Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 10 - Chapter 5

The Heart’s Balance

Very soon, Koutarou’s mother would die. When that realization set in on him, he froze in place.

What should I do?!

Over the past three days, Koutarou had secretly been thinking about whether or not he should break the rules and step in to save his mother. If he did, he and Clan wouldn’t be able to return to their own world. In that case, Koutarou would have brought it upon himself, but the same couldn’t be said for Clan. Had this been Forthorthe, she wouldn’t have minded. Since Clan was royalty, she had a certain duty to protect the lives of her citizens. However, Clan had nothing to do with the people on Earth, and Koutarou had no right to force her hand in getting her involved. On top of that, Koutarou had made a promise with the invading girls as well as an oath to himself. But even so, he was having a hard time accepting the burden of just letting his own mother die.

Though unable to decide, he knew the time would come eventually that he had to make a choice. He hadn’t expected it to come so suddenly, but now there was no time to hesitate. In less than an hour, Koutarou’s mother would die. If he was going to do something, it had to be now.

“I... I...”

But despite knowing that, Koutarou couldn’t move.

If he acted, he would be sacrificing Clan’s happiness for his. He would basically be trading his mother’s life for Clan’s future. Even if he meant well, could that ever be forgiven? And what about the promise and oath he had left ten years in the future? That was why he’d fought so desperately to return home in the first place. That said, could he just abandon someone he loved to such a terrible fate? Could he ever be forgiven for that either, especially when it was his own mother?

Those were the questions that besieged Koutarou now, and there was no way he could come up with answers in just a few minutes. Especially when the lives of his family and friends were at stake. The scales in Koutarou’s heart were perfectly balanced. Neither choice was one he wanted to make because he didn’t want to lose any of the people that were precious to him. It was an impossible dilemma that left him paralyzed by indecision.

“Let’s hurry up and save her, Onii-chan!”

But Kii didn’t see it that way. Kii had just lost her own mother, and she didn’t want him to have to go through the same thing. And so she desperately pleaded for him to save his mother.

“It’s your mom! You can’t just let it happen!”

“But if I do that, something dangerous will happen to my friend! There will be people I can never see again!”

“But you still have to go! If you don’t, your friend will be sad too! They’ll think they killed Onii-chan’s mom!”

If Koutarou didn’t save his mother, Clan would probably feel bad about it. She would think it was her fault Koutarou hadn’t gone to save her. That would weigh on her, and in Koutarou’s heart of hearts, he knew the same would hold true for the other invaders. Would that really be the right choice then?

Kii didn’t know who Koutarou’s friend was, but if he didn’t save his mother, she knew how this friend would feel because it was the same way she would feel.

“Let’s save your mom and apologize to your friend! After that, you can just protect your friend so that nothing dangerous happens to them! That’s for the best!”

“Kii-chan...”

Koutarou was at a standstill, but Kii was pushing him forward with all of her heart. And for each push she gave him, some of that emotional momentum was transferred to him. In the end, she tipped the scales in his heart.

“I got it. Thank you, Kii-chan.”

Koutarou made up his mind. There was no path that wouldn’t end with regret. But knowing that, he would just take responsibility for what he’d done. With Kii’s encouragement, he steeled his resolve.

“Let’s go save my mom. I’ll apologize to my friends later.”

With those words, Koutarou’s thoughts turned to his friends who weren’t present.

Sorry, everyone... It doesn’t look like I can fulfill our promise after all...

Koutarou had promised the invaders that they would make the play a success. He’d also made an oath to himself that he would help resolve each of their problems. But now that he had decided to save his mother, he was about to lose his chance to return to the future where he could do that. A pang of guilt struck his heart.

I am very sorry, Your Majesty... I even turned your offer down...

Alaia had wanted Koutarou to remain in Forthorthe, but he had turned her down on the basis that he had promises to fulfill back home. But here he was, about to abandon those promises. It made him feel like he was betraying Alaia.

And Clan, I’m sorry for getting you involved in this. I’ll protect you... so please forgive me...

They had started as enemies, but now they were friends. To Koutarou, Clan had become as precious to him as the invading girls. He understood that he was about to decide her future for her, so he resolved to protect her to try to make up for it. That would become his new oath.

After thinking through everything, Koutarou decided to go save his mother. He believed it was the right thing to do, but he knew what it would cost. This wasn’t like when the village’s water supply had been poisoned during the harvest festival. This time, history would almost certainly change.

But even then, Koutarou simply couldn’t look away knowing what was about to happen. He couldn’t just let his mother die without even trying to save her. There was no virtue in that. It wouldn’t be the knightly thing to do, and if anything, that was Koutarou’s weakness.

“That’s right! That’s the way, Onii-chan!”

Kii smiled as she cheered for Koutarou. She was happy to be of help to him and repay the kindness he’d shown her, even if it was only a little.

“You don’t have to do everything yourself! You can make mistakes! You’re not Kabutonga, Onii-chan!”

Kii knew that Koutarou was just a normal teenager. That he wasn’t a superhero that could tackle anything. And it was thanks to her being there—thanks to her understanding that struggle—that he was finally able to make up his mind and act. Regardless of what happened next, it would be far better than if he’d stood still and done nothing. Essentially, Kii had saved him. In her own way, this young but gentle girl had become special to Koutarou, much like the invaders and Clan.

Koutarou clearly remembered the site of his mother’s accident. He was there when it happened, and after the accident, he and his father had visited the place several times. He knew it well enough that he could figure out the fastest way to get there.

“I am sorry, Veltlion. My calculations used the Forthorthian calendar, so it didn’t properly translate to this world’s date system. I should have double checked it.”

“So that’s why...”

On his way to the site of the accident, Koutarou had used his bracelet to get in touch with Clan. According to her original estimation, the accident wasn’t supposed to take place for another month, so Koutarou wanted to know what had gone wrong.

As it turned out, Clan had used the clock on board the Cradle and Forthorthe’s calendar for her calculations. Though they were now based off of the vibration frequency of gravitons, they originally used Forthorthe’s revolutions and rotations as the standards of measuring time.

Forthorthe had roughly the same size and mass as Earth, and it was about as far away from its star as Earth was from the sun. Because of that, their cycles of revolution and rotation were extremely similar, but they still weren’t identical. That created a margin of error when substituting one clock for another. It wasn’t enough to affect minor calculations, but when it came to calculating the passage of nearly two thousand years, it added up to a difference of about forty days. In the end, there wasn’t anything wrong with Clan’s math, she’d simply used the wrong calendar.

“I understand. Clan, I’m going to save my mom.”

“Do as you please.”

“I’m sorry for getting you involved in this. I’ll properly take responsibility for it.”

“I can’t say I feel bad hearing that from a legendary knight.”

“Thank you, Clan.”

“Heh, just make sure you do things right.”

In the end, Clan didn’t so much as criticize Koutarou for his decision. Rather, she was smiling as she ended the call. She had suspected that this might happen from the very start, and she honestly thought it was for the best. She felt exactly the way Kii had predicted she would.

I’m really sorry, and thank you, Clan...

Koutarou thanked Clan as the call ended. Kii, who was running alongside Koutarou, had been waiting for him to finish up before she called out to him again.

“O-Onii-chan, don’t worry about me! G-Go on ahead!”

Right now, Koutarou was matching Kii’s speed as he ran. She knew that she was slowing him down, and she knew that the consequences would be dire if he didn’t make it in time. As such, she urged him to leave her behind

“No, it’s fine.”

