Saikyou Mahoushi no Inton Keikaku (LN) - Volume 3 - Chapter 14

Fourteenth Chapter 

Sorrowful Arrival 

The two Dolls coming at them wielded short swords. 

Tesfia and Alice had already found their resolve to fight. However... or perhaps despite that... was more accurate. 

Many of the Dolls weren’t much older than them. These two were still young. In other words, their slight hesitation was due to their lack of experience. Aside from the extracurricular lesson, they hadn’t had any real experience on the battlefield. 

Alice snuck a glance at Melissa, who still stood at Godma’s side. 

“Alice!” 

“Yes, I’m fine.” 

The girls exchanged looks and readied their AWRs. 

After finding out her Freeze required an excessive amount of mana due to the peculiar walls, Tesfia got an idea and coated her katana with mana. The magic formula engraved in the blade reacted to the mana and glowed faintly. She limited her Freeze to just her blade, as the mana turned to ice. 

Next, she imagined the ideal form for this situation... strong, hard and sharp. She was making use of the training to keep her mana under control. 

A thin layer of ice covered the blade, skillfully taking shape. This was an enchantment spell known as Ice Blade. It was a type of magic widely used in many attributes. The fire attribute version, for example, was called Flame Blade. 

The Ice Blade blocked the Doll’s short sword, the ice eroding the short sword’s blade, throwing it off balance and dulling the sharpness. 

“—!” Tesfia hadn’t expected that kind of effect, so she pushed the enemy back and distanced herself from them. “H-How do you like that!” 

It was unclear who she was boasting to, but since it was a result of Alus’ training, perhaps it was aimed at him. 

Alus was fighting while keeping an eye on them, so he’d heard her voice, but ignored it. 

Of course, Alice didn’t have the time to do anything else, either. She was busy intercepting the second Doll. 

Compared to the opponent’s abnormal toughness, their weapon handling wasn’t anything special. With a weapon in her hand, Alice wasn’t going to fall behind them with her naginata skills. 

Despite making use of her long-range weapon, it was still a struggle for supremacy. She was putting cut after cut into the Doll’s body, but was still unable to gain the upper hand. 

The reason for that was obvious. It wasn’t just because of how tough the opponent was, but mostly because Alice hesitated to kill people. She couldn’t take that final step. Her fear and reluctance to harm a person kept her from it. 

Alice was pretty much screaming in her mind at her opponent to stop. However, minor wounds weren’t going to make someone who was unable to feel pain flinch; they would continue attacking until their last breath. 

As a gap formed between Alice and the enemy, the enemy thrust their short sword forward and used magic. 

A ball of light appeared at the tip, steam rising from it. Just from looking at it, it was clear that light energy was being compressed. 

As the mana-absorbing walls used the light attribute, they had a special characteristic: spells that didn’t use physical phenomena such as combustion or freezing—like light attribute spells—weren’t all that affected. Godma, using these walls, had taken this characteristic into account. That also applied to Alice. 

Alice stared at the enemy preparing to launch their spell, and took a deep breath as she tried to measure the timing. 

The next moment, the ball of light left the tip of the short sword and flew towards Alice. The Doll chased after their spell, abandoning their defense on a reckless assault. 

Alice muttered with trembling lips: “‹‹Reflection››” 

The naginata’s glowing blade received the ball of light, and sent it back at an even greater speed. 

Alice could see the Doll’s eyes open wide. She gritted her teeth, as she could easily foresee the gruesome result. And she herself had been the one that made it happen. 

The ball of light crashed into the Doll’s chest and burst, sending a shockwave across the room. 

“Eek!” Having been so close, Alice was caught up in the blast. She quickly picked herself up and looked in front of her when— 

“Argh... ack.” 

The Doll was standing upright, unmoving, as if time had stopped. A big hole had been torn in their clothing from chest to abdomen, their white skin charred black. The stench of burnt flesh reached Alice’s nose. 

Before long, a red liquid dripped out from their mouth and they collapsed, falling flat on their face. 

“No way!” It hadn’t been her intention but the results were obvious, since the Doll had abandoned their defense and taken the attack from so close. Realizing that she’d stained her hands, Alice blankly stared at the unmoving Doll. 

“Alice!” 

Returning to her senses thanks to Tesfia’s voice, Alice saw another Doll brandish their short sword. She was still crouched, but she blocked the attack by swinging her AWR sideways. 

Because of her posture she couldn’t put any strength into her block. She was quickly knocked off balance from the clash, and the enemy’s blade was rapidly coming toward her face. 

Suddenly it became much lighter, and she was able to push the blade away with just a little bit of force. 

The reason for that was— 

“Haaa... aaa.” Tesfia, breathing heavily, was right next to her. Her katana had pierced the heart of the Doll attacking Alice. The Doll’s back was stained red, the blade that had pierced them sticking through. 

“Fia!” 

“Are you okay, Alice?!” 

“Yes...” 

Having dealt the Doll what was surely a fatal blow, Tesfia timidly pulled out her katana. Her feelings of disgust were quickly replaced by the relief of having saved her friend. Not even glancing at her bloodstained sword, Tesfia stretched out her free hand towards Alice. 

“Thank you,” Alice said, as she stood up. 

Standing back to back, they faced off against the enemy. 

The next moment, Alice saw a small ball of light fly at Tesfia from her blind spot. “—! Fia!” 

It was the doll Tesfia had stabbed, not dead after all. 

Her hand moved by reflex, pushing Tesfia away as she desperately poured mana into her AWR. She slashed her AWR diagonally upwards, its magic formula glowing brightly. 

“‹‹Shiylereis››” 

The diagonal slash unleashed a white beam of light, splitting apart the ball of light about to burst and deeply cutting into the enemy beyond. 

The ball of light exploded, sending the caster who happened to be close to it flying. Moments later, they slammed into the wall. 

Large amounts of blood poured out of the Doll’s flayed-open chest. 

The silence that ensued was proof that their life had ended. 

“Haah... haah...” Her naginata still raised, Alice couldn’t take her eyes off of the fallen enemy drenched in blood. 

Before her sense of guilt and remorse could well up— 

“Thank you, Alice.” 

Those words brought Alice back to her senses, and this time it was Tesfia—who’d fallen down and was trying to stand up—who pulled on her hand. “So that was your new spell, huh...” She rubbed her butt as she observed the power of that new spell. “I want one too,” Tesfia said, in a voice seemingly devoid of tension. 

That was the best bold front she could put up. She was speaking frivolously in an attempt to not think too much about having taken a life. 

“... Fia. Are you hurt anywhere...?” Alice could feel her throat quivering. Her clothes were dyed red with blood, proof of her sin. She’d used magic and wielded a lethal weapon, a tool that reaped lives. 

She’d been resolved for this. But she still felt her heart breaking. She was scared of her power. She was now aware that a new spell meant a new means of killing an enemy. 

“You saved me, Alice.” 

“Eh...?!” Alice let out a dumbfounded voice, as she got thanked seemingly out of nowhere. 

However, Tesfia was giving her a refreshing smile. She should have been scared too, but she was forcing herself to appear calm. Alice could see that Tesfia’s frivolous words from before had been born out of consideration. 

Alice had defeated the enemy and taken their life. Tesfia might have been in danger otherwise and suffered the same fate. She would have done the same thing no matter how many times it happened. Compared to the thought of losing her friend forever, the regret and remorse she’d have to carry wasn’t all that much. 

That’s why she already had her answer. “Thank you, Fia.” 

The girls nodded at each other. They weren’t out of the woods yet. They had only defeated two out of all these Dolls. 

Firmly gripping their AWRs in hand, Tesfia and Alice glanced toward the boy taking on the majority of the enemies on his own. 

Meanwhile, that boy, Alus, had watched over their fight from the corner of his eye. 

He had no choice but to admit he’d made a fortunate miscalculation. After all, they’d defeated two enemies. 

The girls had grown without a doubt. But hardships still lay ahead. They would definitely get cornered in the coming battles. 

At that time, they’d need determination and resolve to crawl out of the chaos... they’d be pressed to make a decision. 

* * * 

Tesfia and Alice stared at Alus, who was fending off several enemies at once with his singular Night Mist. Seeing that fierce, one-sided fight, the thought of going over to help him never occurred to them. 

But the weapon he was using now was far too big to be called a short sword. Mana extended from its blade, changing its shape. And using that weapon and the chain skillfully, Alus deflected and blocked the enemies’ attacks, defeating Dolls without taking a single hit. Their differences in ability were evident. 

Loki stood behind Alus. The knives she threw accurately pierced the chests of her targets. These knives could pierce the thick skin of Fiends, so the Dolls were no match for them. As such, they fell one by one. 

Alus wasn’t particularly happy about Loki taking lives, even if it was for the sake of a mission. He firmly believed that he was the only one that needed to stain his hands. 

However, the results spoke for themselves as Loki’s resolve was vividly put on display. He also couldn’t deny that her aid was helping him. That’s why, at least for now, he needed to accept her deeds. Tesfia and Alice had had no other option but to make that choice as well. 

Seeing the girls’ resolve, Alus steeled himself. Of course, not in the sense that he’d resolved not to dirty his own hands. He’d dirtied his hands starting a long time ago. 

Instead, he’d have to swallow the bitter pill of Loki, Alice and Tesfia stepping onto the bloodstained path he was on. The path had already been chosen. He’d have to reproach himself later. 

If they were ever to kill someone outside of self-defense... then that would without a doubt be his responsibility. 

After deciding that, Alus’ movements became more streamlined. Every swing killed at least one Doll. By the time the astonished Tesfia and Alice noticed, there were already fewer than ten Dolls left. 

He was surrounded by them, deadly blades plunging toward him from every direction, but Alus blocked them all. And then— 

Before anyone knew it, the chains were running across the room, and Alus had escaped the Dolls’ encirclement. With a single step, he’d disappeared from their view. 

Not even Tesfia or Alice had been able to see it. And when they noticed, the chains surrounded the brawl going on in the room. 

Alus casually grabbed the chain coming out from the scabbard. When he poured mana into it, the chain began moving at extreme speed. The short sword at the end of the chain turned into a merciless killer, tearing through the vitals of the Dolls that had lost sight of Alus. 

Their necks, their hearts were torn asunder... their lives put to an end so they could never fight again. 

There was no righteousness or justice in that kind of attack. That’s what everyone observing it felt. 

At the very least, Alus’ perfectly composed face as he trampled down the enemy was unacceptable. 

He killed and reaped lives as if it was the most normal thing in the world, while breathing shallowly and normally. 

When she saw his face, Tesfia gripped her katana even harder than before, perhaps in anger. Using her other hand, she grabbed at her chest as if to squeeze her heart. This was Alus’ other face that she’d seen glimpses of before. 

That unnatural, expressionless face discarded everything as if it was trash, especially these Dolls that were more machine than human, calmly cutting them down. 

Trying to control her now ragged breath, Tesfia inhaled deeply through her trembling throat. Despite that, she couldn’t calm her racing heart. 

Alus, who’d been coldly watching over the battle, turned to his partner. “Loki!” 

Having just finished off a Doll, Loki quickly reacted to his voice and threw a knife his way. 

Dolls were attacking Alus in an opening after he’d killed several of them. He slashed at one of them with Night Mist. Next, he caught Loki’s knife between his fingers, carefully twisting it so as not to disrupt the mana enchantment, and sent it into the skull of the Doll attacking him from the other side. 

Their brilliant combination was marvelous. All Tesfia and Alice could do was stare on in amazement. 

Even if they were doing it to protect themselves, they wouldn’t be able to replicate what he’d done. They would probably never be able to reach the same state of mind to take a life without any hesitation like he could. 

But they also wondered how much help they could be to Alus if they could move like Loki. 

“Loki, you were 0.1 seconds late.” 

“Forgive me. I will do my best to improve.” 

But even she was criticized. 

“Haha...” All Tesfia could do was let out a dry laugh. But she was still barely able to keep up her morale by engraving Loki’s movements in her mind and making them her next goal. 

A few minutes later... a mountain of corpses lay before them. It was a horrible scene, and there would definitely be something wrong with anyone who wasn’t disturbed by it. 

However, the person responsible for it, Alus, gazed at it coldly without giving it much thought. These were the enemies... that was the only thing he recognized. 

When he saw Tesfia and Alice stop for a moment when they saw his expression, he became aware that he was lacking something, or perhaps that he was too familiar with this. However, he wasn’t overtaken by excessive emotions, and the thought remained in his head for just a second. 

Brushing that aside, Alus turned to face a certain person. 

“Why...” Godma’s face was full of astonishment and dejection over the fact that his calculations had gone awry. His lab coat had blood on it that had splattered on him during the battle. 

“I’m just too strong.” Alus’ harsh words rejected Godma’s research at its root. Dolls, these emotionless puppets, would never reach the heights he was at. Alus had proven that merely with his body. 

Without having to look around, Alus knew the only ones left were Godma himself and Melissa. “I heard from Lord Vizaist that there might be a secret escape route. At least you didn’t use it to run away... I guess that’s worthy of praise.” 

Even if such a route existed, escape was no longer possible. The Dolls that had run amok and gone outside were facing terrible odds, at 60 versus 500. 

Godma might have realized this as well, but he was no longer listening to Alus. “Did I fail...? No, that can’t be. I’ve had people evaluate me highly. Nobody could complain about my results,” he muttered to no one in particular, in the now silent research facility. 

“No... It doesn’t even count as a failure. The moment you touched someone with a scalpel, what you were doing could no longer be called research.” 

“Shut up!!” 

Godma raised his voice at Alus’ remark, as the current situation spoke volumes as to the reality. Overcome with anger, he swept up the materials on a nearby desk. Among the many pieces of paper fluttering in the air, an old book fell to the floor. 

