Isekai Mahou wa Okureteru! (LN) - Volume 6 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Seeking the Hero’s Weapon 

With the third imperial princess of the Empire, Graziella Filas Rieseld, now accompanying them on their journey, Reiji’s party arrived at the self-governed state of the Saadias Alliance. It lay in the west end of the northern region, and was a long, narrow territory that overlooked the ocean much like Chile in South America. 

The puzzling title of “the self-governed state of the Saadias Alliance” came from its history of repeatedly joining and leaving the Saadias Alliance over administrative problems and events like the rise of the tyrant. Because of that, its official name had never been solidified. Currently, its regional administration was entrusted to an autonomous parliament independent of the sovereign state Miazen. 

After arriving at the border, Reiji and the others boarded a carriage prepared by the Church of Salvation, and were now headed towards the center of the self-governed state, the city of Attila. Following behind the carriage were the three knights from Astel, as well as several of Graziella’s subordinates from the imperial army. Riding along in the carriage was Reiji’s party of four. Because of their previous hostilities with Graziella, they thought it would be impossible to get along with her before leaving the Empire, but... 

“Listen to this! When we were in the audience chamber in the Empire, when His Imperial Majesty looked down at me, he was scowling, you hear?! I didn’t even do anything! Don’t you think that’s mean?!” 

“Truly, he’s like that with absolutely everyone. He only holds back a little with relatives and close associates. But that man... He pushed this duty on me despite always treating the word of the Goddess and the church as nothing but nonsense. It’s only at these incomprehensible times that he lends an ear. There’s got to be a limit to his emotional instability.” 

“Oh, and...! Duke Hadorious, was it?! That guy is super evil! He sets traps for people, you know? And he takes hostages, you know? And he bothers Reiji, you know?!” 

“Hmph. All those men who pretend to be important are complete good-for-nothings.” 

“Right?!” 

For some reason, Mizuki and Graziella were having a perfectly casual, gossiping conversation in the carriage. The targets of their complaints were the terrifying Nelferian emperor and Duke Hadorious. Even Graziella had just insulted them both. Timed alongside the rattling sounds of the carriage as it rolled down the road was their nonstop chatter as they continued to stir themselves up. Titania eventually looked over at the two of them curiously. 

“Mizuki... is surprisingly not a timid child in the least.” 

Hearing the words she’d spoken out loud in wonderment, Reiji responded from next to her. 

“Really. To think that meek girl could talk about someone like that.” 

“There’s that, but I am also surprised that she has already reached the point of being able to talk with Her Imperial Highness Graziella on equal terms...” 

The person Mizuki was chattering on with so genuinely was a member of an imperial family. Graziella had previously told them not to be reserved with her, but they’d only been together as a group a short time. Reiji and Titania still couldn’t help speaking politely to her, as well as minding their words and manners in her presence. 

The reason none of this applied to Mizuki was partially because she was simply ignorant. As a modern high school girl, she could scarcely grasp the absurd concept of lèse-majesté at all. However, fundamentally... 

“It’s because Mizuki can get along with just about anyone. Whether it’s how she immediately closes the sense of distance between her and other people, or how the people she talks to somehow never think that she’s being rude... It’s one of Mizuki’s good points.” 

“But you also know her bad points too, right? Heehee...” 

“Hahaha, well, yeah... It was all quite the disaster. In more ways than one.” 

Reiji returned a dry laugh to Titania’s smile. With what had first come to mind when she mentioned Mizuki’s bad points, he suddenly felt tired. Seeing his expression, Titania had an idea of what he was talking about. 

“Could it be... that serious illness I heard of before called chuunibyou?” 

“Yeah, it’s a terrifying thing. Mizuki’s case was quite severe, you see. On top of talking completely incomprehensible nonsense, she wrought the unthinkable.” 

“The unthinkable, you say?” 

“Yeah. They say that thunderstorms start as the tiny gust of air from a butterfly’s flapping wings. In a frighteningly similar fashion, the things Mizuki said had all kinds of ridiculous effects on her surroundings and ramifications you would never believe.” 

“I don’t quite follow, but I suppose I get what you’re trying to say.” 

“Mm. Suimei called it a kind of curse that induced recognition bias, or a transmitted curse that becomes a repetitive spiral of fear, or something like that.” 

“Suimei said that?” 

“Back in the early days, Suimei also said a bunch of incomprehensible things. With a completely serious face, too. Though he was nastier, there was more truth to his nonsense than Mizuki’s. Whenever weird things would happen around us, he was always right there with us, though.” 

“Reiji-sama... Could it not be that Suimei was actually the one causing such situations?” 

“In a way, you may be right. Mizuki would be four parts, my meddling would be four parts, and Suimei would be the remaining two parts out of ten or something...” 

Reiji looked out the window with a far-off gaze. Watching him like that, Titania fell silent. Meanwhile, Mizuki’s idle conversation with Graziella had ended, and she put on a smile as she leaned in towards Reiji. 

“Hey, Reiji-kun, what were you talking about with Tia just now?” 

“Huh? Oh, nothing in particular.” 

Reiji didn’t think that she could have possibly been listening. But just as he was regretting saying too much, he was betrayed. 

“Just a little about your past, Mizuki. Reiji-sama was filling me in, weren’t you?” 

“T-Tia?!” 

“Oooh, Reiji-kuuun! You know that I have a heap of stuff about my past that I don’t want people to know, right?! RIGHT?!” 

“But most of that is just reaping what you sow...” 

“That may be so! That may be so, buuut...” 

Mizuki was gripping both of Reiji’s shoulders while violently shaking him back and forth. As she was getting her adorable revenge on him, Graziella cut in to the conversation. 

“Oh? I’m quite interested in Mizuki’s past. Tell me about it too. It seems amusing.” 

“No, it’s fine! Graziella-san doesn’t need to hear it!” 

“What? Am I the only one being left out?” 

“That’s not it, but— Aah, geez! This is all your fault, Reiji-kun!” 

Yelling in distress, Mizuki just shook him even harder. In the end, Reiji—the main reason for her tantrum—was the one to calm her down. Seeing this all unfold, Graziella flashed a smile. 

“It doesn’t get dull here, does it?” 

“That does seem to be the case, does it not? The two of them are quite cheerful, after all.” 

After agreeing with a smile, Titania’s expression took a turn for the serious. She then looked at Graziella, who was still watching Reiji and Mizuki. 

“But is this really alright, Your Imperial Highness?” 

“What?” 

“For you to take action alongside us.” 

“Regarding that, did I not communicate that there was nothing that could be done about it? The Goddess has spoken.” 

“I understand, but what I am asking about is that with the current state of the Empire, is it fine for you to be away from the imperial capital?” 

Hearing Titania’s roundabout question, Graziella shrugged her shoulders in exasperation. 

“For a foreign princess to worry about our country is something else indeed. Could Your Royal Highness be plotting to prey upon the weakness of the Empire?” 

“While the demons are getting stronger, discord and antagonism between fellow humans is simply foolish. A crisis between allied nations could be said to be as bad as a civil war.” 

“That’s certainly true.” 

“So?” 

“Aah, honestly speaking, I didn’t want to leave. Because of that incomprehensible disturbance, despite the scoundrels out there decreasing in number, the power of the nobles has also been somewhat diminished. And I can’t deny that the war potential of the Empire has declined, either. Even if that wasn’t the case, relations with all the neighboring countries have deteriorated.” 

“I do recall Your Imperial Highness invading Astel’s territory at your own discretion.” 

“That may in fact have been overbearing, but in reality, was it not a necessity? It was because that man defeated most of the demons before I arrived that my act of goodwill was taken poorly.” 

It was true. Astel and Nelferia were allied nations. If they had fought together that day against the hordes of demons, Graziella’s actions would probably have been praised. But with the threat diminished, she only ended up being criticized for being hasty. Considering her actions were a wager to improve the reputation of the Empire, however, she hadn’t done anything ill-intentioned. Kicking away Titania’s poisonous words, Graziella gazed off in the direction of the Empire. 

“I have my misgivings. Now that the number of nobles that can take their place on the battlefield has decreased, if the demons launched a large-scale attack on the Empire, it would be a serious blow to us. And with the current state of affairs, it’s entirely possible that our allied nations would not raise a hand to help us as it happened.” 

“In other words, the Empire would end up having to fight all on their own, no?” 

The reason she was troubled about being unable to get the cooperation of other nations was not simply a matter of reinforcements. The Empire would also lose access to strategic points along its supply lines. Goods, information, and many other forms of support would stagnate. It would be devastating in terms of battle. Because the Empire was such a vast nation, its relationship with the surrounding territories was vital. 

“Now, just who is it pulling the strings from behind the scenes...” 

Hearing Graziella mutter that in a troubled voice, one man came to Reiji’s mind. 

Duke Hadorious. 

Remembering the figure of the duke sitting at the desk in his office, Reiji stood perfectly still where he was. His hunch hit him like an electric shock. Seeing him abruptly go stiff, Mizuki cocked her head to the side. 

“Reiji-kun, what’s wrong?” 

“No...” 

Without giving a real answer, Reiji started to turn his thoughts over in his head. It was only a possibility, but Hadorious might be pulling the strings behind the scenes. He might have even manipulated things so that Graziella came along with them. 

That would mean that he was the one to leak information to Graziella about the demon attack in Astel, which would line up with what Suimei had guessed. Suimei annihilating the demon forces was unexpected, certainly, but Suimei had still been used as a decoy. Even if Hadorious ordered Gregory to take Reiji and his party somewhere safe, it would have been easy to predict they’d come running to save their friend. And if they just happened to run into Graziella there... With Gregory’s family hostage, it was a simple matter for Hadorious to coerce them into going to the Empire. 

But if that were really the case, Graziella joining their party didn’t seem to add up. Hadorious wanted to keep Graziella in check, which is why he’d sent Reiji and his party to the Empire to keep an eye on her. And in order to observe her in her role as princess, they would’ve had to stay in the Empire. 

On top of that, there was no consistency in Hadorious pressuring the church in order to control Graziella. Once Graziella joined them, they were free to move and do as they pleased. It would be a different story if his intent was to have Graziella join their party from the start, but it seemed far too roundabout. If he was going to put pressure on the church, it would have been simpler to do that from the start and have her join up with them when they first met. Moreover, Graziella’s command to join them had allegedly come from an oracle of the Goddess herself. 

“The Church of Salvation and Duke Hadorious...” 

Hearing Reiji suddenly mutter that, Mizuki questioned him. 

“What about them?” 

“I was thinking the reason we’re in this situation might be because of them, is all.” 

“What do you mean?” Titania asked. 

“As Her Imperial Highness suggested earlier, if someone is jerking us around, I think we can say for certain that they’re involved.” 

“You mean to say that the Church of Salvation and Duke Hadorious got together to orchestrate this?” chimed in Graziella. 

“No, that would be hard to imagine. If that were the case, I don’t think things would have panned out in such a roundabout fashion.” 

“Hmm...” 

Hearing Reiji’s thoughts, Graziella began stroking her jaw. Since this involved her, she couldn’t just ignore it. Meanwhile, Titania gave her own opinion on the matter. 

“Duke Hadorious’s territory is adjacent to the Empire, so if the Empire becomes isolated, it would likely be a welcome development for him.” 

“My, that’s certainly a blunt denunciation of a lord from your own country, is it not?” 

“I hate that man.” 

“Because you lost.” 

“Urgh!” 

Graziella landed a bullseye, causing Titania to let out an unusual groan. While they were having this exchange, Mizuki recalled hearing about this before. 

“Tia lost? Ah, now that you mention it, Luka-san said something about that once...” 

“It’s nothing! Please do not pay it any mind!” 

The princess of Astel was frantically trying to change the subject, waving her hands in a rather wild and unprincessly fashion. Fortunately for her, Mizuki didn’t actually seem all that interested in pressing the matter. 

“But even if that’s true, why would he do that, I wonder? I can kinda get the church getting involved, but Duke Hadorious...” she said. 

“I also don’t know. I guess we’ll have to talk to Suimei about it again, huh?” 

“You’re right. It’s no surprise we’re lost without him, huh?” 

In their little group of three, Suimei always played the brains. He was an indispensable member of the team. As Reiji and Mizuki wished he was there, Graziella called out to Reiji. 

