“…I have to go back.”

I got up and conjured one of my soul blades, the Transcendent Blade of Translocation. As I channeled all my mana into it, the blade flickered and flashed, agitated by my emotions.

A moment later, however, I heard a cry of, “Settle down, you nincompoop!” and the next thing I knew, I was enveloped in a purple mist that neutralized the flow of my magical energy.

I looked to see Leticia rise to her feet, her face twisted in fury.

“Don’t try to stop me!” I yelled at her. “I need to… I need to…!”

“D-don’t do it, Master!!”

“Calm down, Kaito!!”

Minnalis and Shuria ran to my sides, grabbing hold of me.

“Grh! Let go of me! I have to go! I have to… Or else… Rgh!!”

Or else I’d lose him.

I didn’t want to. I couldn’t lose anything else!!

“Let me go! If you don’t, I’ll have to use force… Grh!!”

“Oh dear. Could you please try not to look so pathetic?”

That voice took me completely by surprise. At first, I thought its bearer had come out of nowhere, but my spine stiffened when I realized they had been there all along.

I spun around to see a strange green-haired girl.

“Now, where are you going, leaving your injured sister behind?”

“Oh…”

“Whatever. Healing first, then we can talk. Full Recure.”

“Don’t you remember the story of Humpty Dumpty?”

“Wh-who are you…?!”

She looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place her. But that wasn’t important right now!

“You can’t put a broken egg back together. You should know that better than anyone.”

“Sh-shut up!”

I filled my body with mana to resist the strength-binding cord. That allowed me to move slightly, but not enough to break free.

“I’m grateful you healed Mai, but stay out of my way!!”

I flared up like a bonfire once more, desperate to escape.

“First off, what are you even going to do once you get back there?” the girl asked.

I don’t know. Why should I care?

I just have to get back, and then…

“Are you going to go mad and try to avenge him? Yuuto, was it? Or are you going to search the floor for his bits?”

“Shut up!! Dammit, get this thing off me…!!”

I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear it.

“Rrrrrrggghhhhhh!!”

My anger boiling, I poured in every ounce of mana I had, and eventually, the restraint flew apart.

“Hey! That thing was based on magical curse theory, thank you very much! Seriously, we had a perfectly coherent unified magical theory going on here, and then you all had to come along and ruin it.”

The skin on my neck was bleeding where the restraint had been, but I didn’t feel the pain. I had more important things on my mind.

“G-guhh!!”

Something flew past Minnalis, Shuria, and Mai, and the next instant, I felt a small but powerful jolt through my whole body. It accompanied a feeling of powerlessness even greater than the one from just before. The casting was so swift, yet precise, I couldn’t even register what had happened. All I could do was sink into unconsciousness, my bonfire smothered once more by a shovelful of dirt.

As always, her magic was so fast that by the time I noticed it, the tiny green spark had already made it past me and into Master, rendering him limp.

“Uh-oh.”

I don’t know if it was me or one of the other girls who said that, but we all began to fall, dragged forward by Master’s weight, when…

“What are you playing at?”

Before we hit the ground, some kind of telekinetic force lifted up all four of us. The demon lord Leticia lowered Master gently onto his back, and placed the three of us—me, Shuria, and the black-haired girl—on the ground.

“Oh, how remarkable. I had heard of the current demon lord’s proficiency for magic, but that’s really not bad. I’d like to be friends with you, if you don’t mind.”

“…Sorry, I’m afraid I have a score to settle with someone who looks an awful lot like you,” Leticia replied. “In fact, I thought you were them at first, but it seems not. Regardless, that will likely put a damper on any efforts at friendship.”

“O-oh, I see. I understand. Well, in principle, anyway. I suppose I should be grateful you didn’t sucker punch me as soon as we met.”

“From the way you talk,” she said, “It sure sounds like the two of you are related.”

“Well, I won’t say we’re unrelated,” the girl answered. “It all depends on how you look at it.”

“…I wonder if Guren got left behind?”

“Don’t worry about that. I picked him up before you.”

“…Well, thank you for that, anyway.”

Leticia cut her questions short and went over to look at Master.

“He was so tough, I had to step up the magic a little to compensate,” said the green-haired girl. “It was originally developed to work on gods, so it was especially effective against him. But don’t you worry; it shouldn’t cause any serious injury.”

The girl then turned her back on us, as though whatever happened to Kaito now was none of her concern.

“W-wait a minute! Who are you? What did you to my dear brother?!”

“Don’t worry, he’ll wake up—in a few days. Before that, though, I have to help my friend. Excuse me for one moment.”

With that, the green-haired girl took a glass beaker from her pocket, uncorked it, and spilled the silvery liquid within onto the floor. The silver puddle immediately adopted the form of a small humanoid that went over to pick up Metelia’s body, which had been teleported along with the rest of us.

“If you want to know how you’ll be spending those few days, just ask Minnalis and Shuria. Perhaps you haven’t noticed this yet, but you’re even more damaged than you look. That’s because you were in the presence of a god without the necessary precautions, you see. You’re not a follower, and you only indirectly benefited from the hero’s blessing. I’m surprised you’re even awake, if I’m being perfectly honest.”

The black-haired girl tried to stand but fell back on her rear, as if her feet had disappeared.

“Now if you’ll excuse me for a moment,” the green-haired girl said, “I need to go and help one of my only friends in this world.”

She strode over to the wall, and as she did, a wooden door appeared. The girl exited through it, and after she left, the door transformed into an empty wall once more.

“…Just who was that?” asked Leticia after she was gone. “She might be even better at magic than me! And her soul doesn’t seem human…or demon, or beastfolk, or elf, or anything!”

Leticia’s eyes narrowed as she muttered her misgivings. It was Shuria who answered her questions.

“That was Towako Kuroi!” she said.

“Kuroi? A strange name indeed…”

Leticia frowned, but it was the black-haired girl who had the most extreme reaction to that name.

“Did you say…Towako Kuroi? B-but that’s…”

This time I answered, following on from Shuria’s words.

“Yes,” I said. “Towako is from Master’s world. And what’s more…”

“…she was the hero before him.”

The world is divided by lines.

Lines that separate white from black. Lines that separate light from dark.

“Good girl, Alicia.”

She was a wonderful person, my dear big sister Lamnecia.

My goal was to be a great princess like her.

I always thought those happy days would go on forever.

But that all changed the day Lamnecia was killed.

“Mother? Wh-what did you just say?”

“…Your sister is dead.”

One day, my beloved big sister was taken away from me.

I was still young at the time, and the news sent me into shock. It was only after overhearing the maids’ gossip that I learned the truth.

“Hey, did you hear about the princess? The older one, I mean!”

“Oh, it’s so sad. How she died protecting a beastfolk child from monsters on her way back from the empire?”

“It’s tragic, that’s what it is. And what were the royal knights doing? They were with her, right? Why didn’t they protect her?”

“Apparently, they’d all been left with the empire for joint training. It was just bad luck.”

Lamnecia fought monsters to save a child? And she died?

Why? Why? Why?

Why was she killed for trying to help someone? Why was she killed for doing something noble?

Lamnecia always treated everyone with respect; even beastfolk in a nation that despised them.

She wanted to end discrimination, even though some people didn’t like her for that.

Is that why they did it?

Is that why they let her die?

…If only there were no monsters.

…If only there were no beastfolk children.

…If only there were no other countries.

But I never let those feelings out. I ignored them; closed my eyes, blocked my ears, held my breath. I knew something would break if I did otherwise.

Not thinking about it was simple. I had duties of the utmost importance to attend to. Duties that had once been my sister’s, that had now fallen to me.

People said my sister was the reincarnation of the prophetess who founded this country. Her sensitivity to the divine had been so great she could hear the Great Spirit’s voice clearly. By contrast, it took such monumental effort for me to even partially replicate Lamnecia’s feats that I had no time for anything else.

Day after day, I endured harsh training to hone my magic while also taking lessons in court manners and education, learning everything I would need to know to assume the duties formerly expected of my dearly departed sister.

And then, once I surpassed her age at death, and I was no longer a child, I heard the voice of the Great Spirit for the first time. My joy, however, was cut short by what little I could make of the fragmentary message.

For it told that someone close to the royal family had dealings with the demons.

This person was well-respected in the royal court, and my word alone was not enough to indict him. As I searched for more evidence to back up my claim, however, I inadvertently drew his notice, and he fled the land, covering his tracks.

Then, a few days later, he appeared before me. Perhaps he wanted to distract the kingdom from his misconduct, or maybe he was simply tying up loose ends. Either way, he wanted to kill me.

“Why did you do it? Answer me! Why have you sided with demons?!”

“Why? Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!”

He returned only scornful laughter. And then…

“Haven’t you figured it out yet? It’s because I’m a demon!!”

“What…?”

At that moment, it was like a huge hammer had split my head in two.

This man had not simply been allying with demons—he was a demon.

All I felt was a sense of revulsion. That one simple fact—that a man standing right in front of me, who looked just like a human and talked like a human, was not one—disgusted me beyond everything else.

“You humans truly are a gullible lot. But thanks to that foolish trust, I was able to kill both of you!”

“Wh-wha—?!”

As I stood there, at a loss for words, I heard the utterance that caused my world to come crashing down.

Both of you.

If I was one, then who else was he talking about? Who had he killed before me?

“Aah… Aaahhh… Aaaaaaaaaaghhh!!”

In the end, the royal knights rushed into my chamber and cut down the fiend before he was able to harm me, but the damage had already been done. The fetters that had once bound my mind to reason had been broken.

But I didn’t care about any of that.

“Disgusting… Every last one of these contemptible fiends that get in our way. The world is full of them.”

Ever since then, I saw the world divided by lines.

There were humans…

…and there were things that wore human skin.

The smell of flowers reached my nostrils. A warm, sweet, all-enveloping scent.

“Oh, Alicia. You’re awake.”

When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by the lovely smile of my dear elder sister, Lamnecia. I slowly roused myself from slumber to find that my head rested in her lap.

“What…is this…?”

A field of pink flowers spread out in every direction, occasionally caressed by the soft touch of the breeze. My memories slowly returned.

I remember now. I brought her back.

My dear Lamnecia! I brought her back to life again!!

The excitement made me feel giddy. I had succeeded in preparing a vessel daubed with divinity and had placed Lamnecia’s soul into it. Now, my dear sister walked the world of the living once more.

Evidently, I had used too much mana in the process, causing me to pass out.

“Oh!”

I was surprised as Lamnecia began stroking my hair with her long, pretty fingers. Her touch was soft and gentle, filled with love. This was the feeling I’d longed for. The warmth I’d lost on that day, so long ago.

“Oh dear, what’s wrong, Alicia? You’re crying.”

With a gentle finger, Lamnecia wiped a single tear from my eye.

“It is nothing, Sister. Please don’t worry.”

“If you…say so…Alicia.”

Suddenly, Lamnecia began to speak and move with awkward jerks, like a wooden puppet in need of oil. Her soul must not have grown accustomed to its new body yet.

“Oh…dear…I…feel…most…peculiar…”

“Worry not,” I said, slowly raising my hand to Lamnecia’s cheek. “Very soon now, this world shall be cleansed.”

Yes, every last thing would be painted over in white, so that just like this garden, the only things in it would be Lamnecia and I.

No demons, no beastfolk, no elves, no monsters, not even gods. No heroes, no demon lords, no priestesses. Nobody to get in our way.

“So just you wait,” I said, “a little while longer.”

“…Really? If you…say so, Alicia, then it…must be true.”

“Yes, very soon now, my flowers will cover the world. I will create a realm for just you and me. As long as we have each other, then nothing else matters, does it?”

“No…it…doesn’t…”

Lamnecia ran her fingers unsteadily through my hair.

This time, I would protect her. I wouldn’t let those fiends take her away from me. I would stay by her side, and she by mine, forever. That is why I had collected all these pawns.

I closed my eyes. In the warmth of Lamnecia’s lap, I reached my mind out to the pieces of myself scattered throughout the land.

In a dark and gloomy space, a gray snow fell. It came down as if trying to smother the world, to draw time itself to a crawl.

“Hellooo? Anyone there? Kaito Ukei! Can you hear meee?”

“…”

Before my eyes, a pitch-dark figure stepped out of the ashen landscape. It had no eyes and no nose, only a mouth, like a rift in a featureless plain. Like a living shade.

“Hey, come on. Let’s chat. The weather’s been dismal lately, hasn’t it? I hate rain; it’s wet and irritating and it spoils my mood. Not to mention it gets your food moldy… Oh yeah, come to think of it, that fried gujabiya, or whatever the stall owner called it, was awful, so bitter and sour. I think it had gone off, you know. I can’t believe you ate the whole thing—are you nuts? If it were me, I’d just have taken one bite and thrown the rest in the trash. Oh, and another thing, remember that inn we stayed at a while back? I don’t remember the name, but whatever. The point is, remember those beds? It was like sleeping on a cloud…”

“…”

It just kept coming, like a faucet that wouldn’t turn off. The weather, food, inns, the scenery, dreams, songs heard on the road, bits of this and that picked up along the way. Just an unstoppable flood of random crap that didn’t matter.

“Hey, you alive over there? Even I’m starting to get bored, you know.”

“…”

How much time had passed?

I felt like I was floating atop a lake.

And so I said nothing.

I said nothing to the dark figure that addressed me. I simply closed my lips.

Closed my lips and shut my eyes.

“The hero…before Kaito?”

“Yes,” said Minnalis. “She was summoned to this world just like him and fought against a demon lord in this world’s past. At least, that’s what she claims.”

I thought back to what my dear brother had told me. According to him, heroes past had fought against armies of demons, had defeated demon lords, and had been returned to their own world. These tales were recorded in oral tradition, myth and legend, and even the teachings of the Church.

“Although, at this point, I’m starting to wonder if any of them really were sent home. I mean, I did get back in the end, so I guess it’s possible…”

“…”

When Kaito told me that, I wasn’t able to say anything in response. His eyes became unfocused, and he fixed them on the sky above.

“…Whatever happened, I hope they figured it out better than I did.”

I couldn’t tell what Kaito meant by that, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask.

In any case, I concluded that the part about heroes being returned was to be taken with a grain of salt.

“So…”

“Don’t think you can hide from me, foolish boy.”

As I was about to rejoin the conversation, I heard bones cracking. I looked in the direction of the noise to see Nonorick being stepped on and a man I didn’t know doing the stepping.

“Hey, what’s the big idea, treading on a cute little girl like me?! You’re going to get Nono’s clothes all dirty!! Move your feet!”

“Girl? Hah! You’re a boy, boy, and you know it. Besides, it’s your fault for trying to hide from me.”

His silver hair was slicked back, and he was tall, muscular yet not overly so, with an expensive fur-lined robe dyed black and red. He wore pants, but above that there was nothing beneath his open robe, and I could see his bare chest.

“Ouchies! Are you still mad about what happened?!”

“No. I am a lord, and I can ill afford to hold a grudge over each and every trespass. It matters not to me that you stole from my castle, or that, like the wretch you are, you pilfered my rare wines and fruits for yourself, or that you took my treasured swords and fled my kingdom.”

“It sounds like you are mad!!”

“Well, I’m not.”

“Anyway, it’s your fault for locking me up in such a boring place!”

“If I recall correctly, you were the one who came to me seeking solace from a horde of dragons you angered. Did you not think there were limits to a lord’s generosity? Hmm? Do you need me to crush some sense into you?”

“Owowowowow!!”

From what I could overhear, it seemed as if Nonorick and that gentleman had had some business together in the past.

“…Anyway, there’s no sense waiting around here,” said Minnalis. “Master needs to rest in a real bed. Everyone, come with me.”

She activated her magic, conjuring a team of shadows about ten centimeters in height. These dark figures, like toy soldiers, lifted Kaito onto a stretcher-like board and carried him away. Then I felt myself being lifted into the air and looked down to see I was receiving the same treatment.

As for Nonorick, the gray-haired gentleman picked him up by the scruff, like a cat, and carried him along.

“You,” he said. “Rabbit. By whose authority do you give orders to royalty?”

“I wasn’t asking you,” Minnalis replied. “If you want to stay here, then by all means, please do.”

“…You’re all the same: Kaito, the rabbit, and the pointy-eared one. Not a shred of respect for lords.”

As I was listening to the conversation another door appeared in the wall. It was much like the one the previous hero had disappeared through, made of wood but with a slightly different design. But while the first door was plain green with only a knob, this one had a motif carved into it that looked like a rabbit.

The door creaked open, taking us to a room that, while no less sanitary, was clearly more rustic than the previous one. It looked like the inside of a log cabin. There was a rusty lantern hanging from the ceiling, a small fireplace, a window with trees and sky outside, and a bed of simple make; there were also tables and chairs that had clearly seen some use, along with a small, neatly kept kitchen.

“I’m sorry it’s not the largest room, but please, make yourself at home,” said Minnalis with a pretty smile.

Shuria laid Kaito on the bed, while the other six of us took seats around the table.

The rabbit ears atop her head flopped adorably as she spoke. Her long, pretty, brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she wore a maid outfit that exposed the very un-Japanese shape of her breasts and hips. Why a maid outfit, though? I wondered.

Then the girl sitting beside her spoke.

“Me next! I’m Shuria! I’m a dark elf, and Kaito’s partner in crime, just like Minnalis!”

She had smooth, cocoa-brown skin and silver hair. In true elven form, her ears were long and pointed, and they wiggled from time to time. She was wearing a kimono-like miniskirt dress that showcased her natural cuteness.

“Hmm. I suppose that makes it my turn,” said Leticia, sitting next around the table. “I am Leticia, the demon lord, and the latest to join Kaito’s contract, along with Nono there. However, I have been with Kaito this whole time, my soul carried in his body, so although I am meeting some of you for the first time, it certainly does not feel like it. In any case, it’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

Her deep, crimson hair flowed like a candle flame at night, and her piercing red eyes scanned the rest of us with intent. Her dress was awfully similar to the one Shuria was wearing, and it complemented her own cuteness nicely.

“Does that mean Nono’s next?” said Nonorick, giggling coyly. “Why, I’m a cutie-patootie, as you can tell, but I’m also a true vampire! Minnalis, Shuria, this is the first time we’re introducing ourselves, isn’t it? I hope we get along!”

When I first heard he was actually a boy, I hadn’t believed it.

At that moment, the gray-haired gentleman interrupted.

“You? A true vampire?” he said to Nonorick. “You have no right to call yourself that after abandoning your own kind.”

“Aww, forget about that! It was ages ago! Besides, I am a true vampire; it says so on my status board!”

“Your status board? Hah. The fact you place stock in such nonsense alone disqualifies you. Unless and until you repent, I shall never accept you as my own.”

Flatly ignoring Nonorick’s complaints, the gentleman turned and addressed us.

“I am Lord Godrick Adelheid, and since that foolish boy abandoned his heritage, I am the only true vampire left in this world.”

Even his introduction was dripping with arrogance.

“Phooey,” Nonorick sneered. “Lord of what, if you’re the only one? Why don’t you call yourself ‘Uncle Godrick?’ It’ll make you sound much cuter.”

“Hah. A lord does not require a domain to be a lord. A lord is a lord, will always be a lord.”

Godrick laughed off the boy’s insults without a second thought. The gentleman’s words made absolutely no sense, but he said them with such gravitas that I almost believed him.

Godrick aside…the other four are all stunning beauties of a level I’ve never seen before. Grr… I’ve always scared nosy harpies away from my dear brother in the past, but now that they’re all my fellow partners in crime, I don’t much want to. Not to mention they are invaluable allies in our dangerous quest… Hmm, but…

At last, my turn arrived.

After I said that, the air froze.

I may not be able to chase anyone away, but I can still make it clear that I’m first and foremost in my dear brother’s mind! …Grh!!

However, the next thing I felt was an overwhelming surge of emotion, sent to me though the spiritual magic of our contract.

…That emotion was relief and happiness.

“I see,” said Minnalis. “I did guess as much. His little sister, you say. I see. I see.”

“Tee-hee-hee,” giggled Shuria. “I’m glad, I’m so glad.”

“So Master managed to make it back home…”

“…and then he came back here.”

The happiness was a result of Kaito making it back home to see his family, while the relief stemmed from the fact that he had come back. Their intentions were so blindingly pure that I felt a little sorry over how possessive I’d been, when…

“Well, I should have known my master would never leave me. I shall have to repay his love by always staying by his side from now on.”

“Uh?”

“No, no, Minnalis. What Kaito needs right now is someone to take out his frustrations on. He can be as rough as he likes with me; I won’t mind. In fact, I’d like it! I’m getting excited just thinking about it! I can satisfy all his needs by myself!”

“Grh?!”

The instant I dared to feel remorse, the two women before me turned into completely different beings.

Minnalis and Shuria were both smiling, but the air around them seemed to crackle with sparks.

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of taking that spot from you, Leticia. I am happy just being a humble servant, and Kaito my gracious master… However, they do say that a man often drops old fancies for new ones…”

“Nraaah?!”

“That’s right! I don’t mind what you call it! Love takes all kinds of forms, after all! As long as Kaito needs me, that’s good enough for me!”

“Ngrrrh?!”

Minnalis and Shuria wove their words of surface-level politeness with expert precision, causing Leticia to let out strange noise after strange noise, her face steadily becoming a cauldron of emotion.

Then she threw a tantrum.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no!! Kaito loves me most! He does, he does! I’ve been with him since before the world was reset! He’s mine!”

…Oh! What am I doing? This is not the time to be standing around watching!! I must do something before my dear brother is snatched away!

“M-my dear brother does not belong to any one of you!!” I yelled.