When Alus saw that distinctive cover, his eyes opened wide. One of the Four Books of Fegel?! And that’s the original? Why does he have this?! 

There were many rare tomes in the world that delved into the heart and secrets of magic and Fiends, and some of the best among them were the Four Books of Fegel. Copies of the books were among the materials Alus had requested from the military, but he didn’t have the originals. In fact, some people questioned if the original books even existed. 

Alus had an interest in it as well, but he’d never owned or even read the originals. There were unreliable rumors that the Four Books of Fegel weren’t made using the kind of paper commonly used in the world, and that was why they still existed to this day without crumbling away. 

The old book in Alus’ sight had a thick cover made from a dark red material, with cracks like cobwebs spread across it. 

Can it really be? 

It was called a strange series of books because of their shady history, and the many forgeries that were around. Since not even Alus had had a chance to see the originals, a normal person stood no chance of being able to evaluate the authenticity of it. 

And if Godma possessed it, it wouldn’t be strange at all for a crazed collector to have a forgery at hand. 

Holding back his curiosity, Alus glanced at Godma, keeping his focus on the mission. 

Godma’s bloodshot eyes no longer showed the same willpower from before. “That’s true, it is as you say... it’s awful in terms of results.” He hung his head low, not resisting anymore. He might have had a brilliant mind, but he’d lost all his Dolls, and being a simple researcher with no Magicmaster abilities he was no threat to Alus and the others. 

His shoulders slumped, and he had an aura of pitiable grief to him as someone who’d been bested. 

However, no one here had accurately understood yet what kind of person he was. 

An undying fire still smoldered within his heart. It wasn’t hatred. Nor was it enmity. Strangely enough... it was curiosity. It was what a researcher possessed, the last significant reason for their inquiries. 

“However... Only when speaking of results. It is still too early to call it all pointless.” Adjusting his glasses, a fleeting expression appeared on Godma’s face as he looked at Alus. “Before, you said that my research was incomplete. Let me correct you... that isn’t an established truth. Perfection is still in the process of being made. That’s why I decided to move on to the next step. As expected, a weak-willed human won’t be able to overcome anything.” 

Godma spoke out in his most tense voice yet. “At this moment in time, my research will present a new challenge.” 

He raised his previously hidden hand, and they saw he was holding something. He then swung his hand against his chest. 

“—!!!” Loki, Tesfia and Alice reacted. 

“You fool...!” Alus spat. 

In Godma’s hand was a gun-shaped syringe, now pressed to his chest. It had a receptacle in place of a barrel, with dark red, blood-like liquid inside. With a short burst, it was forced inside of his body. 

“This is all thanks to Ms. Alice over there,” Godma said, managing to retain some composure, his eyes calm. 

Alice felt like she’d seen him show that look in her past. 

“Sir Alus—” 

“Yeah, this is the worst kind of useless resistance,” Alus said, with a slight amount of pity, perhaps because he sympathized with the fellow researcher in Godma. 

However, regardless of what kind of liquid it was... seeing as how he was injecting it directly into his heart, he was throwing his life away. Alus wouldn’t mind if Godma threw his life away, but he had a hunch that it wasn’t going to be that easy. 

“Agh!! Ahh—Aaaaaaaa... Grrkk, ahh...” 

Tripping on his feet as he struggled, Godma fell to his knees and scratched at his chest. His glasses fell off as his nails dug into his skin. Discolored blood began seeping out of his wounds. Stepping onto a fallen Doll, a thick vein ran across his forehead. His complexion was turning darker. 

“Huh?! What’s going on...?” 

Tesfia couldn’t be blamed for not understanding this absurd scene. After all, a human was transforming into something else before her very eyes. 

“...” Alice quietly looked on, but there was no hatred in her eyes. If anything, she felt pity, misery... even sadness. 

Godma’s shoulders twitched. He stopped walking and crouched down as his body swelled up. His right hand morphed into something completely unidentifiable, far from that of a human. 

Unable to withstand Godma’s growth, his clothes tore and his skin stiffened as it became used to the new body. 

Godma quickly raised his head and glared straight at Alus and the others, a dangerous glint in his eyes. 

Loki, Tesfia and Alice looked on in horror. 

The pupils of his now golden eyes were long slits, like those of a reptilian. 

“Is this that result you were talking about?” Just what was that liquid? Alus didn’t know all of the components, but he was sure it contained Alice’s blood... as well as Fiend blood. 

Godma had undergone a total transformation, obtaining a new form. This was the ruins of what had once been a researcher. That’s why, as a fellow researcher... this was Alus’ fight to take. “So turning into a monster is the end of the road of your lifelong research.” 

There was no doubt that Godma was a prodigy. If he hadn’t taken the wrong path in life, he would have truly been able to contribute to humanity. What a waste, Alus thought. 

“Is this... a Fiend?!” Tesfia asked in astonishment over Godma’s unbelievable transformation. 

Alice simply bit her lip, while Loki cautiously observed him. 

Godma’s body had turned a deep green color, which definitely looked like a Fiend’s body. Coupled with his gigantic right hand, he no longer had any vestige left of his humanity. His body stood at over two meters tall, and his sharp claws screeched across the floor. 

“Gigigigigigi Gwah?!” Godma’s mouth split open as if he was sneering at them. An unsettled sound escaped his throat. His thick neck gradually transformed, and when it finished he spoke out in a hoarse voice while he checked over his body. 

“Pardon me... I was just trying out my throat. Hmm, it seems my brain, my vocal cords and even my tongue are fine. So this is the evolved form of humanity... not bad!” 

“—!! So you still have your mind,” Alus calmly observed, but secretly he was amazed. 

There had been no prior examples of people turning into Fiends. And despite this unprecedented transformation, Godma had kept his human intellect. 

Suddenly a thought popped into Alus’ head. “I see. The light attribute.” 

Godma laughed creepily. It was a horrible hoarse voice, but his words had clear thinking behind them. “That’s right. You’re quite knowledgeable, Alus Reigin. Melissa maintaining her sense of self wasn’t because she originally had the light attribute, but because she had Alice’s element factor put into her. I’m glad to see that it’s adapted to my own body as well.” Vapor poured out of his mouth as he spoke. 

“And what of it. Even if you’re conscious and kept your wits, you’re still a monster. At best, you have some points in common with humanoid Fiends.” 

Among the variety of Fiends, humanoid types tended to be of a high classification. There were plenty of theories for why Fiends could have a humanoid shape, such as they were a form of convergent evolution and mimicry of humans was one of their abilities, but there was no conclusive evidence for that yet. Which suggested that Godma, as he was now, possessed equal power to a high-classed Fiend. 

Seeing that a fight was brewing, Tesfia and Alice firmly gripped their AWRs, having shed their fear. That was in part thanks to their experience in the extracurricular lesson. 

However, Alus raised his voice as if to reprimand them. “Don’t butt in.” 

Facing the transformed Godma, any trace of mercy was erased from Alus, just like in his battles in the Outer World. He decided he was facing off against what was in effect a high-classed Fiend. 

“Wait, we can...!” 

While Tesfia spoke out, Alice eyed Melissa who stood next to Godma. What was she thinking, now that her master had transformed? But Alice couldn’t tell if Melissa’s glazed-over eyes were even looking at her. Her eyes were no different from the other Dolls. 

Amidst the chaos, Godma’s shrunken pupils fearlessly stared at Alus. He could feel vast power overflowing from within his body. What greater joy could there be in the world than to experience the results of your research with your own body? 

“We don’t know what Godma would class as a Fiend, so I’ll do it. Loki, you—!!” 

As if taken back, Alus interrupted himself. He hadn’t taken his eyes off of him—but Godma was gone. 

Tesfia, Alice and Loki were shocked. They’d been staring at Alus’ back, but a massive Fiend had gotten in between Alus and them in an instant. 

Godma was standing there before they realized it. The human eye wasn’t able to track those kinds of speeds. 

“—!!” When Alice blinked, Godma’s unsightly face was right in front of her. His repulsive face peered at her, the snake-like golden eyes drawing closer. “Huh?” 

After taking a sniff, the Fiend exhaled a dark vapor, twisting his big mouth into a smile. 

But in the next moment, his large build trembled as he sensed a presence, and his golden eyes moved. 

The next moment, the Fiend’s repulsive face disappeared from Alice’s view. Instead, she could see the tip of Alus’ Night Mist slashing toward the Fiend’s side. 

The sword moved so fast that it looked like it would cut at her, but the black blade stopped just in front of her nose. 

And by the time she realized, Godma was back in his original position. Considering the claw marks on the floor, he must have used his massive arms as brakes. 

Alice’s blood was mixed in with the Fiend’s blood. Perhaps he’d felt an attraction to Alice’s heart and body, the source of that blood. 

Curiously twisting his great mouth, he spoke: “I really should kill you. I can feel a great hatred.” His tone was hoarse. 

“Are you okay, Alice?” 

“Ah... yes.” She had no injuries, but the hand gripping her naginata was shaking. That huge creature had moved that fast. She couldn’t imagine being able to oppose him. 

This is the worst, Alus groaned to himself. 

Due to the nature of Fiends, the principles behind their actions were generally extremely simple. They moved by instinct. But in Godma’s case, his human self-restraint and intelligence appeared to be mixed in with a Fiend’s instinct and intuition. Despite his Fiend-like traits growing stronger, the reasoning behind his actions was fickle and chaotic, making it difficult for Alus to predict what he’d do next. 

“Kuhyiiii!!” Those scrutinizing golden eyes were no longer on Alice, but on Alus. 

“Now you get it, right? He’s not something you can beat, so get back. However, you’ll have to deal with that on your own... it seems he’s come up with some very unfunny entertainment for you.” 

In the direction Alus indicated was Godma with his massive claw tearing off Melissa’s robe, as he solemnly ordered her in that hoarse voice of his: “Whatever, I have a good enough grasp of this body... Melissa, you kill Alice. Now that my experiment’s successful, your friend is unfortunately no longer necessary. Cut your lingering attachments on your own. Got it?” 

“Kill. Alice...” 

Melissa’s wide-open hollow eyes fixed their gaze forward as she slowly twisted her neck. She crossed her arms, drawing the knife AWRs hanging from her hips, and pointed the tips toward Alice. 

“Melissa...!” 

Despair filled Alice’s eyes, yet Melissa’s expression remained unmoved. 

“Haha, the two of you can just kill each other. Now go ahead and enjoy yourselves!” Godma’s shrill laugh filled the room. 

Tesfia courageously ran to Alice’s side with her AWR at the ready, but even with two of them, they’d likely struggle to deal with Melissa. 

Alus glanced over in that direction, while still keeping an eye on Godma, and called out to the other girl present. “Loki, I’ll deal with him.” 

Before long, the battle over there began as well. The metallic sound of Tesfia’s katana rang out as it clashed with Melissa’s knife. 

“More importantly, I’ll leave that side to you. It looks like it’ll be too much for just the two of them to handle.” 

“...!” Hearing that, Loki let out a small sigh. This kind of consideration was something Alus hadn’t shown before. Feeling that small change in him, joy started welling up inside of her. That’s why she wasn’t going to question the role she’d been given. She was prepared to do anything he wanted. “You can leave it to me, but please don’t push yourself.” 

“I’ll be fine. Like I said, it seems he wants to settle things with me, too. This is my first time dealing with a Fiend that can talk, so I can’t pass up this opportunity. Well, we’re both scientists, so I’ll at least see him through his last moments.” 

Loki nodded at his words. Either way, considering the speed Godma moved at, she couldn’t keep up with him; meaning there’d be a big chance of her getting in the way, even if they did fight together. 

Even from behind him, Loki could tell that Alus’ focus was completely on Godma. That was a sign of his trust in her. Entrusting your back to someone in the Outer World was the same as placing your life in their hands. 

If that’s what Sir Alus says, I’ll do everything I can to protect those two. 

Indeed, things would be simpler if it was just about protecting Alice and Tesfia. If that had been his priority, Alus would have eliminated Melissa immediately. And since he didn’t, that was just how it was. 

He’d brought Tesfia with him, and given her enough time to grab Alice’s AWR from the training grounds. It all seemed illogical if it was just to protect Alice, but it had all been taken into consideration. 

Because of that, Loki understood her role. She’d support the two as much as possible, and if it looked like they were at their limit, she’d take on the job of dirtying her hands. 

It was a dreadful role, but Loki gleefully accepted it. Since she knew Alus from the Outer World, she liked this seemingly illogical choice of his. 

And thus—Loki quietly readied her knives. 

* * * 

“GAAAAAAAAH!!!” 

“...!” 

The battle suddenly restarted. Godma’s grotesque mouth opened wide. Sharp teeth could be seen in that inhuman mouth, and he swiftly moved to attack. 

“Fuck!” Seeing a faint light in the depths of that mouth, Alus sensed condensed mana, and immediately bent two fingers upwards. 

It was space domination magic. This spell affected space itself, and had been streamlined so that a single motion could activate it. As it was made for speed, it didn’t have much power, but it could be used in case of emergencies. 

A colorless and transparent wall was created in the form of a rectangle, and moving in synchronization with Alus’ fingers, it slammed into Godma’s chin. 

Having his neck suddenly twisted, Godma’s mouth lifted up toward the ceiling. In the next moment, vast amounts of condensed mana streamed from his mouth in the form of a beam. 

The beam easily drilled through the three underground floors, carving a big hole up to the surface. 

“...Loki!” 

“—!” Loki quickly understood why she’d been called. And in the next moment, Alus’ license flew through the air. 

She caught it between her fingers and quickly opened the channel, confirming that it functioned. “The channel works now.” Thanks to Godma opening a hole to the surface, the interfering effects of the room had weakened. 