“At any rate, Reiji, you really value that man quite a lot, don’t you?” 

“‘That man’... as in, Suimei? Mm, well, yeah, I do.” 

“Suimei-kun is really reliable when there’s trouble. He’s always coming up with ideas that we’d never have thought of.” 

“And at times when everyone else is panicking, Suimei always keeps his cool.” 

“But then again... he blows his cool at the weirdest times. He’s always disappearing, too...” 

If it weren’t for that... 

Thinking that with a bitter smile, Mizuki sighed. Graziella then leaned over so she could speak with Titania privately. 

“Reiji and Mizuki do not know of his true strength, correct?” 

“That’s right. However, they do seem to know that he is very cunning at critical times.” 

“In other words, he’s too meddlesome to be able to conceal it all, huh? What a naive man.” 

“The reason Suimei’s conduct seems so unstable is probably because he finds himself stuck between the things he wants to do and the things that he must do. If you think of it like that, even his actions up to this point make sense.” 

“Oh?” 

“Well, I do also believe it’s mostly because he’s awkward.” 

Titania gave her honest impression of Suimei, and found Graziella looking at her strangely. 

“...What is it?” 

“I was just thinking that the reason you’re speaking so bitterly about that man is perhaps because you also lost to him.” 

As Graziella implicitly pointed out that Titania was a sore loser, her face turned bright red from shame. 

“Absolutely not!” she yelled. 

“As I thought. My goodness. Contrary to your refined appearance, you really are quite the sore loser aren’t you, Your Royal Highness Titania?” 

“You certainly have no room to talk, Your Imperial Highness Graziella! In the end, you were also completely outwitted by Suimei, were you not?!” 

Titania shouted to hide her embarrassment as she threw Graziella’s words back at her. In the end, it didn’t change the fact that the both of them were irritated over having more losses than wins when it came to Suimei, but neither wanted to admit it. While they were bickering, Titania noticed that Reiji and Mizuki were watching her little outburst intently. 

“...Whatever is the matter, Mizuki?” 

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking you two get along unexpectedly well.” 

“I do not particularly get along with Her Imperial Highness!” 

“That’s right, Mizuki. Don’t misunderstand. I also have no intention of making friends with Her Royal Highness.” 

They both denied it, but Reiji and Mizuki were already convinced. 

“But you know...” 

“Right?” 

As they gave each other knowing smiles, Titania yelled out once more. 

“You too, Reiji-sama?!” 

“I believe this is your fault, isn’t it, Your Royal Highness? If you hadn’t asked in the first place, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” 

“Why are you acting like a victim?! Were you not talking nonstop as well?!” 

“What did you just say?” 

“What?!” 

And so the two princesses continued to quarrel. The carriage would stay full of their shouting until the coachman informed them that they’d reached their destination. 

Because they had sent a messenger to the Church of Salvation beforehand, everything proceeded smoothly after they arrived. It seemed that the relic Reiji and the others were looking for was actually kept somewhere off of church grounds. So after finishing their greetings with the head bishop, they boarded another carriage and were taken to a large temple a little outside the city. 

A large building made of gypsum with a large dome was surrounded by a great many stone pillars. The temple looked like a merger between the Greek Parthenon and the Roman Pantheon. It was an impressive sight, and that impression only grew stronger as they approached. Mizuki was particularly enthralled, staring at it like she was in awe of a World Heritage site. 

“Whoooa... It’s amazing!” 

As she shouted, Mizuki began running about like a child. Titania called out to her, sounding like a concerned mother. 

“Mizuki, if you run around like that, you’ll trip, you know?” 

“It’s fine! The shoes I got from Suimei-kun are super high quality, so they’re even more comfortable and perform better than my sneakers from home! I can run and skip and hop and jump all over the place with these! Look!” 

Pointing at her boots made of an unknown animal leather, she happily began prancing about to show them off. Titania followed her with an astonished yet gentle smile. Lagging behind a bit were Reiji, Graziella, and the escorts. After a short walk, they found themselves at the temple entrance where a number of guides from the Church of Salvation wearing religious habits were lined up waiting for them. It seemed they’d been informed of the hero’s arrival beforehand. One of the nuns stepped forward as a representative for the group. 

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Faylia, the one who has been entrusted with the care of this temple. I wholeheartedly welcome you, Hero-sama, our guest from another world. You as well, Your Highnesses.” 

After introducing herself and welcoming them, Faylia gave a deep bow and removed her hood, revealing white hair and long, tapered ears. With green eyes and pink lips, she was a fair and fascinatingly elegant elf. She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She was dressed plainly, but the color of her prominently luscious lips alone gave her an otherworldly sex appeal. While Mizuki was admiringly going on about how pretty she was, Reiji stepped forward to return Faylia’s greeting. 

“I am Shana Reiji. I’d like to thank you for taking time out of your busy day to meet with us.” 

“Thank you for your considerations, Hero-sama, but we are not particularly busy here.” 

“You’re too kind. Please accept my humble thanks nonetheless.” 

Faylia smiled playfully, and Reiji gave her a refreshing smile in return. Watching them from the side, Graziella spoke to the others. 

“I see. So he’s a sweet-talker...” 

“That’s Reiji-kun for you. It doesn’t matter who it is, that’s just his default way of interacting with people...” 

While Graziella and Mizuki were discussing such matters, Reiji began to follow after Faylia, who led him into the temple. It seemed they were going to walk while talking. The inside of the temple was somewhat gloomy. The lights coming from the ceiling looked like sunlight shining through prison bars. But the building had a reverence to it, like a cathedral in the early morning. As they walked along, Faylia cut to the matter at hand. 

“I have already been apprised of your story. You would like to take charge of the relic, correct?” 

“Yes. I was hoping that you would be kind enough to allow me to use it.” 

“I don’t mind placing it in your care, but I don’t know whether or not the relic you seek will be of any help to you, Reiji-sama.” 

“The hero of El Meide informed me that it chooses its user. Is that right?” 

“Yes. And so far, no one has ever been able to take possession of the weapon left behind by the hero of old, so I do not know if it will yield you any assistance...” 

“That’s quite alright. All I ask is for the chance to see if I myself can wield it, if you’d be so kind.” 

Hearing his courteous request, Faylia replied with a nod and a smile. Meanwhile, Graziella was looking around the interior of the building with a dubious expression. 

“They have something like that here?” 

Hearing her skeptical tone, Titania spoke up. 

“Your Imperial Highness, do you know of this place?” 

“I’ve only visited here once before. I was given a tour much like this, but I hardly recall anything of interest. It says something that they didn’t want to show me their treasures.” 

Saying that, Graziella frowned in discontent. If Suimei were around, he would undoubtedly have a comment, something along the lines of: “No duh.” But at Graziella’s mention of it, Titania took a look around at their surroundings as well. 

“Certainly, it does look like there is nothing here, but...” 

“Indeed, there’s nothing here. There must be a place for keeping relics and such deep inside, so the temple is mostly just for appearance’s sake.” 

“So... basically this is just a glorified storage shed?” 

“Mizuki, that is putting it a little too bluntly...” said Titania in a tired voice. 

She looked like she had a headache after hearing Mizuki’s grade schooler-like impression. Mizuki, on the other hand, paid her no mind and turned her attention to Faylia. 

“Faylia-san, this place is awfully pretty. How long has it been around?” 

“Ever since the tyrant was defeated. In those days, there was an urgent need to seal away those relics, so a small storage area was made here. After that, we built the solid temple around it that we’re standing in now.” 

After a short pause, Mizuki cocked her head to the side. 

“You sound like you were part of it.” 

“Indeed, I saw it all happen.” 

“Heh?” 

Mizuki made a comical noise, but Faylia only looked at her with a gentle smile. Unable to tell whether she was being serious or not, Reiji felt obliged to ask. 

“Um, I know that it is rude to ask about a lady’s age, but... Faylia-san, how old are you?” 

“I haven’t properly counted, but I turned five hundred a little while ago.” 

“Th-Th-Th-Th-That old?!” 

“A-As expected of an elf...” 

Reiji sounded bewildered, but Mizuki stood there dumbfounded with her mouth hanging wide open. It had been quite a while since they’d come to this world, but this was their first time meeting someone centuries old. It was indeed quite a shock. It was unremarkable, however, for Titania and Graziella, neither of whom seemed the slightest bit fazed. 

“So, were you acquainted with the hero who used the relic?” 

“Yes, I met him when I was quite young.” 

“What kind of person was he?” 

“The hero of my day was famous for three things: he had extensive knowledge that surpassed anyone’s, he held a great power, and he saved this land from the hand of the tyrant.” 

After walking and talking for a while, they arrived at a room deep inside the temple. 

“Is this it?” 

“No, that which you seek is kept under watch in a room further inside.” 

“Hmm? Then what’s this, Faylia-san?” 

“Ah, this?” 

Faylia took down a wooden box from the shelf and opened it up so Reiji and the others could see. Inside, there was something that had a shape similar to a pocket watch from the modern world. 

Considering it would be easier for them to see for themselves, Faylia took it out of the box and handed it over to Reiji. As Reiji got a closer look, it really did strike him as a pocket watch. There were symbols written along the circumference of it that resembled Roman numerals that clearly weren’t of this world, and it had curved needles that looks like an hour and minute hand. It was quite a mysterious device. 

“What is it?” 

“It is called the Lachesis Meter. Along with the Sacrament, it was something the hero of old left behind.” 

While listening to her explanation, Reiji looked for the crown of the watch, but there didn’t seem to be any sort of spring mechanism to make it move. 

“It’s not moving. How does one use it?” 

“That... We do not know either.” 

“You don’t know? Was its use not passed down along with the item?” 

“The hero did not give us a detailed explanation of it at the time. He said that it was likely irrelevant to this world. And unlike the Sacrament, it does appear to be completely meaningless.” 

“Completely meaningless...?” 

“You see, the hero said the end of the world has not yet begun here.” 

“The end of the world hasn’t begun?” 

“Yes.” 

The hero’s words relayed to Reiji by Faylia struck him as quite odd. The end of the world was exactly that—an end. It wasn’t a meaningful expression of time. There was no beginning to it per se. By the time it happened, everything would already be over. The phrasing puzzled Reiji and the others quite a bit, and Faylia offered an apology. 

“I do not fully understand myself. When he spoke of the end of the world, he described it as something that was predetermined once it began, but he explained it with vocabulary that was largely beyond my comprehension. In the end, we didn’t pay it much attention because he said it was irrelevant, and we left it at that.” 

With that, Faylia concluded her explanation of the Lachesis Meter. Reiji and the others judged that spending any more time on it would be meaningless, and moved on to the main point. 

“So, could we see the other relic he left behind?” 

“About that... I must offer my apologies, but we cannot go any further.” 

As she gestured towards deeper into the temple, Faylia apologized. It sounded like she was going back on her word, and Titania questioned her with a somewhat sharp tone. 

“What do you mean? I do believe you were informed of what we came here for.” 

“Before you stands the Hero of Salvation. Are you saying you will not cooperate with us?” demanded Graziella. 

“No, I do not mean that we refuse to surrender the relic. It’s just that access to the Sacrament is strictly controlled. The door was sealed by the hero of old’s magic, and undoing it will require a ritual performed by myself and several specialist mages. It will take nearly half a day.” 

“So we can’t go through yet?” 

“Precisely. We will let you through as soon as the preparations are complete, but that will likely have to wait until tomorrow.” 

“Tomorrow... That’s quite strict.” 

Graziella, whose stiffened shoulders suddenly fell slack, felt like they were on a fool’s errand. She was probably thinking that if they weren’t going to hand it over right away, there was no need to drag them through the temple today. Mizuki, however, had a different question. 

“It’s supposed to be something that can’t be used by just anyone, right? So why do you have to go so far?” 

“The hero of old said that it was not something that should exist here. He told us that it had a tremendous power that could twist the very principles of our world. And so, to prevent its power from being studied and recreated, it was sealed along with the tyrant’s relics.” 

Faylia’s explanation was noble, but came across as a bit over the top to Reiji. Pondering what she’d said, he was left with one big question in particular. 

“And just what is this tremendous power?” 

“From what I have seen, it is a power that can freeze all creation.” 

“All creation?” 

