The clouds floated in the sky, a gentle wind caressed the grass plain.
Looking at this peaceful sceneā¦
āAh, this scene makes me even more sleepyā¦ā
Ryner who had lately not been sleeping muttered to this scene. Then he said:
āAh, even if I donāt see this scene, I can always have a huge dream, I wish that I can sleep more than twenty hours out of the twenty four hours in a day, donāt even talk about two hundred hours, these few days I havenāt been sleeping at all, what do you think?ā
Once again, he told the youth who seemed to be sleeping very peacefully beside him.
Of course the youth did not replyā¦
Ryner shrugged, then looked around.
But, a peaceful view lay before his eyes.
āā¦ā
Ryner was silent for a moment, then he said:
āā¦Ferris that person is slow. Kuu couldnāt have caught up to herā¦ā
But, he shook his head following that.
āNo, that person definitely wouldnāt let herself enter that situationā¦ā
He said.
No, if the opponent caught up to herā¦
Then, at this point Ryner gave up thinking.
Because no matter what it was not helping.
He looked at Arua, then frowned.
The situation was quite undesirable.
Sui and Kuu and Runa had joined hands, clearly wanting Arua. It was like that earlier, if Ryner wasnāt be Aruaās sideā¦
They would definitely force Aruaās Alpha Stigma to lost control, then steal his eyesā¦
He thought of the previous time they had fought against Sui and Kuu, Sui had said:
āItās rare to meet Alpha Stigma . Because that is something quite valuable. I wouldnāt let this opportunity slip away. I will let your eyes crystallise, then steal them.ā
The crystal that Sui spoke of, seemed to be able to let the eyes of the Alpha Stigma wielder release energy and lost controlā¦
Then Sui had taken out something like a precious stone to show Ryner, saying:
āYou donāt even know about this crystal?ā
At the same time the crystal he spoke of was like a precious stone.
Then the instant, Sui had thrown that crystal, calling āresonate!āā¦
Rynerās eyes started to lose controlā¦
Ryner thought of the scene then.
At that time, he attempted to destroy everything again.
All thingsā
All living organismsā
And, even Ferris who was by his side wasā¦
This again.
These eyes attempted toā¦
Steal everything.
To himā¦
At this moment Rynerā
āā¦ā
He pressed a hand to his eyes, without speaking.
He pressed forcefully, forcefullyā¦
But, he used a lazy voice to say:
āā¦Really, what is this thing? He says itās a crystalā¦ Then, are my eyes some kind of crystal? If it is stolen from my body, will they become crystals? But, after my eyes are stolen, what will become of me? It seems I will be blindā¦ But, if my eyes are stolen, then I can become a normal personā¦ā
At this moment, Rynerās hand pressed down even more forcefully. He pressed his right eye hardā¦
āā¦If it were that easy to get rid ofā¦ā
Then, Ryner stopped. Then he smiled lightly as if he were tired, he raised his head to look at the sky.
āIf that would really make me more relaxedā¦ then that would be too easyā¦ Iām willing to try a few hundred times.ā
He uttered. But, no matter how much he wanted to destroy these eyes, no matter how much he wanted to gouge them out, those eyes were simply unharmed in the end.
He didnāt know why it would turn out this way, but these eyes seemed to be protected by an unseen power, it was unharmed in the endā¦
Then, how did Sui and Kuu steal them?
They had given him an answer.
Let the eyes lose control, then steal them. It seemed that as long as the eyes lost control, they could directly gouge them out.
Let the eyes lost controlā¦
At this instant, Ryner looked at Arua sleeping in front of him.
Thenā
āā¦That wayā¦ will you be saved? Or will you die? I should have asked this earlier. If you can be saved, before you hurt anyone... before you are hurt, I will help you gouge your eyes outā¦ā
Even though matters werenāt so serious, these eyes eventually brought about harm.
Because they were born with these eyesā¦ they were looked down as monsters, his parents were killed before himā¦ now, even his childhood friend was captured as a hostageā¦
At this point, Ryner frowned.
āSpeaking of which, things have really become troublesome. We have to save Kuku, butā¦ if Sui and Kuu are looking after herā¦ then even if we have a battle plan, the difference in our skill levels are too greatā¦ā
Then at this momentā¦
āā¦Eh.ā
Suddenly, the youth groaned softly.
Ryner heard and said:
āAh? Youāre finally awake?ā
The youth tried to open his eyes, then perhaps because he was looking at the sun, he closed his eyes because of the brightnessā¦ Then, slowly reopened them again.
Ryner looked at those eyes.
Although it seemed blurry, if one didnāt look carefully it couldnāt be seen, butā¦ there was certainly that.
A red five pointed star.
Like Rynerās eyes, the cursed mark that everyone was fearful ofā¦
At this momentā
The youth sat up, looking around.
āā¦Ne, ehā¦ Where isā¦myā¦father and motherā¦?ā
He asked.
But Ryner didnāt answer him.
āGood, it seems that you are awake. Then let me ask you. Do you feel any pain?ā
Arua heard that, then he shuddered, then glared at Rynerā¦
āā¦You, who are you! Father and motherā¦ father andā¦fatherā¦ā
But, he suddenly stopped. His whole face twisted in painā¦
āAh, urgh, ahā¦ā
He trembled.
Ryner knew the reason for this.
He probably had remembered?
The image of his fatherās head before himā¦
āUh, Uaaaaah~~ He, he was killedā¦ he was killedā¦.Ah!ā
He screamed.
He screamed as if he were mad.
That was a natural response. His family were killed before him, and it was his parents.
But, Ryner stared at him, half-lidded, without a single ounce of interest.
Aruaās cry was even louder. He cried as he yelled as if he were madā¦
āBecause of, of meā¦ Because of me, father and motherā¦are deadā¦ Ah, uhā¦ Noā¦.noā¦noā¦ everyoneā¦ Iā¦ā
At this moment, he glared viciously at Ryner.
āā¦You, you, you killedā¦killed my father and mother.ā
Saying that, he suddenly stood up, his arms crossed, preparing to chantā¦
But.
āToo late.ā
Ryner immediately grabbed Aruaās arm, and pulled him on the ground. The magic was disrupted.
Arua rolled on the ground, collapsing, staring at Ryner hatefully.
āā¦Why, whyā¦ why do you have to do thisā¦ Iā¦ What did I do!ā
He shouted at Rynerā¦
But, Ryner shrugged, not speaking.
Arua cried as he said:
āNo moreā¦ I donāt want itā¦ why did it become like thisā¦ Because of me, because of me, father and motherā¦ why did it turn out this wayā¦ Iā¦ā¦ā¦Noā¦ā¦noā¦ā¦noā¦ā¦ā
Saying that he buried his face into the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
Ryner seeing that, frowned as if he was unaffected.
āThen, you want to escape? But, where will you run to? Do you want to die? I wonāt stop you. Thatās up to you. If you can be saved because of that, then perhaps that would be good.ā
He told the youth.
And Arua lifted his head, and glared at Ryner again.
āYouā¦ You want to kill me, right!! Youā¦ because I am a monsterā¦ So, father and mother diedā¦ If you want to kill me then kill me! I am a monster! If that is so, then just kill me! Someone like meā¦ a monster like me, has no meaning in livingā¦ā
But, Ryner interrupted him.
āā¦Yeah, youāre right. Perhaps thereās no meaning in living. Butā¦ā
At this moment he used his right finger to lift up the eyelid of his right eyeā¦
In a moment.
The red five pointed star gave out a strong glow, appearing in his eyesā¦
Arua revealed a surprised expression when he saw that, wanting to say something. Ryner interrupted him again.
āā¦What you are thinking of now, I have thought of that hundreds of times before. I thought, I have no meaning in living on! Because of my existence, many of my important people have been hurtā¦and even killedā¦ and Iām seen as a monster, and isolated and looked down on by everyoneā¦
Why do I have to be here?
Why does someone like me have to be created?
I cried, shouted, but, I didnāt get an answer. Butā¦ā
At this moment, Ryner turned his head to the side as if troubled.
āBut, every time I think of that, there is always someone who wants me to live on. Even though he knows I am a wielder of Alpha Stigma, but that curious king still wants to trap me, and some people who want to persuade me, and tell me I am not a monsterā¦
Not only that, lately there is a person who always says I am her slave, and her sole interest lies in bullying meā¦
Every time I think of these people, my heart will weaken.
I will think, maybe there are some things that exist for me to live forā¦
Maybe living on isnāt wrongā¦
Thenā¦then, those people that treasure me and think that I am very importantā¦ they want to build a world where no one has to lose anything, then Iā¦ā
Up till there, he frowned even harder, and scratched his head as he said:
āAh, I seem to be saying strange things. Ah, anyway, what I want to say isā¦ā
At this point, Arua stared at Ryner with a stunned expression.
āOn-onii-chan isā¦ like meā¦ then, it was Onii-chan who saved meā¦ā
After he finished mutteringā
āBut, butā¦ I already donāt haveā¦ I donāt have anyone who wishes for me to live onā¦ā
But, Ryner told him:
āWhat did your father tell you before he died?ā
In a split second.
āAhā¦ā
Arua made a sound of surprise.
Before Aruaās father died, he had yelled desperately.
He wanted Arua to live onā¦
He said, his death wasnāt because of Aruaā¦
Perhaps Arua recalled those words? His face started to twist in pain, tears started to fall from his eyesā¦
But, Ryner continued:
āAnd, the one who requested me to save you from the Runa noble, is your childhood friend, a girl called Kuku.ā
Aruaās eyes widened when he heard that.
āKuku?! Kuku is hereā¦ā
Ryner shook his head.
āSheās not here. She has been caught as a bait to attract you, sheās now imprisoned in a Runa nobleās villa. I have to save her, butā¦ what about you?ā
Arua hearing that, loudly said:
āI, Iāll go to save her too!ā
Ryner laughed when he heard that.
āIf thatās so, then you canāt die here? See, death is a very serious thing. Just thinking of simply dying, you realize that there are still many things for you to doā¦ itās troublesome, isnāt it? Even if you donāt die, I havenāt been able to sleep lately, and Iām so tired nowā¦ Like that, since youāre already awake, guard duty is passed on to you. Iāve reached my limits, let me sleep for a while.ā
Saying that, Ryner lay on the grassā¦
Arua panicked when he saw that.
āEh? Eh? Waitā¦didnāt you say youāre going to save Kukuā¦ā
But Ryner continued to lie there and said:
āNo, no, before that, I have to wait for my companion to return. So, when that person returns wake me. At that time we can go and save Kukuā¦ā
Then, Ryner suddenly stopped talking.
In a moment, a plan to save Kuku surfaced in his mindā¦
He thought about the source of the problem again.
Sui and Kuu had locked on to Arua as their target.
If separated from Ryner, Arua could be forced to lose control, and his Alpha Stigma could be stolen because of that.
