Let’s Leave The Slums

“—Naruhito!! Thank goodness. Are you safe?!”

“Ah, brother! Brother! Are you hurt?”

After finishing everything, Tooyama returned to the place where he had arranged to meet Lazaar.

It was Lazaar’s hiding place, the courtyard of an abandoned house.

“Yeah, Lazaar. That was some excellent work. And I’m back. I’m fine, Niko. Just a scratch.”

To be honest, the arm that had been shot by the crossbow hurt like it had been shredded, but Tooyama brushed it off.

“Lazaar, how are the two of them?”

“The boy with the hat has taken medicine and is asleep… But the short-haired boy has lost a lot of blood. I have stopped the bleeding, but honestly, it would be better not to expect too much.”

“Rida…”

Niko sat there with a vacant expression.

Luca and Rida were lying on rough beds made of scrap boards.

Luca was sleeping with a peaceful face, but Rida was different. His expression was twisted in agony, his face pale and covered in cold sweat.

“…Seriously?”

One glance was enough to tell that his condition was not good. Tooyama murmured in a daze.

“…That voice… Brother, is that you?”

Perhaps reacting to Tooyama’s words, Rida opened his eyes and tried to get up, but pain immediately made him lie back down.

“Rida! Y-You can’t get up!”

“S-Sorry. I caused trouble for you…”

Surprisingly, what Rida said was not resentment toward Tooyama for failing to make it in time.

“It’s fine. I finished everything. Don’t worry about it.”

Tooyama quietly crouched beside Rida.

He scooped the cold sweat from the boy’s small forehead with his finger. The skin was cold.

“You finished… Hehe. You really are amazing…”

Rida looked pained, yet his smile was heartbreaking.

“Rida, the blood…?!”

“This is bad. You must not speak right now. Your wound is opening.”

Slowly, Rida’s abdomen and the bandages wrapped around it began turning red. Lazaar hurriedly restrained him.

“Heh, heh. It’s my own body. I can tell… It’s already impossible. Niko, I’m sorry, but take care of everyone.”

“Wait, no. I don’t want that! Don’t say things like that when brother and Mr. Lizard saved you!”

Niko was on the verge of crying. Tears had gathered in her large eyes.

“…Yeah, that’s the part where I’m most pathetic. …I ended up forcing trouble onto people who treated us as equals… Cough! Cough!”

Blood mixed with his cough. His organs were wounded. Not an instant death, but a wound that would certainly kill him eventually.

That was exactly what that bastard would do. Tooyama regretted that he had not made the garbage he had disposed of suffer a little more.

“It’s fine. Rest. Once you recover, we’ll—”

It was only consolation. He already knew Rida would not recover.

“Hehe. You can tell, can’t you? It’s already impossible. I end here… Ah, damn it. I finally had a goal…”

“Lazaar…”

Tooyama called Lazaar’s name beside him.

But the reliable lizard-man slowly shook his head.

“I am sorry… I cannot do anything more than this.”

“I wanted to become… like you… Walking on your own feet… Choosing by your own standards… I wanted that kind of strength…”

It was delirium. The light in Rida’s eyes, in his irises, was growing darker and darker.

“For the first time… yeah, I learned what respect was. I had a dream… a dream… A goal. Like you…”

The end of his life was drawing near.

Tooyama understood that well.

“That’s enough, Rida. …You’re already more than amazing enough.”

He grasped that small hand. Its strength was weak.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Damn it. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die…”

Rida’s tears spilled out in streams. Neither Tooyama nor Lazaar had any way to stop them.

Niko must have understood too. It seemed she could no longer stop her tears.

“Rida…”

Tooyama cursed his own powerlessness.

He had learned the result of his desire. He had learned what had changed between the young him back then and the him now.

He had been able to kill the strong who trampled the weak.

But that was all. He had not been able to save the weak.

“Is it the same as back then…?”

Tarou. The friend he had parted from. The friend he had lost. In the end, it was the same as back then. Tooyama could save no one.

“Ah… No. I still…”

Rida trembled.

The approaching death was clearly growing stronger within him.

Tooyama Naruhito suddenly held his hand and quietly murmured.

“…Close your eyes. I’m here.”

“Brother…”

For an instant, Rida relaxed as if reassured.

What suddenly slipped from Tooyama’s mouth was an ancient poem about death that he had once read in a certain book.