“Yes. The hero said it held sway over anything and everything in existence. They say that there was nothing that the Sacrament’s power was unable to freeze. Even the other heroes of the day said it was an exceptional weapon. Under the right circumstances, they said it was capable of slaying even gods.” 

“S-Slaying gods, you say?” 

“Are you saying that it’s such an overpowered weapon that it would bring about such conceit?” 

Hearing Faylia’s explanation, Graziella and Titania showed their surprise and indignation. To the people of this world living under the Goddess Alshuna, the idea of killing a god had a blasphemous implication. As if to defend the hero of old, Faylia shook her head. 

“No, its original purpose seemed to be different.” 

The first to pick up on what she meant was Mizuki. 

“Could it be... something related to ‘the end of the world’ you mentioned?” 

“Yes. The Sacrament was made to forestall that event, which in turn made it a preposterously strong weapon.” 

“That’s what’s kept here...?” 

Reiji gazed at the door leading further into the temple as if staring through it. What he was thinking about was the weapon that lay beyond. A weapon that could forestall the end of the world—a weapon that could save the world. It would be within his grasp soon, but doubt that it would deem him worthy was coming and going in the deep recesses of his heart. 

The ritual to undo the seal would begin that night, which meant that the relic would only be accessible the following day. Reiji and the others parted with Faylia for the time being and boarded their carriage again to return to Attila. 

Inside the carriage, there was a strange, stuffy atmosphere that made it hot and uncomfortable. But it was only natural. The explanation they’d heard from Faylia would agitate anyone. Even Titania, who was always calm, was restlessly moving her legs. 

Similarly, Reiji was also unable to cool his excitement. He might be on the verge of obtaining a powerful weapon—something extraordinary that nobody else had been able to use since the time of the hero who brought it to this world. He didn’t feel like a “chosen one,” but it was nice to think that he might be. He wanted to get his hands on it as soon as possible and find out. Ruminating on all of this, he gazed down at the palms of his hands. It was then that Mizuki called out to him. 

“Hey, hey! Reiji-kun!” 

“Hmm? What’s up, Mizuki?” 

“I was thinking about something Faylia-san said. Did you not notice?” she asked, putting a little extra emphasis on her question. 

“Notice what?” Reiji asked in turn. 

Mizuki made a grim face before continuing. 

“Well, earlier, Faylia-san showed us that relic called the Lachesis Meter, right?” 

“Mm, that’s right. What about it?” 

“Think about it. ‘Meter’ is English. And ‘Lachesis’... If I remember right, that’s the name of some god.” 

“I don’t know much about gods, but you’re right about the ‘meter’ part.” 

She was right, but Reiji didn’t really think it was anything they needed to be concerned about. And as he looked at Mizuki curiously for making a big deal out of it, she started to grow frustrated that he didn’t understand. 

“Augh... Really think about it, Reiji-kun.” 

Reiji did as he was asked and tried thinking about it again. He went over what happened in his head, and couldn’t remember anything strange about anything Faylia had said or done while she was talking about the relic. It seemed like Mizuki had fixated on the name of the item—the Lachesis Meter. That’s what Faylia had called it. And... 

“Ah! The movements of her mouth!” 

When he realized what Mizuki was talking about, Reiji suddenly jumped to his feet in the carriage. Seeing that he’d finally put it together, Mizuki was happily nodding her head repeatedly. 

“Exactly! Faylia-san actually said ‘Lachesis Meter’ in English. In other words, she was using language from our world.” 

“So it’s language from your world, is it? Your Royal Highness, you try saying it.” 

Because it was used to describe something that wasn’t of this world, there was no equivalent for it in the native tongue. That being the case, the magical translation shouldn’t work on it and Reiji and Mizuki should hear exactly what Titania said instead. It being a completely foreign phrase to her, her pronunciation was far from perfect. 

“Pfft...” 

“Heh...” 

Hearing the weird way Titania had said “Lachesis Meter,” Mizuki and Reiji were unable to keep their snickering to themselves. 

“Please don’t laugh, the both of you! Good grief!” 

“Sorry, sorry.” 

Titania had gone completely red from embarrassment, and Reiji apologized. Meanwhile, the person who’d tricked her into saying it—Graziella—was smirking contentedly. Titania huffed as she turned her gaze on Graziella. Seeing them like this, they really did seem to get along like sisters. But setting that aside... 

“That means the person who brought the relic here was from our world, too.” 

That seemed to be the logical conclusion considering the name. It was highly unlikely other worlds used the English language. That was what Reiji thought, but Mizuki’s mind was somewhere else. 

“That may be. But in that case...” 

According to legend, three heroes were summoned to this world to defeat the tyrant. One was the wielder of the Sacrament, and the other two were mages. The story went that they were all from the same world. 

“You mean... that there are also mages in our world?” 

Reiji caught his breath. The ultimate conclusion he’d arrived at was absolutely shocking. He could scarcely believe that the stuff of sword and sorcery novels really—secretly—existed in his world. He was inarticulate at just the thought. But while he was sorting through his feelings, he could hear a creepy chuckle coming from beside him. 

“Heh heh heh... Amazing, just amazing! Reiji-kun, Reiji-kun! Magic really exists! In our world! It’s like the curtain to a great dream has finally been lifted!” 

“Mizuki, that’s corny...” 

“Whatever! You don’t need to retort every single time!” 

Mizuki puffed out her cheeks in response to Reiji’s quip. But she was too excited to stay like that for long. She quickly began smiling again, and wouldn’t stop for quite some time. 

“This means you and Suimei-kun can’t say I have chuunibyou anymore! Rather, I’ll finally be able to prove that I was right all along!” 

“Wherever you are... I’m sorry, Suimei.” 

Mizuki’s laughter echoed through the carriage and completely drowned out Reiji’s heavy sigh. The two princesses listening in on their conversation couldn’t help wondering who was really deserving of pity here. Watching their antics, Graziella spoke up. 

“But to think that the hero of old and his companions were summoned from the same world...” 

“It just means that kind of thing happens, is all. Sort of like the three of us. It might just be that it’s easier to summon people from our world.” 

Reiji was thinking something along those lines, but Mizuki seemed to have a somewhat different take on it. She shared her theory with a grin. 

“But we still don’t know, right? It’s just a possibility at this point. It’s also possible there are really parallel worlds involved.” 

“Parallel worlds?” asked Titania. 

“Yeah. Parallel worlds are nearly identical, but each one has a different future. For example, I ended up getting summoned here, but the me in a parallel world might still be happy at home.” 

“That sounds... rather complicated.” 

“Huh... Yeah, I guess it is, isn’t it?” 

Wrinkling her brow, Titania was making a stern expression as Mizuki forced a smile. As expected, a rather unadvanced world like this didn’t have the imagination to keep up with her. 

“But, Mizuki, if there are many other worlds like that, doesn’t that mean there would be multiple versions of me? There’s no way that could be.” 

“But there’s this whole other world, right? You can’t really deny the possibility.” 

“Is this related to the hero summoning?” 

“Don’t you think it’s a big deal that we were summoned to another world? Travelling between worlds isn’t something that can be accomplished even with science.” 

“Hmph...” 

Hearing Mizuki’s explanation, Graziella seemed somewhat convinced. She then leaned over to Titania. 

“If we ask that man, we may be able to learn something.” 

“You have a point. Suimei probably knows about this. But...” 

With Mizuki thinking she’d won some victory over Suimei with this knowledge, if she found out the truth, she would be devastated. Titania could picture it clearly already. She imagined Mizuki shouting at the top of her lungs, “Breach of friendship! Breach of friendship!” 

After staying the night at an inn in Attila, Reiji and the others once more set out for the temple that kept the relic. They waited in the room they’d visited the previous day for Faylia, who arrived later than planned. 

“I apologize for making you wait.” 

“No, don’t worry about it. More importantly, has the seal already been released?” asked Reiji. 

“Yes,” she said with a nod. “We finished releasing all the seals this morning. You may now enter whenever you like. Please, come this way.” 

With that, Faylia extended her hand towards the door. Seeing that it was time, Titania gave an order to her retinue of knights. 

“All of you, wait here. Gregory, you’re in charge.” 

“Yes, Your Highness.” 

Gregory gave a bow in acknowledgement of her command. Luka, on the other hand, looked fidgety like she’d wanted to go in with them. Roffrey tried to soothe her, assuring her they could see it later when Reiji returned with it. 

Graziella too ordered her soldiers to stand by at the entrance. Seeing this all unfold, Mizuki realized something and leaned over to mention it to Reiji privately. 

“Tia’s knights and the Empire soldiers seem to get along just fine, huh?” 

“You’re right. They’re soldiers from allied countries, so maybe we were worried for nothing.” 

That had been one of their concerns about bringing Graziella along. They were worried fighting might break out between their respective escorts, but because they drew the line quite distinctly between themselves, they hadn’t been at odds with each other even once. 

Overhearing all this, Titania and Graziella joined in on their secret conversation. 

“The Empire is an allied nation, after all. At least on the surface.” 

“The men following me are the ones most suited to give me counsel. They are all skilled soldiers who have a long record of military service. As for Astel’s knights, Gregory-dono is present. He should be able to keep the others in line.” 

“O-Oh, ahaha...” 

The two princesses seemed to have a firm grasp on their own affairs. Titania had said things were fine on the surface, implying that in reality, sparks were flying just underneath that. A little unsure how to take all this, all Mizuki could do was laugh dryly. 

As the group followed Faylia down a candle-lit corridor, they came upon a staircase leading downward. 

“It’s underground?” 

“Yes. We will need to descend a little, but it is just beyond here.” 

They began descending the staircase, and partway down, the appearance of the passage completely changed. Up until now, everything had been done in the same style and materials as the rest of the temple, but the walls now became bare rock that made it look like a cave. Impressed with the sensation they were entering a limestone cavern, the group followed Faylia. Before long, they came upon an enormous boulder. 

“Is this... a grotto?” 

“We’re inside the temple, right?” 

The storage area had a completely different feel to it than the rest of the temple. Curious, Reiji stepped forward and asked Faylia about it. 

“Faylia-san, why is only this part of the temple so different?” 

“Regarding the location of the seal, it was the heroes’ idea. They claimed that if the seal were in the temple itself, its magic might be compromised and weakened by the mysticism of the Goddess. And so they had to make another mystical space, or something like that.” 

“Hwah?” 

Mizuki made a strange, puzzled sound. Feeling much the same way, Reiji didn’t follow either. Seeing the confusion on his face, Faylia seemed to read his mind and tried explaining further. 

“What the hero told us was that the sealing spell used was originally a technique used to suppress the power of gods, so being near the power of a god would weaken it and vice versa. Something along those lines.” 

“Tia, is that true?” 

“My apologies. This is also the first I have heard of it.” 

Reiji shifted his gaze over to Graziella after Titania, but it didn’t seem she knew either. She only shrugged her shoulders as she shook her head. But for two serious mages to be clueless on the matter, Reiji couldn’t help thinking it was odd. 

“Now then, please step back a little.” 

Urged by Faylia, Reiji and the others took a bit of distance. When they did, Faylia recited something in front of the boulder and a magic circle rose to the surface around it. A high-pitched buzzing suddenly assaulted everyone’s ears. Before long, the giant boulder made a sound like it was being dragged along the ground, and started to move as it split to the sides. It released stale air that had been trapped inside of it, which smelled much like rotten eggs. 

“Urgh... This is somewhat harsh.” 

Graziella reflexively grimaced at the stench. Unexpectedly, Faylia also pinched her nose and turned away from the boulder. 

“This stench is because of one of the books the tyrant possessed. Everything around it becomes covered in moisture and eventually decomposes.” 

Hearing that explanation, Mizuki raised an anxious question. 

“I-Is it safe?” 

“Yes. Regarding anything that leaks out of it, it no longer contains enough power to harm a human.” 

“Thank goodness...” 

While Mizuki expressed her relief with a sigh, Reiji was doing the same internally. Faylia then pointed at the culprit of the stench with her finger. 

“This is the tome I just mentioned.” 

Beyond Faylia’s supple finger was a dark bound book atop a pedestal. It had an ominous appearance; just looking at it was enough to make one uncomfortable. Upon closer inspection, despite the fact that the pedestal was made of metal, it looked somewhat melted and had stalactite-like drippings coming off of it. Based on what Faylia said, this gave a glimpse into the strange book’s power. 

