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Table of Contents
Color Inserts
Title Page
Copyrights and Credits
Table of Contents Page
Prologue
Chapter 1: Reunion and Negotiation
Chapter 2: A Black Awakening
Chapter 3: To Luva, Capital of the Empire of Mira
Chapter 4: The White Army and the Black Fly of Night
Chapter 5: With all the Malice I Have
Epilogue
Afterword
Newsletter

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Prologue

“I S SHE gonna make it?” asked Eve Speed.

Erika Anaorbael looked up at the ceiling. “Yes. We made it in time just
barely.”
The two of them were in the underground floors of the witch’s house, a
place others could enter only when accompanied by Erika herself. Lisbeth was
off in an adjacent storeroom. Above them, in the same room Touka and Seras
had slept in once before, Hijiri Takao lay at rest while her younger sister Itsuki
Takao sat tirelessly by her side. When Eve and Erika had checked on them last,
Itsuki had been asleep as well—finally giving in to a relieved slumber after
seeing her sister in stable condition.
Now, they were in the basement where there was no worry of their
conversation being overhead and no risk that information about him might
leak.
“I think it’ll take some time for her to recover,” Erika said.
Eve asked, “What about her sight? Itsuki was worried about that.”
“Too soon to tell. It may return. It may not.”
“Hmph so it was poison, then.” Eve growled.
“Poisonous substances have been tightly regulated across the continent for
a long time. Their study has been forbidden.” Erika folded her legs in
dissatisfaction. “As generations passed, knowledge of their antidotes faded too.
I’m sure such rules were only put in place so that wretched Goddess could
monopolize the research and use of poisons herself.”
Eve remembered Seras’s tale of her battle against the band of cursed-
magic users known as Ashint, spiritual successors to a past guild of assassins.

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The “cursed-magics” they used had actually utilized poison they had inherited
from that assassin’s guild.
“According to Muaji, the assassin’s guild was wiped out by the Heroes
from Another World. The heroes roamed the continent, destroying every branch
of the guild. They rooted out and erased anyone who had any connection to
them. Eventually people forgot about them. When Muaji spoke of it, he made it
sound almost like the heroes had gone rogue after they defeated the Demon
King ”
“But you think Vicius was behind it?” Eve asked.
“Hmph If her aim was to keep the poisons all to herself, the assassin’s
guild would’ve been nothing but trouble to her.”
“The people of the dark places might be descended from that assassin’s
guild, perhaps ”
Seras said the people of the “dark places”—a secret organization that
deals in information—are very protective about their identities. Hmph. There
might be reasons for them to worry then, given the situation…
Eve felt ideas begin to form in the back of her mind.
“But even so, Vicius has dusted off a really old bottle of poison this time.”
Erika propped her head up with her hand. “Even back in its day, ingredients for
the antidote were rare. I wonder if the same remedies still work? The stuff I’ve
got is no substitute for the real elixir.”
“But you do have an antidote?”
“Well, yes. I’ve been carefully researching poisons for a while now too,
you know. I used to be quite the influencer back in my day, so there was always
the danger that some human could try to poison me There was a time when
many came to me for advice, asking for poisons to help them with their battles at
court.”

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Assassination with poison… That scares me more than weapons or

violence.
“That’s why I’ve got a well-stocked room full of ingredients to combat
every poison under the sun. We’re lucky this wasn’t something new—I doubt I
would have been able to mix something up for that so quickly.”
When Eve brought Hijiri in, Erika had moved swiftly by ordering her
golems into action as she began working to determine the nature of the poison.
Eve had had her doubts about whether such a thing was possible—but it seemed
that Erika had come through with an antidote.
“But his poison—you couldn’t do anything about that, could you?”
“Correct. There’s no antidote for that,” she said, lightly raising her arms in
surrender. “That poison of Too-ka’s is a poison in name only—in reality, it’s
something quite different. I’m sure his paralysis and sleeping skills are derived
from the status effect and incantation spells, but his success rate is unlike
anything that has ever been seen before in this world That’s what makes those
status effect skills of his so unusual. Like he says himself, they’re completely out
of the ordinary.”
“Those Heroes from Another World they truly are powerful. I can
understand now why they were useful as warriors in the past.” Eve folded her
arms and looked up at the ceiling. “Those sisters up there have special powers,
just like Too-ka.”
After all, she had experienced Itsuki’s ability firsthand.
When Eve came across the sisters, she’d been out looking for something
Erika had dropped in the forest. The witch had said it was a magical device and
that she’d lost it as she ran to take refuge in her domain for the first time.
Hearing of the lost item, Eve offered to help. Erika refused at first, but
when Eve promised to take every precaution she could, the witch relented.

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I’m scared my instincts for combat will grow dull in these long days of
peace. I’m getting too accustomed to living here. Lis deserves a peaceful life,
and I may have to defend this place from attackers someday. If I’m going to
protect her, I need to stay in shape. Taking it easy feels good, but I shouldn’t
forget to keep my fangs sharpened—that’s one thing traveling with Too-ka
taught me.
With that on her mind, Eve set out in search of Erika’s lost item.
At first, she felt a sense of unease that then turned to anxiety. The air
grew thick with the scent of death. Somewhere nearby, a large number of
golden-eyed monsters had died.
For a moment, she thought Too-ka and Seras might have returned.
No… This might be a threat. If it is, then I should approach carefully.
Maybe even retreat to discuss this with the witch. Whoever this is, it’s possible
they’re here for her.
Eve cautiously scouted the area—and soon encountered the sisters.
“It seemed to me that they were coming to see you Even without a map,
they had managed to get close on their own. But when I found them, they were
both completely exhausted,” Eve said.
Erika looked up at the ceiling too. “They’re strong enough to shrug off the
golden-eyed monsters around here, at the very least.”
“I hear the older sister is the highest class of hero. Too-ka said she wasn’t
to be underestimated What do you think of them?”
“If the older sister makes a full recovery and tries to take control of this
place she might be able to pull it off. If she were an assassin sent by the
Goddess Vicius Well, I suppose that isn’t likely. If this is a plot, it’s far too
haphazard to work.”
If Hijiri had been holding an antidote, it would have been a different story

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—but without it, the odds were high that she would die before being discovered.
Erika knew it was also a complete coincidence that Eve had found them in the
forest in the first place.
“Itsuki said they fought against the Goddess and were struck down
What do you think?” asked Eve.
“It didn’t appear that she was lying,” she answered.
Eve sighed. “If only we had Seras with us at a time like this.”
“Quite. Her ability to tell truth from lies is so convenient. I would love to
contract with a Silfigzea if there happened to be a spare one lying around For
now, let’s assume that they are allies. To be frank, I wouldn’t have approved of
you bringing those sisters here in the first place, if not for your previous meeting
with them.”
Eve had met the Takao sisters in the Land of the Golden-eyed Monsters
once before and knew that it had made her less cautious this time. “I asked Too-
ka to tell me about them after that first meeting. He didn’t speak ill of them,
so ”
“So it was Too-ka who indirectly saved those two girls.”
“Ahem, Miss Erika I-I’m finished.” Lis emerged from another room,
holding a silver tray. Erika stood to greet her.
“Oho? Thank you.”
Lis walked over to a table in the center of the room and placed the tray.
Atop it were samples of powders of various colors, small bottles of liquid, and
all kinds of assorted potion ingredients.
“Excuse me Do you mind if I give them a look?”
“Of course.”
Erika bent forward to look over the contents, then held bottles up to the

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light to check the color and opacity of the liquids inside. After some time, she
looked at Lis while still leaning over the desk.
“Lis.”
“Y-yes?”
“Almost perfect.”
Lis’s face lit up.
“Th-thank you so much! I’m so g-glad to hear that!”
Erika had been teaching Lis how to mix medicines. Eve, who could tell
the girl really enjoyed it, left her to it most of the time. Liz had offered to decoct
something for Hijiri, who was still sleeping upstairs, today.
“Still, this stuff ”
Erika took one of the small bottles in hand and squinted at it. “You’ve got
a real talent, Lis.”
“D-do you really think so ?”
“Your attention to detail is fantastic I mean, you may even be better
than me, given how distracted I can get.”
“M-maybe it’s similar to measuring spices and herbs. I-I always liked
cooking ”
Erika squinted at her even harder. “I’m not much for cooking. Perhaps I
should have you teach me a thing or too, Lis. Perhaps ”
Eve cleared her throat, feeling a tinge of pride. “Heh heh. Too-ka and
Seras loved your cooking as well, Lis. I’ll never get tired of it, either.”
The ingredients we have here are limited, but Lis always comes up with
new things for us to enjoy.
“Mr. Too-ka, Miss Seras Piggymaru and Slei I wish I could see them
again.” For a moment, Lis looked lost in nostalgia. Then her hands tightened into

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little fists of determination. “Th-that’s why I want to get much better at cooking
in the meantime!”
“Oh, you’re such a good little girl. You’re going to make Erika cry,” said
the witch.
It looked as if Lis wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to
say the words. She tried to swallow them, but Eve gently encouraged her to go
on.
“If you want to ask something, just go ahead, okay? There’s nobody in
this house who’s going to shut down your worries or curiosity for no reason.”
“Eve’s right, you know? We’re like family now, so no holding back.
We’re both dark elves, aren’t we?”
“Then Miss Hijiri and Miss Itsuki, who came here the other day Are
they ”
So, she’s interested in them too. Before we all came down here, Lis said
she didn’t think Itsuki was a bad person. I don’t think she’s scared of them.
“Hmph. They’re Heroes from Another World, yes. Just like Too-ka.”
“Just. Like. Too-ka Heroes from Another World Another world ”
Erika murmured to herself. “They’re from a different world. Completely
separate from the one that we live in with different cultures and civilizations.
I’m sure the plants and minerals over there are unique over there too, and they
have plenty of things that we don’t. There are so many things I want to ask those
sisters about the world they’ve come from—so much I want to learn ”
Erika shrugged her shoulders. “But we’ve got the calamity to think about,
don’t we?”
There was a whispered understanding between all who lived in the world
that Seras, Eve, and Erika inhabited:

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“One must not attempt to learn too much about the world from which the
Heroes from Another World are summoned. A calamity always comes for those
who know too much.”
The message had been passed down from generation to generation.
In the past, there had been those who tried to learn everything they could
about the other world. It was a completely new society and culture after all—
they couldn’t help but be curious. Yet, all who tried met with tragic and terrible
ends as if they had been fated to do so. Too many had faced the same
consequences for it to be written off as mere coincidence.
Eve looked down at her own face, reflected in the silver tray.
“Those teachings and warnings Every detail about those who tried to
learn too much has been recorded so we never forget.”
“I only realized the calamity taboo was real when I learned that Vicius
herself doesn’t want to know anything about the other world. I thought maybe
that greedy goddess was just trying to keep all the information to herself and had
made up the calamity story to keep things hidden But when even she refuses
to touch something ”
“It does prove the danger is real.”
“I suppose some people still don’t believe it And it seems knowing too
much is the real danger. The names, words, culture, and foods that have made
their way into this world haven’t been a problem. It seems there’s a dividing
line, somewhere, between what we can know and others we can’t.”
“Knowing about their food and drink is safe, isn’t it?” asked Eve, knowing
full well she had eaten Touka’s snacks from another world.
The cooking techniques that the Heroes from Another World brought over
are used here as well.
“So, Erika. Those sisters We are going to tell Too-ka about them, aren’t

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we?”
“No reason to hide them from him. But the problem is my lack of
available familiars in the area that can contact him,” Erika sighed.
Eve knew little of the positions of Erika’s familiars across the continent.
“I had placed a familiar of mine near the door to the Country at the End of
the World to have them wait for Too-ka’s arrival, but they were hunted down by
a wild animal. I had a spare placed relatively close by, so I directed that one to
the area. Keeping a backup was the right idea, but Unfortunately, that familiar
was shot down by the Knights of Alion. From what I heard them say just before
it was killed, I believe they mostly hunted it for sport. They weren’t aware that
the animal was a tool of the Forbidden Witch.”
So that’s why Erika’s familiars weren’t in the area during Too-ka’s battle.
“I have another of my servants on the way ” Erika added. “Though given
the distance, they will take several days to arrive. Too-ka and Seras might be
gone by the time of their arrival.”
“Hmph So the familiar might miss them. And if the door is closed when
the familiar gets there, you won’t even be able to contact the people inside to
find out where he’s gone.”
It’s hard to know where Too-ka and Seras actually are right now.
Erika’s expression became even more grave. “But there’s something else
that worries me—something more concerning than simply getting in contact
with them ”
Eve nodded. “You mean the Alionese knights that were on their way to
the Country at the End of the World, right?”
“Yes. If the Goddess has acquired one of the divine beasts ” The beasts
whose existence she had once doubted. “It’s likely she has sent her forces in to
attack.”

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“If Too-ka and Seras made it inside the Country at the End of the World,
they might just ally themselves with the people there and launch a strike against
those Alion knights ”
Lis looked up uneasily from her place by Eve’s side.
“Big Sis Mr. Too-ka and Miss Seras are going to be okay, aren’t they?”
Eve shot her back a broad, fearless smile. “Heh heh… I know this might
be a really dangerous time for the citizens of the Country at the End of the
World But with Too-ka there, I know he’ll be able to do something about it.
It’s weird, but it’s just a feeling I have.”
“H-he will help them, won’t he?”
“Well, yes.” Erika nodded. “I think Too-ka can likely handle whatever
they throw at him, no matter the circumstances. He’s reliable even trustworthy
you might say. By the same token, I would absolutely hate to face him as an
enemy. I shudder at just the mere thought of doing so.”
Eve was trying to put Lis’s mind to rest in part, but it wasn’t just a brave
face. It had been a short but intense time that she spent traveling with Too-ka as
her comrade in battle. And she couldn’t discount the noble and elegant high elf
Seras, either. Then there was a dexterous slime atop a fierce and monstrous
steed
Eve’s chest filled with nostalgic pride as she thought back on their time
together.
Yes—the Lord of the Flies Brigade are strong.
“Those two sisters upstairs I know once we get to talk to Too-ka about
them, he’ll know the best thing to do.”
Erika threw her arms forward, slumping down onto the table with a sigh.
“What good am I if I can’t even get in contact with Too-ka~!” she cried.

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“Heh heh… No need to fret. We all have our parts to play.”

“Well, when it comes to deciding what to do about these heroes, it’s a bit
tough for us to make the call. Let’s hope this next familiar finds him sooner
rather than later. In any case, I’m ever so tired from moving my familiars around
all day. Ugh. I’ll handle the familiars Can I leave the two upstairs to you and
Lis?”
“Hmph, sure.”
“Yes! I-I’ll try my best!”
Erika stood up from the table, trying to steel her resolve.
“Too-ka and Seras aren’t here right now ” she said, defiantly placing
both hands to her slim hips. “So we must do whatever we can in their absence.”

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Chapter 1:
Reunion and Negotiation

R EPRESENTATIVES FROM both nations sat facing each other on separate

sides of the long table. On one side, the prime minister of the Country at the End
of the World—Liselotte Onik. On the other, the Wildly Beautiful Emperor—
Falkendotzine.
To Lise’s right sat Mimori Touka—and behind them both, Seras Ashrain.
To the arachne prime minister’s left were Cocoroniko Doran and Geo
Shadowblade.
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor for his part, sat alone. There was a tall
blond man standing behind him who had identified himself as Luheit Mira,
Commander General of the armies of Mira. A young man wearing round glasses
stood beside him and appeared to be some kind of aide.
Once the greetings were out of the way, the Wildly Beautiful Emperor
himself was the first to speak.
“You did very well to align your movements with ours in the battle. Your
tactics were far more advanced than I imagined. Allow me to grant you that
compliment before we begin in earnest.”
“Thank you, and we must return the compliment I formally thank you
once more for the support your nation offered us during the battle,” said Lise
respectfully. There was a somewhat nervous pitch to her voice.
She’s a bit in awe of the Wildly Beautiful Emperor, isn’t she. Can’t say I
blame her. His voice feels like there are pointed fingernails stroking the back of
my neck whenever he speaks. Then there’s that mysterious and intense beauty…
He might even give Seras a run for her money. He’s young and short, but he’s

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got the full grandeur of an emperor—I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like him
before.
Suddenly, a young girl near one of the camp curtains fell to her knees. It
looked as if her legs had given out from under her, and she crumpled on the spot
—it was Kashima Kobato.
“Hm? What’s up, Pidgey-chan?”
“Ah I-I’m sorry ” Kashima looked up at Ikusaba Asagi and tried to
brush it off with a forced laugh as Asagi peered down at her. “I think it’s partly
the whole atmosphere here I just got a little overwhelmed.”

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“Huh, that’s it? Well, that does sound like you, Pidgey-chan.” Asagi gave
Kashima her hand and pulled her up from the ground.
“Th-thanks ”
“You all good?”
“ Sorry. Actually, I I don’t think I can do this ” Kashima tottered a
little, her face was clearly turning pale and was already drained of most of its
color.
“Not feeling good, huh?”
“N-not really I’m a little out of sorts. I-I’m sorry. I think it’s just like it
was in Yonato, back when I ”
“Ah, you mean back when we were fightin’ the Demon King’s armies in
Yonato’s capital, yeah? I remember. The whole force of the Holy Order of the
Purge lined up in front of us, and you got overwhelmed and anemic on me.
Hmm You can stand all the blood splatter and the flyin’ severed arms and
legs, but these kinds of tense situations are the ones that make you nervous, huh
Pidgey-chan? Better ’n having you get all dizzy and tired in battle I guess.”
“No, I I’m scared of blood and severed limbs too, and that battlefield
shocked me. But, how do I say this Being able to move freely on the
battlefield is easier for me to deal with. I-I’ve always been that way. I’m terrible
with these kinds of things ”
“Didn’t really seem up for it when I invited you here either.”
“Y-yeah ”
“Pretty weak stuff, but Guess I should have left you behind, huh?
’Scuse me! This girl’s not feeling very well, do you mind taking her to go and
get some rest?!” Asagi called out to one of the Miran soldiers. “I’m here ’cause
Mr. Emperor asked me, so I’ve gotta stay! But, like, Mr. Miran soldier, d’ya
mind taking care of Kobbachan for me?”

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“I-I’m really sorry t-to everyone. I’m sorry for causing a fuss S-
sorry ”
Kashima walked off with one of the Miran soldiers as Asagi called out to
the others around her. “Uh, our Pidgey-chan’s feelin’ a bit weak in the knees
right now, so don’t you all be playing any naughty tricks on her, got that?!”
A group of men that looked to be Miran officials glared daggers at Asagi.
How dare she be so rude during the emperor’s negotiations?
Well, not reading the room is just like Ikusaba Asagi… But what was
wrong with Kashima I wonder? It looked like she was covering something up by
quickly trying to regain her composure? No, she was probably telling the truth,
and was just overwhelmed by the situation. It didn’t look like she was lying…but
her face was so deathly pale.
What’s going on here? Before she collapsed to her knees, she looked over
in my direction. The look on her face—it was one of surprise.
I know this Lord of the Flies getup of mine can look terrifying, but it
wasn’t that… It looked more like terrible shock. Like she’d just suddenly learned
the truth of something.
…It can’t be.
That’s not possible.
I removed every trace of what makes me “me” from my current
appearance.
What are those two doing here in the first place?
The question had been on my mind since I first laid eyes on them.
Are they on the Wildly Beautiful Emperor’s side? Or were they sent to him
as spies of that Foul Goddess? Are they double agents?
…To be honest, the spy theory makes more sense to me, but I don’t have

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enough information. Maybe I should find an opportunity to talk with them, find
out the truth—as long as it doesn’t lead them to suspect my true identity.
As my mind raced, the Wildly Beautiful Emperor and Lise continued their
discussion.
“I see, so the Princess Knight Seras Ashrain was responsible for the
amazing skill of your command,” mused the emperor.
“Y-yes. As I’m sure you’re aware, the Country at the End of the World
maintains some military forces But the strategy and ultimate success of our
armies in the recent battle was largely due to Lady Seras’s capable military
command.”
“The Lord of the Flies had little to do with it, then?”
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor looked to me—as did Lise, prompting me
to answer, “I am just the leader of a single mercenary band. Unlike Seras, I do
not possess the ability to command large formations of troops on the battlefield.
I participated in the recent battle as a mere soldier, if truth be told.”
“That strange tone the way you’re changing your voice ”
Seems like he’s interested in the voice-change crystal. I always intended
on disguising my voice during these negotiations, but now that Kashima and
Asagi are here, it’s an absolute necessity.
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor gestured to his own face with his long,
slender fingers.
“The Lord of the Flies mask too—do you have a need to conceal your
identity?”
I placed a hand to my mask.
“Being famous is not always an advantage. If my appearance under this
disguise were to be revealed, I could never hope to gather information in any

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city on the continent ever again. Nor could I enjoy my everyday life in the same
way. I wear this mask in public so that the face beneath it can be truly free.”
I took my hand from my mask and continued. “Unlike my true face, I can
change this mask whenever I want or discard it entirely. Being popular can be
quite troublesome As an emperor, I’m sure you understand.”
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor placed a hand to his mouth and let slip a
faint laugh. “I see Indeed. I understand, yes. I’m sorry for the interruption.
Well then, shall we begin by discussing our respective demands, Lady
Liselotte?”
“Ah, yes.”
The emperor folded his arms atop the table, as if setting the stage once
more for further discussion.
“I know not if you are aware of this, but in recent days my Empire of Mira
declared war against the Kingdom of Alion. The very same nation whose armies
came to attack you. Yes, Alion and Mira are presently at war and in due course I
would like to explain my reasons for opening hostilities against them. Is my
rationale behind this conflict important to these proceedings?”
Seems like he wants to set that issue aside. There’s something he’d rather
talk about first, I suppose. I want to know why he rebelled, but we should go
along with this for now.
Lise made no attempt to interrupt the emperor either, so he took his cue to
continue.
“As my messengers conveyed, my nation wishes to form an alliance with
yours.”
“W-we too would like to further discuss this alliance.”
“I understand that your country has a king—does he approve of these
alliance discussions?”

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“Yes, th-the king also wishes us to proceed.”

“Your king is not present—is this a matter of caution, as he remains wary
of us?” asked Luheit Mira, his voice sounding softer than that of the emperor’s.
But this one’s a fox too, I bet. They have to appear friendly at first, don’t
they?
“W-well ”
Lise glanced at me, looking for help. I answered in her stead.
“It has been a long time since the people of the Country at the End of the
World have negotiated terms with a human army, and well They suffered a
surprise ambush by the forces of the Thirteen Orders of Alion during their
attempts to make peace with them. After such an experience I hope you can
sympathize with their fear of sending their king out to the front lines.”
Luheit grinned. “It’s as if you’re the prime minister, and not Lady Lise
here, Lord of the Flies.”
“That remark was out of line. Especially in the presence of the prime
minister herself, Luheit,” scolded the emperor.
Luheit bowed his head to us both. “My apologies. I meant no offense by
my remark But my emperor is correct. I beg your pardon.”
“I apologize as well for Luheit’s thoughtless way of speaking. I’m sorry,
Lady Liselotte.”
“No, no. I-it’s quite all right.”
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor tilted his head a little to the side—his
expression was sincere.
“To clarify I’m sure what Luheit wished to confirm was that you have
the authority to engage in these negotiations with our nation. I would prefer that
our relationship be decided here, rather than spend days traveling back and forth

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in order to present our terms to your king.”

“I-I have I have the right to negotiate with you.”
“Understood. Then to put it plainly—do you wish to form an alliance
between our two countries?”
“Yes Well—that is our objective, at least ” Lise hurriedly made to
continue. “W-we have no negative opinion of the idea of forming an alliance
between our country and yours.”
There was a sigh from one of the officials behind the Wildly Beautiful
Emperor.
That was clearly directed at Lise’s wishy-washy answer… This isn’t good.
Lise isn’t at her best right now, and she has a tendency to be too hesitant when
things are tense. Now the trauma of the encounter with Alion is causing her to
get caught up on every detail and second-guess herself. The unique sort of
intimidating aura the Wildly Beautiful Emperor has around him has her off her
game as well.
We had agreed ahead of time that Lise would signal to me if she wanted
me to take over the negotiations—but she hadn’t done so yet.
I guess she still wants to see this through.
“Luheit.”
“Yes?”
“The petty individuals behind me—send them outside.”
Luheit narrowed his eyes—but kept smiling all the while.
“Understood.”
He led away the officials who had sighed at Lise. Geo was bristling, but
swallowed an outburst thanks to the emperor’s swift removal of the men.
That might have been a cheap trick, planned ahead of time by the emperor

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to get in our good graces. Well, I suppose that might be a stretch.

“I understand. There is no helping a certain degree of inexperience you
may have when negotiating with humans, as the Lord of the Flies just said. Not
to mention, well What is truly important is whether we are able to come to an
understanding, not the manner or formalities of the process. Do not despair,
Lady Prime Minister.”
“Th-thank you for your consideration Ahem, Falkendot Zine M-
Miradias?”
“My apologies,” the emperor interrupted. “I understand you know little of
the internal politics of the nation of Mira, but there is no need to use my formal
title. Please simply address me as Zine.”
“Ah, very well Emperor Zine A-ahem, th-then next ” Lise’s voice
was deflated, and she struggled to make herself clear. I could sense that Seras
behind me was worried as well.
Given her current state, I wonder if Lise has just forgotten about the
signal entirely.
“Lady Lise,” I said quietly.
“Eh? Y-yes ? Wh-what is it, Sir Belzegea?”
“I do have to thank you for your great contributions to the recent battle,
but you have been working tirelessly and forgoing all sleep and rest for so long.
It appears you might be a little tired at present ”
I turned to look at her. “When it comes to decision making, I will of
course defer to your judgment But might it be better if I handled the
negotiations for a while? You would of course have the final say. I slept well last
night and awoke this morning fully refreshed ”
For a moment, Lise looked completely taken aback. But after that came
relief.

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“Y-yes Then I will entrust these negotiations to you for now. My

thanks, Sir Belzegea.”
“Understood. Well then ” I folded my arms, just as the Wildly Beautiful
Emperor had done, and turned to face him anew. “Please allow me to serve as
negotiator for the prime minister Liselotte Onik. Is that acceptable, Your
Majesty?”
The emperor’s mouth curled into a cunning—almost hungry—yet at the
same time charming smile.
“—Very well.”
“I thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Then, to continue I take it that your nation has the intent of forming an
alliance with the Empire of Mira?”
“We are open to considering the matter.”
“You mean to say it depends on the terms?”
“Yes.”
“Allow me to hear them.”
I went on to set out the terms that we had decided on ahead of time. First,
that while we would send military forces to aid Mira in battle, command of
troops from the Country at the End of the World would not be relinquished to
Miran commanders. I had Seras brief me on what she knew of diplomacy on
matters like the treatment of prisoners, negotiating the trade routes for critical
food supplies, and so on before our negotiations as well.
It would’ve been hard for me to play this role without her help.
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor sat back and relaxed in his chair, listening
silently as I spoke. His aide kept glancing over at him, seemingly interested in
every little reaction the emperor might give. Luheit also stood thoughtfully

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considering my words, listening carefully—though his expressions were easier

to read than the emperor’s. It looked as if he was quickly tallying up profits and
losses in his head.
“ I see,” said the emperor after I paused, playing with the fringe of his
golden hair. “Your demands don’t seem too far-fetched. These food supplies you
require—is it an urgent matter?”
“A long delay might be an issue, but the problem is not so pressing as to
require immediate resolution. Seras Ashrain has other connections that we might
turn to instead.”
The issue of our food shortages…
Speaking with the Holy Empire of Neah could be a lifeline to solve the
food crisis But with the Land of the Golden-eyed Monsters and Ulza between
their nation and ours, it would be difficult. Especially considering the relations
between Alion and Neah. All I can really say to the emperor is that we have
other connections—a way to keep from seeming too desperate, that’s all. If Mira
knew we had no choice but to rely on them, they could easily take advantage of
that fact.
“That said, we believe that an alliance between our two countries
involving trade routes to bolster the food supply would be the best solution.”
“You don’t wish for territory? You must have heard from the knight of
Neah behind you of the large swathes of fertile land that Mira possesses?”
This is probably a test—he wants to see how I’ll respond.
“I’m sure that our nation has not entirely gained your confidence. We may
have won the trust of those gathered here today, but I’m certain that sudden
concessions of territory to a foreign nation would be quite unsatisfactory to the
people of Mira.”
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor was silent, urging me to continue.

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“I’m sure you do not wish to cause needless dissatisfaction among your
own allies. Excuse my being forward, but that was merely my summation of the
situation.”
“ Hmph.”
The emperor laid his elbow on the table and propped his chin up with his
fist below it. “How modest of you,” he said, in a lightly teasing tone of voice.
“I’m merely trying to be realistic.”
“And yet strangely—that rational streak of yours does not come at the
expense of your empathy.”
“The emotions of others are always a part of my rational calculations,” I
responded. “For my own benefit, of course.”
It seemed the Wildly Beautiful Emperor approved of my response, and his
calculated smile eased into a somewhat more natural expression.
“Lord of the Flies I acknowledge the discourtesy of this question, but I
must ask it nonetheless.”
I nodded in silence, and a unique sort of tension settled over the meeting.
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor’s next question broke the silence. “Are you
a good person?”
I placed a hand upon my chest and bowed to him.
“It is as you say.”
The emperor opened his eyes wide and froze for just a few seconds. He
quickly regained his calm and placed a hand to his cheek. The slight smile
returned to his lips as well. “Oho… Belzegea. Lord of the Flies, is it? It seems
that cursed magic isn’t the only incredible talent you have at your disposal. I’m
beginning to like you.”
He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. It was rather strange that

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these were the only kinds of gestures through which he acted his age.
“Very well.”
Perhaps because of the change in the tone of his voice, Luheit straightened
his back, and the aide beside him raised the frame of his glasses a little.
Everything about their movements communicated that the matter was settled.
“Mira accepts the conditions which your country has set forth.”
Lise and Niko exchanged excited glances.
“ Of course, these conditions Is what you have set forth thus far all
you have to ask of us?” I asked the emperor.
Lise and Niko gave a start, but Geo was silent and expressionless as he
had been the whole meeting, his arms folded, mouth shut.
Looks like he senses it too—Mira has something to ask of us.
“We of the Empire of Mira—to put it plainly—have concerns about this
Goddess of Alion.”
Concerns. He’s going to explain his rebellion against her, then.
“There are seven nations on this continent of ours but in reality, Alion
controls them all. And who should hold the true reins of power in Alion but the
divine Goddess Vicius herself?” The Wildly Beautiful Emperor sighed
dramatically and shrugged his shoulders. Even the smallest gesture of his was
imbued with elegance. “There are Disciples of Vicius placed as observers in
each nation, forcing all to run their affairs under the watchful eyes of the
Goddess. We do as we are told, you might say. Wouldn’t you agree that this is
an unsatisfactory state of affairs?”
Seras tapped her foot on the back of my chair.
He’s telling the truth. Or at least this is what he truly believes… But I also
get the feeling he’s holding something back. Maybe I should try and shake him a

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little.
“I hear that Mira is a rich nation. Are your people not satisfied with the
status quo?” I asked.
“I’m sure you’re not aware of this, but many have been secretly killed or
met miserable ends on the whims of the Goddess. She robs us of freedom by
disposing of those who don’t agree with her in the shadows. We are all
being controlled.”
Here’s where I have a question…something that’s been on my mind for a
while now. That foul Goddess has been running this world like she owns the
place for so long, but the whole continent isn’t under Alion’s control—even
though the other nations sometimes get in her way.
Take those Ruins of Disposal of hers, for example. She could send anyone
she liked in there and have them “go missing,” without even leaving a corpse
behind. If so, why doesn’t the Goddess Vicius solve all her problems herself? It’s
almost like she’s going around killing people in an unnecessarily roundabout
way.
My theory is there might be some reason she can’t do these things in
person. She moves behind the scenes to crush those who stand in her way all
across the continent but very rarely takes direct action herself.
Maybe she can’t?
There must be some reason—something to do with her mysterious nature
as a “divine” perhaps.
“Your aim is to be free of the Goddess’s control then, Your Majesty?”
“This world has been twisted,” the emperor replied, glancing off to the
east, in the direction of Alion. “The story of this continent should be told by
those who were born to it—those who will live and die here. The history being
told by this divine—this foreign entity—is not the truth. We are writing false

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tales, living false lives under her rule. I I believe only those that were born
here should live out their true lives to the very end in this world.”
“You mean to say that these true lives you seek—the Goddess Vicius robs
you of them ?”
The emperor smiled, and his eyes softened.
“Indeed.”
Some of the people behind him flinched. But the smile the emperor gave
me was young and cheerful, reflecting his true age—boyish, even. There was an
innocence hidden in there, and it was clear that several of those around us had
been taken by it. My heart was unmoved, however—for the smiles I saw from
Seras each and every day were far more captivating.
There was another signal from Seras—he’s not lying.
But something still feels wrong. I’m sure he believes the things he just
said, but they aren’t his true feelings… He was speaking about the world at
large just now, but I think his true emotions are much more personal. I can’t
shake that feeling.
…But hey, that doesn’t really matter. It’s enough that I now know his
understanding of the Goddess’s position is real. I have what I need to make my
decision.
I brought my hands together before me.
“I apologize for going over this again But to summarize, Your Majesty,
I take it you do not hate Alion nor the other nations of the Sacred Alliance per
se Rather, your main objective is to eliminate the Goddess Vicius?”
“And that is why I require the Forbidden Magic,” the Wildly Beautiful
Emperor said.
I waited in silence for him to continue.

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I shouldn’t offer any information about the Forbidden Magic yet…

Shouldn’t even let on that I know what he’s talking about.
“Forbidden Magic is said to even be capable of bringing a divine down
from their throne That is what I seek.”
“And what do you know about this Forbidden Magic?” I asked.
“It is said to be capable of altering the ways of the world,” the emperor
answered.
Disabling that Goddess’s Dispel Bubble is powerful for sure… But is that
enough to call it world altering? And there are multiple Scrolls of Forbidden
Magic…meaning the one the emperor has likely isn’t the one that’s capable of
getting rid of the Goddess’s Dispel Bubble.
“ It can’t be ” I whispered so low that nobody around me could hear.
Capable of altering the ways of the world… The reason Asagi and some of
the other heroes are here… But if he has that power, then it follows that…
Then the Wildly Beautiful Emperor answered the question that was in my
head. “It is the power to summon Heroes from Another World without the
Goddess’s assistance—and the power to send them home.”
Well…that makes sense. That seems like a power that the Goddess would
be frantic to forbid and eradicate. I mean, it challenges her position as the
Goddess of this world.
The power to bring down the divines…
“My apologies, Your Majesty, but how much of this magic’s power can
we truly believe?”
“Unfortunately, it has never been proven. An outlawed scroll in my
possession tells that the Forbidden Magic has such power, nothing more.”
“Then to determine the truth of the matter ”

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“I seek the Country at the End of the World and the Forbidden Words
Clan.”
The emperor knew that Vicius was desperately searching for the
Forbidden Words Clan. Her pursuit of them backfired in the end, only serving as
proof of their power to stop her. But the emperor had detected a means of going
against the Goddess—and he was so certain of it that he launched a rebellion
against her.
But this rebellion seems a little rushed. I don’t think he has all the
information he needs about the Forbidden Magic. He doesn’t even seem to know
whether the Forbidden Words Clan are still alive today, yet he still chose this
moment to declare war against Alion. I think that likely has something to do with
the Demon King’s recent invasion. The Heroes from Another World put up a
much better fight than the Wildly Beautiful Emperor was expecting.
They drove the Demon King back in the east and defeated the Third of the
Sworn in the west. And the Demon King’s armies faced their worst losses in
their southern offensive against the White Citadel of Protection, as both the First
and Second of the Sworn were killed in battle.
Even the other forces on the southern front that were unable to link up
with Sogou won hard-fought battles against their enemies in the field. It would
be hard to find anything that could be called defeat for the humans. Not to
mention all the S-class heroes are still alive and well. The whole continent seems
to believe the battle against the Root of All Evil is over for now—there’s no
question of that.
But it must be hard for him to be happy about that. If the Demon King
were to be defeated, it would take a weight from the Goddess’s shoulders. Any
rebellion against her would bring all the countries of the Sacred Alliance to
arms against him. But if the Demon King’s armies remain intact, the Goddess

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and her other nations have to be wary of the monster threat at their back. This
makes it easier for Mira to wage war against them. The Wildly Beautiful
Emperor wanted to make his move while the Demon King was still alive. Does
he not consider the Demon King himself to be a threat?
It’s possible he plans on defeating the Goddess first, then convincing the
S-class heroes to kill the Demon King before sending them all home. No… The
emperor might even be able to get some of the S-class heroes on side before he
defeats the Goddess. He could use Ikusaba Asagi and the other heroes he
already has to draw them in. This was probably the proposal he made to Ikusaba
Asagi in the first place.
I glanced over at her.
She doesn’t look shocked by any of the things the emperor’s saying—she
knows it all already. I suppose that adds up. So long as there’s a way for them to
get back to the old world without the Goddess, it’s not a big surprise that they
might turn against her.
But there’s still the possibility she’s here spying on behalf of the
Goddess… I should keep both possibilities in mind until I’ve got definite proof
it’s one or the other.
I think I’m starting to get an idea of the emperor’s thinking. This wasn’t
some unplanned revolt based on empty ideals on his part. He believes he has a
path to victory… Even if it might be walking a tightrope to get there. But he’s
prepared for the risks and made the decision.
It’s now or never.
I tapped twice on the table with my index finger, and heard a crow caw. It
was Munin, who had transformed into a crow and sat on the shoulder of a
leopardman soldier behind me.
I had already discussed with her that I expected our meeting to turn to the

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topic of the Forbidden Words Clan and asked her to attend the negotiations. As
she was a little worried of the risk of attending in person, I suggested she come
in disguise.
The signal I gave was simple—two knocks on the table to ask Munin one
question:
“Can I reveal that the Forbidden Words Clan are still alive?”
She answered me with a single caw—yes.
“The Forbidden Words Clan survived. They are in the Country at the End
of the World,” I told the emperor.
He had no visible reaction to the news. Luheit’s smile grew a little
broader. But the aide behind him had the clearest reaction to my statement—he
placed a hand over his chest and gave a long sigh of relief.
I had a feeling the Country at the End of the World’s military strength was
just a bonus to them. What Mira was really here for are the Forbidden Words
Clan.
“As a result, I’m able to forward any requests you may have to them.
Though of course I cannot know how they will respond ahead of time ”
“Let me say this first. The previous conditions we’ve discussed aside, we
are willing to pay a suitable price for their aid.” The Wildly Beautiful Emperor
snapped his fingers. “Give it over.”
Luheit took a bundle of parchment papers from his bag and held them out
toward me. The edges had been punched with holes, and a piece of string passed
through to turn them into a makeshift book of pages.
“What is this—?” I asked the emperor, as I took it in my hands.
“That is an inventory of the items stored in the Great Vault of Mira.
Though many of the names and effects of the items are unknown, so it is hardly

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comprehensive. Unidentified objects have been depicted in illustrations, to the

best of our artists’ abilities.”
“ May I look inside?”
The emperor nodded. I looked down at the pages, written in a neat, precise
hand. As I flipped through, I saw there had been a clear effort to categorize the
different items to make it easier to find what one was looking for.
…Whoever created this thing went to some serious effort.
The sketches of the items were particularly detailed, I shuddered to think
of how long they must have taken to draw.
It’s practically an encyclopedia. I think I know why he’s showing me this,
but I might as well check.
I stopped flipping through the pages.
“Might I inquire why you are showing me this?” I asked without looking
up.
“If the Forbidden Words Clan aid us in defeating the Goddess, you may
choose any items from that list in exchange.”
It was on the next page I turned to that I saw it—a teleportation crystal.
There was only a drawing of the crystal, with no explanation of its effects. Mira
likely didn’t know what the item did, but it was certainly a teleportation crystal.
Erika said these things are super, super rare… And I know how
convenient they are from personal experience.
What I saw on the next page, however, made my hands freeze up
entirely
“ ”
“Preserved remains of purple beetle”—the last piece of the puzzle… The
final ingredient I need for Piggymaru’s Monster Enhancement Solution. What do

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I do? Before my battle with that Foul Goddess… I really should have this.
“I have one more thing to discuss,” said the emperor as I was flipping
through the pages.
I stopped and looked up at him.
“Another request, perhaps?”
“I would like the Forbidden Words Clan to come to Mira, at least once.”
…I can’t sense his intentions.
“May I ask why?”
“There is a sealed door, you see, in the lower levels of my castle. It has
been there since ages past—on the same level as the Great Vault, in fact. No
matter what I try, it will not open. I tried breaking through the walls of the room
itself, but it was no use. I believe what is beyond the door can only be accessed
by specific means.”
A sealed door, huh?
“It’s said that the room contains some great secret concerning the
Forbidden Magic. If possible, I would like to see the secrets this room holds
before confronting the Goddess.”
“You mean that you believe the Forbidden Words Clan would be capable
of opening this door?”
“So it is written. ‘The door will only answer to those that bear the mark.’
If none yet live that bear this mark of which the legends speak, we will have no
choice but to give up on the contents of that sealed room.”
“Even without this sealed room—you still believe you have a chance at
defeating the Goddess in battle, do you not?”
“I believe so.”
Guess it’s better safe than sorry, though.

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The mark the emperor mentioned sounds like the one on Munin’s back—
the proof that she’s capable of using Forbidden Magic. Only Munin and one
other member of the Forbidden Words Clan have the mark. Without them, we’ll
never obtain the secrets that might be in this sealed room.
Forbidden Magic is a powerful weapon we can use against the Goddess. If
this room contains new Scrolls of Forbidden Magic…
I know that one of my scrolls is capable of removing the protection of the
divines, but I don’t know what the other two do yet. Munin can read the
incantations that are on the other two scrolls to attune them, of course, but the
incantations are written in a kind of poetic style, like an ancient ballad. She has
no idea what they might do, and I’m hesitant to attune them without knowing
their effects. The risks are too high.
Right now, we have the ability to remove Vicius’s Dispel Bubble. That
should be enough to defeat her. It would make the most sense if the other two
scrolls were the “summoning” and “returning home” spells. But it’s dangerous
to make assumptions when it comes to these things… If we used an incantation
without knowing what it did, I could end up mistakenly sending myself back to
the old world. That would be real bad.
This sealed room might hold the secret to the other two scrolls and
whatever Forbidden Magic they turn out to contain. Can’t exactly hurt to have
more cards at my disposal. I’m going to use them to get revenge on that
evil Goddess.
I put a pause on the mental calculations for a moment.
“ What specifically is it that makes you think victory against the
Goddess is possible, Your Majesty? I hear her power is absolute. I don’t mean to
be rude but will the power to summon and return Heroes from Another World
truly be so useful in the pursuit of victory?”

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“My hope is that the sealed room holds a Forbidden Magic capable of
defeating the Goddess.”
“But, Your Majesty, you claimed that you would give up on the sealed
room if none of the Forbidden Words Clan mark bearers still lived. I take it you
have other means by which you believe it possible to claim victory?”
“With the Forbidden Magic capable of returning the heroes to their old
world, we hope to convince the S-class heroes to turn on the Goddess and fight
alongside us as allies. Alternatively, we could work in the shadows to arrange
for the Demon King to defeat the Goddess. That is another possibility—though it
would be enough of a gamble that it may prove unrealistic in practice.”
“I apologize for being blunt—but I don’t quite believe you have enough to
convince anyone,” I said, a little argumentatively.
I understood that what I said was somewhat rude considering I was
addressing an emperor, but he responded with a happy smile. Luheit and the aide
looked at the Wildly Beautiful Emperor with trepidation, as if preparing
themselves for something big.
“Well now—you there, in the back.” Ignoring the concerns of the two at
his side, the emperor revealed his prospect of victory—pointing squarely at
Ikusaba Asagi.
“Hmm? Me? Hey!” She bowed in greeting.
“Who is she?” I asked, pretending not to know.
“Asagi Ikusaba Hero from Another World.”
A wave of murmuring spread through the camp, and I feigned a sort of
shock in reply as well.
“A H-Hero from Another World ? Sh-she has betrayed the Goddess, you
mean to say?”

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“This is not unprecedented. Heroes have rebelled against the Goddess

before,” the emperor responded. “I believe her special ability may be the secret
weapon I need to defeat the Goddess. She may have power equal to that
Forbidden Magic—magic capable of bringing down the divines, you could say.
Magic that might even be more reliable than the contents of the sealed room
within my castle. That is my hope, at least.”
If I remember right, Asagi’s a B-class… She must have a unique skill.
Only A-class heroes and above are capable of learning them—or so the
Goddess told us. But even an E-class like me managed to develop incredible
status effect skills. Maybe the B in Asagi’s B-class isn’t quite what it seems. If so,
it would make more sense that she might have been able to develop a unique
skill.
Doesn’t look like the emperor is going to elaborate on what her skill does,
though. I can see that in his eyes.
There was another signal from Seras behind me—everything the Wildly
Beautiful Emperor had just told me was the truth.
Seras’s ability isn’t foolproof though—people can still say things that
aren’t quite the truth, so long as they aren’t directly lying. I should keep that in
mind. But for now, I think I can trust him.
The emperor gave me a hard stare.
“One more thing that is relevant to our current discussion—I wish to
conduct an official signing ceremony in Mira, to establish our alliance with the
Country at the End of the World. This is the will of the powerful three princeps
elector houses of my nation. Of course, I intend on treating my alliance with
your people as settled fact with or without this public ceremony. Yet when it
comes to the issue of food aid ”
“The three princeps elector houses are the ones who hold the fertile land

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of Mira and control the food supply, I take it?”

