Heat the Pig Liver - Volume 3

“I want you to meet someone immediately.”

King Markus reluctantly agreed to Shulavis’ request.  Although he’s not normally that benevolent of father, he couldn’t disregard the words “He seems to know how to kill the surreptitious sorcerer.”

While Shulavis went to pick up “that guy” from outside the capital, Markus sat in the same throne from when he welcomed Nott at the Golden Sanctuary previously, and kept bouncing his leg impatiently.  Wies sat next to him in a wooden chair; Jess stood next to Wies; and I sat next to Jess.

That being said, when Wies and Jess are side by side, I can’t help but think about beauty.  A straight nose; and a small, round nose.  Eyes brimming with mature confidence; and eyes filled with youth that appear anxious.  Long, elegantly flowing hair; and short, tidy hair.  A bold dress that exposes her shoulders; and a firmly defensive outfit.  And above all, a pair of big boobs; and a pair of modest boobs.  Regardless of which point, most will probably prefer the former, but my opinion is the opposite for all of them.  It’s not that I’m a lolicon, but if it’s between an older sister attribute and a younger sister attribute, I would ultimately choose the younger sister attribute.  Because to me, a younger sister is-

─Um… Onii-san?  Everyone’s able to hear this…

I was telepathically chided by little sister Jess, and I turned my attention towards Markus and Wies.  Markus continued looking forward and bouncing his leg, and Wies was looking down at me like she was eyeing a pig.  This isn’t bad either.  The supreme joy of being scorned by an intellectual older sister!

(I sincerely apologize.  Please pretend you didn’t hear that.)

It’s not appropriate to reveal all my sexual preferences to a country’s king and queen.

As I thought that, Markus sighed in disinterest.

“Needless to say, I don’t have time to worry about a pig.  Think all you want.”

How magnanimous!

The Golden Sanctuary quieted down after that.  It was still in the morning.  The west-facing stained glass windows didn’t take in any light and remained dark.  Even the spacious hall decorated with marble felt somewhat dim.

A period of silence passed.

With a loud creak, the large front door facing us opened.  It appeared to be cloudy outside, but it was still brighter outside than inside the sanctuary.  The silhouette of a man and a dog could be seen.

After the door closed, the man and dog walked towards us.  They were Shulavis, and a large white dog.

“I’ve brought him here, Father.”

Shulavis stepped away from the dog slightly, and it became a scene with a dog sitting in front of the king, who sat on the throne and bounced his leg.

“This is not what you said.  Where’s the person you wanted me to meet?”

Markus turned towards Shulavis.

“He’s the dog, Father.”

“The dog…?”

The large white dog suddenly stood on his hind legs before the scowling Markus.  The dog’s figure wriggled and stretched vertically.  Five seconds after the grotesque transformation, a man stood there.  A black string was hung around his neck, and at the end of it, a transparent tetrahedron stone shone.

The man immediately knelt on the marble floor and bowed deeply.

“I came here because I heard the royal dynasty was in a crisis.  I’m sorry for disappearing for so long.”

The man raised his head.  He had long curly hair, a goatee, and the same grey eyes as Markus’, which were shining brightly.

“Hortis.”

Markus spoke slowly in a low voice.

The atmosphere was so tense, it felt like it could actually irritate my skin.  Markus stopped bouncing his leg, and seemed to be quietly suppressing his surprise.

Hortis kept his composure, and cheerfully said to Markus, “Elder Brother, have you lost some weight?”

Wies was dumbfounded and didn’t say a word.  That’s no surprise.

“Before worrying about me, why don’t you get dressed?”

The king on the throne said emotionlessly to his naked brother.

“Please forgive me.  After all, I’ve remained as an animal for a long time, so I’ve completely forgotten the habit of wearing clothes.”

Hortis stood up temporarily, created a white cloth in the air with a smooth motion, and wrapped it around his body.  After getting dressed, he bent his knees and knelt on the floor again.  During this time, Wies and Jess quietly averted their eyes.

“…We haven’t met since the monastery, huh.  What have you been doing for the past five years?”  Markus inquired calmly.

Did he think showing his surprise was the same as showing his weakness?

“I sealed my magic and ability to speak, and spent the entire time living as a dog.  I hunted and lived beside the lover of a girl who was murdered after escaping the monastery; and together with that young man, we escorted another girl to the capital.”

Hortis’ eyes turned to Jess.  Startled, Jess shrank back.

Markus glanced at Jess and let out a small sigh.

“Abandoning the royal dynasty wasn’t enough for you, so you supported a Yesma and became a traitor’s dog?  Even sentencing you to death three times over wouldn’t be enough.”

“We, who Vatis-sama’s blood flows through, transcend the laws of this country.  It’s written on the first page of the law.  There’s no reason for me to be given a death sentence.”

Markus snorted.

“You bookworm.  In the current royal dynasty, I am the law.  I decide whether or not to kill you.”

In contrast, Hortis raised his voice and laughed.

“Elder Brother, Elder Brother.  Even though we finally got to meet again, isn’t saying that a bit too much?  Anyhow, inside your heart, I’m sure you’re thinking about how you just got another pawn, so why don’t you just be honest about being happy?”

Towards the brothers who were exchanging words like a serious swordfight, we outsiders could only remain silent.

“Indeed, having another mage in our camp is something to be happy about.  Naturally, it was your fault in the first place that we had one less person.”

“There’s no doubt about it.  That’s why I’m here to make amends.  Currently, I’ve brought with me what Elder Brother wants the most.”

Markus lifted his chin slightly as if interested.

“The Spear of Destruction?”

“Does it look like I’m hiding a spear on me?”

Hortis puffed out his chest while still kneeling, and the pointed tetrahedron glittered around his neck.

“It’s the Wedge of Contracts.  I retrieved the last one left in Mestria.”

Only this time, Markus couldn’t hide his surprise.

“The Wedge of Contract…?  If so, when did you-”

“Ahem,” Hortis showed his teeth.

“You shouldn’t take a bookworm lightly, you see?  Only monkeys believe the only way to win is by being stronger.”

I could see blood vessels popping up on Markus’ fair-skinned temple.

“If we’re talking about winning and losing, Hortis, then I only have to kill you right now for the great treasure to be mine.”

Hortis smiled like he had just heard a joke.

“That won’t happen.  During this situation where you have to kill an immortal mage who’s able to use a sure-kill curse, killing me, who has immediate war potential, would be nothing but a loss for Elder Brother after all.”

“Then I’ll seize it.”

“Even if you seize it, there’s no way Elder Brother would personally go to kill the enemy.  It’s a mission with deadly risks.  It’ll probably be me or Shulavis that takes the field anyway.”

Hortis looked to be in control of the conversation.  Markus was evidently annoyed, as he tapped the armrest of his throne with his index finger.

“You’re talking as if the Wedge of Contracts can kill the surreptitious sorcerer.”

“Of course it can.”

“What’s the method?”

“The Wedge of Contracts doesn’t just bestow magic power to non-mages.  When used on a mage, it can trigger ecydessa.  We just have to drive it into the enemy’s heart to dispel the immortality magic.”

Seemingly impressed, Markus had a smile on the corner of his mouth.

“Are you saying you’ll take on that duty?”

“Yeah.  As long as Elder Brother swears by Vatis that the Liberation Army will be able to live in peace.”

“I see.  A deal, huh?”

From his throne, Markus turned his head and glanced at the statue of Vatis displayed behind him.

“In that case, let’s settle things quickly.  In the name of Vatis-sama, I will swear peace with the Liberation Army once you kill the surreptitious sorcerer.”

Hortis nodded approvingly and stood up.

“Now then, Elder Brother, tell us your plans for the battle.  Where’s the Northern Army – the surreptitious sorcerer?  I’m sure you’ve looked into it already, since it’s you we’re talking about.”

Markus rearranged his leg.

“Don’t underestimate me.  I’ve already sent advance parties to various locations.  The investigation has long since been completed.”

This was the first time I was hearing about this.  My ears pricked up.

“I sent advance parties to multiple locations, but only one of them didn’t return.”

Markus smiled fearlessly and raised his index finger.

“Little brother of mine, I order you to capture the Send-Off Island.”

“The Send-Off Island…  I heard it’s a very frightening place.”

It was early in the afternoon, and the two of us were chatting in the inner courtyard of where Jess lived.  Under the sky covered in white clouds, a cool autumn breeze blew by, and several tired-looking butterflies fluttered about.

Jess sat in a white-painted chair on the grass, slowly rocking her bare legs.  I wandered around the area, looking for a scenic point where the hem of her skirt wouldn’t get in the way.

(Is it that scary of a place?)

“Yes.  Mestria is a large, connected piece of land with practically no islands.  Though it’s because Vatis-sama sank them all…  Even so, it’s said that the remaining islands, for whatever reason, have terrifying things lurking on them which are different from what can be found inland.  No one from this country dares go near them.”

What does she mean by sinking the islands?  Though I wondered that, Jess likely meant it literally.  It meant Vatis, the strongest mage in history who ended the Dark Ages, had that much power.

(Hm, well, the reason why it’s scary is only because people believe it is.  What’s more important right now is that the Northern Army is using the Send-Off Island as a base of operation.  If we can capture it, everything will be over in one fell swoop.)

Jess pressed her lightly clenched fist against her chest and bent down towards me.

“Are you really planning on going, Mister Pig?”

I recalled the audience held earlier.  Using the Wedge of Contracts we obtained, Hortis successfully concluded the negotiations, and it was decided that he will lead the combined forces of the Liberation Army and the royal army to the Send-Off Island.  The victory condition for this expedition – killing the surreptitious sorcerer, is the final requirement for the Liberation Army to be safe.  On top of that, Shulavis decided to participate in this expedition, and asked that I come with.

(Yeah, that’s the plan.)

“Then I’ll go as well.”

I looked at Jess with serious eyes.

(No, it’s dangerous.)

“Then please don’t go either, Mister Pig.”

(Why?)

“Because it’s dangerous.”

Jess stared at me with an expression that said “Why won’t you understand that?”

(It’s my role to assist Shulavis and mediate his relationship with the Liberation Army.  This is an important moment.  Even if I have to take a risk, I want to become his strength.)

“I understand how you feel, Mister Pig, because it’s the same for me.”

I looked back at Jess.

(Jess, you also wants to become Shulavis’ strength?)

Jess’ cheeks then blushed faintly.

“N-no!  …Ah, well, it’s not that I don’t want to help…  And of course I would be very happy to be able to help Mr. Shulavis, but…”

Jess became flustered and stumbled on her words.  So what exactly did she mean by “the same for me”?

“It’s the same for me.  Even if means taking a risk, I want to do everything I can to become Mister Pig’s strength.”

I was taken aback.

In my mind, the figure of the cute girl sitting before me had started to look a little different from before.  No, Jess-taso is of course still as oinkingly cute as ever before.  But the weak, naïve, defenseless young girl that I’ve been protecting was no longer there.  The girl sitting in front of me was a mage who’s diligent in her studies, and only slightly defenseless.

(…Your feelings make me really happy, but all I want is for you to be safe and sound, Jess.)

Jess’ bare legs stopped swaying, and the hem of her skirt blocked the view.

“I also want you to be safe and sound, Mister Pig.  I’m still a mage who’s experienced ecydessa the same number of times as Mr. Shulavis.  It may not be enough to provide any combat potential, but I think it’s enough to help you.”

(That may be true… but you still haven’t mastered a lot of magic, right?)

“I’ll admit I’m still lacking, but…”

Jess slightly lifted her hands up from her knees.  I immediately felt a tickle on my stomach.  Even after I jumped back in surprise, something was still tickling my stomach.  As I snorted and rolled on the ground, I realized that a few strands of especially long grass growing from the lawn had moved on their own and came to tickle my pork belly.

“Will you surrender, Mister Pig?”

No matter where I go, the grass there would tickle me.  I rolled around on the ground.

(Stop it, I know you can use magic.  I can’t breathe.)

It’s not often that you get to be teased by a cute girl using magic, but I can’t tell her that I wanted more of it.

“So you want to be teased even more?”

Jess got up from her chair, squatted down in front of me, and started tickling me with both her hands and the grass.  My entire body was being tickled from top to bottom, there was no escape.

Oiiiiiiiiiiiink!

(I surrender, Jess.  Please stop now.)

The tickling stopped.  While lying on my back, I looked up and saw Jess’ panties in front of me.  I froze after seeing a pair of panties at the closest distance in the history of virgins.

Jess let out an “Oh” as she stood up hastily, before continuing to talk.

“…I can also heal your wounds, Mister Pig.  And when Mr. Shulavis is busy, I can help you speak.  It’s always been like so.  Mister Pig and I are as one.  Please don’t try and separate from me.”