Graziella seemed intrigued by the book and drew nearer to it. Quick to respond, Faylia raised a fierce voice and called for her to stop. 

“Halt!” 

“What is it? Suddenly raising your voice like that...” 

“Pardon me... But that is something that must never be touched, so I had no choice but to be a little forceful.” 

“Must never be touched?” 

“That’s right. If a human touches it even once, the evil god that manipulated the tyrant would take them over and turn them into a thrall. Then the nightmare of an age past would repeat itself all over again.” 

Hearing Faylia’s explanation, Mizuki raised a puzzled voice. 

“Huh? Wasn’t he defeated and everything was solved?” 

“The tyrant was felled, but the existence that drove him to madness was not. As a god, it wasn’t something that mere mortals could contend with. Or so the story goes.” 

“What about the relic you described yesterday? Didn’t you say it was a weapon that could slay even gods?” 

“The hero said that the real culprit was unreachable and therefore could not be defeated.” 

“I see. So it ended up getting sealed here instead.” 

Graziella seemed convinced, and after taking another glance at the book, stepped back towards Reiji and the others. Certainly, if it was such a dangerous object, anybody would want to rid the world of it. But because they couldn’t do that, it had to be sealed away. With that settled, Faylia pointed out another pedestal. 

“And over here... This what you have been seeking.” 

Placed atop a metal pedestal was a small box. Seemingly unaffected by the malicious aura of the book, its pedestal was pristine. There wasn’t a single sign of any deterioration. Approaching it, Faylia quietly picked up the box and presented it to Reiji and the others. 

Just as Elliot had said, inside the box was an ornament. It resembled a brooch with a feather motif. It had a silvery metallic luster to it, but what stood out the most was the blue gem placed right in its center. 

“So this is the Sacrament... It’s beautiful...” said Mizuki. 

“That blue gem looks like a lapis lazuli,” commented Titania. 

The mysterious blue sparkle of it entranced all the women present... Or so Reiji had thought. 

“...What? Is there something on my face?” asked Graziella when she saw Reiji staring at her. 

“Ah, no. I was just thinking about how pretty it was. Don’t you think so too, Graziella?” 

“Hmph. All I’m interested in is whether or not it can be used.” 

It seemed the third imperial princess of the Empire hadn’t much interest in fineries. Despite the fact that it looked like an exquisite piece of jewelry, she’d hardly given it a second look. Thinking about it, Reiji realized she was dressed rather ruggedly. She probably didn’t care much for fashion in the first place, preferring function over form. 

“Is this all?” Graziella asked, turning to Faylia. 

“Yes. This is all that was left behind.” 

“If there was something else that looked useful, I was hoping to take it too.” 

Graziella frankly stated her intentions, but Faylia shook her head. 

“The items the heroes used were all beyond our capabilities and comprehension. Even if they had left them behind, we would have been unable to put them to any use.” 

“Is that so?” 

“On top of the magic they used being different from ours, they used very high level techniques. The technique to use the Sacrament seemed the most advanced of them all, but it was the only relic that seemed like it might ever be usable to us.” 

After hearing her story, Reiji had an important question. 

“So, Faylia-san, how do we use this... as a weapon?” 

“I also do not really know, but when the hero changed it from an ornament to a weapon, he held it in his hand and recited something. It was likely an incantation to awaken the Sacrament, but...” 

“Do you know it?” 

“My apologies,” said Faylia, bowing deeply. 

“Did you not hear it?” asked Titania. 

“I did hear it, but I could not decipher it. They seemed to be words only the user could understand.” 

“Doesn’t that mean no one else can use the Sacrament, then?” 

“I was told that someone worthy of wielding it would know. Why don’t you just try holding it to start with?” 

With that, Faylia picked up the Sacrament and walked over to Reiji. If he was worthy, he would know. In other words, the weapon would choose him. Whether the weapon had a will of its own or whether it could only be used by wielders who met certain conditions, Reiji didn’t know. But as Faylia suggested, he would have to take it in his hands to find out for himself. As he stepped forward to receive it from Faylia, Mizuki suddenly spoke up. 

“Reiji-kun!” 

“What’s up?” 

“I was hoping that, you know... I could give it a try first.” 

“Wha... WHAT?!” 

“Is that a no?” 

“Uh... Well, I don’t really mind, but...” 

Though he said that, he was actually reluctant to do so considering Mizuki’s previous criminal record. In other words, her chuunibyou phase. But when she got his permission, Mizuki shouted for joy. Graziella approached Reiji as he smiled bitterly. 

“Is this alright?” 

“Well, if I don’t let her, she’ll just pout.” 

“And what if she’s granted ownership?” 

“Then... we’ll just need her to try her best, right?” 

“Heh, you came here seeking power. If that power becomes Mizuki’s, it’ll be quite an embarrassment for you.” 

“You sound like you’re way too amused at that prospect.” 

“It will make for a funny story.” 

Graziella was smiling, but Titania had a grave expression on her face as she walked over. 

“Your Imperial Highness, do you intend to make a laughingstock of Reiji-sama?” 

“What a scary face, Your Royal Highness. It’s because you make faces like that that Reiji is frightened of you, no?” 

“What?! Reiji-sama does not find me frightening!” 

“Yeah, I never said that...” 

Titania then realized that she was being taken for a ride by Graziella. 

“Your Imperial Highness!” 

“Hey, you guys! Don’t forget about me! I’m about to awaken a legendary weapon here! Watch!” 

After stamping her foot because nobody was paying attention to her, Mizuki did a complete one-eighty. She began laughing creepily like she was a villain about to lay her hands on a treasure that would help her conquer the world. It was rather foreboding, but Faylia watched over her with a warm smile. She looked like a doting mother watching a child play hero. And then, as Mizuki took the Sacrament from Faylia... 

“Heh heh heh! Oh Sacrament, heed my call!” she shouted, lifting it up to the sky. “Recognize me! Me, and me alone! Hnnnnngh! Hnnnnngh!” 

Even as she held it aloft and implored the relic to respond to her, the Sacrament did nothing. And so the potential disaster of Mizuki regressing back to her chuunibyou days was averted. She looked mortified. Her cheeks puffed out and on the verge of tears, she huddled up into a nook next to the pedestal. 

“Now it’s Reiji-sama’s turn.” 

“Right.” 

Urged on by Titania, Reiji retrieved the Sacrament from Mizuki. It was about the size of his palm. Since it was made of metal, it was somewhat cold to the touch. But as he held it in his hand, he could sense some sort of power from it. It was a mysterious pulsation—not quite heat and not quite the sensation of mana. 

Just looking at it, I can feel its power swelling... 

This object in his hand was sparkling with a brilliant radiance—the light of hope. No matter how far into the depths of despair they were, this would give those who looked upon it the power to live another day. It was the beautiful blue light that showed the way to tomorrow. Now, Reiji would summon its power and make it his own. And then, with that power, he would defeat the demons and restore peace to this world. 

But the words needed to make that happen didn’t come to him. Maybe if he opened his mouth... Trusting in that hunch, Reiji lifted up the Sacrament and opened his mouth. And just as he did... 

Suddenly, directly behind them at the entrance to the grotto, there was a loud booming that shook the entire cave. Reacting to the shock and the sound, everyone present turned to look. All they could see for now was a floating cloud of dust rolling towards them. 

To protect themselves, everyone covered their mouths and squinted their eyes. But before the cloud completely obscured their vision, it split in two and revealed an outstretched hand. Before long, a whole man emerged. 

The tall figure swiped his hand side to side as if he found the cloud of dust annoying. He had a slender face and crimson lips. There was an exquisite beauty to him. He might be mistaken for a woman at a glance, but his bare chest confirmed his manhood. He had coppery rusted chains wrapped around his arms, legs, and torso. At the tips of his slim fingers, he had long nails like animal claws. He had fair, white hair much like Faylia, but unlike an elf, his ears were rounded. To top it all off, his eyes were a bloody red, which gave him an indescribable, eerie aura. 

He turned those haunting eyes on Reiji and the others in an unfeeling glare. He looked cold, like he barely saw them as living creatures. There was no compassion in those red eyes. Confronted with them, like his body was bound by the tension, Reiji was unable to move. But that seemed to be the going rate. Everyone else stared at this man in surprise, frozen on the spot. As he looked at them all one by one, Faylia was the first to speak up. 

“There should have been a strict order for nobody else to be allowed through here...” 

“There was. That’s why I had to force my way in like this.” 

“F-Force your way in...?” 

“It’s exactly as it sounds.” 

“Who are you, bastard?” 

At Graziella’s sudden question, the man abruptly began laughing. He was smiling like he’d heard something funny, but the scorn in his voice was undeniable. 

“Is something amusing?” 

“You would ask my name, offering? A mere meal dares ask my name?” 

“M-Meal?” 

“That’s right. Every single one of you damn humans is. From the elderly to wee babes, you’re nothing but free-range pigs. Offerings,” the man declared this audaciously in an arrogant tone. 

This was the kind of nonsense Reiji would ordinarily just laugh off, but it felt like all too real of a threat right now. This man must be a demon. But for some reason, Reiji couldn’t sense the power that all demons held coming from him. No matter how Reiji looked at him, he seemed to be human. That is, apart from the red light in his eyes and the way he spoke about humans. Just as Reiji was doubting this man’s identity... 

“My name is Ilzarl. I am one of the demon generals who assists Demon Lord Nakshatra.” 

When those words reached their ears, everyone jumped backwards like they were physically repelled. Even Mizuki, who didn’t have the instincts of a fighter, had fallen back. They really had been repelled. The cause was the overpowering fighting spirit that Ilzarl unleashed. But something was strange. This man still didn’t look like any of them would expect a demon general to. Perhaps because she was unable to believe his claim, Faylia began muttering in a search for answers. 

“A-A demon general...? No, more importantly, why are you here...?” 

But no one would answer her. Her fearful voice was the only sound in the room. Graziella then looked like she’d recalled something important. 

“Wait! Bastard, what happened to those who were guarding the temple?” 

“Aah, they’re laid out on the ground here and there. I ate a few of them, but since I only dealt with most of them haphazardly, there might just be a few who are still alive.” 

“What?!” 

“You... ate them?” 

Both Titania and Graziella raised startled voices at Ilzarl’s shocking claim. Seeing their expressions, Ilzarl looked at them like he was having a hard time understanding their reactions. 

“What is there to be surprised about? Did I not just tell you that you’re all meals?” 

“So you’re a demon who eats people?” 

“That’s right. Strictly speaking, I’m not a demon... But that is inconsequential to offerings like you. More importantly, a relic known as the Sacrament should be here. Where is it?” 

Ilzarl’s eyes were sharp. As if being commanded by his gaze, Reiji looked down at his hands. And when he caught himself doing so, it was too late. Ilzarl realized what Reiji was holding. 

“So that’s it? I heard it was a weapon... Was it just a misunderstanding? Well, so be it. Hand the Sacrament over to me.” 

“No. I won’t let you have it.” 

With those words, Reiji pulled out his orichalcum blade and stepped forward. 

“You would stand against me, offering?” Ilzarl asked, looking down his nose. 

“I am a hero. My name is Reiji,” he boldly declared, taking another step forward. 

“Oh, so you’re one of the damned heroes, are you? Now that you mention it, I can feel some of the Goddess’s power from you.” 

Reiji was surprised that he could sense such a thing. But it was what Ilzarl said next that truly shook him. 

“However, in that state, you are still far too plain for my tastes. As a meal, you’re underripe,” he muttered. 

Shivers ran down Reiji’s spine—it was the natural fear of predators that all living beings instinctually possessed. Even though this man appeared human himself, he really was looking at Reiji and the others like they were nothing but food. Rajas had been strong, certainly, and Reiji had felt fear when he faced him too... but this was completely different. 

Reiji was reminded of monsters he saw in storybooks as a child. Such illustrations were often comical in many ways, but for some reason, there had always been one thing that struck genuine fear into his heart—the monsters that ate people. And that fear was surfacing now. Even though he was facing a man, his prey instincts were screaming. While Reiji was seized in place as he trembled lightly, Titania began to move. 

“Reiji-sama, I will support you!” 

