep searching the basement while he has Nick and two more men accompanying him to the room where Julia is confined.

Julia was confined in a narrow small room with just a bed inside, she wonders what is going on while looking at the men running around in a hurry at the other side of her room’s iron bars. She wonders if Takahisa is fine, she remembers Norman hitting him, she didn’t meet Takahisa since she was taken out from that room but she wants him to live, she thinks he shouldn’t be dead but she can’t stop her anxiety. She wants to know what happened to him, she of course asked her watchman but he just screamed at her that she was noisy, she didn’t insist much fearing her aptitude could make things worse for Takahisa. Then Norman arrived at her cell followed by two men and Nick. Norman asks Julia if she wants to know where Takahisa is. Julia says she does and Norman tells her to follow him to the room where Takahisa was. When Julia sees the room where Takahisa was killed empty she asks Norman where Takahisa was taken to. Norman tells Julia that Takahisa died while pointing at the place where he killed him. Julia lets out a surprised voice and Norman tells her that he killed him piercing his heart. Julia can’t talk because of the shock and Norman tells her that Takahisa was screaming while dragging his words shamefully because of the lost teeth when he told him how he would kill her just after she left the room without a care. Julia lets out a despaired groan and Norman tells her that Takahisa cried a lot despite being a man, that it was unsightly and wanted to show her where he died.

Julia jumps at Norman while screaming at him in tears that he is a liar but he easily slaps her away while telling her that she is noisy. Norman tells Julia while she rolls on the ground that the circumstances changed, that it was decided she will be eliminated too so he won’t hold back this time, that he won’t use healing magic either, that he will kill her after punching her face till it changes shape, then he says he will let the face as the fun for the end instead and for the time being punch her stomach. Julia cries frustratedly while bleeding from her nose when Norman sits straddling her hips, but despite that she doesn’t cower and keeps trying to hit Norman. Norman punches Julia in the stomach while telling her that she is a noisy woman.While she moans in pain Norman tells her that both her and that shitty brat are plague Gods. Norman keeps punching Julia over and over in the stomach until a man enters the room screaming at him that they are under attack.

Some minutes before, in an empty room in the brothel’s basement, the space suddenly distorts and Reis and Takahisa appear there. Reis tells Takahisa that they arrived and that they should be in a room of the brothel’s basement. Takahisa thanks Reis, materializes his sword, walks towards the door, opens it and comes out to a corridor full of men. The men are surprised to see Takahisa come out from an empty room but see his sword and prepare to fight while warning the others in screams about the intruders. Takahisa glares silently at the men coming to attack him dagger in hand, then he swings his sword and a mass of hellfire several meters long fills the corridor. Several men roll on the ground while screaming in pain, the ones untouched by the flames fall into a panic too. Reis tells Takahisa that it might be better if he abstains from using powerful flames because they are underground and tells him to just use them at critical moments. Takahisa agrees, he says he was planning to limit the output but that he apologizes for that. Reis tells Takahisa to not be sorry, he points his fingers at the unhurt men and small light bullets pierce their heads, then he tells Takahisa to fight as he pleases because he will support him as much as possible. Takahisa thanks Reis while being surprised about his skills.

The only still unhurt man looks dumbfoundedly while sitting on his butt at his comrades burning in the ground and at the corpses of the dead ones. Takahisa looks at the men screaming in pain in the ground while thinking it is obvious for fellows like that to die. Reis smiles while being surprised about the difference between Takahisa’s current personality and the one in the reports. Then reinforcements arrive and lose their words seeing their comrades’ state, Reis kills them with his magic bullets too. The man in the ground does his best to crawl away from them in fear but Takahisa walks towards him, grabs him by the collar and asks him where Julia is but the man just moans in pain without answering. Takahisa screams at the man to answer, to tell him where Julia is. Takahisa rises the man and hits his body against a wall while screaming at him to answer the question. The man tells Takahisa in stutters that Norman took her away and to turn left in the next corner. Takahisa clenches his hands while screaming hatefully that name. The man begs Takahisa to not kill him. Takahisa screams at the man to not mess with him while pressing his body against the wall strongly enough for him to die crushed between his hand and the wall.