That meant, as long as the two of them were locked on to him, Ryner and Arua could not separate.
That meant, they had to bring Arua along to save Kukuā¦
But fighting those two and protecting Arua at the same time, was reallyā¦
Frankly speaking, as of Ryner and Ferrisās current strength, fighting with Sui and Kuu was no easy task.
If they could add someone who had a strong fighting power as wellā¦
At this moment, Ryner sat up, staring at Arua.
āā¦Strong fighting power? Ah~~ If we start training now, how much time would that takeā¦ā
Arua widened his eyes when he heard that.
āEh? Eh? What?ā
But, Ryner completely ignored him, crossing his arms, pondering.
āEh, because there is Alpha Stigma , so he should be able to use normal magic immediatelyā¦ if we leave the supporting task to him, butā¦ā
Arua had a surprised expression as he looked on.
āThatā¦ Oniiā¦ā
At this moment.
āIām called Ryner Lute. You can call me Ryner.ā
āThen, then, Ryā¦ā
But, Ryner interrupted him again.
āAh, no, call me sensei instead. We donāt have much time, so this problem of mentality is important too.ā
"Eh? Sen......sei? That means......"
Ryner stood up and looked down at Arua,
"Alright. Let's get started."
On hearing such a thing, Arua now had a definite bewildered expression,
"Well, I'm not exactly sure what is going on, so......"
Then Ryner started,
"Well, erm, as there is not enough time, I'll make this short ok? Just now, you said that you wanted to save Kuku right?"
"Eh? Yes. That's right, I did say that but......"
"So in other words, you're going to help us save Kuku right? But, you're weak. And won't be much of a help............ erm, how do I put this across to you. A long time ago, Germer...... ah, by the way, Germer was my master. She said this to me, you know. Erm, it goes something like this......"
At that moment, Ryner looked up at the sky, as if attempting to quickly recall what was being said to him, and in a monotonous manner,
"...... ehh......Ā "You want to protect someone when you have hardly any power? A brat like you, stop saying such stupid things! For you guys who are about to be sent to hell, you don't have the luxury to be thinking about other people. From now on, you should only be worried about your own lives. If you want to escape this place, at the very least, you need to attain enough power to stay alive in my hell before you can even think of that!"...... something like that I think?"
On hearing that, Arua began,
"What, what a scary teacher......"
At that instant, Ryner's face twisted in recollection of more of his unpleasant past.
"Well, tell me about it. Anyhow, the first time when we met...... when she first introduced herself......
"I am Germer Kleisrole. For this coming one year, this is the name of your god. Remember this well. My orders are absolute, if you dare go against it, I'll kill you with no hesitation."Ā That's how it went."
Arua shivered,
"Ki, kill...... you? Even for a threat......"
But Ryner shook his head with a serious expression on his face.
"That was definitely no threat. She was serious when she said that. Ferris had also...... ah, Ferris is the one who should be arriving soon...... my partner I guess? She also held a sword to my neck and said something likeĀ "It seems like you really want very much to die?", and you can see the seriousness in her eyes...... women can really be terrifying......"
He said it with a tragic-looking face.
For some reason, Arua looked intently at Ryner's tired face with a great deal of respect in his eyes.
"Ryner-sa...... no. Sensei, it seems like you have been through a lot. And for a weakling like me to say...... that I can just throw my life away like that...... I'm so sorry. But, from hereon, I'm going to do my best. Sensei is going to train me up right? In order to save Kuku...... I'll answer to Sensei's expectations, and do my best, so please stop making such a sad-looking face."
What a thing for him to say......
And furthermore, Arua was staring intently at Ryner. It was real respect that was embedded in those eyes......
And Ryner began......
"Well...... erm...... was that really something worth respecting so much?............ Well, fine. Then, first of all, let me talk about the fundamentals of magic, so listen up......"
Arua nodded furiously,
"Yes sir!"
And he looked at Ryner intently with a pair of absolutely serious eyes......
Ryner then,
"............ somehow, it might be nice to have a disciple......"
He wasn't really dissatisfied with this, it seemed.
And then,
"Well now, let's get started."
In high spirits, teacher Ryner Lute started his first lecture in magic fundamentals right in the center of a grassland.
"Well firstly, this is probably how it's done normally in the military with regards to magic training...... but in order to make it easier for a child to understand......"
Ryner stopped to think for a moment...... and then gave a slight knock to Arua's head,
"Whenever you want to think about something, what do you use?"
Arua tilted his head to one side and replied,
"Thinking...... about something? Erm, probably I'll use my head......"
"Isn't it? We use our heads to do that. Well, actually, what we use is the brain inside the head, and normally we use it to think about stuff and to give orders for moving our body...... but as a matter of fact, this brain is habitually lazy, doesn't use much energy, and is mostly sleeping. In this sleeping brain, if we could just awaken a few certain parts of it, we'll be able to see the invisible flow of energy embedded in this world."
As he said that, Arua looked around his surroundings......
"Ah, are you referring to those glittering fluffy golden stuff flying around in the air that we can see when we concentrate our eyes?"
What a way to put it......
Ryner snapped his fingers and said,
"Exactly. That's correct. Well normally, it would take a person some amount of time before he can see those glittering fluffy stuff. In order to awaken the brain, he will need to undergo meditation training and the like...... and that will take him at least a year, I think? As for us, thanks to these special Eyes ...... we can see them easily. In other words, we can skip a year's worth of training that a mage soldier undergoes. Excellent excellent. And since you've already grasp the general concept of the energy flow, we can now proceed to the second year of training."
The lesson was moving at an incredibly fast pace.
That's the power of the bearers of such Eyes .
To others, Arua might even be called a genius.
Having a greater power than others......
However......
Ryner would never call him that.
Since he himself had never once wanted to be called a genius.
Because in the former Roland, where others were clamoring for the name of a genius, he, not even once, desired that name......
But still, Ryner continued in rather high spirits.
"Well next, we're going to move on to the topic of what exactly are those glittering fluffy stuff...... and like I said earlier these are the energy flows of the world however...... according to the researchers, they are termedĀ seirei (spirits)......"
As he said that, Arua's eyes started to light up.
"Really? Really? These are spirits-san!?"
But, Ryner shrugged his shoulders,
"Well, there are explanations along those lines but, I myself simply could not really understand from that perspective. However, this I do know, you can subordinate these glittering fluffy stuff in accordance to certain rules. It may be a little hard to explain here. In simple terms, depending on the order of arrangement of the glittering fluffy stuff, you can create various phenomena...... such as flames or lightning......"
After having said that, he demonstrated by moving his finger in the air.
On doing that, for people who can't use magic, they would have been able to see glowing words appearing in the air from Ryner's inscribing motion.
However......
It is different in reality.
For a person who can use magic, this would be what he would have seen.
The energy flow embedded in the air, or rather in the entire world...... the flow of the golden particles got disrupted by the finger, and got arranged in a certain precise fashion......
But......
If an Alpha Stigma bearer saw it......
Arua naturally started to move his finger......
With a dazed look, while watching Ryner, his finger started mimicking him and started disrupting the world......
Furthermore.
Even when Ryner stopped his finger, he carried on. It was as if he had seen the entire puzzle beforehand, as he inscribed the glowing words......
"I OFFER THE CONTRACTED WORDS, RELEASING THE SPIRIT OF LIGHT DANCING IN THE SKY"
In the midst of chanting that, the light above Arua's head took up a form of dog-like beasts......
But, Ryner with a even faster speed, let his finger dance in the air......
"I OFFER THE CONTRACTED WORDS, er...anyways, DARKNESS OVERWHELMS LIGHT"
He chanted something that sounded like an incantation and yet not quite like an incantation......
Fluid-like dark blobs appeared above Ryner's head, and he launched it towards the beasts above Arua's head.
And then......
The beasts were swallowed up by the darkness, and were erased completely......
Arua, looking surprised, said.
"Ah...... just, just now, awesome...... Sensei, the magic just now was created by you?"
Ryner smiled,
"It's really fun teaching you. That's correct. I just created that magic impromptu. I think you should have more or less understood...... this is the method by which magic is used. By properly arranging what you referred to as glittering fluffy stuff, its power can be unleashed. And on top of that, at the very end of the incantation, you must create in your a mind a stronger image. The strength of the image in your mind is equivalent to the strength of your magic...... your power will depend on how well and how much strength you put into your imagination."
Even though it sounded complicated, Arua still nodded in understanding,
"I see. That's why my magic was weak, because the image I held in my mind was weak......"
"Yes. Furthermore, the way you arrange those glittering fluffy stuff still needs more work. Well, in any case, the strength of your magic will greatly depend on the strength of your image, and the arrangement of the flow...... that's why the military magic academy scholars of various countries put their lives on the line during their research. There is no real limit to how you can arrange those glittering fluffy stuff...... since even by changing just the beginning of the arrangement, the meaning of the entire appearance, symbol, incantation changes...... that's why magic differs from country to country...... well though the same could be said otherwise, if one is aware of the governing rules, one can improvise and create magic impromptu like the way I did earlier."
And Arua said,
"But, that magic was created after the researchers had spent lots of time on it......"
"Yeah. It's incomparable. Though it seems like they can't create self-styled magic the way they create that magic that could be used in real battles. By the way, the magic that you just copied from me belongs to Estabul...... did you manage to get it and understand it?"
"Yes. It was beautiful and the glittering stuff was efficiently arranged."
"Yeah. It was pretty much near completion, I think. Inscribing it with perfect efficiency, a small number of strokes for a great amount of power...... furthermore, stronger thoughts, in the same way how you strengthen your image, could be engraved into the words that make up the corresponding incantation. Well, it could be at the same level as Roland's magic...... perhaps it might even surpass that...... since a spell like Izuchi still has a seam in its arrangement, and I do sometimes tamper with it during usage......"
"Eh? Izuchi......? What is that?"
"Never mind, I was talking to myself. Well, if you've already understood this much, we are done with three years' worth of training. What's left...... would be battle training...... and spell acquisition. Well for that, whenever I use one, you would be able to remember it easily after watching me...... it seems like you could be more useful than I thought......"
It was in the instant when Ryner said that.
āDanger!!ā
A voice rung out from somewhere, Aruaās body suddenly disappeared from Rynerās view.
No, it wasnāt disappeared.
He was forcefully taken away by someone at a blinding speedā¦
At some point in time, Aruaās cry sounded from behind Ryner.