“I got it... Mizuki, fall back as far as you can! This demon is dangerous!” 

“O-Okay!” 

After confirming that Mizuki had fallen back, Reiji stared down Ilzarl’s intimidating aura. He could then hear a beautiful voice chanting behind him. 

“Oh Wood. Admonish and pressure my enemy. Serpent born from the great forest, obey my will and senselessly obliterate the strong. Solid Snake Constriction.” 

Suddenly, the ground around Ilzarl’s feet swelled up. Tree trunks like thick, twisting vines of ivy burst from the earth and spread out. It looked like magic of the wood attribute. The thick vines wriggled about like snakes as they entangled Ilzarl’s arms, feet, and torso. It was quite a powerful spell. 

The vines continued to grow. Not only were they entangling their target, they seemed intent on crushing him. To shake off so many of them would be difficult. And eventually, the thick, woody vines tangled together to form what looked like one solid, massive tree trunk. Ilzarl was nowhere to be seen in it. And as for the caster of the spell... 

“Faylia-san?!” 

“I will fight too. I will provide support, so while you have the chance—” 

“If that is what you call support, your assistance can’t even be compared to shit. Did you really think mere plants would do anything to me?” 

That exasperated mumble hung in the air. The person who said it should have been entombed within the giant tree... but not a moment after Ilzarl spoke, a clap of thunder ripped through the cave as a flash of red lightning burst forth from inside of the tree, tearing it apart. From its remains, Ilzarl stepped forward while leisurely rubbing his neck. It did indeed look like Faylia’s powerful spell had done nothing to him at all. 

“Wha—?” 

“It had no effect...” 

Faylia’s surprised gasp and Reiji’s panicked voice overlapped. Ilzarl, meanwhile, was standing there after being released from the spell, wearing a tired expression like he was being forced to do a job he found to be rather tedious. 

“I’ll start with you.” 

“What...?” 

As Ilzarl’s piercing gaze fell on Faylia, he swung the thick copper chain that was wrapped around his torso. It whipped through the air with ease, as if immune to its own mass and the laws of physics, and flew at Faylia together with a red bolt of lightning. 

“Oh wood. Clad yourself in sprouting power and become my shield! Little Forest Bunker!” 

Right in front of Faylia, multiple trees sprouted like pillars and shot diagonally upward. Not only were they thick and heavy, but they were densely packed with mana. It made them far stronger than they appeared to the naked eye. And inclined at a forward angle, they were exceptional when it came to defending against frontal attacks. Or at least, they were supposed to be. 

“As I already said, mere plants will do nothing.” 

The chain entwined with red lightning smashed through the line of trees like a fence made of toothpicks. It flew forward past the wreckage, wrapping around Faylia and binding her completely. It all happened in the blink of an eye. She didn’t even have any time to react. And once she was entangled in the chain, Ilzarl jerked it back, easily lifting Faylia up into the air as he swung her around, scrubbing the stone walls with her before finally flinging her aside. Faylia bounced off the wall so hard that she came flying back towards Reiji and the others like a rubber ball. 

“Faylia-san, no way...” 

“F-Faylia-san!” 

Mizuki quickly rushed over to her side and began casting restoration magic on her. Ilzarl, however, was doing nothing. It was like he was waiting for them to bite back at him. There was no reason to ask why. There was enough of a gap between their abilities that Ilzarl could easily attack anytime he wanted to. There was not a shadow of doubt in his mind about his victory. 

He simply stood there, as composed as ever. Next, it was Reiji who stepped forward. Shuffling his feet a little at a time, he slowly closed the distance between them. But even then, Ilzarl didn’t appear engaged in the slightest. After shuffling all the way into striking range, Reiji unleashed a swift downward slash like a lighting strike. He was aiming for Ilzarl’s shoulder, but... 

“How light.” 

“Wha?!” 

Unfazed, Ilzarl raised his left arm and used it like a shield to bring Reiji’s orichalcum blade to a complete stop. And despite taking the strike to his bare, unprotected arm, he wasn’t even bleeding. Reiji hadn’t held anything back. He’d struck with all of his might, but it hadn’t so much as penetrated skin. Even Rajas had had to cloak himself in his dark demonic power to repel Reiji’s blade. Yet Ilzarl had done it with nothing but a sneer. 

Witnessing this unprecedented event with his own two eyes, Reiji was frozen in place for a moment in shock. And in that moment, Ilzarl’s right hand reached out and loomed over Reiji. No, more precisely, his nails did. Those talons that looked sharp enough to be used as blades then swooped down on Reiji, and he promptly held up his orichalcum sword. 

“G-Guh...!” 

Ilzarl’s nails came to a stop a hair’s breadth from Reiji. Reiji had caught Ilzarl’s hand with his blade, but when he did, a terrifying shockwave of power blew right through and past him, kicking up a cloud of dust like a squall in its wake. If it weren’t for the divine protection from the hero summoning, he would have been blown up against the wall by it—fatally so. 

“So you can react. Despite being so weak, you put up such a futile struggle...” 

“N-Not yet...” 

Ilzarl took advantage of his height and pushed down. His arms were unbelievably, dreadfully strong. Caught between them and the ground, Reiji’s body began creaking. His bones were ominously groaning like they were about to crack. His feet began sinking into the grotto floor. 

He couldn’t escape. He couldn’t even deflect the power of Ilzarl’s arms to the side. It was just too much, and it took all his effort simply to endure it. Boiling sweat poured down Reiji’s brow, far more unpleasant than any cold sweat he’d ever been in. 

When he paid attention, he could sense mana swelling up behind him. It was Titania. However, perhaps because it wasn’t especially powerful, Ilzarl didn’t even shift his gaze. No, he kept his indifferent eyes locked on Reiji. Titania fired off her wind magic, and even though it struck Ilzarl directly, he relented nothing. Seeing her spell play out fruitlessly, Titania let out a bitter groan. 

“Ugh, magic is practically useless...” 

“I’ll handle him. Your Royal Highness, go save Reiji.” 

“Tch... Understood.” 

After Titania acknowledged her plan, Graziella stepped forward and tried a spell of her own. 

“Oh Earth. Thou art the crystallization of my tyranny. Take hold of unyielding power and smash my foe to pieces. Become a monument that shall extol a glorious death.” 

Graziella’s dauntless chant resounded through the grotto. Before he knew it, Reiji caught sight of Titania’s figure closing in. Her hands were hidden behind her back as she ran towards him. 

“Tia?!” 

“Reiji-sama! Summon all your strength and ward him off! Leave the rest to me!” 

“S-Sure!” 

Unwaveringly heeding Titania’s instructions, Reiji put all his strength into pushing Ilzarl’s hand to the side. The instant he did, Titania took him by the torso and pushed him out of the way. And just as Ilzarl’s hand struck the ground, Graziella unleashed her keywords. 

“Crystal Raid!” 

The gypsum on the ground rose to the air, broke into countless splinters, and then accelerated like cannonballs as they rushed towards Ilzarl, who’d been left completely open. Since earth spells inherently had a good amount of weight behind them, they were naturally more destructive than other magics when used to make projectiles. Additionally, because the stones Graziella was firing were tapered into sharp points, they were especially damaging against living creatures. Or at least, they were supposed to be. 

“Even this amount of destructive power is futile?! You damned monster!” 

The volley of pointed stones flying at Ilzarl had all struck him and fallen to the floor. As the mana vanished from them, they were rendered mere pebbles. Ilzarl stood there towering over them—completely unharmed. 

“Oh Earth! Thou art the crystallization of my tyranny! Take hold of unyielding power and cut my foe to pieces like a sharpened blade! The monument that extols glorious death is a brilliant, shining sword marking the grave of my enemy! Refined Crystal Raid!” 

Graziella incanted a spell slightly different from the one she’d first tried. The rocks that floated up into the air this time elongated and became thin like small swords. When Graziella swung her extended arm out to the side, they too assailed Ilzarl. 

“Then how about this?!” 

“Hmph! It doesn’t matter what you hurl at me, woman—it’s futile! HrrrAAAAAH!” 

Just as the small stone swords threatened to pierce Ilzarl’s body, he unleashed a scream loud enough to shatter the eardrums of all who heard it. It shook the entire grotto, but more importantly, everything born of Graziella’s magic fell to the ground on the spot. 

“Ridiculous! To repel magic using only his voice...” 

As Graziella muttered to herself in disbelief, Ilzarl’s gaze fell upon her. Feeling his bloodthrist and fighting spirit turned on her, Graziella panicked and jumped back from where she stood. 

“Ugh... This is a bad location. I can’t use Devil Connection here...” she complained bitterly. 

In such a narrow space underground, her trump spell—where she teleported in a massive boulder—would be impossible to use to any effect. Ruing not being able to use all her powers, she tried to retreat to the back. 

“Too slow.” 

But it seemed Ilzarl had identified her as his new target—his prey. He took a grand leap far surpassing the distance of Graziella’s retreat, putting them face to face in a single breath. 

“Shi—!” 

“Look out!” 

“Reiji-sama?!” 

Witnessing Graziella’s predicament, Reiji escaped Titania’s arms and made a mad dash to save her. Seeing his companion in danger, his body was practically moving on its own. 

After stepping in with his left leg, Ilzarl let fly his right. Graziella’s face in that moment was steeped in despair. Titania and Mizuki were screaming. But as Ilzarl’s kick came flying in to decapitate Graziella, Reiji swung his sword out with all his might to meet it. 

“RAAAAAAAAAAH!” 

It felt like he’d struck a mass of hard metal. Due to the sheer difference in strength between them, he was unable to stop Ilzarl’s kick, but did manage to dampen its power somewhat. And in the heat of the moment, Reiji made a split-second decision. Having used up all of his strength, Reiji let go of his orichalcum sword and jumped at Graziella to break away. 

Grabbing and holding tightly on to her, the two of them tumbled to the ground. Because he’d leaped at her with all his remaining might and did his best to cover her, the ground repeatedly scraped and knocked against his back as they rolled along. As they finally came to a stop, Graziella yelled out as she came to understand what had just happened. 

“Are you an idiot?! Why did you save me?!” 

“Why? ’Cause you were in danger. I just...” 

“Just what?! You’re a hero! What do you intend on accomplishing by covering for me?!” 

Seized by the pain catching up with him, Reiji’s consciousness grew hazy. He couldn’t help thinking this was a somewhat unexpected reprimand from the arrogant Graziella. She sounded like she was telling him that he’d underestimated their enemy, and that, as a hero, his safety should be imperative above all else. 

“Sorry.” 

That was the thought that came naturally to Reiji’s somewhat foggy mind. And it wasn’t just intended for Graziella, but also for Titania and Mizuki who continued to believe in him, as well as everyone else important to him that wasn’t present. The reason he was apologizing needn’t be said. 

Reiji then heaved Graziella off to the side. 

“You complete moron!” 

“Reiji-sama!” 

“Reiji-kun!” 

It’s fine like this... 

And just as he convinced himself of that, he could feel a terrifying presence approaching from behind. 

“Saving a woman?! What a boring way to meet your end, hero!” 

“Ugh...” 

Reiji was going to die here. But the moment he resigned himself to that, a blue wind suddenly blew past his eyes. 

“Oh?” 

Just as he thought that he heard a puzzled voice come from Ilzarl, Ilzarl leaped backward. Seeing this, Reiji promptly turned around. Cutting in between him and Ilzarl was Titania, with two swords crossed at the ready. 

“Huh?! Tia?! What’s with those swords...?” 

“Leave that for later, Reiji-sama! For now, just fall back!” 

Seeing the wisdom in her words, Reiji retreated from the battle. Before he knew it, Titania had popped the collar of her overcoat to cover the lower half of her face, and switched her swords to an underhand grip. But just as quickly as she’d done all that, Titania vanished from his field of vision. As if she’d teleported, she instantly appeared behind Ilzarl and charged in. 

As Ilzarl sensed her presence and turned around, Titania vanished again without so much as attacking. She then reappeared behind his back, and this time, she truly intended to strike. Ilzarl used his chains to shield himself. 

“Tch, buzzing around...” Ilzarl scoffed in an annoyed voice. 

But then Titania vanished a third time. 

“Amazing...” Reiji unwittingly muttered in childlike admiration. 