“Though I think not of what tomorrow brings, before the day grows dark, it is people I find sorrowful.”

Those who depart, and those who can only see them off.

The helplessness of people and the absoluteness of death did not change in any world.

“Huh…”

“Me too. I’ll definitely die someday. A time will definitely come when I go to the same place as you.”

Death. Tooyama knew it. A heavy, cold, endlessly vast sensation.

Powerlessness.

Before death, there was far too little one could do. This was the only thing he could do for a dying child.

Tooyama did not look away from Rida. He spoke to him quietly.

“—There will surely be cold water there. Rida, when you wake up in the morning, the first thing you’ll do is go there.”

It was a scene. At the very least, he wanted to tell him that the place he was about to go was not frightening.

“…Yeah.”

Rida’s tone became like that of a small child.

“That place belongs only to you. No one there will ever hurt you again. You can drink as much of that cold water as you want, and bathe in it as much as you want. No one will blame you.”

It had to be that way. Living was this painful. Then at least death, at least the place where it ended—

“Yeah… Is that okay?”

“Yeah, it’s okay. It’s a place where only you and the people who love you are there. You’ll live there quietly forever. After you bathe in the water, you’ll sleep on flowers and grass. The wind will gently stroke your body. When you look up at the sky, a single cloud will be floating high, high above.”

—May it at least be a gentle place. It was nothing more than Tooyama’s prayer.

Each time Tooyama added more words, Rida’s breathing grew weaker. But it also changed into something peaceful.

“There’s no need to be afraid of anything. There’s no need to fear anything. You’ll only go there ahead of everyone else. Don’t worry. Everyone will come after you.”

“…Luca too?”

Blood trickled from Rida’s mouth.

“Yeah.”

Tooyama nodded.

“Niko too? Pero and Shiro too?”

“Without a doubt.”

He nodded.

“You too…”

“…Yeah. I’ll try.”

There was no guarantee that he could go to that gentle place. But for now, he lied.

“I… see… Brother, that sounds nice.”

“Yeah, doesn’t it?”

There was no longer fear in Rida’s voice.

“Leaving… this city… I wanted to start… I wanted to become like you…”

“Yeah, you can leave, Rida. Let’s leave the slums. No one will ever hurt you again.”

“I… see… Thank… you…”

“Good night, Ri—”

Tooyama tightly held Rida’s weakening hand and stared into the eyes where the light was fading.

“Shall I save that child…?”

Goosebumps erupted all at once from the soles of his feet up to his spine.

The voice came from behind him. Shockingly, neither Tooyama nor even Lazaar, who should have been skilled at concealment, had noticed the owner of that voice approaching.

“?!”

“Who are you?!”

They were completely on the back foot.

The balance of power between the person who had appeared and Tooyama and Lazaar became clear.

Tooyama opened his eyes wide when he saw the woman.

Ah, not this again.

He understood just from looking.

“Wow, what incredible bloodlust. How sad.”

A transcendent being. Without a doubt. She was built differently. Like Drako or Bernal, the muscular old man, she was a monster from a far higher plane.

Her appearance was young. If one judged carelessly, she looked about the same age as Rida or Niko.

She was short, probably only about 140 centimeters tall. With a blond short bob and blue eyes as clear as a spring, she looked back and forth between Tooyama and Lazaar.

“Wait, I’ve seen you somewhere… Hold on, Lazaar.”

“An acquaintance, Naruhito?”

“I think at Drako’s house… at the embassy.”

Her white nun’s habit made him remember. She had removed her hood, but that scarf-like ornament had left an impression.

“Oh, you remembered me, dragon person. Hello. I’m Svi, the chief saint of the Angel Church.”

The girl wore an easygoing expression and waved casually.

Tooyama and Lazaar were anything but calm. Every time she moved, their bodies reacted to her pressure with a tingling sensation.

“The Saint?! Why is the Angel Church’s weapon here?”

“So sad. How terrible, saying it like that. …Well, whatever. More importantly, that child over there is about to die. Is that okay?”

The girl tilted her head. She should have been human, yet she was not human. That異質ness seemed to make the air stagnate.

“…No, it’s not okay. What can you— No, wait. You healed the guy Drako burned black, didn’t you?”

As he spoke, Tooyama remembered. Right, this one had apparently healed the guy whom Drako had burned perfectly black.

