Rose Fulgaud

“C-crab!! Yay!!”

“S-shrimp!! Yaaay~!!”

“I’m not saying anything. Yes, I’m not saying anything at all…”

A luxurious meal was spread across the table. Who would have expected them to encounter sashimi here of all places? The crab was, of course, actual crab rather than imitation crab sticks. The shrimp were enormous and visibly expensive-looking. At this point, the food culture resembled the real world so closely that one had to wonder what the point of the otherworld setting even was.

“Hikari-n~! Here, say aaah~”

“Aaah! Mm! It’s delicious!”

“The shrimp’s pretty good too~”

“Then I’ll give you some of this crab!”

A relaxed girls’ love scene unfolded right before Meiro’s eyes. With every moment, Meiro’s frustration continued to build.

(Damn it, with those breasts and that expression… looking so happy… Wait, what am I even thinking!?)

“Konoha, I’ll give you some of my sashimi too.”

“Really!? Thank you!”

“A-aah…”

“Huh?”

“What!? I-if you don’t want it, never mind…”

“No, I don’t mind! I was just surprised. It’s unusual for you to do something like that, Meiro-chan.”

“Wha!?”

Apparently driven by unconscious jealousy, Meiro had ended up doing something completely unlike herself. An endlessly precious atmosphere overflowing with girls’ love was steadily taking shape.

“…………………”

Liz suddenly fell deep into thought.

“Is something wrong?”

“Nope. Nothing at all, Hikari-n♪ I was just thinking how precious you two are~”

“Wha!? W-w-w-we are not in that kind of relationship!!”

“Wow~ Thanks for the meal, Mei-chan.”

Liz teased her while Meiro turned bright red. Somehow, the two of them might actually have pretty good chemistry.

“Thank you for waiting. Paris Palace bread, raclette cheese, lamb, and grape juice. We have also included this alpine vegetable salad on the house. Please enjoy your meal.”

The waiter carefully arranged the dishes on the table.

“Wow!! It looks delicious!”

“When you think of Lichten, you think of cheese~. And the alpine vegetables are pretty good too~”

“This grape juice smells almost like wine.”

“It’s made from grapes grown here in Lichten~. Wine is for when you’re an adult~. That’s the secret to growing up properly~. Maybe if Mei-chan drinks it, she’ll grow too~?”

“I’ll kill you!!”

Meiro took the cheap bait. Yes, small chests are perfectly fine, you know?

“Wow! Liz-chan, you’re really good at eating properly~. You almost look like a noble!”

“My family’s actually pretty distinguished, believe it or not~. Though we fell from grace.”

Liz skillfully brought the salad to her mouth as she said that. Konoha also noticed the slight loneliness hidden in her expression. Why was she so sensitive to subtle emotions and yet so unbelievably dense when it came to romance?

“Now then, since we’ve finished eating, shall we take a walk around the hot-spring district?”

“I’m in!! Liz-chan, want to come too?”

“……”

Liz stared blankly for a moment before suddenly snapping back to attention.

“Oh, me? Hmm, what should I do~”

“Where exactly are you staying?”

“Ahh, my inn is… well, um… ahaha~”

“Why are you dodging the question?”

Liz gave an awkward smile.

“Hmmm… I guess I’ll come along for now~”

“Yay!!”

“……”

Afterward, they got massages, played darts, and then left the establishment. Lichten’s hot-spring district bustled with people at night, and public safety was quite good. Patrols by the military police were somewhat conspicuous, though.

“Did you come here with a friend?”

“Y-yeah, I did~. But we had a little fight.”

“I see… I hope you can make up.”

“Yeah… I hope so too… Yup! That got a little gloomy~. Let’s go have lots of fun~!”

Liz took Konoha’s hand. Konoha happily responded while Meiro followed behind them in irritation. The scene looked as though they had all been friends for years.

“Thanks for your business!”

“Now that we’ve bought ourselves a stylish item pouch, let’s enjoy a proper stroll through the hot-spring district.”

“It’s so tiny, but you can fit tons of stuff inside. Magic really is amazing.”

“Hikari-n and Mei-chan are rich~. That one’s pretty expensive.”

“It was a necessary expense. We accumulated so much unnecessary luggage in Racluzero that it stopped fitting inside our status pouches.”