Still lying on my back with my limbs extended in the air, I asserted.

(I’ve said this many times before, but it’s dangerous.  Last time at the mountain castle as well, we both nearly died.)

Jess nodded firmly.

“I understand that fully well.  It’s precisely because these times are so turbulent that I wish to be with Mister Pig.”

I felt a stabbing sensation deep in my pig heart.  I was reminded of some words that I heard before.

─Um… Can’t I stay here with you?

It was a question that a courageous young girl posed to an insensitive, handsome guy.  Why was it that my heart ached when I saw Celes?  What did I actually come back to Mestria for?

Maybe I shouldn’t continue to be afraid of that moment.

(Right.  I also want to be with Jess as much as possible.)

“Yes!”

I rolled over and stood up.

(Alright.  In that case, there’s something we have to do before departure.)

“Special magic training, right?”

(Yeah.  Please find some tools for me as well.  We have three days until departure.  Let’s think about what we can do together and practice them thoroughly.)

The training grounds in the capital are made of sturdy stone and appear to be reinforced with magic so that they wouldn’t break even if a crazy person went on a rampage inside.  There were several fields of different sizes, and we chose the smallest training ground among them.

Though I say it’s the smallest, the place was still big enough to fit three tennis courts.  It was a simple oval stadium built from hollowing out a white rock and filling its floor with gravel.  The beautiful blue sky during the autumn morning was clipped into an oval shape, and the finely shredded clouds could be seen being blown away by the wind.

We reserved the training ground, so there was no one else but a cute girl and a pig around.  The space surrounded by high walls was quiet, only the sound of us stepping on gravel could be heard.

“So it’s finally time for our special training!”

Jess spoke excitedly, as she helped me equip anklets onto my forelegs.  The anklets had three different colored ristas, and were prepared by Shulavis.  They’re an enhanced version of the one Nott gave me in the past.  Not only can this excellent tool manipulate water, it can also control fire and electricity to some extent.

I waited for both anklets to be attached to my leg as I watched the girl crouching in front of me.  Her delicate hair, soft cheeks, elegant nape – and when my gaze shifted, they finally landed on the dreamy, unexplored region that was sandwiched between two gentle hills.  It was a fantastic view.  If this event happened every time, I wouldn’t mind training every day.

“Um, I can hear everything…”

After she finished helping me equip them, Jess stood up with a wry smile.

(Sorry, it was because you were so close…)

As if she had given up on me, Jess responded with “It’s fine” while walking towards the center of the training ground.

“Okay, let’s do our best!”

She struck a guts pose before her chest.

“Mister Pig, what do you think I should start practicing first?”

I stood face to face with Jess, and conveyed to her.

(We don’t have that much time, so let’s focus on powering up your strongest moves to their highest level before the expedition, Jess.)

“Strongest moves…  Right now, I can only do something like make fuel explode…”

(That’s fine.  You greatest strengths, Jess, are your ability to create various types of fuels and your firepower.  Your firepower should be perfect, so let’s practice using different fuels depending on the combat situation.)

Jess nodded seriously.

“I agree with that, but… there’s one problem-”

Regarding that, I’ve already thought of a solution.

(Jess can burn monsters like Orgs, but not humans, right?  I understand.  That’s why I had you put these anklets on me while slightly revealing your chest.)

I lifted my feet while Jess discontentedly straightened her collar.

(I can use the power to manipulate water for handling the fuel you create.  These can also create fire for igniting the fuel with, or send an electrical shock that can be used to detonate the fuel from a distance.  Jess makes the fuel, and I use it to attack with.  Simple, right?)

“I see.  In other words, the two of us will work together to use magic!”

I nodded.

(First, I want to see how much fuel you can make.  For now, could you please try to create the maximum amount that you can?)

“Okay!”

With enthusiasm, Jess raised her right hand towards the sky forcefully.  She tightly shut her eyes for some time, and appeared to be concentrating.  After a few seconds, the sunlight was suddenly blocked, and our surroundings darkened.

Just as I was wondering what was going on, I looked up at the sky and saw a transparent sphere that was so big it completely covered the arena – it was a mass of liquid that looked like a pond had been flipped over and was floating over our heads.

(Wai-, what are you doing, Jess?)

Hearing my frightened words, Jess tilted her head in doubt.

“What am I doing…?  I’m just creating fuel that’s the size of this training ground?”

Stop it with your another-world-cheat-like phrase.

(No, this is dangerous!  What are you going to do if it falls?  Please get rid of it first.)

Seemingly displeased, Jess pouted as she flicked her wrist and clenched her hands that were open.

With a bang and sploosh, the sphere disappeared, and the autumn sun shone on the gravel again.

“Even though I did my best because Mister Pig told me to create the maximum amount…”

(Sorry.  Since you can create that much, we shouldn’t need to worry about it.  Thank you.)

“No, it’s not a big deal.  I’m glad I got to surprise you, Mister Pig.”

She’s so cute.

(So, since the quantity seems fine, let’s think about the quality next.  Jess, you’ve done a lot of research and are able to create various types of fuels, right?  You even showed me the flame tests – which means you can mix metal salts into the fuel.)

“Flame tests…?”

(Remember those colorful flames you showed me the other day?)

“Oh, that!  When you mix it with salt’s companions, color gets added.”

(That’s the one.  I want to apply that and do a little experiment.)

Following my instructions, Jess created a ball of fuel in front of her and stirred it.

“Oh wow, it started becoming kind of sticky.”

The ball of liquid floating in front of Jess became more viscous and slowly undulated.  This was something akin to napalm.  It’s gelled by mixing aluminum salt from fatty acids with volatile fuel.

(By doing this, it won’t inadvertently vaporize and explode; it’ll also stick to whatever you throw it at, making it impossible to be gotten rid of.  I can then light a fire.  Let’s get some distance and try it out.)

Jess extended her hand forward, and the sticky lump of fuel floated away from us.

When I judged that it was far enough away, I locked onto it and raised my foreleg.  A wobbly fireball was launched from my pig feet and hit the fuel directly.  The fuel instantly burst in an orange flame and started burning.

“Woah, that’s amazing!  It really didn’t explode!”

(Right?  I’d be in trouble if I became a grilled pork after all.  Of course, depending on the situation, an explosion might be more effective.  Next, let’s think of different combat scenarios and practice using varying fuels based on each situation, as well as nail down the ignition timings.)

“Okay!”

(It’s time for our special training.  You better keep up.)

Two hours later.

(Time out, Jess.  Give me a moment…)

It was practice where Jess would conjure fuel, and I would ignite it.  Since she relentlessly created one batch of fuel after another, I ended up kicking my forelegs out alternately from side to side like I was performing a Cossack dance, which made my shoulder loins feel like they were going to cramp.  I collapsed on the spot in exhaustion.

“Aw, is it over already?”

Jess walked over here with several blobs of fuel floating around her body.

“Mister Pig surprisingly doesn’t have much physical endurance…”

I’m a former scrawny four-eyes, please cut me some slack.

(It’s already noon, so why don’t we take a break?)

“Sure, let’s!”

Jess used her magic to launch the masses of fuel so that they would all hit the wooden Org dummy set up in the distance.  With a quick raise of her hand, the dummy began blazing brightly.

It looks like this cute girl is the type that you shouldn’t offend.

We moved to the open space outside the training ground and decided to enjoy our prepared lunch.  We had our back against a brick wall, and the sun brightly shined on the grass field.  The cool wind dried our sweat.

Jess delightfully ate a sandwich made with ham and other things stuffed between hard bread, while I gobbled on a large number of apples beside her.

“…Mister Pig.”

Jess spoke, and I looked up.

“Training together like this is a lot of fun.”

(…Is that so?  I’m glad to hear that.)

Jess took a big bite into the sandwich, and swallowed.

“If it wasn’t for the sake of a battle, I’m sure it would’ve been more enjoyable.”

It was a casual conversation, but I could sense Jess’ desire for peace.

(That’s for sure.  Once this war is over, what kind of magic would you like to practice?)

With her cheeks puffed out because of the sandwich, Jess looked at me in surprise.

“Uh corf ih ah o e ahi aat an-”

(It’s fine to answer after you’ve swallowed.)

After an audible gulp, Jess responded.

“Of course it has to be magic that can turn Mister Pig back into a human.”

…I see.

(Right.  That’ll definitely require a lot of magic practice.)

“Yeah, but I’ll give it my all.  When Mister Pig turns back into a human, there’s a lot things I want to do.”

(…Such as?)

When I asked cautiously, Jess looked away shyly.

“Such as… it would be nice if you could pat my head.”

Ah, okay.  I-

Phew, I was relieved to hear such a cute answer.  I was worried about what to do there if it was a naughty request.

“I-I won’t do anything naughty!  You really are a Mister Pervert.”

While being scolded, I dropped my gaze and looked at the hooves that were each split into two.  I can’t pat Jess with these legs.  She’s always caressing and hugging me, but there’s nothing I can do for her in return.

As I was looking down, I saw Jess face me from the corner of my eyes.  She was smiling.

“…Sorry, now’s not the time to be saying these things.  Let’s continue our special training through the afternoon!”

Jess finished the last bite of her sandwich and carefully folded the wrapping paper.

(Right.  Even though we’re on support duty, we’re still participating in the battle.  Let’s do everything we can to be prepared.)

Jess clenched her right hand and responded with:

“Prepare yourself.  I’ll make sure to train you thoroughly!”

By strengthening four large ships owned by the royal dynasty with magic, a fleet was assembled in just three days for the Send-Off Island expedition.  They’re powered by specially made giant ristas, and once they leave the port city of Niabel at sunset, they’re supposed to arrive at the Send-Off Island by tomorrow morning.

Shulavis, Jess, and I rode on the dragon and landed in Niabel in the evening.

It hasn’t even been a month since I met Jess here and got caught up in the Northern Army’s raid, but the port was already revitalized, with the smell of roasted meat and seafood filling the air everywhere.  Though not catastrophically destroyed back then, the fort that still should have been severely damaged was completed restored to its original state.

We walked along the heavily guarded pier towards the ships.

“Niabel is pivotal for our eastern front.  We’ve quickly rebuilt since then and strengthened our coastal security.”

Wearing Evis’ invincible robe that deflected attacks and completely in combat mode, Shulavis explained while being blown by the strong sea wind.

“Thanks to this, we were able to regain the offense and gradually take back control of Mestria’s mainland.  Once we destroy the sorcerer and his base tomorrow, everything should be over in no time.”

Shulavis looked towards the east – at the black sea that was embraced by the dark blue sky.  The Send-Off Island was said to be on the other side of the horizon.  A strong headwind blew past.  The fleet floating in the harbor had all their sails folded.

“Oh, you’re here.  Frizzy-hair, emergency food, and the food’s caretaker.”

From behind, Itsune called out to us while toying with her greataxe.  She’s a female officer of the Liberation Army, and fights with her greataxe wrapped in electricity.  She had her black hair tied closely behind her head, and still wore revealing clothes that laid her chest bare.  Her sharp eyes matched the aggression of her weapon.  Behind her was a girl with braided pigtails.  This girl was Litis – or at least that’s how Itsune called this Yesma.

Once again, I took a closer look at Litis.  She had gentle-looking eyes, and prominent freckles on her cheeks.  Her limbs protruding from her green one-piece dress were long, giving the impression that she didn’t know what to do with them.  And her boobs were bigger than Jess’.

As I wagged my tail at Litis’ smile, a shadow appeared over my head.

“Oi, sleazy pig, if you dare lay your hands on Litis…  You know what’ll happen, right?”

Itsune’s deep and menacing voice made me look up in fear, and I saw the finely sharpened blade of her axe just above me.  Small sparks crackled on it.  Itsune appears to hold extraordinary feelings for Litis, and I heard she keeps Litis close by at all times.

(Sorry, my bad…  I was just looking, I won’t do anything to her.)

When I excused myself through Jess, Itsune hmphed and pulled back – but the greataxe remained fixed above my head.  As if its coordinates had already been set, the axe refused to even budge when Itsune exerted force on it.  I used that opportunity to slip out from underneath the axe.

“What are you doing, frizzy-hair?  I’m obviously just joking.  Let go.”

Shulavis casted an incomprehensible look at the protesting Itsune.

“Oh, sorry…”

A small voice came from Jess, and Itsune was finally able to move her axe.

“Let’s go, Litis.”

Itsune looked at Jess curiously before overtaking us and headed towards the ship.  Litis followed from behind.

Shulavis asked Jess.

“Jess, did you stop the axe?”

“I-I think so…  Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Don’t sweat it.  Let’s just hurry up and board the ship.”

Shulavis quickly strode ahead.

(Thanks for protecting me.)

