[Snowad MTL]

The Eminence in Shadow 6

First print on October 30, 2023

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[ Author ] Daisuke Aizawa

[ Illustration ] Touzai
[ Publisher ] Kadokawa
[ Localization ] Yen Press, LLC

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 The Eminence in Shadow 6
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 Prologue : "The clandestine ruler of the Midgar
Kingdom... I'm so jealous!"

“It’s over.”
“It’s over, isn’t it…”
Hyoro and Jaga said, leaning over the desk.
Just now, the end-of-year written test at Midgar
Academy had ended.
“Do you want to self-grade?”
I asked.
The hole left by Isaac was big, but we were able to get
through with Nina-senpai’s cheat sheet.
I’m pretty confident this time. I should have been able
to adjust all the subjects just to the point of a failing grade.
“We’re not going to do that.”
“There’s no point in changing the score now. The
practical test is next week.”
“That’s right.”
I didn’t think we would do it either, so I was going to
be in trouble if they said we were going to.
About a month after the mysterious white mist
terrorist incident ended.
It’s now mid-February.
There was some trouble with the knight’s
investigation, but the school has finally settled down.
 But it’s great that terrorist incidents happen
frequently in other worlds.
In my previous life, the only events were hunting
down biker gangs.
Oh, by the way, my sister fell unconscious.
I’m enjoying my freedom without being overwhelmed
by deep sorrow. Zeta said she’ll wake up soon, so it should
be fine.
I wonder what she’s planning to do about her job.
No, before that, she didn’t take the end-of-year test, so
she’s not going to fail... I want her to graduate quickly.
“What are you going to do after this? Practice for the
practical exam…”
“We’re not going to do that.”
“Now that the written test is over, we can play until
the practical test.”
“That’s right.”
“You can’t run away from a win. I’ve got plenty of
money.”
“We have the strongest ally in the Mitsugoshi payment
plan.”
Hyoro flashes a bundle of bills with a vulgar smile, and
Jaga shuffles the cards with a smug face.
“Let’s go to our battlefield.”
“It’s my room, right?”
 “I won’t let you sleep tonight. Please take a shower
first.”
“I’m going to sleep normally.”
I was firmly hugged from both sides.
That’s when I heard Christina’s voice.
“...I’m sorry, Kanade. It's my fault.”
“What should I do from now on…”
In front of Christina, there was a girl I seemed to
recognize.
“I can’t believe... Lady Eliza was acquitted…”
The girl burst into tears.
I remember. She’s the girl I saved in the fog.
“Come on, let’s go.”
“You’re scared, aren't you?”
“Okay, let’s go.”
But it’s wonderful that she got acquitted with that. The
power of a great noble is wonderful.
With that in mind, I left the classroom.
I lay down on a bed of bills and mumble.
“An overwhelming victory feels empty…”
Hyoro and Jaga made their exit before the date
changed. The game became a task halfway through, and I
kept rolling up money calmly.
What remains after the heat has gone is endless
emptiness...
 “Hehehe... It’s like a strong man.”
I got up from the bed and collected the bills that I had
scattered for the production.
The total is 2 million Zeni.
Thank you, Hyoro and Jaga, and the Mitsugoshi
payment plan.
“Is this Mitsugoshi’s limited design playing card? It
seems to be quite expensive, but... it’s in bad taste.”
It seems the theme is horror.
I’ll sell it.
Well, it’s still too early to sleep, so let’s do some
training.
Thinking that, I started to knead my magic power, and
I found a shining card next to the bed.
“Hmm, what’s this...?”
It’s a luxurious card that shines in gold.
On the front, it says “Royal Mitsugoshi High-class Bar
Membership Card” in beautifully decorated letters.
On the back, it says “Member Number 001 Cid
Kageno”.
“I remember. Gamma gave me a membership card
saying that Mitsugoshi Company was starting a high-class
members-only bar.”
I ignored it, thinking that they were planning to rip
me off with the knowledge they stole from me.
 “A high-class bar, huh…”
I glanced at the stack of bills.
There’s a bit of longing for the secret conversations in
calm bars that sometimes appear in spy movies.
“They might give me a friend’s discount…”
At worst, I can just run away.
Alright, let’s go.