Reis tells Takahisa that Julia seems to be that way while pointing at the way ahead. Takahisa tells Reis to go while walking ahead, he frowns watching the other girls behind iron bars but decides to prioritize Julia for the time being, more men come to attack then but Reis’ light bullets silence them all, the man that informed Norman of the intrusion also died just seconds after that. Reis tells Takahisa that Julia seems to be in that room and Takahisa crosses the door while calling her name worriedly. Norman asks Takahisa in shock why he is alive. Julia calls Takahisa’s name from the ground and he screams Norman’s name hatefully when he sees Julia’s swollen face. Takahisa approaches Norman and he tells him to stay away while using Julia as a human shield. Takahisa screams at Norman to let go of Julia. Norman says that he won’t and tells his men to kill Takahisa. The men take out their daggers but before they can do anything Takahisa already cut one in half, when the other man freezes in fear Takahisa cuts him down too. Norman tells Takahisa to not move and that he will really kill Julia if he does, he asks Nick what he is doing but before he can order him to attack Takahisa Nick hits Norman and takes Julia away from him. Norman curses Nick while falling on his butt. Reis then tells Takahisa that Nick is his ally and to not attack him. Norman asks Nick in desperation if he betrayed him.

Nick tells Norman that his contract with him ends today while walking towards Reis and Takahisa with Julia in his arms at the same time that he casts healing magic on her. Takahisa tells Norman that it seems there isn’t anyone who will protect him anymore at the same time that he strengthens his grip on his sword. Norman stands while taking out his dagger and tells Takahisa to not come while pointing his dagger at him and stepping away from Takahisa. When Norman’s back finally hits the wall Takahisa tells him that he won’t forgive him and that he absolutely won’t kill him quickly. Norman screams at Takahisa to not mess with him while watching his sword get enveloped by black flames. Norman asks Takahisa if all of this didn’t begin with him killing Sammy, he tells Takahisa that Julia is his slave too and asks Takahisa if he thinks everything he does is fine just because he is a hero. Takahisa screams at Norman that that’s his line while raising his sword. Norman curses while trying to stab Takahisa in the heart, but Takahisa’s sword pierces his heart so fast and strongly that he ends up stabbing the wall behind him too while crushing Norman’s body between the wall and his sword’s hilt. Norman lets out a pained voice while his internal organs break and his dagger falls to the ground. Takahisa looks at his dying face without blinking and Norman finally breathes his last while telling Takahisa he will be waiting for him in hell. Takahisa retrieves his sword and Norman’s body falls to the ground enveloped in black flames.

Takahisa looks at Norman’s burning corpse until he listens to Julia calling his name, he turns back to look in her direction. Nick approaches Takahisa while carrying Julia, tells him that it is hard to heal her like that and asks him if he can carry her while he heals her. Takahisa erases his sword and receives Julia’s body from Nick. Julia thanks Takahisa for coming to save her while laughing lightly, she tells him that thank goodness he is alive and faints in his embrace. Reis tells Takahisa that Julia’s life isn’t in danger, that he will make her as beautiful as before and will also heal her while casting spirit arts on her. Takahisa lowers his head while thanking Reis and Nick in tears. Reis tells Takahisa that as he told him just before coming to the brothel he doesn’t help people because of a pure sense of justice. Takahisa says he understands and that he will become Proxia’s hero, that he will keep his promise but that he wants to do one last thing before that. Reis asks Takahisa what it is. Takahisa tells Reis that he wants to release all of the girls in the surface and in the basement and destroy the brothel, and that it is fine if it disappears from the world.

A while later, at dawn, Takahisa stands on the roof of a close building while pointing the tip of his sword at the brothel, a pillar of fire appears and devours it. Reis lets out an impressed voice next to Takahisa while thinking his awakening is progressing nicely, Nick just stands silently behind the two while carrying Julia. Around them the people Takahisa evacuated from the brothel and a big crowd looked dumbfoundedly at the pillar of flames. When he is done destroying the brothel Takahisa tells Reis to go. Reis asks Takahisa if he is really fine with leaving the Galarc kingdom. Takahisa says he is and that he didn’t belong anywhere inside that castle while making a bitter face at the same that he glances in its direction. Reis looks at the castle too and says that fine then, he tells Takahisa to go back ahead with Nick, that he still has one last thing to do and will join them after that. Takahisa says he understands and Reis tells Nick to do it. Nick takes some distance from Reis while telling Takahisa to get close to him, he gives Julia back to Takahisa and uses a teleportation crystal. Now alone Reis takes flight while thinking he will go eliminate the remaining hindrances now then.