Titania was moving around like she was toying with Ilzarl. Even with Reiji’s enhanced vision courtesy of the hero summoning, he could just barely keep up with her movements. She repelled Ilzarl’s flying copper chains with her swords, and whenever she closed in on him, she would unleash a flurry of attacks with both blades. 

In response, Ilzarl took evasive action. Even though he’d simply stood in place and blocked Reiji’s attacks, it didn’t seem he had any interest in being hit by Titania’s. For every slash she threw out, he took a step back or to the side to avoid it. But Titania’s slashes were peculiar in the way they arced through the air, so dodging them required much more effort than any normal attack. 

And her assault showed no sign of letting up. Spotting an opening in Ilzarl’s defenses, she went soaring in on the offensive, letting fly a cross-shaped slash with both blades before gracefully leaping back. It certainly looked like her mithril swords had caught Ilzarl right in the face. However... 

“Even though you don’t possess the divine protection of the Goddess, you put up a much better fight. Also...” 

The only evidence of her grand attack was a cut on Ilzarl’s cheek. Despite standing plainly in front of his opponent, Ilzarl nonchalantly wiped away the dripping blood on his face with his finger and looked at it somewhat dubiously. 

“It’s been a long time since I was dealt a wound, but to think it would be at the hands of a mere human...” 

“Don’t underestimate me!” 

“This is as far as you go.” 

Titania howled as she broke into a dash and closed in once more. Ilzarl, meanwhile, simply waved his hand to attack. In an instant, five enormous slashes—one for each finger—assaulted the bare rock floor in front of Titania, forcing her to come to a halt. Looking closely, the ends of Ilzarl’s chains were split, making them look like anchors. They floated through air, gathering around her before plunging into the ground. She was now effectively trapped in a chain cage. 

“Tia!” 

“Ugh! Oh Earth! Surround me and become a firm bulwark! Absolutely none shall pass and threaten this life! Earth Wall Rising!” 

Immediately following Titania’s chant, a wall of mud formed between her and the chains right as red lightning came pouring in. The mud wall flickered crimson red and jet black, repeatedly assaulted by the lightning. But it didn’t last long. It crumbled far too easily, leaving Titania completely defenseless. With the next red flash, there was a burst of white smoke and she seemed to disappear completely. 

“TIAAAAAAAA!” 

Entirely drowned out by the roaring thunder, Reiji screamed out for Titania as loud as he could... but there was no answer. 

“N-No way...” 

Reiji could hear Mizuki mutter in disbelief and despair. Every single person present shared her feelings and collectively held their breath. 

The cloud of white smoke rising up from the chain cage flickered with the remnants of the red lightning. It was an attack easily on par with the red lightning that had so easily destroyed Faylia’s spell earlier. But instead of a tree this time, it was Titania’s slender body that had taken the brunt of it. No one expected that she would survive it. However, as the white smoke dispersed, they could make out the silhouette of a girl on her knees. 

“N-Not yet...” 

“So your defenses just barely managed to keep you alive. Even so...” 

Pulling his chains up from the ground, he used them to ensnare Titania and toss her aside like an annoying pest. 

“Gah... ah...” 

Unable to even move, she bounced helplessly along the ground as she rolled towards the pedestals where the relics were kept. She crashed right into one of them, sending the tyrant’s cursed tome flying. 

The book landed right at Ilzarl’s feet. His eyes drawn to it, he stooped down to pick it up. Seeing this, Faylia, who was still being supported by Mizuki, immediately cried out. 

“No!” 

“What? What’s wrong with this?” 

“Y-You mustn’t touch that!” 

She was screaming like her own life was on the line, but it was perhaps even more serious than that. If what Faylia said was true, anyone who touched the cursed book would become just like the tyrant. If a demon general were so possessed, the outcome would be unimaginable. 

“Hmph, certainly there is an ominous feeling coming from it.” 

“If you understand that, then...” 

She was going to plead with him, beg him not to touch it. But... 

“It’s not like I don’t have any experience with this kind of thing.” 

Ignoring her, Ilzarl picked up the book. However... nothing happened. Ilzarl simply scrutinized the artifact. There was none of the tragedy Faylia had so feared. 

“...How? After touching that, how are you staying sane...?” 

“Regarding that, it’s a privilege of this form. At any rate, to think there was another power similar to Zekaraia...” Ilzarl muttered in a serious voice as he tucked the book on his back using his chains. “I will be taking this. Now then, the only ones who can still put up a fight are... the bastard hero and that woman in the back, right?” 

“Urgh...” 

Ilzarl was looking at both Reiji and Mizuki, and began walking towards them. He’d dealt with Graziella and easily defeated Titania, who had put up a fierce fight. He was a monster. Beyond a shadow of doubt. And right now, Reiji didn’t even have his sword. He hadn’t had a chance to get it back after dropping it earlier, leaving him completely unarmed. After what he’d seen, he didn’t even think his magic would have any effect. There was absolutely nothing left that he could do. 

“Reiji, take Mizuki and run.” 

“What...?” 

“If a hero dies here, then all will be lost. I will hold this damned monster back. Now go.” 

“B-But...” 

As Reiji hesitated, Titania got to her feet and followed after Graziella. 

“R-Reiji-sama, it is just as Her Imperial Highness says. Pay us no mind and flee for your life.” 

“No way! I can’t just leave everyone behind!” 

“You needn’t worry. Her Imperial Highness and Faylia-dono are both here with me.” 

“Reiji, go and do what it is that you must,” said Graziella over her shoulder. “Or would you have him take that weapon and kill you as well? If even one of the heroes—the people’s beacons of hope—falls, the demons’ fervor will only grow stronger.” 

“B-But...” 

“You should have that resolve—if you don’t want to abandon anyone else, that is. Now go. At this rate, everyone here will only die in vain.” 

“...” 

“In the worst case, use Her Royal Highness as a shield and flee.” 

Graziella gave him a glinting grin. She was likely intending to convey her composure, but in this situation, all Reiji could see and hear was heroic martyrdom. 

“Have you finished your goodbyes?” 

A shadow was leisurely drawing closer. To Reiji, it looked just like the grim reaper. As he was right now, he was staring down an opponent he could never win against. Just as the princesses had said, his only choice was to run away. Even if he didn’t want to, there wouldn’t be a single person who would forgive him for his selfishness if he stayed. 

“Wait!” 

It was in that moment of desperation that Reiji remembered something. He still had the Sacrament he’d put away before drawing his sword. The only catch was that he didn’t know whether or not he could use it. There were special words needed to awaken it as a weapon, but they hadn’t come to him. 

“Ugh...” 

Reiji gritted his teeth at his own helplessness. Graziella and Titania continued to urge him to retreat. Mizuki was looking at him worriedly. As the time to make his decision drew nearer, he could hear a whisper in his head. 

“Is it really alright to run away? What do you intend to accomplish by not demonstrating your power here? What will you do if you cannot save them?” 

The only thing that could be whispering to him... was the object in his hand. And so, tightly—as tightly as he could—Reiji gripped the Sacrament. 

“Awaken... WAKE UUUUUUUUP!” 

Reiji shouted out in a much louder voice than he thought himself capable of. Having an impossible choice thrust upon him, it was a roar that defied fate. And in response to that momentous cry... the Sacrament answered. 

For an instant, the blue gem embedded in the center of the ornament shone radiantly, emitting a gentle blue wave. The next thing Reiji knew, everything around him turned black and white and fell still. Mizuki, Titania, Graziella, Faylia, and even Ilzarl. Time had come to a complete stop. As if to signify that Reiji and the Sacrament were the only exceptions, they still held their color, which looked especially vivid in the stopped, monochrome world around them. 

Eventually, the blue wave returned to the gem as if it were rewinding. And before Reiji knew it, the ornament in his hand had become a blue sword that gave off a cold brilliance. 

“I did it...” 

It had the shape of a narrow longsword, but unlike any sword he’d ever seen in this world or his own, the tip and the edge of the blade were made of a metal that resembled white porcelain. And at the center of the blade was a grand, beautiful blue enameled design. The grip was a stylish wrap of white and blue, and imitating a guard were two white porcelain-like wings atop intersecting circles. In the middle of those circles was a blue gem that seemed like crystallized lightning as it sparkled brightly. 

The sword was so precise and pristine that no one would doubt it was a weapon from the future, but it also had the beauty and feel of an ancient work of art. Seeing it manifest, Titania and Graziella’s shocked voices rang in the air. 

“Reiji-sama!” 

“Reiji, you...” 

Reiji was also still gripped by surprise. When he turned around, he could see Mizuki’s beaming face. But as he turned, he could also sense a presence flying towards him. Precisely where he had just been standing, an enormous copper chain passed by in a flash. 

“Hmph. So that’s why he called it a weapon. I see... That’s quite the amusing object.” 

Ilzarl nonchalantly gave his impression, apparently unperturbed at this development. Reiji readily turned the Sacrament on the man whose attitude hadn’t changed at all since he first arrived. And when he did, as if the Sacrament was responding to Reiji’s will, it sucked in his mana and began moving. 

The two white circles that were crossing each other diagonally began revolving in opposite directions, and the porcelain wings let out a pleasant chill along with particles of light and a vapor of mana that crawled up his arm. The sword began pulsating like an internal combustion engine, and those vibrations were passed through his hands. 

Reiji was trembling, though it was uncertain whether it was because the sword itself was moving, or if it was because of his irrepressible urge to put the sword to use. A shining blue magic circle formed at his feet. As he swung the sword to the side, the air that the tip of the blade dragged through formed a blue crystal trail that broke into diamond dust. 

The scattering dust froze the air and ground before Reiji, but there was no sense of intensity or urgency to its workings. Compared to the magic used by Titania, Graziella, and Faylia, it was relaxed. Reiji could barely feel any power from it, but that gentle power was tremendous. 

“U-Urgh!” 

The moment the crystals were about to reach Ilzarl, he must have sensed the subtle nature of their power. He leaped back, but the tip of one of his chains didn’t make it far enough away. When the crystals touched it, it froze, turned blue, and shattered. Indeed, the chain that had broken through Faylia’s powerful magic was destroyed with ease. 

“The crystal sword Ishar Cluster...” 

The name of the sword suddenly came to Reiji’s mind. Faylia had said it was something that could freeze anything in existence, but that wasn’t quite right. Objects simply appeared to freeze before its sheer power. 

And for some reason, Reiji could see that Ilzarl’s movements had become sluggish. When the sword appeared, when it awoke, when he used its power... Even though Reiji had left himself open plenty of times, Ilzarl hadn’t taken the initiative to attack him even once. Was it simply the negligence of an arrogant opponent? While Reiji was pondering this, he firmly gripped Ishar Cluster’s hilt and leaped forward. 

“Huh?! What?!” he immediately stammered. 

Much to his surprise, rather than leaping, he nearly went rocketing through the air. It was unlike anything he’d experienced before, and he went much further than he’d anticipated. Feeling like he had lost control, he panicked in the air. Realizing crashing into something at this speed would be bad, he flailed in the air before reaching down with his left hand and spreading his braced legs wide. He tried to catch as much ground with those three points of contact as possible, and kicked up a trail of sand and dirt behind him as he gradually slid to a halt. 

“I stopped...” 

Facing the wall he’d nearly hit, Reiji let out a sigh of relief. But then, suddenly realizing he was wide open... 

“Behind me?!” 

“Huh...?” 

It was Ilzarl who’d yelled out in shock, and Reiji who was left bewildered. By the time he realized what was going on, everyone was staring at him in surprise. They looked like the unthinkable had just happened. Observing this, a thought crossed Reiji’s mind. He wasn’t the only one who’d been surprised at his speed—but the reason everyone else’s astonishment came later was because nobody had been able to react in time. Even Ilzarl was slow to respond. Adding it all up, the only explanation seemed to be that Reiji’s own senses had been accelerated. 

Keeping his theory to himself, Reiji focused on Ilzarl’s movements. And just as he thought, Ilzarl seemed to be moving much slower than before. Slow enough that Reiji could see openings to attack. But he saw something else in those openings—hope. All of a sudden, the absolute despair of fighting an impossibly doomed battle vanished into thin air. 

He blocked the copper chain that came flying at him with Ishar Cluster. He could feel the shock of the blow, but it was nothing compared to what he’d experienced trying to stop Ilzarl’s bare hand before. 