āEh, eh?! What is it?... Sen, sensei?! Save, save me!ā
But, Ryner had no reaction to this. He only looked on with half-lidded eyesā¦
āā¦ā¦Uh, I really canāt see what was dangerous with thatā¦ Anyway, welcome back, Ferris.ā
He turned back and said. He saw a beautiful woman standing there with Arua under her armā¦
That beauty said:
āArua, donāt be tricked by him. I donāt know how many perverted thoughts that man has taught youā¦ but donāt trust him. Because he is the actual model of an evil person. Not working from day to night, only knowing of how to sleep, addicted to wine, not letting women live happily, and going to the streets to search for prey every nightā¦ā
Then for some reason, she suddenly blushed and said:
āā¦Uh, the following things arenāt appropriate for a child to hearā¦ā
They had a strange conversation between them like usual, seeing Aruaā stunned expression, he looked at Ryner and said:
āIs, is that true? Sensei?!ā
āDonāt believe her! Ah, thatās what I was talking about. This person, as I mentioned earlier, is my companion Ferrisā¦ā
Ryner said. And Arua raised his head to look at Ferris, then he had a surprised expression.
āEhā¦ this person? But, but, sheās so prettyā¦ā
āDonāt be tricked by her. Sheās only good looking on the outside, but her personality is so evil that she can destroy the whole worldā¦ā
Ferris unsheathed her sword, and placed it on Rynerās shoulderā¦
Then looked at Ryner straight in the eye.
āEh? What did you say?ā
Seeing that, Ryner opened his mouth and closed it a few times, then he said:
āā¦Ah, that, uhā¦ what should I say? The beautiful angel that will save the worldā¦ā¦? Eh.ā
For some reason, Arua laughed. He looked at the duo gleefully, then said:
āAhaha, your relationship is so good, youāre actually a couple, right?ā
Ryner heard that, and instantly replied:
āAh, what point about us made you think that?ā
Following that Ferris skillfully sheathed her sword at her waist, as she nodded:
āMm-hmm. Itās clear that between us, you have to worship the unbelievably beautiful avalanche-like beauty, me, but because you determined yourself as ugly, for this kind of illegal romance, you are like a slug slumped on the groundāthis relationship?ā
āHey hey, you can actually think of these new descriptionsā¦ Slug? Avalanche beauty? ā¦Ah, but, that kind of romance doesnāt have a good ending, right? A slug seems to be unable to be able to survive in places with avalanches. Poor slug. It has been played with the naturally destructive evil womanā¦ā
āYou said you want to die? Alright, Iāll grant your wish.ā
āAh! I was joking I was joking! Itās alright if it cannot be fulfilledā¦ I say, you just kept your sword, why are you taking it out again!ā
āBecause fulfilling the dreams of fools, is the mission of the beautiful angel. I am very passionate about my work? Praise me?ā
Ferris said, as she pulled out her sword. Ryner sighed, then looked at Arua.
āā¦She still wants praise from others, what do you think?ā
Arua laughed again.
āYour relationship is really good.ā
āLet me ask you, what point is it that makes you feel that way?ā
āEh? But, because it feels like me and Kuku.ā
āā¦Oh? Is, is that it?ā
At this moment, Ryner quietened, then said:
āThen, am I wrong about something? Thatā¦ perhaps itās too late to suggest this, but, I think itās best not to go and save Kukuā¦ Ah?!ā
At this moment, Ryner was slapped hard. He was hit by the sword that was swung at an unbelievable speed, his whole body struck the ground.
Ferris told Arua who was standing across from her:
āI see. You plan to save Kuku too.ā
āAh, yes, yes.ā
āWhat is this, Arua! Youāre not concerned about your sensei? I was hit just now!ā
For a moment Arua looked at Ryner with a troubled expression, then he turned back to Ferris.
āThat, that, thatās the case, please look after me from today onwardsā¦Ferris senseiā¦ā
Ferris nodded when she saw this:
āUh, alright. I will make you stronger.ā
When Ryner heard thisā¦ā¦
āā¦ā¦That brat is very strangeā¦ā
He couldnāt help but groan.
Putting that aside for now.
Ferris turned to tell Ryner:
āThen, from your earlier conversation, you plan to let Arua support us, and we deal with that pink headed team?ā
Ryner pressed a hand to his head, as he stood he said:
āā¦Yeah, I think this method is a little foolhardyā¦ But, there arenāt any other ways? If we can find other Heroesā Relics like what they are using, then that would be a different storyā¦ā
āDonāt you have knowledge of that? Any stories or legends of heroes in Runaā¦ā
But Ryner shook his head.
āThereās no time. Itās not that I have no leads, butā¦ the probability of them being fake are higher? If it could be found so easily, then we wouldnāt be going through so much trouble in the first place. Anyway I said it before, the legends of heroes in Runa are mostly related to the royal family, so I only have news regarding the capital of Runaā¦ If we head to the capital nowā¦ to look for relics, but return empty-handedā¦ and in addition if we are attacked by Sui and Kuu during that time period, honestly speaking, I have no confidence that I can protect Aruaā¦ā
Until here, he seemed to think of something.
āAh, how about this? We ask Sion to send reinforcementsā¦ā
āTo Runa? Impossible. If the Roland King sends armed forces into their ally Runa, this would lower every countryās opinion of Roland. Perhaps, other countries would send soldiers to aid Runa, and Roland would be wiped out. Anyway, who would request Roland to send reinforcements? And in the time we wait for the reinforcements, what if we are attacked by Sui and Kuu? To be explicit, we cannot leave Arua alone. Because not only Sui and Kuu, even the Runa soldiers are looking for Arua.ā
Ryner had a troubled expression when he heard this, he crossed his arms, deep in thought.
āThatās rightā¦ If we spend too much time, Kuku would probably be killed toā¦ It seems we have to strengthen Aruaās strength?ā
Arua replied to this:
āIām sorry, itās all because of meā¦ā
āNo, you donāt have to apologise. But, because thereās really no time, the training will be a little stricterā¦ At that time you may turn around and apologise to use because of the harsh training, and request for us to stop it, so if you want to apologise, wait for that momentā¦ Thatās that, Ferris, a weekā¦ We have to train Arua till the standard where he can move in battle in a weekā¦ā
āMm-hmm. A week? I understand.ā
āThen, thatās it, Iām really going to die because of the strange reason of lack of sleep. Iām going to sleep for a while. So, Ferris, teach him the physical arts firstā¦ You are better suited for teaching physical skills than me, right?ā
āEh? Youāre saying, because you want to sleep, so youāre handing the work load to meā¦ā
āNo no. Iām serious. I feel, as a knight, you have already reached the perfect state for physical skillsā¦ā
But hearing Ryner say that, Ferris still had a surprised expression.
āā¦Uh, I donāt know what plans you have in praising me, butā¦ forget it, I wouldnāt argue with you. Alright, Arua, letās go.ā
Ferris said, then brought Arua awayā¦
āAh, Iām telling the truth, but, even though Iām saying that youāve already reached the perfect state of physical skills, your personality is a different matterā¦ā
Ryner said softly, so that Ferris couldnāt hear.
But, the part about perfect state physical of physical skills was true.
Because Ferrisās movements, were even faster than Ryner who used magic to release his mindās limitations and force his body to speed up.
Honestly speaking, her movements had already reached an unhuman state.
Actually Ryner wasnāt slow either. No, as long as he wanted to, even if he didnāt use magic, he was able to cover up his presence and kill the other party before they noticed.
Because that was how he had been taught, and among those who had been taught, he was praised as a genius.
But, even if it were someone like him, he couldnāt keep up with Ferrisās movements. Her reaction speed, her swordsmanship, and sensitivity to fightingā¦ She was way superior to Ryner on various areas of strength.
Frankly speaking, he didnāt even know, if he used magic whole-heartedly, that he would be able to win Ferris.
Ah, perhaps it was because of that, so they were the best match.
And, Ryner who was called the strongest magician in Roland Empire, and Ferris who the best swordspersonā¦ If they joined forces, and used their strength, in battle conditions, perhaps they could win Sui and Kuu who depended on the overwhelming power of the Heroesā Relics.
And if they could add in another force, then the process of fighting would be expanded.
Ryner lay on the grass, watching Arua who had been led away by Ferris.
āAh, the kid may become an unbelievably difficult opponent after todayā¦ā
He murmured.
Because, he was going to learn fighting from Ferris, then he was going to learn magic from Ryner who had the same Alpha Stigma .
It was impossible in a short period, butā¦
Ryner closed his eyes.
āBut, in a week, he will be at the stage where he can help outā¦ā
At this momentā
āAaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh~~ It, it canāt be?! Youāre lying? Uh, let, let, let me goā¦ I beg you, let me goā¦ Aaaah!ā
Arua screamed.
But, Ryner didnāt open his eyes when he heard this.
āAh, see, heās apologizingā¦ It was like that from the beginningā¦ Good luck, Arua.ā
After he entered a deep sleep, Aruaās screams resounded on the plain five more times.
Runa Empire was a country that was built on their belief in god.
So this was reflected in the lives of people, even in the lawā¦
For example, in Runa, women could not be in the military. That was because the religious text in the religion that the Runa people believed in wrote:
āGod first created men, to be the power to protect the country. Then created women, to heal and support men.ā
Perhaps it was because of that, this country forbid women from entering the military. Other than that, there were many other laws that took the religious teachings as their basis.
āā¦How inefficient.ā
Froaude looked around, and muttered.
He was in the center of Runa Empireā¦ it could be called the heart too.
It was a large castle in the center of the Empire.
The strange guardian of Runa that was a cross with stars could be seen everywhere.
Everyone had a sincere and respectful expression.
In truthā¦
āā¦Those religious teachings that that god left, are convenient things that the royal family created for their own convenienceā¦ā
Froaude complained softly, as he looked ahead.
He was in the room where audiences with the king was requested.
In there, was an unbelievably pale-skinned beautiful woman.
She was the famous beautiful princess of Runa. Princess Anna Esther.
Her skin was really a pale white, it was a kind of sickly white, it made people suspect, had she ever went out before? The pale skin matched with the graceful, elegant appearance. A fire-red amulet hung around her slim neckā¦
Froaude saw this, and narrowed his eyes.
(ā¦The people are living thrifty lives, but the royal family are living comfortable lives, every noble in any country are the sameā¦)
At this moment, Anna said:
āAre you the ambassador from Roland?ā
Froaude slowly placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head when he heard this.
āYes. I am Lieutenant Colonel Miran Froaude from the Roland army. Your Highness. The purpose of my visit is to strengthen the deep relationship between Runa Empire and Roland Empire. As you know, the Roland Empire has elected a new kingā¦ā
Anna nodded warmly when she heard that.
āYes. I've heard of it. Itās Sion Astal-sama, am I not wrong? My father mentioned it before, although he is getting on in his years, although he is young, but he still manages the government well, he has gained the large support from the people, he is a remarkable king.ā
Froaude bowed his head to express his thanks when he heard that.
āTo us Roland, what the king of the Runa Empire, has strengthened us. The alliance between Runa and Roland started from the previous kingā¦ But, now that Roland has a new king, my liege lord is worried, that there will be cracks in the relationship between our countries.ā
No, there were already cracksā¦ the fact that Runa had some unstable movements was well known.