When I conveyed this to Jess while heading towards the ship, Jess looked at me with a sour face.

“I hate it when Mister Pig acts fickle.”

She then abruptly turned away.  It looks like I made her unhappy because I was staring at Litis earlier.

(It’s a misunderstanding, Jess, there’s a reason for that.)

The gentle Jess immediately turned back around.

“Reason…?”

(That girl, Litis, might be the key to our strategy this time around.)

The Yesma that had been wandering around after losing her memories and was picked up by the Liberation Army.  I know her real name.  I deduced it based on the information I heard from Kento, a fellow otaku from Japan.  Her true identity, perhaps, could help us defeat the surreptitious sorcerer.

(Shulavis, you made sure to bring it, right?)

I looked at Shulavis, and he took out a stone from his robe.  It was a transparent, hexagonal-column-shaped crystal – a black rista.  However, unlike normal ristas, the black color was concentrated in the center.

“Yeah, I did as you requested.  I reserved this separately from the ones meant for combat use.”

(See Jess, it was a part of my plan.  Let’s discuss the details on board.)

However, Jess still didn’t seem convinced.

“But chest size had nothing to do with this, right?”

Urk.  I had nothing to say to that.

(I couldn’t help it, her chest was right there…)

“What a pervert.”

Oink.

As I delighted in being scorned by a cute girl, Shulavis urged us on by saying “Hurry up and board already.”

The sun had set, and the eastern sky was completely dark.  The ship we took was as large as a whale.  Its hull, covered in black metal, blended in with the slowly rocking dark sea.

The headwind blowing from the east was as strong as usual, bringing with it an eerie coldness.

Once the ship left the harbor, we were summoned to the captain’s quarters.  Hortis, the ship’s commander, and the officers of the Liberation Army were there.  Nott, Itsune, Josh, and even Litis.  Celes and Sanon were also in the corner of the room.

Inside the ship that swayed with the waves, each one of us sat on a chair or wooden crate and listened to what Hortis had to say.

“This time, we’re headed to the Send-Off Island.  Our objective will be to completely annihilate the Northern Army.  Once we land on the island, do everything you can to destroy and kill.  We must reduce the enemy’s strength as much as possible.”

In an instant, everyone but Hortis was left dumbfounded.

Nott wrinkled his brows and got up.

“Oi, this is different from what we talked about.  Was the purpose of this expedition to reduce the enemy’s strength?”

“–That’s what we want the surreptitious sorcerer to believe.”

Hortis sat in the captain’s armchair and raised his index finger with a smile.

“We know from our reconnaissance that the Northern Army’s main forces are gathered on the Send-Off Island.  We’re going to let them think that we’re headed there to crush those forces.  I’ll use magic to annihilate them accurately and flashily.  I want you all who will accompany me to do the same at the start.”

Sitting on a wood crate with her legs spread, Itsune tilted her head while hugging Litis, who was seated between Itsune’s legs.

“Well, we have no objections to that, but isn’t our goal that immortal mage’s head?  Is it okay to divide our forces to deal with other things?”

“It won’t be a problem.  Or rather, if we don’t do this, the surreptitious sorcerer probably won’t show up.”

Everyone silently listened to Hortis’ words.

“The only time the surreptitious sorcerer acts is when he judges that he can kill a mage from the royal dynasty.  In fact, during our last battle at Matto, he showed up and stalled for time to try and lure out Shulavis.  That’s why I’m going to lure him out by giving him the impression that a mage is rampaging out there.  We’ll look for the right moment and stab it into his heart then.”

Hortis extended his arm out, and Nott was on the other side of it.  Nott then took out a colorless, transparent tetrahedron-shaped crystal that was attached to a string around the neck of his stole.

“The Wedge of Contracts.  When it’s driven into his heart, the surreptitious sorcerer’s immortality magic is dispelled.  At that moment, the compensation for his eternal time will befall upon him, and the sorcerer will die.”

Hortis’ serious eyes, surrounded with smile wrinkles, looked at the members of the Liberation Army.

“It can be said that the only way for the Liberation Army to be recognized and protected by the royal dynasty is by killing the surreptitious sorcerer like this.  Protect the Wedge of Contracts with your lives, we mustn’t lose it.”

When Hortis finished, Nott tucked the wedge back underneath his clothes.

There was a loud snort, and everyone’s eyes gathered towards it.  The black pig, Sanon, walked forward.  Through Celes, he spoke to everyone.

─But will things really go that smoothly?  We have the advantage with the other party not knowing our intentions, so as an overview, I think that’s good, but the Send-Off Island is the Northern Forces’ territory.  We don’t know what kind of traps are there, and there’s no guarantee that there won’t be surprise attacks from the surreptitious sorcerer.

Was he doing it unconsciously?  The black pig was rubbing his body against Celes’ leg.  Although what he said was reasonable, it would probably be a good idea if he kept a little more distance from her.

“Regarding that, it seems Pig-kun over here has an idea.”

Hortis pointed at me, and the gazes that were focused on the black pig shifted to me.  Is this an animal show of pigs?

Through Jess, I conveyed to everyone.

(There may be one singular person on the Send-Off Island that can guide us.  Of course, that’s assuming he hasn’t been turned into wild boar stew already.)

Beside me, only Jess gasped, while Hortis and Shulavis remained expressionless.  The others tilted their heads in puzzlement.

(That perverted black pig over there and I both came to Mestria from a certain country with another companion, and I have reason to believe that that companion is being held captive by the surreptitious sorcerer – likely in the form of a wild boar.)

I informed Jess about this in the past – the reason why, the day after Sanon and I retransferred to Mestria, the Northern Army burned down the village we were at.  That was because †The Dark Knight Who Dances Till His Demise† keNto – his name’s too long, so I’ll just call him Kento for short – who was transferred at the same time as us, was captured by the surreptitious sorcerer and spilled the location where we were most likely to be at.  This was what I deduced, and was something that even the late former king endorsed.

Information inside the capital is thoroughly managed, and the Liberation Army became difficult to probe after the alliance was established with the royal dynasty.  So from the perspective of the Northern Forces, Kento, who knows about the affairs here, would be a very valuable source of information.  Therefore, Kento shouldn’t have been killed yet, and it’s very likely that he’s been staying beside the surreptitious sorcerer in the shadows.  This is what I speculated.

(We’re going to have our companion, who was captured as a boar, guide us.)

Nott frowned.

“But Pig, isn’t he in the hands of the Northern Forces?  How are you going to have him guide us when he’s not free?”

I raised my right foreleg and pointed it straight at the girl Itsune was hugging.

(She’ll be the one to play an active role here.)

“Litis?  Why?”

Itsune questioned in a wildly confused tone.

The braided girl who was suddenly given the spotlight looked at me in surprise.

(Nott, do you remember the name of the Yesma who helped you get out of the arena?)

“It’s Nuris.  But her true identity-”

The black pig snorted in an astonishingly loud voice.

─Is that true?  No-kun, why didn’t you tell me something this important?

Nott appeared to be in a state of confusion as he stopped Sanon with his hands.

“Wait a minute.  The one who helped me and Bart escape wasn’t a Yesma, but the king disguised as a Yesma.  I wasn’t in the mood to talk about what happened back there, so I didn’t say much, but… why did the name of the Yesma that the disguised king use get you so excited?”

─No-kun, that’s because the girl with that name actually exists.  In order to transform himself, he needed a template – a Yesma who was originally forced to work in the north.  That girl’s name was Nuris.  And Kento-kun, who was turned into a wild boar and is being held captive, was taken care of by that girl called Nuris the last time he came to Mestria.

(So then the question becomes: where’s the real Nuris?)

Since we’ve conveyed it to them this far, Nott and the other should understand why Litis is important.

“I see.  So they really weren’t just different people that looked alike.”

Nott looked at Litis.  After he escaped from the arena, he joined up with the Liberation Army at Niabel.  During that time, he thought that the Yesma who saved him from the arena, and Litis, resembled each other.

(That’s right.  This girl, who was wandering aimlessly after having completely lost her memories and was rescued by the Liberation Army, is actually the same person that took care of Kento in the north.  She’s-)

“You’re wrong!”

Itsune interrupted strongly.  The place fell silent.  Itsune wrapped her arms tighter and hugged the girl sitting in front of her.

“What are you all saying?  Don’t you all call her Litis?”

Litis had a bewildered look on her face while in the arms of the emotional Itsune.

There was a reason as to why Itsune wanted to call this girl that they picked up, Litis.  It’s because Litis was the name of the Yesma who had died and was close to Itsune; and that Yesma’s bones were used to create the handle of Itsune’s greataxe.

Josh placed a hand on Itsune’s shoulder.  The crossbow on his back was also made with Litis’ bones.

“Calm down, sis.  Litis is Litis; this girl is this girl.  We don’t mind what you call her, sis, but please don’t force others to accept those feelings.”

His sanpaku eyes, covered by his black bangs, gleamed as he glared at Shulavis.

“Sis shouldn’t be venting her emotions on this girl, or the pigs.  It should be towards the people from the royal dynasty, who unreasonably executed Litis.”

Shulavis looked uncomfortable as he tightly pursed his lips.  It’s not Prince Shulavis who’s at fault.  It’s Evis, the king at the time, and Markus, the current king, who were in charge of enforcing the laws.  However, the fact that he didn’t say those things here showcased his sincerity.

─There’s nothing sincere about it.  I’m simply bad at conversations.

Shulavis read my monologue and silently conveyed that just to me.  Jess was watching the situation nervously.  No one’s wrong here.  We’re supposed to be comrades, fighting together.  Even so, the cruel thing about this world is that someone will get hurt, and they can’t help but hate another for it.

“Let’s sort out what we know first.”

Nott calmly opened with.

“The Yesma over there that lost her memories was originally named Nuris; and before she lost her memories, she was involved with someone called Kento.  Now that guy is a wild boar and is captured by the surreptitious sorcerer.  That should be everything.  So what are you going to do?”

Hearing Nott bring up the subject, I took a step forward.

(Shulavis, bring out the rista.)

At my conveyance, Shulavis held up a special black rista.  It’s a transparent rista with a dense black center.  It’s a rista that exclusively works for Yesmas and activates their power of prayer.  This was a specially made rista that releases a powerful surge of magic power all at once.

(We’ll use the power of prayer.  She may not have any memories of it, but Kento was someone that risked his life to try and save Nuris in his previous transfer.  I’m sure they have some kind of emotional bond.  We’ll bet on that bond of theirs and have Nuris pray for Kento’s freedom, and for him to come to us.)

“Is that even possible?  We don’t even know where that Kento guy is right now.”

Hortis grinned at Nott’s suspicions.

“That won’t be a problem.  It’s already been proven that the power of prayer will reach, no matter how far away a person might be.”

Jess lowered her head slightly beside Hortis.  There’s no doubt about it, since she’s living proof that I could be pulled here from another world.

The girl with pigtails looked quite confused, but she eventually nodded.

“…Understood.  I’ll give it a try!”

The gentle-looking girl’s voice was clear and firm.

“Litis…”

Itsune muttered.

“It’s okay.  It doesn’t matter if my name is Litis or Nuris, I will still adore Ms. Itsune.”

The girl stood up.  And seeing this, Hortis rose to his feet seemingly pleased.

“Tonight’s a pleasant and clear night.  Why don’t you take this opportunity to pray under the stars?”

Leaving the captain’s quarters, we filed up the narrow staircase and out onto the deck.

“Wow…”

Right next to me, Jess was looking up at the night sky.  I could no longer see the city of Niabel.  The black sea stretched as far as my eyes could see, and countless stars, scattered about like white sand that was spilt, shone in the dark sky.

“So the night sky held this many stars.”

Jess whispered to me.

(There aren’t any city lights nearby, plus the wind is strong and the air is clear.  The conditions are good.)

When I raised my head, I could see Jess’ face against the beautiful starry sky.  As soon as she noticed, she turned towards me and gave a vibrant smile.  We then watched the starry sky together.

My heart suddenly became painful, so I stopped looking at the stars.

I trotted away from Jess.

(Are you ready?)

I was asking Litis – or rather, Nuris – who was kneeling at the bow.

“Yes.  I don’t know if I can do it well, but… for the sake of everyone in the Liberation Army, I’ll do my best to pray.”

Shulavis let his black robe flutter in the wind and held his hand out towards Nuris.

“Please use this rista.  Unlike normal ones, this one releases magic power all at once, but it will never harm you.  No matter what happens, I want you to stay calm and focus on your prayer.”

Nuris nodded deeply and accepted the rista with her long, slender fingers.

There was a raised wooden stage at the bow, and everyone from the captain’s quarters gathered there.  Nuris knelt at the front of the ship, facing the sea, and clasped the rista in front of her chest.  Beyond her, the stars above the Send-Off Island could be seen.