“Ah, that idiot Clan. Hmph. It would’ve been better if he’d died instantly, but he was alive. The bishop told me to, so I had no choice. Yes, I healed him.”

Her expression looked like she truly did not care. Her spring-like blue eyes stared at some far-off place. To avoid being swallowed by her strange pace, Tooyama regulated his breathing.

“Can you heal him?”

If so, then Rida too.

“Easy.”

The girl answered Tooyama’s hunch with a peace sign.

“…What are your conditions? You went out of your way to show up at a time like this. You didn’t come out of goodwill, did you?”

“Hmm. The bishop told me to monitor you. He told me to handle things well. Hmm, I wonder what handling things well means.”

Like a child, the girl placed her index finger under her chin and hummed.

She looked angelically adorable, but facing her was terrifying beyond words.

From Tooyama’s perspective, she was like a monster species that had taken human form.

“Brother, this girl…”

Niko apparently did not understand. She tilted her head in confusion, wondering why Tooyama and Lazaar were frightened of a girl who looked about the same age as herself.

“Don’t move, Niko. Slowly go to Lazaar’s side.”

“O-Okay.”

But she was a clever child. From Tooyama’s tone, she seemed to immediately understand that this was no ordinary situation. She trotted over to Lazaar’s side.

“…You don’t have to be that wary. Sad. Did I do something to you?”

“It’s natural for a mouse to be scared when it sees a snake. If you don’t know you’re a snake, then at least don’t come any closer.”

“Oh, difficult words. Like the bishop. Hehehe.”

Even returning casual banter required care. Tooyama felt that the moment he directed killing intent at her, everything would end.

“Cough…”

“Rida…!”

“Oh, he’s getting dangerous. …What will you do, dragon slayer? Will you save that child?”

“…Naruhito, isn’t this far too suspicious? Can she really heal him in the first place?”

“Hehehe.”

No, she could.

Tooyama knew that. That knight Drako had burned black as a perfect example should have been kept alive by the woman before him.

There was no time.

There was no time to press her and confirm her aim or reason. And unlike the bastard he had disposed of earlier, it was impossible to torture this woman.

If she wanted, it would not be strange for Lazaar and Tooyama to be killed in an instant. The hopeless gap in ability was clear just from looking.

He had far too few choices.

“…Don’t… wanna die…”

—Rida’s blood-mixed murmur.

“I want… to live…”

That was unmistakably the desire to live.

Tarou had died. His furry friend had not even been given a chance to be saved, and they had parted with no room for choice.

Then what about these children?

Back then, if he had had the power and a chance to save his friend, what would he have done?

“…Idiot. What I have to do was decided from the start.”

When he closed his eyes, the voice of his furry friend returned right behind his ears.

I know, Tarou.

Tooyama finished making his decision.

“So, what will you do?”

“Please save him.”

Tooyama knelt before the woman. He pressed his forehead to the ground and spoke plainly.

A full prostration—

“Naruhito, you…”

“Brother…”

“I know you can heal injuries. I’ll accept every condition except my death, so please save Rida. Keep him alive. I’m begging you.”

“…Raise your face?”

“…………”

Brown eyes and pale blue eyes like a spring reflected each other.

“Ahaha, beautiful eyes. Human eyes, the same as the bishop’s… Dragon slayer, your words were very beautiful, so yes, all right. I’ll save him for you.”

The bishop also said to monitor him from a distance and casually sell him a favor in a clever way or something, so this is fine, right?

The girl in the disheveled sister’s habit murmured as if suddenly remembering something, then immediately lowered her gaze to Tooyama again.

“…”

And then she, a higher being who should have been a saint, lost her words for an instant.

“But in exchange, make sure you save him. If you fail, I won’t forgive you.”

“…Oh. Hehehe. I understand why you killed the Hoarding Dragon.”

The saint’s eyes were fixed on Tooyama.

What did she see in those brown eyes looking up at her?

The saint trembled slightly with pleasure and smiled. I see, she thought. No wonder that dragon wanted him.

“Then, the condition. Hmm… If it were the bishop, he’d do this. Prepare fifty platinum coins by the Month of Quiet Snow this winter. Is that okay?”

The girl held up a beautiful finger and smiled.

“What?! Fifty platinum coins by winter?! Th-That’s ridiculous!! Isn’t that enough money to build a house?!”

Lazaar’s eyes widened, and he shouted almost like a scream.