Speaking of spies, it’s suits. The suit I used when I was
John Smith is worn out, so I’ll use the one I got from Alpha,
made by Mitsugoshi.
I polish my shoes, part my hair lightly in the middle...
and I head out to the night city in style.
“Is this the place…?”
Surprisingly, the high-class members-only bar was
underground in a narrow alley.
The calm door is engraved with the Mitsugoshi brand
logo and delicate carvings.
It’s a so-called hidden bar.
I entered the bar with a bit of nervousness. The shop
was a calm space illuminated by indirect lighting. Many
pendant lights with subdued brightness were shining like
stars on the bar counter.
The floor is made of wolf stone and the table is made of
a single board of Yggdrasil tree.
 Just the things that caught my eye are worth hundreds
of millions of Zeni. I calculated the risk and return in case
of theft as a reflex.
“...Customer.”
“Oh, yes.”
I must have looked silly because I was thinking about
something guilty.
”I have a membership card.”
As I was about to pull the golden card out of my
pocket, the female staff shook her head.
“Cid Kageno is a face pass. Welcome to our shop. We
also have a VIP room in the back…”
She directed her beautiful odd eyes to the seats in the
back.
“No, I'll take the counter.”
I hesitated for a moment, but after all, when it comes
to spies, it’s the counter.
“Understood. I will guide you.”
“Excuse me... Have we met somewhere?”
When I called out to her with her back turned, she
turned around with a surprised face.
She has odd eyes of gold and silver, and she’s a half-elf
with black hair.
“I met you at Mitsugoshi Company before.”
“Oh, I think you were next to Gamma.”
 “It’s an honor to be remembered. My name is Omega.
This way, please.”
I was led by Omega and sat at the counter.
I recognize the bartender too. A blonde short-haired
elf in men’s clothing.
“Did we meet at Mitsugoshi Company too?”
“It’s an honor. My name is Chi.”
“I’m Cid Kageno.”
“Of course, I know.”
Chi gives a calm bow, but for some reason, her
fingertips are trembling slightly.
Maybe she doesn’t have much experience as a
bartender. I wonder if it’s okay for a high-class shop.
“The order is…”
What I want to order is decided. The mood is that of a
certain spy movie agent.
“...Vodka Martini.”
I said in a resonant bass voice.
“Shaken, not stirred.”
It’s important to have a dignified attitude like a
seasoned veteran at times like this.
You can’t let them know it’s your first time in a place
like this. On the contrary, you should put silent pressure on
them as if you were testing them.
“Shaken Vodka Martini, got it.”
 Chi’s expression tightens.
She takes a deep breath and makes a cocktail with her
trembling hands.
Maybe that trembling hand is necessary for making
cocktails.
I was curious and watched, and her hand trembled
more and more.
“I see…”
I’m not familiar with cocktails, so it was a learning
experience.
A skilled bartender needs a trembling fingertip.
Thinking that far, I suddenly realized.
Did vodka even exist in this world in the first place?
“...That’s strange.”
Chi’s shoulders twitched.
No, it’s not about you.
It’s strange that vodka exists in this world in the first
place.
Why... and there’s no need to think about it. The
answer is decided.
 “So you drink Vodka Martini, huh.”
I was spoken to from behind.
A beautiful voice, as clear as a ringing bell. I recognize
it without having to turn around.
“...Alpha?”
“It’s been a while.”
“Yeah.”
When I met her after a long time, she seemed a bit
more mature.
Beautiful golden hair with blue eyes. The simple dress
suits the bar’s atmosphere perfectly.
“You didn’t like strong drinks, did you?”
“Did I say that?”
“No, but you never seemed to enjoy drinking.”
Sharp.
I don’t really understand the taste of alcohol in
general. I only drink because it seems cool.
“It’s not that I dislike it.”
“Right. You don’t like it.”
Alpha smiled slightly.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, here’s your Vodka

Martini.”
Chi placed a cocktail in front of me with a trembling
hand.
 The tremor is even sharper. What an incredible
professional skill.
“I’ll have a Manhattan.”
“...Understood.”
The Manhattan that Alpha ordered should be a
whiskey-based cocktail.
But there’s no way whiskey exists in this world.
“Has the whiskey been completed?”
I pretended to know and tried to test her.