Itsune was right next to Nuris, watching over her with concern; and Josh quietly eyed Itsune from behind.

After staring at the starry sky for a while, Nuris gently closed her eyes.  Yesmas are a race that prays to the stars.  Jess, Celes, and the late Brace must have gazed at the night sky like this.

A moment of silence passed.

Nuris, with her eyes still closed, muttered.

“I can see a leg that’s bound by chains.  It’s a hairy leg.”

Hortis ran up to her and whispered softly from behind.

“Right.  You’re going to free that leg, and tomorrow morning, he’ll come to the west coast to pick you up. – Can you pray that, Nuris?”

“Okay.  I’ll do my best…”

Nuris closed her eyes tightly and prayed to the stars.

The air suddenly shook with a boom.  There wasn’t a sound, but the air pulsated once, as if there was a giant heart somewhere.

“…Wow.”

Josh softly murmured.

A large shooting star flew across the sky before us.  Another flew by.  And another.  Around five shooting stars streaked across the sky in front of us and disappeared towards the Send-Off Island.

Our ship, which advanced using the power of a rista, didn’t slow down despite the headwind.

Although we were headed towards the islands where the surreptitious sorcerer lurked, amidst this fear, a ray of hope shone.

“We’re about to arrive.  Get ready.”

I was woken up by Shulavis’ voice, and got up.  Something slipped from my abdomen and hit the cloth-covered floor with a thud.

“Nyafuuun…”

It was Jess’ head.  Did she use me as her pillow?  I wondered, as I saw her bed head stick out from the side.

“Huh… is it breakfast already?”

I conveyed this to Jess, who was still half asleep.

(We’re riding a ship right now.  We’ll be at the Send-Off Island soon.)

We of the royal dynasty slept in the captain’s quarters, which was specially protected with magic.  Shulavis opened the door and quickly left.  Hortis looked at us smilingly.

“You two sure get along well.  I can’t help but almost feel jealous.”

He sounded like a perverted father who also wanted to sleep together.

(I was just being used as a pillow though…)

When I conveyed that, Hortis grinned, revealing his white teeth.

“Is that really the case?”

Then he left the captain’s quarters.

(Did you sleep well?)

When asked, Jess nodded while rubbing her eyes.

“Yes.  But I felt like I had a strange dream where I was eating an everlasting ham that wouldn’t shrink…”

Come to think of it, I also had a strange dream where I felt like my ear was being nibbled on…

“Eh?”

Oh.

We pretended not to have noticed anything and prepared to leave.  Jess helped me put on the silver anklets with three different colored small ristas on both my forelegs.  They’re the same things I used during training.

After readying up, we also climbed onto the deck.

In stark contrast to last night’s starry sky, the sky was now a thinly overcast white sky.  The same cold wind continued to blow.  When we headed to the bow, I could see an island in the direction we were headed towards.  On our left – in other words, to the north, there was a dark, rocky island whose contours climbed gently up to a volcano.  The volcano was emitting small plumes of smoke.

“We’ll be nearing the island in less than half an o’clock.  Those who haven’t had breakfast yet should eat first.”

Hortis let his Roman-like white robe flutter as he stood steady on the pillar that protruded from the bow.

While gobbling the apples that Jess gave me, I observed our surroundings.  The sea was rough, but our four magically stabilized ships were advancing steadily.  The ship we were on was the center of the fleet, leading the way.

Even though there might be artillery fire, everyone seemed awfully calm.

“It’s okay, Pig, there’s nothing to worry about yet.”

Shulavis assured me while eating the lettuce-looking vegetable in his hand.

(Why’s that?)

His mouth was full of that vegetable, and after swallowing, Shulavis faced the direction we were headed.

“Battles that involve full-fledged mages are basically one-sided suppression.”

I wondered if he was referring to the pervert that was flashing his hairy thighs on the bow…

While I was thinking that, a flash of light exploded on the shore of the Send-Off Island, and a black ball flew straight towards us.

(Watch out!)

I immediately got down on the floor to protect Jess.

“Hya!”

Along with the destructive impact, the sound of the ship splintering and cracking resounded – or so I expected, but there was no noise.  There was just Jess below me, who was wide-eyed and had been pushed down onto her back.  The apple that fell from Jess’ right hand rolled across the deck.

The soldiers kept walking around as if nothing had happened.

“Uh… um…”

Jess’ face was dyed red.

“What are you doing?  Are you in heat this morning?”

Josh coldly said while looking down from his bangs at the pig pushing a cute girl to the floor.

(That’s not it, it’s because the cannonball was…)

Although I conveyed this and used my nose to point at the front, I don’t think Jess helped relay it, as Josh simply passed by us.

“That’s right.  Virgin-kun hasn’t experienced it yet.”

A grinning Hortis looked back from the bow.  A cannonball was floating still about 100 meters in front of him.

“Let me show you the techniques of someone who’s underwent ecydessa fifteen times and is Mestria’s most skilled mage.”

Even as he said that while looking this way, more light detonated from the Send-Off Island and multiple cannonballs flew at us at high speeds.  However, they also stopped in place near the same spot as the first one.

“Hit them back before they hit you.  That’s my motto.”

The next moment, a sound like something ripping through the air occurred, and the stationary cannonballs disappeared – no, they didn’t disappear.  Instead, the cannonballs flew in the opposite direction from where they came from, towards the Send-Off Island, while maintaining their original speed.  Before I knew it, the coast of the Send-Off Island was enveloped in exploding flames, and after some time, there was a loud boom.

“The absolute amount of movement remains the same, only the direction of the movement was reversed.  That way, the cannonballs go straight back towards the cannons that fired them.  I can efficiently destroy the enemy’s cannons this way.”

Now I understand what he meant by one-sided suppression.

“Um… Mister Pig, could you please get off me?”

Hearing that, I remembered I was on top of Jess.

(Sorry, I forgot.)

I hurriedly moved aside, and Jess stood up embarrassed.  Shulavis turned a blind eye and ate his veggies beside us.

Was it because he had nothing better to do?  Hortis was looking over here with a wide smile.

“A mage that has yet to experience ecydessa is generally considered to have the strength of one soldier.  But every time they undergo ecydessa, their combat power is doubled.  After experiencing it once, they’ll have two soldiers worth; after experiencing it twice, they’ll have four soldiers worth; and so on.  Now, let’s calculate how terrifying a mage can be.  Are you good at arithmetic, Virgin-kun?”

You don’t need to be good at arithmetic to understand the horrors of exponential functions.  Even if a piece of paper is only 0.1 millimeters thick, fold it once and it’ll be twice as thick, folder it twice and it’ll be four times as thick, fold it 25 times and it’ll be almost as tall as Mount Fuji – naturally, this assumes you have a piece of paper that’s big enough to be folded that many times.

“Our Shulavis has experienced ecydessa four times.  In other words, by multiplying by 2 four times, his combat power is roughly equivalent to 16 soldiers.  I’ve experienced it fifteen times, which means-”

(32,768 soldiers?)

A proud-looking smile surfaced onto Hortis’ face.

“Naturally, our royal blood is a bit special.  I believe the more times we experience ecydessa, the more we deviate from the approximation value from using the power of two.  Though ecydessa doesn’t stops occurring until the age of 25 or 26, for an ordinary mage, it’s rare for most to even experience it 10 times by then.”

I mean, even 10 times is 1,024 soldiers worth.  That’s the equivalent of a peerless warrior…

>TL Note: 一騎当千 is an idiom that more literally means someone is a match for a thousand, and was translated as a peerless warrior here.

There was another round of cannon fires from the Send-Off Island, but Hortis reflected them all back without even looking.

Doubling is an absurd amount of increase, so it can be assumed that, as the number of times you undergo ecydessa increase, the deviation should lean towards being less than the law of doubling.  But even with that in mind, some terrifying facts still remain.

Hortis grinned, showing off his teeth.

“Now do you under how terrifying the royal dynasty is?  Elder Brother Markus and Father Evis are commanding people who have underwent ecydessa 19 and 21 times respectively.  A simple calculation would put Elder Brother as having the combat power of 520,000 soldiers, and Father as having the combat power of 2,100,000 soldiers.  Fitting of the adjectives strongest and greatest.”

I was so dumbfounded my mouth was agape.  I confirmed something with Jess.

(Hey, how many times did you say Vatis, the found of the royal dynasty, underwent ecydessa…?)

“According to the records, it was 43 times.”

Two to the 43rd power.  Assuming two to the 10th power is 1,000, doing a rough calculation gets you…

(Then Vatis’ combat power is… 8 trillion…?)

It’s already on a scale that I can’t even imagine.

“It might as well be considered the realm of gods, right?  And traces of it still flow through the bodies of us royalties.  Although the power she obtained by almost completely using up the Wedges of Contracts scattered across Mestria is gradually fading, it’s still being passed down from generation to generation.  Whilst I hate the term, the royal dynasty has always arrogantly called that authority ‘god’s blood.’”

I thought I heard those words from somewhere before.  It turns out, it was when Shulavis spilled the beans and was making an excuse for being a virgin.

The prince, who was sitting on the railing and eating veggies indifferently, suddenly began coughing.

“I see, I see.  Even though my nephew has such a cute woman as his fiancé, he’s still maintaining his chastity.  How commendable!”

Despite the fact that the ship was approaching the island, Hortis laughed heartily without any feelings of tension.  He’s like that one sexually harassing old man that always shows up at family gatherings.  What is this, the Jinnouchi family?

>TL Note: Summer Wars reference.

Not wanting to see Jess’ expression, I walked over towards Hortis.  As I looked in the direction of our travel, I spotted streaks of smoke rising from the coast of the island.  I suddenly realized something.

(Mr. Perv-, no, Mr. Hortis.)

“What is it, Virgin-kun?”

(You said you sent all the cannonballs back at where they were fired, right?)

“Yeah, that’s correct.  My calculations shouldn’t be wrong.  They should’ve been fired back with pinpoint accuracy.”

(I can see several smoke trails, but all except one are closely spaced in fives.  Since they have to carry cannonballs, it should be more convenient for them to place the cannons together.)

“I agree.  Naturally, another reason is because they’re using Yesma collars to power five cannons at once.”

I see.

(But there’s one standalone trail of smoke rising.  Don’t you find that odd?)

“It is strange.  I fired back twenty-five cannonballs in total, so it should be neatly divisible by five.”

(In other words, that smoke trail isn’t coming from the cannon setups.)

Did he figure out my thoughts?  Hortis nodded with a smile.

“Ladies and gentlemen!  Our landing site has been decided!  Prepare your landing crafts!”

At Hortis’ order, the ship became hectic.

Jess came up to me and asked, “How was the landing site determined?”

I was reassured by the curiosity-filled girl’s usual expression, and conveyed this.

(Each cannon setup has five cannons lined up.  However, there’s 26 trails of smoke.  One of them is out of place.  That smoke isn’t from the perverted bastard firing the cannonballs back.  That guy likely took advantage of the chaos and used it to signal us.)

“I see, it’s Mr. Kento…!”

(Yeah, that’s probably the case.  Although he’s got some pretty peculiar habits, he’s someone that can think properly and rationally.  If he wants to send us a message, I’m sure he’ll do it in a way that we expect him to without doing anything strange.)

Kento is a high school boy, and a bookish otaku.  He also goes by †The Dark Knight Who Dances Till His Demise† keNto.  He seems to have pretty good grades, and is an honors student at an ordinary high school.

I turned around when my back was poked, and saw that it was Celes, smiling behind me.  A black pig was nuzzling her legs.  As per usual, he was sticking way too close to her.

“Mr. Shitty Virgin, Mr. Sanon has something to say.”

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Jess puffing her cheeks out.  I ignored it and turned my attention to Sanon.

─So we’re finally going to meet up with Kento-kun.

The black pig was looking at the standalone smoke trail.  It looks like he came to the same conclusion as I did.

─He was cornered to the point of revealing our location in the north, wasn’t he?  I hope he’s doing well and able to freely act.

I knew very well what Sanon was trying to say.  Before the transfer, Kento was someone who made a firm promise with us to save the Yesmas.  However, he already leaked our information once, so it’s doubtful whether he can be completely trusted.  Not to mention, if the prayer didn’t work well and he’s still in the hands of the surreptitious sorcerer, we can’t rule out the possibility that the smoke trail was a trap.

(Shulavis already assured me that the shooting star was a sure sign that something had happened.  If Nuris prayed for Kento, then he must be on the Send-Off Island, and something miraculous must have happened to him.  We also have the royal dynasty’s most skilled mage here, so be more confident.)