“Platinum coins? Mr. Lizard, is there money other than copper coins?”

Niko tilted her head and looked up at Lazaar.

“Your friend says that, but what about you—”

The girl asked Tooyama,

“I’ll pay. I’ll pay the full amount. So please.”

Tooyama answered without a moment’s delay.

“—Oh.”

The girl’s mouth curved upward.

She snapped her fingers.

He had no idea where she had stored it, but at some point she held something like a scroll or parchment in her hand.

“What’s that?”

“A Church Pledge Scroll. One of the grave goods held by the Angel Church. Whatever is sworn on this will definitely be fulfilled.”

The parchment scroll was opened as if being displayed. Cursive-like writing and patterns made with red ink were moving around inside the parchment.

Wow, fantasy.

As Tooyama’s eyes were stolen by the obviously fantasy-like item,

“A Pledge Scroll?! It was supposed to have burned away in the Great War of the Third Era!”

Tooyama wanted to say, “You know about it, Lazaar?” but he did not interrupt.

“Oh, you know a lot, Mr. Lizard. I’m forbidden by the bishop from explaining the details, but grave goods don’t disappear. They only hide.”

“Kuh, Naruhito, no! If someone fails to keep what they swear on a Pledge Scroll, the swearer becomes a ruined person! They become nothing more than a being that exists to uphold the contents of that pledge!”

Because of his past work, Lazaar knew well the terrifying effects of grave goods and warned his friend—

“Do I sign here? I don’t have a personal seal or registered seal, but is a thumbprint okay?”

“Ah, yes. Just a thumbprint is fine. Do you need a knife?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Tooyama pressed the pad of his thumb against the knife blade, used the blood that welled up as ink, and pressed his thumbprint onto the parchment.

“Naruhito?!!”

Lazaar bared his fangs and shouted with his tail standing straight up. It was almost a scream.

“Sorry, Lazaar. I’ll be scared and regret it later. Right now, saving Rida comes first.”

Tooyama scratched his head apologetically.

“Naruhito… Kuh, wait! The Pledge Scroll can also have joint names, can’t it?!”

Lazaar, however, tightened his mouth, held his head, and then suddenly looked up.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

The girl answered Lazaar cheerfully.

“Lazaar, stop. Don’t you take the risk too.”

“Silence!! As if I could let only my friend buy a one-way carriage ticket to ruin!! By my ancestors, by my Tooth, I absolutely will not allow that! Saint, is this enough?!”

Lazaar strode over and received the parchment and knife from the girl.

Like Tooyama, he left his blood on the grave good in the form of an oath.

“Hehehe. How rare. A Lizardonian getting that serious for another race.”

Her attitude practically said that she found this truly amusing. The girl looked at the parchment and narrowed her eyes.

“You idiot, Lazaar.”

“I am not as much of an idiot as you, Naruhito.”

Short words. Two of a kind exchanged insults.

“I hereby acknowledge, under the name of Svi Dakmarshall, chief saint of the Church, that the dragon slayer and the Kingdom’s ‘Shadow Fang’ have jointly placed their existence upon the Pledge Scroll. The pledge has become absolute under the power of the angels.”

The girl tucked the parchment into her breast and bowed. It was a movement one might be fascinated by, but Tooyama had no such composure.

“Are you satisfied now? Hurry up and save Rida.”

“I’m already healing him.”

Before Tooyama could tell her to heal him, the girl smiled.

“Huh?”

“Sacrament: Consecration.”

“Healing Hand.”

Snap. Her beautiful fingers made a supple, pleasant sound.

That was all—

“Huh?”

Rida, who had been lying on the ground with a complexion almost indistinguishable from a dead man’s, sat up.

“Ridaaa!! Thank goodness! Thank good—uwaaaaaah!!”

“Gwah! Niko! I-It hurts… No way. The wound is closed…”

“Do you feel anything abnormal in your body? Dizziness or nausea?”

Lazaar approached Rida in a rush.

“Whoa, a L-Lizardonian?! N-No, I don’t. Just now, I was dying…”

“Mufufu. You were lucky. Make sure you say thank you to that dragon slayer over there.”

The girl spoke to Rida, who had sat up.

Rida blinked repeatedly, but still nodded.

“B-Brother, I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“Heh. Rida. You’re… Hah. Thank goodness. Truly.”

Tooyama also crouched beside Rida and held his forehead and hand. His body heat had returned.