Froaude continued:
āThere have been unnecessary rumours in the streetsā¦ For instance, the rumours pointed out that the nobles of Roland and Runa have been plotting privately to assassinate the Roland kingā¦ā That was actually a threat.
That meant, your plot has already been exposed, so if you want to give up, then do it now.
But, Anna revealed a surprised expression.
āAh, there were those sort of rumours?ā
Froaude replied: āā¦ā¦ā¦Yes. But, your king would obviously not put stock in those rumours. But, as they say, do not be scared of one thousand, but be wary of the possibilities. If there is a war between the allied Runa and Rolandā¦ā
Anna nodded when she heard this:
āOf course. In the teachings of our God, we have to avoid conflict too. We definitely wouldnāt allow anything to destroy our good relationship with Roland that we built with much effort.ā
She said.
Froaude stared at Annaās face when he heard this. But, her expression was unchanging. It seemed she was earnest about this.
From the bottom of her heartā¦
But, among several of the nobles behind her, had turned deathly paleā¦
Froaude smiled when he saw this. He had his dark, as if frozen smile.
āā¦I will pass Your Highnessās wordsā¦to the Roland king. But, if possible, I wish that you can pass this on to the Runa kingā¦ā
But, Princess Anna had an apologetic expression.
āThis issueā¦ Although the Roland ambassador has transverse a great distanceā¦ Unfortunately, the king and queen are currently not in the countryā¦ā
āOh, they are not in the countryā¦ Then may I ask where they have gone to? I have not heard of the Runa king venturing to Rolandā¦ That means, they have headed to Cassla in the north? Or is it Imperial Nelpha?ā
But, Princess Anna frowned as if troubled.
āI apologise. I am not clear about this. I think they left the country because of some public mattersā¦ Iām really sorry, I am not sure about thisā¦ā
But, Froaude shook his head when he heard this.
āā¦Do not apologise, I overstepped my boundaries. Women are not involved in politicsā¦ That is what all the women in this country are taught, right? Then having the princess greet me, I am thankful for your efforts.ā
Saying that, he held his hand to his chest and bowed his head again.
But for some reason, Anna suddenly blushed.
āAh, please donāt say thatā¦ Being able to see someone like Froaude-sama, is my pleasure, Iām really happyā¦ Ah, Froaude-sama, do you have any plans for tonight? Do you plan to stay here? If you do plan to, then please enjoy a meal with meā¦ā
She said.
Froaudeās eyes sharpened when he heard this.
He saw Annaās slightly embarrassed face, and her eyes were slightly wetā¦ā¦
āā¦ā¦My ladyās initiative is a little astounding. The nobles in any place are indeed the same. No matter whether it is man or womanā¦ā
He murmured softly.
Of course Anna didnāt hear what he said.
āEh? May I ask, what did youā¦ā
At this point, Froaude smiled. Then replied:
āOf course, I would be my pleasure to dine with you, Your Highness.ā
That night.
In the hours where everyone was fast asleepā¦
In the cloudless sky, the moon was bright, it was a beautiful night.
The location was a garden in the Runa castle.
Froaude sat on the stone bench in the garden, looking at the moon reflected in the fountain, then raised his head and said:
āā¦Tonight is a beautiful night. Donāt you think this kind of beautiful night should be used to confess to your loved one?ā
He said.
āā¦ā¦ā
But, his companion did not say anything.
No, to be truthful they couldnāt say anything.
This person was surrounded by a pack of strange monstersā¦ Shadows darker than the darkness of the night were in the form of beasts that surrounded himā¦ Overwhelming fear made this man unable to move even a single finger.
It was a young male noble. He was called Anbellum Biefella. In Runa, his position was similar to a Marquis.
Froaude slowly looked in Biefellaās direction.
āYou donāt have to be so scared. As long as you answer my questions, I wouldnāt do anything bad to youā¦ā
Biefella finally spoke when he heard this.
āā¦What, what are these monstersā¦ You, youā¦ You dare to treat me like thisā¦ Do you think you can retreat safelyā¦ I, I have royal blood too? Do you know what it means to be of royal lineage?ā
But Froaude tilted his head slightly.
āUhā¦ What does that mean?ā
Biefella had an arrogant expression.
āThat means we are Godās descendants. The descendants of the God who protects Runa Empireā¦ God will punish you for treating me like this!!ā
He shouted.
And Froaude replied:
āThatās frightening. Then, if I kill you now, will God punish me?ā
āThatās right! So now you betterā¦ā
But, Froaude interrupted him.
āThen, let us try it? If I kill you now, will God really punish me, I must tell my king to do away with the thought of attacking Runa. Because we cannot defeat God.ā
Biefella widened his eyes when he heard this.
āYouā¦ What are you saying? Roland is ignoring the alliance, and thinking of attacking Runa?!ā
But, Froaude shrugged when he heard that.
āIt sounds surprising. The ones who destroyed the relationship are you? Then, let me ask you, you joined forces with the Roland nobles, to attempt to murder my kingā¦ King Sion Astal. My problem is this. How many nobles were involved in this plan?ā
Biefella panicked when he heard this.
āThereās, thereās no such thing! Thatās your misunderstandingā¦ā
But, Froaude continued:
āBut, after seeing Princess Anna today, I know the answer to this question. This plot was from your kingā¦ The Runa Empireās king. The assassination of the Roland king failedā¦ Then, the Runa king was not in the country. But on the surface you said the Runa king had left the countryā¦ Then, which country is the Runa king going to for help? Which country would combine forces to plan to destroy Roland? Which countryās peopleā¦ came forward to persuade you, and say that as long as you joined forces with them, you could defeat Roland?ā
āI, I said thereās no such thatā¦ā
In a moment, the dark beast opened its sharp jaw soundlessly, and leapt towards Biefellaās throatā¦
But, it stopped in time.
Biefella saw thatā
āUhā¦ahā¦ā
He sat on the ground abruptlyā¦
Froaude said:
āThe next time it will eat you. The one Iām asking doesnāt have to be you. Because the one whose expression changed wasnāt only youā¦ā
Biefellaās entire face contorted in fear when he heard this, he looked at Froaudeā¦
āYou, if you do thisā¦ If, if it were seenā¦ā
āImpossible.ā
Froaude immediately replied:
āI have already told my subordinates to stand guard around here. So, please be prepared, if someone comes, then it will be your death. If someone sees things, things can get trickyā¦ So, I will let you disappear. But, I already said before, if you reply my questions obediently, then thatās something else entirelyā¦ā
At this time, he raised his head to look at the sky. He looked at the bright glowing moon in the skyā¦
āAnywayā¦ tonightās moon is really beautiful. Donāt you want to return safely to your loverās side?ā
That sentence was the fatal blow.
Biefellaās body trembledā¦
Then, he started to speak.
The current situation of Runa, and the kingās movements.
After hearing his reply, Froaude smiled.
āThank you for your help.ā
āThat, that is the entire truth. I have said everything. Can you let me go now? These beastsā¦ā
Thenā¦
He spoke until there.
Froaude raised his handā¦
No, he waved the strange black ring on his fingerā¦
In the next moment.
Only Froaude was left in the garden.
The beasts and Biefella were goneā¦
āTonightās moon is really beautiful.ā
He said again softly.
Then, a week and four days passedā¦
It was night time.
Because the clouds covered the sky, it was a dark night as the moon was completely blocked out.
But, that place was still illuminated by wavering flames even though it was dark.
This was a place called Jizcard, which consisted of Rajit Village which Arua was born in, the villa of the noble that ruled was in this area. There was a strong contrast between the extravagance of this villa and the poor Rajit Villageā¦
But, Ryner had once seen this building.
āā¦Hey, Ferris, the last time we were hereā¦ā
Ferris nodded when she heard this.
āYes. I picked up the carriage from here last time.ā
āNo, I donāt think that was picking up, but stealing.ā
Ryner grumbled, then spoke with a serious expression:
āUh, anyway, Kuku is kept here. Then the story of the hero Arua going to save Princess Kukuā¦ will that progress smoothly?ā
Saying that, he glanced behind him.
He saw an injured Aruaā¦
His body had even more scratches and bruises than when he had been interrogated by the nobles last timeā¦
But, the youthās eyes were filled with energy and motivation, it was completely different from how he had been a week ago.
He was glaring straight at the nobleās villa.
āI will definitely save Kuku. I wouldnāt become a stumbling block to sensei.ā
He said determinedly. No, he already had the ability to make that sort of announcement.
In this week, he had experienced a training process that no normal person could imagine.
Ferris had been in charge of the physical training, in addition to Rynerās magic lessons, and battle training on how to use magic.
In the later part of the week, he would constantly challenge normal Runa soldiers and normal Mage soldiersā¦ At the moment he could single-handedly deal with two Mage Soldiers Uh, although he wasnāt at the level where he could defeat two Mage soldiers at the same time.
But, at this rate, if he could surpass Ryner when he was young.
Perhaps it was because Ferris was teaching him fighting skills, perhaps it was due to Ryner who was familiar with the Alpha Stigma who was teaching him magicā¦
But, most importantly, Arua and the past Ryner had a decisive difference, and that wasā¦
Motivation. Arua was really training crazily to save Kuku.
Aruaās current fighting skill was enough that he could participate in this timeās battle plan.
Andā¦ because of thatā¦
Ryner stared at Arua, asking:
āHey, before we start the rescue plan, let me check with you again. Do you really want to come along? At your current strength, in the time before we return, you can probably hide from the Runa soldiers. Even if found, you have the ability to escape from their sight. But once you are found by the Mage Knight Battalion, then obviously you might lose your lifeā¦ But, if you come with us nowā¦ā
At this point, he turned his eyes to the nobleās villa again.
āYou will probably lose your life immediately.ā
He said straightforwardly.
āDo you still want to come along in this case?ā
Then, he looked at Arua again.
But, Aruaās expression didnāt change in the least. He stared straight at Ryner.
āOf course I want to go. I worked hard till today for this reason. My power may not be matured yet, but I know, the training I had this weekā¦ was the plan to fight against the people called Sui and Kuu that sensei told me about, isnāt that right? But I understood after fighting with the other normal soldiers. Sensei taught me when fighting with normal soldiers, there clearly isnāt a need for magic and unnecessary movementsā¦ And, Ryner-sensei and Ferris-sensei cannot defeat them by themselves, right? If that is soā¦ā
āChildren do not need to worry about this. From the beginning, I did train you with this kind of mindsetā¦ But, in the end it is still too dangerous. Uh, I think that even if you were caught, it wouldnāt be so bad that you would be killed immediatelyā¦ But you will become a hostage that the other party will threaten us withā¦ā
Then, at this moment Arua interrupted Ryner.