I faced one giant obstacle for Kaito’s affections that the other girls didn’t have to reckon with. Being his little sister was in many ways an advantage, but the fact remained that the values our society had imprinted on him since infancy worked in my disfavor.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, all these girls would be supermodels back home… I need to show some initiative, or I’m going to be left behind!

“B-but even at the longest, you have only known Kaito for what, five years? I have been by Kaito’s side ever since I was born!”

“That doesn’t mean anything!” said Minnalis. “It’s not about the length of time, but the depth!”

“That’s not true!” whined Shuria. “It’s me! I’m the one who Kaito—”

“But none of you have done it with him, right? You can’t argue over who’s Kai’s first wife or whatever if you haven’t even fucked yet.”

““““…””””

Nonorick’s simple statement froze the air in a way I couldn’t ever have hoped to. All our words vanished in a puff of smoke, like a candle quenched by a jug of water.

“I don’t really care what number I am,” Nonorick went on. “Besides, doing it with all of us at once would be the most fun!”

He traced the line of his lips with his fingertip, revealing a coquettish grin.

““““…””””

“U-um. Isn’t anyone going to speak? I feel all awkward now…”

““““…””””

“Come on, somebody say something!!”

“…Sigh. How long will this farce persist…?” Godrick muttered.

It was a long time before any of us could bring ourselves to say a word.

In the end, it was Minnalis who recovered first. She stood up, and with practiced ease set about making tea in the kitchen.

“Now that the introductions out of the way,” she said, “let’s get back on topic. First things first, we’ll share what we learned about the origins of this world.”

“Hmph. Allow me to explain.”

It was Godrick who spoke next.

“In the beginning,” he said, “this world had no god. The only living creatures were monsters, possessed of minimal intelligence and lacking souls. One day, a capricious goddess saw this world and claimed it for her own. However, this goddess’s work ethic was…less than satisfactory. Instead of creating intelligent beings from nothing, she took advantage of the creatures that lived here.”

He lifted his teacup and inhaled, taking in its delicate aroma.

“First, she made us,” he went on. “The true vampires. We sucked the blood of the native creatures, imbuing their vessels with souls. Of the beasts, we made the beastfolk. Of the trees, the elves, of the fire-dwelling monsters, the dwarves. All the while, the goddess slept, until such time as her new world was complete.”

Godrick spoke as if reciting a holy text—the creation myth of this world. He sounded wistful, making me think he had seen it all with his own eyes.

Beastfolk, elves, dwarves… If they were all made from other organisms, then what about humans…?

I was intrigued by what Godrick had said, but he wasn’t done yet.

“However,” he said, “while the goddess was sleeping, a foreign presence invaded this world. A fallen god who had been stripped of their right to rule—their divinity. While our idiot goddess slept, this intruder expelled her from the heavenly realm and stole a part of her power for itself. Our goddess still possesses much of her original divinity, but alas, such power is next to useless outside the divine realm. All she could do with it was create a new sacred realm and hide there, out of the sight of the fallen god.”

“The fallen god began hunting our goddess, seeking to take the rest of her divinity and become a true god once more. To that end, they created a race of beings with the ability to reproduce at an accelerated rate—the humans.”

Godrick replaced his teacup gently on the saucer and exhaled.

“The humans quickly took root and multiplied. While weak, the fallen god had given them ‘stats,’ allowing them to gain power with alarming rate. The humans developed agriculture, domesticated livestock, and spread across the land, giving the fallen god ample eyes and ears with which to seek our goddess. However, that was when another strange being interfered with this world.”

“Another one?”

My reflexive utterance drew Godrick’s gaze.

“Yes,” he said. “We surmise it was the greater god responsible for stripping the fallen god of their divinity. This greater god wanted to play a game with the fallen god. They took the monsters of this world and evolved them into something more—the race of demons. These demons, however, differed from the other beings of this world in one important way: Since we were not involved in their creation, they were not imbued with souls.”

“What difference does it make if they don’t have souls?” I asked.

“Beings with souls can adapt and grow far more quickly,” Godrick explained. “And those without souls covet this power. The race of demons inherited the brutal nature of their monstrous ancestors and waged war on the humans and the other created races. Then, the new god started using the demons to draw out the very life force of this world itself. The fallen god’s search for our goddess became inconsequential. Now, this world was nothing more than a board for a game between two warring gods—the fallen one, and the higher one.”

As for me, I felt like I was being front-loaded with a lot of unnecessary exposition. I couldn’t really care less about how this world came to be. When was he ever going to get to the bit about my dear brother?

“I shall take over the explanation from here, if you don’t mind.”

“Ah! It’s you!”

At that point, a lady dressed in a white robe entered the room. Her pale blue hair flowed like spring water, entwined in a single braid, and her eyes were the same color, as clear and reflective as the surface of a lake. She had pretty, delicate features and a large bust, but these all contributed to an overall motherly and benevolent appearance rather than a seductive one.

Metelia Laurelia.

The moment I laid eyes on her, I was struck with the urge to kill. My brother’s hate ran like magma through my veins. But for whatever reason, I didn’t experience the same all-consuming madness like I had when I’d first met Leon or Lilia.

Is it because I already watched her die in the cathedral of the Lunarian See?

There were also a few points of concern that blurred the lines in my brother’s eyes when it came to Metelia.

She alone had never revealed her reasoning for betraying him.

When she had sent Kaito back to Earth, she’d seemed distressed.

And when we had gone to confront her about these things, we had seen her cruelly disemboweled.

My hate for Metelia was based solely on my brother’s hate. As such, if he had his doubts about her, then so did I.

I looked over to Minnalis and Shuria, who both seemed as disturbed as me by Metelia’s presence. Standing before their eyes was the woman responsible for spiriting Kaito away from them. And yet they both watched her carefully, without jumping to anger. There had to be a reason for that.

If they could stay calm, then so could I. Besides, Kaito wanted to speak to her.

Still…we saw her heart ripped out. Kaito told us even magic can’t bring back the dead in this world, because death irreparably damages the soul.

“Towako, is Metelia all right? It seems she was stabbed in the heart…”

Minnalis directed her questions about Metelia to the ex-hero.

“What kind of two-bit hack do you take me for? Sorcery, anatomy, and alchemy are my fortes. A little heart-stabbing is nothing. In fact, Metelia’s exceeded my expectations in every way. I was worried the soul wouldn’t synchronize well, but she’s lasted far longer than I predicted without any divergence. The soul of a woman in love is truly fearsome.”

“It is only natural,” Metelia replied. “Even if my soul is split in two, I shall never change who I am, and my love for Kaito will never waver. I have nurtured this love the whole time I have known him, and no amount of divine interference can change that. Yes, my love is unchanging, eternal, forever, unwavering. It is fate. It is destiny! It is absolute law! I am the priestess and Kaito is my…!”

At this point, Metelia’s fit of words suddenly stopped, and her face grew grim.

“…Perhaps the indoctrinated half of me has not gone away after all,” she said.

“Oh, how vexing, how troublesome. I never wanted to end up like this.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll get over it,” said Towako with a shrug. “You did manage to suss out the way this world works with only your mind, after all.”

“Of course. My soul belongs to me alone, and my sole desire is to be by Kaito’s side. That desire is far greater than a mere role can restrain.”

“…You really are a fascinating creature, you know that?”

Towako smiled. It was then that Minnalis spoke up.

“We shall let you speak,” she said to Metelia, “but please do not expect anything more than that. I have heard all about your circumstances, and I may even feel pity for you, but do not mistake our inaction for acceptance. Shuria and I are simply reserving our judgment. When we finally decide what to do with you, it will be Master’s decision to make. We cannot promise you will like the answer, and we also cannot promise our fellow partners in crime will choose to be as patient as we are.”

“I understand that,” answered Metelia. “And I accept it. Whatever Kaito chooses to do, my heart will always be mine. That will never change.”

Minnalis’s harsh warning elicited nothing more than a warm and fuzzy smile from Metelia. She really was just like a saint. Her rigid determination caused my anger to flicker.

What is the meaning of this? Aren’t you one of my brother’s killers?

It seemed there was more to the story of which I wasn’t yet aware, but that doubt wasn’t enough to extinguish my hate completely. It remained there, hanging in the balance, giving me no small amount of turmoil.

“Now, I don’t suppose you could make room for me around this table of yours?”

““There’s no room here for titty monsters!!”” Leticia and Shuria both screamed.

“Well, you two found common ground quite quickly, didn’t you?” quipped Towako.

But they’re right. Metelia’s bust is off the charts. And to keep such a slim figure at the same time…

“Oh dear. In that case, I suppose I shall have to sit over here.”

While I muttered to myself like an idiot, Metelia grinned and walked over to the bed where Kaito was lying, where there was a chair set up by its side. However, just as she tried to sit on it, the very room itself suddenly stretched lengthwise, moving the chair away and conjuring a new one in the empty space.

“Oh,” said Metelia, her bottom finding a different seat than the one she expected.

“This is my room,” said Minnalis, “and I’m afraid that chair belongs to me.”

“Oh, well.”

“Don’t bother making a chair for me,” said Towako. “I brought my own.” She sat down in empty space, and a plush sofa, completely at odds with the room’s rustic aesthetic, materialized beneath her.

“Now, I suppose this calls for more introductions,” said Metelia. “Oh, you don’t all need to go again. Towako already shared everything you’ve discussed with me.”

Metelia placed her hand to her chest and introduced herself.

“My name,” she said, “is Metelia Laurelia. I was born as the priestess of this world, but I quit that role after falling in love with Kaito.”

“You quit?” said Leticia, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. “What on earth does that mean?”

Metelia gave a gentle smile and said nothing else.

“Right, guess it’s me next. I’m Towako Kuroi. Or to you, young lady,” she said, looking at me, “perhaps I should say Kuroi Towako instead? That’s ‘kuro-i’ as in ‘black-well,’ then ‘to’ as in ‘ten,’ ‘wa’ as in ‘harmony,’ and ‘ko’ as in ‘child.’ I was first summoned to this world as the hero about three hundred years ago. A lot’s happened since then, but basically, I’m shacking up in Luna’s body these days. Oh, that’s the name of the goddess Godrick was talking about earlier, by the way.”

“…There’s something I want to ask,” I said. “Do you think I could do so after your explanation?”

“Sure. It’ll probably be easier if I start with the basics. There’s just one more introduction first, though… All right, Luna, come out and say hello already.”

“Wawa?!”

There was a Poof and a slightly dumb-sounding voice, and a girl appeared who looked almost identical to Towako in every way. The only differences were that her hair and eyes were completely white, as were the clothes she was wearing. It made me think of the palette-swapped player two character from a video game.

After being expelled from Towako’s body, this new girl floated around in the air like a balloon.

“U-um, hi, everyone? I’m Luna, a goddess… Um…been a while, hasn’t it? I see you’ve come a long way since we last met…”

“…Oh, so you do remember,” said Leticia, the veins on her forehead bulging. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten the trials you put me and Kaito through in that dungeon…”

“Oh, I remember, Kaito mentioned her when he was lovesick…”

“So that’s why that chatterbox has been so quiet today…”

“W-wait! Calm down!! That was just a little joke!”

“Oh, just a little joke, was it? It was just a little joke? Well, I guess that’s okay then, if it’s just a little joke!”

“Right? I was just playing around a little! You won’t hold it against me, right? Right?”

“Of course not! Now, just turn your head this way, please.”

“Hmm?”

Thwack!!

Leticia’s fist connected solidly with Luna’s face.

“You liar!” the goddess squealed. “You tricked me!”

“Hmph! That’s the least you deserve! Be grateful I didn’t burn you to a crisp!” Leticia shouted.

“You’re just a big, mean meanie! Look, my cheek’s swelling up now!”

It seemed letting out her anger had done little to soothe Leticia, and she still fumed while Luna whined and wailed like a baby.

Just then, the atmosphere became a hundred times heavier as Godrick began to speak.

“Cease your prattling, fools. A lord’s mercy can only go so far. Keep this infernal charade up any longer, and so help me…you will regret it.”

It was all I could do just to breathe. But Godrick’s terrifying presence didn’t seem to bother Towako in the slightest.

“Calm down, big fella. It’s not worth getting annoyed about. Still, we’d better get back on track. I know I like to blather, but I’ll try to keep things simple so that everyone can understand.”

“Hmph. Fine. But if things get out of hand again, I shall return to my chamber.”

And with that, the oppressive atmosphere vanished like a light turning off.

After giving a suitably dramatic pause, Metelia launched into her explanation. What followed was a tale as old as time—stale, unimaginative, cliché…

…and yet unbelievably irritating.

“You see, I don’t think there’s such a thing as a ‘good’ name. I mean, what makes a name good? It’s just subjective, right? People say that, like, ‘Bob’ and ‘Spot’ are boring names, but if you go too original, that doesn’t work either! It’s not fair, is it?”

“…”

The shadow was still speaking to me, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the ash-gray space. I had no idea how much time had passed. It felt like I was dreaming. My thoughts wandered freely, and even the outline of my own body seemed vague and ill-defined.

It felt like the clock hands had frozen. Unfortunately, there was one damning piece of evidence to the contrary sitting right in front of me.

…Fine. Who cares, anyway?

Ash fell constantly, as if seeking to blanket everything under a thick layer of interminable gray.

That was fine by me. Make everything disappear, as though none of it ever happened.

I’m tired.

I’m just so tired.

“So, that’s another thing you’ve lost, then.”

“…?”

For the first time, it seemed like the shadow wanted me to respond. He silently waited, but I couldn’t think. I didn’t want to. Because if I thought, then time would have to start moving again.

However, the shadow would not let me run away, and his voice began echoing inside of me. No longer could I zone out and try not to listen. Now his words felt like a rasp applied directly to my mind.

“Seriously, I knew you were a loser, but this really takes the cake! You’re just a loser’s loser, losing it all until there’s nothing left to lose. Until you’re an empty shell with no filling, unable to do anything but follow the world around you.”

“…Shut up.”

“Come on, when will it be enough? How times are you going to keep on making the same mistakes?”

“I said, shut up!!”

“And now Yuuto’s dead because of you. What were you thinking, anyway? You’ve always been so secretive up to now, and then suddenly you just decided to charge into enemy lands? Then as soon as that fake goddess showed up, you froze like a little baby and couldn’t even lay a finger on her, all while Alicia managed to take control of her.”

“Shut up! Shut up!!”

“In the end, your friends had to drag you away, kicking and screaming. What a pathetic sight. Seriously, what was wrong with you? In a good mood because you got to see your girlfriend again? Feeling on top of the world, like a hero, just like the first time around before everything went to shit?”

“No! I’m not like that! I’m not!!”

But in return, the shadow only grinned.

“All you’ve done now is let your friend’s brave sacrifice be in vain. He died for nothing.”

His accusation stabbed me in the heart.

“Shut up!! Shut up, shut up, shut up!!”

His voice rang in my ears, like a curse.

“You act all cool in front of everyone else, but the truth is, they’re ready to do what it takes, and you’re not.”

“Shut uuuuup!!”

By now, all I could see was red. I lunged for the shadow to wring his neck and never have to listen to another one of his scornful words again.

“Wugh…?”

Instead, my hand passed straight through, as though there was nothing there, and I fell flat on the floor.

“What a violent kid. You don’t have to get all rough just because I’m right.”

“…Grh!!”

From the ground, I turned and summoned my most deadly glare, but it didn’t seem to faze the shadow in the least.

“Ohhh, if looks could kill. What did I do, murder your family?”

“You started talking crap! I didn’t say anything and then you… You…!!”

The shadow glowered over me, his lips curled in an unending smile.

“Me, me, me,” he said. “It’s not my fault any of this happened; it’s all on you. You’re the one who wanted Yuuto to die.”

“What?! What are you talking about?! I never wanted that!”

“No!! I’ve been after—”

“Revenge, right?”

With that, the shadow grinned his widest smile yet.

“That’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it? Vengeance, hatred, blood. That’s all you’ve dreamed of!”

“Th-that’s not… I…”

“How many chances did you have to call it quits? How about after you completed Leticia’s vengeance? How about after you went back to Earth? How about after Minnalis’s vengeance? How about after Shuria’s? How about after you saved Minnalis from slavery? How about right at the beginning, when your second chance began?”

The shadow spoke ceaselessly, adding verse after verse to his damning hymn.

He then spread his arms, as if attempting to swallow me whole.

“You made a choice!” he said. “You gave up peace! You gave up stability! You gave up happiness! You chose vengeance instead! And look where it has brought you! Well done, well done!!”

“Urgh…”

“The fighter, Leon—dead! The merchant, Grond—dead! The spellcaster, Eumis—dead! The townspeople who ratted you out, well, some of them died, too! All the people on Earth who hurt your little sister—they’re dead, along with those idiot scientists!! Ah, but it’s a shame about Gordo and Queen Berrybell; you didn’t get to give them a taste of your vengeance, did you? And Metelia died before you could get to her!”

From the corner of my eye, I saw a tiny window pop up, and I heard a robotic voice in my head that I couldn’t quite make out.

However, I was barely even paying attention.

“The only ones you haven’t killed yet are the warrior and the dancer, the knight commander, all those silly aristocrats, and the royal family, I suppose? Aren’t you proud? They all gave you such a hard time the first time around, and now you’ve killed so many of them. So what’s the matter? This is your vengeance, isn’t it? Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”

“What…I wanted…”

My gray world turned darker and darker, to black.

“That’s right,” he said. “You chose this. You wanted this. You told yourself you’d walk this path no matter what it cost, right? Then be happy! Rejoice! You don’t care if Yuuto dies, do you?”

“Of course I do!! I swore vengeance so that we could all get out of this place… Grh!!”

The shadow began to consume me.

“That’s why you ended up here, isn’t it? You ignored everything else and followed this black flame, didn’t you? And you decided you’d do whatever it takes, right? So what’s the problem? Why did you bring Yuuto with you, if it wasn’t to help carry you to the very end of your journey?”

“It wasn’t that! That’s not why I made Yuuto my partner in crime!”

“Yeah, it is. You brought them all with you to make your vengeance better. Well, it doesn’t get much better than stopping you all from dying, does it? After all, you can’t take revenge if you’re dead.”

I felt myself begin to sink, like the floor was made of quicksand.

“You killed him.”

My toes, my ankles, my calves, my knees, my thighs.

“No! No, no, no, no!!”

“Yes, and you won’t stop here, will you? You’ll keep on killing. Both your sworn enemies…and the people you brought with you.”

My fingers, my wrists, my elbows, my shoulders.

“No! No, no, no! I’ve already lost enough!!”

“Oh, come now, you can’t be saying that. As long as you live, as long as you keep on going down this path—as long as you choose vengeance, you’re only going to keep on incinerating everyone around you.”

My hips, my waist, my chest, my throat, my neck.

The shadow before my eyes was slowly drawing every part of me into himself.

Unbearably dark, cold, hard, and heavy.

Then his eyeless, noseless face loomed before my very eyes, a hair away from my nose, wearing a smile so wide it must have been torn open.

“You can’t run now!! You’re going to stay right here until you burn yourself to ash!!”

The shadow’s familiar smile slowly faded to black, and a dark fog rushed in to obscure my mind. The only things I could see were the message windows, popping up endlessly, and the only thing I could hear was the robotic voice, as clear as day.

In the world of gray snow, my existence was crushed by black.

“So, now that you know, what are you going to do? You’d better decide soon, or else we’ll do it for you.”

The shadowy figure emerged back into the world of gray like a stain bleeding through paper. Everything was as it had been only moments ago—a vast expanse, empty save for falling ash. However, where Kaito had just been standing, there was now only a pitch-dark sphere.

“See you on the other side. We have high hopes for you, you know.”

The shadow sat down on the ground.

The Orollea Kingdom. A realm once famed for the pure minerals found within its borders.

Now, however, this proud and noble territory had been unrecognizably warped.

“Gaaaagh! Grhhh!”

“Boah! Boah! Boah!”

The forests were abnormally silent. There were none of the D-Rank monsters that usually lived here, or the knights and adventurers who came searching for the fine materials these creatures dropped. Instead, there was only a shambling horde of zombified beings, their skin infected with roots and bark.

“Whurgh…”

“G…g…grow the seed…”

In the mines, the loud thrum of industry, of stout folk extracting the rich seams of the land, was similarly dead. Crammed into those tunnels, the miners wandered, dead-eyed and mumbling, their brains eaten away by organic infection.

“Where…grow…grow…plant…plant the seed…”

“Bububbububuu…”

And the city. Once, it had been a bustling center of activity, of people going about their daily lives with smiles on their faces. Now, those people and smiles were nowhere to be seen.

Most of them babbled incoherently. Some of them, the ones with more of their human parts intact, were able to form words, but even then they would only repeat the same phrases, again and again and again.

Not a single one of them was sane.

The city had fallen to madness, and not a soul remained who could lament its downfall.

“First, I must explain how this world came to be.”

The light told me a story. It told me of the goddess Luna and how she created the race of vampires, who in turn created the other nonhuman races of this world. It told me of the fallen god, Lunaris, who cast Luna out and created humans. And it told me of the third god, the outer god, who came from Lunaris’s world and birthed the race of demons.

And then it told of the proxy war these two gods waged, using humans and demons as playing pieces.

“The outer god is using the demons to rob this world of its life force,” the light explained. “When a demon, lacking a soul, slays a creature with one, it absorbs its life force as experience, and a part of it is sent to the outer god.”

“Huh.”

“Usually, the local god can use their divinity to repel this interference, but at this present moment, this world’s god is in hiding. Outside the divine realm, her power is greatly curtailed. If this world becomes completely drained of life force, it will become a barren land, where no new creatures can be born.”

“You don’t say,” I replied.

“…You don’t sound very interested.”

“Don’t I? Maybe I’m not.”

It felt like my brain was filled with fog. I didn’t even know why I was still here. The light’s words went in one ear and straight out the other.