“ You’re very perceptive. I rather enjoy conversing with you.”
So for now the emperor is giving us a verbal promise of this alliance, but
we’re going to need to visit Mira to get food aid from his nation.
Figures I suppose… He sounded a little defeated earlier when he was
talking about the sealed room in his castle, but of course it’s only natural for
him to want to improve his chances in the upcoming fight against the Goddess.
He wants what’s in there. And so he doesn’t just want me to visit Mira, but for a
member of the Forbidden Words Clan to be there as well.
I looked to Lise.
“A formal signing ceremony I can’t imagine the three princeps elector
houses would accept me as a representative. I’m not even officially a citizen of
the Country at the End of the World, after all.”
Lise’s back was straight and tense as she answered.
“Y-yes, you’re right.”
“I’m sure they would be satisfied by the presence of the prime minister,
Lady Liselotte. There is no need for the king to attend. I know your nation was
closed to the world for a long time. It may be a good opportunity for you to see
what is outside your nation’s borders. At least, that is what I think. What is your
opinion on the matter, Lady Liselotte?”
“I—yes. As prime minister I will visit your country for this official
signing ceremony. I need to see the outside world, considering the path on which
we are about to embark.”
There was no hesitancy in Lise’s voice now—it was faint, but I sensed
some of her fight had returned.
It could be that she’s gotten a bit more used to the Wildly Beautiful

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Emperor’s presence.
“But I believe that very few members of your race—the arachne, have
ever ventured into the outside world, Lady Liselotte. At present, many consider
arachne to be creatures of legend, much as the dwarves of old I’m afraid that
you may have to endure stares of disbelief once you step outside.”
Lise was unshaken. “Even so I cannot live in fear forever. We can do
nothing but grow used to them and have the citizens of your nation grow
accustomed to our presence in turn—or nothing can be accomplished. Those are
my thoughts.”
“And you have no qualms about spearheading that effort?”
“I am prepared for that, yes—Your Majesty.”
The emperor sighed and gave Lise a faint smile of admiration. “It is
somewhat of a relief to hear you say so.”
“Eh?” Lise looked confused. The emperor placed a hand to his cheek, and
his expression softened once more.
“I thought perhaps at first it was the unfamiliar environment or
atmosphere of this meeting that caused you such unease and difficulty. But now
I see you are quite the capable negotiator, Lady Liselotte. That is why I sent
away those behind me and scolded Luheit. It appears my judgment of you was
clouded—and that is a source of relief for me.”
Lise looked down timidly at her lap, blushing at his words. “Th-thank
you ”
Seems like her happiness won out over the embarrassment. Probably a
tactic by the emperor, trying to win her over for the days to come. In any case,
I’m glad that Lise is taking the initiative in these negotiations again.
“Then can we consider the broad strokes of this agreement settled?” asked
the emperor, a faint smile still on his lips.

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“Yes. I believe we have come to an understanding. However ” Lise

looked in my direction.
There’s still one last thing we need to settle.
“The Forbidden Words Clan—we must confer with the Kurosaga
themselves to determine whether they are willing to take the journey to Mira. I
could speak with them personally, Lady Lise ” I offered.
“I will leave the matter to you, Sir Belzegea.”
“Your Majesty, might we have some time to confer?”
Behind me, Munin took flight. The Wildly Beautiful Emperor glanced up
at the crow as it flew away.
“Very well Let us retire for the time being.”

I left the meeting, explaining that I would return beyond the silver door to
ask the opinion of the Forbidden Words Clan.
They can handle the details for now. Lise seemed like she was back on her
feet, and they’ve still got Seras there too. Geo’s around as well if anything
happens…even if he can be a hothead at times. The rough outlines of the
negotiations are already settled, so it should be fine.
Lise and the others weren’t going to be sitting quietly waiting for my
return—I’d asked them to go over the list of the Great Vault of Mira and mark
anything that stood out to them. Seras’s knowledge of the Forbidden Arts:
Complete Works was almost on the same level as mine, so she was more than
capable of determining which items had true value.
Lise and the others from the Country at the End of the World might find
items they want for themselves as well. The emperor did offer, so we should take
whatever we can get that looks useful.

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“So, you’re up for going to Mira?”

I met with Munin, a little way down the path we had taken on our way to
the negotiations.
“Yes, I am.” She smiled at me. “If there is any possibility that my
presence could improve our chances of defeating the Goddess, even by a little,
then I should go. You’ll be accompanying me too, after all.”
“ Can’t have you going out there alone, eh. But don’t you need to ask
the other Kurosaga about this first?”
“I am the chief, you know? ”
“You sure this is fine ?”
“Heh heh. I’m sure. I’ve already discussed the situation and my opinions
with them, I’m sure they’ll accept my decision. They know the history of the
Kurosaga and are as ready for this as they can be. There’s no need to worry. This
is simply what it means to be a Kurosaga.”
“ It doesn’t seem like we can ask the other mark bearer to join us either,
does it.”
The other mark bearer is a young girl called Fugi—still only thirteen
years old.
“No. I would like to be the one to settle things with the Goddess in
person though she’s ready for this as well,” said Munin. “If my sword should
fail to reach the Goddess, and I should fall I know that Fugi will survive to
take up the fight.”
She continued smiling as she looked down at the ground, but there was a
sadness in her eyes. “I don’t want her to have to push herself to do any of that
But it’s just who she is. At first, she demanded to come with me when I left. She
was so insistent It was so hard to convince her to stay, you know?”

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Munin’s faint smile turned bitter.

Personally, Fugi’s fighting spirit is something I have to be grateful for.
The same goes for all of the members of the Kurosaga Clan. If they’d tried to
stop Munin from leaving or accused me of ruining the peace that the Kurosaga
had enjoyed in the Country at the End of the World, then that would’ve been a
whole series of tough arguments to overcome. It’s only thanks to Munin’s efforts
that all this has gone so smoothly.
“It must’ve been difficult for you,” I said.
“Heh heh, it rather was. But, well That’s exactly why I want to be the
only one that goes with you. If we can defeat Vicius now, then maybe we won’t
even need Forbidden Magic in the future. It will finally relieve that burden on
Fugi and the rest of the Kurosaga Clan.”
“All right. Let’s take a trip to Mira, shall we?”
It’s settled, then. Munin’s tough… She has a strong heart.
Those teleportation crystals are inside the Great Vault of Mira. And the
final ingredient I need for Piggymaru’s Monster Enhancement Solution—the
purple beetle…
The secrets of Forbidden Magic that sleep within that sealed room
With those in hand, I’ll finally be ready
To go to battle and settle things with that Foul Goddess once and for
all!

I returned to the negotiations with Munin in tow, still in her human form
—her black wings remained on full display. All the Miran soldiers’ eyes turned
to her.
“Who is this?” asked Luheit.

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“I am Munin—Village Chief of Kurosaga, the Forbidden Words Clan,”

she said, bowing.
I then explained to the emperor that she was willing to go to Mira with us.
Munin spoke of her clan and their wish to defeat the Goddess. The story she told
was practically the same one she had told me, except for the few matters we had
agreed should be left a bit vague.
She’s a good speaker… The Miran camp seem to really be on board with
her motivations for fighting.
Once she had finished, Munin and the emperor exchanged a few words.
Then she took a single step back.
The signal for me to take over.
“Your Majesty, there’s a matter I wish to discuss with Lady Lise in
private.”
“Very well.”
“Prime Minister, do you mind?”
“Eh? N-not at all.”
Lise and I walked to a place where the Miran soldiers could still see us but
couldn’t hear. A short while later, we both returned to our seats.
“Are you finished with your discussion?” asked the emperor.
“Yes. We were speaking of Lise’s attendance at the signing ceremony as
representative of the Country at the End of the World ”
I looked over at Munin, who stood beside me.
“Would Munin, Village Chief of the Kurosaga Clan, be a suitable
representative of the country in her stead?”
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor looked down for a moment in thought.
After a short time, he looked back up at us.

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“If Lady Munin is in a position to do so, then I have no objection. Would

that be acceptable to you, Prime Minister Lise?”
“Yes. She is a village chief and unlike Sir Belzegea, she is a citizen of
our nation,” said Lise, then gestured to Niko and Geo who were sitting beside
her.
“The Four Shining Warriors present here are also chiefs of their respective
clans. Our nation’s rules and laws are decided primarily by the chiefs. Her status
is quite sufficient to allow Chief Munin to speak on my behalf.”
The emperor nodded in understanding.
“Then I should consider Lady Munin, Chief of the Kurosaga Clan—the
Forbidden Words Clan, to be of equal standing as you yourself then? Luheit,
what do you think of this?”
“Well I think given the recent history of their nation, it is only natural
for them to be cautious when dealing with an unknown party. This explains the
king’s reluctance to leave his own borders. More importantly, the princeps’s
elector houses know nothing of the Country at the End of the World’s domestic
political hierarchy—nor can we determine the true import of any of the
individuals in attendance here today for that matter. If they name her as their
ambassador, then she is their ambassador.”
“Hmph, you’re right. Whoever is chosen as the official representative of
the prime minister or king of your nation, we can do nought but accept them as
qualified to do so.” The Wildly Beautiful Emperor’s eyes softened as he looked
at me. “That settles that.”
“ ”
I knew it.
The signing ceremony in Mira to establish this alliance… It could be a
king, a prime minister, or basically anyone in attendance—they aren’t going to

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be picky about who is doing the signing. I might even be able to represent the
Country at the End of the World. The military reinforcements this alliance will
bring are a secondary concern to them—first and foremost, they need Forbidden
Words Clan to get access to that sealed room.
They might even be willing to rethink the whole alliance just so long as
they can get the Forbidden Words Clan to Mira and get at the secrets in that
room.
That works out well for us.
“As per Lady Munin’s request, the Lord of the Flies Brigade will
accompany her to my nation of Mira as a diplomatic escort, then. Does this
sound acceptable?” the emperor asked.
“Of course. I have no issue with that.”
“Then let us set forth at once.”
“ If possible, we wish for some time to prepare for the journey. We will
follow close behind and arrive in Mira shortly after yourself.”
“Hmph.”
“We still have some cleanup to manage after the recent battle. Lady
Munin and I also have some business to attend to beyond the silver door ”
Yasu’s still asleep—I want to do something about him before we leave for
Mira. There are a lot of orders I want to leave for the people of the Country at
the End of the World as well.
Most of all—I don’t fully trust this emperor or the people of Mira. It’s
going to take longer than a day to get there.
If something does happen to go wrong on the road, I don’t want a great
army of soldiers attacking me all at once. I want to travel to Mira separately
from the Wildly Beautiful Emperor and his army.

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“Very well, as you wish.”

There was a kind of satisfaction in the emperor’s face as he approved my
request.
From that reaction alone… I can’t tell if he knows what I’m thinking.
“Well then, allow me to grant you a special writ of passage. It would
trouble me to see you harassed on the road.” The emperor went on to explain.
“This will certify to all within the realm of Mira that you are my personal guests
and will allow you free movement. It will also speak to your position—you
should find no trouble in my Empire with it in your possession.”
Meaning we can expect a warm welcome, eh?
“Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty.”
“ Lord of the Flies. From the interactions I have observed you having
with the prime minister beside you, I take it you have only recently come to the
Country at the End of the World?”
“It is as you say, yes.”
“Why did you ally yourself with them?”
“Simply put, one of my companions calls this country home.”
“I see ”
“I could not stand to see their nation ravaged by invasion And so I
resolved to support them as best I can. The Goddess of Alion also sent soldiers
to this place—men cruel beyond description. We have driven them away for
now, but there is no guarantee that she will not send more. Therefore I wish to
destroy the root of this issue completely—the Goddess Vicius herself. If any
stand in the way of my objective, they shall fall as well.”
“Even if Mira were to stand in your way?”
“If Mira chose to become an obstacle to that goal, then yes.”

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“No grand ideals, then? A mere personal grudge Those are the ones that
scare me most of all.” The Wildly Beautiful Emperor rose from his seat and
changed the subject. “Then I will return to the capital of Mira ahead of you. The
front lines have formed in this war, and I can hardly leave matters of strategy to
my ministers forever, regardless of their talents. I have much to do.”
The emperor pointed at his own face. In his clear blue eyes, I saw Seras’s
reflection.
“Long ago, I met a traveling conjurer who taught me to read emotions and
thoughts. A way of observing the movements of a person’s eyes, the slight shifts
in their tone of voice the faintest movements of their limbs and their breathing
patterns. He claimed that by these methods, I could determine whether what a
person is saying is true or false. I was unable to master the art but I believe that
Seras Ashrain has. The signals she has been giving you throughout our
negotiations, they were to indicate the truth or falsehood of my statements, was
it not?”
He’s wrong about her methods… But he’s seen through our charade.
I sensed Seras growing flustered behind me.
“Th-that wasn’t what I was ” her sudden reaction gave the game away.
“Hmph, never mind that. I should simply speak on the assumption that
you will see through any lies I might tell. That mask, and the way your voice has
been altered, does also make it quite hard to read you ” The emperor narrowed
his eyes and let an index finger run slowly over his white cheek. “Nonetheless,
I’m happy neither of us needed to use our reinforcements.”
He noticed we’d gathered troops in hiding nearby.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. We know very little of each other And after
our experience with the First Order of Alion, we felt it necessary to take
precautions against unforeseen developments.”

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“Come now, there’s no need to apologize. When I learned of your troop

deployments, I was relieved to see I was dealing with a shrewd individual. Those
are the kind I wish to gather at my side.”
“Presumptive as it is of me to say—you are a good person, Your Majesty.”
“How so?”
“Having noticed our deployment, I imagine a man of your standing would
be more than capable of taking advantage of the situation.”
“Perhaps I was simply playing the fool to throw my opponents off guard?”
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor placed a finger to his lips, as if to silence me.
“The conjurer told me this as well: the more a speaker reveals, confesses in
conversation, the more their listener is likely to trust them.”
Baring one’s chest—that can get you further with someone than playing
the fool. He’s right. This young emperor is more complicated than I first
thought. I’m reassured to think of him as an ally, but I can’t sense his true
feelings yet.
The emperor turned away, his golden hair gleaming as it waved in the
evening light.
“Fly King I wish to speak with you alone someday. Somewhere we can
truly take our time.” He glanced toward me, and his face looked beautiful in
profile.
“Then I look forward to our reunion in the capital of Mira,” I said.
The emperor then gave a few quick orders to Luheit and his aide. The aide
was to remain in order to go over some of the details, it appeared—discussing
the matter of the prisoners of war, and methods of future contact between Mira
and the Country at the End of the World.
I think I can leave all this to Lise.

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As the forces of Mira prepared to withdraw with their emperor—I thought

of Kashima Kobato.
Her reaction… The look on her face… Something about it still bothers me.
Did she realize it’s me under this mask? But what about my appearance could
connect me to Mimori Touka?
I was so careful, I did everything I could.
…Does Kashima have some kind of unique skill that allowed her to see
through my disguise? It would make sense if it was a unique skill that found me
out. None of my acting would’ve mattered anyway.
Kashima had left with one of the Miran soldiers partway through the
discussions. Now Asagi was talking about something with the emperor.
…Am I sure Kashima realized that it was me under this mask? Confirming
that for certain now would be difficult.
If the “Lord of the Flies” were to request to meet Kashima—that would
raise too many questions. Contacting Asagi, who seems to be the emperor’s
trump card, might be an option though. To get a meeting with Kashima I’m
going to need a more natural way in. In that case… It might be easier to find a
chance to do so once we all get to Mira. It’s probably a good idea to assume she
knows my identity from now on, anyway. It seems like they’re on our side at
least; it’s going to be easier than dealing with the enemy.
What still concerns me is whether Asagi’s here as a spy for the Goddess…
What happens if she betrays us to her? I need to keep that in mind until I’m sure
she’s on our side.
…My thoughts are about to start going in circles, aren’t they… But right
now I just don’t have the information I need to make a decision.
“I’m sorry, my master.”

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“If you’re apologizing for the emperor noticing our signal, then don’t.
That wasn’t your fault, Seras.”
It seemed as if I’d hit the nail on the head—she looked down sheepishly,
and her body seemed to grow smaller.
“Th-that is what I was saying sorry for ”
“You’re way too serious, as always.”
“I-I’m ashamed of how I acted.”
“But the way you handled yourself in the negotiations just now I don’t
think you have anything to be ashamed about there,” I said, watching as the
emperor’s forces withdrew.
They went west—marching away like the close of the day. I looked up
and saw the evening sun fading ever so slightly against the clouds above us. It
hung like a great orange circle just above the horizon, drawing a line between
the ground and the sky above.

We began our journey back to the Country at the End of the World. On the
road, the forces I’d left on standby as reinforcements filed in behind us as we
made our way home. A detachment of the Miran army was to remain in the
forest until the following day, and we were instructed to contact them if any
problems arose.
“Everything came together in the end, eh?” I called out to Lise. She rode
Loa, who had been among the reinforcements.
“Yes—though I imagine the difficult work is yet to come. Sending Munin
to Mira in my place to serve as a representative of our nation I know she made
the decision herself, yet ” Lise looked conflicted. “In terms, well Of looks
Would a winged creature be a more suitable envoy than an arachne?”

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“Eh? Ah That’s not why I chose her. I like the way you look, and I
figure the people in Mira should hurry up and get used to seeing demi-humans of
all stripes.”
“Y-you l-like the way I look ?”
So that’s what she’s hung up on—no surprises there.
“I shouldn’t have said like, then?”
“Y-you really are a terrible man! W-well, not that bad I suppose B-but
come on! Wh-what in the world were you thinking?!”
I moved Slei in closer to Lise and Loa and lowered my voice so those
around us couldn’t hear.
“I still don’t trust Mira completely,” I said to change the subject.
“ Well, of course. Neither do I.”
“You were blushing when the emperor complimented you.”
“O-of course I was! Anyone would?!”
“He’s handsome, I suppose. Nobody’s going to object to getting flattered
by him.”
“Argh! I’ve had quite enough of good-looking humans! That Michaela
taught me as much I can’t trust in manners and appearances! What’s wrong
with these humans, anyway?!”
“I’m a human too, you know.”
“Y-you’re different! Stop changing the subject!”
I returned to the topic at hand. “Right from the start, they’ve wanted the
Forbidden Words Clan. The Forbidden Words Clan might even be enough to
force Vicius herself to a negotiation table. They might attack us and try to
capture Munin ”
Lise listened in silence.

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“Seras and I could easily escape on Slei’s third form, if it’s just the two of
us.”
“But Munin is Ah, I see. In her crow transformation, she weighs almost
nothing.”
“Now you’re getting it ”
“But if I were to accompany you then Slei couldn’t carry the three of us,
could she?”
“I’m sure she could, in a pinch, but it’d slow us down and make it hard to
escape.”
“I suppose I’m essentially a civilian. If arrows or offensive magic were
fired at us from a distance, I would be incapable of defending myself. I’d just be
a burden.”
“Unfortunately, you’re correct. There are limits to what I’m able to
protect.”
“There’s nothing to be done about that. I understand your decision now.
It makes logical sense.”
“And you’ve got a lot of domestic stuff to deal with in the coming days.
I’m sure they’ll handle all of it better with you in charge, Lise.”
She chewed on her knuckle absently and nodded. “Yes You might be
right ”
Looks like she’s running simulations on the next couple of days in her
head.
“But sooner or later, I do think you should start to leave some of the work
in other people’s hands,” I said.
“Yes I’ll delegate my authority to others a bit at a time. I’ve been trying
to do far too much on my own.”

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“Yep.”
“Yes.” After a short pause, she looked away. “ Thanks.”
She seemed embarrassed as she thanked me. Lise glanced over at Seras,
who was riding on my right.
“Thank you too, Seras. I was glad to have you with me.”
Seras wasn’t wearing her Fly Swordsman mask right now. “You’re
welcome. In truth, I was somewhat taken aback by the Wildly Beautiful
Emperor’s presence myself, though my mask may have hidden it from those
around me. In the end, I believe most of the assistance you received came from
my master.”
“No. This was a team effort,” said Lise, shaking her head. “It was because
of everyone, you included. It’s thanks to all of you that I was able to hold on
until the end.”
Seras laughed kindly and smiled at her. “Then You’re welcome, I
suppose.”
“Y-yes I am.” Lise blushed.
“You’ve really mellowed out, prime minister,” I said, without taking my
eyes off the road.
“Q-quiet you!”
“Well I guess you are at your best when you’re excitedly shouting
people down. You should turn that quirk into a strength you know? You didn’t
need to freeze during the negotiations.”
She did perk up after the emperor left though.
“Argh ! I know already! Thanks for the advice I’ll remember it,
okay?!”
“You’re pretty cute when you’re being honest with yourself, aren’t you?”

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“What ?! Y-y-you you mean I’m n-not cute all of the time?!”
“Like I said, that’s what’s good about you.”
“—! Nhh D-do you really think so?”
“Yeah. Think about how to use that to your advantage, okay?”
“ Okay.”
“And if you were just honest all the time, you’d always be cu—”
“Knock that off! I’ve heard it already!”
Geo and Niko turned to look back at us.
“Our prime minister’s havin’ a tough time of it, ain’t she?”
“She can’t beat that man with words alone.”
Munin, who had dispelled her transformation, rode by Geo’s side atop a
great wolf.
“I’ve ” Munin laughed. “I’ve never seen her so happy before.”

There was a meeting once we arrived back at the castle, to share

information with those of the Seven Lights who couldn’t attend the negotiations.
It ended without incident, and after a quick summary of the group’s tasks for the
coming days, we dispersed.
Seems like this alliance is going to go smoother than I expected.
I returned to my room to find Seras and Nyaki eating dinner. After we’d
finished and Nyaki, Slei and Piggymaru had gone back to their shared room,
there was a knock at the door.
Seras stood up to answer it.
“Who’s there?”
“Ahem I’ve got a report !” The courier’s voice was rushed—

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panicked, even. “The Hero from Another World has woken up.”

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Chapter 2:
A Black Awakening

Y ASU TOMOHIRO was sitting up in bed.

Seras and I were the only other ones in the room, as I’d asked the centaurs
who had been caring for Yasu to leave. I was dressed as the Lord of the Flies,
but Seras was wearing her usual clothes, her face revealed and her sword by her
side.
“I’d like to talk with you for a little while,” I said politely, my voice
warped by the crystal fitted into my mask. “But we’re unable to do so while you
bear that restraint. We’ll take it off—but only on the condition that you promise
not to harm us.”
Once Yasu’s arms and legs are unbound, he’ll be able to use his skills the
moment that thing’s taken off his face.
“I’m sorry, but we’ve no choice but to be cautious. In a recent battle, we
were betrayed by enemies who first approached us as friends. We were almost
defeated. Perhaps that experience has made us cowardly Please nod once if
you agree to our condition.”
Yasu nodded, showing no signs of hesitation.
Seras can’t hear his words to tell if he’s lying or not—but I don’t think he
wants to harm us.
“Thank you. We’ll take it off you now.”
Seras removed the restraint and placed it on the bedside table—I remained
ready to use my status effect skills if necessary.
Yasu was calm and quiet.
…It’s almost like he’s a different person.

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“I know roughly what happened to you out there, and how it came to be.
The Sixth Order of Knights told me the story themselves.”
Yasu’s shoulders twitched at the mention of their name.
“Don’t worry. We destroyed them.”
Yasu’s eyes opened wide, completely taken aback at my words. He looked
up at me.
“Eh? Th-that Sixth Order Even Johndoe ?” His voice was terribly
weak and hoarse from lack of use.
He must not have spoken for a long time.
“He was a powerful foe but he is dead. The rest of the Sixth Order, too.
We finished off everyone present on that battlefield.”
Yasu looked down at the bed, his voice feeble.
“ I see.”
The Sixth Order are the ones who did this to him… I’d expect him to have
something to say about that, but he sounds almost indifferent.
There was no relief in his voice—not a trace of relish or joy in their
deaths. It sounded simply that he was accepting the facts for what they were.
“Did you despise them?”
“ After they betrayed me, I think I did for a time,” said Yasu, as if
questioning himself. “But I’ve had so much time to think. Embarrassing as it is
to admit, at about the time we arrived on that battlefield I I started to think
this was my own fault. I brought all of this upon myself.”
His voice was heavy with reflection and self-reproach.
“Before I was restrained by the Sixth Order, I I was such an arrogant
person. These powers of mine are only borrowed from the Goddess, but at the
time, I thought they made me invincible. I was such a fool. I felt like I could do

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whatever I wanted. Before I knew what was happening, I was blinded by my

own arrogance. I think I even lost sight of myself—no.”
His face gaunt and emaciated, Yasu looked down at his maimed hands. “I
think I was blind even before I came to this world. When I arrived here, these
powers made me arrogant and proud But I was just a kid. Coming here wasn’t
what made me like this. It just made it worse.”

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…He’s changed.
I almost couldn’t recognize him. Just as he said—he’s had a lot of time on
his own to think things over.
“Of course, I’m surprised that Johndoe has been defeated that the Sixth
Order could ever be defeated at all. I don’t feel anything more than surprise
about what happened to them.”
Yasu looked to me. “What’s going to become of me now? Is there going
to be a trial or something ? Will I be executed, do you think?”
“Would you accept that verdict?”
“ I would have to Yes. But ”
I waited patiently for Yasu to finish.
“If If I could, then a part of me would perhaps like to live just a little
longer ”
So he does want to live, then.
“Why is that?”
“ There are people I’d like to apologize to.”
“ ”
“The other Heroes from Another World My classmates Especially
Aya—no, Sogou-san. She She ” Yasu pressed his broken hands together as
if in prayer and held them to his forehead. “I was so awful! But she was worried
about me !I All my classmates relied upon me and I was only thinking
about myself ” He sobbed for a moment. “ B-but Sogou-san, she always
No matter what, she cared for other people Even me.”
Yasu wept openly as his feelings of regret poured out. Seras and I waited
silently for him to continue, and after some time, he calmed himself down
enough to suddenly start up again.

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“ Sakuma-kun and Hirooka-kun died because I wasn’t looking after

them. I could have saved them. I’m the reason they’re dead—I killed them ”
He sobbed again. “I can’t apologize to either of them anymore ”
Sakuma and Hirooka are dead, huh? When I talked to Sogou after she
defeated Einglanz, she told me about Kariya and Ikumi’s deaths… Not that
Sogou would’ve had any reason to tell the Lord of the Flies, but I didn’t know
about those other two.… I wonder if there are others that’ve died as well.
“Mimori ” Yasu whispered.
I made sure not to show any reaction to that name—and had instructed
Seras to do the same.
“Mimori-kun, I I can’t apologize to him either.” Yasu hung his head in
silence for a few moments. “Mimori-kun was a classmate of mine, in the old
world He reached out to me there once when I was hurt. But all I had was my
stupid pride I When he reached out, I-I I ”
He remembers me too, eh?
Yasu screwed both his eyes shut. He looked like he was working up the
courage to say something.
“I wanted to be the one to help other people! Not the one that needed
saving. I always, always Ever since coming here But somewhere along the
way things got so messed up, then just got worse and worse. I was so drunk on
the feeling of god-like power, growing more and more arrogant I could never
have imagined having such power in my old world.”
I see—so that experience with the Sixth Order is what sobered him up?
“You said you wanted to apologize, didn’t you?”
“ Y-yes.”
“You mean to say that if your crimes are forgiven and these people release

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you, you’ll return to the other heroes—to Alion?”

“I-I don’t know.” Yasu looked away, as if to say he knew his situation
wasn’t that simple. “It seems the Goddess wanted to get rid of me So if I
returned to her alive I don’t think much good would come of that.”
“But the other heroes—classmates, as you call them. You wish to be with
them, do you not?”
“ Yes. But, well To be honest, my emotions are all over the place
right now.”
There’s more to this, then. I waited for his next words, then spoke.
“Meaning?” I asked.
“I don’t know how I could even begin to approach them They still know
me from back when I’d lost sight of who I was A-and, well ”
Yasu looked at the sheets below—he was calming down a little. “I think
I I’d like to see a little of this world, perhaps. It’s just a thought ”
“See the world?” I asked.
Some time passed before Yasu responded. “Ashamed as I am to admit it,
in the past I considered the people of this world to be nothing but NPCs. I
thought them insignificant. I expected them to worship me, to approve of all of
my actions I was the chosen hero, after all. I don’t think I even truly
considered them to be alive ”
He thought he was the main character—that this world was made for him,
and him alone. That he was the only one who could save them.
“So I I want to see the faces of the people who live in this world with
my own eyes To understand what they feel about their lives I want to know
more about others, just about as strongly as I want to know myself. I’m sure this
all sounds a little strange to you.”

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I see… One of those journey-of-self-discovery things, huh? Before he goes

back to see Sogou and the other heroes. The idea of going on a journey to find
yourself had a bit of a surge in popularity at one point, but I think it’s fallen out
of favor recently. I remember seeing people post about it on the internet.
“Search all you want, it’s not like the real you is gonna be out there
somewhere.”
“Man, I cringe whenever I see one of these journey-of-self-discovery
dweebs.”
“They’re just running from reality ’cause they can’t take it.”
“Go to school or get a job. Pick one.”
It was a mocking phrase, only ever really used as a joke. But this is
another world… If a trip is what it takes for Yasu to organize his thoughts and
move on, it might be good for him.
“I Once I’ve apologized to everyone, I want to make it up to them. I’ve
been so selfish for so long But for Mimori-kun, Sakuma-kun, and Hirooka-
kun I don’t think it’s going to be easy to make amends to them.”
“This Mimori you speak of—you feel responsible for this individual’s
death?”
“Anyone would feel terrible, being told a thing like that having him go
to certain death with those words of despair. Ah, but ” It was faint, but I saw
Yasu’s mouth form a smile. “Before he was sent to the Ruins of Disposal,
Mimori-kun raised his middle finger to the Goddess. Said she should remember
him Said she better be ready. In that desperate situation, he was so cool
Almost as cool as Sogou-san.”
Yasu looked down again. His shoulders sank. “The truth was, I felt
envious of Mimori-kun and Sogou-san. Maybe I just had some kind of
inferiority complex about well, no. It wasn’t just them. I’m shorter than

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everyone else, and I didn’t want to admit it. That was why I tried to be strong,
tried to make everyone see how amazing I could be I wanted them to see that
in me. Even now, I ”
Yasu stared intently at his hands again.
“I’m pouring out all my feelings trying to get people to forgive me. I
hate that about myself. I really, truly do. But that’s why I I want to And I
know this is selfish of me, but ” He looked up—looked right at me. “I want to
learn to like myself, if I can. Even just a little. Then I want to apologize to
everyone. And go out and find those who need my help.”
“ ”
Who the heck is this? This isn’t the Yasu Tomohiro I know. But at the
same time…this all checks out. I feel like it’s him. This must be what Yasu
Tomohiro’s really thinking, on the inside.
…This seems so cliché. If he wants to apologize so bad… I’m standing
right here. I’m still alive.
But all the poisonous armor that Yasu had built around himself—it’s been
stripped away. That encounter with the Sixth Order really did a number on him.
He’s been scared straight.
In any case, I’ve heard him out now, and I think I understand his thoughts.
“I see. I understand how you feel.” I gestured thoughtfully. “Allow me to
speak to the people of the Country at the End of the World on your behalf. I’ll do
my best to set you on the path you wish to take.”
“B-but Wh-what about my trial ?”
“Some might wish for one, but luckily for you, we are the ones most
responsible for guiding this nation to victory in the recent battle. I’m sure we can
work something out.”

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Actually, there’s been no mention of trials or execution for any of our

prisoners—Yasu’s fate has been left entirely up to me. No need for him to know
that right now, though.
“We can hardly accuse you of participating in the battle itself but I must
ask: Do you wish this nation any harm?”
“N-no ! I couldn’t possibly ”
Seras gave me a silent signal—Yasu was telling the truth.
“I believe you.”
Yasu seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then a look of grim determination
quickly appeared on his face. “A-ahem A-actually I I was sent here to kill
you, Belzegea-san. Th-then I heard from the people of this country They said
you were looking for me ”
“I began my search when I learned you were a Hero from Another
World,” I said. “I have a few things I’d like to ask you. Your gratitude, however,
should be directed toward the demi-humans who found you, brought you here,
and cared for you.”
“Even so I know I’m still alive because of you. I would have died had I
not been found. Thank you, truly. And I’m sorry. I might have completely lost
sight of who I was, but to try to kill you was unacceptable ”
“But you were told to kill me only if I refused your invitation to join the
Goddess, no? I have yet to receive that invitation.”
“B-but I-I Well I never intended to recruit you. I planned to kill
you as soon as you were located Thinking back, it was so foolish ” Yasu sat
in silence for a few moments, then said without looking up, “You had everything
I wanted It was pure envy.”
He’s not trying to hide the truth—he’s finding the courage to say it all…

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“I’m pathetic. I ran from that battlefield when the situation looked
hopeless, but you The Lord of the Flies rushed in and defeated that Inner
Circle demon like it was nothing. Not to mention ”
He looked up and gave a start of realization as he saw Seras standing there
next to me. Strangely, it was as if he were seeing her for the first time—and only
now realizing just how beautiful she was. Plus the fact that she’d been here all
along.
“ You have Seras-san by your side, the most beautiful woman on the
whole continent You have power, fame, an enviable partner And I just
from the bottom of my heart, I think y-you’re so cool.” He closed his eyes and
smiled faintly. “Of all the people in this other world, I think—I wanted to be like
you.”
His smile was empty of malice but soon turned to a wry, self-accusatory
smirk. “That’s why I wanted to finish you with my own two hands I wanted to
take everything you had, even though I knew I didn’t deserve it.”
“I have everything, do I?” I asked him.
“ That is how it looked to me. And to be honest, it still appears that
way.”
“It’s surprisingly hard to see the bad from the outside. There’s always
much that remains unknown to us, even regarding friends and neighbors we see
quite often. You may envy me, for instance, but there is much that is unpleasant
and unfortunate in my life—and in my past. Too much attention isn’t a good
thing. It can weigh on me, and Seras has problems of her own that she is dealing
with. People attach such expectations to their baseless fantasies about other
people’s lives. Get too close to your heroes and you’ll realize that most of them
are mere illusions. It’s very rare for one’s preconceptions to ever be matched or
exceeded. Sooner or later, reality gets in the way.”

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“ You’re a real adult, aren’t you, Belzegea-san.”

“I’m only standing on my tiptoes and pretending.”
Yasu gave a bitter laugh. “That’s what we call being an adult, no? I think
it is.”
I paused for a moment. “You wanted other people to appreciate you.”
“ I think so.”
“But nobody ever appreciated you.”
“ No.”
“What about you, then—did you appreciate anybody else?”
“ I don’t think I really did.”
“Well, if you want others to appreciate you, then maybe appreciating those
around you is a good place to start. That might make them start to naturally
appreciate you in turn.”
“ ”
“If you don’t want to give anyone else their due, but still want praise and
accolades for yourself you’re going to need a great deal of strength and
willpower to make it through. It will be a lonely and difficult path, I’m sure but
perhaps it will take you where you seek.” I paused a moment longer for effect.
“Which path you choose is up to you.”
“ Yes. You’re right.” Yasu nodded.
“ Ahem.”
Yasu looked up at me as I held out my hand toward him.
“The name’s Belzegea—captain of the Lord of the Flies Brigade.” I
introduced myself. He seemed to understand.
“ Tomohiro Yasu—f-former hero.” Yasu took my hand—his grip was

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still weak.
Talking to people who’ve strayed from the path—lectures like these can
really make an impact. This handshake, too—this is the proof that I trust him.
Once that trust exists, the real conversation can begin.
I don’t believe he’s going to attack us. I sense no hostility from him at all.
All I can sense is the trust of someone who finally knows themselves.
Now, it’s time we got down to business—information.
“—Would you look at the time,” I said deliberately, taking out my pocket
watch. “I wanted to ask so much, but we got lost in conversation I have a
number of questions for you, in fact. Would you mind if I asked them now?”
“Ah, of course Ask me anything you like.”
I went on to ask Yasu several questions, each of which he answered with
the truth. I couldn’t get a lot of new information out of him—but I did get a
refresher on the movements of class 2-C.
Sounds like they’re getting ready to fight the Demon King, eh? No big
moves yet from what Yasu says—but I feel like the decisive battle’s closing in.
“Thank you very much, Tomohiro. As someone currently at war with
Alion, I wished to know as much as possible of their movements, you see.”
Yasu gave me a weak smile. “I’m afraid I don’t know if what I told you
will be of much use.”
“It was enough.”
Right, then… What are we going to do with him next…

Leaving Yasu alone, Seras and I walked side by side down the hallway to
leave.
“Do you have something you want to say, Seras?”

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“Ah Y-yes.”
She looked over her shoulder, checking for anyone who might be listening
in. “That man, well ”
“I didn’t reveal my identity to him, even though he’s an acquaintance I
know from the old world—is that what’s on your mind?”
Seras didn’t respond immediately, but her expression told me I was right. I
stopped walking.
“ If he found out who I am now, I think it’d only muddle his emotions
even more. I get the feeling he was only able to be so open with me because he
thinks the Lord of the Flies doesn’t know anything of the way he used to be. It’s
best that I be a stranger, I think.”
It’s best that it be the Lord of the Flies that saved Yasu—not Mimori
Touka.
He said he wanted to apologize if he could… But for now, I think it’s best
that Mimori Touka stays in his past—stays dead.
“So that’s why—I see.”
“It depends on the person, and the situation But it was the decision I
made. How do I put this I figure there are all kinds of small and subtle
emotions with the connection I had with him. I’m sure that only the two of us
really understand any of that though.”
“I see ”
“I’m not saying this isn’t true for women—but men are way more delicate
creatures than you think, Seras.”
That’s why we lash out aggressively trying to protect ourselves… We hit
rock bottom worrying about our place in the world, then end up fighting the
demons of own endless, inescapable self-doubt.

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“Right now, Yasu is trying to change. Trying to take himself in the right
direction. That’s good enough. Of course there are also benefits to me
accepting his plans for the future.”
I’m going to give Yasu Tomohiro his freedom—let him loose. I haven’t
told Yasu yet, but that’s my decision. There’d be too much risk in taking him
with us anywhere, and I can’t ever discount the possibility that he’ll discover
my true identity. Having a former classmate fighting by my side as a companion
would also increase the danger others might find me out. I’m going to let him go
without telling him I’m Mimori Touka.
That’s the best move I can make here.
I’m not going to kill him. He’s not even on the Goddess’s side any longer,
though I suppose there’s still a chance he could go ally with Sogou…
“He might go back and meet up with Sogou and the other heroes and
reconcile with them after he’s apologized Then Sogou might learn that it was
the Lord of the Flies who helped him get back on his feet.”
A flash of realization appeared on Seras’s face.
“That’s right. If we do have to fight Sogou someday, that will make it
harder for her to go all out against us. I think it’s likely my helping Yasu will
shackle her, in that case.”
“Considering what I have heard of Lady Sogou’s character—that does
sound possible ” Seras mused.
“Vicius tried to use the Sixth Order to kill Yasu. She ordered her pawns to
murder one of Sogou’s classmates. And if Sogou learns that truth from Yasu
himself, she’s going to turn on that Foul Goddess way faster than if I were the
one who went and told her.”
Seras once again looked as if she’d suddenly just realized something. “I
see. In that case, the Wildly Beautiful Emperor’s plan to gather the S-class

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heroes to his side is beginning to sound a little more realistic.”

“You’re right.”
That said, it would be an unexpected windfall if things went that way.
Relying entirely on Yasu to bring the S-class heroes over to our side is too risky
—ideally, Asagi’s group should be the ones to convince them.
Though when it finally comes time—I might have to reveal my true identity
in the end, anyway.
“Yasu still seems a bit mentally unstable, and there are too many unknown
factors when it comes to his situation. That’s another reason I’m letting him go.”
I don’t have the time or spare brain power to spend thinking about Yasu
Tomohiro right now.
“I don’t feel confident I could properly manage him. And if we traveled as
companions, it’d take a huge amount of effort and conscious acting and lying to
hide the fact of who I am.”
Yasu’s an A-class hero, I’m sure he’s a good fighter…but I haven’t gotten
the full measure of him as a person yet. It might seem he’s heading in the right
direction, but nothing’s for certain. It’s too risky to reveal my true identity to
him, and there are too many variables at play for me to fight alongside him
while keeping up the deception.
“Yasu himself said he wants to go back and see Sogou and the other
heroes—and as you heard, he wants to see more of this world. But we have other
matters to attend to.”
“—meaning that releasing him is the best move. I see,” said Seras.
“I think it’s the right decision, yeah.” I turned my head to look back at her.
“I know it might sound like I’m pushing him away But he’s got to go out and
find his own path. I’ve done all I can for him.”

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Plus, since that Foul Goddess almost murdered him, I doubt he’ll turn on
me when I go up against her. Even if the Goddess does capture him, he doesn’t
know who I really am.
“I can’t imagine the Goddess is going to be that concerned about Yasu’s
survival But I’ll be sure to remind him later to conceal his true identity when
he’s out there on the road.”
“But From the description you gave me of his character, I can scarcely
believe the person we’ve captured is the same Yasu. I can’t even imagine him
doing some of the things you described. Every word he spoke from the bed was
true and from the heart. He had no hostility toward us whatsoever, and even
asked if he could continue to use his mouth restraint to avoid causing
unnecessary stress and worry to the people of this country. He was extremely
objective in his decision making and showed a great amount of consideration
with his words.”
“Maybe That’s who he always was, on the inside.”
Who remembers when they took a wrong turn? Misled by the endless
stream of articles and comments constantly washing over him… Before he
realized it, he was swallowed by the flood of disinformation. The internet, filled
with oceans of dubious facts, overwhelmed and bewildered him, tossed him this
way and that until he was left dazed and confused.
Maybe Yasu Tomohiro is just reclaiming who he used to be.
“It’s almost like ” I placed a hand on the knob of the door to our room.
“You could say he’s been affected by a status effect the whole time I’ve known
him, eh?”
…What, are you trying to sound cool? Nice try, idiot. Jeez. At least Seras
looks impressed with that insight…
In any case—I know what I’m doing with Yasu Tomohiro now.

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He’s going to walk his own path—and I’m going to walk mine.

We started to prepare for our own journey, to Mira. There were meetings
to pop into every so often, and decisions to be made about future plans. Munin
made herself a fly knight mask in the meantime—and had apparently gotten one
ready for Nyaki as well.
They both put on their masks and came to show Seras and me when they
were done—Nyaki meowing that “Nyaki’s going to get strong too!” when she
was showing off hers. She went to see the Four Shining Warriors for advice a
few times, and I accompanied her whenever she did. I also took baths with Seras
in the evenings sometimes. We talked about our next moves as we bathed and
sometimes Amia and Kil burst in on us partway through a meeting there.
I also visited the Kurosaga Village and had dinners with the Seven Lights,
where we discussed all kinds of topics—including the divine beast Radice. He
was a loud prisoner, but could hardly be turned over to Mira with the rest. The
Country at the End of the World had informed the emperor that they wished to
keep him for themselves, and he had accepted.
“With the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two nations,
we no longer have need of the divine beast,” came his response.
I found some time to relax and chat with Gratrah after one of my dinners
with the Seven Lights, and was invited to Lise’s room to sample more of her
cooking that same night.
As the days of preparation ticked slowly by, our departure from the
Country at the End of the World grew ever closer.

SERAS ASHRAIN

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S ERAS ASHRAIN deftly passed her needle through Too-ka’s Lord of the
Flies robes. The fabric was thick, but there were patches that became worn and
frayed no matter what—she took it upon herself to sew them back up.
Too-ka sat in a chair next to her, watching her work with the needle. The
chair was turned with its back toward her, and both Too-ka’s arms were placed
atop its backrest. Seras pulled the thread through and snipped it with her teeth.
“ I’m glad I can take off my disguise in front of someone who can
actually fix those robes up.”
“Heh heh. It makes me glad I learned needlework as well. Speaking of
making things Lady Munin and Miss Nyaki’s masks are very well put
together, aren’t they?”
“Seems like Munin’s real good at making those kinds of things, yeah.”
“She’s become such friends with Nyaki so quickly She’s so easy to get
along with; I wish I could be more like her in that respect.”
Munin and Nyaki had recently visited to show off their new masks, and
Seras had greatly enjoyed their little fashion show. She was happy to see Nyaki
joyous and having fun.
It’s just as Sir Too-ka said… This is all to keep Nyaki smiling.
“Speaking of Miss Nyaki, how is her intensive training going?”
“Surprisingly, all four of the Shining Warriors seem to be helping her out
—they’re taking turns to make the free time to teach her.”
“Perhaps that’s because it’s a favor for the one and only Sir Too-ka?”
“Well I can’t deny I did twist their arms a little when I asked.”
But that wasn’t for him, it was for Nyaki—I know that.
“That can hardly be helped, when you’re here in the Country at the End of

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the World you’re treated like a celebrity wherever you go.”