They were all souvenirs from Tree and the others. Most of them were Forest Magical Girl Bread… Seriously, stop giving us duplicates.

“All right~ Let’s go to the souvenir shops~”

“Ah, wait for me!”

“Hey! Why are you running!?”

Konoha and the others entered a nearby souvenir shop.

“There are so many things here I’ve never seen before…”

Some sort of brown box sat on display.

“Hikari-n, you don’t know this? This is called a magic clock~. If you turn this screw like this…”

“Huh? Whoa, whoa, amazing!”

The box opened, and a clock rose out of it like a paper-cut silhouette. When another screw was turned, a wall of light appeared and enclosed the box. And then—

“Wow, it’s snowing!”

“It really is… beautiful.”

“If you turn another screw, look.”

This time, a cityscape appeared inside the wall, and the roadside trees turned red. Turning it farther transformed the scene into nighttime. Even then, the clock itself continued glowing.

“This is a magic clock. It’s basically a novelty clock~. Lichten is even nicknamed the Clock City, after all~”

“A-amazing.”

There were plenty of other unusual items as well. Dolls that moved and danced, miniature flying brooms, picture books whose characters leaped out and moved around, Forest Magical Girl Bread… Here too!?

“This necklace is designed after a clock too.”

“Yeah~. Hikari-n, you’re wearing some kind of rosary. Is that from the Church of the Full Moon?”

“Hmm, maybe? I just realized I had it on somehow… My hair ornament feels nostalgic for some reason, but I really don’t remember this one at all.”

The rosary was the second item Konoha had found herself wearing when she was transported to this other world. At first glance, it could almost have passed for a Christian rosary.

“Hmmm, I was thinking maybe we could buy something matching~. But Mei-chan already has such a pretty ring~. Are you married?”

“W-w-wait! I told you! We’re not in that kind of relationship!”

“I never said I was talking about Hikari-n~. Thanks for the meal~”

“Grrr…”

“Hmm, let’s see~ Ah, how about this~?”

Liz picked up a strap with gemstones embedded in three interlocking gears.

“They can engrave names on them.”

“…Ah.”

“Want to forget it?”

“…No. It’s fine~”

Liz hesitated for a moment, then quickly smiled and called over the shop clerk. The three of them looked happy. And yet two of the three names being engraved were false… almost as though their false friendship itself were being carved into their hearts.

“Steamed bread~! It looks kind of like a dumpling! One, please!”

The three sat together on a stone bridge in the hot-spring district, eating bread. The moon had fully risen, shining divinely upon the surface of the water.

“The archery game was fun~”

“Meiro-chan, you’re really good! I was terrible at it.”

“I can teach you that much.”

Until just moments earlier, they had been playing a version of a shooting gallery using bows. The prize Meiro had won after hitting every single target was—

“…A Forest Magical Girl plushie.”

“I want it!”

“You can have it.”

“Huh!? Really!? Thanks, Meiro-chan!”

“I don’t need it.”

(Because I know what’s inside.)

Knowing there was an old man inside it made Meiro completely uninterested in owning one. Hugging it would have caused far too much emotional conflict.

“That was fun~”

“Really!? I’m glad!”

“Ahaha. You know, I haven’t really had many chances to hang out with girls my own age like this~. I’ve barely ever had friends I could spend time with like this…”

“…I see. Yeah, I’m glad I became friends with you, Liz-chan!”

“I’m not your friend.”

“Muu~ Mei-chan is such a tsundere~”

“Who are you calling a tsundere?”

“You’ve got bread crumbs on your cheek~”

“What!? W-where………………………… Liz, you tricked me?”

“Flustered Mei-chan is adorable~”

A cool breeze blew past. The surrounding trees and grass swayed, producing a soft, pleasant rustling sound.

“Yaaawn, I’m getting sleepy.”

“I see. Then we should probably head back to our inn soon. Liz, what about you?”

“Hmm, I’m going back to my inn too~. Today was fun. Thanks~”

“Um, if possible, I’d like to know where your inn is.”

“Hmmm, we’ll probably see each other again soon, so it’s fine~. Besides, I just remembered something I need to do.”

As she said that, Liz looked toward the eastern sky. Over there was… a clock tower?

“Then, see you again.”

With those words, Liz suddenly started running. She seemed to be in a hurry.

“Huh? Ah, wait! Liz-chan!! …She left.”

