Episode 6

“This village too… no abnormalities, I suppose.”

“It’s a peaceful, ordinary village…”

Zeke and the others traveled around the farming villages along the highway. The village that had been reported by traveling merchants showed clear abnormalities, but the other villages showed no particular changes.

“Was the enemy only targeting the first village?”

“That might be the case, but their motive is unclear.”

The black-clad figures who had previously attacked Ciel had still not appeared. Even though there had been plenty of opportunities if they intended to strike while the group was traveling by carriage.

“Geographically, this should be the last of the agricultural zones. …We’re quite far from the royal capital now.”

“I was on guard, expecting them to make a move here. This is kind of anticlimactic.”

Selen gently stroked the magic gun secured in her holster. It was a clear blue, the same color as her own hair.

“We’ll observe things for one night… then for now, we head back to the royal capital.”

“Personally, I agree. I suppose it depends on the leader’s intentions?”

Zeke leaned back against the carriage with his arms crossed. He looked uninterested, but his gaze was firmly fixed on the villagers.

“…Excuse me. May I have a moment?”

The one who spoke was a woman who appeared to be a mother holding a child. The girl in her arms looked completely drained, as if she were unwell.

“I know this is rude to ask, but… you are the holy maiden of the ducal house, correct?”

“Yes, this child is. …She doesn’t look well.”

According to the mother, the girl had fallen ill several days ago. There was no church in the village, nor an apothecary. They had tried giving her what little medicine they had in stock, but it had almost no effect.

Then a group arrived from the royal capital. A carriage bearing the ducal crest, and a silver-haired woman. She immediately realized this must be the “Silver Saintess” everyone in the kingdom was talking about.

“I understand. I’ll examine her, so first please let me take your child—”

“No, wait.”

Zeke stopped Ciel as she was about to begin treatment.

“If it’s sacred arts, there’s a perfect guy for it. That brat who was bragging about how special he is.”

“Ah… I see. I’ll go call him.”

Aaron walked off with a light step. Perhaps he had been mistaken for a suspicious person, because the villagers kept a wide distance from him.

“Judging by his behavior so far, I don’t think he can actually do anything.”

“Success or failure doesn’t matter. …He’s gone too far.”

While Ciel conducted a brief examination, the two spoke quietly. Soon, Maenof and several knights arrived, led by Aaron.

“Lagias… what do you want now?”

“Can’t you tell, you idiot? Hurry up and do your job.”

Zeke gestured toward the mother and child. Maenof seemed to understand immediately, his expression twisting visibly.

“Sacred arts aren’t like ordinary healing magic. To use them on such a filthy brat—!?”

“Do it. That’s an order. Disobey, and I’ll kill you.”

Overwhelmed by Zeke’s killing intent, Maenof hurried toward Ciel and the mother and child. The knights tried to follow, but Zeke glared at them, leaving them frozen in place.

“Watch this.”

“Hm? This is a map… isn’t this the endpoint?”

Zeke handed him the map without a word. His gaze was fixed on Maenof.

“Lady Ciel! If I were in full condition, I could use sacred arts twice!”

Maenof desperately tried to show off his competence to Ciel, but he was so focused on selling himself that he failed to notice the cold look in her eyes.

“…That’s fine, just hurry and treat her.”

“Understood! Please watch closely! Then… Angel Heal!”

The mother and girl were enveloped in a silver light. The scale was very small, but it was unmistakably sacred arts.

The listless girl quickly regained her energy. She lifted her face and widened her eyes, acting her age once more.

“Hah, hah… what do you think, Lady Ciel? I’m more capable than Lagias…”

Maenof breathed heavily, his shoulders rising and falling. Ciel looked at him in confusion, as if wondering why he was so exhausted.

“I’m a little relieved. If you couldn’t do even this, you’d be a complete clown.”

“The same silver light…”

While many focused on Maenof’s sacred arts, only Selen was watching Zeke. And Zeke’s lips seemed to carry a faint smile.

“Now do you understand? Who would ever—eh?”

“!? This is…”

A magic formula appeared on the girl’s body. The geometric pattern glowed suspiciously, casting an eerie light around it.

“What a surprise… concealment magic is rare.”