Perhaps that’s why we’ve been spending less time alone together of late.
Seras had dared to ask him if they might share a bath a few days ago, and
he’d agreed without a hint of reluctance.
I was happy we got to be together for more than the moments before we go
to bed and after we wake up… But then Amia and Kil stumbled in on us.
At the time, Seras had suggested that Too-ka should hide his face—he
never walked about in public without his mask. She stood up and tried to block
him from view with her own body, eventually using the power of the light spirit
to cover his escape from Amia and Kil.
“But hey I don’t think I really mind if the people of this country know
my true face,” Too-ka said.
“M-my apologies. I simply wanted to preserve your identity I’m sorry
you had to see such an unsightly spectacle ”
Seras blushed when she thought back on the whole ordeal. She had been
so focused on concealing Too-ka’s face and getting him out that she’d had no
time to worry about how shamelessly exposed she was.
“Nah, I appreciate it. You were only trying to do whatever you could to
help, right? Thanks.”
Seras gave me a wry laugh. “Thank you for saying that. It does save me
from my own brain ”
Why does he always do that? He always forgives me. Why is he always so
kind to me, I wonder?
Unable to stand the embarrassing memory, Seras changed the subject.
“S-so how did things go at the Kurosaga Village?”
“Ah, Munin formally introduced me to the other Kurosaga again. They all

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seem like good people. The first time we met the people were a bit distant, but
they all trust Munin. They really love her there.”
“I’d like to go and meet with them myself, I think.”
“I wasn’t sure how accepting they’d be of outsiders, which is why I went
alone the first time. But given their reaction to me, I think it’d be fine if you
came along too, Seras.”
Too-ka had become very popular after the negotiations with Mira—
everyone was asking his opinion, and he was once called to eat with the Seven
Lights. Seras accompanied him for the dinner and was happy to see him so
trusted and relied upon by those around him.
“You did mention that after the dinner, Lady Gratrah invited you to a
private talk, did you not ?”
“Yeah, I had a chat with her. It seemed like she wanted to apologize I
couldn’t think what for, but she mentioned that after the battle she realized she’d
been cold toward me, apparently. She said she felt bad about it.”
“I see. She was requesting an opportunity to apologize in private, then.”
It was true that Gratrah’s attitude toward Too-ka had clearly softened in
recent days.
“Speaking of changes You remarked that Prime Minister Lise has
changed considerably as well?”
It seems Lise invited Too-ka to her room last night and made him
something to eat. I feel like recently…a lot more people are realizing how
wonderful Too-ka is.
This made Seras as happy as if she’d been the one being praised.
Too-ka returned a heavy sigh. “I don’t mind that she’s changed, but Lise
keeps calling out my name at the strangest times. Then when I ask what she

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wants, ‘I-it’s not like I want anything!’ is all I get in reply ”

“I’m sure she just wishes for the chance to speak with you, Sir Too-ka.”
“Well, she is a good cook. I’d be more than happy to go eat her home
cooking again.”
“ ” Her sewing needle stopped.
Then…what about me? Too-ka has revealed his true face to Lise, but not
to the others… Sometimes I think they aren’t attracted to him for his appearance
but for what’s on the inside.
Then in my case… Does he like what’s on the inside? Am I a good person?
Sometimes Seras thought about this to herself—she might even have
spoken about it to Too-ka at one point. Back when she lived in Neah, there were
those that praised her character. Seras could tell lies from truth, and therefore she
knew that they were sincere.
But even so—don’t they only see what’s on the inside because of my
outward appearance?
Seras had thought about it many times—questioning herself over and over.
Would they still think those things about me, absent the way I look? I think
Cattleya would… She accepted me for what I am on the inside. But what of my
acceptance by the Empire of Neah? Holy Emperor Ortola only ever cared about
my looks.
In Too-ka’s fight against the Black Dragon Knights, Seras learned of the
holy emperor’s true intentions. She realized now that he had not taken her in
because of her status as a former noble of a high elf nation.
It was only because I look like this…
Seras had always been told she was a rare beauty.
Without this beauty, perhaps I would never have met Cattlea in the first

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place. What would I be worth without it?

Seras worried about that from time to time—the thought scared her.
…If someday I lose something—something that makes me who I am—I’ll
lose everything that’s of value in me. What that something is that I have to lose, I
don’t know. I feel it might be my appearance, but it could be something else. The
thought scares me.
A sudden, indescribable wave of anxiety flooded over her, and—
“What is it you’re so worried about?”
Seras jumped back to attention.
Her sewing needle was still frozen in midair—she’d been sitting in silence
for some time.
“Ah, no I Well ”
“If there’s something on your mind, I’m willing to listen—if you’re okay
with that.”
Seras thought for a moment, her hand still stuck there in place. “Sir Too-
ka.”
“Yeah?”
“Even these fine Lord of the Flies robes of yours can fray and tear. Of
course, I can repair them for you, but they’ll never return to being the way they
once were.”
“I guess not.”
“I can make them look the same But at the end of the day, they will
have become something different once I am done. They’ll never be the same
again. They will have lost something.”
“Well, yeah.”
Seras looked down at her lap.

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“If there were something close to you that lost an aspect of itself, in a
similar fashion would you be able to treat it the same?” She could sense the
faint trembling in her own voice as she continued. “Would you be able to look at
it the same way after it was damaged ?”
“Those are my robes, no matter what happens to them.”
Seras paused, then looked up.
“ Even if these robes are covered with stitches and seams from where
they’ve been ripped apart,” Too-ka said. “These robes have been with me
through so many battles now—no matter the damage, they’re still mine.” He was
resolute, unhesitating. “Being by someone’s side doesn’t only mean losing
something, you know?”
Seras started at his words.
“There are things you can gain Things that can be so much more
important than whatever you’ve lost along the way. Memories, I guess you could
say.”
“Yes, I I agree with you.” Her gaze went back to her lap, but she was
smiling now, her eyes brimming with tears. For a moment, she caught a glimpse
of Too-ka smiling at her.
“What’s wrong? You’re approaching this in a really roundabout way If
it’s tough for you to talk about, you don’t have to. We can drop the subject if
you want.”
“No, I I was just speaking h-hypothetically. For example, if something
we’ve gained through our journey together were to somehow be lost I
wondered if you would still treat me the same. I’m sorry for troubling you with
such nonsense.” Seras set the needle and thread aside, and lowered her head,
robes still draped over her lap. “I’m so sorry The way I asked, it must sound
like I don’t trust you ”

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“We haven’t been together for years, but we have been close for a while
now, so I think I get it. What makes you you—it’s not your outward appearance,
Seras.”
“—Ah!”
“It doesn’t matter if you lose a limb or your face is burned You’ll
always be Seras to me. Seras Ashrain.”
“Sir Too-ka ”
“Though I don’t think anything can be done about our different life
spans ”
The corners of Too-ka’s mouth curled into a grin.
“If that’s what you want, then once this journey of revenge is over I
wouldn’t mind staying here, in this world. If it’s with you.”
Under normal circumstances, Too-ka’s smile would have looked anything
but sincere but for some reason in that moment, it was as heartfelt as it could
have been.
“Even if you lose that something you’ve been talking about, I’ll be by
your side until the very end.” Too-ka snorted at her. “You know I’m not lying,
don’t you?”
Seras could barely see any more—tears had blurred everything in her
vision.
“Yes Yes ”
When she came to, she was repeating those words in between hiccups and
sobs. And amidst the tears, she mumbled words of gratitude.

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Losing something you have is terrifying.

But stronger than that terror, is the wonderful joy of gaining something
new.
I’m sure—those things we’ve gained along the way will stay with us until
the end.
I just know it.

MIMORI TOUKA

Y ASU TOMOHIRO was a step ahead of us in his departure. We all went to

the great silver door to see him off.
He was capable of walking at last, and some color had returned to his
cheeks. Yasu was wearing earmuffs to hide his lost ears, and bandages and
gloves to protect his fingertips now that his nails had been peeled off and he had
lost all grip strength in one of his hands. Looking closer, I still saw the marks of
painful scratches all over his body But he had recovered enough that he was
able to move around normally, at least.
Might be his hero stat modifiers helping him with that recovery.
Yasu wore a backpack with all the camping gear he would need to spend
the night wherever he found himself. I gave him money for travel expenses as
well—more than enough to get to Alion.
In terms of danger on the road—I don’t imagine there’ll be any problems
there. Yasu was beaten up by the Sixth Order, but he’s still an A-class hero with
his own unique skills. He should be able to drive away any bandits or golden-
eyed monsters that come his way, so long as he doesn’t let his guard down.
Many of the other demi-humans who had cared for Yasu also came to see

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him off, including the dragonkin and centaurs that found him, and Nyaki who
was there to open the door and let him out.
Yasu neatly drew himself up to face them and bowed. “Thank you so
much for everything you’ve done for me.”
“Here.” I walked over and handed Yasu a pendant with a crest
emblazoned upon it, hanging on a piece of thin thread. He took it in his hands
and looked up at me.
“What is this ?”
“It signifies that the holder of this pendant is a guest of the Country at the
End of the World, and we wish for him to be granted free passage. With this in
hand, you should face no unnecessary impediments to your movement across the
territory of Mira. If you plan on avoiding the war in Ulza, I believe you will need
this pendant to head west.”
“Thank you. I don’t know how I could ever repay you ”
“Don’t worry about that now, please. Incidentally, where are you planning
on traveling first?”
“Well, I I don’t quite know yet But as you mentioned, attempting to
take a route south to Alion might involve me in the fighting. I’m sure the forces
of Mira and Alion are already engaging each other there. I think I will head
north, through the nations of Mira, Yonato, and Magnar—to see the people of
this world with my own two eyes ”
“What you do now is completely up to you. I hope you have a safe
journey And I truly wish that when you rejoin the other heroes, a bright future
awaits you all.”
“Thank you I hope your future is bright as well, Belzegea-san.”
Yasu then thanked Seras and Nyaki before finally turning to the demi-
humans who had cared for his injuries, the dragonkin and centaurs standing by

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the door, and bowed deeply as he thanked them most of all.

“I’m happy to see you well, Mr. Tomohiro. Please be careful on the road.”
“Thank you, and I wish you well in return. I will never forget what you all
have done for me. And I It may be too late for me, but I I’ll try my best to
be the kind of person others will wish to give gratitude to in turn.”
“Yes We hope very much for that also.”
Yasu looked at me one last time, then turned to Nyaki. “If you would.”
Nyaki looked to me, and I nodded—the door to the outside world opened
before us.
“Well then, everyone Thank you again for everything. Someday when I
hope I am more proud of the person I am I’d like to thank you again. But for
now, thank you. Thank you so much.”
With that, Yasu Tomohiro departed the Country at the End of the World.
That same day, Munin attuned herself to the Forbidden Magic meant to
dispel the Goddess’s powers. The attunement process was successful. As we
stood in one corner of the castle, I handed her a single blue dragonstone to
consume for a test fire, and the trial run went off without a hitch as well.
All that’s left…is getting in close enough. How will we get close to the
Goddess? How do I deceive her?
“ ”
Just a little further. Just a little closer and I’ll be able to reach…
…For her throat.

Several days after Yasu Tomohiro had left—the time came for the Lord of
the Flies Brigade to depart as well.
“Ny-Nyaki Nyaki’s w-waiting for the day you all come back safe

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Meow! And And when all of Master’s journey is over, then ”

Nyaki’s going to remain here—in the Country at the End of the World.
“Yeah,” I said, taking a knee. “When that day comes, I’ll take you to see
Lis too.”
“Yes me-ow!”
“Oh, and we’ve got to tell your Nee-nya and little sisters that you’re safe
and sound as well, don’t we?”
“Yes me-ow!”
Nyantan Kikipat.
I’ve already told Mira what she looks like—that she’s a relative of one of
my companions, and that they absolutely shouldn’t kill her if they happen to fight
her in combat. But there are no absolutes in war—just as there was no absolute
way to hide the Lord of the Flies Brigades’s presence in the battle we just
fought. I’m just doing whatever I can… But since Nyantan’s a Disciple of Vicius
—there are no guarantees this will end well for her.
“If we come across her on our travels, I’ll let her know myself.”
“Thank you, meow! Ah, but ”
“Eh?”
Nyaki was smiling, but in the corners of her screwed up eyes, I saw little
drops of tears forming. “Nyaki knows. Nee-nya’s an ally of the Goddess, so
there’s no guarantee she can come home safe Nyaki wants her to be safe,
but Master has my permission to kill her if leaving her alive would cause
trouble for you.”
I sighed inwardly.
It’s because she says stuff like this that I can be so objective in the end.
She’s always prioritizing other people over herself. It makes me want to ensure

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everything works out for Nyaki—make sure that she gets what she wants.
“You’re right. There are no guarantees. But we’ll do our best. You’re one
of us now, after all.”
“Master When you say that to Nyaki, then Nyaki Nyaki ”
Lis and Nyaki have both been through so much. They’re the past “me”—
the way I used to be. I have to save them—I couldn’t stand not to.
Who’s going to benefit from that most of all? Me.
A bright future where those two can smile and live in peace would bring
me some relief… It would be a small bit of payback—a middle finger—to my real
parents.
“Don’t worry about it. Anything that’s good for you is good for me in the
end, Nyaki.”
“Meow?”
Seras leaned over to Nyaki’s side and smiled at her. “My master wants
you to be happy, Miss Nyaki. Everything he just said is the truth—I’d know if he
was lying, you see.”
“Miss Seras ”
“And I think you’re misunderstanding something, Nyaki I’m not saying
we can’t see each other again until this journey’s over, you know.”
“Myaw?”
Vicius’s main base is in Alion, in the east of the continent. If we’re
heading west to Mira now, we can easily stop here on our way back east.
“We might come back to see you once we’re done in Mira.”
“R-really meow?”
“Well, it kind of depends, but hopefully, yeah.”

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“U-understood!”
“These two won’t like being apart from you either, Nyaki.”
“Squee~! Boing—!”
“Pakyuuh~!”
Piggymaru bounced out of my robes, and Slei galloped over to Nyaki—
both of them immediately glued themselves to her side.
“Squee~ ”
“Pakyuuh~ ”
I stood up and looked at the three of them.
They’ve grown quite close during all the time they spent together… Maybe
I should let them all meet again before the final battle.
“Piggymaru, Slei Nyaki can’t wait to see her friends again!”
“Squee-ee-ee! ”
“Pakyuh! ”
Seras sneaked over to me and whispered in my ear.
“Let’s do everything we can to make sure they can all see each other
again, Sir Too-ka.”
I snorted. “You read my mind.”

“ Well then, good luck,” said Lise, who stood at the front of the crowd at
the silver door—the entrance to the Country at the End of the World.
We only just saw Yasu off a few days ago—and now we’re the ones
leaving. There are more people here than I expected…
The Seven Lights were all there, Loa the hound of hell and soldiers from
all the armies There were plenty of monsters that I recognized who had fought

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alongside us in the recent battle—kobolds (who’d been cautious when we first

encountered them) and great wolves. Looking out at them now, there were still
so many I hadn’t met.
King Zect took both my hands in his.
“It was my weakness that put this burden on you I’m sorry. And thank
you, from the bottom of my heart.”
“I wish to thank you as well,” said Gratrah, taking a step forward and
bowing. “I trust you now—truly I do. I wish you safe passage on the roads.”
I nodded to her. Next, the Four Shining Warriors stepped forward—Niko
first.
“I believe in your strength. Don’t let us down, Lord of the Flies. I After
what happened, I want to be smarter, stronger. I will devote myself even more
fully to my training.”
“All right. Do your best.”
“Hmh! I’m going to give it everything I’ve got! And I pray for your safe
return.”
Next came Kil.
“I ended up as a tactician, huh? I’ve gotta learn more about strategy and
how to make moves in battle. Wish Sir Seras could hang around and keep
teaching me!”
“I’m sorry, Lady Kil.” Seras gave her a wry smile, and Kil shrugged and
smiled back.
“You’re a real serious one, ain’tcha~! But sure, teach me more when you
get back, okay?”
“Of course.”
“Heh heh In exchange, your big sister here’ll teach you all kinds of

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other stuff. Gotta keep the Lord of the Flies happy, y’know?”
“Hah…”
“Come on! I knew you’d make that face, Seras-kun! You’re way too
predictable!”
There was laughter at Kil’s words, and the atmosphere around us relaxed.
Amia walked up to me, coming in so close enough that only I could hear.
“Seems like those two get along well with each other, yeah.”
“Hey, I think we get along well too, right?” I asked.
“Yeah. I think so.”
This lamia’s got a surprisingly objective view on things.
She looked over at Seras, who was bowing repeatedly as Kil and the
others surrounded her.
“I want to thank you for taking Chief Munin with you. I appreciate it. But
well We’ve gotta do what we can here too. We pushed a lot of responsibility
on you in the battle, but we can’t rely on you and Seras forever. We have to
make decisions for ourselves in this country and manage our own affairs, yeah.
You didn’t expect to have to deal with this detour on your journey, right?”
I watched from afar as Seras, Munin, and Slei said their goodbyes.
“This journey of ours is for personal reasons, and we stopped by on our
way But to be honest, yeah. I realize more and more every day what a kind
and good person I am.”
“Heh heh Maybe what people like about you is that they can’t figure out
whether you’re good or bad, yeah?”
“Might be best if you or Geo support Lise with the diplomatic stuff for a
while yet. You’ve got a talent for it, I think. You’ve all just gotta play to your
own strengths. You’ve got the numbers here, so that does give you an advantage

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in war.”
“Forget about me And Chief Geo’s way too much of a hothead for
diplomacy, yeah.”
“I heard that, Amia.”
Geo Shadowblade appeared out of nowhere, stepping to Amia’s side. His
wife, Yerma, was waiting behind him.
“Ohh, if it isn’t Geo! What’s that? You heard what now?!”
“ You’re bein’ too obvious, snake girl.”
“Amia only told the truth, there’s no sense in getting angry at that!”
Yerma gestured to restrain him. Geo clicked his tongue, scratched the back of
his head in frustration, and then looked to me.
“Sorry. It was more than enough that you fought with us in the battle
But now we’re pushing this diplomatic trip to Mira onto you too.”
“Well, technically Munin’s your representative.”
“I don’t figure that pretty boy emperor’s thinking about it like that.”
I knew it—he’s got good sense with those black panther eyes of his.
“Like I said. I’m so full of goodwill, I just don’t know what to do with
myself.”
“ We’re going to sharpen our fangs here, best we can. You make sure
and tell us if you ever need us again.”
“Sure, if that day ever comes—I won’t hesitate.”
I do feel like I can really rely on Geo’s strength, and the power of his
Band of the Shining Leopard.
The time for our departure finally came. I called out to Munin, who had
just finished saying her goodbyes.

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“Already done saying farewell to the other Kurosaga?” I asked.

“Yes. We had time to prepare, so there’s nothing I feel I’m leaving undone
here.”
“All right.”
“Munin.” A silver-haired girl was standing by Munin’s side, tugging on
her sleeve. She was slim, with her hair cut short—her eyes looked almost catlike.
She was beautiful, that was clear—though there was little expression on her face.
“Oh, Fugi.”
“Be careful,” said Fugi plainly. Munin hugged her tight.
“It’s okay. I’ve got the super strong Lord of the Flies with me for
protection.”
“I’ll be waiting,” said Fugi, before looking over at me. “Take care of her.”
“Sure. I will.”
I had met Fugi the other day on my visit to the Kurosaga Village. She was
the only other member of the clan capable of using Forbidden Magic.
Munin softly placed a hand to Fugi’s cheek.
“You be good while I’m gone, okay?”
“I’ll try my hardest.”
“Heh heh, I’m so proud of you, Fugi.”
“I’m proud of you too.”
At a glance, they looked almost like mother and daughter, though they had
no blood relation to each other.
Munin’s like a parent to Fugi, since she was orphaned as a child when her
birth parents died of illness. So Munin’s taken it upon herself to raise little Fugi
all these years. Family is more than blood.

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I know that from personal experience.

Seeing them together made me remember, and for just a moment I wanted
to see my foster parents again.
“ Belzegea.”
Lise called to me hesitantly.
“Oh, Lise, it’s you. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to wrap up this business with
Mira.”
“And the vault ”
“I know.”
Lise and the others had items they wanted from the Great Vault of Mira.
“We’ll do our best to lay the groundwork for this nation’s future So you
come back safe when you’re done, okay? And I’m sorry for leaving most of
the negotiations to you.”
“I already told you, I’m going to Mira for my own reasons. If there are
negotiations and a signing ceremony to be done there, it just makes sense for me
to handle those too, right?”
Lise gave me a wry smile, admitting defeat. “Yes. I think you’re right.”
“ Man, you sure have gotten more honest with yourself.”
“Nh?! Wh-what’s wrong with that?!”
“Nothing at all.”
“W-well, thank you, then! Oh, Belzegea! Why do you always do this?!”
I watched Lise fluster, as even her ears started turning red.
“—What then, eh?! I mean I’m trying my best you know?! I-I’ve admitted
it in part, and ”
“It’d be fun to take a trip with you someday too though.”

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“Nh? Did you just say something?”

“Nah, nothing important.”
Setting aside Munin, who’s coming with us as a member of the Lord of the
Flies… Lise and Nyaki wouldn’t suit a journey of revenge.
I looked up at the great silver door. Nyaki was already in place, ready and
waiting to open it for us.
“I guess we should get going ”
…For someone like me, seeking revenge—this place was just a little too
cozy.

SOGOU AYAKA

A FTER HER BATTLE against the Demon King, Ayaka Sogou regrouped
with the other heroes and learned for the first time that Takao Itsuki had
separated from them during their fight.
“I have to go and be with my sister,” she reportedly said before
apologizing to Kayako and the others and leaving. They had already defeated a
good number of the golden-eyed monsters that had infiltrated the castle. When
Itsuki left them, they were having trouble finding more of them to fight—and
nearly all the monsters they’d found had been soloed by Itsuki. After she left, the
group of remaining heroes only encountered two further golden-eyed monsters,
and that was after the effects of the Demon King Essence had vanished from the
castle.
Kayako and the others had been able to rely on the strength of the knights
and locals who had recovered enough to help and overwhelmed the monsters
with their numbers. They had to admit Itsuki had played a massive role. Given

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how much Itsuki had contributed to their victory, nobody complained about her
sudden disappearance.
Ayaka, for her part, went on to explain everything she had seen. It was
hard to tell them, but she had no choice. The surprise on her classmates’ faces
was evident, and Ayaka herself could scarcely believe what had happened.
I never thought Kirihara Takuto would turn to ally with the Demon King…
“B-but maybe Maybe he’s just pretending ? To get the Demon King’s
guard down and then beat him? Y-you don’t think there’s a chance ?”
Minamino Moe suggested, hesitant and shrinking.
In my heart, I don’t know the answer to that myself. He may be one of my
classmates, a boy I spent time in the same room with, learning the same lessons
—but I have no idea what Kirihara Takuto is thinking.
Moe was waiting for an answer.
She wants reassurance—wants me to tell her she’s right. I’m sure that’s
what she’s waiting for.
“ Yes. I’m sure that’s the case. Let’s believe in him.”
“Y-yeah !” Moe’s eyes brightened, just as Ayaka felt a pang of pain in
her chest.
She’s pure, innocent—and I’m lying to her. It’s exactly at times like these
that I want to hear Hijiri-san’s thoughts.
She’d know what to do—could point us in the right direction. She sees
everything much better than we do—she really understands. But no… I have to
think about this on my own. If I’m always relying on her, we’ll never be equals.
What did Hijiri-san leave to do, anyway? Where did she…
“Sogou-san! ”
Her thoughts were interrupted as all the assembled heroes turned their

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heads. It was the Goddess Vicius—smiling, her head tilted to the side.
“Could it be Have you defeated the Demon King, perchance?”

“—Whaaat?!” After hearing her explanation, the Goddess furrowed her

brow at Ayaka so thoroughly, it looked as if Vicius thought she had finally gone
completely insane. “Kirihara-san Went over to the Demon King’s side?”
“Yes He disappeared with the Demon King ”
Ayaka explained how the two of them had vanished together.
“I knew it ” the Goddess mumbled under her breath.
“He’s gone and found himself a teleportation crystal, hasn’t he?” She
groaned to herself worriedly. “But which is it, I wonder? Is this an attempt to
gain the enemy’s confidence or could it be that Kirihara and the Demon King
truly are working together? Could he really—be that foolish ?”

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She lightly clicked her tongue over and over again.

“Ahem, Goddess ”
“Past incarnations of the Root of All Evil have used humans as pawns, of
course But never one of the heroes themselves. Takuto Kirihara will be killed
by the Demon King—it only stands to reason. The Root of All Evil will never
fight alongside a hero Hm? But this means I’ve lost two S-class heroes
now? Oh~! I’m in such terrible trouble! You’ve got to be kidding me! ”
She spread her arms wide, and a bright smile appeared on her face. “Nhoh
hoh. ~ What in the world is happening I wonder, Sogou-san~?”
“I-I don’t quite know how to answer that Ehm ” Ayaka was a little
overwhelmed.
It seemed the other heroes had yet to notice anything, but
The pressure the Goddess is giving off right now is so intense. And it’s not
just that… It’s almost as if she’s hostile toward us… Blaming us for this, even
implicitly cursing our impudence for standing here before her. And those marks
on her skin look like injuries… Are those from an encounter with a golden-eyed
monster?
That was when Ayaka remembered that the Goddess had been weakened
by the Demon King Essence.
Ah, that must be it. Hijiri-san left my side to go and check on the
Goddess… We need her to return to the old world, after all. If she happened to
die, we may never be able to return home.
Ayaka looked around. “By the way, Goddess Where is Hijiri-san?”
“I know right—?”
“Eh?”
“I mean, you must be so worried about her?”

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“Y-yes. Ahem, d-did something happen?”

The Goddess stopped—she looked surprised. “Oh, my?”
“Eh?”
What is she so surprised about?
“My, my? My, my, my, my, my? That reaction You truly don’t know,
do you ? She Hijiri came to me, hiding her true intentions at first, but ”
She stopped, reflecting on what she was about to convey—it seemed as if
the words had slipped out, before she even realized what she was saying.
There was a strange feeling of mismatch at work here—like Ayaka and
the Goddess were talking at cross purposes. Vicius observed her for a few more
moments before continuing.
“Sogou-san There’s something I have to tell you.”
And then she said that the Takao sisters had betrayed her.

“Hijiri-san, and Itsuki-san ? Th-that can’t be! What do you mean?!”

The Goddess’s shoulders sank—she looked deeply disappointed. “There’s
nothing more to tell, I’m afraid. Her paranoia was running wild, I believe she
thought I had some kind of plot against her! I very much doubt she was thinking
clearly and making rational decisions ”
“N-no ”
The other students were deeply shocked as well.
The last words that Hijiri spoke echoed in the back of Ayaka’s mind.
Ah… I see. She wasn’t going to protect the Goddess…
She was going to defeat her…
But why?

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Ayaka’s restless pulse began beating even faster. “Wh-where is Hijiri-

san?! What happened to the two of them?! D-did they ”
“I beat them away, and they ran.”
“They r-ran ?”
“No Perhaps it would be more accurate to say I let them escape.”
Ayaka unconsciously grabbed at the Goddess’s arms as if to shake the
answers from her.
“Are they a-alive?!”
“They were injured But worry not. While I may raise my fists to defend
myself, you heroes are my hope. Nay the hope of this whole world. I will not
kill you with such abandon. As I’m sure you’re aware, I am a
compassionate Goddess.”
Feeling some of the pressure loosen in her body, and the relief rushing in
—Ayaka dropped to her knees.
“I-it’s good to hear that ”
“Nevertheless, we cannot afford complacency. With the Demon King’s
continued survival, there is the danger that he will take this as an opportunity to
dispense with Hijiri and her sister while we are separated.”
“!”
She’s right—there’s a good chance he will.
“I will send some of my people out after the two of them and take full
responsibility for the search. Yet I fear I cannot overlook her attempt to kill me,
you understand ?”
“She must have a reason ”
“Excuse me?”
“She m-must’ve had some reason I mean, this is It’s Hijiri-san we’re

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talking about ” Now, Ayaka could finally accept it. She understood the
meaning behind Hijiri’s last words to her.
“Fear not.” The Goddess bent her knees a little, placed her hand on
Ayaka’s head, and then brought her eyes level with hers. “This has been known
to happen, albeit rarely. You knew her, of course She was ever so prone to
misunderstandings, you recall? I believe she is under the impression that I have
no intention of returning you all to your old world.”
Ayaka had already gleaned that from the way that Hijiri spoke before her
disappearance.
“Goddess The heart of the Demon King ”
“A source of immense power, yes, yes. I believe she thought I simply
wanted it for myself, rather than to send you heroes home safely.” The Goddess
shook her head in exasperation.
“!”
“The heart does contain immense power, that much is true. There was a
hero in the past who suffered similar bouts of paranoia, you know. I do
understand the appeal of such thoughts ”
“Your view is that Hijiri came to those same misunderstandings ?”
“The heroes are placed under such intense pressure, day in and day out
And human minds can be so brittle, you see? Constantly surrendering to their
own desires, yet so unable to admit to their weaknesses In the end, they search
for external causes to foist their problems upon. The paranoia spreads and they
become fixated—completely convinced that someone else is responsible for
everything that is wrong with their lives. I understand, I do. I’ve been observing
human weakness for so long now.”
“H-Hijiri-san isn’t that kind of person! She’s strong! Not just in battle, her
mind is even tougher than her body !”

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The Goddess placed a hand on Ayaka’s shoulder. Her eyes were filled
with compassion. “I know. She’s just as you say Intelligent, too. But I’m sure
that intelligence of hers contributed in some part to the breakdown ”
“No.”
“?”
Ayaka got up from the ground and took a single step backward, away
from Vicius.
“I’m sorry, Goddess But I trust Hijiri-san more than I trust you. She
She would never have raised arms against you without proof!” She stood
between the Goddess and the other students, shielding them from harm. “If
you’re hiding something, then say it, please. If not, I I cannot continue to be
so cooperative ”
Vicius swayed as she rose to her feet.
“Ho ho Quite the trusted individual, isn’t she? My, my, and she’s done
such a wonderful job of ensnaring you with her tricks.”
“I want to I want to trust you too, Goddess! I want to go back to the old
world! But ”
“You’re right.”
“Eh?”
“As for Hijiri-san having her reasons for doubting me—she did, in a
fashion. It appears the Wildly Beautiful Emperor had been reaching out to her in
secret for some time, deceiving her.”
“The Emperor of Mira ?”
“It seems that behind the scenes, Mira has been plotting to poach heroes
from Alion Likely they’re promising some method of sending you all home
without my assistance. They could also be putting forth the idea that defeating

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me would somehow allow a new and more trustworthy divine to come into this
world.”
Ayaka remembered Hijiri’s words—that there might be a way to return to
the old world, without the Goddess’s assistance.
If the anti-Goddess Mirans are the ones who put that idea in her head…
The theory might make sense. The power of the heroes has to be a threat to Mira
—I can imagine them trying to get us on their side.
The Goddess sighed again—she sounded as if she was on the verge of
giving up.
“But in reality, I am the only individual capable of performing a reverse
summoning ceremony, and there are no other divines to take my place. I am the
only one capable of safeguarding this world. I am its one and only protector.”
But I can’t trust her completely…
“Let us stop this, Sogou-san.”
“Eh?”
“You’re not a child any longer. You can think for yourself Enough now.
No more of this emotional and impulsive doubt—grow up a little, why don’t
you? I understand it’s easier to simply let your feelings take control, I do But
only children can be forgiven for such selfishness. Prioritizing your own
emotions will only end up with somebody getting hurt. I’m saying this for your
own good, truly I am. I cannot afford to lose you.”
The Goddess’s voice was firm—parental. There was something different
about her she wasn’t her usual smiling self. It was as if that part of her usual
act was missing.
“Perhaps in my past actions I may have given you some reason to doubt
me—some fuel for these misunderstandings. I will admit that. But If I might
be honest for a moment. I’m exhausted with this group of heroes. I am truly at

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my wits’ end with all of you.” She sighed again. “I’ve never summoned heroes
quite so strong or so impossible to control. You’re going to drive me to
madness at this rate I want you to defeat the Demon King so I can send you
back to your old world as soon as possible. That is the truth of it”
The Goddess sounded annoyed.
There really is something different about her—this isn’t the surface-level
Goddess we’re normally exposed to… It makes what she’s saying sound more
believable—she’s not just trying to win us over with words. Even if some of the
things she’s saying are harsh.
“Very well. I will overlook their transgressions.”
“Eh?”
“If you, Ayaka Sogou, defeat the Demon King, I will overlook all the
treacherous actions of Hijiri Takao and Itsuki Takao, and the betrayal of Takuto
Kirihara.”
“Overlook ?”
“I will search for them of course—but I will not prosecute them.”
“!”
“Of course, I’m not sure if they will believe such a promise coming from
me. Depending on the circumstances, I may have to send you out to retrieve
them, Sogou-san. No, I think you are perfectly suited to the task. Your job will
be to bring them back—that’s what a class representative is for, is it not?”
“Y-yes ”
“If it will be too hard on you to fight Kirihara-san—then I shall be the one
to capture him.”
“Y-you, Goddess ?”
“I’m incredibly weakened by the presence of Demon King essence—but

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so long as that is no obstacle, I possess power surpassing any of you heroes.

Even in my weakened state, I was capable of driving away those two Takao
sisters—that is the reason I am still standing here before you today.”
She’s right. She was under the influence of the Demon King Essence, but
she still beat away Hijiri and Itsuki.
“Do not worry, I will do my utmost to capture Kirihara-san without
harming him too much. I might also attempt to entice him away from the Demon
King’s clutches You are to convince the Takao sisters to come back to us once
they are found—and to defeat the Demon King himself. Let me repeat myself—
with the other two S-class heroes deceived by our enemies and missing in
action You are the last hope of this world, Sogou-san.”
“Goddess ”
Vicius’s expression was the very picture of sincerity. “You wish for all of
your classmates to return to the old world without exception, do you not?”
“I-I do ”
“I expect Asagi and the rest of her group to return eventually.”
“I was informed that after their battle against the Demon King’s armies in
Yonato that contact with them was lost ”
“We have received word from them.”
“Ah!”
“They were stopped by Miran forces on their way back to Alion and are
presently in hiding.”
“N-no! I have to go and save them!”
“They wrote in a letter to me that they require no aid—explaining only
that this encounter is likely to delay their journey back to us. Of course, I have
no intention of waiting for their return. I have dispatched my servants to attempt

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further contact. Focus your attention on the Demon King and this matter of the
Takao sisters for now, if you could.”
“Y-yes Ahem, and ”
“What now?”
“—No word yet of Yasu-kun?”
He was sent west on a special mission… I wish the Goddess had asked me
about that first. Though given our relationship, that might have been difficult.
“I will do my best to ensure he can join up with Asagi and the others.”
“Thank you ”
“Once that is accomplished—let us begin preparations for the final battle.”
The final battle… If I can just defeat the Demon King, we can wrap all this
up, and finally… Everyone can get home safely—to the old world.
I have to do this. Me.
The only worry she had remaining was—Kirihara Takuto.
He’s in enemy territory right now—there’s no guarantee he’ll make it out
alive.
“Ayaka-chan A-are you okay?” Minamino Moe sounded terrified.
“Eh?”
“Y-you You had a kind of scary look on your face ”
Ayaka jumped back to reality and looked around. Her classmates had all
taken a few steps away from her.
“Ah I-I’m sorry. So many strange things have happened in such a short
time that it’s hard to believe. Hijiri-san, Kirihara-kun I haven’t organized my
feelings about all of this yet Perhaps I’m a little too fired up.” Ayaka tried to
force a smile, and Suou Kayako stepped forward and took her hand. “Ah—!”

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“Don’t try and shoulder this burden all on your own.” She squeezed
Ayaka’s hand tightly.
“I’m not strong, but I can help you Maybe not as much as Hijiri-san
could, but ”
“Suou-san ”
“You aren’t alone, Sogou-san. I just want you to know that.”
“Y-yeah!” Nihei Yukitaka chimed in.
“Yeah! S-Suou-san’s right!” Murota Erii added.
“L-like, what happened to the Takao sisters was a shock, sure ! But, like,
they just got the wrong idea ’bout the Goddess, didn’t they? That’s why, like
the Goddess coulda killed them, but she didn’t. She’s even sayin’ that Kirihara
can come back! Asagi and Yasu and all the rest are coming back too, yeah? I-it’s
okay! I mean, like, things looked real bad for a while but we’re still here!
We’re still alive!”
“Y-yes We’re still here Still alive ”
They’re right—this isn’t over yet. And I’m not alone.
“Thank you Suou-san All of you ”
I’m going to protect you—everyone that’s here to support me. I have to
protect my classmates—no matter what.
It was then that Ayaka suddenly remembered the note that Hijiri had given
her
I wonder what it says? I’ll read it…later…when I’m alone.
The Goddess brought her hands together, and a familiar smile appeared on
her face. “What a wonderful spirit of help and cooperation you all possess.
Truly, how beautiful it is! ”
Ayaka looked at the Goddess.

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I knew it. Something’s off. There’s something different about her.

THE GODDESS VICIUS

“W ELCOME, VICIUS-SAMA. Thank you for coming.”

“Heh heh, thank you.”
The Temple of the Order of Vicius was located in the west quarter of the
capital of Alion. The Order of Vicius itself was made up of only the Goddess’s
most ardent and devoted believers.
“Did you suffer any losses in the recent ambush by the Demon King?”
“Some were greatly sickened by his presence—but that is all.”
“Oh oh ho, I’d expect nothing less of my beloved followers.”
“Oh Th-thank you, thank you ”
“I’m going to the basement. I’m sure you haven’t admitted anyone else to
the lower levels, as I’ve commanded.”
“Yes, Goddess. Not even a mouse has been down there in your absence.”
“What wonderful faith you have shown me. After your death, I will guide
you to the gates of heaven myself.”

The latch opened with a harsh click.

Vicius descended the stairs alone. The further she descended, the stronger
the feeling of absolute silence grew around her. Once the stairs leveled off, she
walked down a hallway and stopped before a single door. Touching a crystal in
the wall, she was approved for entry. Twice more she repeated the process at the
next two doors she passed through on her way.

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The minimally decorated room she came to at last was made of a rare
crystal, said to be the strongest substance in the world. In the center of the room
on a pedestal, was a faintly glowing, rhombus-shaped crystal. Its origin was not
of this continent. Vicius walked over and examined the crystal’s color.
“No problems, it appears.”
Shutting out the vexing emotions flooding her mind, she left the room and
resealed the doors behind her. She returned to the hallway and took a different
door this time.
“You’ve been reborn then ” said the Goddess, leaning a little against the
door frame. “Oh ho ho, how do you feel?”
“Mother?”
“I may have need of you soon. Though I do wish I’d had a little longer to
prepare you fully.”
“Mother ”
“But I’m sure you’ll be just marvelous out there—Oyamada-san.”
“Mother.”
Oyamada Shougo was officially “undergoing treatment”—but that was
somewhat different from the truth.
“Soon, I will awaken the others. That ungrateful, jumped-up pair of
foolish sisters have interfered with my plans. I’ve had to accelerate things a
bit ”
“Mother ”
The thought of the crystal floated back into Vicius’s head.
No… For now, this should be enough.
“Oh oh ho This might even turn out to be a splendid opportunity.”
“Mother!”

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After checking on his progress, Vicius climbed the temple stairs, rising
step by step to the surface.
The reports on the Country at the End of the World’s conquest should be
arriving soon. Once the Forbidden Words Clan have been rooted out, it will be
Mira’s turn. Their rebellion is built on such fragile foundations… The death of
the Wildly Beautiful Emperor would take all the wind from its sails—that is
simply the kind of nation they are. Johndoe should have no problem handling the
assassination, his skills suited as they are for such endeavors.
“Tomohiro Yasu meanwhile Knowing the Sixth Order, I imagine he’s
already dead. I suppose I’ll blame that on Miran agents as well.”
I’m sure Ayaka Sogou will detest the Empire of Mira for that. There have
been plenty of unexpected twists and turns with these heroes, but some of them
do remain quite easy to manipulate.
The Goddess reached the head of the stairs and came out onto the ground
floor once more to find the head of the temple scurrying toward her, unable to
hide the panic on his face.
“Mistress Vicius ”
“My, my, my? Whatever is the matter? I’ve rarely seen you so flustered.”
“Th-the Mistress, the Thirteen Orders of Alion They—”

The hour was late in the Temple of the Order of Vicius—several shadows
loomed in the basement room.
“Thank you all for gathering here to hear this most top-secret mission.”
A man in an eye patch politely bowed at Vicius’s words.
“My sibling and I are delighted that you have selected us for this
endeavor.”

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His speech was refined and noble, but there was something unpleasant
about the man. His long golden hair was tied back, and his beard was finely
trimmed and combed. His clothes suggested the elegance and sophistication of a
noble, but an unpleasant dirtiness about him remained. It was as if the blood he
shed had left indelible stains.
“The Fafnier Siblings—The Dark Walkers—thank you ever so much for
answering my summons.”
The older Fafnier sister bowed. “Th thank you! I-I I’m confident
we’re stronger than those White Walkers were, but w-we’re just shy! They
used to love marching about getting famous b-but we really don’t like the
attention! That’s why we’ve turned down so many of your requests We’re so,
so, sorry! But when we heard the White Walkers were dead I just knew it
served them right! Ah! Sorry! I’m sorry!”
She was a tall woman, wearing glasses and a katana hung at her waist.
Each time she bowed, her braids bobbed behind her like a tail. She was wearing
a deep red outfit, shaded and spattered with darker and lighter patches—random
splotches which spoke of the battles she had fought.
“Calm down, sister.”
“B-but we’ve been refusing Vicius’s requests for so long because we’re
shy And, like, I know we’re way, way stronger than anyone else b-but we’ve
been so shy ”
“I’m sure it will be fine, sister. This mission will not require us to take the
public stage.”
“R-really? Th-then I suppose I could manage it ”
Kaijin Fafnier and her younger brother Lancer Fafnier were the sole
members of the Dark Walkers. They were not well known, and they never
accepted missions that might lead them into the public eye. They had been

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hiding in the shadow of the White Walkers for years, and very few knew their
names. Vicius had been saving them for a special occasion—deliberately
preventing any word of their strength from getting out, while agonizing over
how she might use them as pawns.
They’re so mentally unstable, these two are even more difficult to deploy
than that Sword of Courage outfit.
Nevertheless, the Goddess had little choice.
They aren’t as strong as Lewin Seale or Johndoe, of course—but these
two will be powerful tools.
Another of the shadows in the basement spoke.
“Even supposing the Heroes from Another World have their hands full
against the Demon King You’ve got the Sword of Courage and the Thirteen
Orders of Alion under your sway, don’tcha Goddess? If you’ve taken the trouble
to call us Could it be that somethin’s happened to ’em?” asked a red-haired
girl. She was the leader of the mercenary band called the Saber-toothed Tigers—
Riri Adamantine.
“They were dealt a serious blow in a recent battle against the forces of
Mira.”
“So they got beat?”
The Goddess’s shoulders sank despondently. “Much as I don’t care to
admit it, yes ”
“The Sword of Courage and the Sixth Order both? Wait a minute. You’re
sayin’ the Lewin Seale and the Johndoe both got taken out?”
“I can’t blame you for being surprised. You were quite aware of their
strength of course It’s not for certain that both of them are dead, but it is
likely, yes.”

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Given no more reports have come in from them regarding the Country at
the End of the World incident… I should assume they have been defeated. Given
how much Lewin Seale believed in me and the dependence he felt, and the rights
and freedoms I afforded to Johndoe—not to mention the matter of his reward—
it’s very difficult to imagine they could have betrayed me.
Who could even make use of Lewin’s talents, even supposing they turned
traitor. As for Johndoe, I doubt he’d be willing to forfeit the reward I promised
him.
“It was such a shock to me as well. I almost jumped out of my skin, you
know ”
Riri looked doubtful. “Mira’s strength in the field is surprisin’ ”
“They were hiding their claws. It does rather support the rumor that they
were holding back in the Demon King’s invasion Mira lost almost none of
their forces in that battle for the Magnari capital.”
“In other words You believe they were preparin’ for the rebellion when
they abandoned Magnar to their fate? If that’s how they were playin’ it Can’t
say I like their tactics.”
“Indeed. Just as everybody else was banding together to fight the Demon
King’s armies, Mira was plotting to rebel against us. How terribly selfish of
them. Oh, it disappoints me so.”

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“So ” Riri glanced back at the core members of the Saber-toothed Tigers
who were drawn up behind her. “We ain’t no match for Lewin Seale or Johndoe
if they’ve failed you. What do you want us to do?”
“First Might I make a couple more introductions? First, Emperor Zera.”
“Emperor Zera?” Riri looked to be searching her memory. “Wasn’t there
once an emperor of Mira with a name like that ?”
“Ho ho ho ” With a husky, hoarse laugh, a white-haired old man stepped
out of the shadows—his face was long and thin, and he wore loose fitting clothes
that seemed to suggest something of a higher station in life. The man’s long
white beard hung down almost to his belt, as did the pure-white hair behind his
head.
His eyes were set deep into his skull and glowed with a dull golden light.
Twisting his face into an aloof expression, well worn by countless deep
wrinkles, he stroked his beard.