─You’re right…  I just couldn’t get rid of this bad feeling I was having, so I figured I would talk to you, Mr. Lolipo, to calm myself down.  As expected, I’m feeling relieved now.  Thank you.

The black pig was stroked by Celes, and his tail wagged.  Celes was smiling cutely, but I felt there was some unease spilling onto her face.

I took a step forward and neared Celes’ legs.  There was a nice smell that was different from Jess’.

(Celes, are you alright?  Is there something you would like to discuss?)

Astonished, Celes shook her head as hard as she could.

“No, not at all!  Um, I’m fine…”

Celes glanced behind me, and when I looked, Jess was pouting with her arms crossed.  Oh…

Celes left as if she was fleeing, and the black pig chased after her.

Although Sanon and Celes both appeared uneasy, in the end, I didn’t know what that was about.

“Mr. Shitty Virgin, if you keep looking at other girls, then I won’t pet you ever again.”

Hearing her reprimand, I returned to Jess’ side.

(Sorry.  I figured I should remember her smell for when we split up, just in case of an emergency where we need to find their whereabouts…)

Jess covered her mouth after an “Oh” and blushed.

“Is that so?  I… I’m sorry.”

It was partially meant as an excuse, so I ended up feeling bad instead.

(No, it’s fine.  It’s true that I thought a thirteen-year-old girl’s legs smelled nice after all…)

When I verbalized it, it didn’t sound just a little bit disgusting, but very disgusting.

“Um, Mister Pig?”

I looked up after hearing that, and saw Jess shyly lifting the hem of her invincible robe.

“Would you like to smell me too…?”

Jess was showing me her legs.  I almost jumped at it with oinking excitement, but I had to hold back here.

(That’s alright Jess, because I won’t leave your side for even a moment.)

We split up into the small landing crafts and quickly headed towards our destination.  Our surroundings were unnaturally round and distorted, and the coast of the island was like a dot, as if we were looking at it through a microscope.  We were told Hortis was bending the direction of light so that we couldn’t be seen from the island.  As for us, it seems we were using ultrasonic waves to detect our surroundings.  This way, our opponents can’t find us, but we can grasp their movements when they act.

Although he’s a perverted shitty old man, his words seemed trustworthy, and he’s quite reliable.

Despite the coast being very rocky, Hortis instantly froze the seawater to create a pathway, allowing the 1,000 troops to finish disembarking in the blink of an eye.  Along the coast, the anchored royal dynasty ships began shelling in a completely different direction, distracting the Northern Forces from discovering our already invisible landing operations.

Without magic, it would be impossible to land this many people undetected.

We were at a rocky area where jet-black lava spread.  After advancing for some time, we reached a sparse pine forest that could be considered on the verge of being completely withered, which black smoke was rising from.

Led by the perverted mage in a white robe, the royal army, dressed in black camouflage armor, formed irregular groups and marched on.  The Liberation Army and us ragtag group moved while under their protection.

“Master, are you okay?”

I heard a boy’s voice, and turned towards it.  Nott was walking with a slight hunch while the boy named Bart placed a hand on his back.  Bart was the kid Nott rescued from the arena in the north while being held captive, and he was around the same age as Celes.  He had brown hair that was cut short, and his eyes resembled those of a puppy’s.

Nott seemed to be trying his best to act normal, but he had his black stole pulled up to underneath his nose, and his brows were furrowed.  Could it be that Celes’ unease was…?

With Jess’ help, I called out to Nott.

(Hey Nott, are you alright?)

A pair of dark blue eyes stared fiercely at me.

“I’m seasick.  It won’t affect me during the battle, don’t worry.”

Nott picked up his pace and left as if to run away.

(…Was it really turbulent enough to get seasick from?)

When I questioned that, Jess also tilted her head in confusion.

“The ship barely swayed at all…  Maybe Mr. Nott isn’t feeling well somewhere.  I could tell from his inner thoughts that he was forcing himself.”

I see.  It wouldn’t be strange if Celes, who has been observing Nott closely, noticed something.

The advancement suddenly stopped, and I turned my attention to Hortis, who was leading the way.  He was extending his hands out his sides, signaling everyone to stop.

“Sanon-kun, Virgin-kun, please come here.”

We stepped forward after being called.  On top of a black rock, before entering the pine forest, there stood a thin and small animal.  It had stiff, dark brown body hair, a long nose, and a pair of tusks that protruded slightly from its mouth.  It was a wild boar, and it was staring right at us.

─It must be fate (inevitable) that we were to meet.  I’ve been waiting, my friends (everyone).

A boy’s somewhat annoying voice resounded in my mind.  In order to retain his peculiar atmosphere, I would like to keep his unique word choices in parentheses.  This is unmistakably †The Dark Knight Who Dances Till His Demise† keNto’s – Kento’s way of speaking.

>TL Note: Replace word(s) prior to a parentheses with what’s in the parentheses to read the exact words Kento used.

The boar appeared to throw his head back proudly.

─Our encounter (meeting) is by no means a coincidence.  Magic (A miracle) has set me free from my restraints, and magic (my dream) has guided me thus far.  Mr. Lolipo, Mr. Sanon, you two must have lent me your guidance.  You have my gratitude.

We two pigs nodded.  The three four-eyed otakus who retransferred to Mestria – the three pigs who came back to save the Yesmas, have reunited here.

(I’m glad we were able to regroup.  Glad to see you’re alive and well, Kento.)

As I conveyed this, I heard the sound of someone running from behind me.  The footsteps came right next to me.  It was Nuris.

“You must be Mr. Kento…”

While saying that, she took another step forward from beside me.

The boar’s small eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the girl.  I couldn’t hear what kind of conversation they were having, but there was a gurgling cry from the boar’s mouth.  The boar slowly came over here, and placed his nose on the girl’s leg.

“I’m sorry… I don’t have any memories.”

Nuris’ voice sounded like she was muttering to herself.  The boar shook his head slightly.  Nuris crouched down and hugged the boar.  A tear fell from the boar’s eyes.

While looking downwards at the two, Hortis, spoke in an unusually serious voice.

“If she didn’t have an emotional bond, this kind of miracle could not have happened.  Even if she doesn’t remember it, your dedication has been engraved somewhere in her heart.”

Boom – the ground roared, and we could see a plume of smoke rise from the distant volcano.

Hortis looked at it.

“It’s time to get going.  I don’t know how that mage will interpret your escape.  Are you able to lead the way?”

The boar then left Nuris and faced us.

─The old man’s stronghold (The destination) is at the foot of that volcano.  There are many traps (tricks) along the way, but do not worry, as my mind (brain) knows exactly where to go.

After conveying that to us, Kento turned around to face the volcano.

─Now, let the counterattack (games) begin.

Since Kento was able to join up with us, we initiated our flashy battle plan.

It’s a plan where we’ll make our opponent think that our goal is to annihilate the Northern Army and destroy the island to lure out the surreptitious sorcerer who will target our mages; with that opening, we’ll have a small unit take the sorcerer down.  The annihilation unit will be led by Hortis, and the small unit will be led by Shulavis.  Jess and I will be supporting Shulavis.

There’s only a handful of members in the small unit.  Kento, who’s our guide; Nott, who’s in charge of protecting the Wedge of Contracts; Josh, who will handle shooting the Wedge of Contracts into the surreptitious sorcerer’s heart; Bart, who will watch our surroundings; and Sanon and Celes, who will support them from the rear.

We grouped up and stayed behind the annihilation unit for now, hiding ourselves on a slightly higher up rock and observing the invasion unfolding.

Now that Kento couldn’t be accidentally killed, Hortis and Itsune, who were leading the annihilation force, had no reason to hold back.  After passing through the pine forest, we arrived at an open space Northern Army garrison.  We immediately launched a fierce attack on the Northern Army that was about to take their positions.

The banquet of destruction and slaughter begun.

We simply watched the overwhelming disparity in strength.

One after another, Hortis crushed our enemies with bolts and explosive flames.  Those who escaped Hortis were hunted down one by one by the soldiers from the royal army and Liberation Army, which were led by Itsune.  Even Orgs, monsters that were three meters tall, were no match for Itsune and the mage.  Hortis’ flames would burn the Orgs to their bones, and Itsune’s greataxe would decapitate the Orgs in one blow.  The cannonballs from the enemy’s side were all returned to where they were fired, as usual.  The battle situation could only be described as being one-sided.

─Well, unlike on mainland Mestria, they don’t have to worry about their citizens, so this is quite the advantageous development.  I’m sure the other side has no other choice but to send out their mage.

Sanon conveyed to me with satisfaction.

Next to him, Kento nodded.

─The traps (tricks) can only be found near the volcano.  The opposing side will probably retreat while luring our army there, and then hit us with the old man.  Let us pass through where there are no traps (tricks), and surprise (blindside) the old man.

Something suddenly caught my attention.

(You say no traps, but are there really places like that?)

The boar bared its tusks and grinned.

─You know about those monsters (Orgs), right?  Their factories (manufacturing facilities) are on this island, and they’ve been running at full force up until this morning.  I’m certain they’ve retreated in a hurry in fear of our raid, so they haven’t had time to set up traps (tricks).  We just have to go through there.

(Got it.  That should also mean there aren’t any traps in places where the Northern Forces were using for themselves.)

─Exactly (Sono toori desu).

The offense from the combined army from the royal dynasty and Liberation Army was truly unstoppable.  The sound of metal clashing and roars of explosions receded into the distance.

While looking away from the carnage, Jess asked me, “Org factories…  I wonder how those creatures, the Orgs, are created.”

Orgs are giant humanoid monsters covered in thick skin.  I also understand how terrifying they are.

(That’s certainly something that concerns me.  Did the royal dynasty not look into it?)

When I directed the question towards Shulavis, he replied while still observing the battle development.

“We haven’t investigated – or rather, we haven’t had time to investigate.  They’re enemies that a mage or a well-trained platoon can easily take down, so how they’re born wasn’t a matter worth pursuing.”

“Right, everyone did seem to be quite busy…”  Jess followed up with.

During the three months I was gone, Jess had been living with the royal family.

(Since I came back, the king and queen appear to be quite busy…  Was it like this before as well?)

“Yeah, every important secret matter and decision was already being handled by the royal family, so the routine workload alone looked tiring enough.  Add on the rebellion in the north, and Evis-sama’s death… I’m certain that they’re working at the literal expense of their life.”

An absolute monarchy isn’t easy either.  After all, there doesn’t seem to be any laws for labor standards in this world.

“I’m worried about Mother’s health.  She’s even been drinking Magic Energy lately…”

I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard Shulavis’ murmur.  Obviously it was in Mestrian, but no matter how you look at it, he had to have used a term that could be translated as “Magic Energy.”  Magic Energy???

>TL Note: 魔剤 was used by Shulavis, and in Japan it’s used to refer to energy drinks, especially Monster Energy.  I translated it as Magic Energy here.

Jess explained it to me from the side.

“Ms. Wies was drinking it when we went to ask about the location of the Cave of Oaths.  It’s a drink that allows you to stay awake by expending magic power, but I was told it isn’t good for your body…  I’ve tried it once before, but I couldn’t sleep for an entire night, and it made my body itch.  It was quite problematic.”

(Body itch…?)

I couldn’t help but ask impulsively, which led to Jess covering her mouth after a gasp.

“U-um… that’s not it!  I-I didn’t do anything shameful!”

Judging by her flushed face and panicking expression, it sounds like something shameful did happen.  I’m a little curious, but we’re currently in the middle of a battle, so let’s put a stop on that.

Shulavis took out a vial containing some blue liquid and showed it to me.

“I’ve got a bottle here, would you like to try it, Pig?  It’s said that if someone other than a mage drinks it, it would melt their teeth, burn their throat, and dissolve a hole in their stomach.”

(I’m definitely not drinking it.)

“I was kidding.”

Really now?  I decided I’ll drink a green “Magic Energy” when I return to my country.

As we were talking, Hortis contacted Shulavis with the magic shell.

After conversing for a while, Shulavis addressed us.

“It seems the enemies around this area have been wiped out.  Uncle said he’ll continue proceeding to draw their attention, and he wants us to use that opportunity to approach their stronghold from the side and investigate the situation.”

Nott and Josh both stood up to indicate their agreement.

We rushed through the forest under Kento’s guidance.  The island wasn’t that large, so in less than 30 minutes, we arrived at one end of the Org factories that Kento mentioned.  The factories were scattered around the volcano and connected by roads like a mesh.  As long as we proceed down these roads, we should be able to avoid any danger.

The Org factories were located on desolate, rocky lands that emitted an awful stench.  While remaining vigilant of our surroundings, we slowly stepped inside.  Volcanic rocks had been dug down into here and there, like a hot spring made from stone, and a bright red liquid pooled in them.  Was the liquid rotten or something?  It bubbled viscously while steaming out a fishy smell.