However, Koutarou only shook his head and spoke to Kii in a calm fashion.

“We’ll have enough time if we keep going at this pace. It’s not that far from here.”

“R-Really?”

Relieved, Kii’s expression eased up a little. Koutarou had no trouble running at their current speed, but the same wasn’t true for Kii. She was too out of breath to even manage a smile for him.

“We could even stop for a moment on our way there.”

“Hahh... I-I’ll do my best so we won’t have to do that, Onii-chan!”

Kii was exhausted after having spent the entire day playing. But knowing that Koutarou’s mother was in danger, she still did her best to be of help. And Koutarou was honestly grateful for her. Right now, he felt much better to have her with him than he would have if he’d left her behind.

“Kii-chan, we’re turning at the next corner.”

“Okay!”

Koutarou ran a little ahead now and guided Kii as they went. They were about to leave the main street and enter an alley. It would make for a shortcut to their destination, and it would be easier to run with less people around. Since it was 6 PM on a weekday, the main drag was packed with people trying to get home.

“Once we get through here, we’ll be right next to it!”

“Just a little more!”

Entering the alley, Koutarou slowed down to match Kii’s pace again. It was basically a straight shot from where they were now, so there was no longer a need to lead the way. Instead, he ran beside her as they made their way down the dimly lit alley.

“...Hmm?”

Once Kii and Koutarou had made it about hallway down the alley, several men and women appeared in front of them. They were headed towards Koutarou and Kii, so the distance between them closed quickly.

What’s with these people...?

Normally, Koutarou would have just assumed they were passersby using the alley too, but their clothes, genders, and ages were all over the place. They had nothing in common. Moreover, he could sense something abnormal about their presence. The intuition he had nurtured on the battlefield was warning him. Abiding that warning, he took a closer look at the group and realized several things seemed strange about them.

Their expressions were feeble and pale. Not only that, but their steps were awkward. They were walking like puppets with their strings cut. Concerned, Koutarou used the spirit sight that he had gotten from Sanae to take a look at him. To his surprise, the flow of their auras was oddly distorted. From their necks up, their auras weren’t properly cooperating with the rest of their bodies.

“Kii-chan, stop!”

Koutarou slowed down and grabbed Kii’s arm to keep her from going any farther. He then glared down the alley at the strange crowd of people.

Could it be that these people are...

Koutarou unconsciously clenched his right hand hard. He had seen auras distorted like this before. His friend, the Fire Dragon Emperor Alunaya, had been in a similar state while he was being controlled by the evil magicians. At the time, Koutarou hadn’t known what dragons’ auras normally looked like, so he hadn’t paid much attention to it, but thinking back to it now, it made sense.

But now that he was back in modern Japan, it was hard to believe that these people were actually being controlled by magic. He had to consider that they might be under the influence of drugs, machines, hypnosis, or something like that. Whatever it was, it wasn’t normal, so Koutarou knew he had to keep his guard up. That’s why he’d stopped running.

“Onii-chan?”

Koutarou was supposed to be in a hurry, but he’d suddenly stopped moving and now he was making a scary face. Not understanding what was going on, Kii grew anxious and squeezed his hand.

“Those people... are probably enemies.”

“Enemies?! They’re bad people?! Why?!”

“I don’t know, but they aren’t normal.”

“They aren’t normal?”

Kii took another look at the people in front of her after what Koutarou said. When she did, she saw what he meant. Their expressions and the way they were moving was strange even to her.

“You’re right. They’re kinda strange...”

“What are those people trying to do...?”

Koutarou mumbled as he glared at the group. Watching them, they started to spread out as if intent on blocking the path in front of him. He then sensed the intent to attack starting to develop.

Are they trying to kill us...? Why?

No one should have any reason to attack Koutarou in this day and age. As a time traveler, he had no connection to anyone here. The only person that might still wish him harm was Clan, his former enemy. Other than that, the possibilities were quite limited.

Did they just target us at random? Or...

Koutarou looked at Kii. There was a chance she was really the one they were after. She’d only said she’d run away from home, but if she was from a rich or affluent family, it was possible someone might be trying to kidnap her or worse.

“We can’t go this way. Let’s go back a little and take another road.”

Koutarou pushed Kii behind him and tried to put some distance between them and the strange group. Knowing this could be dangerous, especially with a child in tow, there was no reason to try and forge ahead recklessly.

“Onii-chan! There are people behind us too!”

“What?!”

Before they’d realized it, another group of people had appeared behind them as well. The ages and genders of the new group, just like the people in front of them, were all over the place. It came as no surprise to Koutarou that they had the same strange auras too.

The narrow alley went in a straight line, and with both exits now blocked, Koutarou and Kii couldn’t get away.

Regardless of the cause, this is a real problem... What do I do?

Their path of retreat had been cut off, and Koutarou still didn’t know what these people were after, but he could sense a growing bloodlust from them. It was hard to imagine this ending peacefully, and there were too many people to forcibly push through. It would have been possible with his sword and armor, but he was unarmed and unarmored right now. On top of that, he had Kii to think about. Protecting her had to be his top priority.

I’m going to have to rely on Clan for help...

Clan often used her bracelet to summon weapons, so it might be possible to have one sent to him the same way. It would be Signaltin, ideally, but he didn’t know if it that would work or not.

I should have made preparations for situations like this...

Koutarou hadn’t expected anyone to attack him in this age, and running around with weapons and armor that would make him stand out would bring a different set of troubles. Assuming he’d be safe, he thought it was better to go without his sword and armor. Yet here he was, faced with an unknown enemy.

But there was no use crying over spilled milk. If he could get out of this safely, he would talk to Clan about making preparations to transfer Signaltin in case of future emergencies.

“But for now...”

All he could do was ask for help. He used his left hand to touch one of the gems on the bracelet around his right wrist. It was a switch that could be configured to activate one of many functions, and in this case it opened a communications channel with Clan. It was essentially a speed dial.

“Now, now, I can’t have you calling for help.”

However, Koutarou was unable to complete the call. A woman had appeared from the darkness and came at Koutarou with a large weapon. He was keeping an eye on the groups in front of and behind him, and he was distracted trying to get in touch with Clan. Because of that, it was perfect surprise attack.

“Whoa!”

All that he could do was use his bracelet to deflect her oversized weapon. It was a massive scythe reminiscent of the one the Grim Reaper was often depicted with. Koutarou managed to block the attack in the nick of time, but it shattered the bracelet.

“Oh... to think you could block that. Very impressive.”

The woman who’d attacked was wearing an indigo outfit with an even darker indigo mantle over top of it. It was part of the reason Koutarou hadn’t noticed her. Dressed in such dark colors, she easily blended in with the shadows. Between that, the hood that covered half of her face, and her large, glowing red scythe, Koutarou thought she looked like the very personification of death.

“Whatever. You were targeting the bracelet in the first place.”

Koutarou had been able to block the attack, but he secretly felt a chill run down his spine. It was only because the woman was aiming for his bracelet that he’d been able to use it to shield himself. If she’d been after Koutarou’s life from the start, or Kii’s for that matter, would he have even stood a chance? Koutarou wasn’t confident.

This is bad... She’s calm...

What flustered Koutarou even more was the woman’s placid demeanor. Her first priority had clearly been to keep Koutarou from calling for reinforcements. Whatever she wanted with them would come after.