“It’s finally done. It’s not on the market yet, but it
should be sold at a high price. The aristocrat of the Vegalta
Empire who tasted it valued the bottle at 2 million Zeni.”
“Is that so…”
As expected, they were doing it.
I shouldn’t have shown off my knowledge about
distilled spirits.
“It’s thanks to your knowledge.”
“Indeed…”
That’s absolutely true.
I drank the Vodka Martini in one gulp out of
desperation.
“...How does it taste?”
“It’s okay.”
It just tasted like alcohol.
“Hehe…”
 Alpha smiled faintly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m just happy.”
“What are you happy about?”
“That suit. You finally wore it.”
“Huh, right.”
“I ordered it. The material is black silk.”
“Oh…”
The black silk comes from a silkworm that is far
larger, more ferocious, and more poisonous than the
silkworms of my previous life. Its silk is a high-grade
material that can only be procured by skilled hunters.
“I’ll let you off the hook for the promise you forgot.”
Saying that, Alpha gazed at me in my suit with a happy
look.
I had no idea what promise I had forgotten.
“...Sorry to keep you waiting, here’s your Manhattan.”
“Thanks.”
Alpha seemed to be in a good mood today.
She took a sip of the Manhattan and nodded.
“It would be better if it was aged a bit more, but it's not
bad.”
Alpha put the glass down and looked at me.
“It’s unusual for you, who dislikes alcohol, to come to
a bar. Did something happen?”
 “Hm? Not really... I found my membership card in my
room.”
“You’re worried about eavesdropping? Don’t worry,
you can talk about anything in this place. There are only
related people here.”
Her atmosphere became serious. This means she’s
willing to play the spy game with me.
“I see...what happened to that mission?”
“...That mission, huh.”
She said with a serious face.
“The situation in the Oriana Kingdom has been
reported as it was.”
“Ah, I read that in three seconds while completing the
mission.”
A large number of reports from Shadow Garden arrive
regularly.
They are all written in ancient characters that I don’t
understand, so I dispose of them by burning them as soon
as they arrive.
“Three seconds...are you speeding up your brain
processing speed?”
“Heh…”
I silently put my mouth to the glass.
“You still can't talk about that technology, can you? I
understand that it requires advanced skills. The burden on
the brain and the risks when it fails...indeed, we can't
handle it yet. But we are faithfully following your guidance
and continuing to train. Please teach us when the time
comes.”
"...I'm counting on you."
"I won't let you down. Absolutely...!"
"So, what about that mission?"
"The plan is going smoothly. Rose Oriana has decided
to fight as a queen."
"Everything is going according to the original plan."
"From the moment you first made contact with her,
you could see this outcome. I was jealous because you
seemed to care about her a lot."
Alpha said in a joking tone.
"She's a necessary piece for the plan."
"...I understand. It's necessary to drag them onto the
stage."
"The stage?"
"What's wrong?"
"No, nothing. I was just reconsidering things from
various perspectives, and considering the worst
possibilities that could occur in the near future."
"You really can see all the possibilities, can't you? But,
could you also pay a little more attention to us...no,
nevermind."
 Alpha started to say something, but then stopped.
"You haven't changed since the old days. You've always
been chasing a big dream. That dream is too big for us to
grasp even a fraction of it...but the preparations are finally
coming together, right?"
"If you look far ahead, it's still just a small step."
"I know. The Oriana Kingdom is progressing with
reform by incorporating Shadow Garden's capital and
technology. Leave this matter to me. It's going smoothly for
now."
"I see. If it's going smoothly, that's good."
"Oh, and, I've changed the code of the ancient
characters."
Alpha handed me several pieces of paper. The
incomprehensible codes were densely written, and I
couldn't help but frown.
"Was the code deciphering table too easy for you?"
"Hmm..."
I can't, my eyes are getting blurry.
"...Order a glass of apple juice."
I put the paper in my pocket and said,
"Eh? Ah, yes, apple juice it is."
Kai looked surprised.
"Continuing with the story, about the incident at
Midgar Academy. I received a report from Zeta. Finally."
 Alpha said with a sigh.
"She's always late. You should say something to her
too."
"She has her own way of doing things."
"You spoil her too much. But it's also true that we were
able to annihilate the Fenrir faction thanks to her."
"The Fenrir faction?"