“Are the Orgs created here?”

At Shulavis’ question, the boar affirmed with a nod.

─It seems they were cultivated (nurtured) in this liquid.  They were also fed some kind of meat.

Meat…?

We moved forward while observing the factory.  Nott covered his nose with his stole, and Josh held his sleeve against his mouth.  Bart had a face like he was about to vomit.  Celes walked behind Nott with unease and stroked the black pig, who clung to her.

I walked beside Jess and sniffed around.  Since they withdrew in a hurry, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if they left behind some traces of their Org production.

“Mister Pig, that’s…”

Hearing what Jess said, I looked at the place slightly outside, where the ground was whitish.

(What’s that, I wonder.)

After looking at her surroundings warily, Jess asked.

“Should we go take a quick peek?”

It was about 50 meters away.  We walked briefly, and learned the truth of the white thing.

They were bones.

A large quantity of human bones were discarded there, bleached from their exposure to the sun and wind.  The dense smell of death drifted from the mountain of bones.

“Mister Pig, that bone looks strange…”

I looked at where Jess was pointing and saw a distorted skull had fallen there.  The right half was a normal-looking human skull, but the left half was swollen unevenly and beyond recognition.

On closer inspection, I saw many other distorted bones.  All of them appeared to be trying to grow bigger than their original sizes, with some even being longer than Jess’ entire arm.

An unpleasant suspicion crossed my mind.  This was an Org factory.  It’s as if-

“Sorry Mister Pig, let’s head back.”

Jess looked at me with tears in her eyes.  I nodded without saying anything.

After we returned to Shulavis, he stopped and stared intently at something that had fallen in the crack of a rock.  Did a bottle break?  There was shattered glass everywhere.

A singular organ had fallen in the crevice, and a few flies were buzzing around it.

Jess held her breath and placed a hand against her chest.

“It’s a uterus.”

Shulavis quietly stated.

I can probably imagine how the Orgs were created.

I recalled what Jess read from the history book.

─It said that a mage’s uterus holds a tremendous amount of magic power that can act as a source of life.  Although an ordinary person will be cursed if they consume a large amount of it, if a mage consumes a large amount of it… they can obtain the magic of immortality.

Distorted human bones that appeared to swell.  A fallen uterus.  The magic power that enables mages to attain immortality doesn’t bestow the same thing to ordinary humans, but rather, it transforms their bodies into these monsters.

My mood plummeted to the ground in this absolutely disgusting place.  Jess placed her hand on my back.  Just as I was about to turn and look at her, an “Ah” came from Celes from behind.

“Mr. Nott!”

I hurriedly turn around, only to see Nott lose his balance and was about to collapse onto the ground.  Celes tried to hold him steady, but they both fell over.  Immediately, the black pig protected them.  Celes and Nott fell on top of the black pig in a heap.

Despite his pathetic oink, Sanon became a cushion to protect those two.

(What happened?!)

It definitely wasn’t just him being seasick or the likes.

“Mr. Nott, hang in there!”

Celes raised her upper body and held Nott.  She removed his stole, exposing his mouth and nose.

At that moment, everyone lost their words.

Nott’s neck was densely covered in a black, mesh-pattern bruise.  The bruise had passed his chin, covered his mouth, and was approaching just below his nose.  Nott had kept his stole on the entire time to hide it.

Nott rested his head on Celes’ lap, panting painfully.

Shulavis looked nervous as he vigilantly guarded our surroundings.

“…This is the surreptitious sorcerer’s curse.  When exactly did he get cursed?”

If he was cursed without knowing it after arriving on this island, then this would be a shocking development.

But I don’t think this was the case.

(It was much earlier.)

I thought back.

(It was when Nott escaped from the northern arena and had Celes heal his injuries on the ship.  At the time, he had a small bruise on his throat.  He must have been cursed when he was imprisoned in the arena.  Even if Celes’ prayer healed all the other wounds, it couldn’t heal that bruise.)

Celes looked at me with wide eyes.

“Um, the curse is…?”

Shulavis tore open the clothes on Nott’s chest.  The Wedge of Contracts and glass pendant hanging around Nott’s neck laid on his chest, which looked as if it had been splashed with ink.  The abnormally fine mesh pattern densely covered his skin.

It was the first time I saw Nott’s pendant, and etched on it was the portrait of a girl.  A mischievously smiling Yesma who wore a collar and looked somewhat similar to Jess.  She was Nott’s beloved – Ys.

Nott’s chest rose and fell abruptly as he seemed to breathe in painfully.

“Mr. Nott, are you okay?  Mr. Nott.”

Celes called out while gently touching his cheeks.

“I’m fine…  I can get up on my own.”

Nott responded like he was sleep-talking as he turned his body.  However, he slipped from Celes’ lap and was hastily re-embraced by Celes.

“Please don’t move… Mr. Nott, I’ll heal you immediately…”

Celes whispered in an almost crying voice.

Shulavis got up, ignoring Celes, who couldn’t understand the situation and was teary-eyed.

“This isn’t good.  The curse is advancing.  It might have already reached his brain or spinal cord.”

He then took out the shell, placed it to his mouth, and shouted into it.

“Uncle, please come here quick!”

Hortis rushed over in the form of Rossi, transformed back into a human, and immediately squatted down to examine Nott without putting on any clothes.  No one retorted to this anymore.

Nott slightly opened his eyes and looked at Hortis.  On the other end, the naked Hortis observed and palpated Nott’s neck with a serious gaze.

“So this is the curse that killed Father.  It’s certainly troublesome.”

Josh opened his sanpaku eyes and approached Hortis.

“What do you mean?  Explain.”

Hortis took a deep breath and created a robe to wear around his body.

“This bruise is an incurable curse that even killed the previous king.  It seems Nott-kun’s strong will has been suppressing its advancement, but it still managed to reach his brain.  If it continues to spread-”

He glanced at Celes in hesitation before painfully continuing.

“He’ll surely die.”

Tears fell from Celes’ eyes.

“Please… tell me you’re joking.”

The brave girl’s words made Hortis slowly shake his head.

Celes became speechless.

Perhaps due to Nott losing his physical strength, the cursed bruise spread at a visible speed.  It was slow, but it had already crept up Nott’s cheeks and was beginning to cover his eyes.

Nott groaned in pain.

“Curse, huh…?  Am I… going to die in a place like this?”

Thunder began rumbling in the distant sky.  When I came to my senses, the sky above the island was already covered in dark and thick clouds.

Jess and Shulavis, who knew about the curse, could only watch over them with pale faces.  The method to dispelling the curse was limited, and the odds of achieving it were extremely slim.  The reason why Jess was able to survive the curse was because, with some help from Evis, the conditions overlapped miraculously.

(Mr. Hortis, is there no other way?  Could we maybe use the Wedge of Contracts?)

I asked him like I was clutching at straws, but Hortis kept his head down.

“Magic depletion is a phenomenon that only occurs in mages.  Even if you stab Nott with the wedge, it will only grant him magic power, the curse won’t disappear.”

Nott’s bruise completely covered his eyes.  It was as if ink had bled through as the whites of his eyes were dyed black.  Furthermore, the curse was reaching out towards his neat eyebrows.

“It’s dark…”

A pair of desperate eyes gazed at Nott, who muttered that with his eyes still open.

“No, Mr. Nott.  I don’t want this, I don’t want you to die…  Mr. Nott…”

Celes lamented in a trembling voice as her tears wet Nott’s face.

The sound of fighting came from afar.  We surrounded Nott, frozen in place by the sudden tragedy.

Suddenly, Hortis looked at Celes’ face, which was soaked in tears.

“Celes-kun, do you have the resolve to give up your life for Nott-kun’s sake?”

Before I could ask him what he was talking about, Celes nodded vigorously.

Hortis pressed his lips together, and with his hands, touched Celes’ cheeks.

“…Then do what you want.  It’s the only way to save Nott-kun.”

His earnest voice, which we haven’t heard up until this point, caused Celes to look at Hortis with her large eyes.  Hortis slid his coarse hands down from her cheek and touched her collar.

Click.

There was a soft noise, and the collar split into two.  Hortis quickly removed the silver collar that was supposed to be protected by magic from Celes’ neck.

“Uncle, don’t tell me…”

Shulavis appeared agitated, but Hortis stood up and stopped him.

“Celes-kun’s soul was screaming.  I simply released her cry.”

All eyes were concentrated on Celes, who sat on the ground with Nott’s head resting on her lap.

“What’s wrong, Celes?  What…”  Nott asked in a hoarse voice.

Celes quickly covered his face.

For a moment, it felt like time was flowing slowly.

Celes’ thin lips approached Nott’s black-stained lips… and gently overlapped.

Next to me, Jess gasped.

It was a clumsy kiss from a clumsy girl.  Celes closed her eyes tightly and desperately pressed her lips against his.  We silently watched the scene.

It’s probably not a good idea to stare, I should look away – as I thought that, I noticed something.

Celes’ mouth was being dyed black.

By the time I realized Hortis’ intentions, Nott’s bruise was rapidly fading, and instead, Celes’ cheeks and neck were starting to be covered in a black mesh pattern.

She was bearing the curse in his place.

Just like how Jess saved me when I was stabbed by the surreptitious sorcerer, Celes was trying to take on Nott’s curse.  The reason why her collar was removed was to channel Celes’ ardent wish to save Nott into magic.

Because before being a Yesma, Celes was a mage.

The black clouds above us parted, and the sunlight descended like a ladder.  It was as if the distant sky above was trying to welcome a young girl.

Nott coughed, and Celes released his lips.  While Nott took a deep breath and sat up, Celes, whose face and neck were dyed jet-black, fell to the ground.

Her small head hit the rock floor with a thud.

“Celes!”

Nott, who had returned to normal, let out a sharp voice.  There were no longer any bruises on his skin.

As had happened before, the positions were reversed.  This time, Nott knelt beside Celes, who was lying on her back against a rock.  Nott held the back of Celes’ head with his hand, and raised it.

“Mr. Nott…”

Celes had her eyes open slightly, and the terrifying black bruise spread from her mouth onto her skin.  Nott looked at Celes blankly with his still pale face.

“Celes, stay strong.”

Anxiety and despair surfaced onto Nott’s face.  On the other hand, Celes’ face could even be considered at peace.

“Mr. Nott… what did my kiss taste like?”

“What are you saying at a time like this?”

Celes firmly opened her eyes and looked straight at Nott’s face.

“Was there… Ms. Ys’ taste…?”

Celes’ dying breath voice made Nott’s long-lashed eyes open wide.

From Nott’s throat came a voice that sounded like he had to squeeze it out.

“…Idiot, how could there be something other than your taste?”

Celes smiled happily.  Eighty percent of her face was already covered by the bruise.

Hortis quietly weaved his words.

“I decided to release the collar’s seal so that Celes’ earnest wish could be fulfilled.  To be able to bear the curse on behalf of another like this is a miracle of love that surpasses magic and cannot be fulfilled unless she wished for it from the bottom of her heart.”

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.  Cold rain began to fall.

No, I can’t let it end like this.  With the dying girl in front of me, I used my nearly paralyzed brain to think.  That’s right, isn’t solution very simple?

It’s the Wedge of Contracts hanging around Nott’s neck.  If we stab Celes with this, her life will be saved.  Celes, whose collar was removed, is already a mage.  If she’s a mage, then ecydessa can be triggered, and the curse will disappear.

Hortis frowned and pursued his lips tightly.  What is he hesitating for?  Why isn’t he doing something so obvious?

Hortis turned to look at me.  His long hair drooped like blinds, hiding eyes.

“The Wedge of Contracts is a great treasure that can only be used once.  If we lose it, we forfeit our means of killing the surreptitious sorcerer.  That will put the Liberation Army in a precarious situation.”

Celes’ neck had lost her strength, and her face, which looked like it was wearing a black mask, turned towards us.

“Everyone, please… don’t bother with me… protect this country instead.  The Wedge of Contracts isn’t meant to save an insignificant life such as mine.  Please… use it to defeat the enemy of Yesmas.”

Celes desperately moved her small lips to speak.  Only her eyes were not dyed black as they shone brightly and turned to Nott’s face for one last gleam.

“I’m very happy… that I was able to be of use to Mr. Nott in my final moments.”

With a gaze like someone had passed by him, Nott’s dilated eyes turned to Hortis.

“Oi, what’s that supposed to mean?  Are you saying if I use the Wedge of Contracts, Celes will be saved?”

After a moment of hesitation, Hortis nodded in affirmation.

Nott’s hand was pressed against his chest.  His pendant with Ys engraved on it, and the Wedge of Contracts were there.  Nott was visibly lost.