“Dragon slayer. This is thanks for showing me something good. As a service, I also healed the hat boy’s injuries and your arm injury. …That hat boy is interesting. Hehehe. Well then, dragon slayer and Fang, don’t forget the condition.”

The girl smiled brightly. Tooyama felt he could not kill her.

“Seriously? The wound is… Yeah. I’ll keep the promise. I definitely keep promises with people like you.”

Tooyama crushed one of his rougher options and answered the girl.

He did not even know when his own wound had healed.

“Hehe, hehehehe. Thank you for the beautiful words and the beautiful scenery. You can give words like that to a dying person. Do you have any interest in the Church?”

“Sorry, I’m a Buddhist. Though I celebrate Christmas, eat meat all the time, and visit shrines for New Year’s.”

“Buddhist? Hmm, I don’t really understand, but you do have proper scenery in your heart. Hehe. Well then, until winter. Feel free to visit the Angel Church headquarters anytime.”

The girl disappeared just as she had appeared.

A chill ran through him. Even while she had been caught in his sight right before him, he did not understand what she had done.

If they had fought, he would probably have been killed without understanding what had happened in the same way.

“Is she gone?”

“…At the very least, I can no longer sense her. Though since I didn’t notice her even when she came that close, that may not mean much.”

Tooyama checked with Lazaar. Lazaar looked around uncertainly.

“Ughhh!! I’m tired! Wh-What the hell was that monster…?”

Tooyama collapsed into a seated position on the spot.

“That was my first time seeing one too. So that is the Church’s greatest fighting force, the chief saint… I did not feel alive.”

Lazaar was also exhausted. He crouched down and exhaled deeply.

“There are still monsters like Drako and that old man around? Give me a break.”

“You are quite something yourself, Naruhito, having killed a dragon even once. That was like a storm passing through. Hm?”

Lazaar opened his eyes wide.

“Hey, Rida, Niko, what are you doing?”

Tooyama’s gaze was drawn in the same direction. There, Rida and Niko were sitting on the ground with their heads bowed.

“Boss!!!”

“Mr. Boss!”

““Thank you very much!!””

Their voices rang out at the same time.

Tooyama was startled by the sudden form of address and their force.

“Ah, uh, yeah. Huh?”

“Boss, let me call you Boss! I’ll never forget the debt I owe you for saving me, Luca, Niko, and everyone!”

“Mr. Boss, really, truly, thank you. The truth is, back then, I was so scared, uwaaaaaaah!!”

“Wait, wait, wait. Stop prostrating, you two. Niko, don’t cry. Rida, stop with Boss. It doesn’t suit me.”

“No. I will call you that. This is respect. This is my way of showing respect! I’ve decided that this life will be used for your sake!”

Even when Tooyama tried to stop him, Rida did not stop prostrating. It really seemed that not only his wound, but even the stamina and vitality he had lost, had returned.

“Wow, this is kind of heavy… Lazaar?”

“Heh. That is the result of what you did. I merely followed you, Naruhito.”

Tooyama sought help from Lazaar, but Lazaar only laughed in a smooth voice and did not seem willing to help.

“Hah… Well, this is human resources work too, I guess. …Rida, I want to hire you all.”

It was an excuse, but now it was also a fairly decent plan. Tooyama put it into words.

“…?! R-Really?! L-Leave it to me! I’ll even do it for free! I don’t need money! For you, I’ll clean gutters or anything!”

Rida answered Tooyama with a beaming smile full of joy.

“Idiot. Work without pay is something-or-other, said the great bald man I respect. Let’s see. Your treatment will be as full-time employees. Your duties for now will be general miscellaneous work, and later I’ll have you engage in certain duties. A full two-day weekend system, salary closing at the end of the month and paid within the same month, and bonuses twice a year, I guess.”

“Full-time? Salary? Wh-What are you talking about?”

“Your jobs. Well, let’s change locations before discussing the details. So, what will you do? Interested?”

“Yes!! Of course I’m interested!! Leave anything about the slums to me!”

“Huh? I don’t think I’m getting through to you. Once Luca wakes up, we’ll leave. We’ll find Pero and Shiro, and everyone will leave here together.”

“Huh? We can… leave the slums?”

Niko murmured blankly. The expression fell from her face.