āEven if that is the caseā¦ even if sensei stops me, I will still go. Because that is the only motivating power to keep me living. The one who killed father and mother is meā¦ā
āYou didnāt kill them.ā
Ryner immediately retorted, and Arua stopped speaking.
But, Ryner was very clear, that these words were unable to comfort him.
It was caused by me.
It was because of me.
These words would frequently circle around their mind, as long as they had these pair of āeyesā.
Arua said with a sad smile:
āBut I want to go. Because, if it werenāt sensei who came to me, I would have died at that time. It was Kuku who saved me. Kuku, sheā¦ā
āBut before that, didnāt you save Kukuās life? When Kuku was nearly killed, you used those eyes to save her. You donāt owe each other anything. You donāt have to hold yourself accountableā¦ā
But.
āI want to go. Even if sensei doesnāt bring me along, I will go myself too. I already have that sort of ability.ā
He said. Ryner frowned when he heard this, then turned to Ferris.
āā¦ā¦It seems we over-trained himā¦ā
Then Ferris nodded too.
āYes. He is trained well. He really resembles his mother. In this week, so that he wouldnāt resemble his useless father, I worked hard, it seems that you reap what you sow.ā
Ryner replied with half-lidded eyes when he heard this:
āā¦The useless father you are referring to, it canāt be referring to me, right?ā
āEh? Is there anyone else? The worldās number one candidate in doing what he likes and not accomplishing anything since the past few centuriesā¦ā
āIām not that old!ā
The two of them squabbled lamely like thisā¦
At this moment Ryner looked at the nobleās villa again.
He looked at the building that Sui and Kuu were waiting for them to walk into and fall into their hands.
Then he said with a lazy voice:
āAh, I think that it has its possibilitiesā¦ As long as the battle plan goes smoothly, we still have a chance of winning. If the situation is really urgent, Ferris and I will stop them, and Arua will escape quicklyā¦ā
To be clearer, Sui and Kuu were extremely interested in Rynerās Alpha Stigma . If he allowed himself to be caught obediently, perhaps Arua and Kuku could be released.
Although they couldnāt release Ferris who belonged to Roland as wellā¦
Ryner thought of it, then nodded in content, and said:
āWe will pick one of these days deliberately and move on the night when the moonlight is the dimmest. Let us prepare to attack before the sun arises.ā
Ferris and Arua nodded.
So, the three of them started moving.
Heading in the direction of the nobleās villaā¦
In the villaā¦ there wasnāt a single soldier.
Before they reached here, there were some soldiers guarding the carriage room.
Rynerās face darkened when he saw this.
āā¦ā¦Things seem bad, Ferris. There is no other presences in the villa, that means, thereās only the high-skilled people like Sui and Kuuā¦ā
Although he said that, but he didnāt deliberately lower his volume.
Not only that, they even made a great noise as they destroyed the villaās main door, walking in shamlesslyā¦
Ferris replied with her usual mild voice:
āUhn, perhaps the other side has noticed us. But, isnāt that one of the battle plans you came up with?ā
Ryner scowled when he heard this:
āUhn, thatās indeed trueā¦ But, I also wish, if possible, that we slip in when Sui and Kuu are not presentā¦ After dealing with the guards and those stupid nobles in two, three blows, then we can rescue Kuku, isnāt that good as well? Butā¦ Thereās not even a single guard. And on our way here, there wasnāt even a single trap that seemed like a trap. That meansā¦ they donāt want to wait anymore. And that means, fighting with opponents like us, donāt require any preparation at allā¦ We have really been looked down on.ā
At this moment.
āCorrect answer! Isnāt that obvious! No matter how powerful you are, you canāt defeat my Ailecronoās Scythe.ā
Kuu said with an energetic voice as she appeared. Her speaking fashion was completely different from when they last met, she peeked out from behind the railing of an extremely wide staircase near the entrance.
When she wasnāt using that scytheā¦ According to her, when she was not using the Ailecronoās Scythe, she would talk until people suspected she would never close her mouth.
That mouth that was eternally not close opened again.
āReally, Sui Nii-san, hurry up! Do you plan to make me face two people again? Forget it, I think I alone can easily gain victoryā¦ Hey, those two people from Roland are here.ā
As she finished speaking, Sui who was still smiling steadily from since the last time they met, appeared in the corridor behindā¦
āThe two honored guests, have made us wait for a long timeā¦ā
But, at this moment Kuu said:
āIs this the time to be talking about how long we waited! Itās been a week? A week?! Arenāt you too emotionless? You clearly knew a girl was imprisoned, but you left her to wait for a week, what do you mean, Sui Nii-san, donāt remain quiet all the time, say something!ā
She clearly interrupted Sui and still scolded him without changing her expression.
Sui heard this.
āEh? Ah, ehn, Iām sorry. That, I wanted to sayā¦ we have waited for you for a long timeā¦ā
This time it was Ryner who interrupted him.
āAh, youāve said this before, thatās enough. In the endā¦ what do you plan to do? In the end itās still an unavoidable fight?ā
Sui shrugged upon hearing that.
āNoā¦ā¦There shouldnāt be a need for that? Ryner-san and the others are here to save that girl called Kuku, right? Ah, just to tell you, Kuku-chan is in the last room in the corridor behind usā¦ The problem lies here. Just speaking about location, the nearest place to the room where Kuku-chan is sleeping isā¦ā
Ryner interrupted him.
āStop going in circles. Anyway, what you want to say is that Kukuās life lies in your hands, if we donāt want her to be killed, then surrender obediently, right?ā
Sui smiled when he heard this.
āThatās right. I didnāt want to use this kind of method at firstā¦ā
Kuu nodded forcefully.
āWe donāt like to use such underhanded methods too. Because underhanded things are always done by people who have no abilities, right? But our abilities are too strong, in actuality thereās no need to do this. But, but, Sui Nii-san says, this time we have to do this no matter what, soā¦ā
āBecause you want to investigate my Alpha Stigma properlyā¦ am I right?ā
Ryner asked, Sui stared at Ryner when he heard thatā¦ No, he stared at Rynerās eyes.
He stared at Rynerās Alpha Stigma .
āAs expected of Ryner-san, you are right. Your special eyesā¦ Losing that power is too badā¦From what I see, the structure of your eyes arenāt any different from other Alpha Stigma sā¦ But the power released when you lose control differs greatly. And, even if you lose controlā¦ you are able to regain your original personality. That isā¦ because your consciousness is strong? Or because your Alpha Stigma is specialā¦? What are you? I am too interested in you. Our king will definitely want to meet you too. So, this is our suggestion, if you want, surrender obedientlyā¦ then, use your power for our country? The two of you have such high skills and power, I trust that you will be treated as high-classedā¦ā
But, Ferris replied when she heard this:
āStop joking. People who donāt even announce their countryās name or kingās nameā¦ā
At this momentā
āGastark, Ferris-san. The country that we belong toā¦ is the Gastark Empire that is in a place further north of here. Our kingās name is called Riphal Edea. We donāt have any need to hide it anymore? The news of our actions in various countries, seemed to have started to be noticed by Rolandā¦ā
But, Ferris interrupted him again.
āNo. The reason why you revealed your history, is because you plan to kill us here. If we are not willing to surrenderā¦ then you will kill us. Right?ā
āā¦ā¦No, uh, of course there is that reason. But, honestly speaking, I think the best thing for you now is to choose us. I donāt want to say that this will be actualized immediately, but the whole world will eventually become Gastarkās. A peaceful world ruled by our talented king. A world where there is no discrimination, where no one will get hurt, where no one will cry in pain, where everyone can laugh happily and live their days. Our master who is the king of Gastark, has a huge weapon that can create this world. So, we are willing to take orders from him. So, you shouldā¦ā
But, at this point Ferris said:
āNonsenseā¦ā
But, Ryner interrupted her.
āNo, wait, Ferris. Letās listen, I feel that his words are kind of attractiveā¦ā
He said. Ferris turned to Ryner when she heard that.
āYouā¦What are you sayingā¦ā
But, Ryner ignored Ferris, and said as he stared at Sui:
āA peaceful worldā¦ where no one faces discrimination and can laugh happily as they live their days outā¦ It sounds really good. Does your king really aim to build this kind of a country?ā
āOf course. I should say His Majesty is a person who is same on the inside and outsideā¦ no, although it may sound bad, I should say that heās a really simple personā¦ He really wants to fulfil this dream.ā
Ryner looked at Sui who said this, then nodded and replied:
āAh, the more I listen the more I think he really seems to be a good king that can be relied on. How attractive. I can tell from your expression that you arenāt lying. Indeedā¦ Perhaps you king has the ability to build that kind of world. To be this worshipped by his subordinates, he should a good king, right? Becoming your comrades, would probably be more relaxingā¦ā
Then Sui smiled and spoke:
āThen, towards our country, youā¦ā
But Ryner cut off Suiās words.
He glared at Sui and stated:
āā¦But, in that case, why do you kill people as you like? Why do you always do those dirty things? Youā¦ killed so many people. In order to possess the Heroesā Relicsā¦ No, you called the relics Rhule Fragmei? Didnāt you kill those people who knew the truthā¦ who knew about the existence of the relics? I remembered you said once, you wanted to gouge out the eyes of us Alpha Stigma bearers? Once peopleās eyes are gouged out, wouldnāt they die? Once normal Alpha Stigma bearers lose control, they cannot regain their original selvesā¦ didnāt you say that? Unable to regain their original selves. Unable to resume their original selvesā¦ so, after you gouged out the eyes you killed them. Kill! Kill!! Kill?!
āYou are really noisy. You dare to say these after you have done those things, saying that you want to build a country where everyone can laugh and living their days? What kind of thinking makes you say that? If your actions are really the orders of the king of that country, Gastark, then your king is trash. That country isnāt somewhere where we can live in. At leastā¦ in a country where you donāt treat us Alpha Stigma bearers as humans, there is no place for us.ā
He said unhappily.
Kuu heard that:
āYou, you dare toā¦talk about ourā¦ā
But, Sui only raised his hand to stop her, thenā¦ he spoke with his usual mild and steady tone:
āā¦That makes sense. Ryner-san is right, butā¦ Like Kuu, I do feel angry when someone talks bad about His Majesty. You donāt understand His Majesty at all. What you said earlier were pretty words. You asked us why do we kill people? Because that is necessary, so we kill. We save the country with the smallest number of sacrifices. Is that wrong? I donāt like to do that too. When killing, we have to take up an equal amount of painā¦ā
āYou donāt even take up any burden of pain! You think that killing people can fulfil dreams and ideals? To save the majority, sacrificing the minority is something that canāt be helped? If that is soā¦ā
At this point, Ryner frowned, and clammed up.
If that is soā¦ what about Arua?
He wanted to ask thisā¦
What about Arua who was an Alpha Stigma bearer?