“Alright, then tell Lord Vizaist that it will take a little longer for me to complete the mission. As for the reason, let him know that a Variant A-class Fiend has appeared.” 

“—! I understand.” 

Alus hesitated for a moment as to whether he could call Godma a Variant, but decided to go with it as he clearly wasn’t a normal Fiend. 

Variants were usually born from a Fiend cannibalizing another Fiend, and assimilating the information within them. That didn’t just increase their mana stores, but there were also many that took on a unique trait or developed some kind of specialized power. 

This was considered a form of evolution, meaning the usual procedures for dealing with Fiends wouldn’t be enough. Flexibility was called for in order to handle them. 

In that sense, a Variant class was a Magicmaster’s natural enemy, usually putting them one rank above their normal brethren. 

But that was one less thing to worry about. If Godma were to try to make his escape, they could make preparations for the worst. 

However, Godma wasn’t going to give Alus any time to breathe. Having had one of his trump cards defeated, rage burned in his eyes as he turned his head down and glared at Alus. His pupils were narrowed, like a beast that had found its prey. 

Once again recognizing how easy it was to identify hostility in a Fiend, Alus readied Night Mist again. 

He focused on the Fiend in front of him. 

Alus could feel his head cooling off... a byproduct of his thinking of the most efficient way to kill a Fiend. 

Throwing off his robe, he closed in on the Fiend in an instant. They were likely equal in terms of speed. 

The first thing that left a deep impression on Alus was Godma’s speed compared to the Fiends he’d met thus far. He hadn’t expected him to be this fast, which was why he’d been careless before. But now that he knew of his opponent’s speed, he wasn’t going to get caught off guard again. 

Not even missing the opening in Alus’ initial response, Godma closed in at a speed unimaginable for his size. 

Alus swung Night Mist, covered in mana, as well as a second blade made of mana. 

Godma dodged the attack, but Alus kept up the chase to prevent the distance from increasing. As long as he could read his movements, it didn’t matter how fast he moved. His headache from using Gra Eater to demolish the army of Dolls was already fading. In return, Alus could feel a cold, dark something well up from his chest. 

Trying to distance himself from Alus, who was hot on his heels, Godma suddenly began to zig-zag. 

Seeing his enemy stop for an instant, Alus threw Night Mist, but Godma repelled it with his right arm as if he’d seen it coming. 

That surprised Alus a little. Godma’s foresight exceeded the natural instincts of a Fiend, and despite his Variant classification, it wasn’t something a regular Fiend could pull off. “Oh? You’d get to die easy if you moved like a monster should.” 

Godma began moving again as Alus was muttering. His gigantic right arm was monstrously powerful, and could easily pulverize a person with a single swing. Meanwhile, his much smaller left arm had razor-sharp claws. 

Having once again closed in on Alus, Godma swung his massive right arm down towards him. 

The arm clashed against Night Mist, but the heavy impact resounded through Alus’ entire body, putting immense pressure on his legs. 

Having withstood the strike, Alus instantly pulled Night Mist to try and cut the giant arm. But as expected, the skin was as tough as it looked, and not only did it not cut the arm off, it didn’t even leave a scratch. 

Godma also didn’t pull his arm back. He kept his arm in place, as a ball of light formed in the palm of his hand. 

Sensing it, Loki glanced over in shock. 

His target wasn’t Alus. It was the two girls fighting Melissa. It was an underhanded move meant to create an opening by distracting Alus. 

“You’re facing me!” Alus opened his hand, then made a crushing motion with it as if squishing an invisible apple, slowly closing it. 

And as if his hand was linked to Alus’ hand, Godma’s hand, which had been about to unleash a spell, forcibly closed as well. He tried to keep it open, but something else was controlling the Fiend’s hand. 

Alus followed up by using gravitation based in space domination magic to increase the pressure on Godma’s hand. He drove a mana-infused kick into the Fiend’s abdomen, sending him flying. Once he was some distance away, Alus fully closed his hand. 

As Godma flew back, his hand was forcibly closed with immense pressure, but because of his thick skin it wasn’t crushed. 

But that was all according to plan... the spell that hadn’t been launched now went off in Godma’s closed right hand, blowing it away. 

The explosion gave Godma’s huge frame even more momentum as he flew, and he slammed into a wall. Green blood poured out of his wrist. The hand was completely gone. 

“Sir Alus!!” 

Loki had been turned his way to prepare for any attack that came towards them, and she raised her voice. She’d seen the injury Alus had taken. 

Blood was flowing out of his shoulder. When he’d kicked Godma away, one of his claws had torn up his shoulder. The claw that had gone in through his back had been forcibly pulled out, and the injury was deeper than expected. 

However, Alus showed no signs of concerning himself at Loki’s panicked voice. Once he was in combat mode, he wouldn’t lose focus until his enemy was completely eliminated. It wasn’t like he couldn’t hear her, but it had a lower priority so he pushed it back for later. 

Wordlessly, he approached Godma, one step at a time. Once he was close enough, the Fiend raised his injured right arm high and swung it down towards him. 

“So you can even do something like that? You really are a monster.” 

Alus’ eyes opened wide—the reason being that Godma’s crushed right arm healed instantly and his hand had grown back. 

If it was just his right arm, it’d be a powerful blunt weapon, but that alone wouldn’t be much to worry about. But it was a different story if the hand could regrow and cover itself in vast amounts of mana. 

A Fiend’s body was the perfect conductor for mana and could sometimes even surpass an AWR in performance. As such, enchanting a fist with mana made it far more powerful than your average weapon. 

Alus instantly jumped back, but even more mana focused in Godma’s palm and turned into a light attribute spell. 

The next moment, an explosive shockwave was unleashed, completely erasing the spot where Alus had stood a moment before. 

“How wonderful! So this is the true power of magic. Expecting a human body to handle something like this would be cruel.” 

“... Despite turning into even more of a monster, you can still speak, huh,” Alus spat out sarcastically. 

Unlike everyday magic used by ordinary people, the most prominent theory about the kind of magic that Magicmasters used was that it came from Fiends. In fact, the conceptual idea behind the AWR was the same as how a Fiend functioned. 

So in a sense, one could say that Fiends were born with the optimal system needed to use magic. That meant that magic was not only the sole way to oppose Fiends, but also that humans were fundamentally inferior at using it as compared to them. 

* * * 

While Alus was locked in a deathmatch with Godma, Alice and Tesfia were squaring off against Melissa. 

Unlike the other Dolls, though her movements were straightforward, she was overwhelmingly fast. In terms of pure physical capabilities she rivaled Loki. Her combat skills exceeded those of an average Doll, and she might even be close to a Double Digit Magicmaster. 

As Melissa rapidly approached her, Alice’s body was frozen stiff. Her hands holding the naginata looked like they might drop it at any moment. 

Melissa stared at her with cold, emotionless eyes. She was no longer the Melissa that Alice knew. 

So Alice held her AWR against her chest. Despite the knife closing in on her, she showed no signs of using it. Her wavering eyes betrayed how she truly felt. She wanted all of this to be a lie. 

“Melissa.” That name, which had escaped from her lips, couldn’t be used anymore to describe the girl in front of her. 

Melissa meant compassion in flower language. It was the name of a small white pitiful flower. In spite of that, she was mercilessly swinging her knife down at the unresisting Alice. 

And in the moment all would be lost—Alice heard a metallic clash. 

“Alice! Keep it together!” 

In front of Alice was Tesfia, who’d caught Melissa’s knife with the back of her katana. Even as Tesfia focused on her, the katana was being pressed down on. 

But even then Alice remained unmoving. She had a lethal weapon in her hands, and had even used it to rob Dolls of their lives. But she was terrified of turning it against her friend. 

Melissa was strong, and Tesfia didn’t look like she’d be able to hold on for much longer, but Melissa was the first to break the stalemate. 

The sound of clashing weapons stopped, and as Melissa pulled the knife back, the knife in her other hand swiftly came down. 

“—!!” 

Tesfia stepped back on instinct, but then recalled Alice behind her and hesitated to retreat any further. The next moment, the knife slashed at the back of Tesfia’s right shoulder after she’d moved her upper body to dodge. 

“Urk?! You little—!” 

It was a minor injury. She could handle it. If she couldn’t, she wouldn’t be able to protect Alice. Having decided on that, Tesfia swung her katana down even as her face contorted in pain. 

Melissa moved out of the way of the rough swing, with rhythmical steps. 

“Fia!!” Alice instinctively called out. She was overtaken by a fierce internal conflict. Both Tesfia and Melissa were irreplaceable to her. She didn’t want to see either hurting the other. Her eyes were on her injured best friend, her guilty conscience weighing her down. 

“I’m fine. I know how you feel, Alice... but you’re the only one who can save her!” 

Readying her blade again, Tesfia stared down Melissa, now at a distance from them. She was reluctant to point a weapon against someone who was like family to Alice. But Alice was her one and only best friend. There was no way she could ever allow anyone to hurt her. As such, she somewhat timidly kept her katana pointed towards Melissa. 

Any indecision would get Alice killed. Though she couldn’t fight without hesitation, she felt she could understand what Alice had been saying now. She felt a dull sense of pain, alongside the danger to her life. 

Readjusting her grip on her katana, Tesfia brandished her AWR with new determination. Mustering her fighting spirit, she gave orders to her own mana. 

Before long it wrapped itself around her blade like a faithful servant. A chilling ice took on the shape of her weapon, becoming an Ice Blade. 

Seeing that, Alice recalled what Tesfia had said—that only she could save Melissa. Thus Alice readied her naginata, as she took a deep breath. 

There had to be a way. But for now, she’d fight alongside her friend... keeping a faint hope in her heart. 

Alice lined up next to Tesfia. “Thank you, Fia. Let’s save Melissa.” 

“Yeah, together I’m sure we can do it.” Her expression was stiff, but Tesfia still forced a smile for Alice. 

Alice choked back her tears as she stared at Melissa, who’d completely changed from what she’d been. Right now her arms were limply hanging down, and her body swayed. 

She’s coming! 

Like Tesfia’s sharpened senses had predicted, Melissa made her move. 

But she moved even faster than before, and by the time she noticed, Melissa was already right next to them. She thrust her knives forward. 

And trying to block the attack—the two placed the back of the katana and handle of the naginata in the way, just barely managing to parry. 

Yet Melissa continued pushing the knives forward. She had an inhuman and overwhelming strength. 

With a single push, Alice easily went down, and Tesfia’s Ice Blade wasn’t freezing the knife. If anything, her blade was being shaved away. Mana must have been passing through Melissa’s knives as well. 

Soon the knife slid off the back of the katana and traveled toward Tesfia’s body, having picked up momentum. 

Tesfia had been knocked off balance, but she swung her katana to the side immediately in a counterattack. “—!!” 

However, Melissa crouched down and dodged the desperate attack as if she’d seen right through her. She slipped in up close, staring emotionlessly at Tesfia. 

Tesfia felt cold sweat trickle down her back. Melissa reversed her grip on the knife and let momentum carry her attack to Tesfia’s neck. 

The knife traveled in a clean arc. Tesfia relied on intuition to twist her neck to dodge it. Several strands of crimson hair fluttered through the air. 

But that wasn’t enough for Melissa to let up on her attack, as she spun her hip to attack with the knife in her other hand. 

Unfortunately for Tesfia, she wasn’t able to pull back the katana she’d just swung yet. She couldn’t due to the pressure she was under. 

Melissa attacked with skillful knife handling, not letting up to allow Tesfia to catch her breath. For every one attack Tesfia could make with her katana, Melissa slashed two to three times with her knives. 

It didn’t look like Tesfia would be able to dodge the next attack. Because she’d thrown herself off balance to avoid the last one, her leg was lifted up from the floor. With the approaching knife in her eyes, she threw her gaze downward and forcibly invoked Freeze. 

She lost a lot of mana because of the absorbing walls, but she managed to activate it through brute force and froze the bottom of Melissa’s foot for a moment. With that, she’d managed to prevent Melissa from getting that one step closer to make her life-threatening attack. 

The knife passed right under Tesfia’s chin. One moment later, Melissa forcibly ripped her foot free from the ice and kicked her in the abdomen. 

Even in anguish, Tesfia used the kick to backflip, and distanced herself. 

Her face twisted in pain as she dropped to one knee, using her katana to support herself. She brought up a hand to check her neck, but she only had a scratch. Catching her breath, she hurriedly stood back up. 

Melissa was using the time to check on her leg that had been frozen. Her composure spoke volumes about the gap in their abilities. 

Melissa lightly adjusted her grip on one of her knives. Its magic formula glowed as mana passed through it. She moved her lips, muttering an incantation. 

The next moment, a polyhedral barrier appeared before her. 

It was reminiscent of Alice’s Reflection, but unlike Reflection which only worked on the blade itself, this worked on a far bigger scale. 

The polyhedron was in the shape of a cut jewel, and if anything it strongly resembled Reduction, the higher-level version of the spell. It was primarily used as a counter toward attacks, so of course there was no point in using it before the opponent made their move... or so Tesfia thought. 

“—!” 

But Tesfia found herself staring in amazement, realizing she’d misunderstood. It wasn’t something that Alice had used. Indeed, having an affinity to the light element, Melissa could use it too. 

Tesfia didn’t know what she was thinking, but Melissa swung her knife down on the spell and smashed it, sending fragments of it flying. 

She was astonished for a moment, but it wasn’t like the construction had been broken... she instinctively realized that this was the complete version of her spell. 

Fragments floated around Tesfia. And they shot towards her like buckshot. Just a quick glance was enough to tell her that she couldn’t block all of them. 

As she used her katana as support to stand up, her face twisted in pain and her knee buckled a little. She’d dodged a fatal blow, but had taken a slice to her calf without realizing it. 