"It seems she had investigated everything from the
hidden hideout to the escape route beforehand. After you
defeated Fenrir, they were annihilated in less than half a
day. She's too efficient."
"I see."
It's about that terrorist.
"This time we had the incident in the Oriana Kingdom,
so we had fewer people we could move. Zeta, 559, and a few
Numbers, just these people were able to annihilate the
Fenrir faction in half a day. I can't believe it. Since it's her,
there might be something she hasn't reported."
Alpha let out another big sigh.
"You should tell her too. To report properly. And not
to overdo it."
"Hmm."
"Absolutely."
"Hmm..."
"Sorry to keep you waiting, here's your apple juice."
 "Hmm!"
Delicious.
They're using good apples.
"Speaking of the terrorist incident, I remembered
something..."
I remembered what Christina-san had talked about in
class today.
"There's a student council vice president named Eliza
at our school, and she assaulted students and did various
things in the confusion of the incident."
"Eliza...Ah, that major aristocrat."
"Yes, it seems that the knight's order is investigating
the incident caused by Vice President Eliza, but she seems
to be getting acquitted."
"Do you want her to be found guilty? If you wish..."
"No, it's not like that. Whether she's guilty or not is
irrelevant to me. But, even though there's testimony and
evidence, to be acquitted is just..."
I'm envious.
–
"That's right... Just as you say, the corruption in the
Kingdom of Midgar is severe. Given the size of the country,
the roots may be deeper than in the Oriana Kingdom.
Marquis Brad Dakuaikan, the father of Eliza Dakuaikan, is
the leader of a faction that can be considered a symbol of
corruption."
"Hmm."
"The faction is called the "Thirteen Night Swords".
They are, as their name suggests, a secret society composed
of thirteen influential people in the Midgar Kingdom. They
are also known as the shadow rulers of the Midgar
Kingdom, and have deep ties with the Diabolos Cult and
other criminal organizations. Eliza Dakuaikan is acquitted
because of Brad Dakuaikan's instructions."
"Shadow rulers, huh."
"The man who was probably directly involved in the
handling of the incident is Count Goethe Moono. He is the
last seat of the "Thirteen Night Swords", Brad Dakuaikan's
confidant, and the ace of the prosecution. Crimes
committed by nobles are handled under his jurisdiction. I
suppose it will be dismissed this time without conclusive
evidence."
Alpha showed me a sketch and a written profile.
So this is Goethe Moono. He has a rather evil face. I
also look at the resumes of the other twelve.
"Witnesses, testimonies, and evidence are all in
place?"
"It's always like that. No matter what the case, it gets
covered up when it comes to him."
 "Ho?"
"Not only Goethe Moono. The other "Thirteen Night
Swords" also monopolize power and corrupt the Midgar
Kingdom. No one can intervene because of their
connection with the church, so they continue to grow."
"The "Thirteen Night Swords"... I'm jealous... they're
bad guys."
"I plan to deal with them eventually, but right now I'm
full with the reform of the Oriana Kingdom. I intend to let
them swim for a while."
"I see..."
This is a great nobleman from another world.
Shadow rulers who are acquitted no matter how much
evil they do.
"...I've got a good idea. Thank you, Alpha."
I finish my apple juice and stand up.
"You look like you're having fun. What are you going
to do?"
"...You'll find out eventually."
"I see. Contact me again if something comes up."
Alpha's figure disappeared into the mist.
Impressive.
That's quite a cool exit.
"Put it on my tab."
 Leaving those words behind, I disappeared into the
darkness of the night.
Count Goethe Moono looked up suddenly and looked
out the window.
The night cityscape of the Midgar Kingdom was
illuminated by street lights. He felt like he was being
watched...
"Is it my imagination?"
He muttered and returned to his paperwork.
The fireplace crackled as the pen moved over the
documents, bringing some noise to the quiet night.
He put down his pen and took a sip of his cold coffee.
"Cold and yet, this fragrance. This is indeed the
highest quality beans from Mitsugoshi."
He nodded in satisfaction several times, then turned
his eyes to the documents on the table.
They were a summary of the flow of the Eliza
Dakuaikan incident, the cost of the cover-up operation, and
the people to be bribed and eliminated.
It seems that we can get her acquitted this time too,
but it wasn't an easy job.
There were too many witnesses.