If he were alive, then no one would know when he would lose controlā¦
An Alpha Stigma bearer who could massacre many people at an unknown time, didnāt he deserve to be killed?
If they killed one bearer, and save many people, then shouldnāt all bearers be killed immediately?
That was the thinking of the Stohl and Gastark kings.
Ryner knew too, the attractiveness of such thinking. When killing people, we have to take up an equal amount of painā¦ Sui had said that.
Perhaps that was the truth? Ryner understood. When killing peopleā¦ When other people died because of yourselfā¦ Every time, his mind almost lost control.
No matter how high the flag of dreams was flown, no matter how they tried to cover up their actions with dreams, that kind of pain could never be healed.
Despite this, that king still proceeded unwaveringly.
Although he was hurt himselfā¦ but to save the world, to save even more peopleā¦
It sounded really attractive.
Butā¦
Ryner stared at Sui and continued:
āā¦I feel that that is a good way. I always thought that this was a good idea. Because Iā¦ I have already killed many people. Because of these eyes, I have already killed manyā¦people who viewed me as a comrade. So, if itās like what you said, if you have no meaning in living onā¦ I cannot deny that. No, along the way, I had always thought that way. I thought, a monster like me, has no value in continuing to live. Butā¦ Arua is different. He hasnāt killed anyone. And from today onwards he will not kill anyone. But, you tried to kill him. He is different from meā¦ He is not like me who is unable to turn back, he still has a futureā¦ā
āBut, no country is willing to accept Alpha Stigma bearersā¦ā
āHowever, Roland is different. Siā¦No, although our king is someone who strangely likes to tease meā¦ But, that person is different from your king. He is a total idiot who really takes, like what you said, a country where everyone can laugh happily and live their daysā¦ as his goal, and works very hard for it. Because that person is a greedy person who wants to save the majority, as well as the minority. He also mistakenly thought that he had that ability. He is an over-conscious person who will blame everything on himself as long as a person diesā¦ā¦ā¦Butā¦ā¦ā
At this moment, Ryner smiled.
āā¦ā¦But, because of that, we are willing to lend him our strength. Because I think, being able to live in a world that is created by him, seems to be a good thingā¦ā
And Sui replied:
āā¦ā¦ I see. King Sion Astal, is itā¦ According to information, he seems to be a talented personā¦ā¦But, as a talented kingā¦..then that includes what I just said, the courage to sacrifice the minority for the majority. Ryner-san, your king may be someone who avoids sacrifices, but, if such a choice causes even more sacrifices, then what will you do? Doesnāt what you just said contradict yourself?ā
But, Ryner nodded simply.
āYeah, there may be some contradictions. Even so, I still feel that the country built by that person is better. People are not God. There are limits to our abilities. But, that person still tries to minimize the sacrifices. To the country built by such a king, Iā¦ā
āButā¦ā¦ no matter what, the more talented this king isā¦ the more choices he can make is limited. One day, there will be a possibility that he will differ from your idealsā¦ Then what will you do then?ā
āAt that time, I will beat up the king, and let him resume his original appearanceā¦ā
Sui grew quiet after he heard this. The initially steady expression started to wrinkle slightly.
āā¦ā¦Heh. Do you think that those pretty superficial words can win us Gastark?ā
At this moment, Ryner stared at Suiā¦
āI came here with the confidence that I will win.ā
āThen what about Kuku-chan?ā
āIf you want to kill her, then kill her. Anyway if we canāt defeat you today, you planned to kill her anyway, isnāt that so? Killing everyone who knows the truth. That has always been your style.ā
āIn that case, that means the negotiations have fallen through?ā
āI didnāt plan to negotiate with you in the beginning.ā
Saying that, Ryner turned to Ferris, murmuring:
āNe, can we fight now? I have already gained over much time. Letās go.ā
So Ferris said:
āYes. The content of your speech was quite interesting. I donāt disagree with your thinking too.ā
She suddenly said this, Ryner had a surprised expression when he heard that.
āAh? What are you suddenlyā¦ā
But, Ferrisās expression was unchanging, she stared straight at Ryner.
āMm-hmm. Because we might lose here if we are not careful.ā
She said.
Because we might die here...
Ferrisās words sounded like they had a serious, realistic undercurrent. Sui and Kuu who were relying on the power of the relics, had abilities that shocking.
If they clashed head on, then out of the ten times they fought, they could be killed ten times?
The opponentsā difference in power was so large that it made one despair. And they were indoors now. This time there probably was no way to escape? Sui and Kuu had let Ryner and the other escape the previous time. But, this time they wouldnāt make the same mistake as they did last time.
There was no where they could escape to.
If they didnāt defeat the opponent, then they would die.
Ferris unsheathed her sword and continued:
āSo, Iāll say it firstā¦ Being your companion and travelling with you for these few months, hasnāt been that bad. In the beginning when I read your report that was full of funny jokes, I thought in my heart that, what kind of perverted daredevil is thisā¦ā
Ryner smiled wryly.
āPlease donāt use perverted daredevil as a description!ā
After saying that, he readied his battle posture.
Then he raised his eyes to look at Sui and Kuuā¦
āā¦ā¦ā¦Will we die?ā
āPerhaps.ā
āBut, we can only gamble now.ā
āYes.ā
Then Ryner fell silentā¦ā¦
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ Uh, I donāt feel bad either. In the beginning, I thought, why is there such a violent horrible womanā¦ Hey hey, you still want to hit me at this timeā¦ā
Ryner said with half-lidded eyes to Ferris who had pointed her sword at him for some reason. Thenā¦ he continued:
āBut, itās not a bad feeling. Because you are here, I was saved in various areas. Really, why am I always saved by people? Milk, Biore, Germer, Peria, Pia, Kiefer, Sion, Tyle, Toni, Fahl and many othersā¦ including youā¦ and Arua. I canāt let that kid beā¦killed.ā
Ferris nodded when she heard that.
āMm-hmm. The youth who was born from the woman that was played and eventually thrown to one side by you, came to kill his evil father. At the end of your life, at least you tried hard to let your child see your fatherly sideā¦ but, your intentions were not accepted by the youth, and in the end you were stabbed to deathāwhat a touching storyā¦ā
Ryner said angrily when he heard that:
āIn that way, didnāt I die in the endā¦ But I have never liked bad endingsā¦ā
āOr elseāā
At this point, Ryner nodded again.
āYeah. So that the story doesnāt have that kind of ending, I will let Arua see how I am as a personā¦ Then, Ferris.ā
As he said that, he bent down lower. A red five-pointed star appeared in his eyesā¦ which carried the usual unmotivated tired look, but was a completely different sharp colour.
He switched on the button in his brain.
So that he could take action any moment and take the opponentās life.
At the same time, killing intent was released from his bodyā¦
It was as if it was a completely different person.
No, perhaps it should be said he turned back to the time in the past when he was called the genius Ryner Lute?
The most powerful magician in Roland Empire.
This title couldnāt only be gained by depending on magic. They had to be trained in all sorts of physical skills, fighting, assassinationā¦ and other various sides, and they had to have the genius ability of using high levelled magic freelyā¦
Everyone was scared of him.
Everyone was fearful of him.
No matter what kind of mission it was, he could complete it by himself.
He was called a geniusā¦
So, he didnāt need any companion.
In contrast, he felt that companions were a burden. He reckoned, as long as there was someone by his side, they would only get in his way.
So, he didnāt need any companions.
Because his ability was too strong. He never thought that he would need companions.
Donāt approach me. Everyone doesnāt want to approach me. He had thought.
Because they are troublesome, because they are troublesome, because they are troublesomeā¦
ā¦Because I am a monster.
I clearly like the other party, but I always cause them to be harmedā¦
Soā¦
He hated companionsā¦ he hated people who he treasured approach him.
And heā¦
He said with sharp eyes, without looking back:
āā¦Hey.ā
He said softly:
āā¦ā¦I trust you, comrade.ā
But Ferris simply replied:
āYes, of course. We will win.ā
We will win.
Ryner smiled when he heard this.
āYeahā¦Of course!ā
He took action like a bullet.
Sui said when he saw this:
āKuu, prepare the scythe. Regrettablyā¦ we will have to kill them.ā
āā¦ā
And Kuu had taken out that scythe from somewhere, settling into her position without saying anythingā¦
She leapt forward.
Then headed in the direction of Ferrisā¦
Sui took out the Heroesā Relic that Ryner and the others had found beforeā¦ it was a relic that was like a dagger, and stabbed it in his left armā¦ above where the prosthetic limb was attachedā¦
In an instantā
Guuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhā¦ā¦ā¦
A roar that almost broke their ear drums sounded. After that, Suiās arm wasnāt a normal arm anymore. It had a jaw, sharp teeth, scales, blood-red eyesā¦
It was a dragon. Suiās arm had turned into a dragon.
The power was from the relic that looked like a dagger.
That dragon was completely different from Kuuās scythe that could freeze everything, it seemed to be able to control flames freely, allowing the opponent to be burnt to death.
āThenā¦ please disappear.ā
Sui said, extending his arm towards Ryner and the othersā¦
But, at this moment Ryner moved both hands. Glowing words were written in the airā¦
āI OFFER THE CONTRACTED WORDS, LETTING THE SLUMBERING MALICIOUS BEAST TO DWELL WITHIN.ā
In the instant he finished chanting, his speed increased.
He jumped up with a vigorous motion, dodging the flames that the dragon spewed out, then escaped to the wall, scowling.
āDamn itā¦ the power of the relic is really amazingā¦ those flamesā¦ Eh, are those really flames? I canāt use the Alpha Stigma to tell their structureā¦ā
Not seeing the structure, meant that he couldnāt use magic to neutralize those flamesā¦
āAh, damn it, the situation is not optimisticā¦ā
Sui said:
āYou canāt win us. Itās not too late. How about it? Choose usā¦ā
Then, at this moment Ryner moved his hands again, this time he rapidly drew a magic structure in the air.
āA situation that is not optimistic doesnāt mean that we will definitely lose. We will winā¦ā
Saying that, he started to chant.
āWHAT I SEEK IS THUNDER>>>ā¦ā
āDo you think that you can use normal magic to fight against Rhule Fragmei?ā
But, Ryner did not reply.
āIZUCHI!ā
The magic was released.
Sui prepared to dodge the lightningā¦
But.
āEh?ā
In the next instant, Suiās expression contorted because of shock.
Because the lightning born from the magic structure Ryner drew was not released in the direction of Sui.
But, the other bolt of lightning broke the wall beside Sui, shooting outā¦
āUhā¦ this isā¦ā
Sui moaned, flipping his body around, his body fell, and he used the dragonās jaw on his left arm to break that bolt of lightning.