But Tesfia could only be stunned for a moment, as soon thereafter the fragments of light cut through the air and rained down upon her. She quickly covered her head, but it wouldn’t be near enough to protect her from harm. 

In the next moment, Tesfia felt someone covering her. That person threw themselves over her to protect her. 

Eventually, the torrential shower of light fragments stopped. 

Tesfia moved her arms away, slowly opening her eyes. She could feel some cuts, but she’d avoided anything lethal. 

When she turned around, she saw Alice smiling in relief. She was still trying to protect Tesfia, and let out a sigh, “Thank god.” 

But having taken Tesfia’s place, she had some fragments stabbed into her back. The next moment the fragments disappeared as in a haze, but her gruesome injuries remained. 

“Alice!!” 

“I’m fine, Fia. This is nothing... Loki dear protected us.” 

Loki had landed in front of them, a knife AWR squeezed between her fingers. That small back looked so reliable right now. However... 

Her arm suddenly slumped down, and the knife fell out of her hand. At the same time drops of blood dripped down from her fingers. 

“Loki!” “Loki dear!” 

She turned around as if to answer their voices. There was blood on her face, and she wore a bitter expression. “To be honest... I don’t know why I did something like this. Maybe I was influenced by someone,” she said in a self-ridiculing tone, but there was no regret in her voice. If anything, she seemed surprised. 

Of course, Alus’ order to help the two was her motive; but when she thought about it now, she hadn’t had any expectations in the instant that she moved her body. She was used to pain, but it had been a while since she took an injury this severe. 

Alus was one thing, but why had she used her body to shield the two—? 

This is such a strange feeling. Loki was sure that Alus felt the same thing, but she’d save her question for later, once this mission was over. 

There were so many irregularities with this mission... starting with the redhead who was with them. 

“So I lost the use of an arm. A spell where the only option is to dodge everything sure is problematic, though.” 

The essence of the spell was reflection. As it belonged to the highest rank of light spells, any magic used to combat it likely would come flying right back at the user. 

“... That’s probably Phasm Clasma,” Alice said, naming the spell. As it was part of her own attribute, she had committed it to memory. 

“... I hate the light element,” Loki said with a frown, holding her temporarily unusable left arm. “Well, unfortunately I won’t be of much use to you in battle, but will you continue?” she asked, but she was sure Alice wouldn’t give up. 

While Loki had proclaimed herself as not being of much use, that was simply in terms of fighting while protecting them. If she fought against Melissa seriously, Loki had a good chance of winning. 

“Yes. I’ll pull myself together and continue. I’ve made up my mind... So thank you, Loki dear, Fia.” 

Enduring her pain, Alice stood up. And took a step forward towards Melissa. 

“You don’t have to be so reserved. I might not be of much help, but I think I can do something.” Tesfia checked her leg, and lined up next to Alice. Considering her injuries, it was questionable if she could put up much of a fight. Despite that, she wanted to support her best friend until the end. 

Loki wordlessly watched over the two. Since she’d devoted herself to the cruel battles of the Outer World, the atmosphere between these two was strangely dazzling. 

Most of all, she felt like she was looking at an ideal that had slipped out of her hands. No, Loki wasn’t even allowed to hold such an ideal, so that didn’t quite make sense... but if she’d not been herself, if she’d led a different life in another time, she might have been in their shoes. 

However... as long as something didn’t fundamentally change, Tesfia and Alice had no chance of winning. Loki decided to continue watching over them. 

Ignoring their pain, the two quickly began their clash with Melissa again. If they let their guard down for a moment they would lose their lives. That was just how big of a difference there was in capability. 

Unexpectedly enough, however, Melissa’s attacking wasn’t fatal for the two. Nor did it even deal that much damage at all. 

Something’s strange... 

Loki steadily gazed at the battle, feeling something was off. Melissa’s movements were growing duller. There was a delay in her movements. And that delay in reaction was gradually creating a large opening. 

Melissa was retreating from the range of Alice’s speedy spearmanship. 

Alice’s expression wasn’t just filled with a grimace of pain. There’d been a period of time where she and Melissa knew nothing of each other. And Alice was literally giving it her all, as if to show what she’d learned during that time. 

The mana covering her naginata showed a strong, refined light. While they both used the light element, Alice’s mana had a brighter sheen to it. 

Her next attack aimed at Melissa’s weapon had failed to knock it out of her hands, but combined with the momentum, Alice succeeded in sending Melissa’s knife and arm backwards. 

Having had her balance thrown off, Melissa immediately swung her knife against the red-haired girl approaching her from behind. Of course, with her balance ruined, her attack didn’t have the same speed as before. 

Tesfia calmly used her full strength to hit the knife. That strike with all of her force behind it managed to knock the knife out of Melissa’s hand. 

Melissa was left defenseless for a moment. 

“Alice!” Not missing their opening, Tesfia gave Alice the signal. 

Alice nodded and held up her naginata, ready to swing, when her eyes met Melissa’s. 

Suddenly, her mouth began to tremble. All she had to do was swing her naginata down, but she remained motionless with the tip of her blade in the air. 

“I-I can’t do it...” 

The voice that escaped her lips was full of grief. Large tears fell down her cheeks. 

Loki, watching on, narrowed her eyes. Missing that chance was a major blunder, and it made way for a fatal opening. It was now Alice who was defenseless in front of the enemy. 

But something else changed before Loki could rush in to help. 

Recovering from her off-balance posture, Melissa once more brandished her knives... the tips, however, stopped. Her eyes were as empty as before... but a tear ran down from one of them. The movement of her arms seemed restrained. 

“... Melissa?!” 

“A... lice... Alice...” 

Melissa awkwardly moved her mouth in response to Alice’s timid voice. A tinge of emotion began filling her expression as well. As tears fell, the smile on her face gradually began looking like the one Alice knew. 

But her next words made Alice’s heart constrict in pain. 

“A... lice... Kill me.” 

With a smile still on her face, Melissa said something that made Alice doubt her ears. And Melissa’s arms were trembling as she said it. Part of her was trying to swing the knives, while another part of her was trying to stop them. It was like two sides of her were vying for control of her body. 

Tears streamed down Alice’s face. “I can’t... I can’t do it, Melissa.” 

The light in Melissa’s eyes flickered, and in the next moment she slashed with her knife. 

Tesfia jumped at Alice, pushing her down just in time. 

“—?!” But Tesfia felt a searing hot sensation on her back as if she’d been cut. Sweat gathered on her forehead. And tears began flowing out of her eyes as well. 

Those warm droplets fell onto Alice’s cheeks. “I’m sorry, Alice. I’m really selfish...” 

Tesfia didn’t bother wiping her tears away as she stood and faced Melissa, her AWR grasped in her hands. “If you can’t do it, I will. She might have been the only one you had back in the past, but you have me now. And I worry over you and treasure you as well. If you can’t fight, then I will for you. I’m your friend too, Alice...” 

The katana in her hand trembled slightly. She didn’t want to kill someone either. Especially not someone so precious to Alice. They’d been friends who’d shared joy and pain together in the past. And it was surely thanks to Melissa that Alice was who she was now. 

But Tesfia still chose to do it. Because Alice was so precious to her. 

No matter how much she tried convincing herself, her racing heart caused her hands to shake and her vision to distort. 

It was a strange thing... for whose sake was she crying? But no, that wasn’t it. Her tears were Alice’s tears. And they were probably her old friend’s tears as well. 

In her hand was a katana, a deadly weapon. Tesfia stepped out in front of Alice, who’d broken down in tears... it was her attempt to keep her from seeing what would happen. 

Meanwhile, Alice’s tear-filled eyes stared at her best friend. She couldn’t put anything into words because of the hesitation in her heart. She just couldn’t bring herself to end Melissa’s life. Just imagining it was enough to bring up an overwhelming sense of refusal. 

But Alice had no will to fight or run. At this rate she would do nothing while her best friend dirtied her hands... or rather, she would make Tesfia dirty her hands. 

“Are you sure about this?” 

Suddenly, Alice heard Loki’s voice in her ear. Her voice was quiet, having traveled some distance, and her words slowly sank into Alice’s heart. It was a simple question, neither blaming nor resenting her. 

Alice’s shoulders trembled, and she slowly hung her head. 

Seeing that, Loki used her right arm to pull out a knife. If Alice entrusted that to Tesfia, she’d make her move. It wouldn’t make a difference who was the one to actually kill Melissa. And Loki had already used her body to live up to Alus’ command before. 

Loki didn’t know how it worked, but she calmly considered that Melissa’s consciousness returning was only a temporary thing. If she missed the opportunity, someone would die. And she still wasn’t convinced that Tesfia could make that decision, either. It wasn’t something that could be done just by slashing with no thought. 

Sensing this change in Loki, Alice meekly turned around to look. Her long lashes were wet with tears. 

“Like Sir Alus said... if that’s what you’ve decided, then that’s fine. But won’t you regret it if you leave that decision up to Ms. Tesfia?” 

Loki continued calmly, “Both Sir Alus and I think about the right choice when pressed for a decision. No, I’m sure everyone does. Living in this world requires you to pile up decisions like that. But I’m sure Sir Alus knows that there is no right choice. So I’m sure that in the end, what you decide for yourself will be correct.” 

“Loki dear...” 

Some bitter emotion was mixed in with Loki’s gentle-looking eyes. That wasn’t aimed at Alice’s hesitation, but rather at herself. 

She’d spoken from having experienced regret that begot further regret. The last stop for those who failed was a state of mind filled with egotistical self-satisfaction. Like shadows followed light, as long as one was alive they would experience regret. But those who didn’t choose at all would never see the best outcome. 

Alice turned to look at Tesfia’s back. That small but reliable back was desperately trying to protect her, that familiar red hair swaying in the air. That back reminded her of Melissa’s when they were young. 

Then, all of a sudden—Alice realized it. 

She wanted to become like an older sister, respected by everyone, strong enough to not just be protected but to protect as well. Just like she had once been saved, it was now her turn to save Melissa. If she stayed like this, she would surely only disappoint her. 

“Thank you, Loki dear.” Alice wiped her tears away. She firmly gripped her naginata and stood up. With steady steps, she walked forward and called out to the red-haired girl. 

“Fia. I made up my mind, so leave the rest to me.” 

“Alice...” 

Alice looked like a weight had fallen off her shoulders. She put her hand over Tesfia’s trembling hands. Taking a long breath, Tesfia slowly lowered her blade. 

Melissa was able to resist her body moving against her will. And a relieved smile appeared on her face as she saw Alice stand before her. 

“I’m sorry that this is all I can do.” After shedding more tears, Alice wiped them away with the back of her hand, and tried to smile as best she could. 

“... Alice, please.” Melissa smiled back at Alice when she saw her readying her naginata. 

In that instant, the last of her strength seemed to slip away, as she lost control of her hand and sharply thrust her knife toward Alice, the smile still on her lips. 

But as if she’d seen it coming—Alice swung her naginata in its trajectory, slashing at the knife and the sickly white hand holding it. 

And with fluent footwork she raised her naginata. The only thing left to do was swing it down. 

Melissa let all the strength leave her body, quietly waiting for the end to come with closed eyes. She had wanted to stay by Alice’s side to see her grow up... but even that desire was now falling into a deep slumber. 

She wanted Alice to look to the future rather than the past. To look at those who would support the future, not at those meeting their end. 

So giving one final glance at the redheaded girl behind Alice, Melissa let a natural smile appear on her face. 

But what came next wasn’t an attack to end her life, but the soft impact of an embrace. 

The naginata held high slipped out of Alice’s hand, and instead she hugged Melissa with everything she had. 

“Wha—?!” 

“—!!” 

Alice’s action surprised Tesfia and Loki, and neither were able to even speak. Nobody was able to react to the completely unexpected move. 

Her decision was illogical, and seemingly even self-sacrificing, as she gave up on the battle itself. 

While Tesfia was astonished, she realized that it was just like Alice. 

However, her decision was a gamble that wouldn’t even make for a good story. Unable to brace for the impact, the two fell over. 

Before long, in complete disregard of Alice, Melissa’s hand moved mechanically and without her intention, the knife closing in again. 

Whether Alice was aware of that or not, she spoke. “This is the only thing I could think of. This is the only way for me to have no regrets. So I’m sorry, Melissa.” Alice had a bright smile on her face. 

And in response... the stab approaching from behind suddenly stopped, and the knife fell out of her hand. In its place, Melissa gently put her hand on Alice’s back. “You haven’t changed at all, Alice.” 

“—! Melissa! Are you okay? Are you conscious?!” 

“Yes. I’m a bit hazy, but... I’m fine, thanks to you.” 

Melissa gazed at Alice with a haggard expression, one of her eyes closed. The feeling that she could disappear at any moment was unchanged, but the light in her eyes was back. 

Seeing that the threat had passed for now, Loki immediately raised her voice. “Sir Alus!!” 

Alus was still in the midst of a fierce battle against Godma, but he swiftly responded to her call and pointed the palm of his hand their way. 

The next moment, a magical barrier enclosed the four girls. 

With that, Alus could go all out. At the very least, he didn’t have to worry about them getting caught up in it. 

Meanwhile, inside the barrier, Tesfia slumped down as the strength left her legs. 

As she looked around her surroundings in surprise, Loki proudly called out to her. “This is Sir Alus’ magic.” 

“... Aw geez, what is this? If he could do something like this, he should have done so from... oh, right.” Having grasped the situation, Tesfia looked at Alus with a gentle expression. 

The fierce fighting moved too fast for her to see. They’d reached the end with every single one of them still alive. Lifting her lips up into a smile, Tesfia decided not to say anything more. 

* * * 

In the midst of his battle against Godma, Alus glanced over towards Alice and the others inside his barrier. 

Bringing Tesfia along was the right choice. 