“Obviously. Sorry to you kids, but I have no intention of working here. From now on, I’ll have you sweat honestly and work for money and your livelihood. For a while, you’ll all live together with me and Lazaar, sharing food, clothing, and shelter, even if you don’t like it.”

Had that been too much?

It was almost like telling them to abandon the place they were used to living in. Moreover, he had not even told them the most important part of the working conditions, the salary amount.

Tooyama worried that he might have rushed things too much—

“—Uwaaaaaaaaaah! Waaaaaaaaaah!”

“N-Niko, stop, sniff, d-don’t cry… Ah, angels, is this a dream? If it is, please, don’t let me wake up… U-Uwaaaaaaaaaah!”

For some reason, the two of them began crying. Niko collapsed and cried loudly, and Rida, who tried to scold her, was also sniffling.

“H-Huhhh… Lazaar, what is this?”

“They are sobbing. Hmm, Naruhito, making children cry is your hobby? You have fine taste.”

Leaning against the wall, Lazaar chuckled in his throat.

“You’ve got a pretty nasty personality.”

“No, noooo, Mr. Boss didn’t do anything wrong. We’re just… We’re happy… We had given up. We had given up and thought we would die in the slums.”

“Boss, I really don’t know what to say to you…”

“Huh? Are those really words that get this kind of reaction?”

“…For children born in the slums, everything outside the slums is the outside world. Common sense and ways of living are completely different. By themselves, they can only live in the slums. …Though it would be a different story if they entered the protection of some eccentric person.”

Lazaar narrowed his eyes and turned his reptilian face toward Tooyama.

This guy really has a face that suits a villain, Tooyama vaguely thought.

“Huh? Protection? Idiot. I’m going to have them work properly from now on. Don’t think they’ll get to laze around.”

“Heh. That is what protection means, my friend. Giving them work and living with them itself is something like a miracle for those born in this city.”

“Boss, Boss, is it really okay? We were born in the slums. Is it really okay for us to go with you?”

“Y-Yeah. I didn’t expect you to cry over it, though. But don’t misunderstand. As I told Lazaar, you’ll work properly—”

“I’ll do anything!! I’ll even kill for you! So please, take us with you!”

Rida shouted with tremendous force.

His enthusiasm seemed more than enough, but Tooyama shook his head.

“Idiot. Like hell I’d make you kids kill. Yeah, I’ll work you hard, so be prepared.”

When thinking normally about the right person for the right job, any necessary killing would probably be his work. Tooyama had already thought of several ways to make use of them.

“Not killing. Not stealing. Honest work… What is happening today… Boss, I entrust this life to you. I have no family name. I am just Rida. Let me entrust everything to you.”

“No, that’s fine. I don’t need that much. Just follow your job duties and listen to what I say. …Once Luca wakes up, we’ll go look for Pero and Shiro. Rest until then.”

“Yes! Understood, Boss! Hey, Niko, did you hear that?! I—we—have work!”

“Yeah! Yeah! Luca will be surprised when he wakes up!”

“U-Ugh, noisy… Huh, Rida, Niko, I…”

“Lucaaa! You’re awake! Listen, listen, it’s amazing! Mr. Boss said!”

“Luca! This is incredible! We, we—”

“Huh, Rida, what about your wound?! The Crows, what happened to them?!”

“Luca! It’s all over! Boss and Mr. Lizard saved us!”

“That’s right, Luca. They said they’ll hire us! Ugh, I’m so glad. Rida and Luca are alive. I’m so glad, uwaaaaah!”

Tooyama watched the children making a great fuss together with Lazaar.

Suddenly, the scene overlapped.

With those conversations beneath the elevated tracks.

—And then, Tarou, you and I will go on an adventure, right? And then, I think we’ll help all kinds of people too!

—Woof?

—Why would we do something like that? Hehe, Tarou, that’s because—

“Because it’s more fun that way, huh.”

Tarou, the adventure you and I wanted to start, the adventure that never began, is here.

You’re gone now, but I’m going to begin. I’ll do my best in place of you, who can no longer do anything. Watch me.

Tooyama looked up at the sky. A high sky where evening and blue mingled.

He looked up at the faint clouds drifting across it and thought of his departed friend who might be there.

“Well then, now that Luca’s awake, shall we go?”

Tooyama called out to Lazaar.

“Yeah. You children too. Come with us.”

Lazaar nodded and spoke to the children.

“Go where?”

Luca pulled his hunting cap down again and tilted his head.