The Wedge of Contracts is currently the only item that can kill the surreptitious sorcerer.  If we don’t kill the surreptitious sorcerer with it, and instead expend it on our ally, we’ll definitely be punished severely by the royal dynasty.  The Liberation Army will be put in a predicament.  It’s unimaginable that Markus would overlook this.

Nott couldn’t escape his position as the leader of the Liberation Army.  His hand refused to stab the wedge into Celes’ chest.

It was then, a small hand punched Nott’s cheek and took the Wedge of Contracts from his neck.  It was Bart.  Before anyone could stop him, the boy, whose pure eyes were wet with tears, swung the sharp tip of the Wedge of Contracts down towards the center of Celes’ chest.

It was in the blink of an eye.

A dazzling light radiated from Bart’s hand.  We couldn’t see anything as our eyes were blinded by the flash.

And then the light withdrew as abruptly as it had emanated.

Bart slumped onto the floor.  The Wedge of Contracts was not in his hands, or Celes’ chest.  The only change was Celes’ skin.  The cursed bruise had completely disappeared.  Celes had closed her eyes, and was now breathing steadily.

Nott looked at Bart in surprise.

“Bart, you-”

“Master, you stupid idiot!”

Bart shouted with all his heart.

“Why were you trying to let Celes die without helping her?!  She adores you!  Where did my Master, who cried because a Yesma died, go?!”

Nott bit his lower lip without rebutting.  He raised Celes’ upper body and tightly hugged her.  From the sharp corner of his eye, a single tear trickled down.

“Bart’s right.  I’ve become a stupid person.”

In the rocky area drifting with a foul odor, we watched in silence for the moment as the hero shed tears.

No one blamed anyone for using the Wedge of Contracts.

As ill luck would have it, Itsune’s shout came from Shulavis’ shell.

『Hurry up and back us up!  Our soldiers are turning completely black and dying one after another!  Not to mention a large army is coming from the front!  If you don’t come quick, we’ll all be wiped out!』

With a pale face, Shulavis asked Hortis.

“Uncle, do we retreat?”

We’ve already used up our trump card, the Wedge of Contracts.  And on the Northern Army’s side, the surreptitious sorcerer seemed to have already made his move and was attacking our coalition army from somewhere.  It wasn’t possible to fully commit with magic attacks either in this state where all the soldiers were intermixed, which could lead to the sorcerer taking advantage of that opening to attack us.

“No, if we retreated on top of using up the Wedge of Contracts, Elder Brother will not keep quiet.  Furthermore, if they move away from this island, we won’t be able to use Kento-kun to our advantage, making it more difficult to corner the surreptitious sorcerer.  We’ve got no choice but to go for it.”

“But Uncle, the Wedge of Contracts was-”

Hortis gestured at Celes’ collar in his hands.

“This was a fortunate error.  We won’t be able to kill him, but we still have one method of sealing the surreptitious sorcerer.”

In his hands, the silver Yesma collar that could seal a person’s magic power faintly glowed.

“This is all my responsibility.  I’ll figure something out.  Let’s hurry up and track down the surreptitious sorcerer.”

With Kento leading us, we decided to move through the Org factories and attack from the Northern Army’s rear.  Although the rocky area was very open and we could see ahead of us, because the location was surrounded by forests, we shouldn’t be easily spotted from afar.  It benefitted us, who were attempting to backstab our enemies.

Hortis was running in front.  Nott ran with a serious expression while carrying Celes on his back, and Shulavis carried Celes’ collar.  The black pig ran beside Nott with a worried look.

Hortis informed us his plan.

“I will attack the Northern Army.  It’ll probably draw a lot of attention, but the surreptitious sorcerer won’t be able to curse me without getting close, so he’ll probably use Orgs and the likes to set something up.  Shulavis will use this time to find his position and put the collar on him.  Nott-kun and Josh-kun will support Shulavis alongside Jess and Virgin-kun.  But don’t forget, prioritize your safety, everyone.  The only one who needs to be reckless is me.”

The coalition army’s annihilation unit pushed quite far towards the volcano and was fighting in a vast wasteland that seemed to have been formed by a huge lava flow.  By the time we had arrived, it already started raining like a waterfall.  While being drenched, we identified the situation from the shadow of the forest in front of the wasteland.

The Northern Army, geared in hard metal armor, and the coalition army, equipped with black leather armor, fought each other in the heavy rain.  It appears our arrival coincided with the influx of enemy troops.  Itsune led the charge, scattering electricity everywhere, leaping around like an acrobat, and swinging her greataxe.  Her physical abilities were out of the ordinary.

There were around 1,000 soldiers from coalition army, and the number of Northern Army troops coming to engage with them appeared fewer than that.  However, the Northern Army had Orgs.  There were dozens of them, and they swept away the coalition army soldiers with their log-like spears.

Fierce collisions of blades.  Explosions that were a mix of mud and flesh.  The rain was mixed with the dark red blood.

The gruesome killing was not a sight anyone would want to witness directly.

“I’m leaving it to you, Shulavis.”

Hortis leapt out from the shadow of the woods without hesitation and floated into the air while swirling countless pumice stones from his surroundings.  He was like a tornado monster.  This created a situation where the Northern Army was being attacked from their rear side.

Hortis created dozens of walnut-sized bullets around his body and shot them at hypersonic speed towards the Orgs.  Each time, the bullet’s trajectory would glow and be followed by a high-pitched explosion.  Even if the enemies shot arrows at him, they would be repelled by his veil of pumice and miss their target.

The sudden attack caused the Northern Army to break their formation as they began scattering to escape from Hortis.  Probably because he was worried his bullets would hurt our allies, Hortis attacked cautiously and didn’t attempt to overwhelm our enemies.

“Let’s move.  Kento, where is the surreptitious sorcerer most likely to head towards?”

At Shulavis’ question, the boar leaned his head to the side and pondered.

─It could be near the Org factories (manufacturing facilities).  He’s been there many times so it should be easy for him to come and go.  If we go back the way we came, we’re likely to find our enemy that’s attacking the coalition army there.

“So he says.  Do you think that works, Pig?”

Hearing Shulavis’ question, I nodded.

(I think so.  The sorcerer attacking the coalition army will probably be headed here for Hortis.  We’ll take him out from the side.)

The black pig then drew near me and snorted at Shulavis.

─But don’t forget, everyone.  If we assume that we’re going to be the ones to take them by surprise, we’ll be caught off guard if our opponent is waiting to receive our surprise attack.  This is the enemy’s island after all.  Let’s maintain the expectation that we’re the hunted.

When a pig says that, the persuasiveness really hits differently.

Sanon has been through many more battlegrounds than I have.  Sounds like it would be wise to be cautious here.

We weaved through the gaps between the trees and headed towards the path to the Org factories in search of a place to intercept the surreptitious sorcerer.

Within minutes, Sanon was proven right.

In the middle of the forest, the ground slightly ahead of us suddenly rose, and a huge shadow jumped up.

“Uuoaauuooooaaaah!”

With a muffled howl, a mud-covered Org attacked us.  It was hiding in the ground, waiting to ambush us.  That intensity was more than enough for me to feel the fear of death while in the middle of the dark woods.

As soon as Shulavis saw it, he quickly climbed a nearby tree with brisk movement.  It was probably a countermeasure against the long staff that could puncture through the ground.

─Its cry exposed our presence.  Split up and hide.

Shulavis’ voice resounded directly in my mind.  Our group quickly tried to hide, but Nott, who was carrying Celes, was left behind.  The Org’s yellow, bloodshot eyes had locked onto Nott.

Without hesitation, Jess and I stayed by Nott’s side.

(Shulavis, focus on looking out for the surreptitious sorcerer.  We’ll take care of the Orgs.)

We haven’t spotted him yet, but there’s a good chance the surreptitious sorcerer has already been made aware of our position here.  The worst case scenario would be if we were eliminated one after another by the surreptitious sorcerer while Shulavis was busy dealing with the Orgs.  That’s why we volunteered to protect Nott.

Still carefully carrying Celes on his back, Nott turned to look at us.

“You idiots, how are you going to kill that monster-”

Even as Nott said that with some difficulty breathing, the Org was approaching us.  It had grey skin like that of a rhinoceros or an elephant, and a physique like if a bodybuilder had been doubled in size.  It wore steel armor that protected its vital points, and wielded a thorny spear that was as thick as a log.  It had a distorted, swollen face.

Although it was huge, it avoided the trees and ran towards us with frightening agility.  In desperation, Nott drew one of his twin daggers with the hand that wasn’t supporting Celes’ buttocks.  However, there was no way he could compete with just a single dagger.

Because the Org was too fast, we were just about to choose to evade it.  We just needed a slight opening-

It was then I heard a low growl.  It was Sanon.  While making a terrifying, unheard-of sound, the black pig rushed at the Org’s thorny-armored legs.

Even looking at it from the Org’s giant body, the black pig’s size couldn’t be taken lightly.  It can seriously injure the black pig with a kick, but it would also lose its balance when winding back.  The Org was frightened by the black pig’s imposing manner and raised its foot, slowing down.  With that, the black pig charged past the Org and ran to the other side.

(Now, Jess!  Let’s light it up with that move.)

─Okay!

At my instructions, Jess spread her hands open towards the Org.

Several gigantic slime-like liquid spheres gushed out in the air like bubbles expanding.  Once they grew to a size that could only be wrapped around with both arms, Jess quickly flicked her palms down.

The floating liquids were violently slammed into the Org.  From head to toe, it was covered in the sticky liquid.

But the Org didn’t care; it neared us and was only a few steps away.  Jess didn’t act.

I had a feeling this was going to happen.

It’s time to show my results after being strictly trained by Jess.  With a flick of my foreleg, I shot a tiny fireball at the sticky Org.

Normally, a fireball this small wouldn’t hurt an Org.  However, the fireball that landed a direct hit on Org’s crotch didn’t fizzle out.  Instead, it instantly burst into flames that enveloped the Org’s entire giant body.

We all ran in unison to avoid the Org’s charge.

The Org that became a mass of flames ran straight for some time before abruptly falling down.  Even in the rain, the bright orange flames relentlessly burned at the Org’s struggling body.

“How did… you two… use that kind of magic…?”

With wide eyes, Nott looked at us in surprise.

Oh right.  This was Nott’s first time seeing Jess’s maxed-out magic.

(I’ll explain the details to you later.  Can you be the decoy for now?)

Nott nodded while carrying Celes on his back.  He then made the dagger in his hand glow red.

Inside the dark forest, he prominently stood out next to the burning Org.

(From now on, try not to shoot fire towards the ground.)

After conveying just that, I left Nott’s side and surveyed the perimeter with Jess.

─Mister Pig, I’m sorry I…

Jess conveyed this to me silently, but I shook my head.

(The reflection talk can come later.  It can’t be helped that you weren’t able to kill the Org.  After all, we accidentally discovered that they were made from humans.  Jess, you only need to provide the fuel; let Nott and I deal the finishing blows.)

We’ve still only killed one Org.  After they’ve heard the Org’s howl from earlier, I’m sure the other Orgs and our actual enemy target will be headed this way with the flames as their destination.

After roughly checking our surroundings, Jess and I hid near Nott.

Before I could catch my breath, I spotted multiple Orgs running towards us from ahead.

─Careful, he’s here.

I heard Shulavis’ voice, but there was no time to worry about that.

Several Orgs were approaching from three different directions: directly in front of us, our right, and our left.  The sound of footsteps made me look back, and there were Orgs coming from behind us as well.  This meant that, apart from the troops that were being trampled on by Hortis, our opponent had also prepared personnel for dealing with those who will be trying to attack from the shadows.  Those personnel have gathered here because of the howl from the Org we just burned.

Nott, who was acting as the decoy while carrying Celes on his back, made his dagger shine even brighter.  The black pig stayed near him, guarding the front, but they were clearly outnumbered.

In the midst of the forest that was pouring with heavy rain, our location was completely surrounded by enemies.

The Orgs stopped at a distance that would allow them to dodge our attacks.

“It seems your curse disappeared, youngster.”

It was a hoarse voice that sounded like it should be drowned out by the sound of rain beating on the leaves, but strangely enough, it reached us clearly.

It was a tall figure in a grey robe.  He carried a long metal staff in his pale, lifeless hand.  A pair of glowing, golden eyes could be seen underneath the hood he wore.  He’s the nameless, immortal old man – the surreptitious sorcerer.

“Shitty old man.”

Nott uttered with clenched teeth, and pointed the red-hot tip of his dagger at the mage.

“I’m honored that you would come all the way to the frontlines to pay me a visit.  I’ll hand over as many soldiers as you wish.  All I want is your life.”