“I see. In that case, allow me to tell you a story you will find interesting. Let us speak of the hero, the princess, the priestess, and the demon lord.”

My ears pricked up.

Looking down at the world below me, I spotted several sky-scrapingly tall trees dotted here and there. They were all, without exception, located in the blasted, gray parts of the land.

“To combat this, Lunaris created the role of the hero. Unlike humans of this world, the hero is blessed by Lunaris. However, Lunaris is a fallen god, while the outer god is so powerful they need not even cross over into this realm to affect it. A human of this world would have little chance of defeating the demon lord without devoting undue levels of this world’s life force to the attempt.”

“…”

“In such a case, even if the hero were to emerge victorious, the amount of life force they spent would render the effort fruitless. And so, after much internal debate, Lunaris decided to summon heroes from a different world.”

“There we go.”

“Yep, it sure would.”

“Lunaris considered this a crippling flaw in an otherwise perfect plan. She could not allow the hero to reap this world’s life force and then simply leave. To combat this, Lunaris devised a means by which the human could be persuaded to stay in this world after their quest was over. This is where the princess comes in. The role of the princess was created to win over the hero and bind them to this world.”

A honey trap orchestrated by the divine. It sounded ridiculous, but I could see the logic in it.

“An adoring public. The authority of a royal associate. A beautiful young lady to share your burdens. A dazzling trifecta of power, fame, and women, created to trap the hero in this world. If even this was not enough to prevent the hero from leaving, however, then the princess was to kill them. That way, at least the life force would remain in this world.”

Alicia’s face flashed through my mind.

“Makes sense. So where does the priestess fit into all this?” I asked.

“Lunaris created the kingdom of humans with a deep disdain for the other races. This was for her own benefit, but it doesn’t necessarily always conform with the worldview of the summoned hero. Many heroes turned out to be naturally averse to looking down on beastfolk, elves, and dwarves…much like you were.”

The light had no eyes, but it seemed to be looking at me.

“That’s not how it went for me,” I recalled.

“That is because you fell in love with the demon lord instead of slaying her,” the light explained. “From Lunaris’s point of view, the main priority is to slay the demon lord. Besides, your desire to return to your own world was too great. Lunaris was left with no option but to eradicate you.”

“I see. That all makes sense.”

“That is all I have to say on the nature of this world,” said the light. “What will you do now?”

The hero, the princess, the priestess, and the demon lord.

These were the roles assigned to the four of us. A tight cast for a conventional storyline.

It was all so cliché that not a single word of the story surprised me. However…

“I don’t care anymore…”

I could not bring myself to say anything else in response to the light’s question.

My heart simply felt empty, like I no longer had interest in the outside world.

I had lost something. Something that once held me together. A dynamic, motivating force that had once pushed me on.

Ever since coming to that world of endless gray, something about me felt different.

“I just don’t care anymore. Not even…about vengeance.”

The words fell from my lips.

“I finally understand now. I never wanted revenge. I was being made to want it. I said I needed it to move forward, but that all sounds so silly now.”

“Which soul blade did he come from? He’s one of you guys, too, right?”

“Not one of us. All of us. He is a figure created by the power you possess, the power you call ‘Soul Blade.’ He is molded from our hate. An amalgamation of our every desire, distilled and concentrated into a humanoid form.”

“So he’s the true form of my intrinsic ability? I see. That’s why your pain all felt so familiar. I really thought it was my own.”

Now that I was myself again, I could feel that my heart was empty. The first world had hollowed it out, allowing the shadowy figure to replace it. Without that, within the confines of my own mind, my own psyche—I could see for the first time how little truly remained of Kaito Ukei.

“Is that your choice?”

“All I do is bring death to whatever I touch.”

“…”

“I don’t want to do it anymore. It’s all my fault that Yuuto died. I just keep losing things.”

“…So you wish to give up? The princess has taken control of Lunaris. You can be sure that she will come for you next.”

“I know. That girl’s an even bigger monster than I am.”

I thought back to when Lunaris had appeared and Alicia had hijacked her power. I’d sensed the princess becoming something more. Something even I couldn’t contend with. Something far above mere mortals like Leticia and me. She had absorbed the power of a god; maybe that made her a god herself, I didn’t know. All I knew was that to continue my crusade against her would be suicide.

“…”

Everything told me that if I went up against her now, it wouldn’t even be a proper fight. I could already see myself losing. I couldn’t even bear to take her on without the blinkers of hate to cloud my mind.

“However,” the light went on, “our power is sufficient to penetrate her domain.”

“Huh, is that right? Damn, you guys are pretty strong.”

The power hidden inside my ability was that of countless generations of heroes. With all that power combined, perhaps they stood a chance after all. But…

“…I’m sorry, I really don’t think I can help you.”

Even if there was power enough to do it, I would have to wield it, and I was far too broken for that now.

“I’m just exhausted. Tired of it all. I can’t even lie to myself anymore. I don’t have the strength to keep on walking.”

“Even after you so regretted your ignorance? Even after you so lamented your powerlessness? Even after you sincerely swore revenge with your dying breath?”

“I regretted my ignorance, that’s true. I lamented my powerlessness, too, that’s also true. But I never swore revenge. That wasn’t me. If revenge means hurting those closest to me, then I don’t need it.”

What sense was there in destroying that which I fought to protect?

“I’m afraid that makes things difficult for us. We have been biding our time, tallying our pain, waiting for an opportunity. A chance to kill god.”

For a moment, the edge of the ball of light flickered, like flame.

“…”

“This is the only time I shall speak to you while you are still alive. If Alicia finishes what she is planning, then there may be no more heroes. No one left to wield the strength I have recruited…save you.”

“That’s what you want, not me. If you want to do it, then do it yourself. I just can’t bear to lose anything else…”

I was sure it wouldn’t matter. Once I left this world, the Holy Sword of Retribution would take hold once more, transforming me into a beast of revenge.

But while I was here, I found it impossible to feel glad about that.

“In that case, we will have to take over your body. We will have to remake it into a vessel that can carry out our desires using the strength we have entrusted to it. However, if we do that, then you will cease to be. Your consciousness, your self—it won’t even join with us; it will simply be erased. Is that okay with you?”

So I would be transformed into a beast of revenge, and my own sense of self would be deleted. I would be forced to exact vengeance, no matter how I felt about it.

“How is that any different from what I’ve been doing until now?”

“…”

“Whatever. Why does it matter? If giving you guys control of my body means it’ll get rid of Alicia—if it’ll let my friends live in peace, then who cares? I’ll do it.”

“…Are you sure? You have great power within you, but it is only a tool on its own. All we need you to do is wield it, and you can keep your mind to yourself.”

“Haven’t you been listening to me? I…can’t go on.”

One each of those occasions, I had learned to stand up and keep walking.

But every time, I had also left something of myself behind.

“You don’t want me to wield you, trust me. There’s nothing left.”

“…I see. I suppose that is also a valid choice.”

“Yeah, so use me, and save my friends in my place.”

“…”

The floating light faded from view. Then the world around me began to crumble, like falling sand, revealing only darkness beyond, like the blackest depths of the deepest dungeon.

It felt remarkably similar to where I had lost my life the first time around.

“…Are they finally gone?”

I couldn’t even feel the cold ground beneath me. What I could feel was the power of the soul blades, seeping into me once more. I looked down at my fingers, which had begun to turn a sickening white. In a few more moments, I would cease to be an individual, but instead be a legion of souls, out for vengeance.

“…Is this finally the end?”

The end of my journey. It had taken me so long.

Like before, I gently closed my eyes and awaited it.

“What is the meaning of this?!”

Three days after we were brought to that place, we descended on Towako’s room, demanding to know what was happening with Kaito. The room had an antique smell, and there, with a teacup in one hand and a book in the other, sat Towako.

She gently placed her cup on the table and glanced at us.

“Mrh. Sorry about that,” I said. “But we want to know about Kaito! Is he okay?”

Kaito had been unconscious when we arrived, and he still hadn’t woken up. At first, I thought Towako had knocked him out to calm him down, but he shouldn’t have been unconscious for three days! Something was clearly up, and I was desperate to find out what.

“Why hasn’t Kaito woken up yet?” I demanded. “What did you do to him?”

“Oh, is that what this is about? I believe I did say it would take him a few days to wake up. As for what I’ve done—nothing, really. You’ve been here the whole time, haven’t you? You can see I’ve done nothing with your demon eyes, no?”

“Well…”

Towako had referred to my intrinsic ability called “Demon Lord,” which was granted to the bearer of the arcstone. One of its effects was called “Truesight.” It was an advanced form of Shuria’s “Scarlet Eyes” that allowed me to discern the true nature of any magical phenomenon.

“If you were watching,” Towako said, “then you know that all I did was induce severe MP drunkenness, forcing Kaito’s mind into a dormant state.”

“Yes, so I surmised at the time, which is why I said nothing…”

The spell I had seen was something an inhabitant of this world would never even consider. It artificially raised and lowered the conductivity of the target’s magical pathways, inducing mana sickness. However…

Kaito was still sleeping.

Almost like he did not wish to wake up.

“Whatever you did to him, it was not a simple spell. There was something of your intrinsic ability mixed into it as well.”

“That’s right. My spells do call upon my intrinsic ability. But that’s no impediment to you. Your eyes can see all that, too, can’t they?”

Towako was correct. In addition to mana, my eyes could see the truth behind any magical effect, even if it involved intrinsic abilities. I was even able to imitate anything I’d seen using my ability “Master of Magic.” In most cases, this made me more knowledgeable about how a spell worked than the person casting it was.

Kaito had once said that being able to copy any spell or intrinsic ability after seeing it once was a “cheat skill of the highest order.” However, right now, even that power wasn’t enough for me to discern what was wrong with him.

“Indeed,” I said. “I have seen your intrinsic ability in action. All it does is amplify your power and prevent it from decaying.”

“Correct. That’s the result of an ability called ‘Researcher.’ I used it when I cast the spell on Kaito. It allowed me to surpass his impressive magical defenses and knock him unconscious.”

“But that’s not all, is it? Even with all my powers as the demon lord, there was one thing I could never do: copy the hero’s powers.”

Towako had been the hero, just like Kaito. And my power could not be used to discern the hero’s abilities.

Even back when I had first met Kaito, when he’d been weaker, I could never tunnel to the core of his power. It was like a maze, and no matter how hard I searched, just when I thought I had reached the end, I would be faced with another wall.

“As shameful as it is to admit,” I said, “I cannot see what truly lies at the heart of your power. Perhaps you did something to Kaito even I cannot detect, and that is why he still sleeps.”

“Hmm? It’s true you can’t see all the powers of the current hero, but that doesn’t necessarily apply to me as well. I made no attempt to hide from you the workings of that spell.”

So she could hide the workings if she wanted to?

The implication vexed me a little, but right now, the priority was making sure Kaito was okay.

“Basically, with your power, you should be able to tell what’s up,” said Towako. “…Or wait, maybe…”

Suddenly, an idea seemed to occur to her. She stood up and walked straight over to me.

“Let me take a look here.”

“Wha—?!”

With no other warning, Towako placed her hand to my chest.

“What are you doing?!” I yelled.

“Whoa. Calm down. I’m just taking a look at the arcstone,” she said. “Hmm, hmm. Yes, I see. Looks like someone’s taken my half-finished notes and used it to seal off the arcstone’s power. That’s why you can’t see how the hero’s power works.”

“Huh?! What?!”

I thought back to when we’d used the knowledge Kaito discovered in the first world to prevent the arcstone from running amok. I had sensed at that time that my powers became ever-so-slightly harder to control. It felt rather like I was using thick leather gloves instead of my bare hands.

Towako nodded along to her own explanation.

“…But this hack job is bothering me. Let me sort it out.”

“Huh?! Wait, what are you—aaagh!!”

“Yeah, yeah, stand still. This won’t take long; I’ve just got to cut off all the extraneous bits.”

Towako snapped her fingers, and a small ball of mana began orbiting me like a moon. At the same time, I felt a deeply unpleasant itchiness coming from deep within me.

Wh-whatever she’s doing, it’s too complicated for me to stop it safely! If I interrupt, who knows what could happen?!

“…All right, that should sort it out.”

“Hurgh… That was agony…”

Nearly five grueling minutes passed before the itching finally stopped. As I looked around, I noticed immediately that something was different.

“Wh-what the…?”

“How’s that? Can you see any better now?”

It was like someone had cleaned all the grime off my glasses that I didn’t even know was there. The world was in stark relief once more.

“With full command of the demon lord’s power under your belt, you should be able to tell what’s up with Kaito. Do you think you could take a look?”

“Really?!”

“I think that’ll explain the situation much faster than I ever could.”

“…Thank you.”

I steadied my beating heart and walked off to find Kaito.

The room possessed a fairly orthodox layout: There was a small chair, a table, and a larger-than-average bed. Because this place was technically a Dungeon, that meant we could design our rooms however we wished. The room we had made for Kaito was modeled off his favorite of the inns we had stayed at during his travels.

“Oh, if it isn’t Leticia!” said Shuria. “Is it time to switch already?”

Shuria turned and looked at me with completely innocent eyes.

…As though I didn’t notice the creasing of the duvet, the stray strands of Shuria’s disheveled hair, and the slight, rosy color to her cheeks.

She was just in his bed…

I felt a slight jealousy rising up within me, but I pressed the matter no further. If I was to start wringing necks over every girl who got too close to Kaito, there would be no party members left.

“It is, but before that, could you go fetch Minnalis and Mai? I suppose Nonorick and Metelia should be here, too.”

“Hmm?” Shuria looked at me questioningly for a moment. “Well, as long as it’s eating into your time and not mine.”

Then she slipped off her chair and left to find the four I’d mentioned.

…Blast. I just realized. I’m wasting my precious Kaito time.

Slightly regretting my timing, I peered at Kaito with my restored sight. I thought about doing this without everyone here, but that would truly be unfair.

Watching Kaito on the bed, I sighed and rapped my knuckles against his skull.

“…You incorrigible sleepyhead. When are you going to wake up?”

Bound by chains and rope, impaled on barbed spears, clutched between bony fingers, squeezed between the arms of a vise, trapped in a net… Kaito’s soul was held by every conceivable kind of seal. The reason he couldn’t wake up…was that he didn’t want to.

And so that task fell to me.

Because who better to rouse the hero from his dream than the demon lord?

Before long, I was joined in the room by Minnalis, Shuria, Mai, Nonorick, and Metelia.

“Very good. We’re all here.”

“But why are we all here?” asked Minnalis, a worried look spreading across her face. “Don’t tell me…you’re planning on doing something to Master?”

“Well, if you want to put it that way, then yes,” I replied.

“Huh? Huh? Why?!” asked Shuria, panicking. “Didn’t Towako say he would wake up on his own soon?!”

“What is the meaning of this?!” demanded Mai. “Is there something wrong with my dear brother or not?!”

“The flow of Kaito’s mana is back to normal,” said Metelia, looking down at Katio’s resting body. “If he is not already awake…”

“…then that means something else must be keeping him asleep,” I completed.

Minnalis flew into a rage. “Then does that mean Towako did something else to him?!”

But before I could calm her fears, it was Metelia who spoke.

“You mean…Master doesn’t want to wake up?”

“His health and mana flow are both normal. Which means it is his spirit, his soul, that wishes to remain dormant. In my opinion, it must be the power of the hero that is trapping him there.”

“The power of the hero…?”

“I think so too,” I said. “And I agree this is all because that fool doesn’t want to wake up.”

“How do you know that?” asked Shuria.

“Oh, Towako helped me see a little better. And I think there’s no question what is causing Kaito’s depression—it’s the death of his friend Yuuto. Kaito is an incorrigible crybaby. Even the fires of vengeance cannot rid him of that.”

“…”

He truly is a fool.

“And so, it falls to us to knock some sense into him,” I said, lightly rapping his skull. “I’d like to say the only reason I called you all here was for the benefit of good sportsmanship, but to be frank, I’m not sure whether I’m strong enough to do it alone.”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?” asked Shuria.

“To wake Kaito, we shall have to travel to the landscape of his mind,” I explained. “However, he is not alone. He has his power—the souls of successive generations of heroes, and all their hatred toward this world.”

“So when you say you don’t think you’re strong enough…you mean we have to fight them?” Minnalis asked.

I nodded.

“That power rejects outsiders,” I said. “To wake Kaito up, we’ll need to rid him of it. If not, if we leave him at its mercy… It may well decide to take over his body directly.”

“Oh no… Dear brother…”

“So to save Kaito, we will have to fight the heroes who have trapped him,” I went on. “But don’t take this lightly just because we’ll be in a mental world. We shall have to be transported there in our entirety, else we risk becoming assimilated into Kaito’s mind. Death shall be as real in there as it is out here. If you want to back out, then now is your chance…though I suppose I need not ask such a foolish question.”

Looking around at the determined faces of everyone gathered there, I shrugged in defeat.

“Now then,” I said. “Metelia and I shall prepare to send everyone inside Kaito’s mind. It’s a delicate ritual, and we shall need some time. I’ll call you all when we are ready, so I suggest you use that time to say your prayers. For if you hesitate in the landscape of Kaito’s mind, there shall be no coming back. We don’t want to end up with another vegetable in the party.”

At that same moment, a single person was visiting Towako in her room.

“You. Was this also part of your plan?”

“Oh? Don’t you know it’s considered rude to enter a lady’s room without knocking? What if I’d been getting changed?”

“What if you had? Just answer the question,” reiterated Godrick, unwilling to entertain Towako’s jokes.

“Man, I try to lighten the mood, and look what happens. All right then, Godrick, what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about Nonorick shackling himself to the hero’s ankle.”

Towako chuckled to herself, but Godrick was not amused.

“I could not care less for our friend’s sexual proclivities,” he said. “The only reason I went along with your schemes was because it was the most effective means of keeping my family alive. As true vampires, our only remaining mission is to preserve our divine bloodline. That is why Nonorick must live on to replace me after all this is over.”

“I don’t remember babysitting being part of our contract,” Towako retorted. “All I agreed to do was put an end to all this.”

“…”

“Besides, you knew the risks. Coming into contact with the hero is the only way for Nonorick to regain his divine blood. After all, the person who originally locked it away is right there in the hero’s power with him.”

“I know that. I know it’s the only way. But what if Nonorick’s mind is consumed before he meets with my brother?”

“You’re such a worrywart, Godrick. The hero system isn’t so indiscriminate that it will suck up anyone and everyone who comes close. And once Nonorick gets his blood back, it’ll be impossible. Think about it. Leticia and Nonorick didn’t get new abilities when they made their contract with Kaito. That’s proof their powers haven’t mixed with his. Besides,” Towako went on, “you’re not the only one who wants Nonorick to come back alive. Luna will need a true vampire to help her after all this is over. Her power’s waned after being separated from this world for so long.”

“Yeah! And I’m not good with the fiddly stuff!” said Luna with unwarranted pride, her upper torso emerging uncannily from Towako’s back. “Even after I get my authority back, it’ll be hard to control without something that’s one-hundred-percent my creation!”

“Huh? Why?!”

Godrick gave a deep sigh. “Enough. It matters not,” he said. “The only thing I need to do is crush anyone who dares bring harm to my family.”

And with that, he left. Watching him go, Towako shrugged.

“What a moody guy,” she said. “It can’t be easy being the eldest.”

If the reason Master’s not waking up is because he doesn’t want to…

It had already been a few hours since Leticia had given us her explanation. I had gone straight back to my room and had done nothing but stew in my own worries and fears ever since.

If Master didn’t want to wake up, that meant he didn’t want to continue his vengeance. And if he didn’t want to continue his vengeance…

“Then what will I do next?”

I didn’t regret anything I’d done. Even if Master no longer sought revenge, that didn’t erase the time we’d already spent together. That time was more intense than any of the screams we had elicited, or pain we had inflicted. It is the reason I was still here, by Master’s side, today.

Plus, I had upheld my vow. I had exacted revenge upon those I swore to kill. My vengeance was already over. Was that why I was racked with such indecision now?

“What should I say to Master when I see him…?”

Should I shout at him? Tell him his vengeance isn’t over yet? Or should I say he can end it here if that’s what he wants? Tell him it’s okay, that he doesn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want to?

…If I’m thinking like that, then Master’s thirst for vengeance must really be wavering.

For so long, the only things that filled my heart were the dark emotions I shared with him. I never thought the day would come when I would be able to feel things like hesitation and doubt.

“But when that day comes…will Master even want to stay with me?”

“Who cares what he wants?!”

“Eep?!”

Suddenly, somebody tackled me from behind. I turned in surprise to see that it was Shuria.

“H-how long have you been there?” I asked.

“A little while. I knocked on the door and called your name, but you never answered, so I came in. But that’s not nearly as bad as what I just heard you say!”

“Ah… Ow… That hurts…Shuria…”

“Looks like I need to beat some sense into this big, dumb mouth of yours!”

Fuming, Shuria pulled at my cheeks.

“It’s not about if he wants to stay with us! He’ll always stay with us!”

“B-but…”

Without our vengeance binding us to one another, what reason was there for us to stay together? In fact, we might just be getting in Master’s way.

“Listen, Minnalis. Who cares what Kaito thinks?!”

“Huh?”

“…”

Reverse the roles? Be Master’s master?

“Then we order Kaito to pamper us and attend to our every whim!” Shuria giggled. “Won’t that be fun?”

“…I can barely imagine it. I never even considered doing something like that…”

But… But…

“Tee-hee. Tee-hee-hee! You’re right. What was I thinking, getting worried he’d throw us away?”

When Master had asked me to be his partner in crime, he’d sought for us to be mixed, like hot blood and flesh, to be boiled and bubbled in a cauldron until all the colors ran together and became impossible to tell apart.