To kill Koutarou, she would have only needed to step in a little more during her attack. But since she was unsure of his capabilities, she targeted his bracelet first. It would have been problematic if she’d failed to kill him and he’d used that opportunity to call for backup. Conversely, killing him after destroying his bracelet should be easy.

It was thanks to his battlefield experience from Forthorthe that Koutarou could understand this woman’s intentions. It was also why he was panicking. He knew good and well that the most dangerous thing in a fight wasn’t a strong enemy, but a calm one.

“My, well, aren’t you scary? To understand that at your age... I’m really glad I waited for you to separate from your friend.”

“Damn it!”

If she had just been strong, she would have tried a brute force attack while Koutarou and Clan were together. But instead, she’d bided her time and waited for a good opportunity. And without knowing any better, that was how Koutarou had gotten himself into this mess.

“That’s why I have something I would like to ask.”

The woman in indigo lowered her scythe. She dropped the end of it on the ground, and when it made contact, the people in front of and behind Koutarou all stopped moving. They then turned to face her as if awaiting orders.

Is she their leader...?

This strange display made Koutarou think they were her lackeys one way or another. He couldn’t imagine what kind of relationship they had, but if they were working together, it was extra trouble for him.

“Could you just hand the girl over?”

The mysterious woman pointed at Kii with her empty left hand.

“You want Kii-chan?”

Koutarou carefully watched his surroundings as he answered. He couldn’t let his guard down for a moment.

“Yes, that’s right. What I want is that girl.”

As she said that, her lips peeking out from under the hood curled into a smile. But there was no hint of warmth or friendliness in it. If anything, it was freezing cold.

“I don’t care much for fighting, personally. If I can help it, I’d prefer not to tangle with you, boy. You feel the same, right?”

They were gentle words on the surface, but it was obviously a threat. It was an old trick to intimidate someone after showing off a bit of skill. It put pressure on the opponent to back down knowing a fight likely wouldn’t go in their favor.

“Onii-chan...”

Kii grabbed Koutarou’s sleeve. That alone told him she was afraid of this woman, whoever she was. It was clear she didn’t want to go with her. Koutarou touched Kii’s hand to reassure her and glared at the woman.

“What are you planning on doing with her? It doesn’t look like you’re here to take her back home.”

If she had just come to pick up Kii, there would have been no reason to attack Koutarou. She’d struck him with enough force to take off his arm if it hadn’t been for the bracelet. She was quite clearly hostile.

“It will be easier for you to hand her over if you don’t ask questions, boy.”

“So you really are planning on killing her?”

Koutarou could tell what she really meant based on what she was saying and how she was acting.

“I don’t recall saying anything about that.”

“What a barefaced lie...”

“I just want finish my job without any trouble. There’s no ulterior motive.”

Seeing Koutarou’s reaction, the mysterious woman smiled again. That smile told Koutarou everything he needed to know. This woman was after Kii’s life. It didn’t look like she was planning on killing her here, but that was her ultimate goal. Knowing that much, Koutarou adamantly put his foot down.

“I won’t let you have her. She’s my precious friend!”

“Onii-chan!”

Kii’s expression lit up. She knew that their current situation was bad, but she was happy Koutarou hadn’t abandoned her. And she was also happy to hear him call her his friend.

“My, you’re so suspecting. Honestly, I never said anything about killing her.”

The mysterious woman, still smiling, took her scythe in both hands and raised it high. She had expected that response from Koutarou based on his reactions this far. It seemed she wasn’t as much of a pacifist as she’d made herself out to be. It had been her intention to fight him from the start. Her words were just a trick to try and get a sense of his abilities.

I’m outnumbered and unarmed. And my opponent is a mystery...

Koutarou took a stance himself and clicked his tongue in his mind. The woman had called Koutarou scary before, but he was the one who was really scared. He was well aware that he had almost no chance of winning.

“Onii-chan...”

“It’s okay. Just stay back a little.”

“O-Okay...”

But regardless of the odds, Koutarou had no choice but to fight. He was the only one here to defend helpless Kii, and he had no intention of forsaking her. And so, like the brave knight he was, Koutarou defiantly walked into a fight he knew he probably wouldn’t walk out of.

The mysterious woman made the first move. Since Koutarou had to protect Kii, he couldn’t make any bold advances, which meant that he naturally ended up in a position to intercept the woman.

“If you’ve got something hidden up your sleeve, now would be the time to use it! Do you think you stand a chance against me completely unarmed?”

“Show me an idiot who would walk into a fight with no plan!”

“You know, I don’t hate that attitude!”

The mysterious woman’s indigo mantle fluttered as she swung her large scythe at Koutarou. The wind pressure from the motion blew her hood back and revealed her face. She looked about twenty years old, but Koutarou didn’t recognize her.

“She’s fast! And that scythe isn’t normal!”

The mysterious woman’s movements were quick. It didn’t look like the size or weight of her weapon were holding her back at all. When she swung it around, she was as stable as a spinning top. In fact, it looked like she was being stabilized by the spinning scythe. Koutarou couldn’t believe that something like that was possible with a top-heavy weapon like a massive scythe. That kind of movement should only be possible if she were swinging around a stick or a staff. It was as if the blade on it just an illusion.

“That’s because this blade doesn’t have a physical form!”

“So that’s it!”

Koutarou twisted his body as the large scythe grazed his side and tore open his shirt. He shivered when he saw the clean, eerily smooth cut it made. Despite her saying that the blade didn’t have a physical form, the scythe was sharper than the real deal ever could be.

So the scythe is just a blade-shaped barrier on the end of the staff! I can’t be fooled by the way it looks! This is on the same level as what Theia or Clan would use!

The only physical part of the scythe was the handle, which was originally a staff. And through some means, energy had been focused at the top of it, creating a curved blade. As a result, it handled like a staff, but it had the power and range of a scythe, creating one absurdly formidable weapon.

Koutarou thought it was the product of some kind of barrier technology, but that wasn’t the case. The blade had been created by this woman’s magic. This woman, Maya, was a powerful magician who went by the codename Dark Navy.

“Oh... it seems like you’re a special boy.”

Maya stopped her attack, stepped back, and praised Koutarou.

This boy isn’t just any ordinary child. It seems he’s seen weapons made from energy before...

Maya had revealed the secret of her scythe to gauge Koutarou’s reaction. Someone with no knowledge of magic would have either failed to understand what she meant or simply thought she was taunting them. Koutarou, however, had taken the point and responded quickly. That indicated he knew about magic, or something similar to it. Maya didn’t think there wasn’t much of a chance he was a magician, though. If he were, he should have used magic by now.

But I’m even using enhancement magic to improve my physique, and he’s still keeping up...

Maya was impressed Koutarou could keep up with her in a fight even while unarmed. Before making her move, she had cast a spell on herself to improve her basic combat abilities, including strengthening her muscles, increasing the speed of her reflexes, and enhancing the activity in her brain. Because of that, she was fast. She was moving almost faster than the human mind should be able to comprehend, and yet Koutarou was somehow able to follow her movements. And without a weapon, at that.

Is he a natural manafist? Or perhaps he’s a psionic soldier? It’s not just his physical prowess, either. He seems to be quite experienced... I can’t let my guard down just because he’s unarmed. Who knows what tricks he might be hiding...

Though extremely rare, there were cases of natural magicians who could instinctively control mana without any training. Magicians like that often didn’t realize their own power, and tended to focus their mana on their body and maintaining their health. As a result, they would end up as a kind of superhuman. The same thing could happen with psychic powers. Maya suspected that might be the case with Koutarou.