In particular, it was painful to be witnessed by Alexia
Midgar, a member of the royal family, and Christina Hope,
a great nobleman’s daughter.
 How much debt did we have to create to overturn the
testimony of those two?
Goethe stood up and stared out the window. The face
of a middle-aged man, resembling a tired frog, was
reflected in the window glass.
"I will make you pay the appropriate price, Lord
Dakuaikan."
Indeed, this time it was tough.
There are still people to be dealt with.
There's a lower-class noble witness named Kanade, but
if left alone, she will eventually become a nuisance.
But Goethe's specialty is paperwork and adjusting
interest relationships. Leaving the rough work to the other
"Thirteen Night Swords" would work out better.
"Well, it's fine. I'm getting tired of being at the bottom
rank of the Night Swords. They should prepare a suitable
position for me."
Goethe is still in his thirties, despite his appearance.
He joined the "Thirteen Night Swords" to succeed his
late father, but being young, he was given tedious tasks.
There were many mysteries about his father's death. It
was treated as an accident, but Goethe hasn't forgotten the
stab wound on his back.
"...The truth is in the darkness. That's okay."
 Eliza's case, and my father's case, the essence is the
same. If you try to uncover the darkness, you will know
firsthand what will happen.
Goethe moved away from the window and rang the
bell on the table to call a servant. If he puts a seal on the
documents and sends them to Marquis Dakuaikan...
"...Hmm?"
He felt a gaze and looked up.
It was his usual familiar workroom. There should have
been no one else there.
But, there was a clown.
Before he knew it, it was sitting on the sofa.
Illuminated by the light of the fireplace, the
blood-soaked clown was quietly looking at Goethe.
"Wh... what the...! How long have you been there!?"
Goethe rang the bell in haste.
"Someone!! Get him out of here quickly!!"
The high-pitched bell echoed in the quiet night.
"Hey, isn't anyone there?!"
Only Goethe's angry voice and the sound of the bell
echoed in vain.
The blood-soaked clown just stared at the panicked
Goethe without moving.
"Hey... isn't anyone there!?"
It's strange.
 More than enough time has passed since he first rang
the bell. Usually, the guards would come right away.
It was a quiet night.
No... it was too quiet a night.
"...Could it be..."
The bell slipped out of Goethe's hand and fell to the
floor.
The clown slowly stood up.
The blood dripping from its hand was still fresh.
The sound of its footsteps was strange. Blood
footprints were left on the expensive rug.
"Could it be... you... the people in the mansion... Ah..."
The blood-soaked clown didn't answer. With a
crescent-shaped smile stuck to its mask, it just stared at
Goethe.
"Hee..."
With a small scream, Goethe backed away.
The clown closed the distance with a splashing sound.
"Wh... who are you, why... Do you think you can get
away with laying a hand on me?!"
The clown didn't answer.
As if mocking Goethe's bluff, the clown slowly closed
the distance with a splashing sound.
Suddenly, the image of his father's dead face came
back to Goethe's mind.
 "Could it be... could it be... you're trying to get rid of
me!? You... you're going to cut me off, the "Thirteen Night
Swords"... after all I've contributed to the organization...!!"
The clown stopped with a splat...
The footsteps stopped.
The blood-soaked clown was looking down at Goethe
with a smile from behind its mask.
"Could it be... like my father... me..."
The clown's footsteps started again with a splat..
They were clearly getting faster. At a fast pace, within
reach...
"Hee... don't come, don't come aaaaah!!"
Goethe threw his coffee cup.
The cup hit the clown's mask and broke, spilling black
liquid.
Goethe turned around and ran.
His grades at the Magic Sword Academy had been
excellent. His body was fat and sluggish, but he could move
much faster than ordinary people.
In an instant, Goethe reached the door of the room
and opened it with a force.
If he runs straight to the Knights...
He can escape... It was the moment he held out hope.
"Hic... aaaaaah!"
 However, Goethe was pushed down by the existence
on the other side of the door.
"What are you doing, get out of the way!"
He struggled desperately and crawled out.
Then he noticed the blood that was stuck to his body
and knew what it was that had pushed him down.
"You guys are... security... ah..."
It was the dead body of a guard.
Although his behavior was bad, he had hired magic
swordsmen with exceptional skills for a lot of money.
They had been brutally killed.