Our vow could never be broken. And that meant Master and I were inseparable. Any personal feelings on the matter were completely irrelevant.

“Yes. Yes, that’s right. Master and I are an integral part of each other. How could such a short time apart have led me to forget that?”

“Finally, the old Minnalis is back again!” cried Shuria, nodding along eagerly to my words.

Just then, I heard the voice of Leticia inside my head.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, everybody. The preparations are just about complete. Everyone, come back to the room as soon as you can.”

It sounded like we were ready to make the leap into the world of Master’s mind.

Shuria and I returned to the room where he was sleeping. Just outside the door, we ran into Towako and Mai.

“Hmm? You’re here too, Towako?” I asked.

“And you, Mai? Are you prepared for what’s to come?”

“Of course I am,” asserted Mai with a forceful nod. “Waking up big brother is a little sister’s sacred duty.”

The four of us entered the room together to find that Nonorick and Godrick were already there, alongside Leticia and Metelia. Each and every one of us was present and accounted for.

I looked over to the bed and saw that Master’s body had become partially transparent, like a phantom’s. But unlike those monsters, brimming with a deep-seated anger so deep you could feel it, Master almost seemed to be slipping away, like a stone sinking to the depths of a lake.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“We’ve employed a technique to soften the membrane as much as possible,” Leticia explained. “Let me tell you, though, it was back-breaking work. Even asleep, Kaito’s magical resistances are as infuriating as ever.”

Leticia shook her head despairingly.

“But with that, we’re all ready to go. And it seems like Godrick will be helping us, along with Metelia. That should make entering the landscape of Kaito’s mind a lot easier.”

“Hmph. That’s because I have something I want to say to the boy, too,” said Godrick, reclining on a large sofa that hadn’t been there when we last came in. “He cannot lay indolent forever.”

“Right. Is everyone ready? Nonorick, Minnalis, Shuria, Mai, Metelia, and I shall be entering Kaito’s mind. Godrick and Towako will stay on this side to maintain the spell and to respond to problems if something should go wrong.”

“…”

“Hmph.”

“Right then,” said Leticia. “Everyone follow me.”

“Follow you? Where?” I asked.

“Why, inside Kaito, of course!”

Leticia grinned, then stepped directly onto Master’s sleeping form, whereupon she completely disappeared inside.

“…I see. I didn’t expect it to be so…literal.”

The surface of Master’s body rippled like a lake a stone had just been dropped into. The five of us followed Leticia’s lead and stepped inside.

“So this is what it’s like inside Master’s mind…,” I muttered.

We emerged into a vast, empty space surrounded on all sides by cliffs. From the base of the cliffs, we could hear some kind of noise that sounded like gurgling screams. Looking up revealed no ceiling, but instead a marble-patterned sky colored with deep crimson, navy blue, and dark green.

“It all feels so familiar for some reason…,” remarked Shuria.

I found myself agreeing with her assessment. This gloomy place felt like somewhere we knew intimately. But I supposed that wasn’t surprising. After all, this was Master’s mind we were talking about.

“Hey, hey, Leticia? What do we do now?” asked Nonorick.

“What do we do? Well, I suppose we’d better look for Kaito.”

“Yeah, but…how are we supposed to find him?”

“Well, that’s obvious. If he’s shutting himself in, we just have to keep going as deep as we can.”

“So that’s where dear brother—”

But before Mai could finish, they appeared.

““““GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!””””

A pack of creatures rose out of the ground without warning, surrounding us. They looked like a species of wolf monster, and they were clearly angry.

“Well, this is nice and simple,” said Leticia. “Beat the enemies, unlock the door.”

“Are these monsters a manifestation of the power of the hero that’s keeping Master locked away?” I asked.

“Dead right. Their mana feels the same as the kind I saw ensnaring Kaito from the outside.”

The monsters numbered a few dozen, and they all watched us warily, growling and awaiting their chance to attack. But just as they pounced, fangs bared…

“Sparking Glacier!”

Shards of ice clad in lightning appeared. Metelia swung a porcelain staff I hadn’t seen her carrying before, and the sound of bells rang out. Her magic encased each of the wolves in electrified ice prisons.

“I have waited long enough,” she said, her voice taking on a dark quality.

“None of you will stop me from seeing my precious Kaito.”

Then there was a flash of light, a sound like cracking glass, and one of the ice prisons shattered. The wolf inside, scorched black by the lightning, broke to pieces along with the ice. Then, one by one, the other prisons followed suit.

“…Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Sparking Glacier: Verse of Chains!”

“Graaaaagh! Graaaaagh?!”

“Whoa… That’s some real magic,” muttered Nonorick while Leticia ground her teeth in frustration.

“Grr! I was going to take care of them!”

“So Metelia is strong after all,” said Shuria.

“Of course,” I said. “Because she still has the memories of her first life with Master.”

I didn’t let it show, but I was a little taken aback myself. I still wasn’t sure what to make of Metelia. Perhaps that was because Master himself didn’t know what to make of her.

If she can speak to Master in the landscape of his mind, will these feelings go away? I thought to myself as I watched Metelia’s spells make short work of the monsters.

Lightning and ice.

It was a fantastical, almost dreamlike sight, and before long, the scattered fragments of frozen monsters littered the arena like falling snow. As the last one expired, the chains holding the rusty door shut fell off, dissolving into black mist, and before long, even the mist faded to nothing.

Metelia turned to us and smiled amid the snowfall.

“Now, then, shall we proceed?” she asked.

“Guess I should start prepping the stage,” I said.

After the others left, and Godrick and I were the only ones remaining in the room, I began making a clone.

“You worm. You would leave the work to a lord of my standing?” spat Godrick with vitriol.

“That’s right,” said my clone. “I’ll stay here. You’ve got a lot of work to do, me!”

I transferred the magical functions that were assisting Godrick with his spell to my clone.

“The invasion is progressing faster than I expected,” I said. “Plans are already in motion, but we don’t have enough boots on the ground. I’m going to see if I can plug the gaps.”

I, the original me, stretched my arms and stood up from my chair.

“…Do you understand what will happen if you fail?”

Godrick glared at me so hard I thought he wanted to kill me.

“Ooh, you don’t have to scare me. Who do you think you’re talking to?”

I was once the hero. And although I may have lost that power now, the things I’d learned from that experience would never leave me.

“Mrh.”

I rewrote the magical formula off the cuff and made adjustments based on readings gathered during its execution to push its performance to the limit. All without suffering any drop in quality during the runtime.

“I always find it easier to do things on the fly like this, as opposed to working out theories in advance,” I said. “There. That should take some of the load off.”

“…Tch. You, Kaito, the first hero… None of you have any respect for lords. As long as you uphold your end of the work, then do it quietly. Didn’t you say you have somewhere to be?”

“I do. And on that note, I’ll leave you to take care of things around here. Oh, and babysit Luna, too.”

“Hmm? Is it morning already?”

She yawned, went over to the sofa, and nimbly crawled into the empty space upon it, laying her head in Godrick’s lap.

“I’m going back to bed,” she said. “Good night…”

“…”

It was difficult to describe the look on Godrick’s face at that moment. He seemed unsure how to react. Normally, such disrespect would have left him hopping mad, but the girl whose head lay in his lap now was the very goddess who had created his noble bloodline.

“…Are you not taking her with you?” he said in the end.

“Of course not. Be realistic.”

Me leaving this space with Luna in tow would basically be asking to have her tracked down and captured.

“This goddess birthed my kind… How can it be she’s so…?”

Godrick despaired. It was fair to say that Luna didn’t have a shred of divine majesty about her. He should have been used to it by now, though; he’d known her long enough.

With my clone assisting Godrick on my behalf, I turned and left the room. So long as Nonorick’s life was on the line, I could trust Godrick to take the matter seriously, and if anything did happen, my clone would be able to inform me.

“Let’s see how things are going out there.”

I opened a magical device that resembled a flip phone.

“Aah, aah, testing, testing. Can you hear me, Leone?”

“Ugh… Yes, I can.”

“How are things? Are they going smoothly?”

“…Nothing out of the ordinary. We’re hurrying, but the Offshoot army are advancing faster than you said they would. It looks like it’s going to be a close one.”

It doesn’t really make sense to talk about “kids these days” when I’m in another world, though.

“Well, in that case, it’s your lucky day, because I’ve decided to lend a hand,” I said.

“Huh? Lend a hand? How?”

“I’ll start setting up the stage dressing myself,” I explained. “You all carry on doing what I told you.”

“…Okay. But don’t forget.”

“Hmm? Forget what?”

“I’m a merchant. And a merchant always makes their deadline. I won’t let you down. Just you watch.”

With that, Leone ended the call.

Hmm. I suppose I have that to look forward to, then. But it’s still best to have as many devices as possible for greater accuracy.

I put away the magical cellphone and took out a different one, used for discreet teleportation.

“The sooner we complete the mesh, the better.”

We couldn’t drag our heels any longer.

The hero’s ability forced him into the final choice earlier than I expected. And I didn’t think Kaito would ever choose to abandon the hero’s trial. But none of that changes the plan.

“First things first, we’re going to need some wheels—or in this case, some wings.”

I headed over to meet a fire dragon by the name of Guren, whose wounds had been healed and was now in the middle of recovering.

“Gruuuh…”

Guren had fought like a lion against the Offshoot army, only to run into Alicia’s party on their way to the cathedral, and had come off with an injured wing. I had made some medicines to heal his injuries, and he had been resting and eating to restore his lost mana and stamina.

“Sorry to come to you while you’re still bandaged up, but I’m going to need your help. Your mistress is doing her part, too, so do you think you could lend me a claw?”

“Grr… Rah! Rah!”

After a moment’s hesitation, Guren barked eagerly in response. He shrank himself down to the size of a volleyball and flew over to me.

“There, there. Good boy. We’re on a tight schedule, but I’m sure you can handle it.”

I stroked the dragon’s head and turned my attention back to the teleportation device.

“Now then, Goddess,” I said. “I’m going to make sure you pay dearly for ruining the lives of my mother and me.”

Before I came to this world, I had lived alone with my mother. My father passed away when I was young, and despite my mother’s constant illness, she did her best to look after me alone.

I’d worked hard and had managed to land a job at a large company. I’d finally thought it was my chance to turn things around and repay my mother for all she’d done.

Then I was brought here. I struggled to survive at first, but I persisted. I gathered knowledge, honed my skills, and finally found a way to observe my homeworld again.

It was then that I’d learned my mother had already passed away.

I’d learned this from her diary, which depicted in all-too-harrowing detail my mother’s descent into loneliness.

Ever since then, I have lived for one purpose only.

“I’m going to take back her life.”

I booted up the device, and a doorway of light appeared, which I stepped through.

It was evening, but in a fortified border town on the outskirts of the empire, the sun wasn’t the only thing painting the streets red. Vermilion flames lapped at every building; crimson tongues that drank the city dry.

“R-run away and don’t look back!” cried a voice. “Flee to the beast lands!!”

This voice belonged to the commander of the city guard. He was no dullard, and neither were any of his men. The city claimed a strategic location, and the empire, with its practical, no-nonsense approach to war, ensured that only the cream of the crop were tasked with its defense. They furnished the city with sturdy fortifications. They hired alchemists and mages and coated the walls in a substance that was as hard as a diamond when dry, while protecting the skies with layers upon layers of magical barriers.

I don’t believe what I’m seeing…

It had been the local lord’s private militia who first saw the signs. These were elite soldiers, handpicked from an already exceptional force, and honed to perfection through regular training expeditions. On one of these expeditions to the nearby mountains, the group encountered a horde of strange creatures.

They looked like turtles, only made of twisted roots and bark. Due to their familiar appearance, the soldiers who saw them concluded they must be hitherto-unknown variants of a monster species called the Volcano Turtle. This monster was a D-Rank threat and posed little danger to any imperial soldier, and even though these variants were a little tougher, the private army were able to beat them handily. Their heightened aggressiveness earned them a C-Rank rating, and before long, news of their existence spread to the surrounding lands.

Things took a strange turn a little while later, when the same private army came across another strange species of monster. Like the first, this monster was also made of roots and bark, but this time it was in the rough shape of a creature called a Griffon, a beast with the body of a lion and the head, wings, and talons of an eagle. The soldiers incurred some casualties, but they were eventually able to slay the strange beast. It was then, upon examination, that the soldiers discovered this was not a variant species at all, but rather some strange organic parasite that had infected the original creatures.

Around the same time, the Adventurer’s Guild began receiving reports of similar cases across the empire. Some started noticing that this parasite, whatever it was, didn’t only affect monsters, but people, too, and when word of this got out, the citizens began to grow anxious.

Even so, people remained optimistic. The city was on a remote border, far away from the fighting between the demons, the beast lands, and the Church, and the town’s impressive defenses would surely allow them to live their lives in peace. So what if these bizarre sightings are becoming more and more frequent? they thought. It’ll all blow over soon enough.

Little did they know their illusion of peace was about to come crashing down.

“Eeeeeeek!!”

“Mommy!!”

“M-monsters?!”

Just as the commander of the guard tried to signal everyone to safety, piercing screams filled the air.

“Grr, they’ve already penetrated this area. Just when I thought we were done…”

The man had been guiding civilians to safety while his men held off the monsters elsewhere. This group of townspeople was meant to be the last, but already the numbers he was seeing suggested his fellows had fallen.

He grimaced. The situation was looking more dire by the hour.

The town was dealing with a sudden outbreak of infected civilians. The strange organic parasite responsible for the bizarre mutations had manifested among the townsfolk themselves. Nobody knew when or where the disease had begun, but at this point, the city was awash with crazed rioters.

The city guard fought the parasites, but other nearby towns were dealing with their own, simultaneous outbreaks, so there was little hope for reinforcement. The situation was so dire that the garrison commander saw no choice but to abandon the fortress to the monsters.

He had once believed this city to be impregnable. Now, in just half a day, he had watched it fall.

“Agh!!”

A young boy tripped and fell before a terrifying creature with trees for arms. The sight shook the commander from his despairing.

“Fleetfoot!!”

Before his mind had even analyzed the situation, his body leaped into action. He activated his most proficient skill, closing the distance in the blink of an eye, and swung his greatsword, parrying the monster’s vines. But then, upon seeing the creature up close, he let out a cry of surprise.

“It’s you…!”

The monster’s face was one he knew well.

“Riley, you fuckup. How could you let them do this to you…?”

It belonged to a man he had once considered a friendly rival, the commander of a separate platoon. He had always deemed him to be an upright and sensible sort, a stickler for the rules but well-liked by those under his command.

He was a good man.

“Get out of here, kid!”

“Ah…but…”

“W-waaaaaaaahhh!!”

Having successfully threatened the boy into retreating, the commander turned his eyes back to the monster before him.

“Tch. Never thought our final showdown would look like this.”

His last spar against Riley had resulted in his near defeat. The record stood at a miraculous 99 wins, 99 losses, and 31 draws.

“Still, it’s better than both of us dying without ever settling the score. This is our last battle. Show me what you’ve got!!”

Mana surged within the man as he stared down his foe.

“Physical Boost! Physical Boost!! Power of Knights!! Enhance Reactions!! Fire Enchantment!!”

He activated every power-enhancing spell and skill he knew, honing himself for combat. The parasitic monster that had infected his former friend remained still and silent, as if allowing him to do so.

“All right, let’s do this! Fleetfoot!!”

The man leaped into battle once more, feeling the ache as his stacked enchantments pushed the limits of what his body could take. In no time at all, the combatants were in close range, and the man’s thick sword collided with the rooty tentacles of the parasitic creature, letting out an ear-ringing Clang!

“Die, foul beast!!”

“Grow… Fill… Be…one…”

Sword and vine clashed endlessly. Each time, the man’s strength was just a little higher.

“What do you make of that, you wood-chip bastard?!”

“Aghhh… Aah… Aggghhh!!”

The battle was shifting steadily in his favor. And then, at last, a decisive opening was revealed.

“Graaagh!!”

The plant creature failed to parry the man’s sword effectively and was thrown off-balance.

“Forgive me, Riley! Extreme Thrust!!”

Summoning all his strength, set aside for a finishing blow, the man aimed his sword at his friend’s heart. He felt his strike land and watched as the beast’s body dissolved away from the point of impact. The head and limbs fell harmlessly to the ground like decaying plants.

“Finally,” said the man, breathing a sigh of relief. Then he raised his eyes to the horizon, where a new scene of despair greeted him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Six new infected monsters were slowly working their way over. Four of them looked to have once been human, while the others had been a horse and a dog. And even though the humans still had their faces, it was impossible to tell who they had once been.

Regardless, it was clear the man wouldn’t be able to hold them all off.

“Looks like it’s time to scram.”

He came to a swift decision. From his pouch, he retrieved a magical grenade. He wheeled his arm in one, smooth, uninterrupted movement, just like in training, delivering the explosive into the midst of the oncoming horde. Then, without even waiting to confirm the results, he turned his back and made a tactical retreat.

The others should be out of the city by now. Now all that’s left to see is whether these creatures will follow us or not…

He had watched his men make contact with the last of the survivors just before engaging the monsters in battle. That battle had been long and hard-fought enough that all he needed to worry about now was getting himself to safety.

He only stopped running to hide for the night, and the next day he reached the border of the beast lands.

The fortress city, once said to be the most ironclad in all the empire, fell to the monsters in just a single day.

I felt a scorching heat as my foe was burned to cinders behind my back.

“Ruuuuugh…”

“That’s what you get for messing around!”

It was Letty. She kicked the soot-stained armor aside before immediately picking out a new enemy and turning her attention to it.

“Whoopsie!” I said. “Nono made a fuckie-wuckie!”

“Stay focused. We don’t even know if your regeneration will work in here.”

“That’s right!” I replied. “And we wouldn’t want to die for real just when we got to the bonus stage, would we?”

Plus, I got to fight these challenging foes alongside my greatest allies! What could have been better than this?

The fight went on for a little while longer, and we soon wiped out all the monsters.

“Looks like that’s the last of the Living Armors,” said Shuria, after the black suit of armor under her control had cut down the last remaining foe.

The room fell silent, and just like in the last one, the chains sealing the door ahead fell apart and disappeared. After watching the black mist disappear, everyone sat down on the floor.

Before moving on, it was best to take a break and recover our strength.

“Phew. So, how many rooms is that now?” asked Shuria.

“Precisely seventy, after that last one,” answered Minnalis.

Each time we advanced, a new roomful of monsters would spawn. The enemies would seep up out of the ground like swampmen and only stop appearing once we slew enough of them, at which point we would unlock the door to the next room.

Glug, glug. “I wonder how much farther until we find Kaito?” asked Mai, polishing off a healing potion and stuffing the empty bottle back in her pocket.

Hmm, Mai’s starting to look a little worn out, I thought. She wasn’t weak by any means, but compared to us, she had far less combat experience. Would she be okay?

“Probably in six more rooms,” said Letty.

“How do you know that?” asked Shuria.

“Because I recognize the magical signatures of all the monsters we’ve faced so far,” Letty explained. “They all correspond to one of Kaito’s soul blades. And since each room only contains one kind of monster, it stands to reason that there’ll be as many rooms as Kaito has blades, which is currently seventy-six.”

“Hmm, I see, I see,” said Shuria, nodding along as Letty theorized.

“But don’t take my conjecture for it,” said Letty. “We’re inside Kaito’s mind now, and there’s no telling what might happen. Maybe after these seventy-six rooms, there will be one more where we have to fight all of them at once, or maybe it’ll take us right back to the start, forcing us to do the whole thing again.”

Still, it sounded like we were at least six rooms away. We pondered the possibility it would all be over soon, then got to our feet and continued ahead.

I took the lead, eager to see what kind of monster lay ahead.

“What do we have in—huh?”

In all the other rooms, the monsters started spawning as soon as we’d entered, but this time nothing happened. Not only that, but there was no locked door leading farther on, either.

“What’s up? A dead end?”

“Surely there must be some way to proceed…,” muttered Metelia.

“If there is, I don’t see it either,” said Letty.

“But if this is the end, then where’s Master?” asked Minnalis.

Sure enough, as far as we could see from the doorway, the room was completely empty. What was up with that? We all walked to the center of the room and scanned our surroundings, but there was really nothing there.

“Well, this I didn’t expect,” said Letty in a disgruntled murmur.

“What do we do now?” asked Shuria.

At that moment, each of us spotted a bright light underfoot.

“Wh-what the—?!” “I can’t see!!” “…Rgh!” “Mrgh?!” “It’s too bright…”

All six of us leaped back, and Letty and Metelia put up a shield around us. Minnalis and Shuria fired their abilities at the ground, while Mai and I swung our weapons.

However, none of our efforts had any effect. The light came so fast, it was impossible to predict, and it was so bright that it knocked me unconscious.

Deep in the magical forest, shrouded eternally in mist, dwelled the vampires. It was a small community where time seemed to move as slowly as the people did.

It was there that I was born.

“Master Nono! Master Nono?” cried a girl, lifting the lid off a wooden box and peering inside.

“Heh-heh. Kanya’s so silly! She’ll never find me in there!”

She was wearing her favorite outfit: a set of black clothes woven from spider silk found in the forest, along with a piece of headwear called a “beret.” The clothes were modeled off something called “military uniform” she’d found in an old book, and she had gotten the village’s best mage to enchant it against wear and tear, such that even if it tore it would sew itself back together. She insisted they were the most comfortable clothes she had ever worn.

“Come on, Master Nono! You’re supposed to be studying! If you don’t take your classes seriously, I’ll be mad!”

“Phooey! See if I care!” I muttered under my breath.

Suddenly, my head made a noise it shouldn’t make.

“Ow!!”

“What are you doing, skulking about back here?”

“G-Gaddie! That hurt! I thought my head was going to split!”