“I wonder if something happened. Well, it has nothing to do with us. That girl did nothing but lie.”

“…You noticed too.”

“Of course. ‘Liz’ is probably a fake name too. She’s terrible at lying.”

“Yeah… Huh? Wait, this is…”

It was the gear-shaped strap they had bought earlier. The first gear had the name “Liz” engraved on it.

“That girl is quite the idiot. Come on, we’re chasing her.”

“Huh? Y-yeah, right.”

As Konoha ran, she thought about the faint words she had heard immediately after Liz started running.

(She said, “Goodbye.” I don’t want this to be where we part. Absolutely not.)

Konoha clenched her fist tightly and followed after Meiro. The moon had already disappeared behind the clouds.

Pabril Clock Tower.

Among Lichten’s five clock towers, Pabril Clock Tower had no particularly distinguishing features, but it was still an impressive structure. The area at its base was a maze of narrow alleys with little foot traffic, and the streetlights were dim at night. On nights without moonlight, it became even darker.

A man walking through those alleys lit a lantern with his blood-covered hand. He had business with someone who should be waiting at a certain sign in the backstreets.

Someone was standing in front of the sign he was looking for. He could not make them out from a distance, but anyone standing in a place like this at this hour had to be “the one.” Having decided that, the man carefully approached, making sure his massive body did not bump into anything and make noise.

They would never notice him. Using his Presence Concealment skill, he approached the figure standing before the sign at the corner. Slowly, slowly, he reached his bloodstained hand toward the person’s neck, and then…

“If you’re going to erase your presence, you should at least limit your use of the five senses too.”

“______!? Gah!!”

Something gouged into his shoulder with a wet stab. The large man immediately jumped backward, putting distance between himself and the wielder of the blade. The impact destroyed several nearby buildings.

“Huh~? I was aiming for your neck, though~”

“Y-you…”

Standing before the man was a single figure in a black robe. The rebel he had been supposed to kill tonight was right there.

“Gah!”

A blade stabbed into the man’s leg. Apparently, it had even been coated with poison, but he was far too tough to fall from something like that.

“Guh!”

At the very least, he wanted to reach a more open area, so he rushed into the nearby clock tower and headed for the observation floor. It was far brighter and offered much better visibility than any nearby plaza.

Along the way, he tried contacting his companions through 《Telepathy》, but all that reached him was static.

“Damn it… Why…”

At last, he managed to reach the observation floor and tried to catch his breath… but—

“Gugah!!”

“So you were wearing chainmail underneath~. As expected of an Inquisitor~”

The black-robed girl threw a blade at him. Its handle appeared to be made from some sort of bone. The instant he saw it, the man became certain.

“So it really is… you…”

“Surprised you can’t use Telepathy~? It’s my skill called 《Noise Cancel》~. Now then, whose blood is that on your hands? Second-Class Priest Schraize.”

“…What if I told you it belonged to one of your comrades?”

“Hmmm, the result won’t change either way~. I’m going to kill you properly~”

“I see… HAAH!!”

The man called Schraize equipped claws on his hands and lunged at the girl. His speed was impossible for an ordinary person, his movements those of a battle-hardened adventurer. He showed no hesitation about killing and immediately aimed his claws at her neck. However—

“Too slow~”

“What!?”

She deflected his claws with a short knife, while the knife in her other hand severed Schraize’s left hand.

“UGAAAAAAAH!!!”

“Whoa, that’s loud~! Zip, zip!”

At the girl’s signal, the sound within the space was restricted. No matter how loudly the man screamed, not a single sound escaped beyond the enclosed area.

“Guh… Then, 《Reflection》! And 《Shadow Strike》!!”

When the man swung his claws downward, several pitch-black shadows appeared and darted through the air. They bounced off empty space, moving unpredictably as they closed on the girl in an instant, seeking to take her head—

“Not happening~”

As though she had predicted them all along, the girl sliced every one of them apart with her daggers. Not a single scratch appeared on her slender body.

“Damn it! 《Mighty Arm》!!”

A black aura enveloped the man’s arm, gradually taking physical shape in the form of an enormous limb. Even the vibrations that shook the very air failed to make the girl flinch.

“OOOOOOOOOOOH!!”

Schraize swung his fist down. The ground surged upward beneath the girl’s feet, tearing apart the floor. As the girl instinctively jumped backward, Schraize charged at her with his enlarged arm.