“It’s reacting to sacred arts!? Ciel, get away!”

The strange light intensified and seemed to engulf both Ciel and Maenof… but the target appeared to be Maenof alone.

“W-what is this!? What’s happening!?”

Ciel calmly distanced herself from Maenof. She remained wary of the girl and her mother, but sensed no malice from either of them. Both were utterly bewildered.

A bellflower-colored light grew stronger, flashing repeatedly. Seeing this, Ciel retreated further, and the mother and child fled in fear.

Left behind were Maenof—and Zeke, who had approached unnoticed.

Both were completely swallowed by the light. When the disturbance subsided, neither of them was there.

A space covered in a white world. Above, below, left and right—everything was dyed white. In this mysterious place stood Zeke and one other person.

“I’m surprised. I didn’t expect you to come here yourself.”

“Disappointed? That one can use sacred arts too.”

Zeke looked down at him with a mocking gaze.

“…Are you saying this all went according to plan? You’ve got some nerve, staying this calm.”

“A different space existing on a different time axis. Ideally, I wanted to trap the ducal woman, but for some reason what appeared was trash and Lagias. And the trash got rejected for exceeding the capacity… am I wrong?”

“You’re not normal, are you?”

The large man narrowed his eyes, his wariness obvious. Even so, he did not lose his composure.

“Well, whatever. We’ve got plenty of time. Let’s talk.”

Zeke and Maenof vanished, swallowed by the strange light. Those left behind were thrown into confusion.

“What in the world just happened? Why Zeke-san too…?”

“There are too many unknowns.”

The magic formula on the girl had already vanished, and her illness had improved. They questioned her for details, but gained no useful information.

“I sense no malice from either of them. They really don’t know anything.”

“Yes. If there’s anything suspicious… it would be the traveler who visited the village a few days ago.”

According to the mother, a small traveler had visited the village several days earlier. That traveler had entertained the children with amusing tales of adventure. Since travelers rarely visited farming villages, the memory had stuck.

“Maybe the same thing happened to other children…”

“I doubt it. There’s no reason to leave unnecessary evidence. More frightening than that is…”

The enemy had perfectly read Ciel’s actions. If there was a sick child, Ciel would use sacred arts. On top of that, they had planted concealment magic that triggered in response to sacred arts.

“He read that too. That’s why he sent that brat forward. …Since the enemy’s target was Ciel, he deliberately brought him along.”

(…But was that really all?)

What bothered her was the small smile Zeke had worn before Maenof used sacred arts.

If he had read the enemy’s actions, was it really necessary to let sacred arts be used? No matter how incompetent Maenof was, was it acceptable to hand over a sacred arts user—called a symbol of Diabalet—to the enemy so easily? And Zeke himself had been swallowed by the light.

(Did he aim for this outcome from the start? How much of this was Actol’s instruction?)

Aaron, who was likely here under Actol’s orders as well, was checking the map—the one Zeke had handed him just before.

(I should avoid saying anything careless. It would only confuse Ciel.)

“The mana traces are completely gone. We can’t track anything like this…”

“What about that, Royal Guard?”

“Good grief… right now I’m just F-rank Aaron. —Take a look at this.”

Aaron showed them the map. A certain point was marked.

“He’s an efficiency-first kind of guy. He wouldn’t do anything pointless.”

“…The Falsh Ruins Site. It’s close to here.”

The location marked on the map was the Falsh Ruins Site, located at the edge of the agricultural zone. It was a historically valuable ruin where stone statues believed to be ancient stood in rows.

“We’re done here. Let’s move on to the next stage.”

“What about them?”

The Duke Guard knights were in disarray after losing their captain, Maenof. They clearly had no idea what had happened.

“Why not let them do as they please? They weren’t part of the plan to begin with…”

“So they were never expected to matter. …Politics, family pride, domestic factional strife. It’s complicated.”

(Aaron Izosaar, the third son of a marquis house. Why would someone like him get involved with Lagias? Zeke’s surroundings are truly a tangled mess.)

After making preparations, the group headed for the Falsh Ruins Site.

“Let’s start with introductions. I’m Dex. We’ll probably see each other plenty from here on out.”