“The very same. I am the 26th Emperor of Mira—The Banished Emperor,

as I am known, Falkendotzera Mira DiAsordseat Ho ho ho My formal
names are so long, please address me as Zera.”
“Huh? W-wait just one second Hmm?” Riri looked down in confusion
and placed a hand to her forehead. “I know about the banished emperor He
went missin’ after he was cast out of Mira. There’ve been all kinds of rumors
over the years, but his remains were never found. I think, right? But he must’a
been 70 when he was banished and disappeared ”
“ But that was over a hundred years ago, yeah?” Riri almost didn’t seem
to believe what she was saying.
“Ho ho ho. You know the story well, young lady. But I have no right to
tell you the true secret behind the story of mine—do I, Vicius?”
“Quite. Needless to say, there have been some new developments.” Vicius

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clapped her hands together. “I have awoken the banished emperor for this
mission. I myself have grown and believe the time has come.”
“That doesn’t really explain Eh, whatever. Stranger things have
happened I suppose ”
Seems she’s given up on finding the truth of the matter—that’s just the
kind of person she is. Riri cares for her Saber-toothed Tigers… And rather than
sacrifice them for glory, she’ll choose to withdraw. That’s exactly what I like
about her.
“ The old guy looks strong,” said Kaijin Fafnier, looking over at him
enviously. “I think I’m stronger but I don’t know. I can’t be certain But he
definitely looks strong. Right, Lancer?”
“Yes, sister. Setting aside whether he truly is the banished emperor or not,
I sense a clear difference between his power and ours.”
“They say strength knows strength, so we’re strong too, right?”
Riri looked over at the Fafnier Siblings and sighed. The rest of the Saber-
toothed Tiger members all had varying reactions to what was unfolding before
them. Some had broken out in cold sweats, others swallowing nervously, where
some appeared unaffected, or even wore smiles on their faces
But no obvious fear from any of them—they trust their leader. With her
still alive and well, they will never lose the will to fight.
“So the other person you’re gonna show us That him?”
The man’s intense presence had been bothering them all for some time. He
was obviously at least as strong as the banished emperor—perhaps even more
so.
“Heh, heh Then allow me to introduce Shougo Oyamada! Clap Clap
Clap~!”

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A well-built young man emerged from the shadows as the Goddess

applauded.
“As I’m sure you’re all aware, he’s a Hero from Another World.”
“My name is Shougo Oyamada. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.
I’m here to participate in this mission for my mother, Vicius-sama. My name is
Shougo Oyamada. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. Praise be to my
supreme mother.” Oyamada straightened his back and bowed neatly to those
around him.
“Y-you You are Oyamada Right?” Riri was taken aback. The
members of her Saber-toothed Tigers looked confused as well.
“For the Goddess—my most honorable mother, I have been reborn. I am
ashamed of the rebellious and violent way in which I used to behave. All I wish
for now is to offer myself up to serve Vicius-sama.”
“Ahh Oyamada-san Sob You’ve grown up to be such a fine boy.
Mother is so proud of you!”
“Mother!” Oyamada’s face shone as he embraced the Goddess—and she
embraced him back.

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Riri looked disgusted. “Th-that’s The same Oyamada? He looks just the
same, but he’s What the heck happened to him? Seriously ?”
Vicius turned her eyes from Oyamada to her.
“My kind instruction has inspired him to change his ways. At first, I
merely intended to heal the mental scars he sustained in battle, but heh.
Gradually, he became this instead. Oyamada-san fell in with such a bad sort after
coming to this world, you see I should have cared for him personally, right
from the start.”
Emperor Zera stroked his beard thoughtfully as he watched in silence.
“A-ahem ” Kaijin Fafnier broke in. “W-will he t-truly be of use in
battle ?”
Oyamada removed his face from the Goddess’s chest and looked at Kaijin.
“I am a capable warrior. Because of my mother For my mother ”
“B-but ”
Oyamada smiled and held out his hand in a gentlemanly gesture for her to
continue. “Say what is on your mind. If we are to take this mission together, we
cannot have unresolved issues between us.”
“A-ah I-I’m sorry At the White Citadel of Protection y-you sobbed
and wailed and and ran from your enemies in such a pathetic way! I hear you
weren’t of any help at all, and e-even talking to the other heroes, n-none of
them s-said you were particularly strong or a-anything. T-to be honest, I just,
like, have no idea who you are! I’m s-sorry! I don’t want to be mean, really! I
just I wonder if you’ll be of any use to us? I’m sorry, I’m being too honest,
aren’t I ?!”
Oyamada silently took a step away from Vicius, turned his back on her,
and hung his head. His shoulders were trembling, and his fists were clenched
tight.

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“Oyamada-san, are you okay?” asked the Goddess.

Oyamada—was sobbing.
“I-I’m so sorry !” Kaijin glanced up at him with upturned eyes,
shrinking a little at the sight. “Y-you’re crying in remorse Really? Isn’t it a bit
late for that ?”
“The way I acted that day was pathetic ! I feel it in my heart!”
“A-hem Y-you aren’t going to get mad? I-I’m sorry!”
“Everything you say is true! Do not fear, Kaijin-dono! I will not let it
affect me! Thank you Your criticism gives me another opportunity to banish
my past self! Thank you, Kaijin-dono! Thank you, Mother!”
Vicius motioned as if she were moved to tears. “Ohh You’ve grown so
splendidly, Oyamada-san! I’m so happy I did not cast you out but dealt with you
passionately. As a mother, I’m so proud of you. From the very bottom of my
heart Sob.”
“B-but !” Kaijin pointed at Oyamada, unable to let the matter drop.
“He’s gross! I-I don’t think I could go on a m-mission with some weirdo like
him I-I’m sorry!”
“I’m so sorry, Kaijin-dono! Thank you for your feedback! I’ll do
absolutely everything I can do to improve!”
“V-Vicius!” Deciding that talking to Oyamada would get her nowhere,
Kaijin turned her attention to the Goddess instead. “Wh-wh what’s the matter
with you ? U-using this failure of a hero for our mission—are you insane?! T-
to be honest I’m disappointed in you, Vicius! I’d accept Ayaka Sogou, sure
b-but this weakling runaway loser?! H-he isn’t going to be of any use to us out
there! I don’t know the details of this mission yet but I’m sorry, he’s just going
to drag us down! Vicius! Are you crazy, o-or like what?! That big hole and the
huge crack in the wall at the top of the stairs You take out some of your rage

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against the building ’cause things a-a-aren’t going your way?! Wh-why don’t
you go f—I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I went too far! I-I’ve always thought that stupid
deliberate smile of yours was s-u-p-e-r gro—”
“Bullet!”
Oyamada moved in an instant—firing his unique skill straight at Kaijin’s
head. She crumpled, her legs twisted inward beneath her.
“—ghfh?!” Kaijin’s body bent double, and she dropped to the floor.
Vicius watched in silence.
“Who Who the heck do you think you’re freakin’ talkin’ to, huuuh?! I
don’t care what you say ’bout me, freakin’ dummy! B-but M-Mother! Wh-
what the heck did you just say about Mother, jackass?! Huuuh?! I’ll freakin’ kill
you! Bullet! Bullet! Bullet! Know your place, scumbag! Bullet!!”
The red bullets struck Kaijin one after the other. Bit by bit, her human
shape was torn away.
“Mghhh ! Ghhhgh !”
In mere moments, Kaijin was shredded. Oyamada did not let up.
“Ah—sister—! I’m going to kill you!”
Lancer barely had time to register what was happening. Now crazed with
rage, he drew two chained swords from his waist and charged. Oyamada spun to
glare angrily at him, his face drenched in blood, and took a deep breath.
“And Heavy Bullet.”
A newly formed projectile shot from Oyamada’s fist. Lancer deftly
dodged out of its path, but the red globe split apart in midair.
“Gah?!”
The bullet scattered into a shotgun blast at close range. Not even Lancer
could avoid all the debris. Several of the bullets made contact.

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“Eh ?” Lancer looked down at his chest but could see no signs of injury
—though he’d been sure several of the red bullets had hit him. “Well, fine. Now
I’m going to kill you, Oyamada!”
Then his face twisted. Something was wrong.
“Wh-what ?! M-my body feels s-so heavy?!”
“ Augment Bullet.” Oyamada gathered energy into both his arms and
began firing bullets at his own jaw and stomach.
“Wha?! Wh-wha what are you doing?!” Lancer panicked. “Y-you go
crazy or something ? N-no wait that’s !”
It was then that Lancer realized Oyamada’s whole body was glowing,
surrounded by a kind of red cloak of mana. The bullets he fired into himself only
made the glow stronger. Then he stopped. The red glow focused in Oyamada’s
right arm, then concentrated further into his right fist, which began to swell and
rapidly expand in size.
“How ’bout I test this one out on you Huuuh?!”
“Kh ! V-Vicius!” Lancer could no longer keep up appearances as he
begged the Goddess for help. “Stop him! This broken hero’s no use to anyone!
Call him off!”
“Oh ho ho I did rather think that if Oyamada-san was killed by you two,
that would be the end of that. But I should’ve expected nothing less from my
beloved son! Nh Now your big sister’s been reduced to such a terrible state, I
don’t suppose you’ll ever forgive him, will you? And of course, I’d hate for you
to go betraying me like that Wildly Beautiful Emperor did ”
“Y-you You scumbag, puke-brained Goddess! I told my sister before
we came! No good’s ever gonna come from dealing with a foul, cheatin’
Goddess like y—”
“—Last Bullet.”

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Oyamada released a massive bullet at Lancer, plowing into him with a dull
thud.
“Fgh—!”
Crack—Splat! Crumble… Crumble…
The remains plastered to the stone wall slowly peeled off and fell with a
wet slap to the floor. What had once been human was now shapeless and twisted.
“I told you! I told you ! I don’t care about me b-but I’m not letting
anyone insult my mother. I ain’t letting them, y’hear!”
Vicius clapped her hands together.
“I see! Now you’re even strong enough to defeat the Dark Walkers!
What wonderful progress you’ve made, Oyamada-san!”
“Ah! M-my bad! I’m so sorry, Honorable Mother! These were meant to be
our allies in the mission! When they insulted your name I couldn’t help but ”
“Nhh Well, I’m sure it’s fine. If that was truly all they had to offer us,
they were the weakest ones here. And now we’ve determined just how powerful
you’ve become, haven’t we?”
“Y-you’ll forgive me?!”
Vicius stepped toward him.
“Yes, I will. You were simply upset that they insulted your mother,
weren’t you, Oyamada-san? I’m glad you acted as you did.”
“Ahh, Mother Sob You’re so kind So kind ”
Vicius placed her hands on his temples and looked him straight in the
eyes. “Ne-ver-the-less.”
“Y-yes?!”
“If any of the Saber-toothed Tigers, or Emperor Zera over there happen to

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insult me, you must not hate them for it. You must not kill or attack them. I will
allow them to speak ill of me—is that understood?”
“ I understand. If that is what my one and only mother wishes.”
“Ahhh To think your love for me runs so deep! Listen, everyone.”
Vicius tore her eyes from Oyamada, and spoke to the others. “Just to be safe
do be careful what you say about me? Oyamada’s education may not be fully
complete in that regard, you understand?”
“ If I might speak my mind.” Riri, who had been watching all this,
smiled at Vicius. A cold sweat ran down her forehead. “It appears this hero is
still somewhat mentally unstable. And if possible, I’d like to work without him. I
cannot disobey your orders, if this is what they are but ”
It looked as if she had more to say—but Riri had seen Oyamada’s rage
just as all the others had. Despite the Goddess’s command that he control
himself, she was cautious.
She’s choosing her words carefully.
“Of course, you know where each of us lives, Goddess. Each and every
member of our Saber-toothed Tigers ”
She knows. Turning her back on me would mean their headquarters—and
all their family members who live in and around the capital—would meet such
terrible fates.
“Fear not. I merely keep tabs on your group’s membership as a precaution.
I intend to reward you greatly for living up to my expectations, you know? The
same goes for your present mission. Success will earn you enough land and
money to live the rest of your lives in peace. Please, consider this my final task
for you and your group. Accomplish this and a free and plentiful life of rest
shall be yours to enjoy.”
She should already know how well I pay—I hired her group to train my

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heroes, after all. The wages they earned from that were at least enough for a
year, perhaps two, of peace from their mercenary work.
Vicius gave Riri a few moments to collect her thoughts. After a long
silence—she let out a long, deep breath in apparent determination.
“ We were interrupted, but let’s get back to the vital question at hand.
There’s us, this banished-emperor-lookin’ old guy over there, and your son—but
what’re we s’posed to be doing?”
The invasion of the Country at the End of the World ended in failure,
likely due to Mira’s interference. The reports on the failure of the thirteen
orders’s invasion are incomplete—though I can very much imagine what
they say.
Those same reports also suggest the two nations formed an alliance
during the fighting. The Country at the End of the World appears to have a
military and now a reason to raise arms against Alion. Will they continue this
alliance with Mira even now that the battle is done? It’s likely that the Wildly
Beautiful Emperor has some method of gaining access to their nation. Knowing
him—he will want Nyaki or Radice at his side.
“Why, the capture of a divine beast, or some other key to opening the door
to the Country at the End of the World, of course ” Vicius smiled broadly. “
and the utter destruction of the Wildly Beautiful Emperor.”

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Chapter 3:
To Luva, Capital of the Empire of Mira

A FTER LEAVING the Country at the End of the World, we headed west.
Our destination—the Capital of the Empire of Mira, Luva.
The hilly terrain leveled out the further west we got, and eventually we
came out into a sparsely forested area.
“According to this map, we should find the road to the capital on the other
side of this forest,” said Seras, who was riding atop Slei in her second stage of
transformation. Munin sat behind her, peeking over her shoulder at the map—I
was riding the horse I’d taken from the knights of Alion.
I guess Munin could be in her crow form right now, but I know the
transformation takes a bit of effort on her part. Her wings are out as well. She’s
got that convenient way to tuck them away, but that takes energy too.
Munin gently stroked Slei. “I’m sorry for the trouble, Slei. You must be
tired with both of us up here?”
Slei gave an energetic whinny in reply.
“She looks in way better shape than this one, even riding double,” I said,
looking down at my own horse.
Slei brayed at us.
“Heh heh, reliable one, aren’t you? Thank you, Slei.”
Slei wasn’t all that much bigger than my horse, but was clearly more
powerful—not to mention she had most of our luggage on her back as well.
Still, my mount isn’t bad either—when we were gathering runaway horses
on the battlefield, Seras picked out the best of the bunch. Come to think of it…

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Slei isn’t just a regular horse, is she?

Slei’s power simply far surpassed that of any regular horse.
Whenever Slei received a compliment, Piggymaru squeaked along happily
for some reason. The forest around us was growing dark, rippling clouds softly
passing by in the dusk-stained sky above.
“Let’s take a little break once we’re out of the forest.”
“Shall we take the road once it’s fully dark?”
“Yeah. I’d rather avoid too many seeing us while we’re on the move.”
Feels like I haven’t been in a human village in a long time. None of us are
well disguised right now, but we’ll have to hide our true identities when there
are lots of people around… Kinda makes me think back to Monroy, before we
first entered the Land of the Golden-eyed Monsters.
But hey—I’m already completely used to blending in.
We prepared our camp for the night and ate dinner.
“Too-ka!” With a munch and a gulp, Munin put her hands to her cheeks in
delight, her eyes sparkling. There was a bit of purple cream stuck to the side of
the village chief’s mouth. “What in the world is this mont blanc thing?! What is
it made of?!”
“That’s a bit hard to answer ” The mont blanc was purple-sweet-potato-
flavored, the day’s gift from my magic leather pouch.
Yesterday was a health-food kinda green tea and some oyaki… And today,
finally the dessert that Seras has been waiting for. Seems like Munin really likes
this stuff too.
I had told Munin my real name and the fact that I was a Hero from
Another World before we left.
She’s an accomplice of ours now… I figured she should know.

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As I was thinking, she hurried over to me on her knees.

“What do you mean?!”
“ I mean, it just is what it is.”
“Is the outside world really overflowing with such amazing sweetness?!”
“Nah, this isn’t the kind of thing you’ll find just anywhere, it’s kind of
unique to me It’s like a treat I give to Seras and the others sometimes, as a
reward I guess.”
“W-w-well I never! That’s a wonderful talent, Too-ka! Please, you just
have to give some to Fugi when you get the chance!”
“Sorry, but I can’t really control what comes out of the bag.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
I explained that the daily rations were randomly selected.
I can’t take credit for the quality of the goods. Anyway…the person who’s
really talented is whoever actually made these cakes, not me. If you’re going to
compliment anyone, it should be them.
“Squee, squee Squeeooh! ”
“Munch, Munch Pakyuuhn! ”
Piggymaru and Slei approved as well.
Seras had her eyes half-closed and was smiling. “Munch, Munch.
Munch, Munch. Haah I’m so happy right now ”
Man, it’s even starting to change her character a little, isn’t it?
Munin stared over at her, her eyes filled with want.
…It’s just dessert, you don’t need to get so serious about a bit of
sweetness.
“Chief Munin? Is something wrong?”

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“I-I wonder, is the taste of yours different from mine?”

Seras was eating a standard chestnut-flavored mont blanc.
Looks like Munin is interested in the different color…
Seras took out her fork. She still had half of hers left. Taking a piece from
the side, she held the fork out to Munin, her hand underneath to catch it if it fell.
“Would you like to try?”
“A-are you sure? W-well, I did intend this to happen when I asked ”
Seras laughed. “Please, go ahead.”
“Then if you insist ” Munin sampled the cake that was offered to her.
“Mhhh, it’s delicious—! Oh, this journey could end right now, and I’d have no
regrets whatsoever!”
That’d be a big problem for me.
“Thank you, Miss Seras. Here, try some of mine.” Munin held out a piece
of her mont blanc for Seras to try. “There we go Open wide, okay?”
“Ah—ehmm ” Seras glanced over at me in embarrassment But the
allure of the unknown sweet before her was too much to resist. “I’m sorry
—nom.”
The Princess Knight ate, taking care to do so in the most elegant way she
could.
“Mmm—!” Seras placed both hands on her cheeks—her excitement
coming across loud and clear.
These are the times when Seras acts her age, and her cute side really
comes out… I guess she’s usually being way too much of an adult.
“Right? It’s really delicious, isn’t it? Then, ahem Here, Too-ka.” Munin
offered me some of her purple sweet potato mont blanc.
“I’m used to eating that stuff, you two go ahead.”

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I don’t remember eating them that often—but compared to Seras and

Munin, sure… I’m used to it.
“That will never do. Here, Too-ka. Open wide?” Munin drew closer,
giggling as she brought the cake toward me.
…Can’t really refuse now.
“All right.”
Munch Munch
The sweetness really spreads through your whole mouth. And not in an
overpowering way, just a delicious one.
“Man, this is good You too, huh?”
“Hm?!”
Seras froze in an amusing pose—she was clearly getting ready to stick
some of the cake on her own fork and bring it over to me. “W-well Since I do
have some left ”
“Ah—I’m s-sorry, Miss Seras I wasn’t thinking, being so forward like
this, heh heh heh Will you let Miss Seras do the same?” asked Munin.
And so, I ended up eating some of Seras’s cake as well.
The not-too-sweet chestnut cream, combined with the crispy pie crust
base… They really do go together perfectly.

“Right, so this secret weapon of ours—the Forbidden Magic that can

disable the Goddess’s protection ”
We sat around the campfire, full after our evening meal and dessert. I set
up a black curtain around our small encampment, just in case anyone passed by.
Though if anyone did, Piggymaru, Seras, or I would probably notice before it
became an issue.

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“It has about the same range as your Paralyze skill then, doesn’t it Too-
ka?”
This is one of the reasons I didn’t want to travel with the Wildly Beautiful
Emperor… We had to go back to the Country at the End of the World and do a
test of this Forbidden Magic spell first.
It had worked—I remembered how those nine black chains had shot from
Munin’s arm and flown toward their target. She had to say “Binding Curse,
Release,” when casting the spell, with a small pause between the words Curse
and Release. When Munin tried to read the incantation as fast as possible,
without any pause, the spell didn’t activate. It also appeared that the target of the
spell had to be in visual range—the same as with my status effect skills. The
black chains the spell produced didn’t physically wrap around or restrain the
target, but disappeared as they were absorbed inside of them. The target’s body
would glow once, with a chain-like pattern appearing around them, then the light
would dissipate.
I can’t be sure—but that’s likely the signal that the spell was successful.
We only tested the spell on a rock, but now we know the process and how it
works. I was worried that we might not be able to test the spell without an actual
divine, but thankfully things didn’t turn out that way.
As for the blue dragonstone—Munin held it in her hand as she cast the
spell, and I watched it glow with pale light and slowly become absorbed into her
hand as she performed the incantation. Once she had cast it, it was gone.
That’s one used up—but we still have plenty left. And well, it’s hardly a
waste to do at least one test before the real thing.
“Can’t exactly use this Forbidden Magic stuff from super far away like my
paralyze skill though I thought if Piggymaru could link with you that would
solve the range issue, but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to work.”

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From what I could tell, the linking ability only worked with certain
compatible partners—and Piggymaru was only able to link with the first person
it had ever connected to.
“So we’re going to need to get in kind of close to Vicius to pull this off ”
“But it’s not enough to just get close, is it?” asked Munin, though it
seemed she knew the answer.
“Nope. The incantation’s fairly short, but you’ll need to say it all in time.
My skills work the same way. While you’re saying the words, we’ll have to both
keep Vicius in range and protect you from any attacks.”
“Then one of us will need to keep the Goddess close, while the other
shields Munin from harm,” said Seras, stroking the back of Slei’s neck.
“ Yep.”
If we’re going to ambush her, we’ll need a distraction… Something to
create an opening. We’ll need to create one if we want to finish this for good.
“It’s going to depend on how smart Vicius is. You’ve never met her
before, Munin Neither have you, right, Seras?”
“No But I have heard from the princess, who dealt with her directly on
occasion. The princess said she is cautious when she needs to be, sharp-eyed
when necessary She also has a very capable mind for strategizing, I believe.”
“If that’s coming straight from the princess, I guess it’s reliable intel.”
That also fits with what Erika described of her. She lived near that Foul
Goddess for a time, so I’ve already heard her take—laced with a good deal of
profanity.
“The theory is that she sees all that are not divine—humans in particular—
as incredibly low and inferior beings. I also believe she uses her arrogance to
hide her incredible combat abilities from others,” added Seras.

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Erika had the same impression of her.

“That might be a way for us to trip her up ”
Maybe she thinks there’s no way a human could ever kill a divine… No
inferior being could ever threaten her. I expect that’s the way she’s lived all this
time—the way she disposed of me speaks to that.
“This is how it’s always been, so it must be the same this time too.” The
rule of thumb: Humans do just the same.
“This has always been fine, so of course it’s going to be fine again in the
future.” That’s what creates the opening.
If we’re going to crush her, it has to be there. Vicius’s only real enemy is
the Demon King, meaning she can’t be completely arrogant. She can’t ever be
entirely comfortable, so long as he’s around. The Root of All Evil is a kind of
limiter on the divines—forcing them to play their part.
“Erika said she’s usually hiding her true self ” I said.
“There is a lot that she does not say publicly, and she keeps many secrets
from others, according to the princess.”
“So she’s an actor, huh.”
That vapid smile of hers—there’s nothing under the surface. Even just
remembering it now sends chills down my spine. If only I can make that cursed
face of hers twist up in pain and regret…this journey for the Forbidden Magic
will have been worth it.
“During the attunement process, there was a phrase in the incantations you
used Forbidden Magic was originally called primitive magic, wasn’t it?”
Makes sense, I suppose. It’s only called forbidden because that Foul
Goddess forbade anyone from using it. It had a proper name before she labeled
it that.

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Seras folded her arms in a typical, dramatic thinker’s pose.

“Primitive magic It’s possible that those incantations form the
foundation of all magic in this world.”
I brought one of my knees up to my chest and looked over at Munin.
“No matter where this magic’s from whether my status effect skills can
crush that Foul Goddess all depends on your primitive magic. The Forbidden
Magic. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure your spell lands. I’m
counting on you, Munin.”
“I won’t let you down.” She placed a hand to her chest and bowed her
head with a peaceful smile upon her face. “I will create a path for you and your
status effect skills to get through, even if doing so costs my life. It is for our
shared future—for the future of everyone.”
She looks determined… Maybe resolved is a better word, instead. I’m sure
right now I’m supposed to tell her to stop—not to throw her life away. I’m meant
to tell her to think about the people waiting for her back home. I should say that
all of us are going to make it back there safe and sound. That would be
comforting. But knowing the history of the Kurosaga, and how long it’s taken for
this opportunity of theirs to come forth…I can’t bring myself to say any of those
things. What’s “comforting” would only be a kind of denial to Munin… Denying
the desire for revenge of all those countless Kurosaga who’ve suffered all this
time.
I can’t dismiss their resolve—not when it’s taken them so long to get to
this point. It’s precisely because of the weight of emotion she carries that Munin
can value them more than she does her life.
“I’m betting everything on this too.”
Even my life.

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Several days later, we arrived at the capital city of the Empire of Mira—
Luva.
“M-my apologies. Please wait here for a moment.”
Official access to Luva was through the east gate of the Third District—a
huge chalk entrance set with magnificent white carvings. The high and imposing
arch curving above us almost seemed to swallow us as we approached, and
several guards rushed over in our direction. When I showed them our writ of
passage, they immediately relaxed.
“A greeting party will arrive shortly from the castle, so please wait here,”
said one of the guards, explaining that they had been given instructions for our
arrival—we were sent to a guard post by the gate in the meantime. I heard voices
from the soldiers outside as we sat waiting in the room.
“Those are the rumored ”
“Yes, Belzegea, of the Lord of the Flies Brigade ”
“The former Ashint member The one who defeated the Elite Five, and
that Inner Circle demon with his cursed magic ?”
The only voices we heard were from outside, however—the guards
waiting by our side were clearly more aware of our presence and didn’t speak to
us any more than was necessary. As for the ones waiting nearer to the gate—
I could hear some conversation and clearly see them stealing glances at us.
“B-but isn’t that Seras Ashrain ? I’ve never seen her in person before ”
“The wanted posters and portraits don’t even compare to the real thing I
never imagined she could be more beautiful in person ”
Seems like almost everyone knows that Seras is a member of the Lord of
the Flies Brigade now—news must’ve spread across the continent after the
Battle for the White Citadel. Given there are posters and portraits of her in
every nation now, there’s not much need for her to hide her face now that we’re

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in the capital, let alone on the road. The fact that Seras is here also proves that
we’re the real deal—the true Lord of the Flies Brigade.
“That other silver-haired woman She’s beautiful as well.”
“H-her figure I’m even more into her than Seras Ashrain ”
“Oh, the silver-haired one just smiled at us !”
“ I’m in love.”
Munin’s face was on full display, though with her black wings tucked
away, there was no way for anyone to identify her as a member of the Forbidden
Words Clan.
Couldn’t exactly have her hide her face for the whole signing ceremony,
could I? Best to have them aware of her true face now, so they might give her a
free pass in the future if we need it.
“Two beautiful women at his side Just who is this Belzegea guy ?”
“Ashint always was a mysterious group, I guess ”
I was the only one hiding my face and wearing my Lord of the Flies outfit.
Neither Munin nor Seras were in their fly knight garb.
“B-but it’s reassuring to know they’re on our side now ”
“Yeah It’s just as his majesty says. It’s like heaven itself is protecting us
in this war.”
So they know that the Wildly Beautiful Emperor is forming an alliance
with the Lord of the Flies Brigade, then—possibly because the emperor has
spread the news himself.
I heard footsteps from outside, and a man appeared in the doorway to the
guard post. The man had been at the negotiations—the aide with rounded
glasses.
“I’m sorry to keep you all waiting.”

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I think his name was…

“Allow me to reintroduce myself, I am Hawk Landing, chief aide to Lord
Luheit.”
I stood up as soon as he arrived.
“It has been too long, Lord Hawk.”
“We have been waiting, Captain Belzegea Vice-captain Seras Ashr ”
Hawk’s words trailed off, and he stood frozen in place, staring at Seras. A
redness began to spread slowly across his face—only growing as, after some
time, he pushed his glasses back up on his nose and continued.
“M-my apologies I participated in the previous negotiations of course,
but t-today is the first time I have seen your true face ”
Come to think of it, Seras was wearing her mask during the negotiations,
huh? I think at the time I was worried that the people there might end up paying
so much attention to her it’d be a distraction.
“Heh heh, I understand. When I first met Miss Seras, I was just as taken
aback, and the shock took me some time to recover from. I can sympathize!”
Munin said.
Hawk nodded in appreciation and, after a slight embarrassed smile, turned
back to the business at hand.
“Finally Ambassador of the Country at the End of the World, Chief
Munin—warmest greetings. I welcome you all to Luva, capital city of the
Empire of Mira.”
Hawk checked his pocket watch. Then he motioned to the door, looking as
if he was in a bit of a hurry. “Then if you please, I will guide you straight to the
castle. I’ve prepared a carriage for you outside.”
The carriage was grand, white, and shining clean with extravagant

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decorations—covered in fine inlaid silverwork, even the wheels looked

expensive. The horses pulling the carriage were white and looked refined and
sophisticated right down to their reins. As I admired them, Seras led Slei out
from the simple stable attached to the guard post.
“I’d like to ride Lady Slei to the castle alongside the carriage with the rest
of you Would that be acceptable?” she asked.
Hawk glanced at the carriage.
“N-no ” he said, trying his best to answer her gently. “I believe you
would attract a great deal of attention on your way to the castle. It’s not in our
best interests to stand out Would you allow one of my soldiers to escort your
mount up to the castle in your stead?”
“No,” I said, refusing the offer. I walked over to Slei and asked her to
follow our carriage to the castle in her second stage of transformation, then
turned back to Hawk. “She’ll come—there won’t be any problems.”
Hawk quickly looked back and forth between Slei and the carriage, before
nodding that he understood. We walked toward the carriage together, and Hawk
hurried to get us aboard, arriving at the door first and holding it open for us.
“ ”
“Sir Belzegea? Ahem Is something wrong?”
“Nothing. This is a fine carriage.”
“You are an important guest of our nation. It’s only natural that we would
prepare for your arrival.”
I thanked him, and Hawk gestured for us to board with an elegant smile.
“Welcome to Luva.”
I looked inside the carriage and saw there was a young man sitting in the
back seat, a little slouched over.

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“—It is good to see you again, Lord of the Flies.”

It was the Wildly Beautiful Emperor. I straightened my back and bowed to
him with as much politeness as I could muster.
“I never imagined you might come to welcome us personally, Your
Majesty. I’m surprised to see you here. It is an honor to be so received.”
“Judging by the reactions of your companions, I do think you expected me
to be sitting here, however.” The Wildly Beautiful Emperor smiled, just a little.
“Well, I have my reasons for being here. It’s rather difficult to listen in on a
horse-drawn carriage in motion—they are indispensable at times when
confidential conversation is required.”
The carriage was elegant, inside and out.
Makes sense I guess, though—this thing’s for an emperor.
The windows were covered with thick silk curtains.
So we can’t enjoy the scenery, but the emperor can travel in this thing
incognito—that’s the trade-off, like it or not.
The seats were wide—spacious enough for Seras and Munin to sit on
either side of me. Sitting opposite, in the center of his seat, was the emperor.
Hawk sat to his right, his back straight.
I could sense his nervousness before we got on board—especially toward
Seras and Munin, who’d apparently completely seen through his ruse. Never in
his wildest dreams did he imagine that the emperor himself might come out to
greet us, I bet… But like the emperor said, I did notice something was off.
First of all, though he was trying to hide it, Hawk seemed strangely
hurried. It was like he knew he had to return to the carriage as soon as possible.
He was glancing over at it a lot too. Now it all makes sense… The person
waiting inside was far more important than us.

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“Lord of the Flies, how were your travels?” asked the emperor.
“The writ of passage you granted us truly proved a powerful ally on the
road. We arrived at the capital with surprisingly little incident thanks to its
influence. Thank you so much for your help in easing our travels.”
“I’m happy to hear that you were admitted through the checkpoints.”
Happy, eh?
I chose to pass through those checkpoints on the main road, only because
I know the emperor didn’t give us that writ solely out of the kindness of his own
heart. There are only a small number of people who hold them. And the number
actively using them at checkpoints is even fewer. News probably spreads quickly
to the capital whenever they’re spotted—likely by magical war pigeon. He
wanted to keep track of our movements as we traveled through his domain. We
could’ve made it here without the main road, or ever presenting the writ—but
that would have made the emperor suspicious. I decided to take the path through
those checkpoints to show my trust in Mira. Maybe all this strategizing seems
insignificant, but these are the kinds of things that can really stack up and pay
off in the end.
I praised the emperor’s writ of passage again and once more offered my
thanks before changing the subject.
“How fares the battle against Ulza?”
We’ve heard stories on the road of the war’s progress, but right now I’ve
got the very emperor who started it all sitting opposite me—nobody’s going to
have more information than him.
“Have you heard of the fall of the Fortress of Zoldo?”
“I have, yes.”
Seras had already explained to me the significance—the fortress was
important to Ulza’s defense.

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“My forces have been slowly pushing their lines forward following the
capture of Zoldo—though the arrival of Alion reinforcements led by Baron
Pollary has slightly impacted the speed of our advance.”
Baron Pollary, eh? The noble who fought in the Battle for the White
Citadel.
“That said, it’s simply a matter of time before my armies crush him in the
field. Your decimation of the Thirteen Order of Alion—in partnership with the
forces of the Country at the End of the World, of course—has played a large part
in our success. With matters as they stand, what concerns me most in the battles
to come is the appearance of the Heroes from Another World.”
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor continued, watching me for my response.
“Incidentally While it was only temporary, I understand that you fought
alongside Baron Pollary at the White Citadel. I know you may feel conflicted
about facing former allies in battle, but joining our fight against the forces of
Alion will necessitate swallowing such emotions, no matter what. Even if that
may mean going to war against the Empire of Bakoss with whom you also
fought side by side.”
The emperor slowly, but sharply turned his eyes to Seras.
“ Even the Holy Empire of Neah cannot be ruled out as future
combatants.”
He wants to check if we’re prepared for that.
Seras neatly placed her hands, one on top of the other in her lap, and
flitted her thin eyelashes to look down at them.
“I am prepared for that possibility. Yet ”
“Do not fear. I only intend on using Mira’s forces and the armies of the
Country at the End of the World to suppress them in the east.”

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Seras was silent—she didn’t move.

She had told me that she had no regrets, but I could clearly see the
complex emotions swirling within her. She might be forced to oppose her
princess—albeit indirectly. Munin looked past me, directly at Seras—peeking
over with a look of concern. I leaned forward a little to speak with the emperor.
“Personally, I believe the Holy Empire of Neah would be a worthy ally to
your cause.”
Seras raised her head in shock. The emperor crossed one of his legs over
the other and looked at me with a clever smile.
“Hmh, that’s it.”
Hawk then pushed the curtain aside a little to peek out.
“How should we proceed, Your Majesty?”
“Keep driving. I wish to continue this conversation.”
Hawk opened a small panel in the carriage wall behind him and rang the
bell inside three times. I felt us change direction—we’re on a different route.
“I believe Cattlea Straumss of Neah is a fine leader,” the Wildly Beautiful
Emperor continued. “Excuse my impoliteness, but I find it hard to believe her
the daughter of a man like Emperor Ortola. Should we be able to convince her of
the benefits of defying the Goddess, I also believe she would make the wise
decision to join our cause ”
“But ” I noted, “given their borders with Alion, Ulza and Bakoss, it
would be difficult for them to come out publicly against the Goddess at present.”
“Quite so. Yet ”
“If we were to contact them in secret They could prepare themselves to
rebel against the Goddess the moment the tide turns against her?”
The emperor smiled in satisfaction at my interruption.

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“Yes. You mention their position Strategically, they occupy territory

directly at our enemies’ backs—they would be invaluable in that respect.”
He glanced at Seras once more.
“Most of all, I’m sure Lady Seras does not truly wish to do battle against
the princess she once served, nor fight the Holy Knights of Neah she once led. I
also understand that the Lord of the Flies Brigade’s internal hesitation to do
battle against Neah may pose issues in the future.”
Might sound like he’s being really considerate right now—but there’s a
different nuance to his words depending on how you look at it. He’s asking us to
convince the princess of Neah to join him. This emperor really does try and use
whatever he can to his advantage. I’m sure he was planning on leading the
conversation in this direction as soon as the topic of Neah came up.
“Well, let’s set that aside—keep it in the back of our minds as a potential
option, perhaps. We’ve still yet to receive any reports that Neahan forces are
preparing to participate in the war against us.”
“As for Bakoss What is your view on them, Your Majesty?” I asked.
“Hmph That emperor’s one I can’t read. He wants to expand his
nation’s borders—we could convince him to ally with us with promises of
territory in the east of Ulza and some parts of Alion upon our victory. Depending
on the circumstances, that could buy their loyalty. But with the Elite Five gone
and Black Dragon Knights mostly destroyed, I don’t see Bakoss as much of a
threat.”
“What of Magnar?”
“That all depends on the White Wolf Riders.”
“I believe their king is currently missing?”
“The people think him dead, yes I don’t believe the White Wolf King
could be so easily killed. But even in the case that he is, the next in line to his

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throne would be his little brother, the ‘Black Wolf’ Sogude Sigmus.”
Seras told me that too.
“Sogude appears to have a close and somewhat friendly relationship with
the Goddess. With Magnar in the north forming the front lines of all battles
against the Root of All Evil, they are generously supported by Alion. I believe
the ties between their two nations remain strong.”
“What of Yonato, then?”
“I’m confident they’ll side with Alion. They have little love for Alion
itself I believe, but the relationship between their nation and mine is troubled. As
I’m sure you’re aware however, they sustained a considerable number of
casualties in the Demon King’s invasion. It will take time for their main force,
the Holy Order of the Purge, to regain its former strength.”
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor continued, twirling his hair through his
fingers as he spoke.
“I am also told that their secret holy treasure and combat weapon the Holy
Cavalry was destroyed. Its sole rider the Holy Priest of Yonato was heavily
wounded. For the time being, they will be no threat to us. The absence of
Yonato’s Four Holy Elders and Ulza’s Dragonslayer from the battlefield is quite
fortunate for our nation. Yet ” There was a twinge of regret on his face as he
spoke. “In truth, I wanted the Four Holy Elders and the Dragonslayer by my side
in this war. I reached out to them in secret The Dragonslayer in particular is an
impeccable warrior in both character and strength of arms—he is far too good to
be under the command of a man like the Monster Slayer King.”
Come to think of it, Sogou mentioned she owed him a lot too.
I had heard of his exploits at the White Citadel of Protection after the
battle had ended.
It’s always like this… The good ones work themselves into the ground—

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and the better they are, the faster they burn out.
“Setting aside the Heroes from Another World, the only remaining forces
we need truly be careful of are the Black Wolf Riders and the Disciples of
Vicius.”
The Disciples of Vicius—Nyaki’s “Nee-nya” among them, Nyantan
Kikipat.
“Oh—and one other ” The emperor placed a hand to his jaw, as if he’d
just remembered them. “The Saber-toothed Tigers They are impeccably
talented warriors.”
I did find out they were pretty famous after I met them first in the Mils
Ruins—but so much so that the Wildly Beautiful Emperor brings them up in
conversation?
I remembered the considerate way they approached me, back when we
first met.
They seemed like they had common sense—a good bunch, more or less…
But as warriors I wasn’t all that impressed with them. Compared to the powerful
enemies I’ve faced since Mils, the difference between them is clear—I don’t
think they could ever have challenged Civit, Johndoe, or even the Sword of
Courage. Of course it’s possible they’ve gotten stronger since I last saw them.
“They’re a mercenary band that owns their own base of operations—they
excel in fighting as a group. They’re close to the Goddess as well, though. If
we’re going to war, they’ll be on the opposite side.”
Plenty of enemies, huh? I’ve had fairly recent updates on the goings-on in
different nations, but getting to talk directly to the leader of one of these
countries really is valuable. Things look different with the emperor’s perspective
and insight as well. It’s good to get a refresher on all this intel.
“I think I understand the current state of each of the countries, the main

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players in terms of military strength, and their relative allegiances. Apologies for
asking, Your Majesty—but does Mira have the strength to defeat Alion in
battle?”
The emperor didn’t look at all offended by the question.
“My army’s main strength is the Band of the Sun, of course, but every
soldier under my command is better trained than the men of any other nation on
the continent. I take pride in that fact. The troops of Yonato are well led, and
those of Magnar are seasoned veterans of battle—but in this war we face an
enemy led by a foolish king. Nothing more. Though, obviously, there is no room
for complacency.”
He glanced over at Seras before continuing.
“If, for instance We had the princess of Neah on our side, this war
would become much more manageable.”
It’s my job to respond to this kind of stuff.
“I will discuss the matter with Seras in due course. Yet If our brigade
were found to be allied with Mira—contact with Princess Cattlea would become
dangerous, both for her and for us. Surely, you understand?”
“Quite, yes Vicius wouldn’t let a thing like that get past her. I have no
intention of rushing you. Please, think it over in your own time.”
“ Can the anti-Sacred Alliance forces win this war?” I said the words
before I really realized what I was saying.
“There is a chance, yes.” The emperor answered without hesitation. “If
there is a yet unknown factor to be considered, it would be the Heroes from
Another World.”
“Do you not believe the Demon King to be an unknown as well, Your
Majesty?”

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“The Heroes from Another World are the ones who will defeat him, after
all.”
“And so, everything depends on them. I see If they are taken out of the
picture, Mira has the upper hand in this war according to your analysis?”
“Even should the ‘Black Wolf’ and Cattlea Straumss declare against us,
yes. Though I’m sure they would be fearsome foes—the elite forces they are
capable of fielding are far too few in comparison to those that Mira commands.
In short, all the unstable elements on this continent have been removed—except
for the Heroes from Another World.”
The Elite Five, The Four Holy Elders, The Dragonslayer, The Holy Priest
of Yonato, the Demon King’s Inner Circle’s top three, Yonato’s Holy Cavalry,
The Sword of Courage, The Thirteen Orders of Alion, and Johndoe—plenty of
actors have already dropped out. With things as they stand, Mira might actually
be able to march on Alion without any problems.
That’s why Vicius has to pay attention to Mira’s movements whether she
wants to or not—especially with the recent incident at the Country at the End of
the World. So long as the Forbidden Magic exists, Vicius can’t afford to ignore
Mira completely. But if the Demon King’s armies invade again, that’ll only
cause more chaos. The more intense the fighting gets between Alion and Mira…
The more that pushes the Goddess’s side into a corner… And the better that
serves as a smokescreen that I can use to get closer to the Goddess herself.
This business of Neah—the Wildly Beautiful Emperor is trying to use that
to his advantage… Then I’m not holding back in using him either. He can kick
up a storm on the battlefield and distract the Goddess for me.
“And so You intend on convincing the heroes to join you, Your
Majesty?”
“In fact—I have already reached out to a certain S-class hero in Alion

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several times now.”

That’s a bit of a surprise. I figured he would try to make contact… But I
didn’t think he’d have already been successful.
“I’d like you to keep this matter a secret in particular,” he said.
“Understood. But if you have already established contact, then ”
“When signs of the Demon King’s coming invasion began to appear, I was
able to conceal one of my spies in the Alion capital. When the Demon King
began to move against her in earnest, the Goddess had no time to pay such
serious attention to those around her.”
I hear the Demon King is the Goddess’s natural enemy—only makes sense
that she’d focus on him.
“I once met a female hero—an S-class named Ayaka Sogou Is that the
hero you have been in contact with?”
“No. My contact’s name is Hijiri Takao.”
The Takao sisters, huh?
“I’ve had some positive responses—it doesn’t seem that this Hijiri girl has
much trust in the Goddess. Her responses have been favorable, likely because I
told her that it’s possible for her to return to her old world without the Goddess’s
aid. The last message I received mentioned that she would mention this to Ayaka
Sogou when the opportunity presented itself. I have yet to receive further word.”
So she’s trying to get Sogou on board too. That might just work and Takao
Hijiri could manage it.
“From the reports, Hijiri seems to be an intelligent individual. She also
mentioned that her younger sister—an A-class hero in her own right—would
likely defect with her. Yet I do not completely trust Hijiri Takao. We have
never met in person before, unlike Asagi Ikusaba. I must be wary that my

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attempts to recruit an S-class hero do not play directly into the Goddess’s
hands.”
“From the way you speak, Your Majesty Have you yet to inform her
that Asagi Ikusaba and the other heroes assembled here have joined your cause?”
“With no way to prove such a claim without an in-person meeting—I have
decided to delay revealing that fact.”
…So those are the kind of moves he’s been making behind the scenes.
If Sogou were to come with the Takao sisters and join Mira’s cause… That
would ease a lot of my worries about taking down the Goddess—especially with
Sogou out of the picture. Depending on how the Takao sisters play this,
the whole hero situation might get resolved much more easily than I expected.
“You mean to say that so long as something can be done about the heroes,
the Goddess is your only remaining concern in this war?”
“Yes—there is still much that we do not know about the Goddess herself.
But if we are to defeat her, it must be done decisively. That is why I seek the
secrets of the Forbidden Magic.”
The emperor then turned to look at Munin for the first time. She sat neatly
in the carriage beside me, looking appropriately nervous for the situation.
“The sealed room you mentioned during our negotiations, I take it?”
Munin asked softly, careful not to sound too grave.
“Hmph, yes. From what I hear, Forbidden Magic is capable of stealing the
defensive abilities of the divines.”
He probably means the disable spell that we’ve got.
“If that room contains Scrolls of Forbidden Magic—I believe that will
only increase the viability of Asagi Ikusaba’s secret weapon.”
Ikusaba Asagi’s secret weapon—her unique skill, eh?

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…Might be the right time to ask about that, too.

