--Happiness and salvation are here. Now, come here, my dear children.

　The words that came out of the lips of the High Priestess, Alueno, made both Caria and Erdis choke up.

　It's funny. It must have been a joke. How could such an offer be of any value in this situation?

　The saint in front of him was an undeniable enemy, perhaps even responsible for Lugis' predicament and the loss of Fialaat. If there is anyone who can accept the words of that person without a single doubt in their mind, they are a very lucky person.

　An invitation that does not even need to be considered.

　And yet... Kalia was aware that a strange feeling was caressing her heart. Alueno's words that she should not have accepted, that she should not have even had room for.

　Yet, somehow, they echoed in her ears in an uncomfortable way. It was as if Alueno's words were gently enveloping the inside of my skull.

　I've experienced a similar feeling before. Kalia bit her lip, blinking her silver eyes that were even slightly vacant.

　That was the underground temple of the heraldry. I'm sure it was in the underground temple of the heraldry cult.

　I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it. Now give it all up, lean back, and you'll hear a strange sound in your ears.

　It felt good, it felt good. I felt lighter, more confident that I was leaning on the right thing. It was easy to imagine the warm happiness that would fill my heart if I bowed down to her words.

　At her side, Erdis said. The blue eyes gazed at Alueno and the darkness around him.

...... There is nothing to be lost, Caria. It's just a matter of taking things for granted.

　His voice sounded as if he had chosen his words carefully. Kalia responded with a small bow of her chin.

　She was right. That's all it was. So there was nothing to hesitate about.

　One step closer to Alueno. Another step forward.

　With careful steps, she approached the altar and lowered her stance so that her head was hanging there. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Alueno giving what looks like a soft smile.

　She could feel the sticky air sticking to her cheeks. The golden eyes were now clearly visible even in the dimness.

　Kalia sucked in a deep breath. And then...

　--The next moment, silver blasted toward gold. The sword and the air both creaked with the strength of a giant.

　Nonsense.

　With that one word, Kalia cut down everything. In other words, Alueno's words, as well as the words that Heldt-Stanley had once spoken, were all the same to Kalia.

　You are no longer in possession of happiness, salvation, or even righteousness. No, on the contrary, as long as I have what is in my hands, I don't need happiness, salvation, or rightness whatsoever.

　That's why Kalia decided to kill this woman right here.

　Lugis' lover. A woman who earned the right to receive Rougis's feelings just because they've been together for a long time.

　Oh, how I hate her. The mere presence of her makes Kalia's heart creak and distort.

　Ugly. Ugly. Vile. The thing that comes to mind now is the thing that Karia hates and spits at the most.

　And yet now I even feel joy. To be able to wield a sword against my love interest with good reason. My heart is filled with joy at being able to avenge his life. Even in a predicament like this.

　I wonder what Lugis would call this filthy feeling. If he finds out later that he killed Alueno, will he curse him?

　But even if he did... This desire, made of the most perfect love, could not be stifled.

　A flash of light runs toward the white neck. It was a devilish swing to reap a man, and yet it was a blow of human finesse, of all the disciplines.

　It was a supreme, perfect flash. The silver light was sucked in and struck off the white neck. In between, Caria saw Alueno's lips move gently.

　It wasn't a scream or a cry of pain. It was simply saying.

I don't know why. I really don't know, Caria-Bardnick.

　It was just a natural question. There was nothing mysterious about it, it was rather too ordinary.

　Unless, of course, they were uttered with a silver sword in his neck and still.

　Kalia's silver eyes widen. Alueno's white neck takes the silver sword, but is still there, as if nothing had happened.

　It didn't gouge her flesh or create a single bruise. It was as if the silver sword had simply been placed on her neck.

　With an unconcealed agitation in her heart, Caria reflexively brought the sword back and plunged it into the saint once more. This time it was a straight line stab to rip out the heart.



　It's not like it was a spur-of-the-moment stab, but it was sharp, and the silver sliced through the air. It was a lethal flash that would have killed both man and beast had it been swallowed.

　The body of Alueno was not shaken by the flash, and he caught it again without even making a move to avoid it. Not even a single wound was inflicted.

　At the moment, Kalia bit her teeth, feeling more chills than fear at the strange feeling that was transmitted to her hand.

　How can I put it? If it's so hard that the blade can't penetrate it, then the repercussions will be felt in your hands. At the very least, the silver sword should have sobbed at the impact.

　However, there is nothing here now. The sword does not recoil or creak, but merely rests on the alueno.

　It was as if the swing he had made had come to nothing. For a moment, Kalia's thoughts stopped moving on their own.

　The impossibility of it all is too much for her to comprehend.

　It's a complete blunder in front of the enemy, and on the battlefield, it would be enough to make Kalia's head spin. But Alueno's body seemed unconcerned, and a sound escaped his lips.

You, Erdis, Fialaert-la-Borgograd - or, for that matter, Hert-Stanley, even Oufru. Why do you value these people so much?

　Alueno's voice said, as if it really didn't understand. The golden eyes were looking behind her at Lugis, and Kalia could naturally understand.

　And at the same time, the meaning of those words.

　At last, at a distance adjacent to Alueno's body, the whole view of the dimly lit hall came into view. There, two things could be seen.

　The first is the one whose face has lost its vitality and is just quietly sleeping. The body of Heldt-Stanley. One glance at it and you know it's gone. He was lying in the sanctuary as if he were to be buried.

　And the other was a familiar face. His distinctive black hair had lost its clasp and was flopping out onto the floor, his expression pale and worn, though he was probably still breathing. Her body is still bound by the magical equipment, and she is sobbing, indicating the limits of her will.

　For Kalia, there was no point in asking who it was. The only thing she knew was. It seems that swords and magic are useless against this saint in front of her.

　Then we'll have to do something else.

"He doesn't need to be valued by someone like you...

　With those words, Kalia kicked the stone slab hard. It is not for approaching the enemy, but for leaping and getting away from it.

　If she could not take the saint's life with her sword, she would do so. Erdis' blue eyes twinkled at the edge of Kalia's vision.

　The moment Kalia turned away from the scene, blackness filled the space with the entire Alueno. The blackness was so clear that no vision could penetrate it. The dense black fog created by the elf's spell had become black itself, cutting through the space.

I wish I was the only one who knew.

　At the same time as Elddis' words. The gold of Alueno was completely swallowed by the black and disappeared.