Seeing how he moved, she realized that he had an abundance of actual combat experience. His footwork was disciplined and flawless. It was the kind of skill that could only be gained through real, frequent fighting.

Koutarou was slower than Maya while unarmed, but just barely. She could tell that if they were on equal footing, Koutarou would have the advantage in skill. That was why she praised him.

“Nah, I’m not very special myself. I’ve just been part of a few wars.”

“All truly strong people call themselves weak. It’s funny, considering those who call themselves strong usually end up dying... It looks like I can’t take it easy this time around.”

Maya smiled again and readied her scythe again. Though her lips were smiling, the eyes peeking out from under her hood were anything but.

“An enemy on the same level as Theia, and I’m unarmed... Seriously, I’m not Landlord-san...”

Koutarou took a stance as well and lamented his current predicament. But despite how bad it looked, he still hadn’t given up.

“Onii-chan, don’t get hurt.”

“I don’t know if there’s anything I can really do about that, but I’ll try my best.”

Koutarou had Kii behind him. She was the reason he couldn’t afford to lose. He was all that stood between her and danger.

Victory belongs to those who make the first move!

Koutarou didn’t want to advance too far and leave Kii behind, but he couldn’t hold back against this opponent. She had a longer reach and more power. If he stayed on the defensive, she would always have the advantage. He knew he had to get in range to be able to hit her.

“You can do it, Onii-chan!”

With Kii cheering for him, Koutarou dashed forward. As he did, he unleashed the spiritual energy that Sanae had implanted in him and pushed it to the limit. That instantly increased his speed.

I’m counting on you, Sanae! Last just a little longer!

In reality, Koutarou’s psychic powers had been growing weaker and weaker. He wasn’t a psychic to begin with, and he was only able to use spiritual energy after Sanae had forged spiritual circuity within his body specifically for that purpose. It wasn’t permanent, however, and his ability to use it gradually weakened with time. Sanae would be able to give him a tune-up of sorts, but the longer he went without seeing her, the worse it got. As things stood now, his powers were less than half of what they’d been when he’d first been sent on his journey. That was partially why Koutarou was slower than Maya, but it was all he had right now. He just had to pray it would last long enough to make it through this battle.

“Good call, boy! You might even be able to beat me!”

“I’ll wipe that smug grin off your face soon enough!”

Maya swung her scythe down, grazing Koutarou’s hair. While a portion of his bangs were scattering through the air, he poured all of his force into his fist and thrust it at Maya.

“Our biggest drawback is that we’re weak in close combat, but―”

Maya showed no signs of trying to dodge the blow. Koutarou’s fist was headed right for her stomach, but she just stood there defenseless.

What is this? No, just keep going!

Koutarou noticed Maya’s strange behavior, but he ignored it and continued thrusting his fist forwards. Hesitating in a fight would spell his doom.

“Through thorough preparation, one can make up for that weakness.”

Koutarou’s fist never reached Maya.

“Urgh! You’ve put up a barrier here too?!”

“Precisely!”

Just before his fist was about to slam into Maya, it stopped like it had collided with an invisible wall instead. It was her defensive magic, which suddenly appeared in the form of a translucent yellow light that acted like a shield.

“Which means I can focus on just attacking!”

Maya never had any intention of physically defending herself. Instead, she’d readied her next attack. Her scythe was such a large weapon that it left her open while attacking, but through the use of defensive magic, she didn’t have to worry about that. She could simply focus on offense. Clever use of tricks like that made even magicians serious threats in close range combat.

“How about this?!”

The massive scythe came for Koutarou again, this time emitting an indigo light.

I can’t take that!

Koutarou instinctively sensed the danger and tried to distance himself by kicking off of the handle of Maya’s scythe. But that was when something strange happened.

“Urgh! You’ve put up a barrier here too?! Huh...?”

After kicking the handle, Koutarou stopped moving momentarily and then repeated what he had said a few seconds ago. He was puzzled. The last thing he remembered was throwing his fist at Maya, but it appeared he’d just kicked off her scythe.

“Impossible! What just happened?!”

Maya didn’t miss the opening Koutarou gave her. She removed her left hand from the scythe and pointed it towards Koutarou. She then recited an incantation like a verse of beautiful poetry.

“Thunderbolt! Modifier: Short Range! Area Effect!”

There was a white flash. A powerful electric shock flew from Maya’s hand. Though her words had been beautiful, they unleashed a devastating magic. The electric shock was coming right for Koutarou.

“Oh crap!”

Koutarou realized his error and hurriedly moved to evade. However, Maya had specifically designed her attack to cover a wide area, so he couldn’t completely avoid it.

When snared in an electric shock, the body’s reaction isn’t to convulse like many people believe. It feels more like getting hit with a powerful impact all over, and the entire body cramps up instantly. The victim then goes numb and loses control of their body. And that’s exactly what happened to Koutarou.

“Onii-chan?!”

“You really are special. You almost completely dodged it.”

Maya’s favorite way of fighting was challenging someone in close combat. She would cast a spell on her weapon that caused a few seconds of memory loss on contact, and while her opponent was temporarily disoriented, she would unleash a wide area attack. It was her favorite combination of skills, and she’d never seen anyone who wasn’t a magician capable of dodging it before. Of course Koutarou hadn’t dodged it completely either, but he’d managed to avoid the majority of the electricity. That was more than enough to surprise Maya.

“D-Damn it...”

Koutarou tried to get back up, but he still hadn’t fully regained control of his body.

Please move, body! I can’t fall here!

Even then, Koutarou didn’t give up. He mustered all of his strength, and through sheer will alone, he convinced his body to respond. Using his limbs as support, he forcibly stood himself up, but his movements were slow and awkward like a zombie from a horror movie.

“Onii-chan! A-Are you okay?!”

“...Yeah. Somehow.”

Koutarou smiled at Kii, whose face had visibly gone pale. Of course, Koutarou wasn’t really in a condition anyone could call okay. It was all he could do to stand.

In the past with Yurika’s defensive spell in full effect, he probably wouldn’t have taken this much damage from such an attack. But a lot had happened since she first cast it, particularly while Koutarou and Clan were in Forthorthe. The powers he had gotten from the invading girls were reaching their limits.

“I won’t lose! Absolutely not!”

But even so, Koutarou didn’t feel weaker. Even if he knew the powers they’d lent him were fading, the hope they’d given him was still alive and well inside him. That was how he was able to stand even now. If he didn’t, he knew he couldn’t protect Kii. He knew he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his promises and keep his oath.

“I must say I am surprised. To think you could stand in that state... Wouldn’t it be easier if you just stayed down?”

“Have you ever seen someone not struggle when they’re drowning just because it’s easier to give up?”

Koutarou formed a fist and glared at Maya. In his head, he tried to work through what had happened and come up with a way to fight her.

Even though I got up, I don’t know what she did a moment ago. It felt like time flew out the window, and it’ll be problematic if that happens again...

In reality he had lost a portion of his memory, but to Koutarou, it simply felt as if time had stopped and his body had been moved without his consent or knowledge. He was supposed to have been swinging his fist, but he’d come to just as he’d kicked off Maya’s staff. There was the problem of what to do if something like that happened again, and then there was the problem of the barrier protecting her. Really, there was no end to his problems.

“That’s true.”