"Hee... aaaaaaaaaah!"
Goethe kicked the body and crawled out.
The clown's footsteps stopped,with a splat, right next
to his ear.
"Ah..."
When he looked up, the clown's mask was looking
down at him.
"Ah, ah... ah..."
In his hand, the clown held a single playing card.
"Stop... ah..."
With a crush, the playing card pierced Goethe's
forehead.
 Goethe opened his eyes wide as if he had seen
something unbelievable, and touched the card sticking out
of his forehead.
"Ah..."

He slowly fell backwards.

Looking down at the blood spreading on the floor, the
clown muttered.
"One down..."
His voice echoed in the quiet night.
 Chapter 1 : “Jack the Ripper” Makes an Entrance

Christina greeted the morning at the Hope family villa

in the royal city of Midgar.
Whether she sleeps in the dormitory or at the villa
depends on her mood that day. But recently, she has been
sleeping mostly at the villa.
It's not a matter of mood. It's for self-defense.
"Morning already..."
Christina noticed the morning sun spilling through
the gap in the curtains and looked up.
There's a faint shadow under her eyes. It seems she
was engrossed in organizing the case materials.
Christina put her pen on the desk and stretched
herself out.
Then she picked up the materials and sighed.
"It's gonna be tough to prove guilt..."
The materials summarized the case and testimonies,
but it seems likely that Eliza's crime will be treated as an
accident.
Still teenagers, the students were caught up in a
life-threatening terrorist incident and lost their calm under
the stress, leading to a tragic accident.
That seems to be the story.
 "The concealment and fabrication of evidence is the
work of Count Goethe Moono. I didn't realize the influence
of the "Thirteen Night Swords" was this great."
They're good at fabricating and hiding evidence, and
they wouldn't hesitate to commit murder if necessary.
In fact, Christina feels an ominous presence around
her. That's why she started sleeping at the villa.
"Corruption is progressing. I can't do anything with
my power alone. Even if I used the power of the Hope
family..."
Her father was not enthusiastic about this case. He
said, "What's the point of helping the daughter of a lower
noble?"
Everyone turns a blind eye to corruption.
The tyranny of the Thirteen Night Swords is allowed
because they have power.
"My power... is not enough."
Authority, military power, financial power,
organizational power... If you have power, anything you do
is allowed. That was the reality of this country.
"What's the point of helping the daughter of a lower
noble..."
Nothing.
The world doesn't change.
 As a noble, she could understand that her father's
words were correct.
However, that doesn't mean her feelings are satisfied.
The feeling of powerlessness that she can't even blame
someone who is openly committing evil deeds.
And the disappointment in herself for not being able
to even reach out to a girl seeking help.
Christina didn't know how to handle these feelings.
If she had power, could she cut off evil?
For example... Yes, like Shadow.
Christina imagined. The sight of him mowing down
the Thirteen Night Swords with that overwhelming power.
Cutting off evil, helping the weak, protecting the country.
Christina self-mocked up to that point.
"...Let's stop."
It was just making her miserable.
She let out a big breath and relaxed her tired eyes.
Trying to change her mood, Christina put away the
materials related to Eliza and the Night Sword in the
drawer. Then she took out another set of materials.
"Shadow... and Shadow Garden..."
The material Christina took out was about Shadow
Garden, which she had researched on her own.
"Shadow Garden activity is believed to have started
more than a year ago, but details are unknown. Shadow is
believed to have been the top of the organization from that
time, but... this is also unknown. Everything is unknown."
She flips through the materials.
There were a lot of scrap warrants and articles pasted
on them.
"The collection of articles from the northern part of
the kingdom is bad. Even though Shadow's activities are
confirmed there. There are still few portraits, and the
quality is bad."
While muttering complaints, Christina's complexion
improves as she looks at the materials.
"He is carrying a great mission. For that, he walked a
bloody path and couldn't stay in the world where the sun
shines... but they cut off evil. Unlike me..."
And she mocks herself again.
Suddenly,the door to her room was knocked on.
"I'm coming in."
A middle-aged man enters the room.
Christina demonstrated her full power as a magic
swordsman and shoved the materials into the drawer with
overwhelming speed.
"Father... good morning."
"You look sleep-deprived, Christina."
"No, just a little thinking. Do you need anything?"