“Hmph. And you’d deserve it after what you’ve done.”

The one who snuck up behind me and chose violence was none other than my big brother, Gadrick Adelheid. He was much older than both me and Kanya, with spiked-up, light blond hair. He was upstanding, tough, and handsome to boot. On top of that, he was an expert swordsman, which more than made up for the difficulty we vampires had when casting magic. I had once seen him cut a dragon in half with just a single swing.

“Ah, there you are, Master Nono! I’ve been looking all over for—Wah!!”

“Oof! Kanya, you weigh a ton!”

“Hey! That’s not a very nice thing to tell a girl!” Kanya said from atop me. “Take this! And this!”

But Kanya’s pummeling didn’t bother me in the slightest. “Ha-ha, I’ve been trained on Gaddie’s punches, so yours don’t hurt at all!”

“Sigh. How long are you two going to roll about in the hay? You’re getting it all over you.”

“Oh.” “Huh?”

Gaddie grabbed our scruffs like a couple of kittens and pulled us both to our feet. The straw had gotten into our hair and all over our clothes, and I suddenly felt—and looked—very foolish.

“Isn’t Kanya supposed to be teaching you right now?” asked Gaddie. “What on earth are you doing in here?”

“Hiding,” I replied. “Kanya’s lessons are too boring!”

“H-how dare you! That’s not nice!”

“All we do is read boring old books in a boring old language about boring old herbs and alchemy and stuff.”

“Th-that may be so,” said Kanya. “But you learn all sorts of things! All that knowledge might come in handy some day!”

“Really? When am I ever going to need to turn dead rats into fertilizer? Or know how people in the old days prayed for rain? Or how some extinct monster lived?”

“Erm… Well, I don’t know…”

Kanya pushed her fingers together and clammed up.

“Hey, don’t tease the poor girl; she’s only doing her job. Besides, that’s not the real reason, is it? I bet you’re just moody because there was some vegetable in last night’s dinner you didn’t like, or something along those lines.”

“Huh? Is that true, Master Nono?”

“…Well, I don’t eat bitter things!”

“B-but you must! They’re good for you! I put so much thought into making sure your meals are nice and balanced. You can’t just pick out what you don’t like! No, no, no!”

Kanya made a X with her arms, putting on a stern front in contrast to her usual air-headedness.

“She’s right,” agreed Gaddie. “You should be thankful you have food to eat, no matter what it is.”

“Not you, too, Gaddie… Urgh…”

“…Sigh. Don’t look so down, Nonorick. Don’t forget, we have our sword practice later. I’ll take you on in a spar, won’t that cheer you up?”

“Y-you really mean it?!”

Gaddie’s words turned my mood around immediately, causing him to heave another heavy sigh.

“So that’s your price, is it? Besides, you hardly need to train with the sword, given your gift for magic.”

“But I don’t wanna be a mage! I want to be a cool swordsman like you!”

“…W-well, at least you’ve got the spirit.”

Gaddie’s cheeks reddened, and he turned his face away. He’d never been good at receiving compliments.

“Wow! Gadrick, your face is bright red!” said Kanya.

“Don’t mock me!!”

Gaddie cleared his throat. “Anyway,” he said, attempting to change the subject, “it’s best you return to your classes, Nonorick. Once you’re done, and only once you’re done, we can train.”

“Master Nono! Wait for me!” cried Kanya, chasing after me.

“So, what was today’s class about, again?” I asked her.

“Today we’re finishing Introduction to Alchemical Plants.”

“Okay! Let’s breeze through it, so I can get to training!”

“Breeze through it? You are going to remember it, right? I’ll be testing you afterward!”

“I know!”

I was an orphaned child found as a baby, deemed worthy of receiving the divine blood and becoming a vampire. That meant that, unlike everyone else, I didn’t have a mother or father.

But I had a family. Gaddie and Kanya were my family. My only family in the whole wide world.

After that, fifty years came and went.

“Oh, Master Nonorick. Out for a walk?”

I was stopped by the old lady who ran the orchard. Even in our village of vampires, she was among the eldest.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Gaddie’s supposed to be getting back today, so I thought I’d make him his favorite: Couland Fish pie!”

“Oh, Gadrick’s back, is he?” said the old lady’s husband, overhearing our conversation. “Been about three years since we saw him last.”

It looked like the man had just been in the orchard, because he was carrying a large bamboo basket filled with bright scarlet fruits called yumil fruits.

“It’s been four,” I corrected him. “He sent me a letter by bird; apparently he’s been all over the place and has been too busy to visit!”

“Well, as long as he’s having fun, that’s what counts. Try not to get so angry over it, will you, Master Nonorick?”

“I’m not mad! But I do wish he’d stop writing about his new girlfriend all the time!”

Apparently, the outside world had become dangerous lately with the appearance of a demon lord. Somewhere along his travels, Gaddie had run into a girl calling herself the hero and had started journeying with her on a quest to slay the demon lord. I’d heard that, quite recently, they had succeeded in their quest and restored peace to the land.

According to Gaddie, this hero was quite the looker, and after a long will-they-won’t-they, the two of them finally managed to hook up.

“It’s a good thing he’s found someone, isn’t it?” said the old lady. “You should be happy for him, Master Nonorick.”

“I never thought we’d see the day our Gadrick got hitched. How time flies,” agreed her husband with a hearty smile. “So, have you just been setting traps for the Couland Fish?”

“Nope,” I replied. “Kanya already set them this morning. I’ve just been to check them. Look at this big one we caught!”

I opened the sack I was holding, revealing a large fish with scales as pale as snow.

“Ohh, he’s a large lad, isn’t he? Oh, I know, take some of these with you; they’re ripe and sweet, and they’ll make a good dessert.”

“Wow, thank you!”

The husband grinned and began picking out a few of the fruit from his hamper.

“Wow, can I really have all these?!”

“Go right ahead! Take as many as you like! Nothing would make me happier than my fruit being enjoyed by folks with divine blood.”

“…Thank you.”

The people of the village were always kind to me. They always called me “Master Nonorick,” and I had never once seen them angry. Even when I played pranks, they would laugh it off with a smile. It was all due to the divine blood that flowed in my veins.

The only people in the whole village who didn’t treat me differently were Uncle Godrick and his half brother, Gaddie. Gaddie came from a different mother and didn’t have divine blood in him like Godrick and me, but he was still nice to me, and I got along with him well.

“Come to think of it, is Kanya not with you?”

“Oh, she was, but…”

“Ah! There you are! Why do you always leave me behind?! Is it because you hate me? Hey, do you hate me or something?!”

I had left Kanya in the river as a prank. She was such a crybaby, and her eyes were now filled with tears. It was so cute. I could tease Kanya all day and never get tired of it.

But I didn’t want to push her too far, because I liked Kanya. She was the only one who got angry at my pranks. It was too bad she still called me “Master” like everyone else, though.

“I don’t hate you, Kanya! I love you, I love you!”

I ran up to her and met her with a big hug.

“Whaa?”

“So will you stop calling me ‘Master Nono?’” I asked.

“I—I can’t do that!”

“Then I do hate you after all!” I pouted.

I said good-bye to the orchard owners and walked all the way back home with Kanya. Despite my efforts, she didn’t budge on the “Master” thing even once.

When we neared our home, I sensed a presence I hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Gaddie!” I cried.

“Hmm? Ah, Nonorick. Long time no see.”

In front of the house stood Gaddie, looking exactly the same as I remembered him. Beside him was a girl with a stern expression and straight, black hair that came down to her shoulders. She looked delicate enough that a strong gust of wind might knock her over.

“And you, too, Kanya. Good to see you in good health.”

“Welcome back, Gadrick. And who might this be?”

“Allow me to introduce the girl I mentioned in my letters. This is Tsukasa, the current hero and my partner.”

I had already guessed as much, but before Gaddie could even finish his introduction, I sensed a strange aura about the girl. It wasn’t hate or disdain, but something else entirely.

“…”

“…? …? …?”

She was looking at me. Staring hard enough to bore holes in me. I could almost see laser beams coming from her eyes.

“Um… Gadrick?” said Kanya.

“Oh dear, I feared something like this would happen.”

I heard the two of them speaking, but for some reason, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from this girl.

Wh-what’s her problem? I was going to be nice, seeing as she’ll be Gaddie’s wife someday, but it looks like she already doesn’t like me!

“G-Gaddie? D-did I do something to offend her…?” I asked, hoping he could rescue me from this endless staring match somehow, but…

“Waah!!”

She moved so fast, even all my training had nothing on her. In the blink of an eye, I was in Tsukasa’s arms, with her rubbing her cheek against mine.

“She’s so cute, it’s not fair!! Look at her little blond bob! It’s so silky! She’s so slender and pale! It ought to be illegal!!”

“Gyaaagh!! G-Gaddie?! Help! She’s gone crazy!!”

“Sigh. Settle down, Tsukasa.”

But Tsukasa didn’t let go. “I can’t believe you were hiding such a cute, sweet girl from me! And she calls you ‘Gaddie’?! That’s just criminal!!”

“Who are you calling criminal? I think you ought to take a good, hard look at your own actions before throwing around accusations like that.”

“Never! I object! I am prepared to press criminal charges! Gadrick, you are guilty of concealing an adorable little girl with intent to use!”

“Just let go of Nonorick already!!”

“Never! I’m going to make her my little sister!!”

“Listen to yourself! Besides, where’s all this ‘she’ business come from? I already told you before we arrived that Nonorick is a boy!”

At this, all the color drained from Tsukasa’s face at once.

“…A boy?”

Her neck swiveled gratingly like a wooden puppet, and she looked at me with cold, dead eyes.

“Erm… Yeah… I’m a boy. Sorry?”

I wasn’t sure why I apologized. It just felt like I had to.

“…Ohh…”

The next moment, she withered like an old lady fainting in the sun. Luckily, Gadrick seemed to predict this and was ready to catch her.

“An IRL femboy… Too cute… I can’t even…… Erk.”

Babbling some strange foreign language, Tsukasa passed out. It almost felt like those were her dying words.

“She’s hopeless…”

“Erm,” said Kanya, looking concerned, “is she okay?”

“Physically, she’s fine,” Gaddie replied. “She just got a little overexcited, that’s all. Mentally… Well, she’s a lost cause, I’m afraid. Better get used to it.”

“…She is the hero, isn’t she?”

“Yes, that’s what they call her. She can be a little…odd…at times, but she’s truly remarkable.”

Gadrick softly combed his fingers through her hair as he said this, and Tsukasa’s sleeping expression turned calm and peaceful. He didn’t have to say anything for me to be able to see how much she meant to him.

…Somewhere, deep in my heart, it stung a little.

“Well, she must be, to make you fall in love with her!” I teased.

“Wha—?!”

Gaddie immediately turned red-faced. Well, he’d brought it on himself for so casually flaunting that he’d already reached the age of 200 and was allowed to leave the village.

…I wonder, when I leave the village, will I ever meet someone like Gaddie did?

Someone like Gaddie or Kanya, who would treat me not as a divine being, but as plain old Nonorick.

“Um, might I suggest we go inside?” said Kanya. “We can’t leave her lying here, after all.”

“…Rgh. You’re right. Let’s go.”

It seemed Gaddie really wanted to quip back at my teasing somehow, but in the end, he could think of nothing to say.

Right now, I was in a clearing a little outside the village, sparring with Gaddie.

“Haaaaaargh!!”

Our swords clashed time and time again, emitting an unending cacophony of clangs.

“Hey, come now, is that all you’ve got?”

“How are you blocking them all?! I’ve got two swords!!”

“Ha-ha-ha! Looks like I’ve still got it! If you’ve got twice the swords, then show me twice the number of swings!”

I was trying my damnedest, but I still couldn’t land a single hit on Gaddie, who remained as cool as ever.

“Mrgh!!”

“Still not enough, I’m afraid. Why don’t you try a little harder?”

“Grrr!!”

I wanted to get him without resorting to tricks, but it looks like I’ve got no choice!

“Try this on for size!! Divine Chains!!”

“Oh? What’s this?”

While I was still fighting, bloodred chains glowing with orange light flew out of my sleeves. They coiled in the air as if alive, then swooped at Gaddie.

“Now this is new. Still not enough to get one over on me, though!”

“Heh-heh,” I chuckled. “You touched it, didn’t you?”

“What?”

At that moment, the chains Gaddie was holding turned to liquid, and like a large slime, engulfed his hand, sucking the mana and stamina out of him.

“What’s this?! I can’t shake it off!”

“Got you!!”

The power I stole from Gaddie’s body filled my own.

Now’s my only chance! Before he recovers!

I launched myself at him, funneling all my newfound might into one finishing move. However…

“Demongrave Dance!”

“W-wah?!”

Before my attack could connect, I was blown backward by nothing more than the force of the air displaced by Gaddie’s blade.

“Looks like I win again, Nonorick.”

“Urgh…”

That last blow had knocked me a fair distance into a tree, and before I could clamber to my feet, Gaddie was standing over me, the tip of his blade pointed at my throat.

“You and Tsukasa are way too strong!” I complained, falling to my back in defeat. “I can’t even hit you once!”

I had sparred against the hero just prior to my bout with Gaddie, and to my utter shock, she was even more powerful than he was. It almost wasn’t a fight at all. Immediately after we’d begun, I’d felt all my power drained away.

“Don’t look so down,” said Gaddie. “You’ve improved a lot. Impressively so.”

“Yes, yes! Not many people can go on fighting after I use Gluttony on them! Oh, Nonorick! Cute and strong! Is there anything you can’t do? Whatever am I going to do with you?!”

“Aww, and now my clothes got dirty.”

I looked down at my dirt-stained garb, ignoring Tsukasa, who seemed to be off in a world of her own.

“Ah, I see you’ve learned how best to deal with her,” said Gaddie. “So, that move you used earlier; was that using your divine blood?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “I read about how to control it in an old book and decided to try it out. It’s quite useful, actually!”

I called upon the power again, this time molding my blood into the form of a hand.

“I see. Well, be careful how you use it. It very nearly got the better of me. Against someone not so skilled, it could hurt them quite seriously.”

“I know!”

“I can’t believe you’re both ignoring me! …But that’s not so bad either!!”

Just then, Kanya came running over, carrying a large basket.

“Hello, everyone! I brought dinner!”

I looked up to the sky and saw that the sun was very nearly overhead. It must have been just about noon.

“All right!” I said. “Let’s eat!”

And just as I let my guard down, it happened.

“…Hmm? What’s this…?” “I don’t like that…” “Huh? The sky’s gone dark…”

It was so sudden.

“Ka-kiiii!!”

It was a giant, transparent mass about the size of a small hill. Had it been much smaller, I would have had no issues calling it a slime, save for its threatening aura that no slime possessed. It had no eyes, but it was staring at us. Like it was a hungry wolf, and we were its unfortunate supper.

“Ka-kiiiiiiii!!”

Whatever it was, it was bad. I could feel as much in my bones, long before my rational mind reached that conclusion. For the first time, I felt a primal dread for my very life.

That moment of hesitation proved to be fatal.

Hundreds, thousands of tentacles erupted from the mass. There was nothing I could do against a creature so determined to wipe out its prey.

“Godsgrave Dance: Kagura!!”

Just when I thought it was all over, Gaddie unleashed a flood of blades.

“Roooaaaaahhh!!”

The sound of slicing air came as the chime of a bell to my ears.

“It’s so…beautiful.”

At that moment, I saw just how much Gaddie had been holding back when fighting against me. For all their graceful beauty, his sword strikes were no less devastating.

“Ka-kiiii!!”

The monster growled like a dog denied its food, emitting an air-trembling noise. However, just then, it began to lose momentum.

As soon as Tsukasa spoke those words, the hunter became the hunted.

“Ka-kii? Ka-kii?”

The air suddenly felt thick and weighty. It was the same move she used against me in our earlier bout.

“You can’t absorb us. That’s my specialty.”

The usual disappointing Tsukasa was nowhere to be seen. In her place stood a fearsomely impressive woman.

“Become as the trees, devouring all they touch. Forest of Hunger.”

She crouched and touched the ground, and a gray mold, like lichen, spread out beneath the monster. From out of the mold, green mushrooms appeared, and the monster’s see-through body began to take on a strange shade of gray.

As it did, the slime’s movements began to grow sluggish.

“Y-you’re amazing, both of you…”

Kanya and I backed away, trying not to interfere. At first, we could barely think straight, but once we put some distance between us and the monster, we began to regain our composure.

I could sense that this monster was way stronger than the dragons we usually found in the magical forest. However, Gaddie and Tsukasa were stronger still. They were overwhelming it. If I left things to them, surely everything would be just fine.

“W-we should go back a bit farther, Kanya. We might get hurt if we stay here… Kanya?”

But Kanya was muttering something to herself, watching the monster. She was so focused on identifying the monster’s characteristics that she didn’t even seem to hear me.

“It came suddenly and without warning,” she said, a serious expression on her face. “The skies blacken with its approach… Its giant form, transparent like slime… C-could it be?!”

“Wh-what’s the matter, Kanya?”

“Th-this is bad! Very bad!” she cried.

“Ka-kii!!”

Just then, the monster began swelling in size.

“Grh! He might taste bland, but there’s a lot of him!”

“Then let’s cut him into bite-size chunks!”

Gaddie and Tsukasa immediately responded to this development by channeling more mana into their spells.

But when Kanya saw what the monster was doing, she lost her mind.

“W-we have to get out of here! Run away!!”

The monster released a blinding glow. Kanya grabbed me and leaped aside. I didn’t know what was about to happen, but I summoned my blood.

“Divine Barrier!!”

I surrounded us both with a magical shield, but my impromptu defensive measure quickly began wearing down in the face of the immense power it was up against.

S-so much mana! I can’t hold it off any longer!!

“Waaaagh!!”

The opposed forces created a mana explosion, tearing my barrier apart, ripping me from Kanya’s soft touch, and sending a thundering impact reverberating through my entire being.

And, like a show curtain falling, I was rendered unconscious.

I don’t know how long I was out for.

When I finally awoke, the first thing I smelled was dust…then blood.

One, two, three four…

A sweet, luscious, irresistible temptation. Not like my normal blood-drinking urges, but something far more powerful. Far more…instinctual.

“Krrrh… Wh-what…happened…?”

I looked around and discovered I was lying amid ruins. The trees were blasted and splintered, while the ground was cracked and hard as stone, littered with the bodies of my fellow vampires.

“Ka-kii!!”

“Unified Step: Shinra!!”

“Glutton’s Dominion: Dining Beast!!”

“It’s not over yet! Keep it going, you two! Show them the might of a true vampire!!”

“Those with divine blood will never be overcome!!”

“It’s just a slime! Get him!”

I saw them fighting on, even now.

“H-huh? Why is everyone…fighting…?”

“Ha-ha, there you are, Master Nono. You woke up just in time…”

“Kanya!! Are you okay?!”

Hearing her voice, I spun around. I still recalled how she had jumped in front of the blast for me.

“Kanya!! Y-your arm!!”

“H…ha-ha, I guess I’m more cut out for my books and not all this fighting stuff… Don’t worry, it hurts way less than it looks…”

Kanya was missing her left arm. Her severed shoulder, meanwhile, had turned to black stone. On her face, she wore the same worried smile as always.

“Wh-what happened? Why is everything so…?”

“I think that monster is called Elphenterius,” Kanya explained. “It looks like a giant slime, but it’s actually a kind of wraith. It’s a magical life-form that only seeks to absorb as much mana as it can from its environment. I read about it in an old book. Whenever it appeared, the land would turn to rock, then to dust, and finally sink into the ocean.”

“Wh-what?! What is it doing here?!”

“Unfortunately, we don’t know why and how the monster appears,” Kanya went on. “It’s like a force of nature… Ah!”

Just then, the monster emitted a concentrated projectile of light right at me.

“Ka-kii!!”

“Not if I can help it!” “Master Nonorick!!”

By the time I realized it, it was already too late.

And so, the two vampires threw themselves in the projectile’s path, taking the hit meant for me.

“A-are you okay?” I yelled, but they both slumped to the ground. I ran forward to check on them, only to be held back by magical chains.

“Wh-what’s this??”

“I’m sorry, Master Nono, but I can’t let you interrupt the ritual.”

The chains had come from a magic circle inscribed in the ground beneath my feet. I’d never seen anything like the magic circle before, but I could tell the chains were keeping me trapped within it.

“What do you mean, ritual?! Let me go! We have to help the others!!”

“Don’t worry, Master Nono, it’ll be okay. You’ll be safe, I promise.”

“They’ve been fighting for about three days now,” said Kanya. “The blast knocked you out for that whole time.”

“Three days?! We need to retreat and patch everyone up, or they’ll die!!”

“I’m afraid we can’t retreat. Elphenterius traps its prey in a magical realm, so that nothing can get in or out. That’s why it’s so dark even though it’s the middle of the day, see?”

Sure enough, I could see the sun in the sky, but it was like the whole world was covered in darkened glass.

“We can’t even use teleportation magic in here,” said Kanya. “So there’s no way to retreat and regroup. We can get supplies in through the border, though. That’s the only way we’ve lasted this long.”

“Th-then…I’ll help too! We can all fight this thing together!! All we have to do is beat the monster, and then we can carry everyone to safety!”

I could see from the devastation all around me that it wouldn’t be that easy. I could feel the monster’s strength radiating off it, too, but there wasn’t any other option.

“I’m sorry, but Elphenterius has another ability. When it dies, it releases all its stored-up energy in one big blast. Because of that, even if you manage to kill it, everything inside its feeding grounds will be turned to stone.”

“Th-that’s not fair…”

Then how are we supposed to save everyone?!