“This is... the power of the sword...” 

“I see... That’s why that guy said it could reach even Zekaraia. To think it could elevate a mere offering to being able to put up a fight...” 

Reiji could hear surprise in Ilzarl’s voice, yet he kept his composure. It was true Reiji was no longer dominated by the despair of fighting an overwhelming opponent, but even so, he could still feel the dominating strength coming from Ilzarl. It told him that he had to fully unleash the power of the sword. As such, he stabbed the tip of Ishar Cluster into the ground with all his might. 

“HAAAAAAAAH!” 

Reiji roared, and Ishar Cluster began to radically suck in his mana. As it did, the ground began to crystallize into enormous, glacial, vitreous ores. Rather than specifically surrounding Ilzarl, they spread out through the entire grotto. Ilzarl used his chains entwined with red lightning to fend them off, but the smashed crystals only continued to spread. And eventually, even the chains that were being used to smash the crystals began to freeze. At this rate, Reiji could do it. He could take Ilzarl. And just as he was thinking that... 

“Huh? Urgh, ah... Wh-What...?” 

Suddenly, his vision grew shaky like he’d been struck with vertigo. Just like that, his knees gave way. He no longer had the strength in his legs to stand. And as he fell, the blueish crystal ores all shattered as one. 

“Reiji-sama?!” 

“My body... All my mana... was sucked up...” 

“With this kind of power, it’s obvious it would require a significant amount of mana to sustain. It just means that this weapon is more than you can handle.” 

Talking down to Reiji like he knew everything, Ilzarl drew closer. And once again, Reiji was left utterly powerless. 

Ilzarl was closing in on the vulnerable Reiji, who had used up his mana. This time, there really was nothing he could do. Watching this all unfold right in front of her, a restlessness stirred in Mizuki. 

It was exactly the same as when they’d fought Rajas. She was forced to taste the bitterness of her own helplessness. Perhaps this was even worse. Here, because she was a hindrance in battle, she’d had no choice but to fall to the back. And if this was how it was going to be, was there any meaning in her coming with Reiji? She’d promised to help him, but what could she even do? She asked herself all this, but her questions were almost immediately overwritten. 

“Do you wish to fight?” 

She swore she heard a voice from somewhere. 

“What? Who is that?” 

While supporting Faylia, who was sweating and panting in pain, Mizuki looked around for the source of the voice. It wasn’t the voice of anyone present, and she couldn’t see that anyone else had entered the room. As she sat there completely bewildered, she heard the voice again from seemingly nowhere. 

“Tell me: do you wish to fight, or do you not?” 

Mizuki couldn’t understand the intent behind the question, but she’d known her answer for a long time now. 

“I... want to fight too. I want to be useful to everyone...” 

Immediately after putting her true feelings into words without the slightest hint of pretense or falsehood, Mizuki’s consciousness slipped into darkness. 

In another sudden turn of events, right as Reiji fell to his knees... 

BAAAAAAAANG! 

With a utterly strange and incomprehensible sound, the air between Reiji and Ilzarl exploded. 

“W-Wuh....” 

“Wh-What is it this time?!” 

Reiji covered his face to defend from the explosion in front of him. Ilzarl leaped back in an attempt to escape it, but the explosion chased him all the way to the grotto wall. When it began to subside, Reiji could hear something behind him... 

“FUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” 

It was a familiar voice, a loud laughter that he remembered hearing before, that rang through the cavern. Reiji suddenly had a terrible feeling and quickly turned around. Behind him, he could see Mizuki standing there, her arms crossed in a haughty pose as she continued to laugh loudly. 

“M-Mizuki?!” 

“H-Hey, what’s the matter all of a sudden, Mizuki?!” 

Titania and Graziella both directed their confused inquiries at her. And the answer they got... 

“My name is not Mizuki!” 

Hearing that nonsensical declaration, question marks were floating over everyone’s heads. If she wasn’t Mizuki, then who was she? Their puzzled gazes all seemed to be asking the same thing. 

“Every single one of you! You shall do well to listen carefully! I am the ultimate ruler who controls everything in all three thousand worlds, the Holy King of the Heavens, Io Kuzami!” 

In answer to her bold declaration, Reiji shrieked. 

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!” 

Indeed, Reiji had entirely forgotten that he was sitting on the ground exhausted of mana. He let out a tremendous wail at the top of his lungs. To him, the least likely scenario conceivable had just unfolded. It was too much to take silently. Seeing him completely lose his composure, Titania called out to him in bewilderment. 

“R-Reiji-sama?” 

“M-Mizuki! Mizuki, that’s... just... This isn’t the time for that!” 

“What are you saying?! If not now, then when would you say is the time?! FUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” 

Just what had come over her? Totally ignoring Reiji’s pleading, she began laughing more heartily than ever. Watching this curiosity develop, Ilzarl, who had retreated back to the wall, looked almost daunted as he raised an astonished question. 

“What? Did you lose your mind?” 

“What a rude fellow. I assure you this exquisite mind of mine is exactly as it should be!” With that, Mizuki suddenly clutched at her left eye. “Ah, it throbs... It aches, this left eye of mine... It throbs sonorously as it furiously demands I obliterate the scoundrel who has wronged me...” 

Looking closely, one of Mizuki’s eyes was shining with a golden glow. Even though both her eyes had always been the same color before, Reiji could see for himself that they had become heterochromatic—just like she always wanted. 

“Hear me, half-naked man! I shall now grant you a fate beyond this plane, dropping you into the eternal glacier known as the depths of hell, born of God’s twisted mind!” 

“...” 

“You should feel honored! For soon, you will be lining up before the great Demon King! FUHAHAHAHAHA!” 

Mizuki thrust her finger out at Ilzarl as she unflinchingly pronounced his fate. Meanwhile, Reiji was pointing at Mizuki, his mouth gaping like a fish out of water. As for Ilzarl, as expected, Mizuki’s boasting didn’t sit well with him and he seemed to be rather irritated. He left impressions in the ground as he firmly stepped forward, exuding a strong, terrifying presence. 

“To think that you would be unable to comprehend the glory of the words coming from my divine mouth! You absolute fool of woefully inadequate intellect! Take this!” 

With that, a colossal amount of mana was released from Mizuki’s body. 

“Huh?!” 

“What?!” 

Both Reiji and Ilzarl were stunned—one a close friend who had been traveling with her all this time and was surprised at this irregular display of mana, and the other an enemy in absolute shock at the dreadful display of power being put on in front of him. Ilzarl rightfully put up his guard as Mizuki began chanting. 

“Oh Fire and Earth. Raise your glorious, innocent hymn. My temple stands firm in this place. Become the red hot iron and the fully-blown furnace, and flood all before me. Follow my hand, Cathedral Forge!” 

What Reiji heard was a composite spell unlike anything he’d ever witnessed. He’d never heard those keywords before, either. But as soon as she’d said them, multiple stone pillars shot up from the ground beneath Mizuki. They lifted her up at their center, right up to the ceiling of the immense grotto. Just as Reiji was thinking they looked like they formed a temple, the stone pillars became red hot, seemingly heating the floor beneath them. It looked like they were melting it. 

“Climb up! If you bastards waste any time, you too will be caught in the flood of this incandescent red blood of mine!” 

“Huh? R-Right!” 

Following Mizuki’s directions, Reiji and the others climbed up to her position. And not a moment too soon. The floor of the grotto then sank into boiling red lava, which rippled into a tsunami and rushed towards Ilzarl. 

“This is bad! We won’t be able to breathe, Mizuki!” 

Seeing the growing amount of surging lava, Reiji panicked. He was worried that the gas it emitted would quickly overtake the oxygen in the grotto, leaving them to suffocate. He immediately urged Mizuki to dismiss her spell, but... 

“Do not fear. Even in this enclosed space, as long as you remain within this Cathedral Forge of mine, you need not worry about air. Though there seems to be an exception outside as well...” 

“An exception?” 

“Cast thy gaze upon that.” 

Mizuki glanced over at Ilzarl. Reiji followed her line of sight. He saw what looked like an explosion of lava, and from that explosion... emerged Demon General Ilzarl. 

“This destructive power is...” 

While Ilzarl was muttering to himself, he looked at his own hands carefully. He’d undoubtedly been consumed by Mizuki’s lava, but perhaps through some sort of resistance, the only damage he’d suffered for it was that his skin was somewhat reddened. It was no worse than a mild sunburn. 

“No way... Even after being drowned like that, he’s virtually unharmed...” 

“A monster through and through...” 

Reiji could hear Titania and Graziella’s terrified voices, but Mizuki was letting out a creepy laugh. 

“Even against that, only his skin is slightly burned, is it? Heh heh heh, as one would expect, demi-ogre. To withstand such magic with curable wounds... It looked to me as if you shook off this magic of mine with only your mana. Such a profound black even deeper than the darkness thrust forth by the King of Hell... You may accept my praise.” 

Mizuki’s declaration as she fell deeper into the intoxication of her imagination dealt a painful blow to Reiji. But Ilzarl seemed to ignore her completely. 

“It has been a long time since I’ve seen someone who could properly use magic. Reminds me of the howl of the dragonnewts...” 

“Do not lump me together with beasts! I am the Holy King of the Heavens, a unique existence throughout all heaven and earth!” 

Mizuki continued to rain her haughty and fearless declarations on Ilzarl, but he merely snorted before making a bored expression like his interest was quickly waning. 

“You really are prattling on about nothing but incomprehensible nonsense, offering. But no matter.” 

Ilzarl then turned his back on Mizuki and the others, and just like that, started to head towards the exit of the grotto. Seeing this, Mizuki looked perturbed. 

“Why are you resigning? Did you not want that Sacrament or whatever it was, you bastard?” 

“I can feast on offerings like you whenever I please. But if I’m going to, it would simply prefer to do so when they’ve fully matured. Until then, I will leave that Sacrament or whatever in your hands.” 

“You don’t have to show such patience on my account, you know. Or perhaps you fear this power of mine?” 

“M-Mizuki...” 

Mizuki continued to provoke Ilzarl, but Titania looked at her with pleading eyes to ask her to stop. 

“Do not fear. Against one such as I, there is no opponent that cannot be defeated.” 

Without even glancing at Titania, Mizuki remained completely focused on Ilzarl. Having regressed back into her chuunibyou state, she was powered by an incomprehensible level of self-confidence. 

“You are a mere offering. Don’t speak with such conceit. I’m saying that I will let you live today. You should be cowering like the others, shivering in fear.” 

“Hmph!” 

Ilzarl shot a gaze at her that looked like it could kill someone, yet Mizuki simply scoffed. Ilzarl then narrowed his eyes and muttered something. 

“Just doing what that guy says... Now that I think about it, that would peeve me too.” 

Nobody could hear what he said, but Reiji could somehow sense discontent in his expression. 

But then, just like that, the demon who handily overwhelmed the hero and his companions vanished. Reiji and the others were struck with relief as he left, and at long last, the tension left their stiff bodies. 

“W-We’re alive...” 

Reiji’s hands couldn’t stop shaking. Titania and the others also seemed to be completely spent, and all slackly slumped their shoulders as they stared at the entrance to the grotto dumbfounded. 

“Seriously, to think he just up and left...” 

“Just what did that demon want?” 

Ilzarl had only showed up, laid waste to the group, and left. He seemed to want the Sacrament at first, but it apparently wasn’t a very high priority. In the end, he’d left without it and didn’t seem too upset about it. But while going over what had just happened in his head, Reiji was stuck with a concern that seemed far more immediate. 

“That’s right! Mizuki!” 

“What is the matter, my beloved fiancé? Suddenly raising thy voice like that...” 

“Y-Y-Your—?!” 

Reiji was too stunned by her shocking declaration to say anything else. Seeing that he was magnificently bewildered, Mizuki cocked her head to the side. 

“What? Is something strange?” 

“S-Strange?! Yes, very strange! What’s going on with you, seriously?!” 

“There is nothing at all going on. On the contrary, just why are you so bothered?” 

Mizuki was broadly grinning like she was having fun toying with him, but Reiji was too worked up to tell what she was thinking at all. In the midst of their antics, Titania called out to him. 

“Reiji-sama, more importantly, shall we get out of here? There’s the matter with Mizuki, but I am also worried about Faylia-dono’s condition, not to mention Gregory and the others...” 