Maya calmly ignored his glare and readied her scythe once more. She could imagine what was going through Koutarou’s head since he wasn’t coming at her right away.

Even if he notices the gap in his memory, he won’t believe that I erased it. But he will suspect it was something I did... which means he’ll be careful about where he aims now...

As Maya paused to reflect on her own situation, Koutarou made his move. He was planning on finishing the fight by channeling all the power he had left. His opponent used strange powers and a strong weapon, meaning he would only be at more of a disadvantage the longer the fight went on.

Not missing his chance, I see! This is that boy’s scariest side!

Maya quickly began moving too. She swung her scythe down at Koutarou, the blade glowing with an indigo light. She’d imbued it with the same memory loss spell as before.

“Hyaaaaaaaah!”

“And his aim is...!”

They clashed. Koutarou swung in a kick aimed at Maya’s lower body. The barrier protecting her activated automatically upon being hit. However, in order to maintain her balance when running, she couldn’t completely cover her legs. There was a slight gap at the bottom to keep the barrier from hitting the ground, and that was Koutarou’s target

“I thought you’d do that!”

However, a second barrier blocked his attack. Having predicted that Koutarou would attack her feet, Maya had created another barrier that specifically protected her feet inside the automatic barrier.

“It’s not over yet!”

But Koutarou didn’t stop there. His real aim was Maya’s face after she looked down in response to his attack. More precisely, he was going for her chin sticking out from under her mantle’s hood.

“I see, you’re aiming for the force field’s cooldown time to―”

Koutarou’s fist grazed Maya’s chin, but just that was enough to disturb her vision considerably.

“It was too shallow?!”

Koutarou realized that his attack had failed to connect properly, and he attempted to distance himself from Maya by moving to her side. Maya aimed for his back as he moved away, but she was still thrown off by the glancing blow to her chin and only caught air with her blade.

“I thought so. You’re not good at using multiple layers of defenses at the same time.”

Koutarou turned back to Maya and grinned.

“Oh, how scary. Just who are you?”

While stroking her chin, Maya flashed a confident smile. But on the inside, she was horribly surprised.

He took the fact that I rely on force fields for my defense into his calculations and intentionally aimed for the gap in the field knowing I would create a secondary one. And since I’m using my mana on my scythe’s blade and two force fields, there’s a good few seconds where I’m defenseless and waiting for my mana to recover. That’s when he launched his real attack. He’s strong...

Since Koutarou was used to using his armor, he was well versed in how barriers functioned. He couldn’t draw more power than what the capacitor allowed for, and there was a slight time gap between when a barrier went down and when it could be recreated. He didn’t know if Maya’s barriers worked the same way, but he figured the chances were high that sustaining two barriers and a blade at the same time would be hard.

“But knowing that’s what you’re going to do, I have ways to counter it.”

Maya cancelled the automatic barrier protecting her. She then shifted her stance to a more compact, defensive posture. She was going to use the scythe to defend herself as well. A staff was a suitable weapon for defense, and since the blade on her scythe had no physical form, it didn’t hold her back in any way. She also had it infused with memory loss magic, so the moment Koutarou touched it, it would activate. That reduced the strain on her while increasing her defenses without sacrificing offensive power.

“That’s assuming I attack the same way.”

Koutarou flashed a confident smile of his own.

Not good...

However, it was only a bluff. If Maya was going to defend using her scythe as well, it would be hard for him to get through both that and her barriers.

“I don’t think there’s anything else you can do though.”

“Then just bring it. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Koutarou desperately racked his brain while continuing to bluff. He had to find a way out of this and protect Kii.

“I’ll think I’ll take you up on your offer!”

But before Koutarou could come up with his next plan, Maya began her assault. Koutarou was forced to stop thinking and moved to intercept her.

“Come on, what’s wrong?! Don’t you have an ace up your sleeve?!”

“Damn it!”

Maya unleashed a flurry of attacks at Koutarou, and all he could do was avoid them. Unlike before, Maya’s attacks utilized smaller motions. All she was aiming to do now was touch him to trigger the memory loss magic. Then she would go in for a heavier attack. But with smaller, tighter strikes, her attack speed increased significantly, forcing Koutarou onto the defensive. It also considerably shrunk his window of opportunity for counterattacks. She’d had no trouble blocking everything he’d been able to throw so far.

“Onii-chan, you can do it!”

Unable to silently watch, Kii cheered for Koutarou. Despite not having any experience fighting, even she could tell that Koutarou was being cornered.

“Quit moving around!”

But even though she’d cornered him, Maya was always one step short of finishing him off. That was thanks to Koutarou’s spirit sight, even in its weakened state. He could see her attacks coming and dodge them at the last second. Eventually Maya grew irritated of this pattern and changed up her tactics.

“Then how about this! Flash!”

“Oh crap!”

All of a sudden, a white flash appeared. It was far brighter than the electric shock from before. So bright, in fact, that Koutarou was temporarily blinded by it.

“And that’s not all!”

Maya spun around and struck Koutarou, who was staggered from the flash, with the handle of her scythe. It was a direct hit.

“Damn it! Wh-What, my eyes?!”

He was once again deprived of several seconds of his memory, which included the bright flash. Now not only was he blinded, but also confused. Taking advantage of that, Maya swung her scythe in a large, sweeping motion. She no longer needed to worry about her form. She put all her weight into a single attack to finish him off.

“Onii-chan, look out!”

“I see! This is that thing!”

Kii screamed out a warning to the frozen Koutarou. Thanks to that, he realized that he was in the middle of one of Maya’s attacks.

“You’re too late!”

Maya’s attack was just about to hit. There was no longer any time to dodge it.

I’m going to get hit! I won’t make it!

Koutarou braced himself to get cut, but he wasn’t planning on going down just like that.

“Now it’s over, boy!”

“No, not yet!”

His spirit sight let him see the scythe’s trajectory as it drew near. Koutarou crossed his arms in front of himself and pushed them towards Maya’s incoming attack. He used them to catch the handle of the scythe, which stopped after just digging into his shoulder. He’d managed to avoid a fatal blow, but he’d still been hit and blood was flowing freely from the deep wound on his shoulder.

“Onii-chan!”

“Boy... You still can’t even properly see. Though you’re an enemy, I’m still pretty impressed.”

Maya had planned to cut Koutarou in half with her blow, but Koutarou had survived it. He’d still taken a hit, but Maya was willing to praise him simply for being alive after that.

“I already told you... that you’d find out soon enough...!”

Koutarou didn’t stop there, either. He endured the pain and forcibly grabbed on to Maya.

“I see, boy, so this is what you were planning!”

Though her defenses were tough, she still left herself exposed when she made large attacks. Koutarou had let her attack like that on purpose. Even if he couldn’t see, as long as he could grab hold of her, that wouldn’t matter. That was his ace up his sleeve. It was an extremely dangerous gamble with his life on the line, but he’d won the bet.

“I let my guard down! He’s no rookie!”

While Koutarou was holding Maya down, he shouted out to Kii.

“Kii-chan, now’s your chance to run away!”

“But I can’t leave you behind, Onii-chan!”

“Just go! They’re after you!”

Koutarou was gradually regaining his vision, but considering Maya’s strength, her flunkeys, and Koutarou’s wounded condition, this was Kii’s only chance to escape. She’d have to break through the crowd of Maya’s servants to do it, but now while Maya was distracted would be her best bet.

“Onii-chan, I understand! I’ll go call for help right away!”