“…B-but…if we’re going to die anyway, then at least let me fight by their side! We might not be able to save ourselves, but we can at least make sure nobody outside the barrier has to be harmed!”

“…You’re a kind boy, Master Nono. But I’m afraid that is not your role in this. Like I said, you’ll be safe, I promise.”

At that moment, the magic circle began to glow.

“It counteracts Elphenterius’s petrifying ability,” said Kanya. “Eh-heh-heh, I’m always bad at putting things into practice. It took me this long just to set it up.”

“But…if you can do that, then why not save everyone?!”

“I’m sorry, but it only works on one person, and it requires a lot of setup. Right now, I’m the only person who can cast it.”

“…Grh… In that case…don’t waste it on me. Save Gaddie or yourself instead!!”

“I can’t cast it on myself,” said Kanya. “That’s not how the spell works. And if I seal Gadrick away inside it, we won’t be able to defeat Elphenterius.”

“W-wait, Kanya! Wait! Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean, ‘seal’? What are you going to do to me?!”

“You never know what books might teach you. For example, a great ritual that can freeze an individual in time, completely isolating and protecting them from any outside influence. All it costs is the caster’s life, and even if we don’t kill the monster, you, at least, will be safe.”

“The caster’s life?! No, no, no! What are you saying?! Everyone’s going to die except me?!”

“I’m afraid so, Nonorick.”

“Gaddie!!”

After unleashing a powerful move that made Elphenterius reel back, Gaddie landed near me. He was covered in blood from fighting for so long, but his eyes still burned with determination.

“We must safeguard the divine blood… That was your mother’s dying wish.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Nonorick… It was fun sparring with you. At last, you’ll be able to watch me fight at my full potential. To that end…I’ll need to borrow some of your blood.”

While I was still immobilized, Gaddie came over and sank his fangs into my neck.

The blood oozed out. I heard him swallow.

“This blood,” he said, “always seems so ill-fitting in my veins.”

Gaddie’s hair turned blood-crimson, and I felt the concentrations of mana in his body shoot up. Excess mana spilled from his open wounds like steam, yet even so, the amount that remained inside seemed too much for his skin to contain.

“Don’t look so sad, Nonorick. We’ll make sure you survive.”

“Gaddie…”

“If you cry like that, you won’t be able to see my new techniques, will you?”

Gaddie roughly tousled my hair, and then…

“Kanya. Begin the ritual, if you please.”

Kanya nodded.

“…Forever and ever and ever and ever. Let sorrow’s tear wet the vessel, and forlorn hope be fulfilled. Secret Art: Eternal Crystal.”

“K-Kanya?!”

As she chanted, Kanya embraced me tightly. The ring at my feet glowed brighter, and a warm, green crystal began to form around me.

“Ka-kii!!”

“Keep it up! Just a little longer!”

“Don’t let any attacks through until Kanya’s spell is done!!”

“We must protect the divine blood!”

Over Kanya’s shoulder, I could see the others still fighting for my sake.

“Gadrick!!” cried Tsukasa. “Hurry up and get back into the fight!!”

“Give me time! This blood is not fit for me; I’m not used to controlling it!! …But this should be more than enough.”

With that, Gaddie returned to the front lines with blinding speed.

With his newfound power, the balance of the fight slowly shifted in our favor. Each of his blows seemed more powerful than the last.

But to me, he looked like a firework on the verge of snuffing out completely.

“Why?! Why do you have to do this?! I don’t want to! I don’t want you all to die just so that I can survive!!”

“That is our duty,” said Kanya. “That is the duty of all the vampires who live here.”

“What do you mean?! I don’t understand what you mean, Kanya!! What’s the point in me surviving if all of you are gone?!”

“Except for Gadrick,” Kanya explained, “each and every one of us owe our lives to your ancestor. Her dying wish was to protect the divine blood. Our only purpose is to keep you alive. That’s all we’ve ever lived for. So…it’s okay, Master Nono.”

“No, stop!! I don’t care about the divine blood! I don’t care!!”

“I won’t tell you not to be selfish,” said Kanya. “After all, I’m the most selfish one here.”

Her breath was becoming more and more ragged, and her face was growing pale. As the crystals formed around me, so too did Kanya’s body turn to crystal and crumble away.

“Master Nono,” she said. “When I’m gone, remember to eat your vegetables, okay? There’s nothing left for me to teach you now. Go out into the world, and see what’s out there for yourself…”

“Why are you saying this?!”

My prison was warm and soft, like it was made of Kanya herself. But in turn, the warmth I always felt was rapidly fading away.

“…I’m glad we got to talk, one last time, at the very end…”

There was almost nothing left of her now, but still she smiled at me.

“Kanya…!”

It was a beautiful, radiant smile, free of any regret whatsoever.

“I’ll always love you…Nono…”

Then, the last of her transformed into crystal, leaving me with only those words.

The moment my prison sealed around me, I was completely cut off from the outside world. My new world felt peaceful and warm, as though Kanya were right there with me.

I was conscious and awake, yet try as I might, I was unable to free myself from that place. No matter how loud I screamed, or how hard I pounded my fists against the crystal walls, they wouldn’t budge. All I could do was watch.

Outside my world, the fight continued. I watched as Tsukasa used some kind of ability to fuse with Gaddie. She launched herself at the monster, taking it and herself out in a massive explosion. After the dust settled, all that remained were stone statues of Elphenterius, Tsukasa, and Gaddie.

The tragic sight left a hole in my heart. A hole that was soon to be filled with a different emotion.

A few days after the fight, some people showed up who had apparently summoned Elphenterius with forbidden magic. I overheard them saying they had done this to kill the hero, and I watched as they kicked the statues of Gaddie and Tsukasa, smashing them to pieces and laughing all the while.

One of the men called himself the new king of the world. I felt a hatred grow in my heart. With that animosity fueling me, I used my time in my prison to train. I swung my sword repeatedly against the inside of the crystal in the hopes of escaping it.

I had earned power, I had earned freedom, and yet I had nothing.

“Our only purpose is to keep you alive. That’s all we’ve ever lived for.”

“We must safeguard the divine blood. That was your mother’s dying wish.”

“I don’t care, I don’t care!! Who cares about the divine blood?! Why was I given it? I didn’t ask for it!!”

I slashed open my wrists, expelling the so-called “divine blood” from my veins. Forcing it out of my body.

“Haah…haah… I’m not a divine being. I don’t have divine blood… I’m not ‘Master Nonorick’…”

The blood formed into a glowing sphere, which I crushed between my fingers.

“I’m just Nono. Nono the vampire.”

It was from then on that I began calling myself Nono. I became just a normal vampire with normal blood. I began wearing the black military garb, my only memento of Kanya’s, and began using the sword techniques that Gaddie had taught me.

And so, Nono stayed alive, as proof they had once existed. That was his reason for living.

“N-ngh…”

“Oh, looks like you’re awake.”

A pair of strangely familiar voices tickled my mind awake.

“Wha…? Where am I…?”

When I opened my eyes, I didn’t understand what I was looking at.

Perhaps some part of me thought I was still dreaming.

“Long time no see, Nonorick.”

“Wakey-wakey, Nono! Ooh, aren’t you just the cutest?”

“Tsukasa…? Gaddie…?”

Before me were the forms of two people I had watched perish centuries ago.

“Sorry to wake you up so suddenly, Nonorick, but I’m afraid there’s much to discuss and precious little time. We can’t stay separated much longer… I suppose seeing is believing.”

“That’s right, so come here, Gadrick.”

“…Why are you always like this?”

Gaddie sighed and reached out a hand toward his partner. When he did, the two of them overlapped and became one. It was the same technique I’d seen that day, when I’d been trapped in the crystal.

Their hair seemed to change between red and black depending on the light. The face was androgynous, and their eyes were different colors—one black, and one crimson. All this contrasted starkly with their skin, which looked deathly pale. Condensed mana poured off their body like steam, and the very air seemed to crackle with power.

“Face our trial! Sword of Sin: Ravenous Vampire! For this is the point of no return!”

“Grh?!”

“Hey, what’s the matter?! It’s not a trial if you don’t fight back!!”

“Grh! Dammit!!”

Their cuts were a perfect balance of measured and wild.

“You’d better pay attention, or this’ll be over as fast as you can blink! Has centuries of laziness made you weak?”

“Grhhh! Shut up! Don’t patronize me!!”

Before I could even think, my body moved. A pair of white swords appeared in my hands, and I unleashed an uncountable volley of swings in response.

In that moment, my mind felt clear, as though it had been replaced with something else. I could see everything, process all information, my mind running at blinding speeds. My senses grew unbelievably sharp, forcing me, against my will, to confront the growing realization that what I was seeing was no dream at all.

“Are you Gaddie, or Tsukasa?! Argh, it’s too complicated! Why in the world are you here?!”

Faster, faster, faster.

The more our swords clashed, the more my heart was stirred.

“Why? Well, there’s many reasons, but ultimately, it’s because we’re the hero. When we died, we were drawn into the hero’s power before getting a chance to reincarnate.”

“I already don’t understand! Why are you attacking me, then?!”

“Didn’t we just say? This is a trial. This is where you will be forced to make your final decision. We don’t accept weaklings around here, so we’re here to filter out the riffraff!”

“Gh-ghah!!”

I managed to hold on to them, but the force of the blows knocked me clean off my feet, and I flew headlong into the side of a cliff.

“Whoa, whoa, you’re light as a feather. Has wearing a girl’s clothes stunted your testosterone levels?”

“Grh… Shut up… You’re just too strong, that’s all…”

Now that I had been thrown clear from the fight, I took a moment to evaluate my surroundings. I was in a circular arena about a hundred meters in diameter, littered with cracked boulders, barren ground, and blasted trees. The whole battlefield was enclosed by high stone cliffs whose peaks I couldn’t see, even if I craned my neck.

I refocused all my senses on the foe before me.

“So this isn’t a dream,” I said. “And you’re not just some cheap copy cobbled together out of my memories or anything.”

“I’m afraid we’re the real deal. Gadrick and Tsukasa, in the flesh. Well, we’re ghosts, so not really ‘in the flesh,’ but you get the point.”

“In that case…that’s all I need to know,” I replied. “There’s a lot I need to tell you, Gaddie. While I was trapped inside that crystal, I practiced a lot. I never want to be left behind ever again.”

“…”

“You said that weaklings won’t get in, right? Well, why don’t you see for yourself how weak I am? I’ll show you how far Nono’s come!”

I needed to get in and knock some sense into Kai’s noggin. This time, I wouldn’t let my friends leave me on the sidelines to watch—I would fight alongside them. So that I could give it all up for a single battle. A single moment.

“Now, shall we play?”

I activated “White Ramble,” deploying twelve swords into the air.

The grinning face before me was that of Gaddie and Tsukasa combined. I felt deeply wrong, like someone was gently circling my private parts with a rasp, but I steeled my nerve and launched myself at them.

I don’t know how long the battle lasted.

There was no night and day in that place, and all I was focused on was swinging my swords, so I lost track.

“Haah…haah…haah…”

“I see you really haven’t neglected your training. Your soul is replete with combat experience.”

“Then why am I still so far behind?!”

I had clearly been on the back foot the entire battle. My strikes were faster than anyone else’s, but in terms of raw power, I was beaten. One swing from the duo was enough to force back three of my swords. And even if I tried to follow up after that, they were fast enough to go on the defense almost immediately. I tried misdirection, feints, ambushes—none of it worked. They were simply better than me in every way that mattered.

“Hmph!!”

“Gahhh!!”

Their sword slammed into mine, throwing me back into the cliff once again.

“So? Ready to give up yet?”

“…Of course not! I’m always ready for round two! ”

I spurred my tired body on, readying the swords in my hands once more.

“Maybe so…but I can’t just give up either!”

With unsteady steps, like a ghost, I walked back to the battlefield.

“Give up?”

“I didn’t have a choice back then, but I do now. If I turn back now, then I’ll be flying in the face of everything I lived for!”

Kanya wasn’t here to protect me now. And even if she was, I was done being protected. The person fighting my battles now…was me, Nono.

Even if I was tired and beaten, even if I didn’t know what I was fighting for anymore…none of that affected Nono.

“…I knew it. You are weak.”

“Just you watch. This battle isn’t over yet.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that.”

I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.

“Your flame. Your hate. It’s weak.”

“Grh?!”

A dark, twisted smile, mixed with the void itself.

“You don’t want revenge. You just want death. There’s no hatred behind your actions; you’re just scared to be alone. So scared you don’t want to be here anymore.”

“Don’t talk like you know me!”

I abandoned my defensive stance and lunged forward, thrusting my swords. My opponent caught them on theirs, but the power of my attack forced them back a little.

“Did you have fun helping Kaito and Leticia with their vengeance? Did that help you blow off steam? You’re not like them. They dedicated themselves to revenge. You’re just lost.”

I hesitated for a moment. Taking advantage of that, they wheeled around to my rear and struck me in the back. I barely managed to block in time, but the force blasted me forward into the center of the arena.

“You’re wearing Kanya’s clothes, using my sword techniques, and you even threw away your divine blood. You’re nothing more than a stray dog, looking for a place to die!”

“No, you’re wrong!!”

I flipped in the air, regaining my balance, and sprinted toward them once I landed.

“Are we? You didn’t know what to do with your life, so you chose a reason to die for!”

“What’s wrong with that?! Everyone’s gone! The whole village, Gaddie and Tsukasa, even Kanya! There’s no Elphenterius anymore, and even the bad guy who summoned him went off and got himself killed!! There’s no one left!!”

“Oh?”

“But still, I went on living!! So I could find a place where I could die in peace!! If I can die trying to save the world, then what’s so bad about that?!”

Our guards crossed, I yelled in their face. Their accusations hurt so much, all I could do was tell them the truth.

“Maybe I do want to die! Have you got a problem with that?!”

“…Don’t make us laugh. We don’t intend to let you sacrifice yourself for nothing.”

Suddenly, they seemed many times stronger than they had been in the fight so far.

“We aren’t looking to martyr ourselves. We’re out for vengeance.”

“Aaaaghh!”

“And so, you must live.”

Their face looked unimaginably tragic to me.

“But…why? Why can’t I be with you? Why do you want me to live in agony? I threw away the divine blood; you shouldn’t need me anymore!”

Gaddie sighed.

“The divine blood is the source of all vampires,” he said. “Vampires can reproduce just like other beings, but a true vampire, those who possess the divine blood, can also create vampires by passing that blood on. The divine blood is the seed of our race, and so we must protect it… But, to tell you the truth, that’s not why I did it. I only wanted to save you, Nonorick.”

“I…”

“I’m sure I speak for Tsukasa and Kanya, too. We just wanted to save that which could be saved. The same goes for our village. It wasn’t only out of gratitude to your ancestor that they fought for you that day. They wanted you to live on.”

“I…know…that. I know all that!”

I started sobbing. Even my own shame couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.

I knew. I knew I’d achieved nothing by throwing away the divine blood. I knew how much the people of my village cared for me regardless.

That was exactly what made it so hard to bear.

“You’ve always feared being alone, Nonorick, ever since you were a little child… Here. I have something of yours that I promised to return.”

Gaddie drew his own blade across his wrist, allowing the crimson liquid to fall onto my mouth.

“…”

“We were only able to save you,” said Gaddie, “by leaving you. You’ve been alone for a long, long time. I know that. But you’re not by yourself anymore.”

“…I know that. I finally found someone I feel equal to. And you’re trying to keep me from him!”

“Of course we are. This isn’t some friendly get-together we have going on here. You’re only using revenge as a means to an end. It can never be who you truly are. Even if you and Kaito share vengeance through the power of the soul blades, it’s pointless if your priorities aren’t aligned.”

Before my wound closed completely, Gaddie placed his hand to the blood flowing out of me.

“Do you remember the spell that Kanya used to save your life that day?” he asked. “That was a weaker form of a ritual perfected by the first hero. Originally, it could be undone at will, and the price was only a fraction of one’s life, not the full amount. I have borrowed the First’s power, and now I will use it to reawaken the vestiges of Kanya within you.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“Well, it means I can bring her back.”

“You can bring Kanya back to life?!”

“After a fashion. Think of it not as resurrection. More like…reincarnation.”

I could feel something being drawn out from me at Gaddie’s touch.

“What is this? It feels…”

“You wouldn’t have to ask me that question if you still had the divine blood within you.”

“Kan…ya?”

I don’t know how I knew, but I did. It was her.

“…Hrh. That should be enough. Now I just have to call upon the power of the First…”

The mist in Gaddie’s hand began to glow brighter. Soon, it took on a clear form, changing into the shape of a baby.

“Ah…”

I held out my arms, and something incredibly soft and light landed in them. With the divine blood returned to me, I had feeling in my hands once more.

“It’s so warm…”

I heard its breathing. Felt the movement of its tiny lungs.

“Nonorick. Do not be in a hurry to die. Kanya needs you now.”

“Y-you can’t just…leave me with this… That’s not fair!”

Gaddie held his sword aloft, and black wisps of mana swirled around it.

“…The trial has ended. You are not worthy to continue along this path. As such, your contract is hereby annulled.”

“W-waah…”

Gaddie dropped his sword, like an executioner delivering the final blow. The sword passed straight through me, and I felt something deep within me come apart. It felt like shedding a layer of skin, and before long, darkness claimed my mind.

The last thing Nono saw was the gentle smile of my beloved Gaddie.

Godrick appeared out of the ether of Kaito’s mental landscape in response to Gadrick’s question.

“Hmph,” he grunted. “I expected worse. Now can you please do something about that ridiculous appearance of yours?”

“Easier said than done,” Gadrick replied. “It’s not easy to separate again, you know… There we go.”

Gadrick and Tsukasa stepped out of each other like an amoeba undergoing cell division. Immediately after their split, Gadrick dropped his shoulders in exhaustion.

“Ohh, that’s not good,” he said. “Giving Nonorick his divine blood back really took it out of me.”

“H-heh-heh. You look so sloppy, Gadrick.”

“You’re not much better. I can hear your knees clacking together from here.”

Gadrick had little strength to put into his comeback, and Tsukasa barely reacted at all.

“I can’t believe you let this otherworlder inhabit your skin,” said Godrick. “She’s like a wraith possessing a priest.”

“You don’t have to put it like that, brother. But, well, you’re not wrong.”

Gadrick sighed.

“Still, I suppose you’re happy now, aren’t you? Nonorick’s given up on vengeance, and he has his divine blood back. There’s no chance of him being absorbed into us now.”

“…Yes. I thank you for that.”

“Oh? Those aren’t words we hear very often from you.”

“…I could not have hoped to fill his emptiness alone. And if I cannot even express my gratitude to those who make up for my own shortcomings, then what right do I have to call myself a lord?”

Gadrick gave a bitter smile.

“And I’m afraid I must ask you to keep on doing so.”

“Fear not. I am a lord. And a lord does not make the same mistake twice. Besides, it is my duty as an elder brother.”

Saying this, Godrick picked up the sleeping Nonorick, who in turn held the sleeping baby in his arms.

“Hey, there’s not much time left,” said Gadrick. “You’d better get out of here unless you want to be trapped forever.”

“Are you giving me orders?”

“Ha-ha-ha. Never change, brother… And be safe out there.”

“Hmph. I’ll be waiting to see how all this pans out.”

With that said, and with the same displeased frown as always, Godrick turned and disappeared into the darkness like a shadow.

Trial of Gluttony: Failed.

Envy sat at a worn-out table and chair, holding a teacup and glaring at me with a murderous rage that tickled the hairs on my skin.

“…I see. I assume you are to be my next opponent?” I questioned.

I could already tell how strong she was going to be. I wouldn’t last five seconds unless I went all out from the get-go.

“…Primordial Regression!!”

I called upon every drop of power I possessed, feeling a faint sense of intoxication come over me. This was my ultimate technique, which I had honed during my long separation from Master.

I had told Towako about the time Kuu hatched and flew into me, and she had taught me how to use that power without Kuu’s help. I couldn’t use any of the skills like “Maniacal Scarcalling” that Kuu had granted me, nor did that mysterious protection or “Awakened Ability” appear in my skill list like before. However, I did receive a significant boon to all my stats.

According to Towako, I was using magic to “unlock my latent genetic potential.” I had asked her what that meant, but she’d kept on saying words like “DNA” and “genome” that I didn’t quite understand.

While in this state, I was told that my eyes changed from their normal beige color to a deep blue, with slitted pupils like a dragon’s. From the corner of my eye, I could see strands of my hair that had turned white and glowed softly.

“I envy you,” said Envy. “I envy your life. You get to live with my lord. You don’t have to be alone. You get to be saved!”

“…I see.”

Envy put down her teacup. It had been empty. She rose to her feet.

“Face my trial! Sword of Sin: Jealous Pariah! For this is the point of no return!”

Those silent words of mine heralded the beginning of an explosive battle.

“Rusty chains, bind my foe! Cindered Snake!”

“Toxic mists, come to my aid! Intoxicating Phantasm: Poison Armor!”

Chains rattled as an enormous serpent of iron links came barreling toward me, but upon coming into contact with the noxious fumes that surrounded me, it corroded away into nothing.

“Bite and fester! Intoxicating Phantasm: Eight-Headed Serpent!”

“Sigh of Dust! Blow it all away!”

In return, I summoned a serpent of toxic goo, but upon touching Envy’s cloud of mist, it rotted into dust.

“Argh, I’m so, so, so, so, jealous!!”

“Well, this is getting boring.”

Ever since the battle began, we had just been endlessly countering each other’s moves. My ice magic was ineffective, and it was only the creations of my intrinsic ability that even caused her defenses to waver, but even that wasn’t enough to harm her. I was only managing to keep nullifying her attacks, but if Towako hadn’t trained me, I wouldn’t have even lasted this long.