“Her secret weapon During the negotiations, Your Majesty, you
mentioned it could have the power to bring down the divines?”
“Yes. The power which she possesses—in some ways, it could even kill
God.”
That powerful, huh? If it isn’t a status effect skill… Will it be able to get
through that Goddess’s accursed Dispel Bubble? In that case, even without the
Forbidden Magic, we’d be able to take down the Goddess with Asagi’s unique
skill. Doesn’t seem like the emperor is willing to give me any more details than
that about what she’s actually capable of though…
“This all still comes as quite a shock to me I never thought the Heroes
from Another World would betray the Goddess.”
“Asagi believes I have a better chance of sending her home than the
Goddess does—she told me as much herself.”
Figures. The Wildly Beautiful Emperor does seem more trustworthy than
that Foul Goddess.
…Ikusaba Asagi. I knew it, there’s something about her that reminds me
of me a little. I feel like she’s playing a character—one that isn’t her own. But
I’m sure that’s not all.
It might look like she’s just going with the flow—but I feel like there’s a
calculation behind everything she does. She’s always being ambiguous, making
it hard for anyone to know her true intentions—frustrating their attempts to read
her emotions. I think I might have always felt it, somewhere in the back of my
mind. But in this new world and since seeing her again at the negotiations…she
looks normal, but she isn’t.
I sighed internally.
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor and Ikusaba Asagi… I might not get a

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single moment to relax in this country.

As our carriage ride proceeded, the emperor went on to ask me about the
cursed-magic I used, and I gave him the explanation I’d prepared in advance to
ensure he wouldn’t realize I used the skills of a hero. I didn’t lie directly, only
fudged the details on points I wanted to stay secret—the way I always did. I also
decided to show Piggymaru to the emperor, who had apparently been wondering
about the presence concealed within my robes for some time.
He then went on to explain a few things to us about Mira itself, and Hawk
gave us instructions on what we should do upon our arrival at the castle. It was
just past noon when our carriage finally pulled in through the great castle gate.
We stopped in a kind of rounded plaza that looked to be for parking, and a
number of people filed out from the castle to greet us. Hawk disembarked first,
then the Wildly Beautiful Emperor and I followed.
We’ve got three main goals here.
First, the signing ceremony with Munin…
Second, receiving those items from the Great Vault of Mira that they’ve
promised us…
And last, unsealing the room that’s supposed to contain those secrets of
Forbidden Magic.
Slei walked over and rubbed her nose against me for attention. She had
followed us the whole way to the castle but seemed a little nervous. As I stroked
her, I looked around at our surroundings. There was a gently sloping paved path
leading up to the castle that our carriage had climbed. Looking east I could see
all the way to the gate and the guard post we had waited in. In the center of the
imperial capital was a majestic and brilliant looking castle, towering over us. It
was surrounded by three rings of defensive walls, each larger than the last,
leading up to the great chalk castle in the heart of it all. Back in Japan, it would

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have been the kuruwa and the honmaru within the walls.
The castle was mainly white, but there were spots of other color in places
—silver lines running across grooves cut into the stone and accents in other
areas adding vivid detail to its outer walls.
…Looks like the architect who built this thing wanted to make it
fashionable.
The castle was ringed with walls, and I saw defensive steeples and arrow
slits set into the stone. The city was divided into three sections. The inner
district, enclosed within the first and inner wall, housed the emperor’s castle, his
relatives, and the high noble families of Mira.
The middle district was home to mid-level nobles and influential
merchants. Outside the middle wall, lived the other residents of the city in the
outer district. Farms, ranches, and hunting cabins dotted the land outside of the
third, rugged and solid defensive wall surrounding Luva. Looking out from the
castle, the whole city looked like a well-defended fortress.
I’d had some opportunity to see the capital from inside the carriage as
well, as the emperor had asked the curtains to be opened once we entered the
castle grounds. The nation was at war, but it didn’t seem like that here.
Well, I guess there is more of a nervous atmosphere to this place than
there was in Monroy back when we first met Eve.
I watched as an official in a set of long robes hurried across the plaza to
address the Wildly Beautiful Emperor.
“In a rush?” he asked.
“ There has been a small problem. Ah, ahem If we might speak in
confidence.” The official lowered his voice and began to whisper to the emperor.
Maybe Eve would be able to hear what they’re saying, but I can’t catch
any of it.

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Suddenly, there was a ripple of gasps and cries of admiration from a

different direction. Following Munin, Seras had just stepped from the carriage.
These people are all used to looking at the emperor, but they still all react
like that when seeing Seras for the first time, huh?
“Heh heh. You’re an attention magnet,” chuckled Munin, Seras’s hand
still in hers as she stepped from the carriage. Seras gave her a wry smile, a slight
flush of red appearing on her cheeks.
“Perhaps I should be wearing a mask, like my master ”
“Excuse me, but I have urgent business to attend to,” said the Wildly
Beautiful Emperor. All the attention immediately shifted from Seras to him.
“Hawk, please guide the Lord of the Flies Brigade to their rooms—my
apologies, Sir Belzegea.”
“Not at all—your nation is at war, after all. I did expect there might be
some sudden changes in our schedule.”
“I’m glad you understand. Fear not, this problem does not concern my
vault nor the other matter I have you here to attend to.”
The other matter—I guess he means the sealed room.
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor then withdrew into the castle, flanked by a
group of his retainers and guards. Hawk watched him leave, then turned back to
us.
“First, allow me to show you to your lodgings, the house for our guests of
state.”
We were led to a building next to the main castle, which looked like a
particularly extravagant guest house—I saw that there were several such
buildings in the area of various sizes. We entered one and looked around.
Feels like now we can finally relax.

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“They really aren’t sparing any expense with this place ” Seras sat down
idly on a chaise lounge and looked here and there about the room.
From the furniture and layout, I guess this is the living room.
“Squee! Squee! Squee! Squee! Squee-ee!” Piggymaru started jumping all
over the place.
“Boioi-oing! Boio-oing!”
Maybe it was the size of the place, or how extravagant everything looked
—but something was making Piggymaru very excited.
Way too excited, if you ask me.
Hawk had only given us some brief explainers about our stay in the castle
before leaving, and had then left us alone. I sat down on one of the elaborately
carved sofas.
“But, like, you used to live in a royal palace, right, Seras? This place
doesn’t look like much to you, does it?” asked Munin.
I looked over to see her stroking the fabric of the chaise lounge.
“The craftsmanship of this furniture is like nothing I have ever seen
before. Even the component materials are superb. I had heard the rumors but
never imagined they could be true ”
“Maybe they’ve given us their best house,” I suggested.
Munin sighed, dropped her bags, and sank down into one of the finely
upholstered chairs.
“Tired, Munin?”
“Hiding my wings for so long does take a little out of me, yes ” She
hung her head, and her long silver hair flowed about her face.
“You should be fine to take them out in here, so long as we close the
curtains. Everyone saw them at the negotiations as well And anyway, it’s just

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us here right now, so go ahead and take out your wings.”

She’s gotta rest when she can.
“Really? Hooray! Let me change clothes first—”
“Wh—! Ch-Chief M-Munin?!”
“Yes, Miss Seras? What’s the matter?”
“I-if you’re going to get changed, you might at least do it somewhere that
my master cannot see you !”
“Ah, oh, my. Y-you’re quite right What was I thinking? I’ve given
my heart over to master quite so completely Oh, how embarrassing ”
“ ”
“Ahh Y-you’re absolutely right But I’m sure Mister Belzegea
wouldn’t be interested in watching an old woman like me getting changed
anyway ”
“Not true. Go change in another room, Munin,” I said.
“Of course! ” Munin collected her clothes and disappeared into an
adjoining room.
Seras breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the door shut behind her,
then smiled as if trying to cover up her relief. “Munin can be quite innocent and
playful, I see She’s a pure individual, isn’t she?”
“ I’m not good with people like that.”
Click.
“Excuse me, master?! You aren’t badmouthing me behind my back, are
you?! Oh my! If you are, it’s terribly mean of you!” Munin poked her head back
in through the door, her shoulders left slightly exposed.
“ I know you’re not really mad at me.”

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“Heh heh heh, you’re no fun. Heh heh I’ll get changed, so just wait a
moment, okay?”
She closed the door behind her again.
She’s trying to keep morale high, I guess you could say. Probably because
she’s been a village chief for so long. She’s just making sure our spirits stay
high.
“Kyah! My bottoms are so tight they won’t come off! Ah, no Miss
Seras! Please, help me get these off!”
“Chief M-Munin?! You’re still getting changed?! I’ll be right there!”
“Miss Seras, you You don’t think I’ve gotten fat, do you?! Has my
waist gotten wider?!”
“I-I don’t know how to answer that—!”
…She’s still joking, right?
After she was done changing, we did a quick check of the guest house.
There was nothing suspicious about the building—it seemed like a regular house
for housing state guests.
“They did say we could go wherever we wanted ”
But of course, there are some places we won’t be allowed in.
I looked out of the window at the yard outside.
“They don’t seem to be spying on us in here, but I’m sure we’ll be under
some kind of surveillance.”
This is the Wildly Beautiful Emperor we’re talking about—I’m sure he’s
accounted for the fact I know I’m being watched.
Munin lay down on the sofa, looking completely worn out.
She’s not used to the outside world. It’s not just physical tiredness from
storing her wings for so long; she’s exhausted mentally as well. Though I can

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see she’s trying to hide it, so we won’t worry about her. I can tell from her
reactions and the tone of her voice that she’s tired—we should let her get some
rest.
“Want to take a nap in one of the beds upstairs? You aren’t going to get
much rest sleeping like that. It’s not like the signing ceremony’s happening
today, either ”
Munin and I were the only ones in the room, as Seras had just left with
Slei to take a look at the stable at the back of the guest house.
Munin sat up from the sofa, her wings stretching out on either side of her
as if inviting me in. “This sofa is ever so soft and comfortable Heh heh, I’m
getting quite enough rest over here, you know? Thank you for being so
considerate, master. But you’re right storing my wings can be quite tiring. But
mostly it’s all this new exposure to the outside world It’s all a little
overwhelming, I suppose.”
Seems like she’s worried about people spying on us, even from the outside
—she isn’t using the name “Too-ka” in here.
“Yeah, I know. It was tough for me getting used to it as well.”
“Ah, that’s right. You used to ”
Munin knows I’m a Hero from Another World.
“But ever since I met Seras, she’s taught me so much about this world.”
“It’s nice to have someone to rely on, isn’t it?”
“I hope Seras and I can become people you rely on too.”
“You already are Ho ho. You can rely on me as well, you know? Of
course I don’t mind spoiling you.”
Why’s she making that heart with her fingers…
“What about you, anyway?”

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“Hmmh?”
“You’re the village chief—in a position like yours, you need someone you
can really confide in Hmm, you’re not married, are you?”
Munin placed a hand to her cheek. “Y-you’re right. Perhaps if I had a
husband or lover they’d be able to spoil me. Now that you mention it, I don’t
think I’ve ever really been spoiled. Though I suppose I can vent to Fugi a little,
relatively speaking ”
“I don’t know if it’s right to talk about this so lightly But have you
never thought about trying to find a spouse?”
“Well, I have considered finding someone someday in the future. But, first
I have Fugi to think about. I don’t want to saddle her with some heavy burden
But once we’ve formed a happy and peaceful family, I think Fugi will become
my successor—the next chief of the village. Ehm, I To be honest, I always
thought about leaving the village someday, venturing out alone to search for the
Scrolls of Forbidden Magic. And well on a journey like that, who knows when
I might die? I wouldn’t want to marry with that possibility hanging over the
relationship.”
…So that’s how much resolve she’s got as village chief of the Kurosaga—
I’m amazed by her.
“In some ways, I was happy to hear about this trip.”
Now I understand why she so readily agreed to come with us.
“I get it. But That’s exactly why it’s totally okay for you to rely on us
now. And well I guess it’s fine if you want us to spoil you too ”
“Oh, you don’t mind?” she asked.
“But I mean, I am younger than you. If you’re okay with that?”
I don’t know Munin’s real age, but she’s definitely older than me and

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Seras.
“Hmph You think you can’t spoil me just because I’m older than you?”
she said in a bit of a sulking tone, before placing her hands on her knees and
standing up from the sofa. “Heh heh heh, as I said, master I can spoil you as
well, you know? You’re always so tense, never showing us any weakness But
if it ever gets too tough, you can O-oh, my ?”
Munin swayed, staggered, and I quickly stood up to catch her in my arms.
“Squee!” Piggymaru gave a little pained squeak from inside my robes.
“Ah, you’ve gotten caught in the middle—I-I’m sorry, Piggymaru!
Master, I ”
“Sit, sleep I don’t mind, but you need to go get some rest.”
“Y-yes Heh heh, but ” Munin looked up at me, smiling. “It’s not so
bad, having someone here to catch me when I fall.”
“ Right?”
“Squ~ ”
“Ah—I’m sorry, Piggymaru Y-you’re being squeezed, aren’t you!”
Munin jumped away from me.
“S-squeuuh~ ” Apparently, being pressed between me and Munin was
painful.
“M-my, my ” Munin had jumped away from me, but her swaying
continued. I rushed in to support her, careful not to make a Piggymaru sandwich
in the process this time.
“Master I-I’m sorry for all this. What’s gotten into me ”
“I’ve noticed you’re pretty absent-minded, aren’t you?”
“Hmph, th-that’s so mean!” Munin pouted and puffed out her cheeks.
“You look pretty happy for an angry person.”

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“Heh heh heh, I do, don’t I? I’m only playing. ”

Click.
“—I’ve returned, my master.”
“A-ah, Miss Seras—no! Th-this isn’t what it looks like! Ahem We
aren’t embracing each other. I simply was about to fall, and Master came to
support me and ”
“When you give panicked explanations like that, it only makes it sound
worse, Munin.”
Maybe we’re lucky that Seras can see through lies.

“Chief Munin really must be tired Though, well, I suppose it’s only
natural. Traveling to a new country can even tire me out on the first day. I should
have used my ability to detect lies to ask her earlier and advise her to rest I
apologize.”
Munin, for her part, was now sound asleep on the sofa beside us.
“It’s not your fault. I think the exhaustion came over her all at once as
soon as we got here.”
It’s like she’s been in fight or flight this whole time…and now her brain
suddenly, finally, gets to relax. Like when you get home from a trip or from
work, and the tiredness overwhelms you.
“Well we could spoil her a little more, I suppose.”
“She was so considerate of us the whole time we were on the road. It was
like she felt it was her responsibility, as our elder Munin truly is a thoughtful
individual,” said Seras.
“I think now I understand why everyone in the Kurosaga Clan likes her so
much, especially Fugi ”

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“I like Chief Munin as well I’d like to close the distance between us.”
To be honest, I’m tired too. She’s clearly got some needs, but I’m not the
best at handling people like Munin.
“I-I would also ” Seras said.
“Hmm?”
“ L-like to Grow closer with you as well Closer than we are at
present,” said Seras, her shoulders stiffening and cheeks blushing slightly as she
looked down at her lap.
“—Yeah. Me too.”
“Th-that’s wonderful !”
With that said, Seras and I surrendered ourselves for a while to the
comfortable silence that fell upon the room.

SERAS ASHRAIN

S ERAS INVITED MUNIN to take a bath with her once she awoke, intending
their absence as a way of giving Too-ka some time to rest alone.
“Okay, let’s go. ”
Seras had already been to the baths to get the hot water ready. There was a
magical device inside that filled the tub with water once mana was poured
inside, so she’d asked Too-ka to activate it while he was inspecting the house.
They stripped off their clothes in the spacious changing room and went to
the baths together. Seras hid her body with a cloth towel in front, letting out a
gasp of pure astonishment as she stepped through the door.
“This is ”

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Luxurious!
The facilities easily rivaled the ones she had bathed in during her time in
Neah—perhaps even exceeding them. They were the cleanest that Seras had ever
seen. There was scented body wash liquid and even what looked to be citrus
blossoms floating in the water.
“Oh, it’s perfect ” came Munin’s voice from behind her.
“Yes I could fall in love with this place.”
“Oh, no, I was talking about the view from back here.”
“Eh? M-me?”
“The way your body curves, looking at it from the back Oh, I’m so
jealous.”
“B-but Chief Munin Your skin is white as snow, and you have such a
well-balanced figure ”
“Miss Seras, the only way I could ever beat you is with the size of
these ” Munin placed her hands below her breasts and lifted them up.
Seras looked embarrassed, unsure how to find the words to respond—
Munin put her hand to her cheek and gave her a wry laugh.
“But look, I’m sure you of all people know there’s nothing good about
having big breasts. Some men will compliment you on them, and I understand a
lot of men prefer them big but that hardly means a thing to me. These things
give me a stiff back and make it a pain to find clothes that fit ”
“ I know what you mean.”
Cattlea always said that I should think of them as a blessing—as a
woman’s weapon that men cannot possess. But I agree with Munin’s opinion on
this matter.
“I mean, do you remember the way you helped me train as we were

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traveling here to Mira? I think I’ve gotten a little better at fighting, but
sometimes I wish I didn’t have these on my chest. Don’t you agree?” Munin
pouted and squeezed her breasts as she spoke.
“Yes, I do ” said Seras in earnest. “I know that I would evade enemy
attacks with much more ease without these. And I would not be so limited in my
posture when drawing a bow.”
“Ha ha! I’m so happy you understand!” Munin approached her, taking
Seras’s hands in hers and doing a happy little hop.
“Chief M-Munin The floors are polished, and the c-condensation will
make them slippery, so ”
She’s older than me, so it might be a little rude to say—but Munin is ever
so cute when she’s excited like this. But this can also be somewhat
overwhelming…
“Yaa-h!” And indeed, Munin slipped.
Seras made to catch her, and “Oh no—!”
Her heel slid across the polished floor, and she slipped as well. There was
a flapping sound as she lost her towel and after that: silence but for the dripping
of water echoing around the baths.
“I-I’m so sorry. Are you okay, Miss Seras ?”
“Ah I’m fine. Chief Munin, do you have any injuries?”
Munin was on the bottom and Seras was lying flat on top of her, their
bodies pressed together. Munin had spread her wings as soon as they fell and
then made sure she was on the bottom as they went down, using her wings as a
kind of cushion against the floor.
“Th-thank you for being so considerate, Chief Munin.”
“It was my fault, so don’t worry about that. But Now we’re stuck

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together, I can feel how smooth your skin is, Miss Seras—it’s like silk! Heh heh
heh, I’d almost like to stay like this a while longer.”
Seras gave her a wry smile. “Th-thank you for the compliment ”
After they had both washed themselves, they got into the bath together. It
was her first bath in a long time, which made Seras very happy.
Soon, their conversation turned to more serious matters—and back to the
topic of Munin’s combat training.
“My weakness is my stamina, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I believe so. With your reaction to that fall, I can see that you have
wonderful reflexes. But for extended periods of fighting, you may need more
endurance to keep up.”
She’s quick to start panting after intense exercise.
Seras remembered one of their training sessions on the road, the way she
had fallen to the ground on her knees at one point.
“Haah… Haah! L-let me rest for a moment… Please? Haah, haah!
Cough, cough! S-so this is the outside world then, is it…?”
Seras thought her last remark was a little melodramatic but could see how
much she was struggling.
“I’ve always done my best to maintain my combat techniques But I
wasn’t taking proper care to keep up my stamina as well, it seems. I regret that
now. Am I too old for this, do you think?”
“You certainly don’t look it ”
“Oh, do you truly think so?”
Munin’s mood seemed to turn around for a moment, but she was quickly
back to the slight smile as the sorrowful look in her eyes returned.
“Ah, Miss Seras Over there, and this one here—I’ll tidy those up once

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we’re done. Please don’t mind the mess, okay?”

Munin was holding a black feather between her fingers that had been
drifting on the surface of the water. There were several others that Seras could
see floating in the bath with them.
“Not at all, I will help you clean them up. Don’t worry.”
After all, it was Seras that had suggested she leave her wings out as they
bathed.

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I’m sure she wants to wash them as well, but she seems bothered by the
feathers that they shed. That must be why she stored them when we came in here
at first.
Seras had debated whether she should mention it as they were stripping
off their clothes.
“These black feathers ” muttered Munin, spinning one of them around in
her fingers and sounding lost in sentimentality. “I wonder how they must look to
the people of this outside world? We still have our oral history. The legends say
some on the outside used to be scared of our wings—thought they looked black,
like the darkest night. I mean people are scared of the night, aren’t they?”
“I like the color of your wings, Munin. They’re calming—they make you
look sophisticated.”
“I-is that so? I wonder Heh heh heh, you’re making me embarrassed. ”
“I believe Sir Too-ka feels the same—he said so himself. That the night is
a friend to him, and that it makes him feel relaxed.”
“ Heh heh heh. Really There’s nothing not to like about Too-ka, is
there Haah ” Munin closed her eyes to rest.
There’s nothing not to like about you either, Chief Munin.

MIMORI TOUKA

“I ’M GOING TO GO take a walk around. You two are tired, right? Stay here
and rest.”
I want Munin to get some sleep—but as the sole Kurosaga here, I can’t
exactly leave her alone either.

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“Understood. I will wait here for you with Chief Munin,” said Seras,
catching on at once that I wanted her to stay and guard our friend.
“Thanks.”
“Not at all, please be careful out there.”
In any case, it’s going to be easier to get around if it’s just me. The three
of us wandering around out there would draw the wrong kind of attention. I
might want Seras’s lie-detecting abilities by my side—but Munin comes first.
I left the house, and walked around the side past the flower beds,
following the stone path. After leaving the area, I turned right, passing through a
small yard and into a connecting hallway. There was a door at the end of the
hall, with two guards on either side of it.
“Lord of the Flies, Sir Belzegea, I believe? What can I do for you?” asked
one, clearly somewhat nervous.
“I wish to see inside. His Majesty gave me permission to enter.”
“Yes, we have been instructed to allow you access to the castle—please,
go right ahead.” The soldiers opened the door, and I walked inside.
There was a long hallway inside with a rug running down the center—is
this marble flooring?
I looked at one of the glass windows inside—it was spotless, each aspect
of its frame clearly crafted using only the finest materials. It was still bright
outside, so the candles placed at regular intervals down the length of the hallway
had yet to be lit. I leaned against the wall and looked at the map of the castle that
Hawk had given me. The areas I was permitted to access were clearly marked in
red.
Well—I bet this map is just for guests and visitors… It’s not like each
detail of the castle is going to be on this thing.

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“ ”
There are three people surveilling me. One of them’s good at concealing
their presence—but not as good as Eve.
I showed no signs that I’d noticed them as I proceeded down the hallway,
into an open space with a high ceiling above. There was a staircase with an ivory
handrail, leading up to a second-floor balcony that was visible from below.
“Mhm?”
There was someone atop the balcony—they noticed me just as they came
to the head of the stairs.
“Who’s this now? Lookin’ like a fallen hero, ain’tcha, Lord of the Flies-
chan?”
“Ah, I believe I know your name ” I looked up at her. “Miss Asagi
Ikusaba.”

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Chapter 4:
The White Army and the Black Fly of Night

“T HERE’S A LITTLE PLACE called Cafeteria Three over there—good place

to talk. Kinda reminds us of
the school lunches we used ta get in the old world, so us heroes are there
all the time But some of the people in the castle ain’t so fond of our company.
We sorta occupy the whole place, I guess.”
I walked behind Asagi as she guided me toward the cafeteria to talk.
I intended to find her on my walk, and luckily, she stumbled upon me
naturally. I want to understand her thoughts—and if possible, the true nature of
that trump card unique skill of hers. Then there’s the matter of whether she
knows who I really am under this mask.
There’s a risk she could find me out while we’re in conversation, but even
then I think questioning her will be worth
it. When it comes to reducing the risk I’ll be discovered—I guess that all
depends on my acting abilities. But to be honest, that comes down to Kashima
Kobato. With Asagi, my main focus is finding out more about her unique skills.
Asagi entered the cafeteria and ordered something from the chef on duty
as if she’d done so a thousand times before. She then picked up two wooden
cups of tonic water and gestured with her head to a table in the corner.
“Over there.”
We walked over and sat down, and Asagi gestured to the cup she’d placed
in front of me.
“Ah, perhaps I should have stated this first, but ”
“You ain’t gonna drink, huh?”

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“My apologies, I am not.”

She was testing me—watching to see if I’d take off my mask.
“Must be real hard to hide your true identity all the time. Ain’t it hot in
there?”
“It’s more comfortable than it looks.”
“You hate the Goddess?”
…That came out of nowhere.
“I cannot say I have a liking for her.”
“Is that cause she attacked the Country at the End of the World, who are
lookin’ after all your close friends?”
“Yes. From everything I have heard, her actions do not paint a terribly
good picture of her character as a divine—what is your opinion on her, might I
ask?”
“Man, this tonic water’s good! I wanna sell it in the old world! Nh? Me?”
“Are you not a Hero from Another World? What was your reason for
turning against the Goddess?”
“Well See like The Goddess says she’s gonna send us back to our old
world once we beat the Demon King, yeah? I don’t think that’s how it’s gonna
play out—I don’t believe that Goddess’s promises.”
“Do you have some proof? Something that makes you sure she will not?”
“Nope, nuthin’. Well Just my skills as a people watcher I guess? I know
she’s not people, but still.”
“You sound very confident in your decision, given the lack of definite
proof.”
“Oh, I’ve got proof,” Asagi said determinedly. “Seems like gods ain’t all
that different from us when it comes down to their emotions, the way they act.”

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“Hmm?”
“I mean, the gods in this world are more like the ones from Greek myth,
yeah? Like, they’re sorta gods, but their emotions and actions are sorta human.”
“Is this Greek myth you speak of a story of the gods in your world?”
“Oops Best you don’t know anything more than the names of food and
people from our world, y’know? Seems like the calamity comes for people in
this world who know too much.”
“Of course. I will not pry.”
I’ve already heard about the calamity from Erika and Seras. If I’m playing
the role of a person of this world, I’ve got to drop the subject.
“Returning to the topic at hand After observing the Goddess for a long
enough time, you came to believe she possesses the emotions of a human—and
determined her to be untrustworthy.”
“Kinda, yeah. But, like, whatever you think’s the truth is all the truth is
People should just believe whatever they want, right? S’long as they take
responsibility for thinkin’ what they think.”
Asagi’s food arrived—a little plate of broiled meat on the bone, covered in
finely chopped fragrant herbs. There were mashed potatoes too, with a thin layer
of green sauce on top and a side of some chopped fruit.
I feel like she’s sidestepping a definite statement there—almost like she’s
trying to avoid getting caught out by a lie detector.
“But even so—as a Hero from Another World, you chose to take up arms
against the Goddess.”
Asagi swallowed a piece of fruit and held one of the pieces of meat out
toward me.
“Sure you don’t want some? Really don’t wanna take off that mask, eh?

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Who are you really, Lord of the Flies-san?”

“I’m a former Ashint member.”
“What’s this cursed-magic stuff anyway? Is it any different from the
incantations and spells and skills that we use?”
“Well, yes We borrow the power of the Cursed God, you might say.
Perhaps it’s closer to the spirit magic of the elves.”
“So can I use cursed-magic?”
“No. It is said that the curses are innate—their use only granted to those
chosen by the Cursed God.”
“So like, you’re born with it?”
“Yes.”
“You’re su~re?”
“So I was told.”
“That cursed-magic is the stuff that killed Civit Gartland, right?”
“He was strong.”
“Like, was he seriously the Strongest Man in the World?”
“Likely so.”
“But you beat him, Lord of the Flies-san.”
“I was fortunate. But yes.”
“You mean you just got lucky?”
“I believe that in the end, what truly determined my victory was luck.”
It was a gamble. I tried to give myself the best odds I could, but there was
never any guarantee I’d beat him.
“Hmph,” mused Asagi, licking some of the fat that had run off the meat
onto her finger. “You not overconfident, huh But then again you ain’t some

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fawning modest guy either. You’re calm, just lookin’ at the facts.”
“Do you like analyzing people?”
“I guess so. Only the ones I’m interested in though—otherwise I can’t be
bothered.”
“You’re interested in the Wildly Beautiful Emperor then, I take it? If
possible, I’d like to hear your opinion of the man.”
Asagi wiped her thumb on the sleeve of her shirt.
“He’s a smooth talker, I guess? He’s coolheaded and properly cares for his
family. I get the feeling he’s making all this work by some kind of miracle, on
like the border between dreams and reality. Walkin’ a tightrope, y’might say.
And, like, he’s super hot too. Total eleven out of ten, I mean what the heck? I’m
gonna take him back to the old world and make him cosplay!”
Setting that last comment aside—her impressions of the emperor are
similar to mine. No—Asagi’s better at expressing it than I am.
“You believe he’s more trustworthy than the Goddess?”
“Can’t say that. But like, since we’re on his side, I guess so?”
She’s good at being evasive.
“In any case—you want to earn his trust, use that special power you’ve
got—and bring down the Goddess, yeah?” asked Asagi, crushing some of the
potatoes with the back of her fork. “And it sure seems like you wanna know
about my special skill, yeah?”
“That does interest me, yes. Just as you were interested in my cursed-
magic, I suppose.”
“Well, about that Give and take, eh? All right then.”
The mashed potato came smooshing out from the gaps in the fork as she
pushed down further.

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“A unique skill—” Asagi answered plainly.

“Even among all the special powers you Heroes from Another World
possess, unique skills are special, are they not?”
“Depends on how you look at it. They can be insanely strong, yeah. Like,
they could even take down Goddess-chin, maybe They started treatin’ me
better here when they learned ’bout what my unique skill can do. I went from
bein’ in charge of convincing S-class heroes to join us, to leadin’ the whole
freakin’ charge into battle. I’m a shining star, right? But well that Dispel
Bubble the Goddess has got still bothers me a bit.”
“The Wildly Beautiful Emperor spoke of it, yes. He mentioned that your
unique skill could perhaps be more relied upon once the contents of the sealed
room were revealed.”
“But, like, my unique skills are supposed to be these status effect things,
but Like, I think they’re really something different, y’know ?” Suddenly
Asagi looked off to the side—she raised an eyebrow.
“ Hmm?”
It’s almost like… She’s just realized something.
“Right before the Goddess disposed of Mimori-kun, he used a status effect
skill on her. She said it back then, that her barrier made her immune to status
effect skills. But she didn’t really say much about the other kinds of skills.
Seems like attacks work against her y’know? Maybe she doesn’t have an
automatic barrier against ’em? Then maybe, like, some long time ago there was
someone whose status effect skills were like, super powerful? Like in online
games where a new class gets released that’s so strong, the devs have to nerf it
So much it isn’t even playable anymore, maybe? Like they’ve become
completely worthless now, yeah? Otherwise what would be the point in the
Goddess always having that barrier around her specifically to block status effect

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skills, if they’re s’posed to be so freakin’ weak and useless, right?”

The heroes’ common skills are divided into five sections—the Goddess
explained them all to us after our summoning. There are offensive skills,
defensive skills, healing skills, enhancement skills, and status effect skills. Asagi
just said offensive skills seem to work against the Goddess. Hard to imagine
defensive skills could do much to beat her, and healing skills fall into the same
camp there. But she thinks status effect skills might be able to do something,
then. Does that mean Asagi’s skills are the remaining “enhancement” type then,
by process of elimination? Would that include debuffs as well—something to
weaken targets? This special power of hers that could potentially bring down a
divine—is it some kind of special debuff?
But what she just said about status effect skills… Sounded like she was just
mumbling to herself, but that was some interesting insight. These status effect
skills are supposed to be worthless—but the Goddess has gone through the effort
of creating a special barrier around herself to protect her from them—a special
defensive measure, designed solely to dispel them.
That said, my skills aren’t getting through without the forbidden magic’s
help. Not much point in going too deep into Asagi’s thoughts now. I guess that’s
enough questions about her trump card.
“By the way, Miss Ikusaba ”
“Ah You mind calling me Asagi-dono instead? I really don’t like it
when people call me that.”
“Asagi-dono, then I meant to ask about the girl who stood next to you
during the negotiations—she appeared sick.”
“Bato-chin?”
“?”
“Her name’s Kobato Kashima. So, like, Bato-chin. Or sometimes Pidgey-

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chan.”
“Is she a hero as well?”
“Yep.”
…I want to avoid seeming like I’m too focused on Kashima here.
“Are there other heroes with you?”
“More ’n I can count on one hand.”
“Do they all agree with your decision to betray the Goddess? Well, no
I’m sure you convinced them. You appear to be good at that, Asagi-dono.”
“Ain’t got much else to do.” She cupped her hands behind her head and let
all her weight swing back in her chair with a creak. “I give myself a mission,
like Do my best to manipulate everything as well as I can to achieve it.
There’s nothing more fun than manipulating real life, y’know? You can drive
people to suicide just like that Never even gotta get your hands dirty—you can
kill people indirectly, like.”
It almost sounds like she’s speaking from experience.
Asagi stuck out her tongue at me—but her expression was sincere.
“My real dad—I made him ” Asagi stopped mid-sentence to correct
herself. “He went and killed himself.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“He freakin’ died.”
Her tongue still sticking out a little, Asagi gave some limp applause. Her
expression remained sincere—only her eyes were smiling, curved upward in an
unsettling manner.
“That’s how I protected Mama. Happily ever after, all that Hah hah. He
seriously, like went and freakin’ killed himself.”
I never knew what Asagi’s family situation was like, but I could’ve

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guessed. I think I know why I’ve always felt she was similar to me now. You had
terrible parents too, huh? But unlike me, you had your mother on your side. Still,
I can sympathize with the situation.
But in some ways—so what?
What’s the point in telling me this, in the situation we’re in now?
Asagi massaged her eyebrows with her fingertips, closing her eyes.
“ Hmm-hmhmhm? Why am I suddenly letting you know I’m a psycho?
Well Let’s just say I made all that up, eh? Bit of improv to pull on your
heartstrings, ’kay? I’m like a compulsive liar! Ah, ehm Well, all the heroes
I’ve got with me really accept me for who I am. All we gotta do now is get them
other heroes on board, and we’ll wrap this up in no time! Hah hah hah. Did I
scare you just now? But, like, don’t curse me to death, I’m beggin’ ya~!”
“Sir Belzegea! Ah, and you are here as well I see, Asagi-dono.” Hawk
came into the cafeteria and recognized us at once—as if he was there to collect
me.
“What can I do for you?” I asked.
“His Majesty has asked for you t—! Y-Your Majesty?!”
“My apologies for interrupting your chat.”
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor glided into the cafeteria (which was small
for the size of the castle)—the picture of dignity. The chef hurried over to greet
him, but the emperor sent him away with a wave of his hand.
“You are here as well then, Asagi.”
“I was just leavin’, so see you later~!”
“No—this is perfect timing. Please, I beg you to stay.” The emperor
stopped her. He drew one of the chairs back and gracefully sat down next to us
at the table.

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“I will start at the beginning,” said the Wildly Beautiful Emperor,

launching immediately into an explanation. “There have been troop movements
in the north.”
“Hmm? Demon King-chin’s comin’ for us?”
“No These are Yonato troops. They have positioned themselves at our
borders.”
“Uhhmm? So it’s Yonato-chi? They were so beat up after the invasion
They don’t really got the men for that, right?”
“Indeed. I was not considering sending any of my forces to combat
Yonato. In truth, my scouts report the army at our border are largely a collection
of weaklings and stragglers, nothing to be truly afraid of.”
“Then, like, meowbe they ain’t a threat?”
“The White Wolf Riders are with them.”
“Oh, man, they’re the main fighters of Magnar, right? But then, like, what
about the fortress they were holding in the east of Magnar? I figured Alion
thought the place was key to holdin’ back the Demon King’s armies.”
“Something must have happened on the Demon King’s side—something
to turn the tide,” I interrupted.
“Hmph,” the emperor nodded. “They have some proof that the Demon
King will not make his move for some time yet—something has happened
among the Sacred Alliance nations. I heard there was a commotion in Alion of
late—in the royal palace no less.”
“Ah, so you think it had somethin’ to do with the Demon King?”
“The intelligence reports are complex, and nothing can be known for sure
yet. But reports suggest that Alion was ambushed by the Demon King and
succeeded in driving him away.”

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“Meaning Ayaka and the other S-classes are really that strong now, eh?
Maybe I gotta update the way I think about those guys a teensy bit, huh?”
Did Sogou and the other heroes really fight off the Demon King? That
Foul Goddess… Based on the Sacred Alliance’s movements, she’s up to
something.
“Then, Your Majesty, do you think it possible that the Demon King
himself perished in the battle in Alion?” I asked.
“No The golden-eyes massing around the Nightwall are still under his
control. When the Root of All Evil is annihilated, his control over them is clearly
broken—they scatter.”
“Then he’s still alive ”
“In all likelihood, yes. But given Alion’s judgment that he will not attack
them again any time soon, it’s highly possible that they dealt him a serious blow
in the recent commotion.”
“I see. Guess the Goddess thinks she’s fine to send the White Wolf Riders
over our way, since her heroes are strong enough to drive off the Demon King
now, huh? Don’t tell me, Zine-chin You want the Lord of the Flies-chin and
his gang to go take down the White Wolf Riders?”
“No. I have sent Luheit to handle the forces amassing at our border. He
has been given command of the elite Order of Grior and some of the Band of the
Sun that remained here in the capital. The White Wolf Riders are strong, but
they do not have the numbers. Even with the poor-quality Yonato soldiers, they
have managed to scrape together, we still outnumber them. The military forces
we are deploying against the White Wolf Riders may not match them in strength,
but our soldiers are by no means weak. They should have a slight advantage in
the battle to come. Nevertheless, against such an enemy we have no guarantee of
victory and must have Luheit in the field to command our forces.”

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Right now most of Mira’s forces are waging war against Ulza in the east
—most of the Band of the Sun, which make up their main army, are stuck
fighting there… Now he’s sending the remaining forces he kept here on standby
off to fight the enemy in the north.
“Nh? Wait a minute now. If we just take out the White Wolf Riders, we’ll
have no problems here, right?” Asagi’s question clearly showed she understood
there was something else—some bigger issue the emperor had yet to raise.
“Luheit and his forces have arrived in the north, at the border Yet
roughly halfway between his position and the capital, we’ve received reports of
large numbers of golden-eyed monsters roaming the land.”
Asagi leaned forward, hand on her cheek propping up her head. The way
her hand pushed up one side of her face seemed to almost turn it into a twisted
smile.
“Hmm That’s some timing ”
“There have been further reports—a mysterious ‘White Army’ has
appeared in Miran territory.”
Asagi looked a little taken aback. “What ? What’s a White Army? This
is kinda sudden, ain’t it? Where the heck’d they come from? They’re different
from the White Wolf Riders, yeah? What’s with all these new reports anyway?
This is way too much new info.”
“They are not the White Wolf Riders, no Word is that the White Army
may not even be human.”
“They’re monsters?”
“Their eyes are golden—those are the reports.”
White with golden eyes—makes me think of that Foul Goddess. She’s got
that exact same color scheme going on.

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“The White Army have been attacking fortresses, keeps and towns
between here and the capital—they’re steadily making their way south toward
us.”
“And Luheit’s armies did not come across them as they made their way
north?”
“Hmph. It’s as if they were lying in wait, choosing their moment to
strike.”
Their timing is too perfect. Like they were waiting for Luheit to pass
before they made their move. The stationing of Yonato and Magnar forces on the
northern border of Mira… It seems that might have been a trick to lure the
Miran army out of position. All this is being coordinated somehow.
“I ordered the soldiers in the first fortress attacked by the White Army to
retreat, and we are slowly evacuating cities and towns in the area. The casualties
are strangely low.”
“So these mysterious White Army guys got a moral compass, and actually
they’re pretty nice guys? Naaah No way that’s true, right—? Am I right?”
“Not exactly In fact we cannot discount that possibility.”
“Oho?”
“It appears the White Army is led by the Saber-toothed Tigers.”
The Saber-toothed Tigers—so this is where we meet again. The emperor
did say they were on the Goddess’s side.
“ Hmm. Riri-san and the others—the ones who taught us how to fight as
a group So now they’re standin’ against us as enemies, huh? They’re okay
Makes sense they wouldn’t wanna go around slaughtering everyone. That’s just
who they are, yeah.”
Come to think of it, they were in Yonato during the Demon King’s

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invasion, weren’t they? I heard a little about them after the Battle for the White
Citadel.
“As enemies They’re going to be tough to beat,” said Asagi. There was
no trace of humor in her voice any longer.
Not even Ikusaba Asagi underestimates them.
“They have been taking no hostages and allowing our soldiers to retreat
They allow all who show no intention of fighting them to escape, the civilians
included. It is just like the Saber-toothed Tigers to do so, one might say.”
But still—how’s this going to turn out? Those civilians are refugees now,
washing over the country. The safe land will be taken piece by piece—where will
they go?
“All those refugees will come flowing into the capital, won’t they?”
“Hmph, yes. They aren’t just letting my people go out of the goodness of
their hearts ”
“They’re planning to win this war, no matter what,” I said, predicting what
the emperor was about to say. He looked ever so slightly taken aback at my
statement.
“Lord of the Flies Your thoughts immediately went to the right answer,
I see.”
“Eh? What’s goin’ on? I, like, don’t get this at all ”
The two of them seemed to be waiting for me to continue.
“I’m sure the capital citizens’ loyalty toward his majesty will drop
considerably if he does not allow refugees into the city.”
Asagi showed signs of realizing what I was getting at, and I continued.
“This war against Alion was only possible because of the fanatical support
his majesty receives from his people.”

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“I would also mention that declaring this a war to save the Goddess was
my way of reassuring the people,” said the emperor.
…I see.
“The nations of the Sacred Alliance are using the Goddess for their own
ends.”
That makes this a war against the countries who are exploiting her, not
against the Goddess herself—that’s the kind of logic he’s set up. In this world,
there’s no TV, no internet or communication technology to connect the whole
continent—there are no information networks to spread messages either. The
Goddess can’t exactly access some international live broadcast news channel to
explain the truth of all this to them.
To correct lies and spread important facts, she’d have to actually
physically show herself—to come here and tell the people of Mira the truth.
Meaning there’s a possibility she could be lured out of her home nation of Alion
to do so… That’d make taking her out all the easier. If the emperor really had
all that in mind when he decided on this grand cause, he’s quite the strategist.
“But without the support of the people, Mira could collapse from the
inside. The citizens of Mira must have absolute confidence in their emperor.”
“So, like, ’less Zine-chin rescues the big avalanche o’ refugees comin’ to
the capital this war might be over just like that, huh? Makes sense, I guess. If
they think he’s the kinda emperor that’ll abandon his people when the goin’ gets
rough, most of these Mirans might turn on him.”
“But with an influx of refugees in the capital, it will make it easier for
enemy agents to infiltrate the city.”
They could come here to assassinate the Wildly Beautiful Emperor—or
even Munin. I have to consider the possibility that they’re attacking Mira with
the full knowledge that the Forbidden Words Clan are now on this side of the

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walls.
“Whether my nation of Mira accepts these refugees or not, we are placed
in a tough situation.”
“And if we choose to ignore the Saber-toothed Tigers and White Army,
they may cease advancing south—and turn north instead.”
The Wildly Beautiful Emperor looked to understand my worry
immediately.
“Luheit and his armies in the north would be caught in a pincer attack. I
see They’ve even thought of that.”
“But, like, not even you factored in these White Army guys, right, Zine-
chin? This new power the enemy’s got of just appearing wherever they want
without any warning is, like, super totally unfair! It’d be unfair in any war,
anytime, anywhere! How’re we s’posed to prepare for their attacks?! This, like,
sucks!”
If this were just the White Wolf Riders and a horde of monsters roaming
his land, I’m sure the emperor could’ve dealt with them easily—he must’ve
expected some attacks to come. But this White Army are a completely
unexpected threat—there’s too little information available about them. Not to
mention with the way they’re advancing… The situation’s only deteriorating by
the minute. The longer we wait to act, the more refugees they will create, the
lower the emperor’s support here in the capital will get, and the greater the risk
to Luheit’s rear guard will become. Things will only get worse and worse.
“There is good news too,” said the Wildly Beautiful Emperor. “This White
Army several reports have suggested they are not quite as strong as their
numbers suggest. Trained soldiers should be more than capable of dispatching
them. But the Saber-toothed Tigers make them too much for us to handle.”
“ Figures, yep. They fought like heck durin’ that mess at Yonato, but not

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one of ’em died there. When their group fightin’ style really gets going, they’re
the real deal, y’know?”
“According to those that have crossed them thus far, they have been
fighting as if their lives depend upon it. I believe that they will bring every ounce
of strength they have to bear in their fight against us.”
“So you figure the ones controlling the White Army are the Saber-toothed
Tigers ’emselves, eh?”
“Meaning if we can just do something about them, Miran soldiers might
be able to mop up the White Army?” I broke in.
“Luheit’s stuck on the border, staring down the White Wolf Riders in the
north—he cannot move from that position. The main strength of the Band of the
Sun and the skilled warriors of the three princeps’s elector houses are deployed
against Ulza in the east. My chancellor Kaize has no talent for war As a result,
the only forces that remain capable of countering the Saber-toothed
Tigers, are ”
“Zine-chin and your personal guards Our group And the Lord of the
Flies Brigade, huh?”
“I could lead my personal guard into battle myself but they are the last
line of defense for the city in which we stand ”
“And hey, if we lose you now, the whole country’s gonna collapse
—boom! Want me and the others to handle this?”
“No I believe you are poorly matched against an enemy such as the
Saber-toothed Tigers.”
“Well, yep. When Riri-san and the rest get serious about fighting as a
group We’d need to get ready for some serious casualties. Or I mean, like—
and lemme be brutally honest here—I don’t even know if we could beat them.
There are some fights we’re suited for, and some we just ain’t My trump card

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ain’t much use against them neither.”