Now that he was a Fiend, Godma’s reaction speed and physicality were on a par with Alus’ own. Of course that was because Alus was avoiding using spells and fighting up close. 

If anything, he’d been waiting for the girls to wrap things up on their end. The barrier he’d cast around Alice and the others was out of consideration for them so they could take a breather, as well as to prevent Godma from doing anything unnecessary. 

Like Tesfia noticed, he could have done so at any point; but taking Alice and Melissa’s intertwined fate as well as Tesfia’s feelings into consideration, he’d kept from doing so. But there was no longer anything stopping him from doing it. 

Also, while their physical strength was on par, there was a clear difference in endurance. Godma’s body, especially his outer shell, was quite resistant to blows. Alus on the other hand was flesh and bones, and he had injuries all over, including the big one on his shoulder. 

Because the weight of the blows from Godma was greater, Alus would be at a disadvantage the longer the fight dragged on. 

Dodging Godma’s gigantic arm, Alus repeatedly thrust at its joint with Night Mist. But as expected, each stab hit shallowly on that shell-like skin. Moreover, he was unable to fully dodge the claws, and they cut into his shoulder and tore at his flesh. 

Alus clicked his tongue, and spun around his AWR that was still stabbed into Godma’s joint. While upside-down, in the middle of his swing, he unleashed a kick at Godma’s neck. Yet his sturdy body didn’t budge, and his neck only tilted slightly. 

He pulled out Night Mist and then kicked off of Godma’s body to get some distance. 

Godma stared at Alus as his head slowly moved back into place. His pupils narrowed even more. He’d completely locked onto his target, but then he shifted his eyes to look towards Melissa inside of Alus’ barrier. “As expected, I shouldn’t have left her sense of self intact. Or perhaps it was Alice’s factor that brought her back. Hm, hm, hm, either way I guess I couldn’t have predicted it.” 

Letting out a beast-like laugh, Godma gazed at Melissa as if he was staring at prey. He used his still somewhat human-looking left hand to cover his face. “I should have tampered with her a little more when I had the chance. It’s unfortunate, but I guess I’ll have her be useful one last time...” 

With those words, mana gathered in Godma’s fingertips, drawing a geometrical magic circle. The circle was as red as blood. 

Godma stabbed his finger into its center. “Repose embraces sacrifice, and invites the ancestors—‹‹Senas Requiem››” 

A scream came from a different direction from Alus, who stood on guard. 

It came from within the dome-shaped barrier. 

Melissa was screaming, an eerie light rising in her chest. She clutched at herself, unable to bear the unimaginable pain. 

“Aaaaa—Aaaaaaah...!!” 

“Melissa! Melissa!!” 

Alice embraced her. But Melissa showed no signs of calming down, and because of her strength her nails dug into her chest. At this rate she might even tear herself apart. 

Her pain wasn’t the effect of Godma’s use of a taboo spell, but rather the cost of it, and it didn’t matter if she was within a magical barrier or not. 

In the worst case scenario, staying in the barrier could result in Alice and the others getting caught up in it as well. 

Godma realized this, and his lips lifted up in a disturbing smile. “Hurry up and die, and face your punishment, Melissa. I can’t expect something on the level of the attack on the Institute, but in return, I won’t need to make any complex adjustments to the aim... as long as I can use this taboo, I can defeat Alus Reigin and prove the worth of my research!” 

“Al... please, save Melissa! Please, I’ll do anything!” Alice begged him in a crying fit, throwing everything at Alus’ feet. 

“...” 

However, Alus remained silent, not giving her an answer. He couldn’t. 

Melissa was looking straight at him, weakly shaking her head. She was earnestly imploring him not to intervene. She’d understood everything, and she would resolve it herself. That’s what her eyes were telling him. 

In fact, all Alus could do was rely on a single awkward method; something he’d done countless times, salvation through death. Unlike that time with Loki, he’d experienced this spell twice now, and he knew that this taboo didn’t have an external catalyst. 

The taboo spell known as Senas Requiem used the heart as the catalyst. 

Her heart had been tampered with by Godma, so that just using the activation formula would force the spell to be constructed. The only way to save her was to pluck out her heart. Of course, that would end her life as well. 

This was a taboo because of the cruel nature of the spell. The sacrifice would die no matter what. 

“Why, why...?” 

Alice was being supported by Tesfia, as despair washed over her. Her face was distorted in anger and tears when Melissa suddenly reached out to stroke her cheek. 

“It’s okay, Alice. There are things even he can’t do. Besides, I have to face my punishment. So please forgive me, Alice.” 

Alice lovingly held the white hand stroking her cheek. “You don’t have to say that. You’re going to be fine. We’re going to save you.” 

Godma’s laughter echoed through the room in anticipation of the spell’s activation. 

Melissa gave Alice a fleeting smile. The same geometrical shape that Godma had created was already engraved in her chest, as she breathed heavily. Bringing her fast, shallow breaths under control, she squeezed out the last of her willpower. 

And directed a pitying sneer towards Godma. “I won’t let this go as you please, Godma! I won’t be killed by the likes of you... that’s right, I won’t let there be anyone to blame for this end!” 

She removed her hand from the surprised Alice’s cheek, and raised the knife in her left hand... before plunging it into her chest. 

Silence fell over the room. 

The magic formula engraved in Melissa’s heart stopped working, and the taboo spell that looked to activate at any moment fell apart, disappearing even as Godma shouted out in anger. 

Alus quietly watched over the sight. He’d somewhat expected this ever since he accepted her silent plea. And the reason he hadn’t taken action to stop Godma’s taboo spell was because he didn’t have to. 

Alice cried out with heartbreaking sorrow. Loki cast her eyes down, and Tesfia stood next to Alice with a mournful expression. 

“Melissa, why...?! I never wanted you to go away ever again...!” A never-ending stream of tears poured out of Alice’s eyes. She desperately pressed her hands against Melissa’s chest, trying to keep any more blood from coming out of the stab wound. But nothing she could do would change anything now. 

“Thank you, Alice. I’m so glad I got to see you before the end. Please just keep looking forward from now on. Don’t look back, and don’t stop... because your happiness is my happiness. And I’m happy... that I was able to let you know.” 

Melissa’s exhaustion was obvious to anyone. It wasn’t clear if her eyes could even see Alice anymore. 

Suddenly, her hand drifted through the air. She weakly grabbed Tesfia’s hand and spoke to her. “Please take... care of Alice... please, take care of her...” 

Her gradually weakening voice echoed through Tesfia’s heart. Tesfia nodded repeatedly at her in response. Because of her wet eyes, tears scattered across her face. 

Melissa realized that she was dying, and she called out to Alice, asking her to tell her a story that she could listen to until the end. 

Alice choked back her tears, and began to speak. She didn’t have anywhere near enough time to tell her of all that had happened since they’d parted ways, so her story was incoherent and fragmented. 

But it still seemed to satisfy Melissa, as a peaceful smile appeared on her face. 

Just as the end was about to come, Alice recalled something that she had to ask Melissa. “Say, Melissa. Do you remember what you said when we parted ways at the facility?” She feigned calm as she spoke. She wished she could speak with Melissa forever so that she wouldn’t fall asleep, if it was at all possible... 

Finally Melissa opened her mouth. “... I remember. Back then, I said ‘Let’s meet again.’ And it came true.” 

She didn’t even have enough strength to change her expression, as she muttered these words with her bloodless lips to her beloved little sister. 

... Melissa had told one final lie at the end. With that, the selfish promise she’d made would no longer remain in the world. 

The truth was that she’d asked Alice to someday call her “Sis” again. She had implored her out of weakness. She was scared to be on her own. She wanted family, and she had cherished Alice for that sake. Thinking back on it now, she couldn’t forgive herself for it. 

It was Melissa who had been saved from those hellish days back then. So she had prayed... that Alice would see her as a big sister again if she ever got another chance to protect her. 

Melissa was recalling those days when she’d been together with the young Alice. She was satisfied just thinking about the small happiness they’d shared back then. Her world was growing dark now, but she wasn’t scared. If anything, she only felt fulfillment. 

She couldn’t even move a finger now. Not her lips, nor her eyes, not even her eyebrows. Even that distant voice in her ear was growing faint. 

“Sis... Sis.” 

Ah, Alice. My beloved Alice... thank you. 

A lone tear ran down from her closed eyes, and her time came. And the hand that Alice held onto lost all strength, letting her know that she had passed on. 

* * * 

Having watched Melissa’s end from start to finish, Godma spat out his disdain. “This is what happens when a pet disobeys its master. Talk about a defective puppet. You could call this the greatest stain on my—” 

Before he could say record, Godma felt a bone-numbing chill behind him. 

Swinging his arm around as he turned, his blow was stopped by Alus’ arm, sturdier than a thick wall. The fist that was bigger than a man’s head had been easily stopped by what appeared to be a slender boy. 

Without any time to even be taken aback in surprise, Alus’ face was right in front of him. Behind those bangs were cold eyes, seemingly filled with madness, staring right at Godma. “Just die already.” 

Godma raised his arm out of reflex, gathering mana in it to defend against the next move. But before any spell could activate, his giant frame was frozen in an instant. 

Mistlotein. Alus hadn’t even said the spell’s name. 

By the time Godma recognized the spell, his body was already a statue of ice. 

Of course, that alone wouldn’t do anything to him. In the next instant, he used his mana to forcibly break the ice. It only took a second for him to do it. 

Once he was free from the ice, Godma looked up, and saw it. With a face filled with fright, he screamed, “W-Which one of us is the monster...?!” 

Before the glowing orb-shaped spell activated, Alus took cover some distance away inside of a barrier like the one covering Tesfia and the others. 

“‹‹Astral Sun››” 

It was huge and powerful. And the orb grew another two sizes larger, and its flames even more intense after being given a seemingly infinite amount of information. 

This was a spell that only looked similar to the beginner spell Burning. This one featured extreme temperatures, as if it was a shrunken sun. And it was among the top of the fire attribute spells. 

“Gaaaaaahh!!” 

The area immediately heated up. The barrier Alus hid behind began to distort. It would only last a dozen seconds or so more. The white walls of the barrier began to turn red and melt, as the very composition of Alus’ barrier began to collapse. 

Sensing the temperature’s steep climb, he undid the spell. If he messed up in a sealed room like this, everyone might burn to death. 

As Alus undid the spell, Godma appeared from out of the black smoke, down on one of his knees. Because of the extreme heat, parts of his outer shell had been badly burnt, and the floor around his feet was orange and on the verge of dissolving. 

That he’d only sustained that degree of injury was likely because he’d hurriedly used his gathered mana and expelled it to create a protective shell around him. 

Alus walked up to Godma and looked down on him expressionlessly. 

Then— 

“—! Aaaahhh!!” 

A downwards swing, and a grotesque arm was cut off at its base. Punishment was handed down by the black blade of Night Mist. 

Godma swung his other arm in response, but the moment it moved, Alus applied gravitational pressure to his elbow, crushing it, making it fall limply to his side. 

Having shaved off the dangers of the Fiend, Alus diagonally swung his blade towards his torso. 

Green blood spurted out. Godma slumped back unsteadily against a wall. 

It was an overwhelming conclusion. However, Alus didn’t end him. 

Seeing that, Loki ran up to him. “Sir Alus, I’ll treat your injuries...” 

“...! It’s nothing serious.” Not hiding his surprise, as if he’d just now realized, Alus looked at the timid Loki. 

Alice slowly walked over to Godma. Tesfia stared at her back as she went, glancing at Melissa. 

Godma’s appearance no longer had any similarities to when he’d been human. Parts of him were decaying and falling off. His grotesque shell was peeling off on its own. 

The blood dripping out of his mouth was still green, but his body now started gradually turning more human again. His swelled-up remaining arm was starting to look more human. But the golden color of his eyes didn’t change at all. 

“Phew... looks like it was no good,” Godma feebly said with chagrin, his body still leaning against the wall. Regardless, it was only a matter of time now. 

Alus looked down on the loser. Then—“She’s here.” 

A woman jumped down the hole Godma had opened before, and silently landed. Before long, her long fluttering black hair settled back into place. “Is it over already?” 

“Feli, what happened up above?” 

“You don’t have to worry. The extermination of the Dolls that escaped outside has already begun, and... there’s only a few of them left. Would you like to see?” 

Vizaist was good at using a spell to get a grasp of the situation at hand as well. But the term “see” made Alus give her a perplexed look. 

Felinella responded by asking him to wait a moment. She walked up to him, and as they faced each other, she sandwiched his head between her hands. Her cheeks turned a slight red, and she pressed her forehead against his. 

“‹‹Airmap Link››” 

A vision of the surrounding area popped into Alus’ mind, as well as red and blue dots being scattered across it. The red dots were the Dolls. 

“Wha?!” a shocked voice cried out, without a doubt belonging to Loki. 

“To think you could do something like this, that’s amazing, Feli.” 

“Thank you!” A huge smile appeared on Felinella’s face. 

“But... I haven’t seen the commander do something like this.” Feli’s spell was something that Vizaist should have taught her. 

“Well... you have to touch foreheads, so...” Felinella blushed harder. 

Alus caught on to what she meant. Just the thought of pressing his forehead against an old man in his 50s made him feel depressed. And if his cheeks turned as pink as Felinella’s were now, it would be a traumatic experience he’d never forget. “... Anything but that.” 

“Agreed.” Felinella rejected the idea of Alus and her father touching foreheads as well. 

In the silence... Alice was looking down at the dying Godma. 

And a cold voice called out to her from behind. “I’ll leave the rest to you. Hand him over to the army, or finish him off yourself, do what you want.” Alus had already lost interest in that man’s fate. 

Godma weakly looked up at Alice. “T-That was a miserable end, Alice. Melissa acted like a big sister even here, treating the Dolls like her little sisters instead of you. She was no different from how she was back at the facility...” 