It seems as if my poisons and her substance control are an even match. In which case…

I needed to get out of here and hurry to Master’s side as soon as possible. And if I couldn’t settle this at long range, then perhaps I needed to close in for the kill instead.

“Intoxicating Phantasm: Toxic Rain!”

It appeared Envy’s cloud was winning that battle, but all I needed was a few brief seconds in which to bring my blade to bear.

“Haah!!”

I raised my sword high. It was clad in mists, as I was. However…

“I’m so jealous!! Why can you use a sword, and I can’t?! Why can you use poison and I can’t?! Why do you have things that I don’t?!”

Just as my blade was about to slice through her neck, Envy’s own miasma enveloped it and stopped it from moving. It was as if all her mists had suddenly concentrated at that point, and they ate away the poison fog protecting my blade, transforming it into dust.

“These poison mists, that sword…even your hand. They should all just go away!!”

“I’d really rather they didn’t,” I replied.

“You think you can escape?!”

“I don’t need to. Not now that my poison has started taking effect.”

Envy’s attacks had been turning my poison mist into dust. However, that didn’t make the resulting substance any less toxic. Even as dust, it remained a poison under my control.

And so, although I knew it wasn’t enough to change things on its own, I had slowly been using Intoxicating Phantasm to set the stage.

“Once you no longer have that miasma of yours, my poisons will be able to end this. Now, fall into an intoxicating slumber.”

With Envy’s protective mist weakened, I could command the poisonous dust that was scattered at our feet. All I needed was a few particles, and Envy didn’t even have to breathe them in. They would just have to touch her skin.

Envy shook, and then her arms dropped loosely by her sides.

I would have her lead me to Master personally.

“Now, all I have to do is…”

“Minnalis? …Is that you?”

A sweet, luscious voice reached my ears.

“Master?!”

I turned to the source of the voice, to see him bound to a cross by thick chains.

“Urgh…”

“Master! Are you okay?!”

I sliced the chains off him and caught him as he fell to the ground.

“What happened? What are you doing here?”

“I don’t know either,” said Master. “I just woke up, and here I was.”

“…”

“Did you come to save me, Minnalis?”

“Yes, I did. I came to see you, Master.”

“Thank you. I knew I could count on you. You’re my greatest friend, Minnalis.”

He smiled sweetly. The sight brought only one emotion to my mind.

“…Oh.”

“…Rgh. Sorry, but I don’t think I can move just yet. Could we just…lie here for a while?”

“Of course,” I replied with a smile. And then…

“Stay right there, as you wish…and die.”

I took up my sword and thrust it into his heart. For it was nothing less than pure rage that drove me.

“Wh-why…?”

My mask crumbled, and true emotion twisted my face.

“Or maybe it’s because I realized you’re not Master.”

“…”

When I said that, all the pain and fear vanished from Master’s face, and he turned stern. Next, I extracted from him the illusion magic I had cast on Envy. When I did that, his face transformed back into hers.

“I recreated your technique perfectly,” she said. “My power is total control over substance. I can recreate anything as I see fit. Even your poison, a perfect illusion that never ends. How could you tell?”

“The poison,” I explained, “is only as good as its wielder. The illusions come from the caster’s own mind, and so you can only create the master that you know. In order for it to be effective, you need to imagine the person the target is expecting to see. Otherwise, they’ll sense that something is wrong and break the spell.”

“…”

“And Master has never called me a friend. I am his partner in crime. Besides, he is far more dashing than that.”

“…I see. I’m so jealous. I wish I had that kind of connection…”

Envy showed little emotion upon her face, but the words she spoke were ones I longed to say.

“You may be jealous of me,” I said. “But I have plenty of reasons to be jealous of you as well.”

I decided to hold it back no longer and opened my heart.

“How come you get to be a part of Master, and I don’t? You’re always with him, no matter what happens, and nothing can tear you apart. Argh! It just makes me so jealous!”

“…”

It felt like my heart was being filed down. It felt like my throat was being squeezed. It felt like my whole body was roasting in fire.

I had been forced to feel what it was like to be separated from Master, to be unable to help him, and so I longed to be joined to him permanently, like the being in front of me was.

And if that being ever tried to take Master for herself, I didn’t know what I’d be capable of.

“I won’t let anybody have Master, you hear me? No one will serve him but me!”

Yes, that was what I truly thought. That was how I truly felt. He was mine and mine alone.

“Argh, I’m so jealous,” said Envy. “So incredibly jealous…but fine.”

“Huh?!”

Envy’s body suddenly dissolved away into sand and reassembled a short distance away.

“I have seen the darkness in your heart, and you pass. The trial is over.”

I stood up, not wanting to let down my guard for a moment, but I couldn’t sense Envy’s desire to fight any longer. Instead, she reached out a hand and tore a hole out of thin air.

“Be sure your mind is made up,” she said, “for there is no turning back beyond here.”

“I believe I said as much already,” I replied. “There is nowhere for me to turn back to.”

And with that, I stepped through the door, to wherever Master was waiting for me.

“Tee-hee. Oh, how enviable.”

After Minnalis left, Envy’s room returned to its usual silence.

“However, it is a welcome envy.”

She back sat down and resumed sipping from her empty teacup. For whatever reason, she looked happy.

Trial of Envy: Passed.

“Tee-hee-hee. Come, let the trial begin. Sword of Sin: Lusty Little Girl. For this is the point of no return.”

I could hear a voice, very distant, but grating on my mind.

“…uri…”

Like an irritating feeling grinding at the edges of my heart.

“…i…… Shu…”

But that irritation was lost beneath the warm feeling surrounding me, as if I was bathing in hot milk.

“Hey! Shuria! Wake the hell up!”

“Wah!!”

My eyes flew wide open, like a bucket of ice-cold water had been thrown over me.

“GROOOOAAAAAHHH!!”

“A Crystal Bear?!”

Right under my nose was a crystalline monster, reflecting the light of the sun at me.

Kaito thrust his sword into the ground, fracturing it, and an enormous chasm opened between the monster and me. Spears of rock flew up out of the opening, scaring the Crystal Bear back.

“Grrrrrr…”

I recognized this forest. Lush trees, bushes with little red berries, and rust-colored soil with no weeds.

The boulder that I used to use for target practice. The tree under whose shade Shelmie, Mother, and I all sat.

“Keep it together, Shuria! We’re in the middle of battle, here!”

“H-huh? O-Okay!!”

Th-that’s right! We came back to my village!

After we’d exacted vengeance, Kaito and Minnalis had brought me back to my old hometown. There, we had heard about dangerous beasts that sometimes crossed the mountain range and threatened the villagers. We set out at once to keep the village safe.

To keep the village…safe?

H-huh? Something’s not right…

“Grrrroaaaaahhh!!”

“Fight for me! Puppet Possession: Rust Armor!!”

I called upon my magic, ordering the suits of armor I puppeted to attack the monster.

What am I thinking, spacing out in the middle of a fight? First things first, we have to beat up the bad guys!

The Crystal Bears formed into a pack, and we were all fighting separately, at a distance where we could back each other up if we needed to.

Kaito and Minnalis are both doing their best, so I can’t let our team down!

“Rust Armor: Quintuple Slam!”

My five suits of armor descended on the bear, smashing it to pieces with their hammers and greatswords.

“Shuria! There’s one more heading your way!”

“Leave it to me!!”

The monsters were very stubborn, and we fought them for a while.

“Yah! …Phew! Shuria, I think that’s the last one! Isn’t it, Master?”

“Yes, I think so. I don’t sense any others around.”

“Then after this, we’re done!!”

“Gaaaaarghh?!”

My suits of armor ganged up on the last Crystal Bear and pummeled it into glass shards. Very quickly, they dispatched the final monster and brought an end to the battle.

“They were a little tougher than I expected,” said Kaito, putting away his weapon.

“We should get down off this mountain before it gets dark,” said Minnalis.

I looked to the sky to see that it was already evening. When I was younger, I would always return home around this time.

“Let’s leave our report to the guild for tomorrow, then,” said Kaito. “We’ll head back to Shuria’s village for now.”

“To my…village?”

“Yeah, that was the plan all along, right? It’s a little far to the town where the guild is, after all.”

“We had better hurry,” said Minnalis. “It’ll be pitch-black around here soon.”

Now that the battle was over, that strange feeling came back.

Hmm? Something’s bothering me…

“Finally, we can let our guards down and relax,” said Kaito.

“We’ve been rushed off our feet lately, so it’ll be nice to let our hair down,” said Minnalis.

I, on the other hand, was speechless. “…This can’t be real…” I muttered.

As evening closed in, the village was bustling. Hunters returning with their kills. Old ladies bringing in the laundry. Young children rushing to get home before the sun set.

“Hmm? What’s gotten into you, Shuria? You keep spacing out.”

“Yeah, you’ve been acting strange all day. Is something the matter?”

“Huh? …Oh, no, it’s nothing.”

It sounded like they didn’t hear what I’d said. I tried to cover it up, but in truth I was greatly agitated. I felt a heart-wrenching nostalgia along with something else, an emotion that I couldn’t name, opposing it, growing as the nostalgia grew.

They were both strong emotions, but I couldn’t explain either of them. I continued to wonder about it while the three of us set off walking toward my house.

“Oh, if it isn’t little Shuria! How are you today?”

“You asked her that this morning, Granny.”

“Did you head into the mountains to take care of the monsters today? You aren’t hurt, are you?”

As I walked through the village, the villagers all called out to me. I couldn’t explain why talking to them felt so strange. The nostalgia and the other emotion grew and grew until I felt like I would scream.

And then, at last…

“This is…my house.”

It was my home, my childhood residence. The familiar sight warmed my heart.

“Looks like the sun’s set,” said Kaito. “We’d better get inside before it gets cold.”

“Come on, Shuria. Don’t just stand around outside. Come in. Your mother and sister are waiting for you inside, you know?”

“My…what?”

Minnalis’s words were like grains of sand, clogging the gears of my brain. My mind went blank, and time ground to a halt. It took me a while to comprehend what I had just heard.

She then stepped forward and opened the door.

“Shuria?”

Standing in the doorway, a curious look on her face, was my sister.

“Shel…mie…?”

My little sister Shelmie was standing there, exactly as I remembered her.

Then…why? Why?

Somewhere deep in my head, I heard something straining against the pressure. My mind was a mess; a swirling chaos tearing parts of my heart from my chest, and yet I had no idea why.

“Welcome back, Shuria!! Are you okay? Did you get hurt out there?”

Shelmie ran up to me, but I couldn’t find the words to respond. “Uh… Um… Y-yes, I’m okay. No, I wasn’t hurt…”

I felt like I missed her so much, my heart couldn’t take it. Then my mother showed up, having just cooked supper.

She placed a large pot on the table, then ran over to me.

I didn’t know why, but I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to shout.

And the straining and creaking of my mind didn’t stop.

“Shuria? What’s the matter?”

“…”

As I listened to her voice, another crack formed.

“Shuria? D-did something hurt you after all?!”

“…”

As I looked upon her face, another fissure opened.

“Oh no! Should we call a priest?”

“…”

As I watched her behavior, the seams began to split.

“Hey, Shuria? Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Shuria? What’s gotten into you?”

Until.

Fwp!

From the shadows, a pair of gauntlets fell on the shoulders of Kaito and Minnalis.

“Please shut the hell up and just die. ”

“Kh…”

“Hk…”

The restraints around my heart fell to pieces, and my reddened, festering rage was unleashed.

“Sh-Shuria?! What have you done?!”

“Shuria, why…?”

“Oh, shut up. Shut up already. Aah, how could you do this to me? How could you crush my reality with dreams like this?”

I finally realized what I was feeling. It was something I hadn’t felt in a long, long time. Wrenching out my organs. Driving a burning spike into my eyes. Going at the back of my throat with a cheese grater.

The fires that roasted me alive, not from without, but from within. They were no less valuable.

“Dance to the pull of my strings. Puppet Possession: Big Kitty!”

I called upon the monster born that day, the moment my life ended.

“ME-YEOWWWW!”

My magic summoned a large plush cat. It held a knife and fork in its paws, and wore a bib stained with something that looked an awful lot like ketchup.

It was my very first familiar, molded out of my own hatred.

The only difference was the size. The original was small enough to carry, but this one was almost twice my size, and in the center of the bib, there was a grotesquely large mouth. The knife and fork were both stained red, and its eyes were made of many buttons stitched together, like the eyes of a fly.

“Mother and Shelmie are already dead,” I said.

“Wh-what are you talking about?! W-we’re alive! We’re right here!”

Her voice was like poison in my ears.

“They lived their lives,” I continued. “In my world, they lived on, in whatever form that took.”

Eumis had turned them into undead creatures, stolen everything from them, including their dignity, and had left them to be devoured by a demon. They’d died in agony.

So why would you bring them back just to play out this twisted game?

“I’m afraid you are, Mother. I saw it with my very own eyes.”

Just so you can take them away from me again?

“You saved us, don’t you remember?” said Shelmie. “Eumis tried to kill us, but the three of you came and saved us!!”

“That sounds wonderful,” I replied, “but it’s not reality. Eumis turned the two of you into zombies, and then a demon ate you for supper.”

Just so you can take their deaths from me as well?

“That was just a bad dream you had! Please calm down! Look at me? I’m real! There’s nothing to be scared of, please! Shelmie and I, we’re both—”

“I said shut up! Stop talking to meeeeeeee!!”

Leave it right where it is. Don’t sully that memory.

“Big Kitty! Gobble them up!”

Though they may have looked very different then, I had seen my mother and Shelmie in their final moments.

“GROOAAAAAAHHH!!”

“No! Shuria! Please don’t do this!!”

“Why are you doing this, Shuria?!”

Big Kitty transformed his fork into a sinister-looking spear and skewered Mother and Shelmie’s clothes, hoisting them both into the air.

“No matter how much you look like them, you’re not!”

“I am! Please trust me, Shuria!”

“I’m begging you, Shuria! I am your mother!”

“…All you’re doing now is insulting the world that we have to live in.”

“Gah?!”

“Gh!”

Driven by my hate, Big Kitty raised his horrifying, serrated knife and sliced their bodies in two. Then, crunching and squelching, he piled both halves of those abhorrent things into the mouth on his bib.

I just watched, not wanting to miss a single second of it.

I watched as arms snapped, feet broke, shoulders twisted, and chests collapsed. Bit by bit, cracks appeared in the world.

The dream was ending. I was waking up. From this sweet fantasy that felt like a nightmare.

“…”

When the very last parts of my mother and sister disappeared inside Big Kitty, I said something I don’t even remember. Was it a curse? Was it regret? Or was it something else entirely?

When the sounds of chewing died down at last, the dream world crumbled, bringing me back into reality.

The room I was in looked like a child’s, strewn with toys.

From the ceiling hung some kind of magical item, emitting light and clanking as it turned, while the walls and windows were all different colors—white and yellow and pink. There were piles of dolls and plushies, toys that made a noise when you shook them, toys that lit up when you pressed them. Even the furniture—the table, the chairs, the desk, the bed—every piece looked like dollhouse furniture scaled up to human size.

All the contents of the rooms were broken in some way, distorted and twisted from their original form. The room’s idyllic appearance was in tatters, as if someone was trying to deny its very existence.

“Am I…still in Kaito’s mind?”

I took a look around, refusing to let my guard down for a moment. I couldn’t stay asleep forever.

“B-Big Kitty?”

All of a sudden, my familiar clutched the mouth on his bib, seemingly in incredible pain.

A black fog began to seep out of it.

“Aww, I put so much effort into making that toybox, and you broke it! You broke it! Boo-hoo-hoo!”

The dark cloud took on the form of a person. Before I knew it, there was a young girl with an angelic smile floating before me.

“You’re one of Kaito’s soul blades,” I said.

I had seen him summon her before. Her name was Lust, I recalled. Her hair came down to her waist and was colored in a rainbow gradient. She had porcelain skin, and she wore a white sundress that danced as she moved.

“Your voice,” I said. “It was you I heard in that awful, awful dream, wasn’t it?”

Big Kitty was coughing and spluttering, so I recalled him and turned to face Lust alone.

“Awful? How dare you call it awful! That’s so mean! So mean! Isn’t it? Is it? I don’t know! Maybe it is!! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

Lust went on laughing in spite of my words. That caused the fire inside me to light up once more.

“I’ll teach you!!”

But just as I was about to pull up my sleeves and teach her a lesson, the spectral girl flew right up to me, peering into my eyes.

“Why did you break it?” she asked. “Why?”

Hers were dead and empty, like she could see right into my soul.

“Kaito said something very similar to me when he asked me to make a contract,” I replied. “He told me that if I waited long enough, I could forget my vengeance and live a happy life.”

“I know. I was there. But why did you choose vengeance? Don’t you regret it? If you could ask your sister or your mother, wouldn’t they say, Forget about us, do what makes you happy?”

“Sometimes I wonder, what if the positions had been reversed,” I said. “If I had died, and Shelmie had lived on. And that made me realize something.”

“Which is?”

“If they chose to forget me…to move on with their lives, I would be so sad. Of course, I’d be happy she’s happy, but it would hurt so much. I would always be thinking, Please don’t forget about me.”

“…”

“I don’t care how they remember me. I don’t care what they do. But if anybody tried to erase the fact that I was ever there…I would curse them from beyond. Even my own mother and sister.”

That was what had brought me here. That was Shuria’s world. A black, inky ocean of blood that engulfed and suffocated me.

“…I hate you! I hate you! …But I don’t mind being your friend! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!”

“Grr… I know you’re one of Kaito’s soul blades, but that doesn’t mean I have to like you either!”

“Hooray! More friends to play with! Yippee! Yippee!”

The girl laughed and laughed, swaying this way and that like a ghost. It was very annoying!!

“You passed my trial! Ah-ha-ha-ha!!”

“Go through here, and you’ll meet up with my master!” she said. “But be careful! If you do, there’s no going back!”

“Grr! Stop looking down on me!”

I just wanted to beat her to a sorry pulp!

“Anyway, there’s nowhere for me to go back to. There never has been. The only way is forward, through this ocean of blood.”

“Come back and play with me again some time!”

“Never! Bleh!”

I stuck my tongue out and hopped through the rift, hoping to be reunited with the partners in crime who swam this ocean with me.

“Hee-hee-hee! More friends! More friends!”

After Shuria left, Lust danced alone, doing pirouettes in her room.

“Did you see that, Mommy and Daddy? I found another person who thinks the same as me!”

Lust turned to a beat-up pair of dolls and gave a sunny smile. She seemed even merrier than usual today.

Trial of Lust: Passed.

“Anemol Arsenal: Yamata Dragonfire!”

However…

“Come to me, Blackwheel Workshop.”

My opponent, a giant of a man lying on his side, bored, swatted his arm at me. A semi-transparent wall of black cogwheels appeared, sapping my projectiles of all their energy and vigor. My spell disintegrated into particles of light that then disappeared.

Krh. I’m trying to see my dear brother, but this buffoon is in the way!

The place I was in was one that would ordinarily be called a forge. However, this forge was in such a state that the word abandoned ought to have prefaced any other description.

The mud walls were coming apart, the floor was coated in dust, and all the tables and chairs were splintered and broken. Even the forge itself was cracked, and though a fire still burned within, the anvil was caked in grime, and all the blacksmith’s tools had started to rust.

In the dead center of the room lay the giant, his back to me. He was bearded and rugged like a dwarf, but as large as a troll. He was dressed like a smith, with dulled gold and silver hammers at his belt. His broad shoulders were thick with muscle and ringed with metal.

“Face my trial. The Sword of Sin: Grotto of Death’s Neglect. For this is the point of no return.”

Those were the words I’d heard after suddenly ending up in this place. Kaito had told me stories about his soul blade “Sloth,” and it was a simple matter to surmise that this man before me must be the very same.

Following the rules we’d surmised thus far, I’d asked Sloth if defeating him would allow access to my brother.

“Do as you wish,” he had replied.

I had been confused at first, as the man hadn’t even attempted to prepare himself for battle. But after I fired off one or two attacks and he brushed them away with a flick of his wrist, I realized victory would be no simple task.

I’d then attempted to get in close and slice him to ribbons, but before I could even reach the barrier, some strange and powerful force had repelled me like a magnet, while any magic spells I’d flung simply fell apart.

I needed to defeat Sloth somehow, but so far, I hadn’t even made him stand up.

“Grr!! Anemol Arsenal: Thorns of Ice!”

How? What can I do to get through to him?

My mind raced as I channeled mana into my next technique.

Ten long spears of ice appeared, each two meters long and covered in spikes. Swathed in my magical winds, they began spinning, making a noise like a power drill. Then, as I swung my naginata, all ten of the spears descended on Sloth.

“Urgh. Stop making a noise in my workshop.”

I could have felled a dragon with that technique, but as the spears approached the barrier, it sapped their momentum, eventually shattering the spears into hundreds of little particles that melted away into nothing.

I tried using Symphony of Wind a few more times, but no matter how many needles the barrier devoured, nothing changed.

“Ah, now I know why I hate the sight of you so much,” I said. “It’s like looking into a mirror.”

“Wossat? I’m not out there risking my life, like you. If that’s what you want to do, then…bah. I can’t be assed to talk anymore.”

“…Maybe we’re actually not that alike.”

Keep looking! Isn’t there anything I can do?!

My mind was working on overdrive.

“You’ll never get past that barrier,” said Sloth. “Why not just give up? You hate wasted effort more than anybody.”

“Yes, you’re right. I’ve never wasted a second of my life.”

Sloth.

Perhaps it was a fitting trial for me after all.

I’d always been content to enjoy the luxuries extended to me as Kaito’s little sister. I’d never reached for anything more than that, because I knew it could never be. All I did was attempt to deny him other lady friends, while ensuring that I remained his top priority—In other words, maintaining the status quo.