“Ah, yeah... You’re right...” 

Titania’s suggestion was the most reasonable thing anyone had said so far. And so, carrying an anxiety that could not adequately be summed up in simple words, Reiji lent his shoulder to Faylia and left the grotto with the others. 

As for what had happened outside, the knights of Astel and the soldiers Graziella brought with her from Nelferia were injured, but not gravely. They’d all escaped without life-threatening wounds. 

From what they told Reiji, after they saw him and the others off, Ilzarl arrived at the temple. At first they thought he was just some shady figure and the monks from the Church of Salvation tried to turn him away, but Ilzarl didn’t hesitate to tear into the monks when they opposed him. From there, battle broke out. The spellcasters from the church weren’t able to contain him, and every last one of them that tried was apparently eaten. 

But, perhaps because he’d already eaten his fill, by the time Ilzarl reached Gregory and the others, he seemed to have lost interest and didn’t even put much effort into fighting. If there was something to be thankful for, it was just that. 

Presently, the survivors had all been treated with restoration magic and were resting in a recovery room with Faylia. Reiji and the others were gathered together in a separate room they were borrowing from the temple. Recalling the fight with Ilzarl, Titania let out a heavy sigh. 

“He certainly was a preposterous opponent.” 

“Demon General Ilzarl... So that’s the kind of enemy we’ll be up against from here on out, huh?” 

Reiji could only offer a weak reply. There were a meager three things that he could appreciate with certainty right now. That Ilzarl had been a terrifyingly formidable enemy. That he’d been powerless against him. And that he’d been extravagantly foolish in declaring that he would fight despite such powerlessness. 

The fact that they’d be up against truly strong enemies had first been impressed upon Reiji back during their fight against Rajas. Naturally, considering the nature of his mission, it was something he’d prepared himself for. But for them to be so overwhelming... For an opponent to show up that he’d literally been unable to even harm on his own... 

Reiji had awoken the Sacrament at some point during the battle, but the sword had reverted back to its form as an ornament. Even when he tried calling out to it now to transform, it wouldn’t answer. If they ran into another demon general as things were, he would again be useless. 

Was that... Was this really okay? Such questions filled his heart with doubt, but he wasn’t the only one gripped by anxiety. Both Titania and Graziella felt the same way. Recalling their respective fights with Ilzarl depressed them, and their usual energy was nowhere to be seen. 

Ilzarl and the Sacrament were both important matters, but Reiji would be forced to set them aside for the moment. 

“My, my, whatever is the matter? My dear fiancé for whom my desire burns hotter than a fiery dragon’s heart as it slumbers at the core of the earth, and whose existence is more precious to me than all the angels who call me master... For some time now, your complexion has been rather poor, you know?” 

“Whose fault is that...?” 

“Are you implying that the fault is mine? How rude... Well then, I shall let it be.” 

Mizuki’s speech and conduct were one thing, but that wasn’t all that seemed different about her. Her very attitude as “Io Kuzami” had changed, conjuring some very unpleasant memories for Reiji. Ever since they’d left the grotto, she’d stood with her arms haughtily crossed, overflowing with confidence. But what stood out the most were unmatching eyes. Indeed, her left eye was no longer black, but gave off a unique golden glow. 

Reiji looked over at her with a complex expression. Titania and Graziella, equally unable to hide their bafflement, also beheld her with a certain degree of confusion. 

“How do I put this...? Mizuki, isn’t it about time you put an end to this act? Do we have to relive your dark past?” 

“I am not Mizuki. I am the Holy King of the Heavens, Io Kuzami.” 

“That’s what I’m talking about. I got tired of hearing that a long time ago... Ugh, we’re not getting anywhere like this...” 

Mizuki... No, Io Kuzami was unabashedly telling Reiji exactly what he didn’t want to hear. At his wits’ end, he felt a strong headache coming on. However, Io Kuzami seemed completely unaware of all this. 

“There is no act. Everything is exactly as I say. I am the supreme ruler who oversees all children born under the heavens. Indeed, I am the Holy King of the Heavens, Io Kuzami.” 

“Every time you open your mouth, the act just gets grander and grander... Hahh, as I thought, you’ve completely regressed into your dark days...” Reiji let out an anguished groan, then looked back over at her. “Hey, Mizuki...” 

“How often must I repeat myself? I am not Mizuki.” 

Io Kuzami once more asserted her identity, but this time Titania called out to her. 

“Um, pardon... But are you really not Mizuki?” 

“Indeed, I am genuinely not the true proprietor of this body—this girl known as Mizuki. I am the holy one descended from the heavens that hears the wishes of all who live in this world.” 

What’s genuine about it? Much less holy? 

Reiji grumbled to himself in his own mind, but couldn’t actually bring himself to say anything as he winced at her words. It was then that Graziella turned a question to him with a curious expression on her face. 

“Reiji, I don’t really understand what’s going on with this Io Kuzami... Could you explain it?” 

“...Do I have to?” 

“Whatever the situation, it seems we’re stuck with it for the time being, no?” 

“How do I put this...? It’s embarrassing to talk about...” 

“Why are you embarrassed about it?” 

“You know... It’s like when you’re sitting happily together with your family watching TV, and all of a sudden something very adult comes on...” 

“I do not understand these expressions from your foreign world.” 

“I can’t think of any other good examples...” 

As Reiji hesitated to explain, Io Kuzami proudly puffed out her chest and spoke for herself in her typical self-assured tone. 

“So be it! If you wish to know about me, I shall inform you. Everyone other than my fiancé should humbly bow down and listen.” 

“Who’s going to bow? Just talk.” 

“Man, she’s really going to say it... You’re really going to just confess, huh, Mizuki?” 

As Reiji started muttering in despair, Io Kuzami took a daunting pose atop one of the beds. The other three people present resisted asking whether that was really necessary. But only after Io Kuzami finished lording over them with her gaze did she get to her explanation. 

“I am the Holy King of the Heavens, Io Kuzami. I have awakened to guide the worthless beings collectively known as humanity who have run rampant in this boring world to the true realm of darkness. I am the absolute ruler of the black flame darker than the abyss that grants death without partiality to all in existence. My other names are the Grand Ripper, the Death Child... Right?” 

“Don’t ask me! I don’t know!” 

“I am certain I had about three other names granted to me, though... I am the one who boils all the malice in the world into an even jet black darkness using that Pandora whose name is karma to...” 

“You don’t have to say it! You don’t have to say any more! Please!” 

Reiji covered his ears. Perhaps some of his anguish had transferred over to Titania, who was now rubbing her temple with a severe expression. 

“I do not understand why, but just listening to her gives me a headache...” 

“It’s partly because what she says is incomprehensible, Tia...” 

The two of them genuinely appeared to be suffering. Graziella, meanwhile, seemed to be considering the issue rather seriously. 

“Reiji, Your Royal Highness... Could it be that Mizuki was possessed by something strange? Didn’t the elf mention something similar earlier? That the reason the king who ruled over this region turned villainous was because he was possessed by a force that drove him to madness and tyranny?” 

“Now that you mention it...” 

“Could you not lump me together with your kind?” 

Io Kuzami was indignant at the comparison, but the more Reiji thought about it, the more he began to think she was right—if he lumped them together, he would feel badly for the tyrant. 

“I shall say this beforehand, but I did not so much as touch that book. As another matter entirely, that fiend who serves he who holds the fist that conquered the devil, he who shook the heavens and earth from top to bottom and spread his name across the universe, eager for atrocities greater than the ones wrought by God and Satan—the god of demons—did he not take it with him?” 

Io Kuzami was probably referring to Ilzarl. Certainly, Faylia had said that the origin of the tyrant’s possession was the book. But if the same force had possessed Mizuki, would it really be dredging up her dark past? As Reiji wrinkled his brow wondering just what was going on, Titania drew closer to him to whisper in his ear. 

“Reiji-sama, what do you think?” 

“Maybe—and I mean maybe—somewhere inside of Mizuki, she’s actually got another personality or something?” 

“Another personality?” 

“Yeah, it’s a condition called multiple personality disorder. When people undergo tremendous stress, sometimes they’re unable to keep their mind in balance, and other personalities are born to help cope.” 

Reiji gave Titania a simple explanation of a single cause of multiple personality disorder. Graziella, who happened to overhear this, cut in on their conversation. 

“So that is the situation with Mizuki right now? I see... Certainly, that demon unleashed a tremendous fighting spirit. It isn’t strange to think that it would have done her in mentally.” 

“Is there a way to turn her back, Reiji-sama?” 

“It’s not like I’m a doctor, so I don’t know... But I’ve heard that people with such disorders sometimes switch personalities, or when they’re relieved of their stress, the new personality integrates with the original one. We might be able to find a way to rectify this with enough time.” 

“So this doesn’t mean that the real Mizuki just vanished?” 

“Theoretically...” 

Titania felt a slight sense of relief upon hearing this. But the next to cut in on their conversation was Io Kuzami herself. 

“Talking in secret amongst yourselves? Include me as well. Allow the King of the Heavens to hear your foolish conjecture that amounts to no more than grains of rice—no, specks of dust.” 

“No. If we include you right now, Mizuki, we won’t get anywhere.” 

“Mizuki, do not worry. Until you return to normal, I will help you to the best of my ability.” 

“So you would ignore me, Io Kuzami? Nothing but insolence...” She made her dissatisfaction known with a snort, but after doing so, returned to a fearless smile. “More importantly, my dear fiancé, do you not have more to worry about than me to the exclusion of all else?” 

“Huh?” 

“That.” 

Io Kuzami was pointing at the pocket of Reiji’s blazer. Inside of it were the Sacrament and the device called the Lachesis Meter, which he’d received from Faylia. Wondering what she was trying to say, Reiji reached into his pocket, and... 

Tick. 

“Huh?” 

He heard the unmistakable sound of a clock ticking inside of his head. Perhaps saying he “heard” it wasn’t the right way to describe it. It was as if the sound resounded directly within his ears. 

“Reiji-sama?” 

“Did you... hear that just now?” 

“Hear what?” 

Titania looked quite puzzled, unsure of what he was talking about. She apparently hadn’t heard the ticking herself. After a short pause to try and listen for something, she questioned Reiji again. 

“Reiji-sama, did you hear something?” 

“We didn’t hear anything,” volunteered Graziella. 

She vigilantly scanned the area to try and determine the source of the sound, but it seemed—whatever it was—that it had only been heard by Reiji. Meanwhile, Io Kuzami was grinning widely like she had before when she was toying with him. Her grin unchanged, she nodded towards what Reiji was holding in his hand. Reiji opened the face of the pocket watch. Just like when he first picked it up, there lay a curved hour and minute hand inside, but this time... 

“It’s moving...” 

It was certainly different. The curved needles were now moving, if only ever so slightly, and only roughly every minute or so. 

“What a sinful measuring device. Its very existence suggests that everyone is doomed to perish, but for it to have been made, it also suggests there is a way to rebel against that fate.” 

“Mizu— No, Io Kuzami-san, what is this to you?” 

“It is a scale to measure the coming apocalypse. It’s a magic device that represents the rivalry between the inevitable future and the resistance of the present day.” 

“Faylia-dono did say something like that, didn’t she? Something about the beginning of the end of the world, right?” 

“In other words, you just repeated what she said in an exaggerated expression?” 

“I cannot deny the exaggerated expression... Well, take it however you like. You will only ever have the leisure to do so now, after all. FUHAHAHAHAHA!” 

As Reiji looked at the Lachesis Meter with a stern expression, Io Kuzami broke into laughter. Her laughter gradually grew louder and louder, rattling Reiji’s mind and keeping him from thinking. Unable to bear it any longer, he screamed at Io Kuzami. 

“Can you be a little quieter, Mizuki?!” 

“Will you remember my name properly already? I am the Holy King of the Heavens, Io Kuzami! I am absolutely not Mizuki! Absolutely not!” 

“AAAAAH! DAMN IT, DAMN IT, DAMN IT! Why did it end up like this?! How?! SUIMEI, SAVE MEEEEEEEE!” 

Io Kuzami’s loud laughter and Reiji’s wails of despair echoed throughout the temple. This all happened that evening, one week after Suimei fought Eanru.