It’d be too risky for the commander of this whole war to go riding out
against the Saber-toothed Tigers—that isn’t a realistic option. But the Wildly
Beautiful Emperor doesn’t want to send Asagi out to face them either—she’s his
key to defeating the Goddess, after all. Asagi herself also knows she isn’t best
suited to fighting them. They once battled side by side against the Demon King—
she knows exactly how strong they really are. In other words, Asagi’s just
realistically analyzing the situation and thinks her group’s chances of winning
are slim, and there’s a high possibility instead that they might all be killed or
captured.
Now we’re back to the start of this conversation, aren’t we? The reason
why Hawk—and the Wildly Beautiful Emperor were looking for me in the first
place. They need someone relatively nimble, capable of facing off against the
Saber-toothed Tigers, and there’s only one group they’re able to turn to…
“You wish for my Lord of the Flies Brigade to do something about the
Saber-toothed Tiger problem, I take it?”

I explained the situation to Seras once I’d returned to the state guest
house.
“ I see. I suppose with the Saber-toothed Tigers eliminated, the
remaining White Army forces can be left to the Miran army. You intend to
accept the Wildly Beautiful Emperor’s request, don’t you, my master?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I will follow your decision,” said Seras without a second’s
hesitation or doubt.
“The actions of Mira can be a smokescreen for us from the Goddess’s
eyes But if their nation collapses now, it’ll only make movement all that much

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more difficult for us in the future. For now, I want the Goddess’s attention
focused on the Wildly Beautiful Emperor.”
“Support for his cause could help us along the path toward your revenge,
which is to our benefit Yes. In the battle to come, however, might it not be an
issue that the Lord of the Flies Brigade stand out in battle?”
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”
The more the Goddess focuses on the Lord of the Flies Brigade, the better.
I’ll hide in the shadows of this disguise—until it’s finally time for Mimori Touka,
the invisible man, to make his move. That’s the main reason I’ve decided not to
hide the existence of the Brigade here. With Lord of the Flies and Fly
Swordsman outfits, I can hide in plain sight.
“But I do wonder about us riding out to fight this enemy alone. Is it wise?”
asked Munin.
“Ah, about this battle—I’m going to have you and Seras stay here.”
I raised my hand to stop Seras and Munin from speaking as they tried to
interrupt.
“The enemy we’re up against this time I feel like it’s a diversion. Intel
about the Saber-toothed Tigers has been far too easy to come by from the sounds
of it That makes me suspicious.”
“Now that you mention it ”
“This might be a trap—but as I just explained, ignoring this problem is
only going to make the situation worse.”
“Hmm ” Munin groaned—she sounded troubled by what I was saying.
“But Mister Zine’s the emperor of this country, and Miss Asagi’s the trump card
to defeating the Goddess So you don’t want to expose her to danger if
possible, right? Meaning ”

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“They want to rely on the Lord of the Flies Brigade.”

“But there’s a huge number of those White Army forces out there, right?
And the Saber-toothed Tigers too Shouldn’t you at least allow Seras and I to
support you in this battle? I can turn into a crow after all. I’d be perfectly suited
to scouting out the enemy for you !”
Munin assumed a fighting stance as she tried to convince me.
“No. We don’t know if the Wildly Beautiful Emperor is the only one
they’re after. Munin There’s always a chance they might be here for you.”
“Ah ”
“Ultimately the one that Foul Goddess wants rid of the most is you.
There’s also the possibility someone could shoot you down while you’re out
scouting in your crow form. And I also just feel like it’d be easier to do this on
my own.”
“While you are on the road, any number of unknown foes may confront
you My master is being careful of those dangers too, I take it?” asked Seras.
“If something sudden were to assault us—I wouldn’t want to lose you to
an attack from my blind spot. When I’m on the offensive it’s easy for me to
maneuver—it’s only when I’m on the defensive that I feel restricted.”
“In other words—you wish us to stay here and defend the castle?”
“That’s why I’m leaving you here too, Seras—there’s nobody else I could
count on.”
“Th-thank you. Understood It’s an honor to be spoken of so highly.”
Seras looked embarrassed and apologetic.
This Princess Knight… She’s as modest as she’s ever been, huh?
“I’m leaving Slei here too.”
Slei raised her head with a “pakyuh?”—she was sitting in the corner of

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the room in her pony form.

“We can’t be sure that the enemy’s strategies and forces are limited to
what we can see out there now, they might have something else up their sleeves.
If you feel like this place isn’t safe anymore, don’t hesitate to mount Slei and
escape. I’ll borrow a Miran warhorse.”
Slei gave a worried “pakyu~hn!” and there were tears in her eyes. I bent
down to stroke her.
“I’ll be fine. You just look after Seras and Munin for me, okay?”
“Pakyuh!”
“Squee—!” Piggymaru cheered her on as well, and I stood up from the
floor.
“Seras, if you have to flee the capital We’ll meet back at the place we
agreed, out on the road.”
“And if that fails, we are to meet by the door to the Country at the End of
the World, I take it?”
I had already predicted that the capital of Mira might suffer some kind of
attack while we were staying there—and Seras and I had agreed on a meeting
place if we ever found ourselves separated.
“You’re okay with this, Munin?”
“Yes, if that is your decision, I will follow it. Heh heh heh, well then I’ll
be sure to hug and squeeze and spoil you to bits upon your safe return. ”
“Gotcha.”
“Oh, I just knew you wouldn’t fall for that!”
I ignored Munin as she jumped up and down and turned to Seras instead.
“I leave the rest to you.”
“Will you be all right out there ? On your own, I mean.”

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“I’ll make it work.” I placed a hand to my mask. “Don’t worry—I’ll get

this done quick. Be back before you know it.”
“Understood. If you say so, then I will not worry for your safety. Good
fortune in battle That is all I will say.”
Seras’s hand crossed her chest, as if making a vow. “I will protect Chief
Munin, no matter what it takes. I swear it on my honor as a knight.”
“Protect yourself too, okay?”
The Princess Knight’s face softened into a broad smile. “Yes. But, I ”
It looked as if this in particular was hard for Seras to say.
“Don’t hold back. What is it?”
“Your enemy are the Saber-toothed Tigers Well those you
encountered in the Mils Ruins—you mentioned that they treated you with
kindness ”
“I guess I did, yeah.”
“I apologize. I did not mean to dampen your spirits before battle.”
“Nah—I’m glad you brought it up.”
This battle isn’t going to be a direct one to begin with—more of a covert
infiltration mission. This is going to be like my fight against the Sword of
Courage—that’s the feeling I get. But there is one big difference between that
situation and this one.
The enemy I’m facing this time aren’t pure scumbags.

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I was alone in the Mils Ruins.

I remembered the words the Saber-toothed Tigers spoke to me, back when
I was just some rookie mercenary to their eyes a complete stranger no less.

“I know it’s not my place to order you around, but you should head back,
too. Let’s leave this to the Baron’s guys, huh? He wants that cup so badly, he
can come down and get it for himself.”
“You ended up down here by accident? We’ll take you back up to the
surface with us if you want.”
“All right. But be careful, okay?”

SABER-TOOTHED TIGERS—
RIRI ADAMANTINE

T HESE EVENTS TRANSPIRED before the forces of Yonato and the White
Wolf Riders made camp upon the northern border of Mira

The Saber-toothed Tigers entered Yonato through the northern route,

accompanied by Emperor Zera and Shougo Oyamada. They had fought in the
recent invasion by the Demon King and were now returning. The Goddess had
announced their arrival to the authorities in Yonato ahead of time, and so they

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easily found passage into the country. The Saber-toothed Tigers in particular
received a warm welcome from the people of Yonato, who they had fought
fiercely beside to beat back the recent invasion.
As they waited, preparing to put their strategies into practice, the White
Wolf Riders arrived in the capital of Yonato at the Goddess’s imperial
command. There was a Disciple of Vicius with them for a time too—Nyantan
Kikipat. It had been a long while since Nyantan had seen the Saber-toothed
Tigers, who she had once ventured into the Land of the Golden-eyed Monsters
with as part of the heroes’ training.
Upon seeing Oyamada’s transformation, Nyantan was shaken. And
despite her best efforts—it showed.
“You You are Oyamada-san, aren’t you?”
“I cannot blame you for being shocked by my rebirth, Nyantan-dono. I
apologize for my terrible rudeness toward you when we last met. I regret it
deeply, truly I do. You are one of my mother’s precious subordinates. Please,
forgive me my foolish past.”
There was the slightest trace of emotion on Nyantan’s face, that could
have been pity.
“Riri, he ”
“He’s been reborn. All thanks to the Goddess.”
“ ”
“Well. We do the work that’s been given to us. You too, right?”
“Y-yes ” Nyantan mumbled as she watched Oyamada walk away. “Yes,
of course, you’re right.”
They proceeded to send forces to the border between Yonato and Mira just
as the Goddess ordered, taking as many soldiers with them as they could scrape

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together. Nyantan and the White Wolf Riders went to the border as well.
As for the Saber-toothed Tigers—their task was to kill the Wildly
Beautiful Emperor. They infiltrated Mira while all the attention was on the north
and followed the border with the Land of the Golden-eyed Monsters south, using
the forest for cover.
After several hours of waiting, Emperor Zera returned from his scouting
mission.
“Hmph It appears much of their strength has gone to the border with
Yonato. Ho ho ho, I expected nothing less of the legendary braves of the north—
the White Wolf Riders! Perhaps even stronger now than it was even in my day.”
“So A lot of the emperor’s forces have been lured north, and now we’re
just s’posed to infiltrate the capital and kill the guy? This is insane. I know we
needed elites for this mission, so I brought along the best of the best, thirteen
members includin’ myself That makes fifteen with you and Oyamada here.
But a group this small stormin’ the capital is just reckless.”
“Ho ho ho—I will do my best to even the odds. Farewell for now,” said
Emperor Zera, leaving them again. The Goddess had decided that he was to lead
them for the time being—meaning this mission had been left entirely in his
hands.
At least we’re not followin’ Oyamada. Despite his blind belief in the
Goddess—that guy creeps me out. His personality has totally flipped…almost.
When his temper flares, he’ll crack—the real him is still in there somewhere.
Riri’s thoughts were interrupted by Emperor Zera’s return—he was
leading a large number of golden-eyed monsters behind him.
“Emperor Zera What’s the meanin’ of this?! You don’t mean to use
these monsters to sow confusion across the capital, do you?! Idiot! These blasted
golden-eyes won’t listen to you! You ain’t the Demon King; you can’t order

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them around! Soldiers, ready your weapons!”

The members of the Saber-toothed Tigers were ready for battle before Riri
even gave the order.
Oyamada lightly held up his greatsword.
“Mother told us that Zera-dono is in charge. I trust him.”
“Ho ho ho, never fear. Leave them to me!” Emperor Zera was swift for his
age. He grasped out for one of the smaller monsters, lunging while his back was
turned—and caught the monster’s face in his hands.
“Gh, ah?”
The monster’s head was larger than Zera’s hand, so his fingers sunk
painfully into the creature’s flesh. It struggled, its arms and legs flailing and
flapping in the air.
“Conversion—” The moment he spoke those words, the Banished
Emperor’s eyes flashed gold.
“Gh, gh Ehhh ? Gyah.”
Riri heard the sound of meat being twisted up as the monster’s flesh
crushed and compressed into a ball smaller than a human head.
The lump of meat swelled, expanded, and
Splat!
A human-shaped something dropped to its knees on the ground below.
The ball of meat above it split as it exploded, creating four bodies in total.
“Wh-what?” shouted Riri, cutting down one of the small golden-eyed
monsters that had lunged for her in the meantime. “That monster was crushed
You t-transformed it ?”
The white, human-shaped creatures had only eyes, black and cavernous
like Emperor Zera’s—with unnatural golden pupils twinkling in their center.

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They had no noses, mouths, ears Nor hair or protuberances of any kind.
Then the four white bodies stood up, almost in unison. They were tall—
taller even than Oyamada. The white ones stared down silently at Emperor Zera
with their golden eyes flashing.
“Ho ho ho Good, good, seems I was successful. Four small ones, not
bad.”
“What is going on? Nobody explained any of this to us.”
Ignoring her, Emperor Zera placed a hand to the thick breast of one of the
white creatures.
“Hold down any of the monsters that you can keep still until I get to you.
Any that look dangerous, you may crush. I wish for them to be left alive—but
prioritize your own survival. Now go.”
The four white ones leaped toward the golden-eyed monsters, charging in
as they tried to restrain those they could. In the other direction, Oyamada swung
his great sword at a monster that charged his way, stepping on it to prevent it
from escaping as the broken thing lay bleeding.
“Guehhh?!”
“Here you are, Emperor Zera. Go right ahead.”
With one graceful hop, Emperor Zera was at Oyamada’s side, placing his
hands on the dying monster at his feet.
“—Conversion.”
It happened again.
The monster was crushed in an instant, a ball of flesh—and then
transformed, several white bodies kneeling in its place. Emperor Zera gave the
same orders to the new white ones he had just created, pointing them toward
another horde of golden-eyed monsters and watching as they charged forward.

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“I might be startin’ to get this ” said Riri, slicing through a monster as it

tried to pass her, at the same time providing cover for her companions with a
shower of offensive magic spells.
“You’re usin’ the monsters as material and usin’ that weird power to
make new soldiers on our side ”
Emperor Zera laughed, sounding quite like a good-natured old man.
“False Eucharists.”
“Eh?”
“That’s their name. The name the Goddess herself gave them.”
“Ah My mother has such a perfect, beautiful sense for names. They’re
shining so perfectly My mother truly is a god ”
“This is the ability the Goddess granted me A gift she shared with me,
you might say? The way it works ” Emperor Zera continued transforming
more monsters into more white soldiers as he spoke. “ is as you just described,
young lady.”
He shot a glare at Riri.
“You went to the underground ruins near here, and deliberately drew out
the monsters that were inside, didn’t you? So you could use them for those false
Eucharist things?”
“Ho ho ho, how observant of you.” Emperor Zera looked off toward Luva,
the capital of Mira. “My descendants are surely not so foolish as to let the fifteen
of us approach their castles. I hear the Wildly Beautiful Emperor is an
outstanding man, even compared to emperors past. Ho ho! I look forward to
having an audience with him.
“Careful now, more of them are on the way. Protect yourselves and try not
to kill them if you can. No complaints if you do, but I’m much less successful
with corpses, and it does affect the quality of the soldiers apparently. I want

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them alive. It keeps them strong—something about the soul power the Goddess
mentioned.”
Soul power—isn’t that the source of the heroes’ strength? The thing that
helps them grow stronger.
“So you can take the monsters the Demon King’s spawned and turn ’em
into obedient, livin’ soldiers Jeez ” Riri clicked her tongue.
If you had that all this time, why didn’t you use it sooner?
Emperor Zera continued spawning false eucharists—but there were too
many monsters pouring from the underground ruins for him to convert them all
into false Eucharists.

After everything was done, the whole area fell silent—Riri felt no
presences nearby, and a good number of monsters seemed to have run away,
breaking into Miran territory to the west. All that remained were the silent forms
of the false eucharist army, standing in a neat formation. They did not speak.
Though they had no ears, they seemed to hear and understand language. They
followed Emperor Zera’s orders without fail.
“I’m sure those monsters will be a thorn in the empire’s side.”
Oyamada inspected the false eucharists, looking almost on the verge of
tears. “I feel Mother’s holy power in these creatures. It is an honor. Oh, I want to
see her again ”
“Ho ho ho, I’ve assembled quite the numbers. Now then ” Emperor Zera
took a map from his backpack and beckoned Riri and Oyamada over. “Look.
These are the underground ruins that are located in Miran territory. I was granted
a special voice by the Goddess to call the golden-eyed monsters out from their
hiding places ”
He returned his sword to its sheath and rubbed his hands together. “Let’s

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split up, for now.”

Riri and Oyamada looked up at him.
“After I’ve explained to you the whole plan, I’m going off to act alone.”
“Alone? Are those Mother’s orders?” Oyamada asked the emperor.
“Hmph, indeed they are.”
“Well, then, fine. Ah How I wish for Mother’s soft chest once more I
will do my utmost as well.”
Emperor Zera’s eyes turned to Riri. “Now then, young lady.”
“ Yeah?”
“The army of false eucharists I just spawned are now yours—they belong
to the Saber-toothed Tigers.”
“Eh—wait, now hold on a minute. What are we s’posed to do with them?
Don’t they only follow the orders of the one who created them?”
“Ho ho ho, that shouldn’t be a problem. If I just order them to follow your
orders, they’ll do so without question.”
Riri snorted at that, a smirk spreading across her face. “Well, huh That’s
a pretty convenient solution, isn’t it ?”
“This strategy’s going to depend a lot on you Saber-toothed Tigers, you
understand? You’ve an important role, and I want you ready for it.”
“ ”
“Oh oh? Something still on your mind?”
“Nah It’s nothing worth mentionin’. Forget about it.”
“No, please. Don’t be shy—ask.”
Riri scratched her nose with her finger, pondering something.
“Well, so If you had this power from the start, these false eucharists I

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was wonderin’ why you never used ’em in the fight against the Demon King?”
“That would’ve been impossible.” Emperor Zera stroked his white beard.
“I was born of this world. The Demon King Essence would weaken me, just as it
would weaken you.”
“And the false eucharists too?”
“Eh?”
“They used to be golden-eyed monsters, unaffected by the essence You
could just stay in the back lines of the fight, sendin’ streams of those white
things at the Demon King, right? Based on what I got from the fight, it looks like
they don’t need food or sleep, do they?”
“But that would not work.”
“Why?”
“I told you, did I not? The Goddess granted me this power.”
“Ah.”
“Now you realize, I see. The false eucharists are created by the divine
power the Goddess granted me. You understand?”
“Just like the Goddess They’re affected by the influence of the Demon
King Essence.”
Makes sense.
Emperor Zera has an incredible power at his disposal, but it can’t be used
against the Demon King—that’s why he’s been sent here to deal with Mira.
But then, Oyamada isn’t affected by the Demon King Essence, and yet…
No… Given how brainwashed he seems, the Goddess must not want him
meetin’ the other heroes. That S-class Ayaka Sogou—there’s no way she’d
forgive Vicius for this. That must be why he was sent somewhere else. With the
hostages she has, giving her leverage over us, she knows we’d never tell Sogou

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about him. She plans on taking down the Demon King with all the heroes she’s
got…aside from Oyamada, I guess.
Emperor Zera went on to explain his entire plan to Oyamada and the
Saber-toothed Tigers, rolling his map back up when he was finished and tucking
it back into his bag.
“Well now—let us put this plan into action.”

After parting ways with Emperor Zera, The Saber-toothed Tigers led the
false eucharists to the closest fortress they could find and proceeded to attack.
They urged the soldiers inside the fortress to retreat before their onslaught, and
let any escape who tried to. Then they used the weapons and armor they found
inside to arm the false eucharist army.
This was all according to plan. Those retreating soldiers would be driven
toward Luva. They had been instructed to do the same for every city and town
between here and the capital—attack, suppress, and then allow for retreat. Their
goal—to flood Mira with refugees and direct that flow toward the capital.
“Tch, this is dirty work But I guess we’re the ones doin’ it, huh?”
The strategy was proceeding as intended—but there was an unexpected
development.
Oyamada had disappeared.
Riri scanned the area before them, listening to the sounds of panicked men
and women fleeing their homes.
“You find him?” she asked, turning to her vice-captain, Foss.
“Nope, he’s gone.”
Foss was a dark-skinned man, with his hair brushed back. He used a buster
sword and was the raid leader of the Saber-toothed Tigers, mainly responsible

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for leading the group into battle.

“Who saw him last?”
“Big. Spotted him out near the north gate, I hear. Nobody’s seen him
inside the city itself. Might be he didn’t participate in the attack at all Sorry. I
told everyone to keep their eyes on him.”
“Well, there’s not much we can do about it. Wouldn’t want any of ours to
get hurt trying to stop him from leaving either. You saw him, right? The way he
just flipped, turning in an instant when he got pissed.”
Foss put his hands on his hips and sighed. “ Well, yeah.”
They both looked out over the city, watching the false eucharists
wandering the streets, the flames licking at the walls, and the trails of black
smoke rising into the clouds. Riri felt a gloom coming over her but tried her best
to shake the feeling off.
“What do ya’ reckon?” she asked. “Think he ran?”
“Knowing him I can’t really picture him running. He believed so
strongly in the Goddess. I feel like he’ll see the plan through, no matter what it
takes. But it ain’t like he agreed to always stick by our side either. Goddess
didn’t say he should, and neither did Emperor Zera.”
“You think maybe he always planned on going it alone? Like he’s still
somewhere nearby, or maybe he’s long gone by now?”
“I got no idea. Sorry.”
“I said it’s fine. We’ve got our own roles to play.”
“Cap’n, there ain’t no more people left in the city Least none I could
find”
Drawer walked over to them—she was wearing her pointed hat and
looking every bit the typical witch. Her face was pretty and her figure clearly

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enticing to men—she even said herself that her revealing outfit was meant to
draw their gaze. Behind her was a kind-faced young man named Yuon. He was
much shorter than she was, making him look like her little brother.
“Man, this battle to come it’s going to be the biggest we’ve ever fought,
real one for the history books! Even I’m starting to get nervous,” he said.
Behind Yuon came a short-haired man named Pozik with a cheerful smile
on his face. “Hey, what else is a guy to do?! This was Big Sis’s decision,
y’know!”
“Hey, you three, I said wait! You’re way too fast Jeez, it’s so
annoying!” A short girl came running after them—Izelna, muttering curses
under her breath as usual.
“ Sorry, Captain. I should’ve kept a better eye on young Oyamada.” Big
awkwardly made his appearance as well—he was the oldest member of their
party, and one of the most experienced veterans of the Saber-toothed Tigers.
Foss patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Big. You’re rock
solid, always supporting us. Given what we owe you, you could make a few
more mistakes and we’d still be square.”
“C’mon, I’m always telling you, aren’t I?” Riri broke in. “First we have to
ask if you did this on purpose—but you didn’t, right? Then we figure out how to
improve, right? Make sure it doesn’t happen again, either with some self-
improvement, swapping you out for someone better suited for the task, or with
everyone’s help. And if you’ve apologized properly, then nobody’s going to
blame you for anything. So let’s just move on, yeah?”
“Heh heh, see This is what I really like about the Saber-toothed Tigers,”
Drawer said.
“I really love that about this group too,” replied Pozik.
“Right?”

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“Totally—!” Pozik folded his arms and laughed openly. “What?! Ain’t
nothin’ to worry ’bout, Old Man Big! I mean, I make mistakes all the time!
Right, Big Sis?!”
Thwomp!
“Ghh?!”
“You should take the time to learn from your mistakes, young Pozik!”
“H-hah Sure ”
The sound of peaceful laughter filled the air, and Big pulled his helm
down over his eyes. “ Sorry to make you all worry about me.”
The core of the Saber-toothed Tigers were the seven members assembled
there in the forest.
Come to think of it—us seven were the ones that delved into the Mils Ruins
that day in Ulza. That was quite a long time ago—why am I rememberin’ it now?
Riri watched the members of her group laughing before her, never letting
the mood get too dark, and smiled.
I always try to bring everybody home alive…but is that too much to ask?
Well, at least we haven’t been tasked with the slaughter, so that’s something.
But…
Riri placed a hand to her neck and bent her head to the side with a crack.
If I could, I’d just go home right now. All of us.
Before long the other six joined them, and they headed for their next
destination—the white ones in tow.

SABER-TOOTHED TIGERS—
FOSS

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T HE SABER-TOOTHED TIGERS continued their invasion south, leading the

eucharist army as they went. They’d still had no contact with Emperor Zera or
Oyamada and were completely unaware of their movements.
The group had just taken another town. A light shower of rain was falling,
and the sun had set, sending the area almost completely into darkness. It was a
humid and unpleasant night, the wetness sticking to their clothes. A hooded
Yuon came to see vice-captain Foss, who was in command of the front lines.
“Hey, Yuon.”
“Good evening, Foss.”
There was a short silence as Yuon looked about the town, the streets were
deserted but for the shifting forms of the eucharists.
“Even if we win this battle, I bet the Saber-toothed Tigers are going to be
hated by the people of Mira for a long time to come.”
“We anticipated that. Yuon, If that bothers you, I wouldn’t hold it against
you if ”
“Wait, Foss. I’m not leaving. I’m following the captain no matter where
she goes—I’ve already made that decision. And well we all understand the
situation.” Yuon sighed, then smiled determinedly.
“Our families and friends are hostages of Alion, people we could never get
back if they were lost. The captain doesn’t have a choice in any of this. I’m
prepared for our good name to be soiled here in Mira.”
They had orders to display their affiliation in battle—their name was
bound to find its way into the ears of the people of Mira, whether they liked it or
not.
“Don’t let it get to you, Yuon. Most people are gonna blame Mira for
starting this war in the first place. And hey, I’ve got my own doubts about the

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Goddess as well. But like you said, we just have to follow Riri right? Still ”
He shone his lantern at one of the eucharists, standing perfectly still,
slightly hunched forward in the dark.
“These things are creepy. After our orders are done, they just stand there
waiting for more. They don’t respond to anything we say except the orders
Someone could be screaming right next to them, and they wouldn’t even flinch
unless it was a direct command. This one-sided communication it doesn’t sit
right with me.”
Absent any orders from the Saber-toothed Tigers, the eucharists stood
there motionless, like lifeless puppets. Lightning could crack above and they
wouldn’t even flinch. Too many orders seemed to confuse them, so the tigers’
instructions had to be simple and direct.
This eucharist army’s convenient, sure. But completely useless without
someone to lead them.
“I know what you mean. They don’t need food or sleep. Convenient sure,
but hard to think of them as comrades.”
“The way they die, too ”
Yuon looked down at two dead eucharists lying nearby. The milky liquid
leaking from their corpses mixed with the rain—enough of that comes out and
they die, just like us humans.
And when a eucharist died, white wings shot from their eye sockets to
signal their end.
How they all act right before they die is just as creepy… They try to hold
hands. Dunno why. I don’t know if there even is a reason. But when death comes
for these things, they try to hold hands. Slowly… They stretch out their thin arms
and silently try to connect.
“Hard to work with them when we don’t even know what they are, right?”

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“I’m kind of scared they might turn on us suddenly as well. I mean,

Emperor Zera’s the one whose orders they really follow.”
“Got my suspicions about that as well. Some former emperor of Mira
who’s supposed to be long dead is given life by the power of a god Man, this
is messed up. Are divines even allowed to do that kind of thing?”
“How come he’s called the banished emperor anyway?”
“He tried to sell his country out to the King of Alion, I think? Zera said
something about dispelling the curse of the first Emperor Falken and his
successor Emperor Dot. The second in line at the time and the three princeps’s
elector houses took his throne, and he was banished from Mira or something I
only know bits and pieces of the history, but I think that’s about the shape of it.”
“Foss Ah, and you’re here too Yuon. Got a minute?” Big placed a hand
to his hood, coming in from the drizzling rain outside.
“What’s wrong, buddy?”
“There’s a horde of golden-eyed monsters coming this way—they seem to
be leftovers that Emperor Zera couldn’t convert. We’re going to group up to go
and deal with them.”
“Can’t exactly make more eucharists ourselves, can we? I’d rather not lose
these white soldiers to a bunch of monsters either. We’ll handle ’em. And hey,
right now I’d much rather be fighting monsters than people.”
“Hmph, I have to agree, Yuon. Are you ready, Foss?”
“Yeah. I’ll catch up with you after I’ve given orders to the eucharists
around here.”
Big and Yuon disappeared into the foggy rain, and Foss made to call all
the eucharists toward him to give them orders to
“Someone!”

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A voice… It came from one of those houses.

“Someone, anyone! Help! My dad!” It was a young boy, screaming.
Another voice broke in, deeper—an adult. “Stop it, Talam! They’ll find
you! I’m fine! Hurry up and run!”
“N-no! I can’t leave you here! If I can just move this thing, then G-ghh!
Someone! Is there anyone there?! Help Sob Please!”
“Enough, Talam! Please, just go!”
“I don’t wanna! I I’m not giving up! Come on! Move! Move—!”
That’s the house. It looks like it could collapse at any minute. Some
furniture must’ve fallen during the attack and crushed the boy’s father.
Foss quickly analyzed the situation.
But…it might be a trap. Some Miran soldier trying to lure me in. It’s
possible.
Still—Foss approached the house.
I can’t leave them to die. Can’t bring the eucharists with me either—that
would only scare them, and the boy might run.
Foss walked toward the house he’d heard the voices coming from,
grinding his teeth. He was conflicted but didn’t hesitate
…What am I trying to do, atone for attacking this town?!
Before he had time to get his feelings in order, he found himself inside the
crumbling building. He didn’t call out before entering.
This isn’t like me—I’m being reckless. I should tell someone in the group
what I’m doing first. We always avoid acting alone as much as possible,
especially when we’re separated. I’m breaking the Saber-toothed Tigers rules to
do this.
“Hey. I’m here to help.” He crept forward slowly, sword drawn. The calls

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for help had stopped completely, and Foss’s lantern found nothing in the dark
house.
“Where are you? I’m here to save you.”
There was no answer. Foss felt ashamed at how hasty he’d been coming.
Was this a trap after all? Or are these people hiding… Wary of the ones
that attacked their town?
“If you need help, just say the word! Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt
you! I know we attacked this town, but most of the people here escaped safely.
They evacuated before we came !”
Foss tried raising his voice a little, but it was no use.
The rain outside suddenly became softer, and Foss stepped firmly onto the
boarded floor of the adjacent room with a creak. With the rain quieter, he was
sure he wouldn’t let the sound of any footsteps escape his ears, no matter how
stealthy they were.
If anyone approaches the house, I’ll hear them—feel their presence…
There’ll be time to react.
He felt lucky the rain had let up—the weather was on his side.
…There’s something here. Nearby. Where? Where is it?
He felt a chill. Foss couldn’t tell where the presence was. He focused his
hearing—there was no sound to be heard.
He froze.
Above me…? Is it up there? But that—isn’t that the ceiling? Is there a
hidden attic?
Shallow breathing—my own. There’s no other sound… Is whatever’s up
there breathing so faintly that I can’t even hear it over the rain outside?
Haah, haah, haah…

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His breath made white fog in the air, his clothes sodden with rain clung
freezing to his skin.
What are they doing up there? Why don’t they attack?
No… Just my nerves. They’re making me think something’s up there. Or
were the sounds of that father and his son imaginary… Maybe I’m just hearing
voices, looking for some way to atone for what we’re doing here.
Maybe that’s it, and I just…
“ !”
No, they’re there!
Haaah… Hff, hff hff, hff… Foss’s breaths got shorter.
…I have to find them. Get eyes on whoever this is… Or I won’t know how
to…
Foss plucked up the courage to jerk his head to the ceiling and look. There
were eyes in the darkness Red eyes…
“Gyah?!”
Thump.

SABER-TOOTHED TIGERS—
IZELNA

“T HAT VOICE Wasn’t that Foss?!”

“Couldn’t hear so well over the rain but it sounded like him, yes.”
Izelna and Big were out searching for Foss—the only member of their
group who hadn’t come when they
assembled to take on the golden-eyed horde. They reasoned he might be

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struggling in battle against some golden-eyed monsters on his own—but with the
large number of enemies approaching, Riri and the others had to gather what
eucharists they could and face them.
Izelna and Big had separated from the group during the fight and gone off
to find Foss. Expecting a large number of monsters to stand in their way, they
took a handful of eucharists with them on their search.
“Th-the voice came from that building over there!”
“Indeed it did. We both heard him calling for help—I don’t think the both
of us could be hearing things.”
“It sounded like his leg’s hurt, and he can’t move.”
“We can’t lose him. I’ll go inside.”
“I-I’m going too—I’m definitely coming!”
“Heh I knew you would, especially for Foss.”
“Wh-who cares about that now?!” Izelna respected Big too much to make
the comment a bigger issue. The two of them checked their exits, placed the
eucharists on standby outside, and entered the ruined house.
“Foss! Where are you?!”
“Foss?!”
They searched the rooms, but he was nowhere to be found—they couldn’t
hear his voice any longer. There was a flash of lightning—a pause—then the
rumble of thunder.
“Kyah!”
They heard thick drops dripping from the eaves of the roof outside as the
pounding rain fell on the house once more.
Izelna opened her eyes after she’d momentarily screwed them shut in fear
and stood from her crouching position.

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“Hah, I hate lightning I wish it would just disappear from this world.
What do you think? It doesn’t seem like he’s here, does it?” she asked, swinging
her lantern from side to side as she scanned the room. Big stood behind her,
watching her back.
“Maybe it was the next house over ? If he hasn’t answered by now, I
don’t think he’s in here.”
“B-Big?” A chill ran down her spine as she turned around. “Eh?”
He’s gone.
“B-Big?! Where did you go?! Answer me, please! Big!”
“—yu-” There was something behind her.
Izelna quickly jumped to turn and face it. “D Did I really just hear that?
I-it was like a kind of cry ”
Tap-squeak-tap-squeak-tap…
She heard footsteps above—they sounded like those of a small animal,
and a cry she’d heard many times before.
“I-it’s just a mouse Someone should take care of that thing! Hah
Ahem, I bet Big’s just searching one of the other rooms I’m way too jumpy
today.” She gave a sigh of relief and turned back to where Big had been
standing. “—Huh?”
There wasn’t supposed to be anyone behind her—nobody but Big.
What is that thing… Reaching out toward me…
Red eyes… A fly…
She felt the blood draining from her face.
“Gyah-ah!”
Izelna thought she heard something—it might have just been her own
scream escaping her lips.

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She lost consciousness.

SABER-TOOTHED TIGERS—
RIRI ADAMANTINE

T HE EAST SIDE OF TOWN was packed with rows and rows of now lifeless
houses. The sheer number of monsters and the speed of their advance was
terrifying. The Saber-toothed Tigers returned from giving their orders to the
eucharists in the area to deal with the threat.
We can’t use up too many eucharists. We should take these monsters out
ourselves, as much as possible.
At first, it was easy going. Riri Adamantine’s sword tore through flesh,
and the screams of golden-eyed monsters filled the air. The eucharists that she’d
positioned as her shields were all dead.
I knew it—these creatures aren’t capable in battle. The Tigers are needed
for the real fighting.
Riri Adamantine took the grip of one of her swords in her mouth and held
it firm with her teeth. She leaned forward, like a beast on all fours, and took
swords in both hands, with another hanging from the leather belt behind her.
These were her fangs, her claws, and her tail.
The monsters around her howled with confusion and rage as they
advanced.
She swept through the endless stream of monsters, cutting down all in her
path. She knocked a creature off its feet and plunged her blade down into its
chest directly from above. There was a strangled wail as the monster died—it
remained in her ears as she launched the blade in her left hand at a new enemy.

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Splash—!
The monster that had been charging at her from the left fell lifeless to the
mud. Riri’s hair flew wildly with every swing, water spraying as she twirled,
dropped the blade from her mouth into her left hand and leaned forward once
more.
A tiger is s’posed to be a beast on the battlefield.
Her senses were better honed than they had ever been—nothing within 30
meters would escape her notice. No matter what came at her, she could respond
in an instant. Monsters swarmed her, squelching through the rain and mud as
they charged on all sides. She let out a beastly growl and attacked—quickly
dispatching any that approached her.
A second wave came, and Riri fired spell attacks from her magical ring
and threw swords to clean up those that remained. She drew the sword from her
tail to fill her open hand. The ground was littered with monster corpses.
If Emperor Zera were here, he would’ve been able to make so many
eucharists with these.
“Foss! Big! Yuon! Is anyone there?!”
There was no reply.
The Saber-toothed Tigers fought together in close formation through the
narrow alleyways of the town. Fighting as one, supporting each other, scattering
then regrouping, communicating—that was how they always did battle.
Vice-Captain Foss would always create the openings to lead their raids.
Big would follow close behind, a rock-solid guard behind Foss’s back. Yuon
supported both, covering their blind spots—the way they worked together was a
masterclass in combat. Each of the other members fell into place behind,
choosing the best methods to support the advance—and enemies which were too
much for the three of them to handle, Riri put down.

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I’m strong, even though there are countless warriors who surpass me in
this world. But with my companions, I feel like I—that we can be stronger than
the sum of our parts.
That premise was falling apart in front of Riri’s eyes.
What’s happening… Where is everyone?
The monsters were much stronger and more numerous than expected. Riri
decided to bring in the eucharists.
Better to lose them than one of us.
Just as the eucharists slowly started turning the tide of battle—something
strange began to happen. Riri stopped hearing from the members of her group.
One by one they disappeared from view. They hadn’t been fighting as a single,
back-to-back defensive unit during this battle. With powerful monsters barreling
toward them, they needed space to maneuver and dodge.
Scatter, regroup, communicate.
They usually stuck to their plan, but some members of the Saber-toothed
Tigers had stopped responding to the calls for communication. Yet Riri hadn’t
seen a single corpse—none of her companions lay dead.
Weird. It’s like they were gone in a flash.
She spat mud from her mouth but had no time to wipe her dirty face as she
took a sword from one of the eucharist corpses and held it between her teeth
once more.
What’s happening here?! This is a nightmare!
She heard the wet thumps of monsters stampeding toward her through the
mud—three… No, four! With a piercing battle cry, the group of monsters leaped
onto a nearby building before launching themselves toward her from the roof.
The rain buffeted Riri from the side, blocked for a brief moment by the creatures

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descending on her.
She raised her arm and fired off some magical attacks—two fell, and the
other two she took out with sword throws.
“Another?!”
In an instant, Riri tried reflexively to turn toward it. Her body moved
almost unconsciously. The ground was littered with monster corpses, but she
could clearly sense the thing behind her now. As she looked over her shoulder,
she saw a black human hand reaching out from underneath the corpses.
“—Paralyze.”
I know I could have detected any movement within 30 meters. But if that
thing was there waiting right from the start, lying completely motionless under
the monster corpses…
I would have seen it if it approached. If it got so close, it must have been
there all along.
The monster corpse that had concealed the black hand was shoved aside,
and it approached Riri, who found herself completely unable to move. The four
attacking monsters fell to the earth, clearly unable to continue the fight. They
rolled around at her feet wailing in agony, but Riri wasn’t concerned with them
anymore—it was the new threat approaching that mattered most.
“Kh Heck! Wh-what ?!”
The Lord of the Flies?! He’s on Mira’s side?!
My companions… The ones who disappeared during the fighting. Did he
get to them too?
I can’t move! He’s coming closer. I’m done for!
All the faces of those the Goddess had taken hostage came flooding back
into Riri’s mind.

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If we’re all gone, they’ll have no value to her… But no reason to kill them
either—right, Vicius? Please…
I hope everyone’s safe. To my companions who’ve come with me so far,
I’m sorry your captain had to be a failure like me. Right up until the end, Vicius
used me.
But I…I thought I was happy. Getting to live with all of you, to laugh with
you… You’re too good for me—each and every one of you.
“What the h-heck S-ser iously ”
Yeah. If we meet again in hell—I’ll have to thank you. When we do,
please Blame me for some of this. Blame me for being the gutless coward I
am.
“Haah ”
Right here at the end, the least I can do is give it everything I’ve got. Move
this worthless body of mine by force and strike! Strike back! Give them one
last…
“Sleep.”
Just before Riri’s consciousness faded, she heard a voice.
“Made it just in time. Tch You people are too good for your own good.
Trying to be role models or what?” The sound of the rain, and his last few words
were all Riri heard as she drifted off. “Every freakin’ one of you—bunch of
tryhards.”

WILDLY BEAUTIFUL EMPEROR

A DRIZZLING RAIN fell on the imperial capital.

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There were less refugees coming in from the northeast—reports suggested

that the White Army’s advance south had been halted, and all news of the Saber-
toothed Tigers had dried up as well. Soldiers from one of the garrisons in the
north who had yet to suffer any attacks had marched out against them and were
beginning to clear the white ones from the battlefield.
That Lord of the Flies has done well. And yet…
“Report, Your Majesty. We opened our gates to allow refugees from
towns in the northwest past the first two layers of walls But it appears the
white ones have begun to infiltrate the inner wall.”
“Can you fight them back?”
“Those of House Dias have taken command of a group of soldiers outside
the castle walls and are presently holding them off.”
“Understood. I’ll send several members of my personal guard to handle
any that might make it past.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Outside the walls in the northeast and west, the White Army had appeared
and begun its onslaught.
But where are they coming from?
Zine pondered as he read the report.
Before these white ones appear, we always have reports of golden-eyed
monsters flooding the areas as well. There must be a connection.
“Power of the gods, hm?”
“ Your Majesty?”
“Asagi said it as well. What are we to do with these sudden attacks,
against soldiers of unknown strength. Vicius She underestimates us humans at
every turn. Kaize.”

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“Yes.”
Kaize Mira, Zine’s older half brother—eldest son of the former emperor.
Initially slated to ascend the throne after his father’s death, he now served as
Mira’s chancellor instead.
“I leave the refugee matter in your hands. We cannot allow reports of this
attack on the capital to shake the resolve of Luheit in the north or our forces
fighting in Ulza. Send word—tell them that their emperor is alive and well, and
he has a plan which is already safely in motion. Tell them to believe in the
emperor who believes in them.”
“Understood. But in truth, we This won’t be an issue, will it?”
“It will not. I will make sure of that. I’ve had Hawk call the Forbidden
Words Clan woman here—Vicius’s forces may be aware of her presence. If
possible, I want her here by my side for her protection.”
“But are you sure she will agree to come?”
Zine leaned on the armrest, propping his head up with a hand against his
cheek. “It may prove difficult, yes. I don’t believe the Lord of the Flies Brigade
fully trusts me yet.”
“Should she be brought here by force if necessary?”
“No. If there are signs that she intends on escaping of her own volition,
you must allow her to do so. This is the Lord of the Flies we’re talking about,
not some worthless pawn. I’m sure he has come up with some plan for an
emergency. It might be better to allow his plan to proceed than to force our
protection upon her.”
“Very well, it will be done.”
Kaize left, and Zine called in the others who had been waiting outside. His
personal guard, and a group of ministers filed in to stand before his throne—
waiting for the next reports to come in. The most elite members of his personal

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guard stood by his side while their men formed ranks in front of him.
Before long, he heard some kind of commotion out in the hallway—panic
ran through the ministers, and the guards prepared for a fight. Finally the
screams were right there—right outside the door to the throne room in which the
emperor himself sat. A knight leaped into the room and shut the door behind
him, his face pale with shock.
“R-report! A mysterious man has broken into the castle and is trying to
meet with you ! I’m so sorry, Your Majesty! W-we couldn’t stop him! We
tried, but even with our numbers ! Even your personal guard were no match for
him at a—”
Crash—!
“Ghaah?!” The door and the knight before it were blown away. He struck
one of the pillars in the room and fell unconscious.
Zine narrowed his eyes.
“Ho ho ho! Your defenses are so thin so very thin. And you’ve remained
right here in the throne room—I’m so impressed you haven’t run! I’m so terribly
glad to meet you, truly from the bottom of my heart—Falkendotzine
MiraDiAsordseat Wildly Beautiful Emperor!”
The ministers began to murmur—there was something about the man’s
appearance and clothing that stirred Zine’s memory also. He was a pale old man,
his beard long and unkempt like corn silk.
“Ho ho I see. The rumors didn’t lie about your beauty Was it your
looks that seduced your two obedient older brothers?”
“An insolent old man, aren’t you? Don’t you think it’s sensible to at least
offer me your name?”
“Oh, my apologies. Well, many of you have already realized, but my
name is Falkendotzera MiraDiAsordseat. My former name now, I suppose. Ho

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ho ho.”
A wave of murmuring began to spread among the ministers.
“The banished emperor. But a wonder you still live, no? You should be
long dead of old age now by all rights. I see—the Goddess has even granted you
the secrets of life. The thing before us is no longer human.”
His advance from the northwest through the towns and cities there… The
experienced hand I’ve felt behind this attack on the capital… It makes sense
now. He was raised here, after all. This is the land he ruled, for a time.
“I’m here today to lecture you!”
“So Revenge against Mira, the empire which banished you.”
“Hmph, not quite, but in a way. This is about undoing the curse of the first
Emperor Falken and the second, Emperor Dot With the Goddess around,
there’s not much sense in trying to dominate the world anymore.”
“You believe this world is right with her in it?”
“Yes, yes. Peace can be achieved if all nations throw away just a little of
their ambition. The Goddess protects the balance of this continent. Peace is best
for the citizens. Surely the Root of All Evil is the only real threat?”
“You speak some truth though you seek to deceive. The true peace I
wish for will come from the uniting of the continent. The Goddess’s continued
existence prevents that from ever becoming a reality.”
“For so long, the Goddess has been the de facto ruler of this world. This is
unification, no?”
“If the unifiers were humans and demi-humans, perhaps then I could see
your point of view. But that Goddess does not view us as people. So long as this
world hinges on that dubious outsider, I do not call it safe.”
“Well, several emperors of Mira have been indirectly killed by the

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Goddess for displeasing her. I understand why you must hate her—she brought
that on herself, ho ho. You’re avenging those past emperors that the Goddess has
killed, are you? Ho ho ho, well, I’m taking revenge for my banishment.”
The banished emperor continued. “Revenge is just a fleeting emotion, a
vulgar and base thing, no substitute for a true cause. And yet you dare to speak
as if you’re doing this out of consideration for the whole world! How craven of
you—Wildly Beautiful Emperor! Ho ho ho ho! You’re crazed! Truly insane!”
“You may call it a curse, but perhaps it’s best called a legacy.”
“Eh?”
“My father Those were his words. The words of the former emperor.”
Emperor Zera stepped forward—toward the throne. There was a
shortsword in his hand, the blade of which seemed a little too long and
unbalanced.
“Ho ho ho—very well! That will do just fine! This was meant to be
educational, but I’ve lived long enough to know the ways of the world! Those
with conflicting opinions can so rarely see eye to eye! Nothing left but conflict,
rooting out the enemy and destroying them! Fear! Violence! The most certain
methods for resolving problems are fear and violence—the simplest and clearest
too! So long as humans remain slaves to emotion, they’ll never be able to escape
providence! Let’s go, my beloved descendant! I’m so ferociously happy right
now for some strange reason! I’m so thankful for this world and everything in
it!”
Zine stood and drew his sword from the sheath at his waist with one
smooth motion. In his hand, he held the divine sword Exbringer.
“Fool ” said Zine. “Or so I would like to call you I cannot disregard
all you have said to me as sophistry. It is true, what settles a dispute like this can
only be violence—destruction.”

