"I wonder if the princess will actually come.

　A low voice melted through the darkness. The faint light from the candle flickered through the room.

　As the voice spread to the surroundings, small whispering voices began to emerge from every corner of the darkness. Their hearts around the table were weaker than the small candles on the tabletop.

　This place itself is like a sandy beach. Everyone's eyes are still filled with skepticism, their throats quivering in the darkness.

　Their minds still waver, far from making up their minds. Nervously, the eyelids blink again and again. At the slightest flutter of emotion, the legs that went out before will go right back in.

　They needed a trigger. A chance to cut their hearts out with a knife and make a decision. A chance to move on, even if the future is uncertain.

"Shhh ......, be quiet.

　Suddenly, a clear voice told me so. I don't know whose voice it was.

　The voices that had been crawling out of the darkness earlier quieted down. It was not because they were led by those words.

　It was because I saw the light in front of me. Not a candlelight. A pale glow that seemed to spring up on the spot.

　Spiritualism. The highest of them all. The secret of projecting oneself into a completely different place and acting as if one were far away, a ritual forgiven only to those loved by the spirits. A spectacle that could be called part of a miracle.

　Oh, no one else in Gazalia, or in this world for that matter, can perform such a miracle.

　Everyone stopped even to swallow their spit, refusing to make any sound. Eyes wide open, ears up, it was as if they were trying to imprint all the miracles that had taken place on their bodies.

　As if gathered in the darkness, the grains of light accumulated and took shape.

　The crystal of pale brilliance that was then formed looked like a doll. It was a form that was unmistakably that of an elf.

I'm sorry to be speaking from the shadows. Can you hear me?

　The smile that appeared in the darkness, illuminated by the lights, was surely more beautiful than the moonlight. That's what they make everyone think.

　Many of their hearts were swallowed up by the great current here. They made a decision that throbbed deep in their hearts.

　To follow the beautiful Elven princess and shake Gazalia, ruled by the old Elves, the vicious Fin, and Learchus, back to the good old days. It was the right thing to do, I promised myself.

"Thank you. I swear by the name of Erdis and the noble blood that flows in my body, that you will be happy.

　"Thank you.

　My shoulders felt numb. I let out a light exhale, twisted my shoulders, repositioned myself, and finally calmed down.

　I had just hurt my shoulder and hand, and it would be foolish to hurt them again. Even I don't want to do that.

　I don't want to do that... I don't know what to call it because it's a weak human body, or rather an elf body. Anyway, it would be hard for me to hold all of Elddis's weight right now.

　Instead of losing all consciousness, I will create an illusion of myself in a remote location. Apparently, this is part of the wisdom Erdis has given us, a form of necromancy. The first time we saw her, she was just an illusion.

　I've heard that it's nearly impossible for magic to create an image at a distance from itself.

　But since she was able to create an illusion not only in this tower, but also in the forest far away from Gazalia, it must have been a divine act. No wonder he is called the beloved son of the spirit.

　But can't you do something about this?

　You can't help but squint at Erdis as she holds her body from behind. According to her, when dealing with illusions, you are completely defenseless, and you need to be protected or held by someone. It would be better if she could just lie down on a bed, but that doesn't work, she says.

　If you look closely, you can see Elddis's eyes narrowing and her lips quivering. There was no doubt that she was dealing with an illusion.

　Elddis must be on her way to the designated Elven meeting place. A valuable patron in Gazaria. Materials that will be Elddis' arms and legs. Without their help, we'll never get out of this tower.

　Therefore, we need to make sure that tonight's event is a success. That's why I've made some suggestions to Elddis.

　But even so, anxiety still smolders in my heart. After all, these are elves who never acted in the past. They had accepted the rule of Finn Largius as it was.

　So it is unlikely that anyone would reach out to them, even if they had the opportunity to do so. In addition, elves, perhaps because of their longevity, tend to be very long-winded. It is common for them to be a decade or two behind.

　For this reason, it is difficult for them to interact with humans who are in a hurry to live.

　But in any case, it is not going to be an easy story to settle.

　In that case, I would have to wait for several tens of minutes, or even hours, with the elf princess in my arms.

　Suddenly, my mind wavered for a moment. I blinked my eyes.

　Never before had I looked so closely at the face of Erdis. I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to look at her face so closely before, let alone from a distance.

　It was, after all, both terrifying and poisonous to the eyes. Her face, which looked like a sculpture, was a work of beauty that I would never have been able to see. She was even better made, but she was royalty. A protected, greenhouse-warmed, undeniable princess.



　I can't help but sigh. Even though our bodies are touching, what comes to mind is not inferiority, but a feeling of inferiority that ravages my heart.

　It's something I've always felt. From the time of our journey, until now.

　This one, Erdis, is royalty from birth. He's revered by those around him and obligated to be respected, even if he's thrown in jail.

　There must be a weight to that position. There will be times when your heart hurts because of your position.

　But what does that matter? What does it matter? It's good. As long as you have something to be proud of running through your body from the day you were born.

　Lately, the anxiety that surged through my chest was about to erupt in this quiet place where I could only wait. Inside the tower, not even the sound of the wind could be heard.

　I took Kalia's hand, pulled Fialaert in, and now I'm about to put the elven princess in the palm of my hand. Yeah, that's quite a feat for the old me. You're a very bad man.

　You took a shot at the hero, Held Stanley. Even back in this day and age, that's pretty good for me.

　Yes, for me.

　I bite my lip with my teeth.

　No matter how hard I tried, no matter how hard I reached out, there was still a black stain on my chest that I could never wipe away.

　It is something that no amount of effort can change. It is something that is determined from the moment you are given birth. In other words, the status you were born with. What kind of blood flows through this body. That's the only thing.

　No matter how far back I go, I can't change the fact that I'm a rat, split from the favela, raised on dirt in a ditch as a nanny.

　No matter how far back I go, I will never be on the same level as these people I envy. It's the difference in talent, the difference in the blood that flows in your body, the difference in birth.

　Birth, the blood that flows in our body. It's an irreversible difference.

　So you think. No matter how well I do. No matter how well I do. No matter how lucky I get. In the end, they're going to beat me to everything.

　A muddy, tenacious emotion sticks in my gut forever.

　Trivial. Such trivial thoughts make me confused to call Kalia and Fialaat my friends from the bottom of my heart.

　I understood. I knew that Kalia and Fialaat, they had at least some not-so-good feelings for me. It was an unthinkable comfort from the past. It's both a joy and a pain.

　How can you accept it? On what basis should I accept it? I know. I'll be let down eventually. Sooner or later, I'm going to be found out and pushed down to the bottom.

　Right now I'm just a fraud. I'm just trying to stay ahead of the curve with my wisdom. I'm just an ordinary person. There's no reason for them to like me.

　Still, all I can do is keep trying. Even if you don't know what's ahead. I didn't want to give up, that's all. Somewhere deep inside, I knew the limits of my incompetence.

　Blood was spilling from her lips, which she had bitten down on too hard. Red, very red blood.