“Do you really think you’ll get another chance? You’re an optimist to the point of stupidity.”

“Don’t be so hasty. …You’ve noticed, haven’t you? In this space, it’s hard to even gather mana.”

Zeke and Dex faced each other.

In this white, sealed space, it was exactly as Dex said—mana could not be sensed.

“That’s fine. …What do you think of this world?”

Dex’s question came out of nowhere. He spoke like a bard, yet there was no hint of joking.

“Of this deranged world overflowing with contradictions and deceit.”

“What are you talking about? Playing word games now?”

“Don’t look away. You know it too. —Especially you, as Lagias.”

Dex swung his arm, and the white space split, revealing a scene. It showed the people living in the royal capital.

“Look at these useless fools. Living carefree, knowing nothing. Grinning like idiots.”

People chatting.

Children running around.

Knights on patrol.

It was everyday life in the royal capital.

“Just because they were born in the capital, they live comfortably without effort. They forget the attack and sacrifices from two years ago. They don’t even try to know the cruel world beyond the capital, wearing those stupid smiles.”

“Are you insane? You’re the ones who attacked the capital.”

“Yeah, we did. Apion too, and the entrance exam. …We were also looking for a ‘key.’”

The scenery changed again, multiplying.

Desolated villages. Factions clashing with swords and spears. A nation destroyed by magical crossfire. Land dried up from mana depletion.

The cruel world Dex spoke of spread before them.

“Humans who fight over any excuse. Villages erased by monsters. Nobles who trample commoners for selfish gain. There’s plenty more. Outside the capital… no, in this world.”

Among the images was the lake behind Lagias Manor.

“Don’t you think living in ignorance is a sin?”

“Who cares. People who die on their own deserve it.”

“Harsh… but not everyone’s as strong as you.”

Past scenes appeared as well—the attack on the royal capital. Monsters closing in on fleeing people. Knights fighting desperately while bleeding.

“They beg for help when it’s convenient, then forget everything once time passes. And then it repeats.”

“…What are you even trying to say? Drop the inconsistent, pointless rant. It’s a waste of time.”

“Humans are foolish. …But it can’t be helped. The spirits—gods—have vanished from this world.”

Adventurers fleeing from monsters. Capital citizens condemning those adventurers.

“Because the world is incomplete, it becomes warped. The people of the past made the wrong choice. That’s why it ended up like this!”

“So you’re saying this rewinded world was a failure. That’s your argument?”

“…So you knew. Then you understand what I mean, right? —You’re on our side.”

The scenery changed again.

Stone statues standing across a plain. There was Maenof, bound tightly with ropes, a small figure of indeterminate gender, and Aaron, Ciel, and Selen. Several knights were there as well.

A battle was about to begin.

“For generations, the Lagias family has inherited the role of ‘watcher.’ Until the ‘guide’ appears. And once that role is fulfilled, they’re released—through death.”

“…If you know that much, then why—”

“‘Watcher,’ ‘guide,’ ‘key,’ ‘spirits.’ You like your meaningless word games. To me, none of it matters.”

In the scene, Selen’s bullets scattered wildly, failing to hit the small figure.

Aaron’s lightning magic struck empty ground, and Ciel’s sacred arts were weakened.

“The ducal woman, the failed peddler, the young knight—none of them matter. Whatever happens to them, it doesn’t concern me.”

A knight who seemed to be one of Maenof’s subordinates was inexplicably attacking Ciel. She blocked the attacks with a barrier.

“Lagias, Diabalet, this world… I have no attachment to any of it.”

Selen tried to rush to Ciel, but knights blocked her path. Their faces were filled with confusion, clearly not understanding what was happening.

“I’ll do whatever I want.”

“You sound like a true villain. —You know everything, yet still accept this situation?”

“Hah, don’t make me laugh. I’ll keep resisting. Against you people of Wish Soul—this world.”

The white space began to tremble.

“So… don’t get in my way.”

With a creaking sound, cracks spread through the space.

“Impossible… where is all this power coming from…”

“Can’t do anything without mana? That’s why people of this world are hopeless.”

A torrent of power burst forth. Blue, cold light swallowed Dex and the white space entirely.