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“Quite right! Truly this is a fine day to be alive! This banished emperor
before you has returned for revenge. Use your strength to put me down, Idealist
Emperor Zine! Ho ho ho ho!”
The room was long, with thick marble pillars flanking the thick carpeted
path to the throne itself. The pillars grew more ornate and elegant the closer they
got to the throne. The carvings on them became more detailed, and the
decorations became more extravagant as well. Most felt in awe of the decor as
they approached the emperor—emotions welled up inside them as if every step
they took closer to him, the hands on their back pushing them forward became
stronger and stronger.
Emperor Zera appeared to feel none of those emotions as he advanced
toward the throne. The knights who had been frozen in place as they watched the
scene unfold, sprang forward to attack, but
“Gwaaah!”
Almost by the shock wave of the swing alone, the knights were tossed
back by a single blow from his sword as if swept up by a hurricane. Most had
their bodies ripped in two—the lucky ones lay motionless on the floor. The
group of ministers took shelter behind the pillars of the throne room in panic—
but Zine’s personal guard could do nothing but stand firm in his defense. Fear in
their eyes—they raised their swords in preparation to protect their emperor.
“Guards, step back!”
“B-but, Your Majesty !”
“I will need your strength in the battles to come. I cannot lose you now. I
am the only one capable of facing the enemy before us—worry not, I will defeat
him.”
“Y-Your Majesty !”
Zine stepped forward—not waiting for Emperor Zera to reach him.

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“Ho ho ho Coming then, Zine? I’m proud of you, my boy.”

The blade of the divine sword began to glow with pale green light. He
swung it once, leaving a trace of light in the arc he drew through the air. Then he
adjusted his aim and swung once more.
What appeared merely a trace of glowing had substance—condensed light
that could shield the emperor or be used to attack if necessary.
“How tiresome. You’ve grown senile I see. You still believe yourself to be
a member of my family, even. It surpasses idiotic and strays into the realm of
pathetic, I fear.” Zine created more glowing traces of his blade in the air around
him, ordered them into place—then raised his sword to face his foe. “You are a
banished man of this realm, nothing more—it is time you understood that, Zera.”
“Ho ho ho! How unworthy of you, child! It’s your vessel! Your vessel
brings shame to the name of the emperor, Zine!”

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SERAS ASHRAIN

S ERAS SAW the messengers of Mira returning from the battlefield as she
peeked out between the curtains of the state guest house. She grasped the
situation at hand in an instant and immediately started planning.
“The imperial capital is under attack from that mysterious White Army ”
She and Munin were in the living room of the state guesthouse.
“If they’ve opened the gates of the middle wall, then doesn’t that mean it’s
possible they believe the enemy could reach this inner district? What should we
do, Miss Seras? Should we flee the capital?”
“Yes, well If Mira tries to secure you, then this will become a different
matter entirely. But we do need to consider that the enemy may be able to reach
us here. We should keep an escape route open as a possibility.”
“Ahem, Miss Seras If the White Army is here at the capital, doesn’t that
mean that Mr. Too-ka has ”
“No The messenger that just came said that attacks in the northeast—
the direction Sir Too-ka went in, have stopped completely. New information has
also ceased to come in regarding the Saber-toothed Tigers, according to reports.”
“Ahem Does that mean that he was successful then?”
“Yes. I believe it’s only his success that has stopped the enemy’s advance.
It seems Miran forces are even in the process of mopping up the remaining
White Army in the area. The ones attacking the capital at present are
somewhat different. They may perhaps even be newly created.”
“Then maybe we should stay here after all? Or do you believe Mr. Too-ka
will be heading to the west, where this new White Army came from?”
“No, I trust he will be at our meeting point. He mentioned that regrouping

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with us would be his top priority after his mission was complete. I think we
should leave the capital.”
“Very well. If that is what you think, Miss Seras, I will follow.”
“Thank you very much, Chief Munin.”
Slei was in the stables around the back of the house. Too-ka had left her in
her second stage of transformation, with 990 MP poured into the crystal on her
back—just 10 more to transform her into her final form.
“Ah, once Miss Slei is in her third stage, you can rely on me to provide
mana for her, okay?” Munin said.
Seras felt grateful to be able to rely on Munin’s mana regenerative
abilities when the need might arise. “Thank you. First let’s head to the meeting
point. We must consider that Sir Too-ka may be on his way back here but if he
returns and finds us gone, the meeting point will be the first place he will
check.”
They had discussed the plan before he left.
“If you judge it too dangerous here to remain, don’t wait for me—just
head straight for our meeting point. If we end up missing each other, I’ll catch
up with you there once I find you’re gone.”
“What of the Wildly Beautiful Emperor… And the other heroes?”
“We have to be most worried about losing Munin. Without her, we’d have
to rely on Fugi for all our Forbidden Magic. Munin herself doesn’t want that,
and neither do we.”
Munin is risking her life for this. Too-ka is. And so am I. It’s only because
she’s so precious to me that I can protect her so fervently.
“Same goes for you, Seras,” she recalled him saying. “Losing you would
mean losing far too much.”

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Yes… I feel the same way, Sir Too-ka. If by some chance I were to lose
you, everything within me would crumble and break. I know it for a fact.
Seras placed her finger between the curtains to open them just a little and
gingerly looked out at what was happening outside.
“It seems all the people from this area have gone. I don’t sense anybody
watching us either. There were not many in this district to begin with—but now I
believe they’ve all been evacuated.”
Slei’s speed and ability to break through enemy lines will be best in her
third stage of transformation—but that will also make her stand out. Given the
state of the capital now, however, we could hardly be stopped for questioning by
the guards.
Seras had considered several different routes. The district they found
themselves in was for welcoming important guests, and so there were hidden
escape routes available to them—even one, to her surprise, which involved a
horse-drawn carriage.
“In peacetime we might not have been able to get out, but in all this
confusion I think we may be able to escape their attention!”
“Miss Seras? What’s wrong?”
“Mr. Hawk is being kidnapped.”
“Eh?!”
Seras could see Hawk being dragged by the back of his collar outside. He
seemed hurt, perhaps even unconscious. Seras didn’t recognize the man who was
dragging him.
No… Wait. From what Sir Too-ka told me… That almost looks like…
“It can’t be A Hero from Another World?”
Standing there was a hero that Seras had never seen before. But Too-ka

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had told her enough about their characteristic features for her to recognize them,
such as the Takao sisters and Takuto Kirihara.
“That’s Oyamada Shougo?”
The man who looked like Oyamada called out, raising his voice as if he
didn’t know who he was talking to or how many of them there were.
“Are the Forbidden Words Clan out here?!”
Seras was shocked—so he does know that Munin is here.
“I’ve been through so many hostages now! Kindness makes them spit out
the truth, yes! It’s just like Mother said! No need for physical pain at all! The
trick is to make them think you’ll hurt them unless they tell you the truth! They
might’ve sworn loyalty to the Wildly Beautiful Emperor, but humans are weak!
This man’s the only one that didn’t break, no matter what! But Mother told
me She said the tightest-lipped ones are usually the best hostages! I knew it! I
knew Mother was right!”
“ M-Mother?”
“And wouldn’t you know it, the man I’ve got in my hand is someone
pretty important! The chamberlain told me he’s in charge of looking after the
Forbidden Words Clan! Come on now, Forbidden Words Clan! Show yourself or
I’ll hurt him! Then I’ll kill him! How ’bout I take off his fingers one by one?! Or
maybe, like, ripping off his ears would be better?! If you think I’m being mean,
come out! People of the Forbidden Words Clan, listen! Please, please! Oh,
Mother is so great!”
“What’s going on?!” A knight emerged from the castle, sword in hand, at
the commotion. “Eh?! Lord Hawk! Y-you Who are you?!”
“Me?! I’m a Hero from Another World, I’ll have you know!”
“Wh—?!”

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“The only son of the Goddess Vicius—Shougo Oyamada! Do you have

any value to me as a hostage?! Doesn’t look like it, so—Bullet!”
“Gyaah?!”
Red balls shot from Oyamada’s fist and sent the knight flying. He crashed
to earth surrounded by fragments of his broken armor, spitting up blood as he hit
the ground. The stone paling of a nearby building was also hit, demolishing the
top half completely.
Such speed and capacity for destruction… I have to be careful of those
attacks. He truly is Sir Too-ka’s classmate…
“What should we do, Miss Seras? Mr. Hawk is going to ”
Seras hesitated.
Hawk isn’t a bad person. He has shown his consideration for us in subtle
ways ever since we first arrived here in Mira—though I assume that those were
the Wildly Beautiful Emperor’s orders, in part.
“He was the one who told us of the escape routes out of Mira, should it
come to that. He does not know of our plans to escape, but he asked us to
consider leaving the city if we felt we were in danger.”
Am I going to abandon him to his fate?
“Forbidden Words Clan?! You ain’t comin’ out?! Right then—first
finger!” Oyamada sliced off one of Hawk’s fingers.
“Gh ah ?!”
He’s still alive…
Seras was somewhat relieved to hear his voice, but Hawk sounded
exhausted. He was injured and looked terribly weak.
Thinking about this rationally—we shouldn’t respond to their
provocations. We should mount Slei and run. If we leave through the back

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entrance now, they may not notice our escape.

“ Be good to those who treat you well,” Seras murmured to herself under
her breath, like a mantra.
He… He left the decision up to me. I…
Shougo Oyamada is an A-class hero—the same as Tomohiro Yasu. That
fact alone is testament to his strength. That said, they’re considerably less
dangerous than S-class heroes—at least in Too-ka’s estimation.
Too-ka had also told her that Oyamada was an emotional individual—that
his lack of composure might give her opportunities to strike at him.
I’m not good at manipulating the emotions of others like he is…
Munin’s expression was serious now, and she opened her mouth to speak,
sounding about as determined as Seras had ever heard her.
“Miss Seras, I ”
“I’m going to go and save Lord Hawk.”
“!”
“He is an important member of the Wildly Beautiful Emperor’s inner
circle. He is worth saving, I believe.”
“Y-yes Th-then I will come with you, and—”
“No, I must go alone.”
“Y-you can’t, Miss Seras ! That will ”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot put you in danger. That was the promise I made
Sir Too-ka.”
“But then what about your safety ?”
Seras smiled at her—there was a clear helplessness in her eyes. “Chief
Munin, I appreciate your worry. But it does not seem that we have the time to

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debate this.”
“ Miss Seras.”
She looked out of the window once more.
“Please transform into your crow form and remain at the window on the
second floor, ready to escape at any moment. If you could turn Slei into her third
stage of transformation before doing so, that would also be of much help. Once I
have rescued Lord Hawk, I will escape with him on Slei’s back. Please flee this
place when the opportunity presents itself and locate us from the sky as soon as
you can.”
Munin clenched her fist and held it tightly to her chest. Her expression
showed how much she was holding back. “ Y-yes, right. I would be more of a
hindrance than help to you in battle. You would concentrate better without me,
wouldn’t you?”
Munin wasn’t being hard on herself or sulking—she had clearly analyzed
the situation and come to that conclusion.
Her true power is in Forbidden Magic—her disabling ability. I trained her
on the road with some basic fighting techniques, but against a high-level hero
she would be a distraction at best. She understands that—I’m glad she’s able to
view the situation objectively at times like these.
“Thank you for understanding. And I’m sorry for making you say it,
Chief Munin.”
“Heh heh, that’s fine. I’m sure if Too-ka were here, he wouldn’t want us
taking any more time than necessary with these conversations and I believe he
would agree with your decision not to abandon Mr. Hawk. As you mentioned,
saving Hawk here will be advantageous to our cause in the future as well. Let us
proceed with your plan, Miss Seras.”
“One more! And as an extra penalty I’ll give him a sock in the face! I

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wish Mother could see this! Oh, I really do!”

“Gh-ah—?! Ghfh?! Gh-hn ”
“There’s no time, Miss Seras! At this rate, Mr. Hawk is going to ”
“Yes,” Seras replied coldly, rushing out into the hallway to prepare to
leave. Munin followed, and they prepared to go their separate ways, Munin to
the back door and Seras to the front.
“If I should fail Then you must escape alone, and head to the meeting
point by yourself, Chief Munin.”
“Miss Seras, but ”
“My wish is for Sir Too-ka to achieve his goal. That goal cannot be
achieved if you are lost And your wish will be lost as well. Please.”
Munin’s expression told Seras that she thought this was an unfair demand,
but she relented.
“Then promise me, Miss Seras. Promise me you will succeed, no matter
what.”
“I promise.”
They smiled at each other and went their separate ways.
Seras quickly changed into her spirit armor, somewhere away from the
windows where the glow would not attract the attention of those outside.
Steeling her resolve, she slipped out of one of the windows in a place she knew
was out of Oyamada’s line of sight. She peeked out at him, her back to the wall.
This is likely the closest I can get without him noticing me. Roughly thirty
meters. He would be in range of Too-ka’s paralysis skill… If only I had that
power. At least thanks to this rain, I don’t need to rely on the spirits to mask the
sound of my footsteps.
“Huuh?! You think maybe they’ve already gone?! Ah, c’mon! What the

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freakin’ heck! The Forbidden Words Clan just ain’t coming out! Ah, Mother!
What am I supposed to do now, Mother?! Nobody in this castle seems to know
anything about the divine beasts either!”
Hawk was limp, hanging motionless from where Oyamada had him by the
back of his collar. It was as if he’d given up. Oyamada swung his body furiously
to the left and right, like a child throwing a tantrum.
“Aaah! I’m going to lose face with Mother—! Aaah I don’t wanna! No! N
—!”
Scrape!
“Ow! Ouch. Huuuh?”
By Oyamada’s side were the remains of the stone paling he’d destroyed as
he attacked the knight. The paling was cracked, leaving the sharp edge of the
stone exposed, and he’d cut himself on the jagged edge.
“—Ah.”
Seras felt a wave of unease come over herself once more. Oyamada
looked as if he’d been struck by lightning—his mouth was open wide, both
hands to his face.
It was as if some shocking revelation had suddenly hit him.
“ Ah, ah. Right. Huh. Pff Pfhht! I-I I was brainwashed by the
Goddess and she sent me here?! Now I remember this is awesome. I remember
everything about the brainwashing too All of it. This is like, an amazing
experience, yeah? It’s like I was me, but not me.” He paused for a moment.
“Okay, okay. Forbidden Words Clan that’s right! I gotta get them so I can dive
into the big tits of that brainwashing Goddess and get myself a piece! This
mommy issues stuff is hilarious! Gyah hah hah! Man, the Goddess’s body is so
freakin’ soft! Ah, what’m I gonna do now?! Should I keep pretendin’ to be
brainwashed and work my way up?! I’ve gotten way stronger with all that ruins

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diving, after all!”

Ruins diving…? Brainwashing?
From the looks of it, whatever it was the Goddess did to him, the spell has
been broken. It must’ve been the pain of that scrape that did it…
“Man, I really wanna show Ayaka and all the rest how strong I’ve got!
What are Takuto and all the others doin’ right now anyway?! The Goddess
doesn’t tell me anything! Well, whatever! It’d be so lame to go back Maybe I
should just live however I want in this world, huh?! Build some power under the
Goddess, go get myself some girls, y’know?! S’long as I keep flattering the
Goddess, I can climb pretty high in this world, yeah?! Guess I’m swapping out
Takuto for a Goddess upgrade!”
There’s my opening. Now—can I take him out? If I can get closer and land
a single attack…
Seras carefully crept forward, trying to circle around behind Oyamada’s
back.
“Ah Who cares about this guy anymore. The Forbidden Words Clan are
gone I’m just gonna take him out! He’s gettin’ in my way!”
“!”
“Who gives a heck about the imperial capital or whatever! That banished
old dude is gonna take care of this, yeah?! Ah, there were some nice girls in that
Saber-toothed Tigers group, huh If I catch ’em when their guards’re down,
maybe I can get a taste! Some of those cold mercenary girls that are so freakin’
friendly with each other! Anyway, I really wanna get some pet girls in this world
and live with ’em! Please, make my dreams come true, Goddess! Gyah hah hah
hah Ah, this guy seems pretty important, yeah? I’ll take a souvenir back for
the Goddess.”
I wanted to be closer, but…

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“St-stop right there!”

“Huh?”
“That man Put him down.”
“ Huuuh? Ah! You ” He glared at her and patted Hawk once on the
head. “You’re totally Seras Ashrain, ain’tcha?”

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Chapter 5:
With all the Malice I Have

I ’M HERE NOW—standing before him. But if I had not revealed myself,

Hawk would already be dead.
Oyamada looked her up and down, as if running his tongue over Seras’s
whole body. “Oh Ooh! That sexy figure all soaked by the rain! Like, whoa
you’re hot! Like, what are you doing here? You’re with that little buzzin’ fly
band yeah?”
“I will answer your questions once that man is released.”
“You sure about that? Then, like, I’ll let him go if you do what I say,
’kay?! First lemme see your tits! Take ’em out! Bo~ing!”
“—!”
Seras immediately knew he was lying—Oyamada had no intention of
handing Hawk over. She had expected as much, but still, the shame, the rage
Seras’s cheeks felt hot. Before she realized what she was doing, her left hand
was covering her chest.
“ You Have you not a shred of pride ?”
“Pride?! Gyah hah! What’cha blushin’ for?! Naive or what?! Huh—?
Boys think with their little head, y’know and women just gotta take it. That’s
how the world works! We gotta make more kids somehow Gotta sow our
seeds, right? And I ain’t gonna feel ashamed about that! Learn some shame
yourself, Seras Ashrain! Gyah hah hah! Anyway, them pointy ears you’re an
elf, right? Are all elves such naughty babes?!”
Seras felt fear—just a little.
Too-ka told me about this man, but he may just be the most vulgar

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individual I have ever met. There’s an unsettling quality to him that I cannot
quite place. Something that seems shallow at first—but masks a much deeper,
cavernous evil.
No… There is no time for such thoughts.
“Lord Hawk? Lord Hawk, are you still alive?”
If he’s dead, Hawk would have no more value to Oyamada as a hostage—
and there would be no reason for me to have revealed myself.
“Yeah, yeah—he’s not doing great, but he’s still here.”
He’s telling the truth.
“What’s it gonna be, then? We ain’t getting anywhere if you won’t strip
for me. We doin’ this or what ? You got twenty seconds to decide, tick, tick,
tick C’mon, I’m gonna kill him if you don’t. Start with the boobs, yeah?”
Oyamada placed his fist to Hawk’s temple.
“—!”
“Fifteen more seconds Clock’s running You doin’ it or what? You
think your pride’s more important than this guy’s life? Well, you might be right!
But, like, it’s so freakin’ hilarious how you still front like you’re some fine
upstanding human when you’re just an elf?! Demi-humans are the lowest of the
low, right?! I can do whatever I want with you! Time’s up!”
“Kh ”
I know he won’t let Hawk go, even if I do what he says… And I must be
careful that I don’t end up as this man’s hostage under any circumstances.
“Ah, this is such a drag. Just take the guy here!” Oyamada tossed Hawk
squarely at Seras. In the same motion, he charged straight toward her, his fists
pointed at Hawk. Seras dashed forward, trying to catch the hapless man before
he fell, while avoiding Oyamada in the process.

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I can absorb some damage from his attacks—my spirit armor can handle
it. If I can just rescue his hostage, then…
“Heavy Bullet.”
Boom!
The balls of light came racing toward her.
“Eh?!”
In the next instant, they exploded and split into a scattershot shower of
red.
There’s a chance I could dodge all of them with my footwork—but not
while protecting Hawk… I need to take some damage to shield him from the
blows.
Seras honed her concentration to its very limits, calculating the projectiles’
paths in an instant, predicting where they would land on her body and preparing
to use her spirit armor to absorb the attacks and avoid any serious injury—
“Checkmate.”
“Eh?”
The bullets passed through her spirit armor. Several of them disappeared
into her like phantoms, absorbed by her body.
“Wh-what is h—?!”
My body…f-feels heavy?
It wasn’t just the weight of Hawk in her arms that she felt. It was
something else—a terrible, unsettling sluggishness.
It’s because I let him hit me with those attacks! No—!
I knew he was a hero—Too-ka has demonstrated to me what that can
mean. I should have expected there to be more to his skills than simple brute
force. I was being impatient. I was too focused on saving Hawk.

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Seras fell to her knees, holding him to her with one arm. She ran cold blue
lines of ice through her sword as she glared over at Oyamada, resolute.
“Ah I always wanted to say that—checkmate, y’know? Man, that felt
good Like, I knew it would. ”
He grinned down at her.
“Listen, sometimes you just gotta lower your standards, right? God, you’re
stupid The self-righteous idiots in my world were just as freakin’ annoying.
Talkin’ crap like making the world or society better—why don’t you try and fix
your own life before you save other people? Yeesh! You think hypocrisy’s better
’n doing nothing at all? It’s gross! Gyah hah hah! Takuto says countries that
listen t’ all that hypocrisy stuff always go down in the end! But in the country
I’m from, they only listen to dumb hypocrites who can’t admit there’s such a
thing as necessary evil! The place ain’t got no future! So, like, why don’t I just
make a life in this world?! The girls here are so freakin’ beautiful, and I can do
whatever I want to ’em!”
I know it’s because of Oyamada’s ability—but the rain soaking my clothes
feels so heavy.
Seras stopped moving.
His pulse…
“Lord Hawk ?”
There’s no pulse. No heartbeat… Nothing.
“N-no He’s dead ?”
“Huh? Seriously?”
Oyamada said he was still living…because he truly thought that Hawk
was still alive. My lie-detecting ability couldn’t detect that as a falsehood,
because he wasn’t aware that he was lying.

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“Wh—?! What’re you doing kicking the bucket, Hawk-san?! Man, that’s
hilarious! So, like You’re such an idiot, Seras-san! Like, you protected him
with your life, and the guy was already a stiff! It’s brilliant! You’re, like, way
too nice, y’know?! It’s almost freakin’ cute! You’re so kind! Ohhhhh, man, I’m
getting fired up now! Check this out!”
Oyamada kicked Seras as she knelt, sending her flying.
“Ahgh ?!”
“Hawk-kun! You were pretty useful for makin’ Seras-chan weaker, but
now you’re in the way. Gyah hah hah! Move!”
Oyamada laughed loudly, his mouth wide open as he kicked Hawk’s
corpse to the side.
“Kh-h ” Seras pushed herself up from the ground with one hand, trying
to stand.
It’s not as strong as Too-ka’s paralysis. I can move, but—I feel so heavy.
“Oh, man, you’re doin’ pretty well to be movin’ about over there.
Yeesh Watching you struggle is seriously turning me on. Ah what should I
do next, eh? Maybe I’ll take you in that house over there.”
A new worry now ran through Seras’s mind—not fear for her own safety
but concern that Munin would try to save her.
That would be the worst-case scenario. I have to avoid that, no matter
what.
“If we must then let us do it here ”
“ Eh? What’s that? You want to do it with me? Seriously?! Man, you’re
lewder than I thought, ain’tcha?! The Lewd Princess Knight! You’re trying to
seduce me, huh! Man, that’s so freakin’ funny!”
“Kh ”

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“Gyah hah hah, what are you moaning for?! It was your idea. What, are
you getting shy now?! Man, you’re so funny! I’ve never met anyone like you
before, seriously! Right, fine, fine! If you want me that bad ”
In an instant, the red eyes were upon him.
A shape leaped toward Oyamada, a huge, intimidating dark mass of eight
black legs with two horns atop its head. There was a bray, like a thunderclap—as
if the beast was crying out with indignant rage.
“Lady Slei!”
“Bullet.”
“Stop!”
Slei brayed as she was blown backward, and her body collided with a
nearby wall.
“Lady Slei!”
“Huh? Oh, so this is the little fly band’s horse? So you’re here to save the
sexy little elf you love so much, yeah? Gyah hah hah! You’re so freakin’ weak!
Sit there and watch, all right? We’re gonna put on a show for you!”
Slei brayed once more.
“Hm?”
Her legs trembled as she stood and prepared to charge.
“Huh, you still wanna do this? Interesting C’mon then, let’s go You
move, and I finish this one off too—you got that Seras?”
“Lady Slei! Run, please!”
She refused. Slei was getting herself ready for battle—nothing about her
stance suggested she would ever run. Once more, the black steed charged.
“No, Lady Slei! Please!”

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Oyamada sent his red bullets flying, and Slei tried to dodge—but with her
injuries, she couldn’t avoid all of the attacks.
“Stop it, please! Oyamada-san! Lady Slei, you must stop this as well! I-
I’m fine, really!”
She couldn’t detect Munin anywhere nearby, so she chose her words
carefully to indicate she was alone. There were more bullets. Slei was sent
sprawling to the ground, blood pouring from her mouth.
The tableau repeated itself, over and over again. She wouldn’t stop, no
matter how many times Seras called to her. The difference between her strength
and Oyamada’s was clear as day, but even so
She brayed feebly. Her legs were shaking, eyes glowing red in the pouring
rain. She stood and the Lord of the Flies’s steed readied herself to charge once
more.
“Still standin’, eh?! You’ve got more guts than I thought! Gyah hah hah,
you’re so desperate it’s gross! What? You broke through the species barrier and
fell in love with this pure and sexy lil’ elf?!”
There was stubbornness and duty in her eyes. Every motion the blazing-
eyed black steed made showed she had no intention of backing down. The wet
droplets in Seras’s eyes were no longer just from the rain.
“Wh-why Why are you doing this?”
Suddenly, she realized with a start.
Those last words Too-ka spoke to Slei before he left. “I’ll be fine. You just
look after Seras and Munin for me, okay?”
“Pakyuh!”
A promise.
She was told to look after us. She trusts him more than anyone in this

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world, and he’s relying on her to do this. Even if it hurts, even if it costs her her
life… She’s protecting me.
“Lady Slei It’s okay, you can stop You don’t need to stand up!
Please, don’t stand up !”
Slei brayed at him.
“Man you’re freakin’ annoying. Ah, I know I’ll break your legs. All of
’em Crush ’em into paste, yeah?”
Oyamada’s words sent shivers down Seras’s spine.
“Hey, that sounds fun! I can like, smash all the bones inside so they’re
floppin’ around like octopus legs—man, that’s wicked! That thing’s a monster,
yeah?! It ain’t animal abuse, so who cares! Y’know, despite how I look, I really
do like animals!”
“St-stop I-I can’t let you do that!”
“Then make me stop, eh?”
“Ah—”
“If you don’t want Slei-kyun’s legs snapped, then think Think how you
can stop this, yeah? You ain’t doing a freakin’ thing Just sitting there bitching,
ain’tcha.”
“I-I I ”
“Huuuh? Speak up, c’mon! What—are—you—gonna—do—for—me?”
“ I-I just have to take off my clothes Right?”
“You for real?! You’re an exhibitionist! You totally are!”
“ !”
“Huh? You ain’t gonna admit it? You don’t want me to see you naked?
You’re tryna seduce me! Admit it! Ah, how ’bout I just kill this thing like I
killed Hawk. Turn it into horse meat!”

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“W-wait—p-please. Y-yes I am ” Seras placed a heavy hand to the

clothes covering her chest and looked down in embarrassment. “I am Trying
to seduce you ”
Her lips were tightly pursed with the humiliation of what she was saying.
“Right then! First let’s get an apology—!”
“Eh? Ah I’m so sorry ”
“How ’bout you strip as you’re sayin’ sorry, eh? Then, like, gimme a
seductive look! But hey, I don’t mind so much if you ain’t into this! C’mon take
it all off, hurry up!”
“—!”
I have to buy time—at least enough for Munin to escape. So long as she
survives… Munin can regroup with Too-ka, and he can get his revenge. Same
with me. So long as I can survive this. No matter what happens here.
Too-ka would do the same. He would survive. No matter what humiliation
he had to endure. He would live. Against all odds.
I won’t let Slei die either. No matter what.
Seras placed her hand on the fastener of the armor at her chest.
“Gyah hah! What’s the matter Seras-san?! You’re drawin’ this out like
you ain’t never been with a guy before! All right! I’ll give you a break, let’s go
do it inside. Yeah? Man, this other world is freakin’ awesome! Oh? Slei-kun’s
finally given up and ain’t even tryna stand no more! C’mon, Seras-chan, I’m
gonna treat you right, ’kay? Man, who even cares about defeating the Demon
King now?!”
“Oh, and what ’bout my classmates?! How ’bout I go do it with Ayaka
and the Takaos after we’re done here?! Kashima, Ikusaba, Murota—that harem
can be my back-ups, yeah! But there ain’t nothing to worry about! Once I’ve

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done it with the best of the best, I ain’t gonna be satisfied with any other girl!
Gyah hah hah!
“Like, hurry up and take your clothes off! You just pulled it down a bit!
C’mon, why’d you gotta treat me so bad! Fine, fine! I’ll take it off for you, jeez!
Ah, just seeing you soaked in the rain like this, you’re way too sexy I can’t
hold back! Huh? Huuuh? Are you crying? Seriously crying? Gyah hah hah!
Seras Ashrain’s crying! That’s freakin’ funny, but to be honest I can’t stand
chicks that cry.
“Whatever. I don’t care—! Ah, I can’t hold back! I’m gonna use my skills
to make you so heavy you can’t even freakin’ move, and do whatever I want
with you, yeah! This is sick! Stop takin’ that off, I don’t want that no more! I’m
going to strip you at my own pace, got it?! Gyah hah hah hah! I’m gonna make
you cry even more! Like, cry about how good this is gonna feel! All right! All-
you-can-eat, comin’ right up—!”

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“ Huh?”
“Yo, Oyamada.”

OYAMADA SHOUGO

I N JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, Oyamada Shougo had joined a certain group—a

gang, they might’ve been called by the government. He was invited by a friend
to one of the leader’s hangout spots, and they took a liking to him.
“You got promise, Shougo.”
Oyamada’s family was pretty well-off. His father ran a used-car dealership
that was famous for taking any car from anyone, never asking where it came
from. His mother sold insurance to elderly people on the verge of dementia.
Oyamada was an only child, and so his parents showered him with love.
He liked his parents—easy marks that they were—but couldn’t shake the
feeling of wanting to go higher, to another world up above his normal life. It was
exactly how content he was with the everyday that made him want more—made
him seek out stimulation.
He was sick and tired of the boring old world, plain and simple. He started
to seek out those he thought could give him some excitement. The leader of the
group Oyamada belonged to was called Mitsumi.
To Oyamada’s eyes, Mitsumi was amazing.
He went to goukon parties to meet girls all the time, getting rich and
handsome university students he knew to organize them. He even had influence
over medical and law students at the best universities in the country.
“Like, you can knock a girl out with drugs by slippin ’em in her drink

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while she’s in the bathroom, right? But the drug companies have started catchin
on, makin’ it so their sleeping pills turn the drinks blue when you put ’em in. The
ones who are always coming out for free drinks have started gettin’ suspicious,
but I’ve got these pills that don’t turn the drinks blue, and they don’t smell or
taste like nothin’ either. Girls just let their guards down and drink… Then, like,
we help ourselves. Take nice clear videos and pictures, so then the fun doesn’t
have to be just a one-time deal!
“When we get bored, we move on to the moneymaking… And hey, we
don’t mix in any of the real drugs ’cause that’d mess up the videos, yeah? We
get contracts signed, give them ten percent, and get ’em to agree… It’s all
legal.”
“But don’t some of them try to sue you?” Oyamada had asked at the time.
“You got a good mind for this stuff, Shougo! But it’s all good. Sometimes
there are stupid chicks who try and threaten me with lawsuits, yeah. But the
university students I’m usin’ to draw them in are from good families…money,
power, the whole deal. They’re elites, you get me? You see this stuff all the time,
yeah? It ends with no prosecution or, like, settlements out of court. The girls are
better off with a bunch of settlement money anyway—they don’t wanna drag all
this bad shit out into public. All of ’em figure out it’s better to take the freakin’
money and shut up. And if they lose, all they get is lawyer’s fees and not a single
freakin’ yen from me. Most of these chicks realize how strong my lawyers are
halfway through the proceedings and come beggin’ for mercy. And if they don’t,
I start calling in noise complaints at their house, work, their parents’ place. All
of ’em get scared and give up in the end.”
Oyamada thought that was awesome—he respected Mitsumi and had been
to his parties which had been agreed to by all the girls in attendance several
times. Just as Mitsumi said, even if there were disagreements, it all ended with
out-of-court settlements.

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This is freakin’ awesome. If you’ve got money and status in this country,
it’s like crime isn’t even criminal!
But Oyamada wanted to go higher—up to where Mitsumi was. He
followed Mitsumi’s every order and dirtied his hands with whatever evil was
asked of him. It was incredibly fun. Oyamada felt like he was finally living.
Mitsumi had all kinds of business ventures: fraudulent investment
schemes, bank transfer scams, drug smuggling operations, and schemes to use
underage girls to catch idiots in extortion rackets. The list went on.
Mitsumi was ruthless when it came to dealing with the leaders of rival
groups as well. He would make moves on family members and girlfriends of his
rivals without a second thought, and use that to threaten them with violence. If
things went too far, he used his “underage knives” to do his dirty work. That was
the name Mitsumi gave to the young kids he would pressure into stabbing his
enemies.
“Here, take this money. Things might get messy after you’ve done it, so
use the cash first on whatever you like. And if you take it and run, your parents
are gonna regret havin’ you for the rest of their lives. Don’t forget that.”
Most of the kids would remember his words and commit terrible crimes
on his behalf. Oyamada’s country was surprisingly light on the sentencing of
minors—kids could do whatever they wanted until they turned into adults.
Mitsumi once used an underage knife to take out a girl who tried to sue him after
one of his parties, and had the kid take all the blame.
“You’re one of the good kids, Shougo, that’s why I ain’t using you like
that. Don’t worry man. You’re going higher.”
At the time Oyamada was worried, he was still a minor himself within the
group.
But Mitsumi-san likes me—it’s okay. Even if I do get caught, the crime

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won’t be that bad. They won’t even put my real name in the media so I can start
over however many times I want. I’m freakin’ invincible!
Oyamada was happy with that knowledge. But one day Mitsumi was
finished.
His group was crushed by a much more dangerous gang. Someone had
invited the wrong girl to one of his parties—a girl who belonged to them.
The group who crushed Mitsumi’s was called “Eclipse”—and they were a
little different from the usual gangs. Their leader called them a collective.
Oyamada didn’t understand any of it but couldn’t escape feeling unsettled by
them. The most dangerous guy that Eclipse had was someone named Iokibe.
Oyamada later heard that the university students Mitsumi had used to
attract girls to his parties had all gone missing,
One day, a package arrived, addressed to the remaining members of
Mitsumi’s group. It contained a bag of teeth, cleanly removed one by one, and
two smoked testicles. Mitsumi’s dental records confirmed that the teeth
belonged to him—as the sender had likely intended them to.
Oyamada left the group as soon as Mitsumi disappeared. He had a bad
feeling about what was happening. Before long, members of the group began
facing charges, one after the other. Oyamada trembled with fear at the thought
that he might be next But thankfully, he was safe. He breathed a deep sigh of
relief once he saw he was in the clear and spent the rest of his days in junior high
school laying low. Then he quietly advanced to high school.
When he got to Okito Academy, he felt the terrifying experiences of his
past were long behind him. The days of boredom returned
Until he met Kirihara Takuto.
Oyamada learned that Kirihara’s family were pretty rich and tried to
ingratiate himself. To his surprise, Kirihara accepted him with open arms.

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Kirihara was lenient to those that agreed to serve underneath him. But Oyamada
hadn’t given up on getting higher just yet.
I’m going up.
But it can’t be like Mitsumi, in that dark underground world. That’s the
world where Iokibe and Eclipse operate—darker people than I could ever be.
And the cops would catch me eventually. If I’m going to get higher, it has to be
out in the open. Somewhere like the place Kirihara Takuto’s at.
Oyamada had been to Kirihara’s house parties, which left a strong
impression on him. Everyone there was a successful member of society—
nothing like Mitsumi had been. They were always talking about high dividend
stocks, margin trading, and the like.
“Given the way the world’s going, those are the next futures to invest in,
eh?”
“I hear that’s the newest country for tax avoidance, you know?”
“The next age will be for NFTs and Web 3.0, I’m sure.”
“I’m actually going to lunch with that legislator tomorrow.”
“He has quite the influence in that group, doesn’t he?”
“Man, I’m makin’ bank on subscription services!”
“Nah, you’ve got to get into influencer marketing!”
“I’m rolling in it with all these invitations to give lectures and seminars!”
“Call that office and get them to get me some girls!”
“Man—now this is what I call a wealth gap!”
It was amazing! So awesome and cool and brilliant, it was all Oyamada
could think of.
Kirihara was amazing too, the way he held himself in front of all of them.
He joined in with the conversations of the successful like it was nothing at all—

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though of course as the son of the family hosting the party, he received some
special treatment. Still, Oyamada felt numb when he saw how fearless Kirihara
could be in conversation with them.
“If I stay by Kirihara’s side, I’ll get a slice of his power. I’ll get in on top,
right?” he began to think.
At first it annoyed him to always have to be lower than Kirihara, but with
time that stopped bothering him. His position within the class wasn’t bad either,
and his parents continued to spoil him with cash just as they always had.
But Oyamada knew his parents’ connections wouldn’t be of any use to
him. If he wanted to get higher, he knew he had to use the people in Kirihara’s
world.
The world Mitsumi lived in had no future, there’s always a dead end there
somewhere… Jeez. It sure was fun though.
Oyamada felt like he was really living when he was in Mitsumi’s group.
But even so, he knew the public world was the only place he could really end up
on top.
There’s just not enough stimulation here.
There was something boiling up inside of him, seething. One day, he
decided to get back in contact with a minor that Mitsumi had used for his
extortion schemes.
All the rich guys at Kirihara’s house parties… They’ve got status they
want to protect—public image is important to them… And right now they just
know me as Takuto-kun’s friend Shougo-kun.
I’ll just play pretend like this kid’s sugar daddy for now… Plan something
bigger after we get back from the school trip.

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“Looks like you’re having fun here.”

A shiver ran down Oyamada’s spine; he felt shaken to his core.
There was one time—a long time ago—when I got Mitsumi upset. I got a
bit scared. But this guy behind me… He’s way more dangerous. He scares me
like Iokibe, the guy that took out Mitsumi, did.
Oyamada wanted to run, get out of there as fast as he could.
“Wh-what? I-I c-can’t m-move—ghgh?!” When he tried to struggle, an
indescribable pain ran through his whole body. He started bleeding—sharp pain
racing up inside him—then he began to spit blood. “Gh-fh?! Wh-what? Wha ?!
Gh ”
Think! I-I heard something behind me, didn’t I? I was talking, all full of
myself and loud. There was a voice behind me, right? The rain and the echo of
my own voice—I must’ve thought it was just my imagination at the time.
There was something else that worried him too. Whoever it was standing
behind Oyamada had called him by name.
That voice… I feel like I’ve heard it before. Who the heck are you?
But of all the faces that appeared in his mind now, Oyamada couldn’t
make the connection.
“Man, you stink Oyamada.”
I-it sounds like this guy knows me. He’s got to know me in this world, or—
no… Even earlier than that? Who is it? Whose voice is that…?
“You got the same stink those scumbags did you freakin’ reek of it.”
Huh?
“Y-yo Your voice. Y-you ain’t N-no Wh-who are you?”

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“Sorry about this, Seras.”

Whoever it was behind Oyamada ignored the question and started talking
with Seras.
“N-no I-I made a mistake I may have misjudged the situation.”
“You had your reasons. I don’t doubt that, given how well I know you.
Slei you didn’t need to go so far to stick to your promise. I wasn’t clear with
you on that. I’m sorry.”
“Bray Kyuh ”
Seriously, who is he? Feels like I know him… But I don’t at the same time.
The man behind Oyamada’s back circled around to face him. He stood
between him and Seras Ashrain, as if blocking his path.
The man in the fly mask—leader of the Lord of the Flies Brigade… That’s
Belzegea. But how’s he know who I am? We’ve never met.
Oyamada had no idea what was happening to him.
“Y-you Who are y ?! I I’ve heard yo Voice before!”
“Still guessing, Oyamada Shougo?”
“!”
Oyamada Shougo. Not Shougo Oyamada.
Huh? Only people from the old world would put the names in that order.
“W-w w-what? Y-you ”
From the old world… There’s only one person this could be. But no, he
wasn’t like this. He didn’t have this deep, constant poison in the way he talked. It
can’t be.
“I-impossible Y-you’re alive ? Y-you Serious-ly ?!” Oyamada
spoke his name, though it sounded with every breath that he wanted to deny it

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was true: “Mimori Touka—?!”

“Jeez. I was talking to you in my regular voice this whole time. How’d it
take this long to notice?”
“Mi-mori Y-you You were d-disposed of You bit the f-freakin’
dust ?! L-like y-you’re alive?! H-hey ”
“Not sure I can kill you right away—you went a bit too far for that?”
“I can n’t m-move Did you do this—?”
“How ’bout a change of scenery? Sleep.”
Oyamada Shougo lost consciousness.

When he awoke, he was in a hallway, somewhere inside and out of the

rain.
Standing before him was the Lord of the Flies, with Seras Ashrain beside
him. The Lord of the Flies took off his mask.
“ !”
His expression was different, but now Oyamada was completely sure.
But he was sent to the Ruins of Disposal right after he was summoned
here. He should be dead—
“Mimori ”
“Bingo Mimori Touka’s alive, Oyamada Shougo.”
“Wh-what Where Where have you been all this t-time ?!”
“Shut up.”
“Huh?!”
“You don’t get to talk, Oyamada.”
“Wh-what did you j-just s ”

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“I’m asking the questions here.”

“Ulp—” The point of Oyamada’s greatsword was poking against his neck.
Mimori must’ve picked it up somewhere.
His wrists were tied behind his back, and he was on his knees, though
Oyamada had no recollection of how he’d gotten there.
“You show signs you’re going to resist, and I’ll drive this blade through
your throat. You’ll be dead in an instant.”
“Gh M-Mimori !”
“Man, that’s annoying. I’ll make it so you can talk.”
He made some motions in the air, like he was pushing a switch.
“Screw you, Mimori What, you’ve flipped too like that freakin’ jumped
up Yasu, and Huuuh? How come I can talk? Gh But I still can’t move!
C’mon! Ain’t the old guy or the Saber-toothed Tigers s’posed to come and save
me?! Come get me, idiots! Ghhah?!”
A sharp pain ran across his cheek where Mimori had just cut him.
“You think I’m kidding around Seriously?”
“Gh Wh-what the heck Big man now, huh ”
There’s something different about the way he holds himself. This isn’t the
same as Yasu’s empty posturing. I know this feeling—the sinister vibes he’s
putting out.
It was the world of shadows—the one that the people of Mitsumi’s group
had taught him about. He remembered hearing about the teeth—and the smoked
balls.
Oh, shit, this is how Iokibe does things. Is this terror?
“Huuh? Me? Scared of a guy like Mimori ? Gyah!”

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Mimori stabbed the blade into his shoulder, then quickly withdrew it and
pressed it back to his throat.
“You just keep mouthin’ off. God, you’re irritating ”
“S-screw you ! What do you want to ask then, huh?! Huuh?! You come
at me with, like, yeah actually, I’m still alive, I’m running the Lord of the Flies
Brigade, and I’ve got Seras Ashrain as a pet, like I don’t know what the
heck’s goin’ on! St-stop it! All right, all right! Don’t stab me again! Stop cuttin’
me!”
“So talk What did that Foul Goddess tell you to do here? What’s Vicius
planning?”
“Huh? You gonna save me if I tell you? I don’t care about that Goddess
I’ll tell you if you want, y’know? But, like, first I gotta be able to move, yeah?”
“You stupid or what? You don’t have any other choice, Oyamada.”
“Ghhhh ! Screw you, Mimori What’s a bottom of the barrel E-class
hero doin’ with an ego like that?! You said sleep, yeah? Huh? That’s, like, what,
your worthless skill that totally whiffed on the Goddess, yeah? I said wait, wait!
Stop!”
“I’m the only one who decides when to stop here. Might even let you go,
depending on what you tell me.”
Let me go? He just said that, right? Gyah hah.
Sogou Ayaka drifted into Oyamada’s mind.
Right, yeah… He’s like Ayaka, ain’t he? There’s no way he’d kill me.
We’re from the same world—classmates, like.
“Tch Fine. I’ll talk.”
Mimori asked several questions, and Oyamada lied and blustered his way
through them all. It wasn’t like there was anything he particularly wanted to

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hide, and more that he couldn’t stand to answer any of Mimori’s questions,
honestly. Once Oyamada gave him an answer, Mimori quickly moved on to his
next question, never asking any follow-ups to determine the truth of his
statements.
Oyamada inwardly mocked him.
He trusts me. He’s just a loser, this guy. He’s “doing the right thing” just
asking to be scammed by others. He thinks I’m a bad guy but that he can change
me.
What a freakin’ idiot. This is why people like him always get taken
advantage of. Suckers.
With every question he answered, Oyamada inwardly scorned Touka more
and more. Eventually, there was a break in the questioning.
“I see So most of the Miran knights and soldiers around here have gone
to protect the Wildly Beautiful Emperor from that banished emperor you
mentioned. I heard explosions and screams from over there—makes sense. The
others have already evacuated, huh Didn’t see anyone else in the area.”
Oyamada had no idea what Mimori’s intentions were.
Based on his questions though… He wants revenge on the Goddess who
disposed of him, eh? Why should I give a heck about that? Do whatever you
want, jeez. But his attitude pisses me off.
Seras stood silently behind him, only ever making small movements from
time to time as Oyamada talked.
That pisses me off too. She’s a top-class babe, and I could’ve smashed
her… I was so freakin’ close. I can’t die like this. I’ve gotta give it to her first.
The way she’s actin’ toward Mimori pisses me off most of all. What the
heck, are those two a couple or what? Doesn’t even seem like Mimori likes her
that much, she’s the one that’s after him… Man, that just ain’t right.