 "I think you know, but don't do anything to anger the
Thirteen Night Swords. If you oppose them, it will be
troublesome."
"..."
Christina silently nodded slightly. It was at least a
resistance.
"It's going to get busy. If you do something
unnecessarily, we don't know what will happen to the Hope
family."
"Father, what do you mean by 'it's going to get busy'?"
"Ah, didn't I mention it?"
Her father sighed and said.
"Goethe Moono is dead."
"What..."
"All the nobles are in an uproar. The Night Swords
seem to be murderous. The royal city is going to get rough."
As Christina saw her father's back off, she hurriedly
changed her clothes and headed for the crime scene.
Alexia was walking down the hallway of the Moono
residence.
"There are blood footprints here too..."
Red-black footprints continued on the carpet.
"Princess Alexia, please don't touch it. We still have
evidence to..."
"I know that."
 Alexia glared at the knight in charge.
"Princess Alexia!!"
When Alexia was called, she turned around.
"Christina."
It was Christina, whom she had met at the incident.
"I heard that Count Goethe Moono is dead... What
happened?"
She said, catching her breath.
"He seems to have been murdered by someone. The
Knights are currently investigating the scene."
"I see..."
"We can't enter the crime scene yet, so we're looking in
the hallway."
"The hallway?"
"Yes. Don't you think these footprints are strange?"
Alexia pointed to the bloody footprints leading down
the hallway.
"The footprints are clearly marked."
"That's strange too, but what's even stranger is that the
perpetrator is not in a hurry at all. Despite having killed
several people, he was just walking normally."
Alexia began to walk at the same pace as the blood
footprints.
"Rather, it seems like he was walking slowly."
 "That's strange, right? Normally, he'd want to get out
of there quickly. He's not sane."
"Maybe he was confident he wouldn't get caught."
"...You may not be wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"Count Goethe Moono was silenced by the 'Thirteen
Night Swords'."
"That's...!"
"He stood out too much in this incident. It's not
surprising that he was disposed of."
"But why this timing..."
"That's what's puzzling..."
When her thoughts were stuck at that moment, the
knight in charge stopped Alexia.
"Princess Alexia, we have permission to enter the
scene."
"Shall we go?"
"Yes."
Alexia and the others were guided by the person in
charge of the Knights.
"I'm Gray, the head of the Investigation Department of
the Knights, in charge of this scene. Please, do not touch or
move the bodies."
"I know."
 "I'll go back to work. Let me know if you need
anything."
"Yes."
What she felt upon entering the room was a strong
smell of blood.
Of course.
There were multiple bodies left in front of the door,
and beyond that, Count Goethe Moono was lying on his
back, bleeding from his head.
"The cause of death is a blow to the head. But the
weapon is unusual..."
Alexia squatted down next to the body and said.
The Knights were still working hurriedly around
them.
In the entrance of the room, Christina stood in a daze.
"Christina, what's wrong? You can come in."
"Huh? Oh, yes."
Christina came in hurriedly as if she had come back to
her senses.
"If you're feeling sick, you should go home."
"No, I'm fine. The thing stuck in the corpse's head is...
a playing card, right? It has an unusual design."
Christina tilted her head and said.
"It's a high-end playing card made by Mitsugoshi
Company. Probably a limited edition product."
 "We may be able to identify the purchaser."
"I wonder. If it's as big as Mitsugoshi Company, even
limited edition products are sold in the thousands."
"It will take time... The Ace of Spades, right?"
Looking down at Count Goethe, Christina muttered.
With his eyes wide open and a stunned expression, the
count had met his end.
The card lodged in his head was the Ace of Spades.

The picture of the skeleton knight seemed to imply his

death.
"Why would they use a card... Count Goethe was an
excellent student at the Magic Swordsman School. To split
the forehead of an excellent magic swordsman with just a
paper card would require considerable magic power."
"Normally, the magic conductivity of paper is less
than 10%. It's incomparable to Mithril. To suppress
resistance, advanced magic control techniques are also
necessary. Why would they go to such lengths?"
"I don't know. But we can narrow down the profile of
the culprit. They possess a large amount of magic power
and are capable of advanced magic control."
"In that case, this may not be a simple murder.
Normally, people don't go out of their way to use cards."
"They would use a more efficient method."