But even so…the things that I did for him were never in vain.

“I think I need to thank this fantasy world we’ve found ourselves in,” I said. “It may have taken much from my brother and me, but it’s given us so much, too.”

“And yet your brother will never love you back. Not like you love him.”

“…I have never once put effort into chasing a dream I think is futile.”

“…”

Once again, every last spear that I fired was taken apart into dust.

Watching each one of my attacks come undone had given me an idea.

“My next attack…will tear through this wall,” I declared.

“…When will you give up?”

I began weaving my mana into a circle, spinning it faster and faster.

“Grh!!”

Suddenly, I began to feel lightheaded and almost lost control for a moment.

I’m using too much power, I thought, as I hastily reasserted my grip. I had never used this technique before, but there was a first time for everything. In terms of raw power, it was not a very efficient use of my mana.

To make up for my lacking strength, I was using mana to supplement my strike, and once I had used the last drop, the remainder came from my health instead.

This is…quite difficult to endure. Oh, if only dear brother were here to tell me what a good girl I’ve been.

Bit by bit, gashes began to tear open my skin, but I didn’t care. I would push myself to the very brink, if that was what it took.

If I succeeded, I could be closer to Kaito than ever before. We could be one. We could enjoy the beautiful life I’ve always dreamed of…

Then, once I felt like I had charged enough power, a swirling vortex of particles wreathed the tip of my naginata blade.

“Tear this wall to shreds. Anemol Arsenal: Law of the Meek!”

My technique felt like it might come apart at any moment, so while I still had it under control, I swung my blade. Not with force, not with technique. I simply let go.

Just as I’d hoped, the barrier’s magic had no effect, and the full force of my attack shattered the shield into a million shards, as though it had been no thicker than a sheet of glass all along.

“Urgh. What a pain,” said Sloth.

“I’ve done it. I’ve won.”

“…You sure about this? There’s no turning back, you know.”

“Who needs to turn back? Backward only takes me farther from my dear brother.”

“…Fine. Then I guess the trial’s over. What a bore that was.”

Sloth finally sat up, still facing away from me, took out his two hammers, and struck them together. There was a loud, deep ringing sound, like my head was trapped inside an enormous bell, and a glowing portal appeared.

Somehow, I knew just where this door would take me.

“If I pass through here, I’ll be able to see Kaito again, won’t I?”

“Yeah. Probably curled up and crying like usual.”

“I see. Then I shall have to go do my job, shan’t I? And so shall you.”

Once Kaito was back, this man would return to being another one of his soul blades. So, leaving him with those words, I stepped through the portal.

“Argh, what a pain. I just want to sleep…”

After Mai left, a cold silence fell over the workshop, as if the harsh fighting of only a few moments ago hadn’t been real.

But to Sloth, that wasn’t a problem. For silence and stagnation were his domain. That was how this workshop was, and how it had always been, just as he liked it.

Trial of Sloth: Passed.

“Check,” I said, moving an ivory piece along a board decorated with black and white squares.

“Hmph. An uninspired move at best. How utterly boring.”

My opponent, a blond-haired boy named Pride, sighed. He was wearing a glittering golden crown, and a frown of displeasure was sculpted into his porcelain features.

The Sword of Sin: Castle of the Lonely King.

That was the name of the trial I now faced. It was based upon a game brought to this world by the first hero. A game known as Chess. However, the stakes of this game were high, as Pride had used his power to ensure that the loser’s soul would be utterly erased.

“I was curious what the priestess of this time was like,” said Pride. “I see now you are not even worthy of my notice.”

“Careful with your words, sir. My name is Metelia, and the fact that I am the priestess is entirely incidental.”

“Hmph. Big words.”

With that, Pride made his move, relocating a black piece to another square on the board.

Our arena resembled the inside of a Lunarian church. The floors, walls, ceiling, and fittings were all white, but the most striking features were the many statues of Lunaris that decorated the upper levels. Pride and I were sitting in the center of the room, at opposite ends of a white marble table.

“…”

“You may have cut your strings, little puppet, but there’s one more you forgot. Unless and until you renounce the priestess’s role, you will never be free.”

“…”

“Even your purported affection for the hero could be nothing more than an illusion. And yet, here you are.”

“I must remind you again to be careful with your words, Pride… Or should I say, Lord Arclight Lunarius, the Wicked?”

“…Ah, so they still call me that in your time, do they?”

“Oh, every priestess is taught about you, and how you betrayed our land and our goddess to side with the demons. I always believed it without question…until now.”

I moved a white piece, and the game advanced another step.

Lunarius the Wicked had once reigned as Holy Emperor of the Lunarian See, over five hundred years ago, when it had been a mighty empire. Succumbing to madness, he’d followed the will of a heretical cult and began sacrificing his own subjects to demonic beasts in a bid to slay the very goddess he reigned under, until the day a hero rose up from among the oppressed people and slew him.

“You’re taught, are you? I see. Times may change, but people never do. And yet, for all their indoctrination, in the end, it came to naught. For ultimately, you saw things my way.”

Pride scoffed.

“I should have slaughtered you all when I had the chance. Every day, I regret not finishing the job.”

“…I found the inscription your daughter left in the depths of the dungeon.”

When I said that, I saw Pride’s fingers twitch.

In my first life, I had been a pure and upstanding priestess of Lunaris. I’d studied the tenets, had lived for the Church, and had never once doubted my faith. The teachings had been law, and I had been a bird in a cage. A mouthpiece for Lunaris’s wishes. A servant of her will.

I’d lived for one purpose and one purpose only: To join the hero when he arrived and assist his gallant bravery. I awaited this man of courage, this unflinching, determined champion. This peacekeeper, this upholder of justice.

…But what I got was something very different.

The hero had been a weak man. A boy, even. A kind boy, yet naive, fearful, and unwise to this world and its dangers. He was no hero, and yet I was expected to treat him as one.

Then, just as I was starting to curse this world and its cruelty, I fell into a trap while we were exploring an old ruin that had transformed into a dungeon. The trap separated me from my party, and I wandered alone, looking for a way out, when I came upon it.

“She…wrote something?”

“Yes, she told about how she had fallen terminally ill, and how you made a pact with the demons to save her. How the ‘demonic’ beasts appeared right after you went against the goddess’s will…and how you stayed in the castle to fight the hero, giving your daughter time to escape.”

My speech was punctuated by the sound of Pride placing another piece, but he said nothing.

“And finally,” I said, “it told of her gratitude for you. She thanked you for bringing her into this world. For being her parent. For loving her. That stone contained her love for you.”

“Did it, now?”

Upon the board, an opening was created. A slight tremor in Pride’s conviction that hadn’t been there before.

I must apologize for resorting to unconventional tactics, but I have little choice.

Responding to his suboptimal move, I continued pushing the board toward my desired arrangement.

“Hmm.”

It didn’t take long for Pride to realize the mistake he’d made, and with his next move, he sought to close the gap he had opened.

“I must thank you,” I said. “You, and your daughter. Because after reading that inscription, I finally realized what I wanted for myself. It’s because of you that I’m here now, fighting by Kaito’s side.”

“I don’t need your gratitude. We may be similar in some respects, but you and I are not the same.”

After he placed his piece, I moved mine. The speed of our exchanges quickened.

“You’re right,” I said, “Our desires are very different. For one, I have not yet given up on mine.”

“Hmph. You talk an awful lot…for a commoner.”

Pride slammed his piece onto the table.

“Unfortunately, you will have to back up your words with actions…or you will not live to see another day.”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about me,” I replied.

Pride’s latest move was a decisive one. He had fully made up for his previous error, and now the board was approximately even once more.

“You are quite right,” I said. “I have not abandoned my role just yet. Kaito is the hero, and the priestess is there to support the hero in everything he does. I am here to be mixed into him, deeper and deeper than ever before, so I can be his very foundation.”

Even if that means I must…

“…I see,” said Pride, looking down at the board. “So this is what you were aiming for all along.”

He sighed. He knew what I was trying to do, but taking measures to avoid it would end up handing me the advantage anyway.

“Yes,” I replied. “If I want to be Kaito’s strength, I will have to go there eventually. Besides, isn’t this kind of determination precisely what these trials are meant to test for?”

“You are rather presumptuous for a commoner.”

“Am I wrong? Well, even if I am, that doesn’t change what I must do.”

“You commoners are all the same. Striving beyond your means. Even when I was alive, you never knew your place.”

“Oh, but it isn’t beyond my means at all. I have already died once, remember. It’s not so scary once you get used to it. And besides, it’s something I’ve wanted for a very long time. It’s only natural.”

I gave a modest titter while Pride looked on in amazement. After a beat passed, he guffawed and slapped his knee.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha! Natural! Only natural, she says! Oh, the arrogance! The entitlement! Now I see why you came to me! Everything, from the way you are, to the way you feel; even the way you played this game are all dripping in arrogance!!”

Pride went on laughing, and when he finally calmed down, he looked at me, still smiling like he couldn’t contain his joy, and moved his next piece.

“Indeed,” I replied. “And Kaito does get so terribly lonely at times.”

Wearing a faint smile, I played my next and final move.

“It has been fifty moves,” I said, “and neither one of us has captured a single piece. That makes this game a draw.”

That was the outcome I had been pushing toward. With no loser, neither one of us had to pay the price. I would pass the trial, and Kaito would lose nothing.

“Yes, let us end the trial here,” said Pride. “Beyond that door lies what you seek.”

He pointed to a nearby statue of Lunaris, at whose base a glowing portal of light suddenly appeared.

“Thank you for entertaining me,” I said, curtsying politely. “Now I must be on my way.”

Aah, finally, my efforts will be repaid. Oh, Kaito. Oh, Kaito, Kaito, Kaito. It’s been a long, long journey, but at last I can be your priestess.

The priestess must grow close to the hero. That is her duty.

“Hmph. This is why I can’t stand women.”

Despite his flippant words, Pride wore a smile upon his lips.

He thought about the woman he had just seen, and her eyes, laced with a boundless greed. Eyes that seemed to pull everything else into them. She harbored a possessiveness that bordered on obsession, and an unstoppable will to make everything turn out her way.

“Heh-heh-heh. Giving thanks to my daughter, while choosing the path of the condemned for herself.”

Trial of Pride: Passed.

“Excuse me, First Hero?”

“Yes? What’s the matter?”

I drained my cup and leveled a glare at the faint, glowing humanoid figure seated across from me.

“Shall this tea party be going on much longer?” I asked.

“Oh? Is the tea not to your liking?”

“If it weren’t to my liking, I’d have spat it out and not drunk three cups of the stuff,” I replied.

Besides us two, the chairs, the table, and the tea set, there was nothing here save for a boundless sea of stars. After I’d been teleported, I’d met this peculiar figure who’d introduced herself both as the first hero and Kaito’s Soul Blade of Beginnings.

When I’d asked her to explain her indistinct form, the first hero had told me that for the first-ever hero summoning, Lunaris had sought to summon a hero who bore as close a resemblance to herself as possible. As a result, the first hero was more or less the spitting image of Lunaris, but had erased her own appearance out of spite.

“I’m glad to hear that,” the first hero said. “Making tea was my sole joy in life. Alas, coming to this world rather deprived me of many chances to practice it.”

“I see. ’Tis a shame. Even the maids at the demon castle never made tea as delectable as this.”

“Is that so? Then I assume this conversation cannot be mere pleasantry, either.”

“Fear not. I mean no harm upon you. Not if we are to be living together.”

“…So that’s what this is about,” I said.

“You knew all along this was coming, did you not? That is why you and the previous hero both helped me accomplish it. I must thank you, you know, for managing to string along those other women into this as well.”

The woman gave a pleasant laugh.

“I didn’t string anybody along,” I retorted. “They all wanted this for themselves. If anyone strung anybody, it was that womanizer Kaito, picking up all these ladies when he already has me.”

“Yes, even I can see what a terrible excuse for a human being the current hero is. Look at the state his interpersonal relationships are in now, thanks entirely to his own half-hearted attempts at placation. As a woman, I feel some pity for you all, but after seeing how you all behave, I have to say you somewhat deserve it.”

“Harsh.”

Nothing was more difficult to hear than the truth. I twisted my face in disgust.

“Quite. And yet, so long as it is no impediment to our vengeance, I see no reason why you may not be allowed to proceed. You may copulate like rabbits for all I care.”

“…I’m not sure I much liked the way you said that. And even if I wanted to…”

“Well, take your time. Just not too much, because there’s precious little remaining.”

“Oh dear. Your face has gone bright red.”

“Sh-shut up! You still haven’t answered my question.”

Half to get away from this embarrassing topic, I steered the conversation back on track.

“Ah, about how long this tea party will last? It will last until all the trials are complete.”

“Trials? What trials?”

“We must ensure the other girls are pure in their malice. We must know if they are worthy enough to be brought into the fold. When their trials are over, they will all be brought here.”

“Do I not need to face a trial, then?”

“You already completed your trial by transferring your soul to the current hero’s body. At that time, you were too distracted to notice us, but we saw you, and we observed your behavior with great interest.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

I was not too pleased to hear I’d been evaluated in secret, even if I had apparently passed.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light to my right, and a large rift opened in space. Just as I thought something troubling was happening, Minnalis stepped out.

“Where am I now…?” she muttered aloud.

“It looks like Minnalis was the fastest,” said the first hero.

“I see,” I said. “So this is what you meant…”

Minnalis looked over at us and, somehow connecting the dots in her mind, let out a deep sigh. “So this means I was second place, does it? That’s a little disappointing.”

“Oh, er…,” I stammered, wondering if I should tell her. But the first hero had made that decision for me.

“Oh, no,” she said. “You misunderstand. The demon lord is special. She did not have to face a trial.”

“Special… Special, is she? Oh, I see… I see how it is…”

“N-no, Minnalis! She doesn’t mean it like that! She means I was already evaluated while my soul was sleeping within Kaito…!”

But just as I hastily attempted to explain away my sins, there was another flash of light, and a second rift appeared.

“Ah, third, am I?”

Metelia was the next of our group to arrive in this room. After taking a look around, she was followed by two more portals suddenly opening.

“Wah!” “Where is my brother?”

It was Shuria and Mai. Shuria managed to trip over her own feet and fall, while Mai immediately began scanning the room for Kaito.

Then, the first hero clapped her hands together, commanding everyone’s attention.

“The trials are complete,” she announced, “and I’m afraid to say that Nonorick has failed. The rest of you, however, will be allowed to proceed. I am the first hero, and I’m pleased to finally meet you all in person. Five out of six is an exceedingly hopeful result.”

“Nonorick didn’t make it?” I asked.

“I’m afraid not. His bloodline and the impurity of his vengeance made assimilation impossible.”

I also had that impression, but I was still sad to see him go. He was a welcome companion, but unfortunately that alone was not enough to be called a true partner in crime.

“Now then, you will find what you are seeking down there.”

Saying this, the first hero pointed to a previously empty patch of ground, where now there was a gaping hole.

However, the word hole felt insufficient to describe it. It almost seemed alive…yes, like a mouth. There were no teeth to be seen, but still we knew this was a thing that would devour us, chew us, swallow us, and digest us.

“Well then, I’ll be going first!”

Minnalis, suddenly back to her usual self again, pushed past me and threw herself into the hole, looking back at me with a grin that practically screamed how pleased she was at overtaking me.

And while I stood there, blank-faced…

“Whee!!” “Tee-hee! Here I come, Kaito!” “H-hey! Waking up big brother is a little sister’s sacred duty!!”

“H-hey! C-come back, all of you!”

All the other girls rushed past me, and before I knew it, I was the last one remaining.

“Grr! Just you wait!!”

I ran and leaped into the hole after them. Either a second or an eternity later, I landed on the other side.

It was an inky-black world that seemed to stretch on forever, like the bottom of the ocean. The place was devoid of color, save for the interminable scarlet of the floor, which resembled blood, and a pale blue flame that drew a large sphere around us, anchoring us in this otherwise imperceptible realm.

The only ones there were us five girls, and a large, white, humanoid figure, like a golem.

“What a twist of fate,” I said, “to find you in this form.”

The golem was made of roots and bark, twisted together. It bore a strong resemblance to how I had once looked after the Demonlight Tree had consumed me.

“But in some ways, it is perfect. Now I can finally repay the favor, Kaito.”

“…”

It began lumbering toward us, standing at a height of nearly six meters, grasping a large greatsword in its gnarled hands. The sword was plain, rusted and chipped, and looked almost like a large bone.

“…Well, looks like we’re in for a long battle,” I said. And with that, the five of us stepped forth to face what would likely be our final trial.

I didn’t care if these attacks killed me. I had never been attached to life. Only vengeance.

“GROOOAAAHHH…!!”

However, the beast to which I was connected cared little for my plight and immediately began a counterattack. Using its giant sword to swat away the flames and wind, it brought that weapon down on its attacker’s heads.

There was a rumble as the blade split neither earth nor stone, but the undefined surface that spread out beneath us. The brute seemed dull, but its attacks were astonishingly swift. Nonetheless, Minnalis and Mai were able to dodge by a hair’s breadth, and though the shock waves of impact blew them both away, neither one gave up on their assault.

“Now’s our chance!”

“Let go of my brother!”

They dashed back in close, slicing with their weapons at the white titan’s tendons.

“GROOAAAAAAGHH!”

The giant swept his greatsword, seeking to expel the nuisances underfoot, and that was when Shuria and Metelia made their move.

“Puppet Possession, Teddy Mob!”

“Sparking Glacier: Verse of the Warmaiden!”

The hundreds of tiny bear dolls that Shuria conjured scampered around the giant’s feet and bit into its ankles, while Metelia’s spell summoned three female warriors formed of ice, who all thrust their lances at the foe.

“GROOOOAAAGHHH!!”

It wasn’t long before the titan managed to smash through all three warrior ladies and their shields, after which it turned its attention to the bear swarm, enlarging its arms and pounding them into dust.

Soon, both Shuria and Metelia’s summoned servants were utterly destroyed. However, by that time they had already fulfilled their true purpose.

“Get back, everyone!” screamed Leticia. “Hellfire Blaze: Burning Wheels!!”

While the giant was distracted taking care of Shuria’s bears, Leticia unleashed the spell she had been charging all throughout the battle so far. Ten crimson wheels of fire, each about as wide in diameter as a human was tall, split up and converged on the titan, lodging themselves into its limbs. The wheels began spinning like buzzsaws.

“GROOAAAAGHHH!!”

My dulled senses registered an iota of pain, but it didn’t feel like mine, so I hardly cared.

…

About an hour had already passed since the battle began. The white titan had been damaged significantly—by now, it had lost its arms and legs and was just a torso.

However, if the creature was anything like the Demonlight Tree I had to face during my first life, then it would still have one irritating trick left up its sleeve: a regeneration ability that kicked in at low health.

The giant began growing back its limbs, and in a few moments, it was as good as new.

“Nrgh. So even if I burn them to ash, they still grow back…,” noted Leticia.

Over the previous hour, these five fighters had pushed the golem to the brink many times. But on each occasion, it had managed to heal itself, even reconnecting its lost limbs with twisting tendrils. Even when the head, or what appeared to be the head, was blown off, it didn’t slow the creature down at all.

This time, it seemed they had tried to completely eradicate the fallen limb in the hope this would stymie the regeneration. However, it did not. There was only one thing left they hadn’t tried. One part they hadn’t attacked…

They’ve grown…

The battle went on.

Minnalis, Shuria, Mai, Metelia, and Leticia.

They each combined their spells and abilities, making the battle even fiercer by the second.

Even if I no longer wanted to be here, this was still the landscape of my mind. I had seen everything that went on; their battles, their trials, even their thoughts. And the things I had seen, even from Metelia, blinded me.

They’ve all grown so much…

Minnalis and Shuria.

These two girls had been cursed to rot away in their cells, powerless to fight back. Now, they were brave and confident, with the strength to back it up.

Mai and Metelia.

If only I hadn’t been in the picture, then they would not have had to choose their violent, hopeless paths. Even now, they could have chosen freedom instead, but they’d chosen to fight for a miserable, pathetic loser like me.

And finally, Leticia, the demon lord.

Damned to an early grave whether she defeated the hero or not.

And so…

I had thought I didn’t need friends in my second life.

I had thought a relationship based on “trust” was a fragile, fleeting thing. Something the slightest breeze could cause to come crashing down. I had thought I could never believe in it again.

That was why I had bound my new partners by contract. Because I had been afraid of being betrayed again. And yet I had allowed Yuuto to sacrifice himself for me. I’d dragged everyone into this path of vengeance with me and then chickened out right before the finish line.

I knew it was cowardly. My mind was screaming at me: If you give up now, then what was it all for? But soon, even that voice grew tired of shouting the same old thing.

The only thing left was me: The most despicable piece of shit to ever walk this earth. I knew full well how much my indecision hurt the others, yet I wasn’t even trying to relight the dying flame inside me.

“There’s only one thing left to try,” cried Leticia. “We shall cut off the limbs and restrain the main body before it can regenerate! Then, we get Kaito out of there!! Metelia, can you stop it from moving?”

“I can, but the spell will require some time to set up. Could you buy me five minutes, perhaps?”

“I’ll take it on! Puppet Possession, Big Kitty!!”

“Mai and I will keep it distracted,” said Minnalis. “I’ll take the right, so you go around the left, Mai!”

“Very well. Leticia, keep doing what you’ve been doing and try to take out the limbs with your spells.”

They were all still going. The longer they fought together, the smoother their coordination became, and the more efficient their movements.

“…Everyone, the spell is complete!! Please cut off its limbs once more so it can’t move!”

“Understood! Minnalis, Mai, I’m charging up a big one! When I give the signal, jump out of the way!!”