The old man slowly raised his staff.  Was he aiming for Nott…?  Or…

Just then, a whistle-like sound traveled through the woods, and a moment after, the old man’s wrist that was holding the staff exploded.  It was an arrow shot by a magic imbuing crossbow.  The cane fell without sticking into the ground and rolled on the floor.

“No matter how many times you try, it’s useless.  It’s about time you learn your lesson.”

The wrist of the old man who had lost his hand was wrapped in something ash-like, and it regenerated in the blink of an eye.  The long staff returned as if it was glued to his hand.

“I wonder what’ll happen when you take on my and the Orgs’ attacks at the same time?”

Did he signal them?  The Orgs surrounding us started to all move at once.  Roughly counting, there were 10 of them.  Regardless of how our opponents act, we just had to stick to our predetermined roles.

An electric shock from the trees hit the old man in the shoulder, and he dropped his staff again.

Let’s leave the surreptitious sorcerer to them.  We’ll stop the Orgs.

(Let’s go, Jess.)

I poured strength into my legs and activated the trap we had prepared.

A giant explosion was set off at the roots of a tree in the distance, and an Org that was next to the tree had its leg blown off after being caught in the explosion.  The huge tree trunk creaked and crackled as it fell over.

I was reminded of that day when I knocked down those trees in the forest.  Back then, Nott had protected us.

Now, it’s our turn to protect Nott and Celes.

I exploded the trees one after another, destroying the forest and entangling the Orgs – knocking them down.

The trap was simple.  While walking around earlier, Jess let large quantities of fuel that was mixed with oxygen bubbles seep into the tree roots, and I manipulated it with my anklets to create pseudo-fuses inside the ground.  Then, I just need to ignite them at the right time to set off the explosions.

Exploding the tree roots in time with the approaching Orgs kind of resembled a music game.  The time has finally come to show off the results of having frequently gone to video game arcades.  Let me show you the power of an otaku who becomes extremely agile only when playing music games.

Bring it on.

The pig’s wide field of view and a music gamer’s ability to adjust the timing were a perfect match.  I exploded the fuel that Jess had prepared in sync with the enemy’s movements.  The Orgs surrounding us flinched at the unknown attacks.

─I’m adding more fuel!

Jess spread her hands, and a wall of flame burned between us and the Orgs.  From my end, I manipulated water to knock down the trees on the other side, setting up a barricade of trees and flames.  No Org could reach us.

The Orgs were suppressed, and the surreptitious sorcerer, whose plan didn’t go accordingly, continued to suffer attacks from the trees.  He couldn’t use his staff as he was preoccupied with defending and recovering.  This was our strategy.

It doesn’t matter what kind of sure-kill move you have, if you’re not given the chance to use it, it’s useless.

The surreptitious sorcerer stopped attacking and began his retreat to hide.

─Sorry I’m late, everyone.  You did a great job.  Let’s finish things here.

Just as I wondered whose voice was echoing in my head, the flames that were set up by Jess and I flared up as if they had a will of their own, covering the area where the Orgs and surreptitious sorcerer were at.  The flames consumed the trees in an instant, turning the whole place into a black vacant space before extinguishing.

The surreptitious sorcerer stood alone on the charred earth.  Hortis, floating in the air as if he was suspended by a wire, came face to face with the eerie old man.

“So my true target finally makes an appearance.”

There was an air cutting sound, and all of a sudden, there were nearly ten arrows floating around Hortis.  All of them pointing their heads at Hortis’ body, trying to pierce him, but they were now standing still.  It seems there were still troops laying in ambush behind the surreptitious sorcerer.

All the arrows turned in the exact opposite direction, like a magnet spinning a compass needle around, and were sent back to their shooting point at supersonic speed.

“There may have been many mages that were susceptible to surprise attacks back in your days, but that’s no longer the case now.  Unfortunately for you, no matter how many strategies you might come up with, the side with overwhelmingly strong fighters will always win in the end.  Have you ran out of ambushing soldiers as well?”

Hortis spoke to the surreptitious sorcerer as if he was enjoying a small talk.

The surreptitious sorcerer maintained a posture that allowed him to stab his long staff into the ground at any time, and tilted his head in doubt.

“Youngster, if you’re not an idiot, you should already know that I have an immortal body.  The more times we face off like this, the more information I gain, and the further you’re put at a disadvantage.  No matter how many soldiers are killed, I will continue to take your people to feed my army, and they will eventually turn against you.  You will have no choice but to live the rest of your lives, trembling in fear of death, as your country’s population continues to decline.”

Hortis nodded repeatedly while listening, and at the same time, he turned his right palm upwards.  An unbelievably dazzling white-hot ball of light appeared above his hand.  It was like a miniature sun.

“I understand what you’re trying to say, but isn’t the fact that you’re immortal only to the extent of your knowledge?  Or did an ancient being guarantee you that life?  Of course not, right?”

A prickly tense atmosphere seemed to emanate from the motionless surreptitious sorcerer.

“As long as I’m here, you won’t be able to kill anyone; and if it’s me, I can kill you.  That’s the conclusion I’ve arrived at after all the contacts I’ve made so far.”

There was a whistle-like noise, and an arrow pierced the surreptitious sorcerer’s face.  Crackling sounds emanated from his head as it began to freeze.  The excellently timed sneak attack succeeded.

Or so I thought.

─Was that not a bluff, youngster?  It turns out you too rely on surprise attacks.

The surreptitious sorcerer’s robe began to burn with blue flames, counteracting the freezing magic imbued in the arrow.  The old man’s body was wrapped in blue flames, and it took on a repulsive appearance, like a burning mummy.

“You’ve used this trick before.  Did you think I didn’t consider countermeasures against this cowardly method of freezing me using magic imbued inside an arrow?”

Hortis extinguished his light orb and pointed at the surreptitious sorcerer with his left hand.

“Did you think there was only one magic imbued in that arrow?”

From Hortis’ left hand, a glowing thread could be seen leading to the arrow in the old man’s head.  The blue flame instantly disappeared, and the old man’s entire body was instead covered in a thick layer of frost.

With a crack, the old man’s wrist snapped, and the long staff fell to the ground along with his hand.

“The match has been decided.  This old man’s body temperature will be infinitely lowered.  In this state, his movement will be infinitely slowed down, and his magic will be infinitely delayed.”

Hortis slowly landed on the ground and walked towards the statuesque, frozen old man.

“It’s safe to approach now.  There’s no ambushes left.  Shulavis, the collar.”

Shulavis jumped from the trees and threw the collar at the old man’s neck like a frisbee.  The magic-manipulated collar snapped into two before his neck, and then rejoined after wrapping around his neck.

Shulavis walked up to the old man.  Jess and I also approached.  Was she tired from the battle?  Jess’ steps were unsteady.

(Operation success…?)

At my inquiry, Hortis shook his head slowly.

“We still need a mage to touch the old man’s body to complete the seal.”

“Then, Uncle, let me take care-”

Shulavis volunteered, but Hortis stopped him.

“Wait.  This old man seems to have set a curse on his body.  If you touch him, you’ll be cursed.”

…?

“Erm, we can’t seal him without touching him, but if someone touches him, that person will be cursed?”

Jess’ question made Hortis ponder with a hum.

“This has become troublesome.  We’ve been had at the very last moment.”

Hortis folded his arms in frustration.

“If we keep worrying like this, who knows when the old man’s counter-magic will activate and unfreeze him.  We need to deal with this quickly, but…”

Before the assembled group of Nott and the others, Hortis sighed.

“There’s no other choice.  I’ll do it.”

“Uncle!  Please wait.”

“I was the one to take off Celes’ collar.  Although it resulted in entrusting the decision to these children of the Liberation Army, it was none other than I, Hortis, who caused the Wedge of Contracts to be used.  I will take responsibility.”

“But Uncle-”

“We don’t have much time, Shulavis.  If we miss this opportunity, the old man will likely escape, and the sealing will have failed.  You can push the blame onto me for the Wedge of Contracts.  You just have to say that I felt guilty so I sealed this old man with my own life, and I’m sure Elder Brother would accept that.”

“This can’t be…”

Hortis smiled at Jess, who raised her voice.

“History has always been built on top of another’s sacrifices.  With this life that once gave up on the world, if I can die for your sakes, then I’ll be satisfied.”

Jess immediately grabbed the hand that was about to touch the surreptitious sorcerer and stopped it.

“You can’t!”

Without letting go of Hortis’ hand, Jess appealed.

“There should be some other way…  If I did it, maybe I could trigger ecydessa.  Then maybe-”

“Stop that!”

I was taken aback by the terrifying voice.  It was a voice I had never heard from Hortis before.  It was a furious voice.

“…Sorry, I yelled too loudly.  But I can’t let Jess, who has a future, do something like this.  You don’t want to die, right?  You must have a future that you dream of.”

Hearing that, Jess didn’t deny it.

“But… if there’s a possibility that no one will die, I want to try and…”

(Jess, even if that possibility exists, you shouldn’t put your own life at risk.  Withdraw your hands.)

Hortis looked at us and thought about it.

“No… I see.  Maybe there really is a way.”

“What is it?!”  Jess asked Hortis, who seemed to have come up with an idea.

“It’s true that Jess is showing signs of ecydessa, so I’ll have her complete the seal.”

What do you think you’re suggesting?  I stood in front of Jess and threatened Hortis.

(What kind of mess are you talking about?  Weren’t you just telling Jess not to risk her life?  If you want to put Jess’ life at risk, then put your own instead.)

“Calm down, Virgin-kun.  With my magic, I can slow down the progression of the curse, so the chances of success are high.  Besides, in the worst case scenario, I have a last resort ready.  Jess definitely will not die.  Can you trust me?  Let’s end the battle here and now.”

─If Jess looks like she’s going to die, I plan on taking over the curse in the end.

Only the second half was conveyed to me by Hortis using the power of heart.  Jess probably didn’t hear this.

Hortis winked at me, who was shocked.

“Now then, Jess, can you lend me a hand?  This’ll be a safe bet.”

Hortis gently took Jess’ wrist and gestured towards the frost-covered surreptitious sorcerer.

“Do you think it’ll be fine, Mister Pig?”

Before I could answer Jess’ question, Hortis pressed Jess’ hand against the surreptitious sorcerer.

My thoughts couldn’t keep up.  It felt like time was being stretched like candy-making.

There was a pause, and then the collar glowed white.  It happened the same time Jess’ hand was dyed black.

“Okay.”

Hortis gritted his teeth and firmly grasped Jess’ wrist.  The cursed bruise spread quickly on Jess’ hand, but it stopped where Hortis’ hand was grabbing.

“The seal was successful.  The rest is up to Jess.”

I stared worriedly at Jess’ hand, which was densely covered by the black mesh.

(Do you feel like ecydessa will happen?)

“Erm…”

Jess looked at me with a troubled expression.  I had a bad feeling.  I then remembered.

─To be able to bear the curse on behalf of another like this is a miracle of love that surpasses magic and cannot be fulfilled unless she wished for it from the bottom of her heart.

The magic that bears the curse activates because of a strong desire to save someone important to you.  However, there’s no reason for Hortis, a complete stranger, to take over Jess’ curse.

(You tricked me…?)

A smile formed on Hortis’ mouth.  I felt my heart freeze up.  I trusted the wrong person.  At this rate, Jess was going to die.

“No, no, don’t get impulsive, Virgin-kun.  Honestly now, what a detail-attentive Mister Pig.  Once you’re at my level, even if you don’t have strong feelings, you’ll still able to take over the curse.”

“Take over…?”

Jess’ eyes widened in surprise.

“Sorry for keeping it a secret.  If the plan fails, the one who will die in the end won’t be Jess.  It’ll be me.”

Jess squeezed out her voice painfully.

“You can’t.  How could I let a member of the royal family lose their life for someone like me…?”

While gritting his teeth, Hortis spoke.

“If you dream of a happy future, then don’t belittle yourself anymore with words such as ‘someone like me.’  You need only to give it some thought to understand how that makes my master – who risked his life to send you to the capital, your fiancé, and this wholeheartedly in love Virgin-kun, feel.”

It was an admonishing voice that didn’t sound like the pervert who had been sniffing Jess’ thighs until not too long ago.

Hortis faced Jess squarely.

“Resist.  Do everything in your power to resist the curse that wants to take away your loved one’s most precious thing.”

Jess seemed to be painfully exerting her strength towards her hands, but the curse showed no signs of abating.  Minutes that felt like hours passed.

Hortis’ hands were dyed black for an instant.

“I guess she’s near her limits.”

Just as the resigned Hortis was about to put strength into his hands, Jess collapsed.

Shulavis immediately caught her.

I ran to her side.  The bruise on Jess’ hands had already disappeared.