The lightning disappeared, butā¦
And not far from Ryner, the match between Ferris and Kuu had an abnormal happening tooā¦
Ferris used her sword to slice down on the lightning that Ryner released, then directly used her sword to swing at Kuu.
In that instant, Kuu was able to use her scythe to avoid that lightning strike, butā¦
At the same time, Ferris used the sword to stab forwardā¦
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦W-wall.ā
Kuu shouted, an ice wall suddenly grew out from the ground.
But, Ferrisās sword did not stab the ice wall, she jumped up fluidly. Using the ice wall as a stepping stone, she jumped towards the second story, at the same time she extended the sword towards Suiā¦
When Sui saw that.
āUhā¦ thisā¦ Burnā¦ā
Butā
āI wouldnāt let you do it.ā
At this moment Ryner had ran up the stairs to the second storey, and was drawing a magic sequence.
At the same time, Suiās right hand started to move too. His finger danced up, down, left and right, drawing a glowing box.
Perhaps this was the structure of Gastarkās magic?
āFROM WEST, NOTHINGNESS, FORMATION AND SUNā¦ā
āWHAT I SEEK IS THUNDER>>>ā¦ā
The two started to chant at the same time.
But, Rynerās speed in finishing the magic structure was faster.
āIZUCHI!ā
The lightning was released.
At the same time Ferris attackedā¦
Sui used the dragonās flames to deal with Ferris. In order to avoid the flames Ferrisā
āEh.ā
She stopped her attack, and twisted her body to avoid the flames, landing safely.
But the lightning Ryner released continued to attack Sui.
Just before it made a direct impactā
āCREATING BRILLIANCE!ā
The spear of light Sui created from the squares struck the lightningā¦
But, Rynerās magic won over.
The left over magic that was unable to neutralize, directly struck Suiās bodyā¦
āUh! Damnā¦ā
He was struck back by this.
But, things had not ended yet.
Another beam of lightning broke another wall and attacked Suiā¦
āHow can thisā¦ This is badā¦ā
Sui tried to use the dragonās jaw to receive the blow desperatelyā¦
But, it was too late. In a moment, Sui revealed an expression of resignationā¦
āIāve lostā¦ā
But, at this moment Kuu blocked Sui from the front, and destroyed the lightning with her scythe.
āā¦ā¦There is another enemy.ā
She said.
Ryner frowned when he heard that.
āAh, damn it! This is not good. If the earlier fight hadnāt differentiated who was more powerfulā¦ā
Ferris came to Rynerās side when she heard that:
āMm-hmm. This is slightly bad. The ambush failed. Call him back.ā
So, Ryner shouted.
āArua! The left hole!ā
And there was an answering voice from outside the villa.
āAlright!ā
Arua poked his head out from behind Ryner and the othersā¦ the hole created by the first Izuchi after they entered the villaā¦
āWhat, what is it? The fight just now didnāt decrease them by one?ā
But, Ryner frowned as he shook his head.
āThe situation is not good. And your presence has been completely revealed. The current situation is a littleā¦ā
But Ferris said:
āIt is extremely bad. This battle plan was supposed to make use of the opponentās belief that they had the overwhelming advantage, and let them proceed with an underestimating attitude. If the plan earlier wasnāt able to defeat a single enemyā¦ā
At this moment, Sui stood up with the help of Kuu, and said with smiling expression:
āā¦ā¦This really is amazing. Killing you is indeed a pity. Because I believe His Majesty would surely want someone talented like you. Really, using Rhule Fragmei but having a hard battle, this is the first time. In additionā¦ā
He said with an admiring tone:
āThe battle strategy you used was not a commonly seen ambush tactic. Our country only sent me and Kuu to infiltrate the other countries. In the beginning, we fought with the mentality that there could be ambush soldiers other than you. But, I thought as long as the ambushers werenāt in our visible range it wouldnāt be a problem. Because normally, magic can only be used in areas where you can aim at the enemy properly, isnāt that so? I didnāt think that the lightning from outside could almost accurately hit meā¦ What kind of grouping is this?ā
At this point, he stared at Ryner.
āRyner-san, you changed the magic structure according to what you wished, didnāt you? You changed the direction of the lightning the youth releasedā¦ so that your magic structure could control the lightningā¦ā
Ryner shrugged when he heard this:
āOh dear, you could garner this much only after that short exchange? How remarkable. I really donāt want to fight you anymoreā¦ā
But, Sui still stared straight at Ryner. āā¦ā¦That is what I want to say. The magic earlier was created to defeat us, right? In only a week, although it is changing existing magic, but being able to create new magic that can be used in layers, this kind of magical knowledgeā¦ No, even if it only like that, I would not feel surprisedā¦ What made me surprised is that you can use this new magic can be actualized by Alpha Stigma bearersā¦ I originally thought that among the magical eyes, the Alpha Stigma was not counted as one of the highest levels, butā¦ it exceeded my expectations! The Alpha Stigma is really the most troublesome.ā
Ryner heard him say that and replied:
āIt doesnāt sound like a compliment.ā
Suiās expression stiffened when he heard that.
āBecause I wasnāt praising you in the first placeā¦ I feel fearful. Fear towards a monster that cannot be estimatedā¦ After fighting with you, I experienced it for the first time. I completely understand, the reason why humans are unable to accept you.ā
These wordsā¦
They did not make Rynerās expression change.
Monsterā
He already heard this sentence until he didnāt want to hear it anymore.
Eyes that caused fear and were seen as a taboo.
He was already accustomed to the eyes that received these views.
But, these words were actually lies.
This was something that couldnāt be accustomed to at all.
Every time he was called a monster by other people, he would be hurt.
Ryner looked at Arua.
Arua was grabbing Rynerās clothes tightly as if beggingā¦
When Ryner saw that, he smiled, and gently patted Aruaās head.
āButā¦ā
Ryner stared at Arua and said:
āBut, even so, we are still living. The ones who are scared the most are actually us. We have always felt fearful, we were always regretful that we livedā¦ Always, always, alwaysā¦ fearing that we would hurt someone or kill themā¦ā
But Sui continued:
āEven so, then shouldnāt you simply die? No, can you die for everyone? ā¦You are too hindering. Your power is too strong. And to us Gastark, you are a very big obstacle. This is the strongest fear that I have ever had in my life. Honestly speaking, even if we continuing to fightā¦ I donāt think we will win. Who knows what kind of battle strategy you have preparedā¦ With two to three, this situation is disadvantageous for us.ā
Ryner smiled bitterly when he heard that.
āNo, we arenāt fighting.ā
He was lying.
In that week, so that they could fight with Sui and Kuu, he had started two other kinds of training with Arua.
Although he wasnāt sure who would winā¦ but there was a chance of winning. In the beginning because they were not sure of the entire power of the scythe and the dagger stabbed in Suiās arm, so they were a little uneasyā¦
If they were able to receive such an effect from the first fight, if it continued smoothly, they could probably win this fight.
Ryner thought.
Perhaps Sui had discovered that too?
āIf possible, I donāt want to go against you alreadyā¦ā
He said.
Ryner replied:
āButā¦ you canāt let us roam about freely? Then what do you want to do? Do you want to continue?ā
But, Sui shook his head.
āNoā¦ we have to do what we donāt want to do. Kuu.ā
He made a hand gesture, Kuu disappeared soundlessly and quickly into the corridor behind themā¦
Ryner spoke with half-opened eyes when he saw this:
āYouāre taking Kuku as a hostage? But doing that is useless, right? If we die, Kuku would be killed anyway. Even so, weā¦ā
But Sui shook his head when he heard this, taking out something that looked like a gem to show Ryner and the othersā¦
āRemember this?ā
Faced with that questionā¦
āā¦ā
Ryner did not answer.
Because of course he remembered.
Previously, Rynerās Alpha Stigma had lost control because of these gems.
They seemed to have the ability to cause Alpha Stigma to lose control no matter what.
Andā¦
āYou shouldnāt be able to use that thing. You are unable to deal with my power when I lose control of the Alpha Stigma ā¦ā
Sui nodded when he heard that.
āWe are indeed unable to deal with it. Butā¦ā
At this moment, Kuu returned.
She brought along a fainted Kuku.
The instant Arua saw Kukuā¦
āKuku?! You, what did you do to Kukuā¦ā
But, Sui replied:
āNothingā¦ we didnāt do anything. But, from your reactionā¦ this move seems pretty effective.ā
He said.
Effective.
When Ryner heard thisā¦
āYouā¦ā¦Donāt tell me youāre thinking ofā¦ā
āThatās right, Ryner-san. If we canāt use the crystal to make you or that boy lose controlā¦ then, I will kill this girl, and make that boy collapse mentally.ā
Saying that, Sui pulled Kuku overā¦
When Arua saw this, he said:
āNo, noā¦ā
His eyes widened.
This was the worse situation.
And facing this sceneā¦
In an instant.
āDamn it!ā
Ryner jumped out.
Butā¦
āItās too late.ā
Sui said, raising the jaw of the dragon on his left arm, moving that mouth towards Kukuās headā¦
āNo, noooooooooooooooooooooo!ā
Arua shouted.
And, in the next moment, Kukuās headā¦
There was a sound.
Blood spurted out before their eyes.
Ryner stopped his movement when he saw this.
Blood spurted out.
Blood spurted out.
It was an unbelievably large amount of bloodā¦
And, the blood wasnāt from Kukuās body.
The blood was spurting out from Suiās shoulder.
No, not only his shoulder.
The area from his shoulder to his chest had been gouged out.
It was an odd scene.
In the previous moment he had discovered that the darkness behind Sui was rapidly swelling, in the next moment it had turned into the form of a beast and bit off the shoulder of Sui who was preparing to kill Kuku.
The beast disappeared into the darknessā¦
But, Sui looked at this with a disbelieving expressionā¦
Thenā
āAh, uh, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh?!ā
He screamed.
Kuu trembled when she saw this. Kuu who would seem to lose all her feelings if she took up the scythe, was trembling uncontrollably at this instant.
āā¦ā¦How can thisā¦ā¦ How can thisā¦ā¦ā
She immediately swung her scythe. She swung it towards Suiā¦
And, the blood pouring out from Suiās shoulder stopped as it was frozen momentarily. But, although the blood was stopped, Suiās injury was quite serious. He collapsed immediatelyā¦
āWhat, what wasā¦th-thatā¦ earlier thatā¦ wasnāt that a Rhule Fragmei that was similar to Lir Nii-sanāsā¦ā
But, Ryner had seen this before.
The black beast that had eaten Suiās shoulder.
That wasā¦
At this moment, a voice sounded from the entrance to the villa. It was a cold voice.
āā¦ā¦Rhule Fragmeiā¦ and, the Heroesā Relicsā¦ā¦ You have been talking about a few phrases that I do not understandā¦ā
Ryner looked to the origin of the voice, seeing a man standing there.