“Luca, come on! Isn’t it obvious?! We’re em-ploy-ees, full-time employees!”

“Employees, full-time employees? What does that mean?”

“…Come to think of it, what does it mean?”

“Boss, what do we start with? I’ll do anything!”

“We pick up Pero and Shiro, then look for an inn. I wonder if I have enough money. Well, whatever. Rida, Luca, Niko, follow me.”

Tooyama turned around.

He looked over the reward for that quest, the small ones he had won and chosen to save.

“Let’s leave the slums.”

At Tooyama’s words, the children opened their eyes wide, looked at one another, and all nodded deeply at once.

Tooyama did not know.

He did not know that their faces looked just like his own face on the day when he and his furry friend had decided to set out on an adventure.

Shiver.

For some reason, the mist weapon stored inside his chest trembled.

“…What was that?”

Tooyama did not know. He did not notice.

The true power of his weapon, his strongest explorer tool—

………

……

…

〜At almost the same time Tooyama and the others began walking〜

〜Safe House of the “Crow” Wiseman Bola〜

“Haaah!!? Hah! Hah! Hah! …Ha, hahahaha, hahahahahahahaha!! I did it! It succeeded, it succeeded!! Skill Another!! I succeeded!”

A man who had been sitting limply in a chair suddenly opened his eyes wide.

Like a fan that had been powered on at that very moment, he began shouting busily.

“Triplet Chance!! Gyahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!! I knew it! I’m a genius!”

Skill Another.

A special power possessed only by a limited number of people. It was an advanced form of a skill that manifested only in those among skill holders who had the aptitude.

Wiseman had grown through his encounter with Tooyama, an overwhelming external enemy.

He had only been able to prepare up to two clones per day, but at the last moment, he had succeeded in manifesting a third. And he had even succeeded in transferring his consciousness through a remote location.

He was elated. He could become even stronger. He could use this talent to climb to the top of the Crows.

Shiver. Even as he was elated, his body trembled. It was not from excitement, but from fear.

“…I’ll kill you. I remember your face and name, Tooyama Naruhito… I’ll absolutely kill you.”

And he clenched that fear in his fist. He would absolutely return the humiliation and terror.

Wiseman had a talent for evil. He would rework his plan and proceed with certainty. Next time, next time, he would kill him.

“Not just you. I’ll drag out the brats too and slaughter them. I’ll kill them all right in front of you. Hi, hi, hi. So it’s fine. I can still do this.”

He clenched his trembling hand, put his mouth to the water pitcher in the safe house, and swallowed lukewarm water.

He did not care that water spilled all over the floor.

“First, I’ll report everything to Milda and smooth things over. If I say it right, that stupid woman will easily—”

The Three Wings. He needed their power. That man would be killed with the full strength of the Crows.

Just as real crows were tenacious, they too were no different in their pitch-black persistence.

Imagining the moment when he would return the humiliation he had suffered, Wiseman twisted his lips into a grin.

“—Huh?”

Then he noticed the abnormality.

The smile vanished all too easily.

Everything was already too late.

What Wiseman, who had gained that chance, should have done was leave that room and flee as quickly as possible.

He had wasted everything.

It began from the four corners of the room.

Mist. Thick Mist filled the room.

From every corner of that cramped safe house, Mist suddenly overflowed.

The handsome man already knew what that meant.

“Hi?! M-Mist?! The same as back then… Wh-Why? Why is it in this place?! C-Come out, Tooyama Naruhito!! Show yourself!”

No human responded to that voice. Wiseman did not know that the master of that Mist was not here.

Only the Mist was here, remembering the scent of that filthy blood. That terrifying power, which even its master did not understand, never forgot the scent of its prey.

Those who opposed its master, those who interfered with his adventure, were all enemies the Mist had to hunt and kill beneath its claws and fangs.

“Ah, ahh, n-no, I don’t have any spares. This is my last one. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, nooooooooooo!”

The man’s scream did not reach anyone. Wrapped in the Mist filling the room from all four corners, his scream was drowned out.

“—Aaah, Angel…”

At the final moment, Wiseman saw something writhing in the Mist.

But before he could understand what it was, his body was filleted into three pieces, so in the end, he understood nothing.

It was about three days later that the Crows recognized Wiseman’s death.

The scene was so gruesome that even the members of the Crows, who were all villains, could only describe it this way.

It was not something a human would do.