### Epilogue:

The pillar of flames rising from the red light district could be seen even from the castle, it was sinister and ominous, the castle was in chaos, everyone in Rio’s mansion goes to the garden to find out what was happening. Satsuki hardens her expression looking at the flames, she couldn’t think those flames were natural looking at how they moved, it was clear someone controlled them with spirit arts of magic, she says that it can’t be when the only person she knows could manipulate flames in such a way comes to mind, she shakes her head as a way to tell herself that there shouldn’t be a way for Takahisa to be able to do that. Masato and Aki make anxious faces next to Satsuki while thinking the same as her. Finally the flames disappear but they can’t talk yet, Masato asks fearfully if those flames… Aki realizes Miharu isn’t with them and asks worriedly where she is, she looks around but Miharu wasn’t anywhere, then at that moment from high in the sky above the castle everyone felt an overwhelming quantity of magic power. They take battle stances and then Sara, Ouphia and Alma scream in surprise when their contracted spirits warn them about a spirit’s presence appearing nearby.

They look in that direction and see Aisia standing there while putting a mask on. Celia asks herself why Aisia materialized and if that means that the owner of that magic power is that much bad news. Aisia screams at everyone to run away and begins to fly towards the direction of the great magic power. Celia tells everyone it will be absolutely bad if they stay there and to run away quickly. Then Miharu comes out from the house while making a dumbfounded face. Celia urges Miharu to come with them quickly in panic, but Miharu doesn’t listen at all and just looks dumbfoundedly at the sky. Celia asks herself what is happening to Miharu while running towards her and then she listens to Miharu chant a spell called possession. Celia doubted her ears. What was that chant? Why? How? Then while Celia was making herself all of those questions Miharu chanted a new spell. Type seventh heaven alter ego mode/《Mode・Seventh wise God・Hero imitation spell・Revised》

A little bit later, at Tonerico, Rio and Sora were just about to enter the dungeon once again and then they find a known face in front of its entrance, Elle, who greets them happily and tells them that they met again. Both Rio and Sora stop in their tracks and look dumbfoundedly at Elle, Rio asks her if it is really her. Elle tells Rio she didn’t meet him since the previous day. Rio asks Elle if she remembers them and Elle asks Rio if she didn’t tell him already that she was confident in her memory, she asks Rio if they hadn’t met just the previous day anyway. Rio says it is like that but… Elle says that seeing their faces made her want to eat paella again, she asks Rio if he didn’t promise to invite her to the paella he made himself next time. Rio says that it is like that but asks Elle why she is in such a place. Elle asks Rio if she didn’t tell him to dive into the dungeon if he was interested in its mysteries, she tells him she felt she would meet them again if she waited there, she says it was just like she thought while making a suspicious smile. Rio says he understands and that it was an incredible coincidence while asking himself in his mind if it really was a coincidence. Elle asks Rio if it wasn’t destiny instead, she asks Rio if he and Sora aren’t connected to her. Rio asks Elle warily what she means by destiny. Elle tells Rio she had just thought she would have an important talk with them if they appeared, but that it would be a secret just for three of them. Rio asks Elle what kind of talk. Elle tells Rio that it is about his ident… then the space around Rio and Sora distorts and they disappear from there. Elle is left alone letting out a surprised voice, then she sights with frustration while pouting, she says that as expected that must be that woman’s fault, Elle tells Fenris while looking at the east, in the direction of the Galarc kingdom that it seems that this future was foreseen.

### Next volume’s preview:

Thus, the Hero of Fire fell into darkness. A dim flame continues to flicker in his eyes, showing signs of a full-fledged awakening. On the other hand, those in Galarc's Castle are in an uproar as they sense something amiss. Is Miharu's strange behavior a good omen, or is it the beginning of a disaster?

“Then, I will correct the future that diverged”

精霊幻想記25.私達の英雄, Seirei Gensouki 25 - Watashi-tachi no eiyuu, Our hero.
Scheduled to be released in the year 2024.

## Short stories:

1. Melonbooks - Amande's sleeping beauty: Liselotte was told by Aria to take a nap and Aria prepared a special stuffed toy so Liselotte could have an even better sleep.
2. Bookwalker - The three reincarnators' pijama party: Latifa visited Rio's room at night, but why is Liselotte behind her too...?

## Gallery

Final coverClean coverCover teaserCover teaser 2Cover teaser 3Drama CD covermelonbooks bonus tapestryWhat about the temple?Hey, will you come play with me?