He was scoffing at Melissa’s death. But Alice gritted her teeth and kept quiet. 

“Kill me, Alice. I’m the man who stole everything from you. Do it, and you can cheer up and feel satisfied,” Godma continued, as if trying to enrage her. 

Alice silently stared at his face. Frankly, she hated and despised him. The reason her life and her past were such a mess was lying powerless right before her. It was the perfect chance for revenge. 

But as she stared at him, she could feel her hatred fade. Alice realized why that was. If only she could have realized it in the past. “What did you want to do... even going so far as to harm children? We weren’t your dolls to play with,” Alice muttered in a heartrending tone. 

The past couldn’t be changed, and for some reason she felt pity. Despite the mountain of soulless Dolls that spoke of the cruelties Godma was responsible for. 

“No, you’re Dolls, every last one of you were. Alice, your parents even sold you off for money! Everyone is the same. They readily accept some convenient excuse about it being for the sake of humanity as they line their pockets with gold.” 

Perhaps becoming desperate, Godma began to rain abuse down on Alice to provoke her. Like he was trying to gouge at her, to bring out the hatred within her. 

However, Alice’s heart remained unchanged. “You’re wrong,” she said in a calm voice, and shook her head. She held her hand above her chest. “Because my mother and father came to visit me every day. They treasured me until the end...” 

Tears began streaming down Alice’s cheeks as she remembered. Those bright drops reflected nothing but happiness. She couldn’t forgive him, but she already had. 

And now she finally understood the meaning behind what her parents had done at the end. “They had bought a big stuffed animal for me.” Alice had a nostalgic smile on her face, through her tears. 

Her parents had lost their lives in a robbery. Even after they’d been stabbed, they clung on to that stuffed animal until the end. They couldn’t let it get taken after they’d bought it for when Alice would come home. Even though there was no way that robbers only looking to steal money would take it. 

She’d only heard it secondhand, but she could easily imagine them behaving that way. As her parents passed away, their thoughts remained on their beloved daughter. 

“One thing follows another. What my mother and father left behind, the feelings that Melissa carried on, and right now when I’m being saved by so many people... That’s why I don’t want to let go of the now... of the future that carries on alongside our bonds.” 

There had never been any reason to hesitate. And finishing off Godma would surely be a betrayal. And Melissa had taken her own life to prevent that, putting an end to any grudge that might result from someone killing her, with her own hands. 

If Alice were to kill Godma here, she wouldn’t be able to remain where she was now. The now that she’d built up and treasured so highly, was far too happy and precious for her to throw away. 

Her reunion with Melissa was the ultimate proof of that. After all, there was no way that her bond with Melissa could be denied. 

Thinking back on it—harshness really hadn’t been the only thing she’d felt. No matter how much she doubted it, it never faded. Whether or not Melissa had truly concerned herself with Alice, and what her real motives were wasn’t a big deal. 

Because ultimately... what really mattered was how Alice herself felt about it. 

The bond she formed with Melissa connected to Tesfia, Alus and Loki, leading to a bright present. And Alice couldn’t stain that with something as unsightly as revenge. If she did, she could never take their hands again. And she couldn’t face her parents who’d raised her with love. So that’s the answer Alice chose. 

“Don’t be stupid... so what? Are you seriously saying that you don’t hate me for toying with you, Melissa, and countless other experiments?” Taken aback in amazement, Godma raised his fading voice. His tone sounded vain, yet somehow amazed. He was overwhelmed by these irrational and absurd emotions. There wasn’t a single trace of the hatred and anger that he’d expected in Alice’s eyes. 

“Yeah. If that’s what Melissa wanted... I’ll forgive you,” Alice said in a quiet voice, as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. “That’s why... I won’t let you stain my past any further!” 

Having said her piece, Alice took a deep breath and turned her head to reveal the refreshed expression on her face. 

“Are you fine with that?” Alus asked. 

Alice nodded firmly. “Nothing would be changed by it, and I won’t let it be changed, either. It won’t bring Melissa back, so I don’t want pointless revenge to ruin the now that leads to the future...” 

“Well, if you’re fine with it, I won’t say any more.” 

There was no right answer, but the choice Alice had made on her own was in no way wrong. She had chosen not to dirty the road that Melissa had shown her. In the end, Alice might have ended up protecting so many precious things. 

And maybe the reason Alus had taken Tesfia with him was because Alice’s bonds with him and Loki wouldn’t have been enough to make her choose the future. Tesfia surely made up one of the threads that Alice would use to weave her future. 

Alus had a vague feeling that he’d made the right decision. It was a kind of premonition that might have been connected to the truth of the world that was surely something that didn’t rely on reasoning or rationality, but something far beyond it. 

He was frustrated that he couldn’t see the logic in it, but he felt strangely happy when he looked at Alice’s back. 

Alice was unaware of his stare... but she suddenly turned around to speak to him. “Besides...” She stopped to put a mischievous smile on her face. Her honey-colored hair fluttered in the air, and she wore a beaming smile. “Besides, you looked like you didn’t want me to kill him.” 

“Did I look like that?” Alus answered her bluntly, but with an element of surprise in his tone. 

“... You did, your face was all, like, sad and stuff,” Alice laughed again, holding her hands behind her back and gazing at him with upturned eyes. In contrast to her bright voice, she deliberately twisted her face in a blatant grimace. 

Realizing she was teasing him, Alus narrowed his eyes before calmly answering, “I see.” 

Then the next moment: “Who’d make an ugly face like that?!” he shouted out loudly, in a hammy fashion. 

If she kept this up, Alice would completely get over it someday. And that hunch put a lightness in Alus’ steps. Of course, he himself was unaware of that. 

“What do you mean ugly...? You really aren’t being honest,” Alice said happily, as she stopped the grimacing look. She then added, more seriously, “... That’s right. You really don’t understand yourself at all, Al.” 

* * * 

In a windowless white room. 

Godma, who was just barely clinging to life, was strapped to a bed and mumbling to himself. “... I-I might have lost to you bastards... but that won’t put an end to my research. I fulfilled my promise to him after... all...” 

Perhaps it was thanks to having once turned into a Fiend that he was still alive. Because of the thinking of some of the higher-ups, the elimination order on Godma was temporarily put on hold. 

“This was a facility near Godma’s base that had been constructed for the encirclement.” Strictly speaking, it was one of the rooms in the temporary medical facility set up to treat the wounded... but because of the circumstances, it had also become a simple interrogation room. 

It was an abandoned building that had been quickly repaired, but once upon a time it had been a research facility, which was perfectly ironic. 

Loki stood next to Alus, covering her left arm. Tesfia and Alice were being treated for their injuries in the next room, but Loki had only received the bare minimum treatment. 

She had an anxious look to her, but after a quick glance at her, Alus turned to Felinella who stood some distance away. The battle was over, but there were still things left to do... Alus was beginning to long for his own laboratory after all that had happened. 

Felinella had her license against her ear, receiving a report from outside. Before long, the call ended, and she calmly reported, “It appears to be over. They’ve finally eliminated all of them.” 

Even after Godma fell, the 60 or so Dolls that escaped outside had continued to rampage. 

And Felinella then received a report that the last remaining one had finally stopped moving. “There was one more... just as expected. A Doll with different-colored eyes. We captured that one too, and they seemed to have had data embedded in their eyes.” 

“Impossible!!” Hearing that, Godma shouted out loud from his bed. 

“I expected as much,” Alus said. 

Since Godma had support from somewhere, he must have provided for some insurance that his research data would reach the outside. He had 200 Dolls with him. That was enough to call a private army. 

But Felinella and the others received information that Godma’s supporter wasn’t just a lone person or organization, but an entire nation. 

Balmes, the nation with the fewest Magicmasters in its ranks, also had Magicmasters of low quality and there were rumors that it lacked the ability to defend its borders, and even that its ruler was being dismissed. 

Then there was Hydrange, which had the No. 5 ranked Magicmaster, but its number of Double Digit Magicmasters was a fraction of the other nations. 

Godma’s research that artificially created light element users was something that would fulfill the needs of both of these nations. 

They could have just gotten the name of Godma’s patron from Godma himself, but it appeared that he wasn’t aware of their identity. He had simply devoted himself to his research without caring who he was dealing with, or where the money was coming from. Unfortunately, Alus could imagine himself doing the same. 

Godma was a man who’d taken up insane research, so it wasn’t hard to guess that he wouldn’t bother himself. Moreover, the representative of Godma’s patron must have been quite cautious as well. 

That aside—“So, where was that Odd Eyes captured?” 

“... At the Institute. It appears they used a simplified transport gate.” 

“I see, so they left some kind of device behind during the last attack to allow transportation from the outside. They must have struggled to make something like that work, a quasi-version of a transport gate.” 

“I didn’t think things like that were at a practical stage yet, though... when did he manage that?” Felinella said in surprise. 

Alus answered her. “It just means that Godma was pretty competent. Like Lord Vizaist expected, they had a way out of the research facility, but to think they were headed for the Institute...” 

“That choice was a bit bold,” Loki said in an exasperated tone. 

“Yeah, it takes a lot of guts to try to do that under the nose of a former Single Digit.” 

Godma had ultimately underestimated Sisty. She’d caught the intruder by detecting a slight change in the mana of the Institute that was under her control. Melissa’s infiltration had made her aware there was a hole in security to begin with. 

Alus took a look over in Godma’s direction. 

“I see... so it’s all fallen apart,” Godma murmured in a hoarse tone. With that, he closed his eyes and lost consciousness. 

“But still, what a terrible situation,” Alus mused. 

Tesfia’s and Alice’s injuries were considerable, and Loki’s left arm was badly hurt as well. They hadn’t lost anyone, but none of them had made it out uninjured, not even Alus. 

“I’m going to head over to Lord Vizaist and give a report about this incident. Feli, can you request some healing Magicmasters? Once that’s done, Loki, take the others back to the Institute with you.” 

“But you’re heading out before the healing Magicmasters get here, Sir Alus? At least have them stop the bleeding.” 

“Nah, you’re the one who needs their bleeding stopped first, Loki.” 

Loki was surprised at first, but she was eventually convinced by Alus saying he’d go get himself treated later, and reluctantly pulled back. 

Tearing his own robe, Alus wrapped up Loki’s arm. This was just an emergency measure, as not even healing Magicmasters could restore lost blood. 

In the meantime, Loki cut off a piece of her uniform sleeve in order to get some cloth she could use as a bandage for Alus. By the time Alus thought to himself that there was no reason to go that far, it was already too late. “I could just use my own.” 

“You can’t! You had direct contact with Godma when he transformed! What would you do if some weird bacteria infected the wound? Mine isn’t dirty.” 

“... Loki, let’s replace the scraps bandaged around your arm right now.” 

Loki immediately covered her mouth, as if she’d said too much. She hesitatingly said that she was fine with the scraps, which perplexed Alus to no end. 

Behind them—Felinella began tearing up her own robe. That was a waste as well, but it was already too late. 

Alus had at least wanted to bind his wounds with his own robe, but based on Loki’s and Felinella’s looks, that wouldn’t fly. If there had been any spare medical supplies remaining, none of this would be happening, but there had been more injuries than expected and Tesfia and Alice had been prioritized. 

“Mr. Alus, at least let me stop the bleeding.” 

Alus sighed, as Felinella began to wrap the cloth around his shoulder in a familiar fashion. 

Felinella did confirm first with Loki that Loki’s bindings were all right, perhaps out of consideration, and received Loki’s answer in the affirmative. 

Loki frowned for a moment, but she had no choice but to step down after being told it was for Alus’ sake. “I understand, I’ll accept it... but at least use my cloth, please. And—” 

Her expression turned more severe. “—Is pressing those useless sacks of flab against the back of Sir Alus’ head also part of the treatment?! I’m not sure what to think about that!” 

“Ah!” 

Having been so invested in wrapping up Alus’ shoulder, Felinella had unconsciously pressed her bountiful chest against him. When she came to realize this, she jumped back with a blush on her face. 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Alus. It was an accident, I didn’t mean anything by it...” 

“Yeah, I don’t mind.” 

“I do!” Loki immediately retorted. The incident seemed to particularly upset Loki, as she launched into a barrage of complaints. 

Sensing that things might go on like this forever, Alus decided to put a stop to it. “Just leave it at that. Feli said it was an accident. It wasn’t on purpose.” 

“She’d just be a slut if it was,” Loki said, taking another stab at Felinella who firmly denied those words, still furiously blushing. 

They had a report to make, but with the lack of seriousness in the air, it sure didn’t feel like it to Alus. 

* * * 

With Felinella leading the way, Alus made his way to the control room that Vizaist was in. 

He hadn’t noticed because he’d been underground, but it was already nighttime outside. Unlike the free-spirited atmosphere of the Outer World, however, he felt nothing for the fake night sky. 

If not for the mission, this area would have been wrapped in an eerie silence. But right now people were everywhere, and there were lights spread out here and there that repelled the moonlight. 

After walking for a while, they arrived at their destination. It was awfully plain for a control room, and if anything it had the kind of rustic appearance only Vizaist would take to. After all, it was just a big tent put up in a clearing in the forest. The medical facility from before was better than this. 

On the other hand, it had been camouflaged with magic, and would go unnoticed unless someone was being vigilant. 

Vizaist’s magic was suited for getting a grasp on information, but it was the type that required him to be on-site. But since it had a range of several kilometers, there was no one better suited than him when dealing with a large-scale mission. He had countless achievements, and the blood of one of the most powerful noble families ran through his veins. 

The first thing that caught Alus’ eye as he stepped into the tent was the decorations on Vizaist’s chest. Lined up in an orderly fashion on the left side of his chest, they were things that Alus had only ever seen him wear at official functions. He was the kind who preferred to lead on the ground, so he wasn’t the type to enjoy displaying such flashy decorations. 

