The blackness covered every corner of my vision. The figure of the demon in front of me disappeared, and what my eyes saw became all black.

　At the same moment, the breath that had been rushing out of my mouth as if it had lost its way. The only sound in my ears was my heartbeat.

　In the empty space, only my thoughts were moving.

　What the hell is this? The black fog of Erdis. But why? As I was asking myself this question, I noticed that my skull was quite hot. I'm inebriated as if I've had too much to drink. I felt my feet wobbling slightly.

"Let out your hot exhalation, Lugis. This is not the end of your journey. What are we doing here?

　The voice of Erdis was not the usual sweet voice, but a dignified voice that tickled the back of my ears. It was the voice of the Queen of the Elves.

　I couldn't see her, but it was as if she was right beside me. The voice forcefully grabbed my spirit and quieted it.

　I blinked my eyelids a few times and tightened my mouth. My mind was finally beginning to regain its composure. What are you doing here? Of course, I'm here to kill the witch.

　Yes, that's right. I'm not here to swing a sword.

　He ran his hand over his mouth. It was the height of embarrassment. Blood rushing to my head at the sight of my grandfather. She screamed with rage and swung her treasured sword forcibly. I feel terrible about myself. What an abomination!

　That's not a skill I learned from my grandfather. It was a fool's fight. Not like the adventurer days of old.

　He straightens his posture, letting out a breath as he re-holds the treasured sword in both hands. The tip of the sword trembled in response.

　He responded to Erdis with a slight shrug of his shoulders, and his voice softened.

I never thought you'd be so easily moved by passion. If I were killed, would you be as angry?

　The tip of the sword shakes the black. The blackness in front of his eyes slowly faded, as if he had reached his limit.

　You'll be able to see the black fading slowly.

"Don't be silly, I won't let you kill me.

　The black reverses and clears to white. He closes his mouth again and narrows his gaze. He raises the tip of his sword, tightening his armpits.

　And there it was. A shape that refuses to die no matter how many times I slash at its flesh, dripping blood all around it, its flesh reassembled and staring at me. It just stared at me coldly, trying to suppress its rising emotions.

　The cheeks are shaved, the gums show, the mouth says. Drigman's frightening voice.

"...... I see. This ferocity. You're not Althea, you're that man's wife. That's very nice.

　I've missed you so much. Drigman opened his hands lightly and spoke as the flesh regenerated. The sight of human flesh being reassembled is always strange to me.

　Then Drigman sighed loudly. It was hard to believe that he was in a war zone where swords were exchanged. His body is full of strength, but for the first time he shows something like emotion on his face.

"He and Althea have killed my men very well. And so have you. Nothing to be sorry for. It's my incompetence that's the problem.

　Even as he spoke, Drigman's stomach seemed to be churning.

　He's very attached to his subordinates, his friends. Is this because of his title as a controller, or is it just his nature? Only the words contained therein had an unmatched weight.

　Drigman opened his mouth with a pressure that made his cheeks numb.

"So let's not make the same mistake again. I'll take your name. For the dignity of my men, you will die here, and you will not escape.

　That's when I heard Drigman's eyes on me. He wasn't looking at Althea, or Oufru, or any of them. I knew in my gut that he was just looking at me.

　My eyes twisted and my cheeks fluttered at the same time. But I still opened my eyelids, and with the tip of my sword pointed at him, I opened my mouth.

"Rougis. It's just Rougis. Don't remember. Just leave me your heart instead.



　As soon as I said it, I reflexively bounced my leg. Then he thrusts his body forward. A slight stream of air hit my whole body.

　I'm not going to be as bad as I was before. I have to do what I have to do to kill Drigman.

　As he rushed to his feet, he noticed a strange creak in the floor. It was like a screech.

　--Then a roar that seemed to shred the very air. Not once, but many times.

　Naturally, the floorboards crushed, and clods of earth and trees rose up into the throne room. Formed like spears, they gouged through the space and raised themselves up.

　We already know what this is.

　Drigman's original. For someone who controls distance, it's not hard to make clods and trees rise up from the earth. They break through the floor and penetrate the ceiling. It was as if they themselves had become distorted pillars.

　One by one, the earth and the trees made noise, leading the throne to collapse. A cloud of dust flew around us, filling our vision.

　The earth turned into a mass and smashed the surroundings, and the trees formed a spearhead that pierced everything in its path. The unstoppable rampage made me feel as if I were facing a siege weapon.

　If this were wielded by a human army, it would surely destroy the troops. How many troops would be able to advance in the face of this? It's terrifying.

　One moment he was on the floor, the next he was leaping. I repeated it several times. If I didn't, I'd be crushed by a clod of earth or skewered by a spear of trees. I was sure of it.

　The situation was, in a word, terrible. It was as if I couldn't get in range of him. Even though Drigman hadn't moved an inch since a moment ago.

　And it's not just the clods and trees that are in danger. He's a threat himself.

　Out of the corner of my eye, Drigman opens his palm. You see it, and twist your upper body, flesh and bone creaking, out of his sight. A dull pain crept up from my heels.

　A moment later, another roar envelops the area. It was the sound of him grasping and shattering the very space around him.

　Well, that's his nature. That's his full power. Steering the earth, controlling the distance and crushing everything in his path. To have won against such a monster, Heldt-Stanley was undoubtedly a hero. I can't think of any way to defeat him head on.

　But I won't be defeated so easily. I took his life. Then I must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, even if I have to do so recklessly. To do that, I must kill him.

　Baby birds break out of their eggshells when they're about to be born. It's their fight. There will always be a time when I, too, must tear down my shell.

　It's always right now.

　Stitching through the gaps between the earth and the fury of the trees, I leap forward. No thought of passivity, just leaping forward. One step closer to the Drigman.

　Trees scrape my cheeks, clods graze my body. But it doesn't matter yet. There is only one threat.

　Out of the corner of my eye, Drigman raises his arm. I see his palm open. Of course, there's no way for me to avoid it as I leap through the air, so all that's left is to be grabbed.

　But I believed in her. That's why I jumped to the reckless end. I could see Erdis manipulating the black, making noises. The black sticks to Drigman's perimeter.

　Erdis's black spell. It is no longer a mist, but a denser flood that entangles Drigman. It scrapes away the space and bites into its limbs. To bind its movements.

　The elven queen's very magic of origin. A relic from a mythical age. Drigman's eyes narrowed at the sight and he crushed the spell in his palm.

　The blackness shakes its body with sobs, fading its color. Drigman's blessing and Erdis's spell meshed and made the space scream.

I'm from the fairy tribe. I'm familiar with curses, my people.

　Drigman said, and then turned his wide eyes to Erdis.