Kii had objected at first, but she soon decided to listen to Koutarou. Maya was too strong. Kii knew she couldn’t save Koutarou herself. Her only option was to get through the people that had surrounded her and call for help. It was the best a six year old girl could do.

There! I might be able to get through that gap!

Keeping her wits about her, Kii looked around and spotted a slight gap between the buildings. It was so small that she would barely be able to get through even with her small body, but she made a break for it without hesitation.

“Not a chance! Don’t let her get away!”

Despite being held down by Koutarou, Maya wasn’t going to let Kii get away that easily. Since she couldn’t move, she ordered the people blocking the exits to capture her. On command, they swarmed around Kii.

“Kyaaaaah! Nooooo, let go!” Kii screamed.

Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to escape Maya’s minions. They outnumbered her and were far stronger than she was.

“Kii-chan?!”

Koutarou couldn’t tell what had happened to Kii since he was in the middle of wrestling with Maya, but he could tell that she was in danger.

“Hey now, I’m your opponent!”

In the moment he was distracted by Kii’s screaming, Maya punched Koutarou’s shoulder.

“Guaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Koutarou was struck with an acute, numbing pain. Maya had aimed specifically to further tear open his wound, and the pain felt like a blisteringly hot metal rod was pushed through him. Blood poured out of his shoulder, dying his clothes red.

“You did well, boy, really! However...!”

Maya kept her fist pressed against Koutarou’s wounded shoulder and focused on it. She was going to shoot magic directly into him. Using magic in close combat was difficult as it was, and she couldn’t even get a proper grip on her staff right now. But Koutarou was still reeling from the pain, so Maya saw an opportunity to get off at least a simple spell. Even that should be fatal when injected directly into an open wound like this.

“Guaaaaaaaah!”

While concentrating on her spell, Maya continued to dig her fist into Koutarou’s wound. He was about to pass out from pain and blood loss. Normally he would dig deep and put up a fight, but his consciousness was growing faint.

“Onii-chan, Onii-chan! Let go of Onii-chan!”

Hearing Kii’s voice, however, reached him loud and clear

Kii-chan is... crying again...

Kii was screaming, and it wasn’t because she had been captured. Even in her own predicament, she was worried for Koutarou.

I have to do something... something... so she can live happily... She’s already cried more than enough...

The image of Kii crying appeared in Koutarou’s fading mind. He wanted to make her smile again, but he didn’t know how. He couldn’t move his body, and his enemy’s attack was just around the corner.

What... What can I do to keep her from crying...? Just what...

All Koutarou could do now was try and think of something, but he was still left defenseless. Maya began her incantation.

“Quick and Still Cast: Tiny Explosion!”

Maya had chosen a basic explosive spell that she could cast even while grappling, and she cast it with a modifier that eliminated the need for gesturing the spell required. When she finished her incantation, her fist began glowing red. The next time she slammed that fist into Koutarou, the spell would activate.

“It’s over, boy!”

Maya was convinced of her victory, and she raised her fist, dyed red by both blood and magic, at Koutarou one final time. In just a matter of seconds, the spell would cause an explosion inside Koutarou’s shoulder that would blow his arm clean off.

“Stooooop!”

Kii screamed, but that wouldn’t stop Maya. She plunged her fist straight for Koutarou.

“It will be okay...”

However, just as that fist was about to rob Koutarou of his life, something unexpected happened. A white light appeared around his shoulder and created a round shield that protected it from Maya’s fist. It was thanks to that shield that Maya’s attack never reached Koutarou.

“Impossible! He cast a force field in that condition without any warning?! He even dispelled my magic?!”

Aghast, Maya quickly distanced herself from Koutarou.

The range might have been limited, but he just cast a force field without any sign of a gesture or incantation, and it even had the properties of anti-magical shield! And what is with this pure white mana?! I’ve never heard of this kind of mana!

Maya couldn’t understand what she’d just seen with her own eyes. It simply defied a magician’s common sense. She’d launched an attack at the perfect time with enough power behind it that it should have been unblockable.

But what perplexed her the most was the color of the mana around Koutarou. Normally mana manifested in the seven colors of the rainbow. Summoning magic appeared blue, defensive magic appeared yellow, and so on. But Koutarou was enveloped in a white glow. A mana that shouldn’t exist was protecting him.

That’s not possible... The wound on his shoulder is closing... A single type of magic is protecting and healing him at the same time? Just who is this boy?

Maya moved away from Koutarou out of fear of this unknown mana that he was controlling. Her intuition as a warrior told her that he was very dangerous right now.

“Just what is...”

However, Koutarou was just as surprised as she was. All of a sudden a white light had appeared, blocked Maya’s attack, and now it was healing the wound on his shoulder. He was understandably astonished.

Ah...

Yet something about this warm white light was familiar. It was the same mana that Signaltin emitted.

“I see, Her Majesty saved me...”

Koutarou could feel Alaia’s presence within the mana. It was the same thing he felt when he used Signaltin. Even with the sword far from Koutarou’s hands, Alaia’s oath continued to protect him.

“You guys, stop that boy!”

Maya was quick to retreat. Now that Koutarou was displaying unknown power, she readily gave up the idea of fighting him and decided to prioritize her original goal.

“You’re coming with me.”

“Nooo, Onii-chan!”

Maya turned her minions on Koutarou. She was planning on taking the girl herself and making a run for it.

If I’m going to fight against that boy, I’d prefer it if that was my only goal. After all, to quote a proverb of this country, they say you can’t chase two hares at the same time!

Maya had at first assumed that her battle with Koutarou would come to a swift end, but he’d defied her expectations. She couldn’t afford to have the plan of using Kii as a sacrifice fail because she took a risk continuing to fight against Koutarou and his unknown power. Instead, she made the calculated decision to take off with Kii.

“Wait! Leave her behind!”

“Heh, let us meet again if fate allows it, boy!”

“Onii-chan!”

Kii struggled as best as she could to get away, but she lost consciousness after Maya cast a spell on her. Maya then fled the area while carrying the sleeping Kii in her arms. Koutarou tried to give chase, but he couldn’t break through the group of people blocking his path. Moreover, the wound on his shoulder was still bleeding and he hadn’t fully recovered from his fight with Maya. He also didn’t want to hurt the people that were being controlled, likely against their will.

“Damn, I don’t have the time for this!”

Koutarou swung his fists and to try and knock out person after person standing in his way, but he just wasn’t making any progress. Since Signaltin’s power was focused on keeping him conscious and healing his wounds, he couldn’t use it to attack the way he wanted. And since he was receiving the sword’s power remotely, the most help he could get was discharging some of its power as he punched. Because of that, Koutarou was still stuck in the zombified crowd long after losing sight of Maya.

“Damn it, at this rate, she’s going to kill Kii!”

Koutarou started panicking once Maya and Kii were gone. The longer he took, the lower his chances were of finding Kii. His frustration towards the group in front of him, whose numbers just weren’t decreasing, grew rapidly.

“Kanae-san, the bow.”

“Okay! I’m counting on you, Nana-chan!”

“Sonic Web! Modifier: Nonlethal! Charge Weapon! Effective Area, Large!”

That was when a single arrow came flying Koutarou’s way through the group of people. It had only sailed past them, but everyone in its line of fire was sent flying, opening up a path for Koutarou.

“What?! What just happened?!”