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“What? You’re interested in Seras? Sorry—but I ain’t ever letting you lay
a single finger on her.”
“Gh ”
This is too freakin’ much—but what am I s’posed to do about it? If I show
the slightest sign of attacking, he’s going to kill me.
Oyamada had tried to just say the name of one of his skills, prepared to
blow himself up even—but Mimori had cut him across the lips before he could
get the words out. He’d let out a cry when it happened.
Man, that was so lame.
What happened to this guy, anyway? This is the same Mimori Touka,
right? It’s like he’s a whole different person. I don’t know who this Mimori
Touka is.
Back when I heard all those university student friends of Mitsumi had
disappeared, I thought I was in trouble. That’s why I left the group as soon as I
could and distanced myself. I got this bad feeling all over again.
I made it out in the end—no skin off my back. Now I’ve got the chance to
do whatever I want to again. No matter what I do, I can get away with it in this
world. I can start over as many times as they want.
That’s because idiots like this will always give me second chances. I’ve
just gotta pretend to be real sorry, cry like heck, and say the freakin’ words.
Sometimes they even let off selfish freakin’ murderers for their crimes.
They can’t protect the victims, but they go ahead and protect the culprits.
Because they’re stupid. Idiots like Mimori’ll let you go if you just abandon your
pride. In this world—escape means victory.
The ones I’ve really gotta be careful of are the guys like “Eclipse”—the
true deep, dark ones.

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Blood began to dribble from Oyamada’s split lip, dripping to the ground.
“I get it So you survived, huh, Mimori?” He let his head slump forward
and felt the blade moving from his neck to the space above his head. “ Sorry,
man. I did some terrible stuff to Seras Ashrain To you too, Mimori. When you
got disposed of, I—I didn’t know a freakin’ thing. I ain’t asking you to forgive
me or nothin’. But Now I get it. That Goddess is the real wicked one. She’s
just using us, manipulating the heroes to do whatever she wants ’em to. I can’t
take it anymore. I hate her, Mimori! I hate her so much!”
Oyamada jerked his head upward, his face soaked in tears.
“I I was so scared. B-back in the old world, I bet you just thought I was
a scumbag, right?! My whole family was like that; I came from a scummy house.
I was so freakin’ frustrated all the time, there was so much happenin’! I couldn’
get by without actin’ tough! The weak get eaten, same in this world like it was in
that one! E-ever since I came here, I I’ve really been so scared!
“Takuto’s like a whole different guy, I’m freakin’ terrified of him now!
The Goddess too, and these humanoid monster things! Sob Like, Ayaka was
the only one, y’know? The only one who still worried about me, didn’t jus’
throw me away! I get it now! I I want to be useful to her, here at the very end!
I want to help the class rep! I see it now, Mimori! If you want to kill me, go
ahead and do it! But give me time! Let me help her Work with all of them
So we can defeat the Demon King together, like!
“I’ll help you too, of course! I see it now! The real enemy’s that Goddess!
N-no I know I was wrong too I was weak, and I hurt everyone around me to
protect myself. I’m scum. I’m trash, yeah! I want to blame the way I was
brought up Sob But those are just excuses, yeah?! Then lemme prove it to
you with action! Please, Mimori! Let me go! I’ll change my ways, I’ll help
people! I’ll try my best to be someone that helps others! Seriously! I-I’m so

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sorry, Seras-san, really I am! I I’m sorry! So please please! Trust me! I I’ll
change! I won’t try and run from my weaknesses anymore! After everything I’ve
done I want to be able to save someone!”
There was silence—only the sound of the rain, and faint screaming cries
from somewhere far across the city
Seras Ashrain looked down at her feet mournfully, then turned away—she
bit her lip. She hugged her chest tight as she spoke:
“That is a lie.”
“Huuuh?”
“Not like I’m one to talk, but lying sure does seem to come naturally to
you, Oyamada. Hah hah, man Makes me sick how much you go on.”
“ Huuuh? How come you think I’m lying—”
“Compared to how honest Yasu was with us ” Mimori said, interrupting
him. “You’re hopeless, Oyamada.”
“Wh-what?! Did you just say Yasu?! You seen that guy?!”
“Hey, Oyamada.”
“What?”
“I could’ve disguised my voice if I wanted to, you know?”
“S-so?”
“But I didn’t. I’ve been speaking to you normally this whole time.”
“ ?”
“I wear the mask ’cause I want to hide my true identity keep the fact that
I’m Mimori Touka a secret. But I’m not wearing the mask to talk to you. You
know what that means, right?”
“What the heck are you saying? You you wanted to show me you’re still

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alive, yeah? Show off your super sexy elf girlfriend. That’s why, ain’t it ?”
“I knew it. You’re a freakin’ moron.”
“Huuh?!”
“It’s because I’ve already decided to kill you.”
“—! Wh-what ?!”
“Seras can use the power of the spirits to tell when you’re lying. There
were some half truths in there, but I know you’ve been lying to me. So nice
try, Oyamada. We’re done here.”
“Huh Huuuh?! What the heck?! You freakin’ conned me!”
“What No more begging for your life then?”
“You’re gonna kill me?! Mimori’s gonna kill me?! You’ve gotta be
kiddin’! I’ll kill you!”
“Oyamada You don’t understand what you’ve done to Seras and Slei,
do you? You don’t get how long I’ve waited, or just how much you’ve
always ” Mimori’s expression was twisted and warped like a spiteful demon
from hell. “…made my freakin’ blood boil.”
“Yaaah!”
“I already told you You stink. Stink like the scumbags that made me. I
want you gone.”
“Ah ”
Oyamada realized in that moment.
I was wrong. He isn’t like Ayaka, some naive saint—he’s on the dark side.
He’s in the shadows. He’s Iokibe…
“St-stop, Mimori! Look, I I don’t actually hate you as much as it seems!
Come on, give me a chance! I can be useful to you! Seriously!”

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“Seras.”
“He is lying.”
“Sh-shut the heck up, bitch! Stop spouting crap like you know my mind,
whore! Listen, Mimori! Y’know they say the beautiful ones get raised to be real
good kids, yeah?! That’s a lie! They just end up super mean and selfish! Don’t
let this one trick you! That brainwashed elf who ain’t got nothing but her
looks She’s got you by the balls! Wake up!”
Mimori laughed a little at that.
“Huh Huuh?”
“Man, sorry You’re just too much. It’s almost impressive.”
“Huh? You You’re makin’ fun of me?! Listen, Mimori! You sure you
can kill me?! Think about Ayaka, yeah?!”
“ ”
“She says she doesn’ want any more of her classmates to die, yeah?! Not
even a guy like me So you’d be betraying her by killing me, huh! That chick’s
the only one who stuck up for you when you got sent to die, yeah?! You’re
gonna do her like that?!”
“Who cares.”
“ Gh.”
“There’s evil in this world that only brings harm to everything around it.
People who do nothing but spread evil with their presence, hurting everyone
they come into contact with. People like that brought me into this world, and I
think it would be better without them in it. Better if they just disappeared. That
would be the wrong way to think about it in our old world, but ”
“Y-yeah You’re wrong, man! P-people can start over, as many times as
they need to Th-that’s, like, human rights or something Everyone gets the

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right to start over. It’s all equal, like ”

“Yeah, I hear what you’re saying. I just don’t agree with it. More
importantly You tried to hurt the people who are important to me. Oookay,
this conversation’s over. Listen, Oyamada, I can’t freakin’ save you. Maybe
some people would try—but not me. And nobody’s going to come rescue you.”
“Seras-san! You’re kind, I know you’ll save me! I believe in you! Please,
help me!”
“Hah! It was worth taking the risk and time to come here, to make you
understand the weight of the things you’ve done, Oyamada Shougo. You feel
like crap right now, huh? Am I right?”
Oyamada’s patience and reasoning collapsed as he reached his limit.
“S-screw you, Mimoriii! I ain’t gonna forget this! Kill me, and I’ll curse
you for the rest of your freakin’ life! Huuuh?! You’re just trash anyway, some
background character nobody even knows is there! The way you butted in on the
bus was so freakin’ annoying! I should’a taken you out before the Goddess
disposed of you! I wish I’d freakin’ known! Ah, man! I’m gonna kill you! Kill
you! Freakin’ kill you! That stupid horse can go first! I’m gonna turn it to meat
right in front of you, pull off one of its legs and shove it inside of Seras! Then
I’m gonna bang her in front of you, Mimori! I’m gonna rape her all day long
right in front of your eyes till you go insane! She’s just some sexy-lookin’ elf
that’s fugly as heck on the inside! Looks are all she’s got! Then I’m draggin’ her
all across the continent, yeah!
Every man we meet’s gonna get a turn with her until she goes freakin’
insane! She ain’t gettin’ a break no matter what they do to her! No matter what,
you hear me?! Aaah! Why the heck are you still alive anyway, Mimori?! What’s
a guy like you suddenly doin’ on top?! It pisses me off, it pisses me off, it pisses
me off, it pisses me off, it pisses me oooooff!”

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“Oyamada.” Mimori’s expression was cold—terrifyingly so. “You’re

hopeless.”
Then he said: Berserk.
In an instant—Oyamada felt as if his whole body erupted with heat. He
was boiling over. Red blood spurted above him as he was torn apart.
Among the spurt and splatter of blood stood Seras Ashrain, with a look of
pity in her eyes, and Mimori Touka—completely emotionless, ruthless and cold.
The two of them standing over him was the last thing that Oyamada
Shougo ever saw.

THE BANISHED EMPEROR

“H O HO HO! Nothing can stand in our way now! Let’s have a long
talk We shall discuss the future of Mira
as we cross swords, eh Wildly Beautiful Emperor?!”
Zera was almost at the throne. It was almost within reach, when it
happened Something Zera could never have expected.
They’re so small.
The girl looked so weak, she could hardly pose a threat to him.
Why on earth would I worry about children in my path, too insignificant to
even make me stumble? My goal is right before my eyes—the one I’ve spent so
many years longing for.
The girl looked too carefree to be strolling across a battlefield, almost as if
she were simply taking a walk across the throne room as she emerged from
behind a pillar. She came over, and as if by way of greeting, touched Emperor

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Zera on the shoulder.

“—Queen Bee.”
“What? What do you want, child Hm?!” He suddenly felt strange. His
body wasn’t responding to him in the way it should—he felt weaker.
“Then like, Queen Bee—there we go, startin’ to take effect eh? Whoa-
whoa, seems like it’s having a big effect on you already, Mr. Banished Emperor.
I guess that means my stingers are workin’ their magic.”
“What is this What did you do to me, whelp?”
“That’s a great question! Thanks for asking! What’d Asagi-chan do to you
just now? Can we get one minute on the clock?! Hey, Kobato-chaaan!”
“Ah, sure Disclose.” At the first girl’s call, another one peeked out from
behind a pillar behind her. “R-right now, his stats are l-lower than everybody
else’s, Asagi-san!”
A feeling ran through Zera’s whole body, one he hadn’t felt in quite some
time—worry.
I can’t rely on myself. I feel I don’t have the strength.
“Wh-what ? Hm?”
Another girl, of about the same age as the first two, shuffled out from
behind another of the stone pillars.
She poses no threat to me—never could. Nobody they have behind those
pillars could ever threaten me. They couldn’t possibly.… Could they?
“Welcome to the world of us weaklings.”
The first girl—the one who touched him For a moment, the expression
on her face was almost inhuman.
I know that face—I’ve seen it before. The eyes of someone who doesn’t
view their enemy as human.

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She gave an order—but so flatly and unenthusiastically, it hardly sounded

like one: “Right then, like Go gang up on him.”
This weakness of mine—it’s her doing, I have no doubt of that.
“Girl, this feeling You did this, didn’t you?” Zera swung his sword at
her, feeling he had to take her down as soon as he could.
“Hyaaah! Save me, sa~ve me!”
Clang! He was blocked. There was a fully armed girl standing there who
had jumped in to defend her.
I was blocked—by this infant? It’s clear as day now. My speed, my
strength…everything is failing me spectacularly.
“Oh, thanks a million, Atsuko—! Love ya!”
“Sure. Even when I know how this stuff works, it still makes me shiver
But, like, hey ”
The girl named Atsuko counter-attacked.
She’s fast.
“Gh, nh?!” Zera wasn’t even able to defend himself in time. He was cut by
the girl’s blade. “What What is happening here?”
He looked down reflexively at the palm of his hand.
“Myo ho ho, you’ve got the same stats that I do, Zera-chin. Then, like, I
added a debuff So in terms of stats, right now you’re weaker than I am!”
“Child, you ! Such mockery ! The frivolous manner of your speech !
It can’t be—Asagi Ikusaba?!”
“Oho? You know me? Heard about me from Vicius-chin?”
“So you have chosen to join Mira ”
“Hey, Zine-chin,” Asagi spoke to the Wildly Beautiful Emperor without

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turning to face him. “I think we should kill this guy, y’know? We won’t be able
to hold him back once the weakness wears off, or whatevs. He’d be way too
strong without the debuffs on him.”
The emperor’s eyes were ice-cold as he looked down at Zera.
“Very well.”
“Zine !”
“I never expected you would be willing to finish him. Marvelous work,
Asagi Ikusaba ”
“Zine, look at me!” Zera pleaded.
“Hmph You wish to speak to me of the future of Mira? Insanity. I have
no time to discuss anything with you. Take those regrets of yours back to the
grave for good this time, you senile coward I will see into the ground myself,
Zera.”
“Z-Zine !”
“I know not what you hoped to gain from me, nor do I care to hear what
you came to say. You are finished. Your gamble has failed, and you have been
defeated. Accept your fate.”
“Right then, we’ve got the okay!” Asagi never looked away from Zera as
she spoke. “Kill him! One more for good measure Queen Bee! Myah hah hah!
Go and get him, everyone!”
A group of armed girls rushed to surround Zera, and magical attacks
started flying.
“G-gh?! Such weak abilities, y-yet I cannot defend myself !”
“Wonder if we’ll get EXP for this? He’s got golden eyes, so maybe ?
Let Atsuko get the last hit on him if you can, eh? This strategy ain’t going to
work anymore if I get strong myself, y’know.”

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Zera flailed around wildly with his sword, as if trying to swat away a
swarm of attacking insects But no matter how he blocked, the group of armed
girls kept coming.
“Wah hah hah! Fightin’ as a group, just like the Saber-toothed Tigers
taught us! You love to see it, right?!”
There was little technique to their fighting, but the girls clearly had the
overwhelming upper hand in terms of physical strength. Zera was terrified—he
never knew how it felt to be attacked by a group of those much stronger than he
was.
“Nh, gh Ohhhh?!”
Slash! Slice! Stab Stab! Slash! Slice!
“Ohh, now things’re gettin’ gruesome! Man, this is hard to watch
Wahh, oh, it’s jus’ terrible! Sorry about this, Mr. Banished Emperor! Nothin’
personal, but you kind of have to die, ’kay? Di-ng.”
Blood and white liquid sprayed out into the air, an endless fountain of
gore.
“Z-Zine Gah W-we s-s still h-ha ven’t t-talked
a-b-bout M-Mir a’s future Gah?! At l-least l l-let m Oh I-
I’m disapp-earing ? M-my soul p-power I-I c-can’t d-die like th-this Y-
you’re n-not worthy t-to Little girl Gh-ghhaaah!”
Slice! Stab Stab! Stab Stab Stab! Hack Slice Slash!

MIMORI TOUKA

“I GUESS THAT’S THAT, for now.”

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The rain had stopped, and all I heard now from outside the state guest
house were drips from the roof hitting the paved stones below. Some semblance
of calm seemed to have returned to the castle as its residents settled in for the
night. The Miran soldiers who had come to clean up the mess outside had just
left.
Seras and I were standing in the hallway, our backs to the wall. Slei had
been treated for her injuries and was resting in the stables outside. I had just sent
Munin to the baths, hopefully to help her relax. Piggymaru, who’d been
trembling inside my robes ever since we came upon Oyamada attacking Slei,
was now nestled up sleeping by her side. It seemed to really shock the little
slime to see its friend so hurt—enough that I judged we’d be unable to use our
linking ability.
The Miran soldiers were currently busy cleaning up the aftermath of the
recent attack. Several of them had come to carry Hawk’s body away a few hours
ago—his funeral was to be held in the coming days.
As for Oyamada Shougo’s corpse—that no longer exists. I used Freeze to
take care of that—reduced him to dust. He has disappeared completely from this
world.
I had yet to meet with the Wildly Beautiful Emperor, Asagi, or anyone
else since my return to the capital.
I’m sure they’re busy with other things. From what the soldiers say, I hear
the guy named the “banished emperor” or something broke into his throne
room. Sounds like he was defeated… Maybe Asagi had something to do with
that. That secret weapon of hers, perhaps. There were witnesses who saw Asagi
using her unique skill—I should press them for details later.
Reports suggested that the White Army assaulting the capital melted away
as soon as the banished emperor died. They dissolved completely, the white

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liquid in their bodies washed away by the rain. Nothing remained of them once
the battle was done. The Wildly Beautiful Emperor’s conclusion—so far as the
soldiers knew—was that the banished emperor had been responsible for
spawning the white monsters, just as the Demon King was capable of spawning
golden-eyed ones.
Though golden-eyed monsters die when the Demon King himself does.
“Seems like whoever was coming to annihilate the Wildly Beautiful
Emperor had been held off for now, at least ”
“Yes, the first wave for certain.”
Reports were still coming in from Luheit’s army in the north, who
remained in position staring down the White Wolf Riders at the border.
But once the enemies in the north learn this attack has ended in failure,
it’s likely they’ll withdraw. Their movements were obviously coordinated with
the banished emperor and Saber-toothed Tigers.
“I knew about the Saber-toothed Tigers and Oyamada, but where did this
banished emperor guy come from? If some second wave rushes the capital out of
nowhere, I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
“The banished emperor and his White Army As you say, Sir Too-ka, I
think it’s right to assume the Goddess had some reason for not deploying them
earlier. I believe they were not pawns she could send into battle so lightly.”
“Yeah. Given how she was keeping them back, I think she understood the
risks of using them. I guess news of the Sword of Courage and Sixth Order’s
failure has gotten back to that Foul Goddess. And now she’s got no choice but to
use what she’s got might be a good sign for how little she has left at her
disposal.”
Finally, the time is right for my revenge.
“But hey, I’m sorry. I might have misjudged the situation this time

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around.”
“No None of this was your fault, Sir Too-ka.” Seras looked down
remorsefully at her feet. She had already told me what happened with Oyamada
while we waited for Hawk to be carried away. I sighed and tried to dismiss the
subject.
“Well, Munin’s quite the handful, eh ”
“I’m so sorry. This all happened because of me Because I was naive.
All of it.”
Munin hesitated until the last moment—unsure whether to try and save
Seras or go and find me at the meeting point. Things obviously would’ve been
too late by then, though. With Slei so injured, Munin knew she was the only one
who could save Seras—and it was just when she’d made up her mind to fly to the
Wildly Beautiful Emperor for help that I appeared.
“Seems like Munin would have an easier time sacrificing herself than any
of her companions. I guess that’s why the people of the Kurosaga Clan love her
so much.”
“ ”
“You couldn’t abandon him, could you? Hawk, I mean.”
“No.”
I exhaled through my nose and leaned my head back against the wall with
a thunk. “To spare or to kill Much easier to make those kinds of decisions
when you’re dealing with a villain. I guess it would’ve been easier for you to
leave if he was a bad person.”
It’s harder when he’s one of the good ones. He became a shackle around
Seras’s ankle because she couldn’t ignore someone who treated her well. And
neither could I. Turning my back on Hawk would be like doing the same to my
foster parents.

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“I’m just the same, you know? I don’t know if I could’ve abandoned
Hawk and run if I were put in that same situation. But well—no sense beating a
dead horse. You might not have been thinking clearly in the moment, Seras.”
Not like I have any right to scold her for that though. I just want her to
understand how dangerous and foolish what she did really was. I too should
have taken Oyamada out quickly and gotten ready for what might have been
coming next… But not even I could keep a clear head given what was going on.
No more excuses.
“Sir Too-ka, ahem What happened to the Saber-toothed Tigers?”
“I let all of them live.”
I explained to Seras that I’d put them to sleep, restrained them, and locked
them in the basement of a certain house.
They should be waking up right about now. That was tough work… The
problem with Paralyze is that pretty strong targets can cause themselves serious
damage by struggling against the effect. I don’t mind my enemies hurting
themselves, but some of the Saber-toothed Tigers might have died by trying to
force their way through the paralysis effect.
That’s why I had to get close, use Sleep on them to prevent damage. I only
had to use Paralyze once, against that red-haired girl with the sharp eyes—I got
a bit impatient with her. There were also too many buildings and obstacles
around, making it difficult to use my link with Piggymaru.
“I told Hawk’s replacement earlier about where they’re tied up. How
they’re handled is up to the Wildly Beautiful Emperor—but I’ve already given
him my opinion on the matter.”
“You did not kill them, then.” There was a hint of relief in Seras’s voice.
“Like I just said. Much easier dealing with villains, isn’t it?”
It was hard to deal with the Saber-toothed Tigers, but that’s the way it had

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to be. I watched them all, choosing my time to attack carefully—but each and
every one of them were so nice. They also seemed aware of the things they were
doing—and ready for anything. They were prepared to stay cool to protect the
lives of innocents. Ready to be hated by the people of Mira—even ready to die if
they had to.
“It was much easier to fight the Sword of Courage, even though they were
clearly stronger than these guys.”
The two fights might’ve appeared similar, but they were actually totally
different.
Speaking of differences…Oyamada said he wanted to be reborn—to
change and start anew from the beginning. Yasu used the same words. But the
two had totally different meanings.
“ ”
I stared at Seras, until she cocked her head to the side and looked back at
me questioningly.
“Hmm?”
Being able to see through lies really is a powerful tool for knowing
people. If there were powers like Seras’s in the old world, I wonder how many
people would really choose to be honest with themselves.
“Ah, ahem Sir T-Too-ka ?”
I smiled at her. “I’m always telling you, aren’t I ? You’re awful at
lying.”
“M-my lies? I-is there something strange about what I said? Ah ”
I drew her close to me—held her tight against my chest. I just held her—
as tight as I could.
“You’re so brave. You did so well to keep it together It’s over now. It’s

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okay.”
“S-Sir Too-ka I-I ”
She brought her hand up to my chest and squeezed at my robes, her
fingers were trembling. I wrapped my arms gently around the back of her head
and tried to keep my voice as soft as I could.
“I’m sorry—I’m sorry I made you so scared.”
“I-I W ”
After Oyamada was dead, Seras went to check on Slei immediately, and I
went with her. Munin emerged from the house, all tears, and a storm of
apologies followed that I could do nothing to put a stop to. After she’d calmed
down a little, I had her tend to Slei as Seras and I carried Oyamada inside.
She’s been busy this whole time—devoting herself to other things and
other people. Finally, she’s able to assess the mental shock and come to terms
with what just happened to her.
As I held her, Seras began to sniff softly. She hiccupped from time to time
but didn’t say a word. Just stood with her face pressed to my chest and cried
quietly. I said nothing, only holding her in my arms in silence.
“You’re always thinking about yourself last, Seras Ashrain.”
Maybe that’s why…
“It’s the way you are—and it sure seems like I’m hopelessly in love with
you for it.”
I felt the grip of the hand she had clutching my chest grow tighter.
“I know I scolded you earlier, but I wasn’t able to keep my head either.”
Seras flinched a little in surprise, and her sobbing became quieter.
“As soon as I saw Oyamada, you, and Slei I feel like for the first time in
a long while, I completely lost control. I wanted to murder him. Murder

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Oyamada. I wanted him dead, that’s all I could feel.”

“ ”
“But after I did it, I I felt terrible, through and through. I’m just like
him We’re no different. All I could think of when I saw him was killing him
—that’s all.”
If I were really a kind person, I’d never be able to feel that way. My foster
father wouldn’t have felt what I felt—I’m sure of that.
“No You’re a kind person. No matter what anyone else says, to us you
are kind.”
“That’s some solace then—just a tiny bit.”
“Sir Too-ka.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you want to go upstairs ?”
“ Yeah.”

We sat side by side on the edge of the bed in one of the second floor
bedrooms. Seras had calmed down a fair bit, and I sat wiping the dirt from her
face. Munin was in the house baths, but all we’d done was change clothes so far.
“Ahem I’ll wipe your face next.”
Seras was cleaning my face when there was a knock at the door.
“Excuse me, I’m out I-is there even anybody in there, I wonder? Are
you two still in the house?”
“Ah, Chief Munin Yes, we’re here.”
“Come in if you want,” I said.
“Oh my? You two aren’t enjoying yourselves in there, are you ? Am I

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interrupting?”
“We aren’t doing anything we’d have to hide.”
“S-Sir Too-ka !”
“ ”
Well, there really isn’t anything we’d need to hide about what we’re doing
in here… But hey, I can kind of understand what Seras is imagining.
“Oh my, I’m ever so hot after my bath. Right then, I’m coming in—!”
Munin, who had just exited the bath, came in.
…You could take a bit more care not to show so much skin, though.
“Ah, I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. I know you two were the ones who
went through it all, and I simply couldn’t pull myself together. I completely
lost composure, and ”
Ah, she means that hurricane of apologies, does she?
“I already told you, don’t worry about it.”
“Heh Oh, my master is so kind ” She narrowed her eyes at me a little
and fidgeted with her hands.
Not sure if it was that bath that did it, but it looks like Munin’s back to her
usual self.
“Ah-ahem Are you okay, Too-ka? Well I know the person you faced
today was from the same Ah—s-sorry. It’s inconsiderate of me to even bring
it up, I suppose.”
“Nah, it’s fine To be honest, I don’t feel any regrets about killing
Oyamada.”
I’ve killed lots of people. But this time’s different—this is someone I
studied with… We sat in the same classroom. He was my classmate. I thought I’d
feel something—some unique emotion that would well up inside me.

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But there’s nothing…less than nothing. No sadness, no regret. It’s just like
it was with the White Walkers, the first ones I killed. I don’t feel anything at all.
The proper response just doesn’t come to me, I don’t have the right emotions. I
do feel a sense of relief though.
…I guess this proves I really am his son, doesn’t it?
“Chief M-Munin Please, don’t be upset. I’m grateful for how
considerate you’ve been toward me.”
“N-no, I You’re the one that had to deal with all that fear, and all I
could do was feel conflicted, and frozen. I’m the eldest here, but I ” Her voice
was trembling as she trailed off, and there were tears forming in her eyes again.
She can’t bear to inconvenience others, eh? All right, then, I guess I
should change the topic.
“So. Munin.”
“Eh? Ah, yes? Whatever is the matter ?”
“You said if I came back safe, you’d really spoil me, didn’t you?”
“Ehhh?! Ah—I s-suppose I did Heh heh heh. Y-yes Just so long as
Seras-san doesn’t mind ”
…That didn’t take long. I think she’s just being considerate again
though… Right?
Seras gave me a cheerful but wry smile and scratched her cheek. “I-if
that’s what you want, Sir Too-ka I trust you that it’s quite necessary ”
Hey, you’re supposed to be a bit upset you know, Seras… You trust me
way too much.
Just as I was feeling surprised, and a little guilty at how highly I was
constantly being thought of
Tap Tap.

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“Oh my? Who could that be?”

Munin opened the curtains, to reveal a little white bird standing on the
window ledge outside.
“It’s banging against the window ” When we appeared, the bird flopped
over onto its back—showing us its stomach. “Wait, Seras.”
I gently opened the window.
Seems like she’s realized it as well—that was a signal. This bird must be…
“It’s one of Erika’s familiars.”

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Epilogue

H OW LONG HAS it been since Kirihara arrived in this place, I wonder?

The furthest northern reaches of the continent were a barren wasteland,
surrounded on all sides by impassable seas. This was the Land of the Root of All
Evil. Most of the sky above was covered by thick thunderclouds that allowed no
light to shine through. There were steep mountains separating the land from the
habitable parts of the continent, and access to the north was limited. The Demon
King sat in his ancient castle, of which only the first floor remained. The number
of rooms in which the ceilings had not caved in could be counted on one hand.
Kirihara was a short distance from the castle, killing golden-eyed monsters
in order to gain their soul power—EXP, as he called it.
He was the one that made the suggestion.
The Demon King spawned the monsters, and Kirihara killed them for
experience.
That will make him stronger.
He was supported by regular deliveries from the Nightwall, allowing him
to live a fairly normal, human life while in the north.
The humans had plenty in their stores. More than enough to feed a single
boy.
“I’m done for the day.”
Kirihara strolled into the ancient throne room, the gray sky looming
above, and sat by the Demon King’s side. The throne he occupied had once
belonged to the Demon King himself.
It matters not to me where I might sit—but to Kirihara, it seems to be
important.

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“The throne of the king awaits me—it always has.”

He had wanted the throne—and so the Demon King sat in the queen’s
throne at his side instead.
“How is it?” asked the Demon King.
“My leveling is slowing, as expected. This was already beginning to
happen during the unfortunate time I had to endure at Vicius’s side. Even I am
reaching the ceiling, it seems.”
“You have no more room for growth, then?”
“I must say I’m surprised at how narrow your perspective is.”
“ ”
“What makes a king a king? A true king has no limits. He has endless
potential for growth. I may be approaching the limits of this ‘leveling up’
system, but that is just one way in which I have improved myself. I now have to
explore other methods in which to advance, that is all. If you have the makings
of a true king, you should be capable of understanding.”
“Then what will you grow next?”
“Everything.”
“Hmm?”
“The end of my leveling journey signals that my foundations are securely
set and ready. The king may now emerge. Though, well perhaps my skills may
still have some room to develop.” He paused. “I have nothing but potential.”
That is not an empty statement.
The Demon King knew at once that Kirihara believed the words he had
just spoken—that he had confidence in them, from the bottom of his heart.
“Because a true king has no reason to lie. In himself, he is everything
Yes?” asked the Demon King.

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“Continue to learn from me, and some day you may approach my
heights Once I am king of this world, all will become me. And a complete
world will be reborn.”
“In the end everything—even I—will be annihilated, you mean?” asked
the Demon King, trying to search out Kirihara’s true intentions.
“Understand the difference. If you become Kirihara, you will be you and
you will be me, both at the same time.”
“How so?”
“It’s like being impressed by someone’s ideas and accepting them as your
own. Children live with their parents, mirroring their reactions, their faces, their
voices, their ways of thinking In the most extreme sense of nation—you will
become me.”
“I do not quite understand What is your goal, Kirihara? That is what I
wish to know. What do you wish to attain by demonstrating your strength to the
Goddess and the other heroes?”
“It’s important to know people, Demon King. Those in the old world
thought only of themselves and so rarely bent their ear to what others were
saying. They were never truly listening or taking anything in. That’s why
humans make mistakes. Never listening means never learning. Sogou and the
others have got that wrong too. They had to learn from me—that was the only
way.”
“I want to learn. I want to learn your ultimate goal. What is it you want, at
the end of all this?”
“Questioning your allies again, I see. There’s no end to your suspicions
All you can do is doubt. Is that what being a king means to you?”
“Then you will not say.”
“A king only moves for those who show they are willing to listen.

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Destiny, you could say. Very well. I wish for a country—it will be mine.”
“I am enemy to divines and men alike. I must destroy them. That is my
fate. It has been from the moment of my birth. There is no reason. I must
annihilate divines and men ”
“Without exception?”
“I’m sure I can make one exception ”
“Very well.”
“You won’t ask any further ? You don’t want details?”
“I am your exception, of that there can be no doubt. I will choose
exceptions of my own in turn—they alone will survive and become citizens of
my nation. Do you have a problem with that?”
“But in the end all must be destroyed I can give you a refrain, but I must
annihilate all divines and men before I am spent—that is my fate.”
“How long will you live?”
“ Five hundred years.”
“Very well.”
“Pardon?”
“Overlook my nation, so long as I remain alive.”
“Wh-what?”
“I care for nothing beyond my own death. Had you seen the older
generation in my old world, I’m sure you would understand this yourself. No
matter where I looked, none of them ever truly thought or acted to improve the
world after their own demise. They paid lip service to the idea, of course but in
the end, humans live only for themselves and die in much the same manner.
Some realize that fact, and some do not. But I am special.”
“ Your country—I need only protect it for as long as you live?”

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“No I wish for one other nation to be left standing.”

“Why?”
“There must be someone left to bear witness. An enemy to tell the tale of
the true King’s life It will be quite the story, after all ”
“ ”
“You are also to spare those I choose to let live. The others you may kill
as you please.”
“Who will you choose?”
“The heroes maybe Seras Ashrain, perhaps. Not many.”
“Hmm.”
“There are seven nations on this continent. Five I permit you to destroy
without awaiting my death. Vicius too, of course.”
“ Are you sure? The Goddess aside, the humans are your kind, are they
not? I was born to torture and kill them. Pure sadism from your perspective.
Those instincts are carved into me, a part of my nature. Do you not mind it at
all?”
“Those too foolish to recognize me as king are no brethren of mine. Any
death they should meet is entirely their own doing. Good that they should regret
their decision, even.”
“And you take no issue with the offspring dying alongside their parents?”
“Enough. A world without me in it is no world at all. The world would
end if I were to be removed or cut off from it.”
“I do not quite understand. There is a kind of obstinate belief in your
thinking Very well, I accept your proposal. There is but one last thing.”
“Your endless questions begin to annoy me. I will allow one and only
one.”

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“Do you not wish to return to your old world?”

If there are divines and humans there too, I wish to destroy them. But with
no choice but to rely on the divines in traveling there—it is impossible.
Kirihara swept his hair behind his head and sighed.
“As I told you, back when we stood before Sogou The old world is dead
—finished. No matter how powerful one becomes, there is not a limit to what is
obtainable. Nobody can become Kirihara in that world, not now, not ever.”
“ I see. Very well.”
“My, my Finally, you understand. Good. Then it’s agreed—everything
is settled.”
The Demon King had read the history books that were taken when the
Nightwall fell. No hero in history had ever joined hands with the Root of All
Evil.
Is this possible? There’s no doubt that Kirihara believes every word that
he says—this I know to be true. Kirihara truly wants to join with me in opposing
this world. It is unbelievable, yet the truth is there. I believed at first he intended
to wait for an opportunity to strike me down and that he was only pretending to
ally with me. But he does not lie.
I feel no murderous intent emanating from him, nor any deception. He
even shows fondness toward me at times. This Kirihara…he is so strange.
The values the Demon King once held were beginning to crumble—they
all seemed so fragile now. Kirihara was so different from the humans the Demon
King had known. He thought of ways to dispose of him at first—or perhaps to
use him as a shield against the truly dangerous hero—Sogou.
When she fought against Kirihara, Sogou’s movements clearly slowed. He
can be a pawn I use to counter her. Heroes fighting heroes—how amusing.

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The Demon King knew Sogou was dangerous—every instinct in his body
had screamed out when he faced her. And while Kirihara had allied himself with
the Demon King, the Root of All Evil made other plans.
And yet…
He gazed at him.
Perhaps I will have to reevaluate them—these humans. They may be much
more formidable than I first thought. Not physically but mentally… Are they
deeper than I assumed?
He found himself a little interested, even, in this “human” animal.
I wish to know more… Sometimes the thought appears in my head.
Kirihara stood from the throne, laying a hand on the handle of his katana.
“Perhaps now you’re finally a fit match for Kirihara. Fine. Let me show you a
thing or too, Demon King. The spectacle of this great invasion will begin—it
must.”
“Very well. I look forward to seeing what you have to show Sogou.”
Kirihara continued killing golden-eyed monsters, and the Demon King
kept spawning new ones for him to absorb as experience points. He had to both
create experience for Kirihara and create a new army for the next invasion to
come.
Perhaps it is because I have been spawning day and night, but the wound
Sogou dealt me in battle has been healing much slower than usual. It may also
be the power I shared with Einglanz.
According to the report yesterday, the humans are at war with themselves.
A country named Mira has risen up against the Goddess.
As soon as the report came in, the Demon King began amassing his armies
south of the Nightwall.

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We will keep them in fear of our armies in the north—the Goddess will
have difficulty finding the troops to fight us there with this Miran Empire revolt.
“As you said, I will leave one nation be Perhaps it should be Mira, as
reward for their betrayal.”
“Mira. Ruled by the Wildly Beautiful Emperor, no? I’d choose to leave
Alion standing but Mira will do. I can do nothing but assent if they have the
makings of a fine punching bag—I have no choice.”
Kirihara’s level had increased by one that day. He wiped some of the
monsters’ blood from his cheek with a cloth. As usual, they sat together in the
thrones of the king and queen.
“Your information gathering abilities seem quite impressive. I have to
compliment you on that, Demon King My strength is almost fully prepared
now as well. The demons seem especially useful, those that understand the
human tongue The Fourth of the Sworn and below are putting out quite good
numbers as well. I am the only one that can judge them, of course.”
The Demon King stood.
“Kirihara, I—”
Boom—!
“?”
He looked down at his chest.
A blade was jutting out of it—a katana wrapped in golden light.
“Dragonic Sword !”
Boom!

Sharp pain ran through the Demon King’s whole body—an acute agony he
had never experienced before.

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“Ghah ?!”
He buried his eyes in his head, then popped them out on the back of his
skull. There, he saw a man who should not have been there. And yet,
unbelievably, there he was.
“Kiri-hara Wh-what are you Doing ?”
“I changed my mind.”
“Wh-what ?!”
Boom!
A third wave of golden light burst into the Demon King’s body, running
rampant inside him.
“Ghhaaahh?!”
Before the Demon King knew what was happening, he was on the floor.
He strained to crawl upward, trying desperately to get back to his feet.
“I am king here! Curse you, Kiriharaaa !”
“Gyahrhhaaah!”
A number of golden-eyed monsters and inner circle demons rushed toward
them, sensing the Demon King’s distress.
He won’t be able to defeat this many. His MP will run out, and then his
body will fail him. He has already hit the limit of his leveling—there will be no
absurd recovery from that process to save him. He may be an elite hero—but
this is the end for him.
The Demon King tried to move his weak and trembling hands, attempting
to stand.
This was a completely unexpected attack. Kirihara did not lie—everything
he has told me has been the truth. That is what caused me to lower my guard. He
promised we would fight side by side—and intended on keeping that promise

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when he made it.

At that time, he truly did, yet… Kirihara changed his mind?
There was no pretense in that statement of his—he simply decided on a
new course, with no forewarning nor logic. He took no time to plan this attack
against me. What worth does the power to see through lies have then?
“Wh-why ? Why did you change your m-mind ?”
“I realized something at the very last moment. Would I really be satisfied
with being a king in this world? Am I simply running from the old world? I have
to admit that to be the case I know it now! Once I have completed my
ascension to king of this world, I will return to the old to fulfill my destiny and
become master of that one as well! I must! Kirihara cannot escape Kirihara’s
face—all is Kirihara!”
“I-I Do not understand ”
“Demon King!”
“D-do it Go All of you Kill him !”
“Yes, Sire!” The monsters and inner circle demons leaped at Kirihara
from above.
“The past Kiriharas I now leave behind. The next Kirihara stands here
before you. Now I am truly the ultimate vessel of the King
“—Dragonic Chain.”
What looked like a hundred golden chains burst from Kirihara’s body.
“Wh-what ?!”
Half of the monsters instinctively defended themselves, but the opaque
chains passed through their arms and were absorbed into their bodies.
“I have already tested its effects. You no longer serve the Demon King.
Now you are mine. You can only serve me. There can be no other way. These

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chains are the bonds between us. You are my subjects—I permit you to approach
me.”
The monsters and inner circle demons stopped attacking, landing near
Kirihara instead and surrounding him.
“Gh, nh!”
Kirihara stood on the Demon King’s back as he tried to squirm away.
“This Dragonic Sword of mine Its range isn’t much, but its raw power
is incredible. A worthy skill.” He took a black crystal necklace from his pocket.
“Vicius already granted me this necklace. Maybe she had no idea who would
take you down, so she gave these to all the S-class heroes. It would make sense.”
“Kiri-hara ”
“Allow me to apologize. You had your good points. But to return to my
old world, I require your heart—and the special Demon King essence within it.
I’m sorry, truly I am. But I have to return to my old world, I absolutely must. To
be king in this world alone—I could not live with myself. I could never be
satisfied. I needed to realize my destiny. No matter what.”
So that is why. Another reason I couldn’t respond to his surprise attack in
time. There was no malice behind it—no true intent to kill. There is still none. All
he has for me is pure goodwill. He does not pity me. He favors me as a king
might a capable subordinate, and the pure, unadulterated force of that favor is
blocking out all his other emotions.
This human—he feels nothing but goodwill for each person he murders.
As if their deaths mean nothing to him. As if all those promises and words mean
nothing at all.
“I like you, and I recognize your strength. But I had no choice but to kill
you. It seems my path to becoming king will be painted with the blood of my
friends. I can do nothing else but accept providence.”

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Blood… That is blood. The golden-eyed monsters and inner circle demons
by his side—they are crying blood. They can do nothing to stop him…
Kirihara stabbed the Demon King four times with his sword. “I’m going to
attack you with all my strength now, make sure you don’t suffer. You
understand me? I’m sure of that. I could never bring myself to hate you—now
die.”
“A-a Are you h-human K-Kiriha—”
“Dragonic Sword.”
The Demon King exploded, rising so high it appeared pieces of him might
touch the sky. A golden light went with him.
All that was left when it was done was Kirihara Takuto, and the monsters
who had been helpless to save their creator
And finally, the heart of the Demon King.

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KIRIHARA TAKUTO

B EHIND HIM STOOD countless golden-eyed monsters and inner circle

demons lined up in rows—an army stretching as far as the eye could see.
The ones behind him were grinding their teeth and crying tears of blood.
Before them all sat Kirihara Takuto, his legs spread wide, the tip of his katana
buried in the dirt below. He propped himself up with it as he leaned forward on
the throne.
“Now the king’s army is ready I have to thank the Demon King for all
his hard work. The time has come The new Kirihara begins.”
He quietly turned to glare in the direction of the Nightwall, as several of
his golden dragons danced in the air about him.
“The king’s battle proceeds to its next stage.”
A new golden king. What will he gaze upon? What will he accomplish?

“You first, Vicius.”

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Afterword

I F THERE’S A BIG THEME for this volume, I suppose it’s presenting things in
pairs, or in contrast. Groups like the Saber-toothed Tigers and the Sword of
Courage could be viewed as contrasting pairs, as could individuals like Oyamada
Shougo and Yasu Tomohiro, and Kirihara Takuto, and Sogou Ayaka. There are
others who aren’t perfectly opposed, but similar yet different pairs such as
Mimori Touka and Johndoe from the last volume. Finding these pairs could be
one way to enjoy this story even further.
One of the biggest features of this printed volume has also been the
addition of new scenes with Seras Ashrain, of course. Perhaps your view of the
later half of this book could change with the added context of these scenes. The
web version continues to be Too-ka’s story, where in print I’ve tried to present
Too-ka and Seras’s story instead—I think that might have shaped this volume in
particular. I feel like these extra scenes may even have a big impact on the
ending of the story.
There was also an additional scene with Munin in this book, which served
to show how prepared she is for the journey to come and to give the reader a
little more insight into her character. Or I suppose I can imagine that is the case,
but this is a light novel of course and scenes like the one Munin and Seras get
into are very important, aren’t they? Well, that’s about all I have to say about
that.
Next, a few acknowledgments—thank you to my editor O-sama for
always handling my annoying questions even at your busiest times. To KWKM-
sama, your designs are always on point, and your illustrations always spark my
imagination to write more (I really thought Seras’s shocked face and Munin’s
design were perfect in this volume)—thank you. Keyaki Uchiuchi-sama and Sho

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Uyoshi-sama, thank you for always pulling me in with great cliffhangers in your
manga adaption and the way you bring out Seras’s charm in your work. Not only
that, but the awesomeness and crazed anger of the characters really come across
well in the manga—I feel like the Failure Frame world is expanding and getting
deeper with every new volume. Thank you also to everybody who helped in any
way in bringing this ninth volume to print.
Thank you to all my readers online for your support. I’m incredibly happy
you’ve chosen to buy the printed work as well.
Thank you, last but not least, to you, for picking up this ninth volume. The
big double-digit number 10 is finally in view, and it’s all because of your
continued support
I pray we meet again in the final volume, where finally is the word of the
day. Thank you very much for your support.

—Kaoru Shinozaki

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