The sun dropped its eyelids and the streets of Belle Fain were consumed by the darkness of night. Normally, only the pale light of the moon illuminates the earth anymore. Everyone, man and beast, was running quickly to their beds. Yes, normally...

　--But now, something is roaring, lighting up the supposedly dark streets.

　It was like a boiling fire. It was like a gushing torrent, like a raging dragon in search of something.

　A torrent of magic power was rising from the center of Belle Fain, pouring down the lights of the city at night. It was an anomaly. It must be a definite anomaly.

　In the first place, magical power is not something that is easily reflected in the eyes of people. It can only be captured by a sorcerer or wizard in some form. If it does not reach a certain level of concentration, magic power is just a pale existence that does not show itself, like thin silk.

　But now, it is tearing through the sky and rising to the sky, showing its terrifying light green form to people. The excessively dense magic power was rushing up to the sky and forming a pillar of light. It was like something out of a fairy tale or something.

　Everyone's eyes have been stolen.

　People were fixated on the scene, as if they had lost the ability to even close their eyelids, as if they had forgotten how to make expressions. The poor, the common people, and the nobles all acted in the same way, as if they were shouting that they had forgotten the barriers of their status at this moment.

　And so, everyone began to hold those words in their hearts, even if they didn't say them out loud.

　--I'm sure something terrible, terrible, terrible will happen.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　I can feel my cheeks being caressed by the air flow. I'm sure you've heard of it, but I'm not sure what it is.

　I narrowed my eyes and raised myself up, holding onto Kalia's body. I felt something swirling and raging in my lungs.

I felt something swirling and raging in my lungs. You're here too, aren't you?

　Unknowingly, my lips muttered. It was not a voice for anyone to hear, it was just a whining voice. Kalia's silver eyes rolled back in her head as she muttered, "You know what? Her voice was unusually low for a woman who always had such an imposing and strident voice. Apparently, she is somewhat concerned about the scars on my shoulder and arm. If she was always this considerate, I'd have nothing to say.

"I know, of course. Of course. Who else could have caused such an anomaly?

　Yes, just as I said it. The reflection in his eyes was unmistakably abnormal, heretical, the opposite of the norm. There are only a few people who can do this kind of thing, whether they go back in time or forward into the future. And there's only one person I know of who can do it.

　The only person I know who can do this is that woman who can change the weather and the world in her own hands.

　But why Belle Fane again? I was about to whisper that, but my lips involuntarily closed. It was not very considerate of her to let out those words again in front of Kalia.

　It was not self-respect, nor was it overconfidence. However, I know that Fialaat had some kind of feelings for me. And perhaps it was the whistling of those emotions that led Fialaat to Belfain.

　It's something I don't want to do, and I feel another emotion crawling up in my chest, along with a feeling of joy. There was also a feeling of avoidance that I, who was once not even acknowledged to exist, should not be able to have feelings for Fialaat, that hero.

　Ridiculous. Foolish. I know that better than anyone. But how much easier it would be if our emotions followed our reason. How much happier people would be. Because this is not possible, we all force ourselves to live each day with anguish buried deep in our skulls. And so, I was no exception.

　But...

　I force my legs to wobble slightly and take my hand off Kalia's shoulder. I put my hand into my chest and felt a throbbing sensation against my fingertips. I wondered if the blood that had been gushing from my shoulder had pooled.

　Wrinkling my brow and shaking my ears, I took out a chewing tobacco and put it to my mouth. It had been a long time since my lips had felt that touch.

　A peculiar smell, the smell of iron, passes through my nostrils. I squinted my eyes and let out two big breaths.

I don't know what to think. You want to go into that cave yourself?

"Yes, yes, I will.

　I'll go," he said shortly, biting off the end of his sentence and shaking his leg. A painful sensation seemed to seep from her marrow at the thought of taking a step.

　I could see that Kalia's silver eyes were looking at me with some sort of emotion in them. However, there was an expression on her face that was very unlike Kalia, as if she was trying not to say it out loud. Because in her past travels, she had never been reserved or discouraged by me.

　Oh, no. That's so unlike her. Kalia," I call out softly. I roll the chewed tobacco between my fingers and let him take a step forward.

You're one of me. Without a doubt. And so is ...... phialert.

　It was as if the words had come from deep within his chest. The mud that had been congealed in the depths of his gut, refusing to be spat out, was now slowly being exposed to the air in the form of words.



I'd do the same thing if it was you in that cave, Karia. Yes, you would. If he's one of us, if he's in harm's way.

　Strangely, I found it hard to keep my words together. I felt as if my emotions were just flowing out of my lips.

　Oh, yes, I'm sure I wanted to get those words out of my lips more than anything. I wished more than anything to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with those heroes and say.

"You want to help, you know. Don't you, eh?

　He could no longer show his face to Kalia. It's so embarrassing. I took another stumbling step forward, showing my back. I heard a loud sigh from behind me, and then some strong force supported my body. Kalia's voice whispers in my ear.

"You're an idiot. You'd better learn to lean on the shoulders of your friends a little, then.

　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to do it," she said, her lips pursed, her long eyelashes fluttering in a good mood. If it was always like this, there would be no trouble at all.

　Neither the private soldiers nor the mercenaries tried to stop me and Kalia. Everyone was transfixed by the torrent of magical power and looked as if they didn't know what to do or what they should do in the face of such an extraordinary scene that seemed to be one step outside the logic of the world.