“Got you!”

It took him only three seconds to close the distance to the airborne girl. It was astonishing speed… but—

The hood covering the girl’s face slipped away, revealing her expression. There was a calm smile on her face, and madness flickered within her pink eyes. The instant Schraize saw them, he froze.

(Ah… this… is…)

“You can’t get scared there~”

The girl smiled brightly.

At that moment, Schraize’s world flipped upside down.

No.

His upper and lower body had been separated, and his upper torso had been sent spinning through the air.

And that was not all. Before he knew it, Schraize’s arms, legs, even his fingers were all flying through the air. He had literally been cut into pieces.

“Ah… gah…”

In his inverted world, he saw an enormous black spear, multiple blades flying through the air, and the pink-haired girl smiling with a twisted grin.

“Rose… Fulgaud… you… heretic…”

He crawled along the ground and looked upward. His arms and legs no longer existed, and even his neck was covered in countless wounds.

“Huh? You’re still alive~? The mystery of life really is amazing~”

The girl, Rose Fulgaud, smiled cheerfully. But when her slender hand came down, that became the final moment of Schraize’s life.

“Goodbye~♪”

Schraize’s head separated from his body, and blood poured out in thick spurts. The girl wiped her bloodstained dagger on Schraize’s clerical robe before placing it back in her pouch.

“Ah, sure. You can eat him.”

At her signal, something emerged from the girl’s shadow. It was pitch black and serpent-like. Countless eyes covered its body, while its wide-open tip resembled a mouth. It revealed large white teeth before swallowing Schraize’s corpse whole. It even extended a black tongue to lick up the blood. Its appearance was truly—

“A demon… perhaps.”

When the girl turned around, two girls were standing at the entrance to the observation floor. One had medium-length brown hair. The other had dark blue hair bordering on black and sapphire-blue eyes.

They were Konoha and Meiro.

“Liz… chan…”

“What a remarkable murder scene. I take it your opponent was an Inquisitor?”

The girl’s eyes widened for a moment in obvious shock, but she sighed, then smiled as though she had made up her mind.

“Ahaha~ That’s some pretty interesting deduction. Maybe you should become a novelist or something~”

“That’s the sort of line the culprit says. Why would you say it now…?”

“If I’m the culprit, then you should know what I want to do now, right? Mei-chan, Konoha.”

“Wha!?”

“Don’t be so surprised~. Mei-chan called you that once during dinner~. You’re really bad at lying.”

“I see. I’ll return those exact words to you. You’re a member of the Fulgaud Family, one of the 【Five Noble Clans】. Rose Fulgaud.”

Question marks practically floated above Konoha’s head.

“The Five… Noble Clans?”

“The five greatest noble houses in the Kingdom, which supported the Parsian royal family for a thousand years, were collectively called the 【Five Noble Clans】. But the Fulgaud Family was supposed to have been destroyed in the civil war sixteen years ago.”

“That’s right~. Fulgaud, Zweilight, Ekaterinburg, Olivard, and Villafilia. Those five make up the Five Noble Clans. Kind of a cool name, isn’t it~?”

“Answer seriously, Rose. Are you a survivor?”

Rose Fulgaud spun around, clasped her hands behind her back, and looked up at the sky.

“Yup~. I’m a descendant of the Fulgaud Family, the dragon-taming clan among the Five Noble Clans. Or rather, I guess I’m the current head? Rose Fulgaud. Sorry for tricking you, Kono-n♪”

“K-Kono-n?”

“Sigh, you really destroy the tension. You’ve already given her another nickname?”

“It’s sort of a hobby~. Anyway, I’ve told you who I am, so I guess it’s time we get started.”

Rose readied her dagger. Though in practice, her arm merely hung loosely at her side.

“…You’re going to kill us.”

“I really didn’t want things to turn out like this~. I was genuinely happy that we became friends, you know? But I really don’t want people knowing that I’m a member of the Fulgaud Family~. So I have to kill you.”

“…You’re serious.”

Meiro clenched her teeth.

“D-do we really have to fight? We became friends!”

“She’s serious. We have no choice.”

“I’ll try to kill you without making you suffer too much~”

While Konoha still hesitated, Rose suddenly threw a knife at her.

“Konoha!”

The knife closed in.

Konoha’s eyes widened.

And then—