After knocking out the person he was fighting, Koutarou looked around him and spotted two people about ten meters behind him. One of them was a woman in her late twenties wearing a suit and holding a bow. The other was a girl wearing a pink mantle. Koutarou hadn’t seen the woman with the bow before, and he couldn’t get a good look at the girl with the mantle’s hood hiding her face. They were a strange duo that he had no recollection of meeting before.

Did they... help me?

He wasn’t sure, but that was all he could think considering the situation. To confirm his suspicions, he called out to them.

“Who are you?!”

“There’s no time to talk! You have to hurry after that vicious woman!”

The woman with the bow readied another shot as she called out to Koutarou. She let a second arrow fly, clearing more of the crowd before him.

“But...”

Koutarou couldn’t decide how to respond right away. These mysterious women were strangers too, and they’d appeared out of nowhere. But while Koutarou was hesitating, the girl in the pink mantle spoke up.

“Listen! That woman in the indigo mantle is our enemy too! We want to chase after her ourselves, but we can’t leave this place like it is!”

“That voice...”

Koutarou had heard it before.

Is that... the girl from that night?

The voice of the girl in pink sounded quite similar to that of the girl Koutarou had encountered on the mountain after he’d used Signaltin to relieve Kii of her nightmare.

“If you chase after her, we can take care of things here! We’re better equipped for this kind of thing than you!”

“Okay, then I’ll leave it to you!”

Koutarou called back to the girls and rushed off through the path created by the arrows.

There’s no time to hesitate! I just have to believe in that girl!

At this rate, Kii would be killed. In order to avoid that, Koutarou had no choice but to accept help from this mysterious duo. If the girl in the pink mantle was the same girl he’d met that night, he thought it would be okay to trust her. After all, underneath that hood should be clear, earnest eyes.

“Uraaaaaaaagh!”

The people being controlled let out guttural cries as they tried to stop Koutarou from breaking through, but another arrow came flying through and knocked back the people who were about to jump on him.

“Thank you!”

As a result, he only had one or two people to push past, and he could evade them with swift movements. Before long, Koutarou had broken free from the group surrounding him, and he vanished down the alley as he chased after Maya.

“Nana-chan, was that boy that necromancer?”

Drawing her bow again, the woman in the suit spoke to the girl in the mantle. The arrow in her hand had been enchanted by the girl in the mantle, and once fired, it would unleash its power on the approaching crowd, forcing them to a stop.

“Yes. I am certain that he can pull it off.”

The girl in the pink mantle pulled out a staff. With its many decorations, it was hard to imagine it had any practical use as a walking stick. Rather, it was a tool that enhanced her powers—it was her loyal partner that always fought at her side.

“He had such earnest eyes, after all.”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s dangerous. We have to release these people as fast as possible and go after him!”

The girl in the mantle held her staff above her head. As she did, her hood shifted and revealed her face. Just as Koutarou had suspected, it was the girl he’d met on the mountain that night.

In the current situation, she believed their best chance was to let Koutarou go on ahead. Considering her original goal, she wanted to chase after Maya right away, but she couldn’t just leave the people being controlled as they were. And knowing they’d be delayed freeing the people of their mind control, she sent Koutarou ahead of them. It was a plan that put a great deal of faith in Koutarou’s abilities, but she was confident in her intuition. Though she looked young, she was a seasoned warrior that had survived many battles.

“Kanae-san, I’ll leave this to you for a moment!”

“Okay, I’ll buy you some time!”

Her name was Nana, but those who knew her called her Rainbow Nana with respect. Nana was a magician of Rainbow Heart, a special force of the magical kingdom of Folsaria. At the young age of ten years old, she was a prodigy that held the highest rank of archwizard, earning her the title of Rainbow. And as the strongest magical girl of Rainbow Heart, she stood on the frontline of the battle with Folsaria’s greatest enemy, Darkness Rainbow.

Thanks to the help of the mysterious duo, Koutarou had been able to escape the alley and was now in hot pursuit of Maya. He was tracking her by following her aura, but the traces of it were hard to distinguish, and she would pass by populated streets from time to time, blending her aura in with bustling crowd. When she did that, it took some time to pick up her trail again, and the longer it took, the weaker the traces of her aura grew—a vicious cycle.

“If only Sanae was with me at a time like this...”

Sanae likely would have been able to pick Maya out without a problem. But with Koutarou’s weakened spirit sight, this was his limit. But it was his only option right now too, so he pressed on even as his sense of panic grew stronger.

About fifteen minutes after Koutarou left the mysterious duo behind, Maya’s aura passed by yet another populated street.

“This is bad...”

At that point, the traces of her aura were barely visible as it was. Mingling on a busy street like this, she blended in perfectly and Koutarou finally lost track of her. He was left at a loss.

Where did she go? Should I just check every nearby alley, one at a time?

Because it was a major street, there were many connecting roads. Checking each and every single one of them now seemed like his only option, and it would be a difficult and time-consuming undertaking.

“Damn it.”

Even as he hesitated, his chances of finding Kii were diminishing. With no time to waste, he swiftly made up his mind and took action.

“I finally found you, Veltlion.”

Just as Koutarou turned off the main road to check one of the cross streets, he heard a familiar voice from above.

“Clan?!”

“W-Wait, what’s with that wound on your shoulder?! Are you okay?! Did you properly treat it?!”

Koutarou looked up and saw a mass of metal about a meter in diameter above him. It was Clan’s unmanned reconnaissance craft that had gotten quite a workout in Forthorthe. The reconnaissance craft descended to the elevation of Koutarou’s head and began spinning around him. Clan was using the device to examine him and see if he was all right.

“Good timing, Clan!”

Koutarou smiled, grabbed hold of the reconnaissance craft with both of his hands and began shaking it up and down.

“Huh?! Wh-What?!”

As he did, the hologram of Clan showed a confused expression.

“Clan, do you know where Kii is right now?!”

“Kii was that girl, right? Now that you mention it, you’re not together, are you?”

The reconnaissance craft rotated its cameras, looking for Kii. Koutarou then shook it once more.

“I’m in a hurry! Do you know where she is or not?!”

Clan was startled by Koutarou’s vehemence, but she nodded.

“I-I can find out. When I gave you your bracelet, I also gave that girl a transmitter to―”

“Well done! I love you, Claaan!”

Koutarou did a one-eighty when he heard Clan’s answer. His desperate expression burst into a beaming smile, and he began shaking the reconnaissance craft even more vigorously than before. After losing sight of Maya, he was overjoyed at the prospect of being able to track down Kii again.

“Whaaaaat?! Y-You love me?! B-But even if you say that all of a sudden, I-I’m not prepared...!”

Clan was so shaken by what Koutarou had said that her face turned bright red. In contrast to Koutarou’s explosive joy, Clan felt like her head was what had exploded.

“Quit your yapping, Clan! Where is Kii?! Where is she right now?!”

As soon as they pinpointed her whereabouts, Koutarou immediately took off after Maya again.

Kii was still wearing the transmitter Clan had pinned on her. Either Maya hadn’t noticed it, or she couldn’t tell what it was since it was Forthorthian technology.

Clan had her reconnaissance craft follow the transmitter’s signal and guided Koutarou towards it. As he ran after the reconnaissance craft, he explained what had happened to Clan.

“...That was then those two let me go on ahead, and that’s why I’m chasing after Kii.”

“Since she’s being targeted, it must mean that she’s more than just some runaway.”

“Yeah, seems like it. Her father might be the president of a company or something.”