The reason he wore them today was likely because he was leading security forces who were unaccustomed to the Outer World. In other words, the medals were for making the people from other departments listen to what he said. 

Well inside the tent, Vizaist faced Alus, as Felinella came to stand at her father’s side. “I’ve brought him over,” she reported, keeping her position in mind. 

“Ahh, you’re here. It’s been a while,” Vizaist said in his deep voice, seated in his chair. 

While he’d made his fame through commanding, his well-trained muscles revealed his true colors as a martial artist. Despite being in his fifties, his body was still very muscular. He was a powerhouse who was as imposing as ever. 

In the past, he’d bragged about making a name for himself as a Double Digit Magicmaster. Anyone who found out that this hardy man, who once ran wild in the Outer World, now specialized in detection and gathering information, would be unable to hold back their laughter. 

And partly because of his lighthearted and amiable personality, those who knew of his character and capabilities made sure to refer to him with respect. But since he’d risen through his own powers, his first name was more widely used than his family name. 

And the respectful name they used was Lord Vizaist. However, only Alus and the Governor-General ever said that to his face. 

His short hair with gray strands mixed in was the same as when Alus first met him. That was when he was assigned to Vizaist’s unit at the startling age of ten. That was six years ago, but it hadn’t actually been long enough to call it ‘a while’ since they last met. 

Though they hadn’t met face to face for some time, Vizaist was pretty much always in charge of the information gathering on any secret missions Alus was assigned to, so they ended up speaking quite frequently. 

“I’m glad to see you’re still the same, Lord Vizaist,” Alus said with respect. Considering the speed at which the encirclement had been completed, his skills were as unchanged as his appearance. And the casualties among the forces used had likely been kept to a minimum. 

“I’m sorry about that. We didn’t expect that Godma would have such a big force with him. That was our mistake.” 

“I don’t think that could have been helped. I believe both the number of Dolls he’d prepared, as well as him using a taboo as a decoy, was well beyond anyone’s imagination. In essence, there was no way to know.” 

“But we still needed to prepare countermeasures.” Vizaist was the kind of man who didn’t take anything lying down. Even if it was a taboo spell, he’d do everything in his power to find a solution. “But still, that damn Berwick. I never heard that you were attending the Institute.” 

All Alus could muster in response to that was a dry smile. 

Vizaist was probably the only one who could refer to the Governor-General so bluntly. The two were old acquaintances, and while Vizaist had devoted himself to missions in the Outer World, Berwick had risen to his position through political intrigue and his achievements as a commander. 

As Vizaist aged, he spent less time at the frontlines, but he’d landed his current position because of his insistence on remaining on active duty. He was skilled at detection to begin with, but his temperament would never allow him to pull back. That’s why he was still willing to step up to the front and fight himself if need be. 

“Still, you seemed to have had a rough go of it.” 

“... You could say that.” He must have heard some details from Felinella already. 

“If you’d failed... oh, I guess that wouldn’t happen.” 

“No, I was pretty scared.” 

“Ha ha ha... then I guess it was a good experience for you,” Vizaist laughed heartily. “However, I almost didn’t recognize you.” 

“Really? I haven’t changed at all.” 

It hadn’t been that long for the difference to be apparent. Of course, Alus was unaware of his own change. 

“You’ve become more human.” 

“...!!” Alus fumbled for an answer, as he wondered if that was supposed to be a compliment of some sort. 

“Well, I’m happy that you’re enjoying yourself,” Vizaist said. “I was shocked when Berwick told me that you wanted to retire.” 

“I’m sorry for making you worry, but that wasn’t a lie.” 

Vizaist’s expression then turned serious, as befitting a military officer. “I wasn’t worried. Whether you like it or not, you belong on this side.” 

“...” 

Alus understood what he meant. 

An oppressive atmosphere filled the room. He wasn’t trying to pin Alus down, but he was using pressure, as if he’d seen straight through him. And his words seemed to suggest as much, too. 

“You just need me. If an S-class invades, Alpha will suffer serious damage as it is now.” After a short pause, Alus spoke bluntly in a sarcastic tone, melting the freezing atmosphere. This kind of discussion was actually commonplace between them. 

“You always have something to add.” 

“That goes for both of us.” 

Vizaist smiled, showing his teeth, and he said, “I’ll overlook everything this time. All’s well that ends well. If not, my own neck would be on the line. I’ll let Berwick know.” 

He’d take all the responsibility. But being the Governor-General’s right-hand man, he probably wouldn’t have to. And his reassurance to Alus was said in a joking tone. 

“Thank you very much. But I have business with the Governor-General anyways.” 

“What, did you do something again?” 

Alus ignored the unjustified accusation implied in that ‘again.’ “It’s private business.” 

Hearing that, Vizaist rested his head in his hand, as if unamused. 

With everything that had happened, Felinella finally opened her mouth to speak. She was exasperated, seeing as how they weren’t moving on to the next point. “Commander, I think it’s about time to move on to the main topic...” 

Alus was impressed to see Felinella refer to her father so impersonally, a sign that she understood her position. Well, while they might be related by blood, they didn’t look anything alike. Even if she called him ‘Father,’ it wouldn’t have felt right, even though he knew of their relationship. 

“Right. Alus, because of your instructions to Felinella, the battle on the surface was able to proceed to our advantage. And Sisty captured the Doll trying to carry out the data and handed it over to us. So we’ve managed to prevent Godma’s research from leaking... however.” This pause meant that they were troubled as to how to handle it. “Our top brass has taken an interest in this research. The attack on the Institute made this into too big of a deal.” 

“That’s...” Alus suspected that the top brass wasn’t interested in the literal meaning of the word, but rather that they may be directly involved. Since Vizaist hadn’t been able to figure out who stood behind Godma, Alus believed there was a possibility Alpha’s top brass was a part of it. 

Vizaist, however, seemed to see through his misgivings. “No, we’ve investigated them, and the top brass is clean. But I wanted to ask you... what do you think about this research?” The way Vizaist put it made it clear he could be trusted on this. The top brass must have really only taken an interest in the research. 

Since the Dolls were equal to Triple Digit Magicmasters in physical capabilities and had the ability to use the light element, they were perfect for missions in the Outer World. 

But Alus hesitated. It was true that it would be a waste to just throw everything away as if it was worthless. The research on the origin of the light attribute should be put to use, but— 

“I think it should be discarded. It’s too dangerous and alluring.” 

He didn’t think that the foundation of the nation, the military, would take to taboos or inhuman experiments as they were now, but Godma’s research was a temptation that could lead them astray. 

“Understood. Felinella!” Vizaist answered him immediately. That was because he respected Alus’ research and opinions. Any further words were unnecessary, and after an elegant salute, Felinella left the tent so that she could carefully dispose of the materials in accordance with the implied order. 

Vizaist, Felinella and Alus were probably the only ones that knew the Odd Eyes Doll they’d captured was Godma’s way of transferring his research to his supporter. Sisty wasn’t directly involved with the military, and she read Vizaist’s intentions and likely wouldn’t disclose anything. Though Alus found it unexpected that Vizaist would make Felinella do that much. 

Of course, since the mission he’d gotten from Berwick included the erasure of the research data, he didn’t think there would be any problems. Letting that research leak could lead to an unprecedented situation, and either way it was too alluring and poisonous. There was also a high chance that Godma himself would be disposed of, considering what he’d done. 

“I’d like to make some requests.” 

“Hm? Is this about your on-site call to speed up the execution of the mission? Nobody is going to blame you over that. We were already moving to do the same after the second attack on the Institute.” 

Alus shook his head with a serious expression. “I’d like you to treat the woman called Melissa well.” 

“Of course. We can’t make it public, but I’ll take responsibility for it.” Vizaist almost looked disappointed when he understood what Alus meant, but he quickly readjusted his seated posture and made his declaration. 

But this was the first time that Alus had made a request like that since they met... Vizaist muttered to himself that his impression that Alus had become more human had been spot on. 

“Also...” 

“Hey now, you’re making a lot of extra requests here.” 

“No, this is about who was behind Godma.” 

Vizaist shook his head with a rarely seen bitter scowl. “We don’t have any leads. We were working against a strict time limit this time around.” 

“So not even you know, Lord Vizaist.” 

“Yes, there’s something suspicious going on.” 

“About that, do you know of the Four Books of Fegel?” 

Vizaist took a moment to gather his thoughts, before finally recalling something. At the same time, he furrowed his brows as he realized how ominous it was. “You mean those prophetic writings? I hear that they are valuable research material and that it will still take time to prove the authenticity and validity of their theories... I hear that even a written copy of it is considered top secret.” 

“Yes, but from what I’ve seen of a written copy, it goes beyond the realm of prophecy. And Godma had something like that in his possession. At first, I thought it was just a well-made fake.” 

“...!” 

“But it’s the undeniable truth that Godma managed to turn himself into a Fiend, and that only further fuels my suspicions. Considering our current level of magical technology, it’s too big of a leap. There’s a lot of obscure expressions in the written copy, which makes many people ridicule it as a fabrication, but I’m pretty sure they’re not unrelated.” 

The unusual book, seen as nonsensical, was starting to take on a clearer picture. One reason for that was Godma’s transformation. It was hard to imagine that him having one of the Four Books of Fegel was a mere coincidence. 

“If it really is the original, where it came from is a mystery.” 

“People question if the originals even exist anymore, and all nations treat them as top secret... I don’t want to imagine it, but it’s possible that someone big is behind Godma. But could you tell that it was an original?” 

Alus confirmed that nobody was around to hear them, before replying, “It’s being called a book, but it’s not even made from paper. I haven’t seen an original, so I can’t confirm that it was one of them, though. I also feel like the handwriting was something different. But under the circumstances, I couldn’t manage to get my hands on it.” 

If Godma was using the original book to advance his research, then it was possible that the contents differed from the copied version. Alus was of the mind that the copies had been intentionally altered. Of course, saying that out loud wasn’t a hornet’s nest he was willing to poke. 

“Well, fine. Its authenticity aside, we’ll make sure to retrieve it right away.” 

“I used a slightly flashy spell, so it might have been destroyed during that.” 

With a light nod, as if to say he was fine with that too, Vizaist used his license to give orders to his subordinates, and then hung up. 

Convinced he was done for now, Alus took a deep breath to shift gears. 

“By the way...” Vizaist suddenly said, glancing at the tent opening that Felinella had left through, “how was Felinella?” 

This was a sudden question, but when Alus thought about it, he remembered Felinella being permitted to take part in the mission on the condition that she serve as Alus’ support. So surely that was what Vizaist was talking about. 

“I think she’s talented. She’s pretty well trained. Did you send her to the Outer World too?” 

“But of course. I’ve beaten everything I know into her.” That proud face of Vizaist’s was that of a father rather than a military commander. He’d made sure to distinguish between carrot and stick in raising her. 

“I haven’t seen her fight, but her detection is convenient enough as it is now.” 

“Indeed, she has the talent to surpass me.” 

“Oh? Are you retiring?” 

“Don’t be stupid, I’ll stay on active duty until I die,” Vizaist declared resolutely, as he leaned back in his chair with a harumph. “I was much worse than she was at her age.” He was proud of his daughter, who was currently at the level of a Triple Digit. 

Alus had heard this time and time again. Vizaist bragging about his daughter was the same as always. “She appears to be a very bright student, and she’s very popular. I look forward to seeing how her future turns out.” 

Vizaist didn’t respond to Alus right away. He furrowed his brows with an agonized expression. “That’s not what I meant, though... Alus, I’ll give her to you.” 

“Huh?” 

All Alus could do in response to those unexpected words was to raise his voice out of reflex. Though he wondered what the hell Vizaist was thinking... “I don’t really understand what you mean...” 

“There are a lot of inconvenient things about being a noble. Men are one thing, but women are expected to marry young. No, I know I need to resolve myself for it one day.” 

No wonder Vizaist had a daughter that young, at his age. He’d married late for a noble, and he must have been pressured into it for quite a while. 

“I believe you told me that you weren’t going to cling to the title of nobility.” 

“Of course, I wouldn’t mind giving it up. Not me, that is. But that won’t do if she were to join the military and go out into the Outer World.” 

Noble families had all kinds of benefits going for them. Not only did they have a say in military and national matters regardless of status, they also had the right to set up residence near the Tower of Babel, as well as other privileges. The more noble a lineage someone in the military had, the better they were treated. They were also allowed to employ a personal force of Magicmasters. At present, there were few traditional nobles granted land like long ago. 

Vizaist boasting about how he’d never retire was also for Felinella’s sake. By building an unshakable foundation within the military, he’d built a foothold for the future. Considering his daughter, he couldn’t let go of his rank as a noble. 

“But I have no intention of handing my daughter over to just any run-of-the-mill Magicmaster.” 

And that’s where Alus came in. They were familiar with each other, and moreover, Alus was the greatest Magicmaster for now. 

“I would have hesitated back when you were serving under me, but I’ll allow it as you are now.” 

Leaving aside why things were taking a turn in this direction, Alus realized Vizaist had been thinking about this since Alus was around ten years old. He was astounded. He might have understood if he considered Vizaist’s position as a noble... or well... he didn’t. 

“Lord Vizaist, I have no intentions of getting married.” 

“—!! Are you saying you’re not satisfied with Felinella?!” Vizaist said, directing an almost-menacing look and pressure at Alus. “She’s a peerless beauty, like my wife. And I’m saying that I’m willing to swallow the bitter pill and give her away.” 

Calling her peerless wasn’t just Vizaist showing favoritism toward his beloved daughter. Even Alus thought she had an attractive face as well as excellent proportions. He wasn’t against admitting that she was a beautiful young woman. 