Black, it was a man who was dressed head to toe in black, as if he wanted to merge into the darkness of the moonless night.
Miran Froaude. That was the name of this man.
They had fought before.
At that time he was aiming to kill the prince of the Nelpha kingāToale Nelphi, and his brothers and sisters.
He could be an assassin from another countryā¦
Ryner scowled when he saw this.
Sui and Kuu had appeared in Runa Empireā¦
And Froaude was acting from the shadows in Imperial Runaā¦
In addition Sui and Kuu were now attacked by Froaudeā¦
It was clear that these two groups were from different camps.
That meant, at least two or more countriesā¦had started to stir.
āā¦ā¦Really, where is peaceā¦ā¦ā
Ryner couldnāt help but groan.
Due to Froaudeās appearance, the situation was continuing to worsen. Before fighting, even if it were Ryner and Ferris fighting togetherā¦ Ferris was still hurt severely; if they continued to fight at that moment, they would probably be killed.
This manās personality was worse than that of Sui and Kuu. This man had no conscience in killing people.
Andā¦
His ability was so strong that it could not be gaugedā¦
Ryner stepped back as he said:
āFerris.ā
He called. Ferris understood his meaning when she heard him.
They had to escape. Sui was hurt so badly, he probably couldnāt moveā¦ but Kuu still had her scythe.
If they were attacked again by Froaude who could summon beasts of darknessā¦ using the Ring of the Dark Emperor, then it would be even more difficult for them to protect Aruaā¦
Ferris moved secretly. She attempted to save Kuku who was in front of Sui and Kuuā¦
But, at this momentā
āā¦ā¦ā¦Nii-sanā¦ā¦ā¦Nii-sanā¦ā¦ā
Kuu protected Sui, her body was trembling. She completely ignored Froaudeās presence.
As to Sui, perhaps he had lost too much blood? His vision seem to move around and was unable to settleā¦
āKuā¦u, donāt bother about me, escape. This situation is bad. If you bring me along, that guyā¦ā¦ā
āā¦ā¦ā¦Butā¦ā¦Butā¦ā¦ā
Kuu said with an emotionless expression.
At this momentā¦ Froaude spoke:
āNeā¦ā¦Is it you? Are you the ones instigating Runa? You seem to have overdone things. Now I want you to pay the price.ā
Saying that, he waved his hand.
He waved his hand with the ring.
In a moment, the black beasts started to swell againā¦ towards Kuuā¦
But, Kuu still did not react. She only sat in front of Sui, stunned.
The darkness made to cover Kuuā¦
At this momentā
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦Aaah, enough! What is this, what is this, really! ā WHAT I SEEK IS THUNDER>>>IZUCHI!ā
Ryner released magic involuntarily.
The lightning struck the black beastā¦
But, this was completely ineffective to the black beastsā¦ But, they still stopped moving.
In a moment, Ferris movedā¦
She carried Kuku, and kicked Sui and Kuuās bodies, throwing them to the back of the corridor.
Then she told them:
āHey, weāll hold him off here for a while. Use that time to take Sui and escape.ā
When Sui heard this, he had a surprised expression.
āWhyā¦are you saving us? I want to kill youā¦ā
But, Ferris didnāt look at Sui, she replied as she kept her guard on against Froaude:
āThis is a debt you owe us. One day, we will look to you to return it.ā
āā¦Doing such foolish thingsā¦againā¦ Be careful of being tricked, and betrayedā¦ā
But, Ferris interrupted him.
āI think so too. Iām really too nice. Doing this canāt save anything. It canāt save anyone or anythingā¦ this is something that children understands too. But, but Rynerā¦ no, that man really doesnāt like people dying in front of him. Because that person is too weak. He hates people dying, and hates killing peopleā¦ Even so, he still tries to save the world with his own method. He is the same as you. You are all idiots who really want to build a world where no one will lose anythingā¦ so, disappear quickly. If you stay here, Ryner will be unable to fight freely.ā
Saying that, she pointed her sword at Froaude, readying herself.
āThat shadow manā¦ is too strong. We wouldnāt be able to fight with him and protect youā¦ā
But, Suiās face twisted when he heard thisā¦
āā¦ā¦ā¦Donāt tell me youāre really thinkingā¦ā¦ā
He stopped talking at this point. Then he told Kuu:
āā¦ā¦.Kuu, weāll retreat for today.ā
Kuu nodded when she heard this, carrying Sui and standingā¦
But, Froaude said when he saw this:
āDonāt think you can escapeā¦ā
At this moment, Ryner started to draw a glowing magic structure again.
Seeing this. Froaude narrowed his eyes.
Then said:
āā¦ā¦Hmm. Thingsā¦are hard to comprehendā¦ I came here to kill the Gastark spies that infiltrated Runa. Then I heard a part of your conversation, although I only started listening from the middleā¦ You two arenāt people from Gastark, right? You should be from Roland. But why do you want to protect the Gastark people? To you, those two should be obstaclesā¦ā
Ryner glared at Froaude when he heard this.
āWe are different from you. Your style is wiping out all those who dare to obstruct your way. Repeating this behavior, what will it leave in the end?ā
But, Froaude still had an uncomprehending expression.
āWhat will it leave? Hmm. A world that is peaceful and has no warā¦ Unless you wish to hear this kind of answer? I donāt mind that eitherā¦ To build a peaceful world that doesnāt have war, those twoā¦ā
āYou wanted to interrogate them, to gain information, then kill themā¦ right? I wouldnāt let you do that.ā
In that period of time, Kuu carried Sui and ran along the corridor. She waved her scythe, destroying the wall of the villa, and jumped out through the holeā¦
But, Froaude didnāt chase after themā¦
āā¦ā
As if contemplating about something, he crossed his arms, not speakingā¦
He was completely unguarded. He clearly knew that Ryner was drawing a magic structure, and Ferris was preparing her sword to fightā¦
But even so, he still said softly:
āā¦ā¦Under this situation, allowing the Gastark people to escapeā¦ The Heroesā Relicā¦ Rhule Fragmeiā¦ What is His Majestyā¦ā
After he mumbled strangely for a while, he suddenly turned his back to Ryner and the others, making to leave from the entrance of the villaā¦
Ryner couldnāt help but say:
āEh? Ah, waitā¦ youāre returning without fighting?ā
Froaude turned back when he heard that.
āI donāt think that there is a need to fight you. But, I see. You are from Rolandā¦ I seeā¦ā
For some reason, he said with a seemingly troubled bitter smile.
Ryner said:
āWhich countryās assassin are you? Since you arenāt fighting with us, that means youāre from a country that isnāt related to us Roland? Whatās the problem in telling us?ā
Hearing thatā¦
Froaude had an even more troubled expression. Thenā¦
āOne dayā¦ā
But, he shook his head when he said that, then continued:
āNo, after today I might deal with you for a long time, so I should tell you?ā
āEh? Deal with us for a long timeā¦? Youāre sayingā¦ā
Ryner asked.
But Froaude ignored him, continuing:
āI belong to Stohl. The military country Imperial Stohl. Do you know of it?ā
Ryner heard that:
āEh, ah, what nonsense are you speaking of? Isnāt that a large country in the north? I seeā¦ Stohlā¦ Unheeding of the effort, coming from such a far place to the southern countries?ā
Froaude smiled bitterly when heard this.
āGastark is even further up north.ā
āEh? Really?ā
Ryner replied. After Froaude organized his thoughts he said:
āThat, perhaps I am bothering too much, but can you listen to a piece of advice from me?ā
āEh? Advice?ā
Froaude nodded. Then said:
āYou asked me earlierā¦ what will be left from killing people who obstruct my path. If I were to be honest, that would beāif people who are obstructions are destroyed, then it would leave a world that is very convenient to me. If it is from the view of an Alpha Stigma bearer like you, killing all the people, can lead to a world that is suitable for Alpha Stigma bearers to live inā¦ That is the truth, isnāt it? People are animals that have to fight to survive. To eat, to protect their reputation, to live a life better than other people, to protect the people that they loveā¦
And to avoid being killed by someoneā¦
People have to fight.
Not sacrificing, and where everyone can laugh happily and live out their daysā¦ that is a joke. There is no such existence of such a world. The world isnāt so simple as you imagined. Take the time when you havenāt experienced troublesā¦ā
At that point, he stoppedā¦
āNoā¦ You are an Alpha Stigma bearerā¦ You should be very clear about the ugliness of human nature. This is really an advice of me bothering too much. Then, I willāretreat here.ā
Saying that, Froaude made to leave the villa againā¦
But Ryner spoke at this moment:
āAh, wait. What does that mean? I still dislike you. Butā¦ This time we were saved by you. You saved Kuku. Thank you.ā
Hearing thatā¦
Froaude stopped again, but he didnāt turn backā¦
āYou really thought that I saved that girl?ā
āā¦Uh, I donāt think so, butā¦ that chance was really the time where Sui made the largest mistake. Even soā¦ā
Then Froaude turned back again.
Staring at Ryner, he frowned.
āā¦How regrettable.ā
He said.
āā¦One day, I will probably still kill youā¦ Your existence is reallyā¦ā
But, Froaude only spoke that much, then he stepped forward again.
And after his figure vanished from the villaā¦
Ryner said:
āNe, Ferrisā¦ did I say anything to make him angry?ā
But Ferris replied:
āHmm. This is a difficult question. Itās been revealed, the matter of your existence, you yourself is on the list for making people angryā¦ā
āAhh, yes yes, I have dominated the first place for several centuries!ā
Ferris was stopped before she finished talking.
At this moment Arua shouted:
āKuku!! Kuku?!ā
He shouted as he ran forward.
Perhaps it was a reaction to his voice? Kuku opened her eyes slightlyā¦
āAh, Arua?!ā
She shouted, hugging Arua tightly.
Ferris spoke suddenly when she saw this:
āHey, stop acting romance scenes when youāre still young. If you always do that, people may think youāre as useless as that perverted Onii-san.ā
She said some strangely words cleanly, Kuku and Arua laughed when they heard thisā¦
At this moment, the sun rays were slowly starting to shine in through the windowā¦
The darkness of the night was already starting to retreat.
The darkness outside was slowly chased awayā¦
Ryner narrowed his eyes when he saw the sunlight.
āAh, and itās even day breakā¦ We stayed up for the whole night againā¦ā
He moaned with a tired voice.
Then, Ryner laughed.
Ferris was continuously teaching some bad things about Ryner to Kuku and Arua in front of himā¦
Ryner laughed when he saw this.
The sky slowly brightened.
The sunlight shone in strongly.
The darkness was chased away.
The lonely darknessā¦
Looking at Arua, Kuku and Ferris, for some reason, at this moment Ryner felt the lonely darkness disappear completely, disappearing to some unknown place.
Ryner thoughtā¦
Even if this is a momentary lie, it is enough for nowā¦