Maya was quite clearly after Kii. If she was just after a child, she wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of targeting Kii who was with Koutarou. It would have been much easier to target a child without a guardian. Based on that, Koutarou thought it was pretty clear Maya had some reason for coming after Kii specifically.

“I’m also not so sure about that mysterious duo, though.”

“I don’t think they’re bad people.”

“You’re too trusting.”

“Really? Well, it’s not like I fully trust them like I do you, but I don’t think there’s any need to worry. That’s just how I feel.”

Koutarou didn’t actually have much a reason to trust either of the people who’d showed up. All he had to go on was what they’d said, and the earnest eyes of the girl in the mantle. Neither of those things were sure bets.

But Koutarou didn’t doubt them. They’d helped him get away, and if they were after his life, they would have taken it in that alley. It would have been easy to shoot him in the back. They’d also been careful not to kill any of the people that were being controlled. It was all circumstantial evidence, but it was enough for Koutarou.

“...Y-You fully trust me?”

“What’s with that weird face?”

“Ahem, i-it’s nothing!”

Clan’s face turned bright red again for some reason. When Koutarou questioned her about it, however, she cleared her throat and looked away.

This is strange... Why do I feel so happy?

When she first met Koutarou, Clan had despised him as a bitter enemy. Looking back on it, she was puzzled by the emotions she felt welling up insider her upon hearing that he trusted her.

“By the way, Clan, why were you around here anyway? I couldn’t contact you.”

“W-Well, you see...”

Clan paused to take a deep breath. She still hadn’t quite calmed down from her fluster.

“I received a warning that the bracelet had been broken and then Signaltin started shining an awful lot, so I could tell something was up.”

“So that’s why you came looking... Thanks, you’re a big help.”

“Th-There’s no need for thanks. We’re in this together, after all.”

“That’s true.”

Being thanked by Koutarou sent Clan’s heart racing all over again.

Trust, huh...? But if I were to do something against Theiamillis-san, Veltlion would most likely erupt with anger...

Clan didn’t want to betray Koutarou, who had been with her through heaven and hell. Now she was more interested in getting him to respect her as a princess. It was a pretty serious change of heart for a girl who spent all of her time cooped up inside a laboratory and rarely spoke to other people if she could help it.

And if she listened to that desire, she would only fight Theia fair and square in the future. Assassinating her was out of the question now. Not only would trickery like that make Koutarou angry, but Clan herself had started to think it wasn’t how a respectable princess should handle things. It was quite a reversal of how she’d felt when she’d first come to Earth, and that had led her to realize something else.

“But with this, I can understand why I lost when I fought against you.”

Clan had lost to Koutarou in the past because she wasn’t a splendid princess that her citizens could take pride in, though she’d only been able to reach that conclusion after everything they’d been through.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s Signaltin. Even though we’ll be frozen here for ten years, that sword will still be in this city. That sword has always been protecting you. That’s why I lost.”

In the world of magic, there were spells that could control even time. That meant mana wasn’t restricted by time, and could move about freely in ways that people couldn’t. It was similar to the way gravity wasn’t constrained by three-dimensional space.

Signaltin had been on Earth for over ten years by the time Clan and Koutarou fought. Though the sword itself was safely stowed aboard the Cradle, its mana wasn’t restricted by its physical location. It could leave the ship to protect Koutarou or the people close to him. That was the true identity of the mysterious power that Koutarou had wielded from time to time.

But even then, its power was not limitless. Its energy could only manifest but so far away in terms of time or distance. That was why its mana couldn’t reach Koutarou all the way in ancient Forthorthe. In order for him to use its power there, the seal had to be broken first.

“I see... so that was what happened back when Sanae was captured...”

“I am not aware of that event, but yes, that was most likely why. Signaltin... No, Alaia-san’s will protected you all.”

The sword that had been imbued by the oath of Alaia, the Silver Princess and the most respected princess in all of Forthorthe’s long history, had chosen Koutarou over Clan. That told her she wasn’t truly worthy of being royalty.

Will Signaltin protect me in the future, I wonder...? I’m more worried about that than becoming empress...

Perhaps it was because she’d realized that, but Clan was no longer as obsessed with becoming empress as she had been in the past. Even if she were to become empress, if Signaltin rejected her, it would be a hollow victory.

What was more important to her now was whether Signaltin considered her worthy of protection or not. Was she worthy of Alaia’s goodwill in the sword? Was she worthy of Koutarou’s loyalty? Becoming empress was second to all that. Little did she know that it was in realizing that that she became Theia’s most powerful rival.

“That’s right, about Signaltin, could you send it to me? Like, the way you always summon weapons, you know?”

Warping in weaponry was a convenient technology. If Koutarou could use holes in space-time to freely retrieve Signaltin, he would have an easier time in future fights.

“It’s not possible right away. It’ll take time to register it.”

However, Clan shook her head. Forthorthe’s technology seemed all-powerful to Koutarou, but even it had limits. Proper preparations were necessary in order to use space-time holes. Since objects could be replaced in the event of an accident, transporting them didn’t require as many safety precautions as living creatures, but precise measurements and various parameters still had to be calculated. It wasn’t something that could be done instantly.

“I see... Clan, if Signaltin is going to take some time, could you send me a different weapon?”

If Signaltin wasn’t possible, he was willing to make due with something else she had on hand. Koutarou trusted Clan’s creations as much as he trusted Signaltin.

“Time? That’s right, Veltlion, the time!”

However, Clan responded in an unexpected manner. Her expression grew stiff and she leaned forward as if staring into the camera. It almost looked like Clan’s hologram being emitted from the reconnaissance craft was trying to kiss Koutarou.

“What is it, Clan?”

“Don’t give me that! Isn’t your mother about to be in an accident?!”

“Right, I forgot about that!”

Thanks to Maya’s ambush, Koutarou had lost track of time, but Clan was right. They were quickly closing in on the hour Koutarou’s mother would lose her life.

“What time is it right now?!”

“On this planet, the time is 6:50 PM.”

“So I’d just barely make it from here...”

Koutarou was about ten minutes away from the site of the accident, which would happen just after 7 PM. So in order for Koutarou to save his mother, he would have to head there immediately.

“But... I can’t leave Kii-chan...”

Koutarou stopped in his tracks and began grinding his teeth. Should he go chase after Kii, or save his mother? Koutarou was once again pressed to make a decision. If he chased after Kii, his mother would die, and if he saved his mother, Kii would die.

“Clan, do you have a map of this area?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have made more thorough preparations...”

Clan looked down with an apologetic expression. She felt responsible for the current situation after getting the date wrong.

“No, there was nothing we could have done.”

Koutarou didn’t blame Clan, but he clenched his jaw even harder as he started to panic. He had wondered if he could send Clan’s reconnaissance craft to save his mother in his stead, but Clan didn’t know the city and would never make it in time. He didn’t have the time to give her detailed directions himself, and it was also too late for Clan to observe the region and create a map.

Maya’s sudden ambush had created a complicated situation and Koutarou found himself unable to decide if he should save his mother or if he should save Kii.

“What are you going to do, Veltlion?!”

“I... I...”

If he ran to save his mother, getting there and back would cost him twenty minutes. By then, it would likely be too late to save Kii. On the other hand, if he went to save Kii now, there was no way he’d be able to save his mother in time.

What should I do?! I don’t know!

Kii, or his mother... Koutarou was forced to choose one of their lives. It wasn’t what he wanted, but he was no god. There was no way to save both of them.