Add on to that her graceful behavior, and he could agree that her charm had a firm grasp on the male students at the Institute. 

Alus didn’t flinch in the slightest as Vizaist abruptly stood up. It wasn’t that he was unsatisfied; marriage would simply be harmful to him now. He was in no way normal, lacking the dream or thoughts for the future that the average person had. 

“That’s not what I mean. I have all kinds of confidential matters... even some that you are unaware of, Lord Vizaist.” 

“...!!” 

Because of that, he hesitated to marry. He had little interest in matters like that until he could unravel the secrets behind his unusual abilities. Or rather, he wouldn’t be allowed to until then. The Governor-General, who was aware of these facts, was unlikely to grant permission. 

“Berwick, is it?” 

It was a confidential matter, but Vizaist likely wouldn’t be convinced unless Alus at least mentioned his reasons. 

Although if Alus were interested, he probably wouldn’t be rejected. So it was all up to him... which was why he couldn’t accept it right off the bat. 

He didn’t want to leave something unexplained as it was. After all, he had an unusual power in his mana that had a mind of its own. And it had properties that were very similar to those of Fiends. 

“Besides, it’ll come back to bite you if you decide on something and ignore your daughter’s opinion.” 

“There won’t be any problems in regards to that,” Vizaist said, very sure of himself, as he stroked his chin. 

Alus couldn’t really brush off the implications of that, but Vizaist seemed to already think of it as a done deal, so he put it on hold for now. “Let’s save it for now. It doesn’t seem to be an easy problem to solve.” 

For now could be said of Alus, too. Early marriage wasn’t just limited to nobles, but that wasn’t just because it was a common trend. Those with high rank would end up having to marry. 

As for the one ranked as No. 1, it was practically an unspoken law. Many thought of it as the responsibility of those with power. That’s why engagements were such a commonplace occurrence. 

On the other hand—polygamy wasn’t something that was recognized. While the population had dramatically decreased, humanity didn’t want to see it surge right back up immediately. The nation had a lot of policies in place to assist with raising children, and because of that, taking a mistress as virtually a second wife was something the nation tolerated. 

While a talent for magic wasn’t something easily passed down through the genes, there’d been research some decades ago that showed genetics and talent weren’t completely unrelated. Which was why there were high expectations for high-ranking Magicmasters. And as such, the current trend was to rush high-ranking Magicmasters into marriage. In short, to have children. Cold looks were directed toward those who declared they would spend their lives single. 

“Maybe you can’t tell at your age, but your strength is something that should be left behind for those who come after you.” 

Alus struggled to approve of that sentiment. “Aren’t you pinning your hopes a little too high? Even if some mana information is inherited, it’s only a slight amount. There’s no guarantee that the child would become a Single Digit.” 

“I understand that well enough.” But Vizaist couldn’t help but hope anyway. He couldn’t resist, knowing that it was thanks to Alus’ achievements that Alpha was in the position it was today 

“It’s not like I’m planning on spending life as a bachelor,” Alus said vaguely, with a wry smile. 

He couldn’t deny how false that sounded. But that was because he believed that current magic knowledge wouldn’t be able to explain his powers. 

“You’re still so young. Perhaps that was why Berwick put you in the Institute.” 

You’re going to say that to my face? Alus thought to himself, but he didn’t say it aloud. 

“Then how about an engagement?” 

“Oh no, I think I’d only cause trouble.” 

“Tsk!! No matter, you’ll change your mind eventually.” 

Alus could only answer with another wry smile. Almost nobody in Alpha would dare reject marriage talks with the Socalent family. 

That said, this would normally be a welcome offer. While it didn’t take Alus’ feelings into account, having a woman show affection for you was something a man enjoyed. 

But Alus only recognized that as superficial knowledge. He was adult in that way, in a bad sense. Since he didn’t have a normal childhood, it wasn’t that he was dense, but more that he prioritized reason too much. He devoted himself to the study of everything magic. He had no clue about love. 

“I guess I’ll wait for you to be seduced by her.” 

“Enticement, is it? I can’t say that I approve.” Alus figured Vizaist would be shocked by this line. 

But Vizaist laughed out loud instead. “That is how I fell for her mother, after all. Felinella carries that woman’s blood, so you should brace yourself.” 

“Then I will meet her with a robust fortress.” 

“I can only hope that it’s made of paper.” Recalling something after saying this, Vizaist put on his best fatherly grin. “If that’s the case, you’ll end up with a lot of trouble after this.” 

“Why is that?” 

“It’s about time for that event.” 

Alus scanned his memories for any events going on, but he was very much a stay-at-home type. “What are you talking about?” 

“The friendly magic tournament held between the seven nations.” 

“That has nothing to do with me.” 

“I wouldn’t say that. Berwick is getting fired up about having you participate.” 

They were talking about a magic tournament held between the institutes of the seven nations once a year. Students competed with the magic they’d polished at their institutes, and while it was called friendly, it was also a political battle where each nation scouted out the others. 

It was also a good opportunity to show off national power through how well trained their Magicmasters were. 

Of course, Alus didn’t expect that he would participate in a tournament between students. “What is he thinking?” 

“Don’t be like that. Alpha is the nation that’s achieved the most of the seven nations. So of course you’ll participate as the key figure behind those achievements.” 

“And you’re telling me to play along with that farce... you have to be kidding. I’ll make a direct appeal to the Governor-General.” 

“It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that the nation’s dignity is at stake. I don’t think you’ll get anywhere with your appeal.” 

Alus sighed from the bottom of his heart, and rubbed his temples with his most fed-up expression this year. 

“If you participate, those looking for a groom won’t stay quiet.” 

Those who achieved fantastic results at the tournament had expectations of greatness placed upon them. That applied to both men and women. In that sense, the guardians who came along to watch were all looking for a partner for their son or daughter. 

Vizaist wore a more villainous smile than usual. “That’s why, if you were to get engaged now, you could easily brush off any further trouble.” 

“I simply don’t have to participate. And I’ll brush off any trouble myself.” 

“Hmph, what an uncute brat,” Vizaist said sarcastically, as if he’d expected this answer. But there was no ill will in his tone, it was just something that left his mouth by reflex. 

“You say that, but your own daughter’s going to be in high demand, too.” 

“Don’t be stupid, something like this isn’t enough for me to measure who I’d let have my daughter.” 

Talk about a doting father. Alus felt that he was being an idiot about this, but that’s what made him unlikely to give up on Alus. 

“Besides, it’s the Socalent family’s education policy to always respect the daughter’s will!” It appeared that this calm commander, past his middle-age years, had a firm conviction. 

Felinella returned shortly after Alus and Vizaist were done talking about the matter. Her timing seemed almost planned, and her eyes looked especially mild. “Fath... Commander, many tasks have been completed.” 

Just what was the reason for her unusual slip of the tongue? Alus didn’t think too deeply about it, and decided it was something that just happened once in a while. 

“Well done. I hesitate on how to deal with the other Dolls.” 

The majority of the research data had been successfully erased, but the nearly 100 dead Dolls lying about weren’t so easily handled. Their very existence spoke of Godma’s research. With Felinella’s return, the discussion naturally turned towards clean up. 

“I think it should be fine. You can probably only make superficial observations of the Dolls. It was incomplete research to begin with. There are too many uncertain elements for the nation to decide to take the initiative.” 

“Well, it’s not like worrying will accomplish anything. If that’s what you say, then we should be okay.” 

The army should avoid taking an interest in the first place, but nothing would change from saying that now. But all they had to do was keep the research data from being seized for nefarious purposes. Though there was no way the top brass would come to the site itself. At most, they only held the reins. 

“Right, the rest is our job. You can go home now, Alus. Felinella, you don’t have anything more to do either, so have him escort you.” 

Alus didn’t know if this was the plan all along, but he shrugged at the thought of the level of support Felinella had. If he were to have his fortune read right now, he’d surely be warned of his ill fate regarding women. 

Talk about a well-crafted trap... there was no way Alus could refuse to escort Felinella. Moreover, ‘escort’ sounded misleading. They were only headed back to the Institute together. 

“With that, the mission is complete. A detailed report will be delivered later.” 

“Understood,” Vizaist said, with the vigorous voice of a soldier. 

Alus had already turned to leave when some callous words were thrown at him. 

“Alus, be careful of making any moves on her. Hm? ...I guess in this situation, you should watch out for any moves being put on you!” 

“...” 

“Father!!” Felinella blushed, and glared at her improper father. She pulled on Alus’ hand to hurriedly take him away.

Alus quietly let Felinella lead him as they headed for the middle-class district’s Circle Port. 

Darkness was starting to properly settle in by now. It was near midnight, about to turn into a new day. Blue leaves were bathed in the moonlight, reflecting a different color from the daytime. Despite it being false, the forest at night was covered in a fantastical veil. 

“I-I’m sorry.” By the time her head cooled off, the two were well out of sight of the operations headquarters. Realizing that they were still holding hands, Felinella hurriedly let go and slowed down. “Uhm, I’m sorry about my father,” she said meekly, her head lowered. 

“You don’t have to worry. Lord Vizaist always takes good care of me, and we’re not so distant that something like that would bother me. Though I still can’t understand the customs of nobility.” Alus smiled and winked. 

“Ah, uhm...” Felinella hesitated to speak, and Alus quickly realized why... 

“Oh, you were listening in.” 

Felinella had eavesdropped on Alus’ and Vizaist’s discussion partway through. Though that was a bit of an exaggeration. It was more accurate to say that she happened to return while the two were discussing this sensitive topic, and she hesitated on when to step in. 

And when they were talking about her, she struggled to walk away even though she felt bad about it. 

Moreover, marriage with Alus had been discussed between Felinella and her father before. 

“You knew?!” Felinella stared down at the ground, and her face turned red out of embarrassment. Her bashful appearance looked even more bewitching under the moonlight. 

Vizaist had probably also noticed she was listening in from outside. Maybe that was why he’d brought up the topic to begin with. 

“Well, frankly put, yes.” 

“I know that it’s rather sudden. But Father is insistent that it’s best to do things like this early...” 

“Yes, that’s something Lord Vizaist would say.” 

“I’m sure it’s nothing but trouble for you...?” Felinella asked in a timid and sorrowful tone. 

“No, it’s something that I’d have to think about eventually, so this was a good opportunity for it.” 

A chance like this likely wouldn’t show up for quite a while again. Felinella was at least a little relieved to hear that. But she also decided to throw in a correction. 

“Uhm... this wasn’t just my father’s decision.” 

Alus had figured as much from what Vizaist had said. But he’d never had any experiences like that since he joined the military. 

Well, everyone around him was an adult while he was a young boy. If he’d had any such experiences, that would have been a problem in itself. This was why he didn’t know what to say when looking at Felinella’s red face. 

“It’s disgusting, isn’t it? Falling in love after hearing tales from my father and meeting just a few times...” 

“... Isn’t that just how it happens?” Alus had no way of understanding love. He didn’t even know what was normal and what wasn’t. 

But there was one thing he was sure of—and that was if the male students at the Institute were to hear Felinella’s confession, they would faint from the shock. 

Felinella probably hadn’t expected to hear something so naïve, and after recovering from the surprise, a gentle smile appeared on her lips once more. “Oh, who knows how common that is.” 

“...” 

She’d completely regained her composure and looked like she might start giggling at any moment. 

Seeing her smile, Alus felt like he was being made light of, but considering she was back to acting like normal, it wasn’t all that bad. 

“Well then, perhaps I should listen to my father and... try seducing you?” While seduction suited her appearance, Felinella wasn’t the proactive sort, and she was a little embarrassed at her own words. 

“You can try.” 

Of course, Alus was ready for her with his fortress, just as he’d said. But he didn’t thoughtlessly reject her by saying that he had no interest in that sort of thing until the mysteries surrounding him were resolved. 

He carried too many secrets that Felinella was unaware of. And he was certain that his sturdy fortress wouldn’t collapse. 

As they made their way out of the copse of trees and onto the road connecting the middle-class and upper-class districts, Felinella bombarded Alus with questions. 

What his favorite food was, what were his hobbies, how he spent his weekends, how he relaxed and when, and so on... knowing of his long record of combat, she also asked about missions he’d struggled with, and his achievements. 

Alus found himself stumped by the barrage of questions halfway through, but he sincerely answered all of them. Apart from confidential matters, he didn’t see a need to hide anything. 

As they neared the transfer gate—“What kind of woman do you like?” Felinella finally mustered enough courage to ask. 

Alus remained silent for a moment, lost in thought. 

They stepped into the transfer gate, specified their destination, and a magic circle appeared at their feet, copying all of their information. 

And just before they were transferred—“A woman who’s useful.” 

“...!!” 

Some time had passed since the question, but it wasn’t a carefully considered answer. It was only the result of his lack of knowledge. 

Alus faced forward, so he didn’t know what kind of face Felinella made when she heard him. 

In the faint light, a slight blush appeared on her face, and her lips curled up; all the while thinking of how she’d never be able to reach his heart if she didn’t step into that fortress of his. If she didn’t beat at the gates every now and again, its ruler would stay closed away forever. 

She didn’t know what to do; but if there was one thing she could say, it was that nothing would change if she didn’t make the first move. 

Even if they were wed through her father’s influence, there was nothing more painful than a loveless marriage. Moreover, there was nothing more cruel than being forced into a one-sided love. Though it was a common story for nobles. 

In reality, Felinella was very popular not just in Alpha, but throughout noble society in the seven nations. 

The only saving grace was that her father wasn’t sticking to such stiff customs. Which meant that the choice Felinella had to make might be surprisingly easy. 

Under the faint moonlight, she thought to herself that she needed to transform fickle affection into unchanging love for as long as her feelings burned bright.