 "There seems to be some kind of intention. Between
the cards and the footprints, there are many mysteries. It
could be some sort of coded message that only those
involved would understand."
"Making an example, holding a grudge, some kind of
message... It's possible."
In front of the corpse, the two pondered for a while.
The silence was broken by the voice of the Knights.
"There's a witness!? Is it true?"
The person in charge of the Knights at the scene, Gray,
spoke.
"Yes. Apparently some of the servants were just
unconscious. Some of the people who woke up witnessed
the culprit."
"And the profile of the culprit?"
Alexia and Christina also listened to the conversation.
"It seems... It was a bloody clown."
"A clown?"
"A bloody clown suddenly appeared in front of them,
and the next moment everything went dark. By the time
they realized it, it was morning. Because all the witnesses
are giving the same testimony, we believe it's accurate."
"...So they don't know the face?"
"Yes. It was hidden by the clown's mask. They said he
seemed tall, but that could be due to the costume."
 "Any other information?"
"No... We're still conducting inquiries in the area, but
no other witnesses have been found yet."
"Keep the inquiries going. If they were dressed as a
clown, they should stand out. What a joke."
Gray sent off his subordinates with a sigh.
"A clown costume, and a card as a weapon. It's a
mysterious case."
"Oh, it's Princess Alexia. Eavesdropping is bad
manners."
Gray frowned.
"I think the culprit has some kind of intention and left
a message. What do you think, Chief Gray?"
"Princess Alexia, there's no need to think so hard. This
is a simple case."
"Simple?"
"The culprit is a rich person who holds a grudge
against Count Goethe. They hired a skilled assassin, who
happened to be a crazy murderer. That's all. Amateurs tend
to overcomplicate things, but human motivations are
always simple. The kind of culprit who leaves a message
only exists in Natsume's novels. Perhaps you like them too,
Princess Alexia? The Charlock Holmes series by Natsume."
"No, I..."
 "They're interesting, aren't they? I have the whole
collection. But that's just a novel. In reality..."
"That's why I don't like Charlock Holmes! Why would I
like that woman's work!"
"Oh, perhaps Princess Alexia is a fan of Detective
Catnan, who turned into a kitten due to drugs..."
"That's not it! I'm just worried that there might be
something behind this case!!"
"I see. Then you don't need to worry. As I said earlier,
the profile of the culprit is already clear. A rich person who
holds a grudge against Count Goethe... for example, Miss
Christina."
Chief Gray said with a confident smile.
"That's not true, I'm not the one!"
"You seem upset. By the way, I'm not the only one who
suspects you."
"What do you mean?"
"You'd understand if I said 'those people'."
"The Night Swords...?!"
"Well, I have to get back to work. I need to gather
evidence to catch the culprit."
Chief Gray turned his back and delivered his
catchphrase.
"The truth is always singular... Natsume's works are
interesting, you should definitely read them."
 With a loud laugh, Chief Gray disappeared.
"It's true that the person who would be most benefited
by the death of Count Goethe Moono would be Christina."
"That's not true, I'm not the one!"
"Of course I know. But that's how it looks to the public.
You should be careful."
"You'll be targeted by the Night Swords."
"I wish I could have helped you a little more... but it's
not well regarded for the royal family to interfere in
justice."
"No, I fully understand your circumstances. Just being
able to provide advantageous testimony is enough."
"I'm sorry."
"The fact that Count Goethe's death is beneficial to me
is undeniable truth. I intend to think carefully and act
accordingly."
"You might be able to advance the trial in your favor."
Christina nodded.
"Princess Alexia, there's something I want you to look
at."
"What is it?"
Led by Christina, Alexia moved to Count Goethe's
desk.
"There are traces of coffee spilled on the desk."
 "Yes. The cup is broken and scattered. It's normal for
the contents to spill onto the desk."
"The problem is the shape. It's a beautiful rectangular
mark."
"I see! There was something placed here. Like a
document..."
"Coffee spilled onto the document, someone took it
away, and the coffee mark left behind was cut out in a
rectangular shape. That's the natural assumption."
"Nothing from the scene should have been moved."
"Then it's either the culprit or the Knights."
Keeping her voice low, Christina said. Alexia's face
hardened.
"It might be dangerous to trust the Knights. Let's be
careful."
"Yes. You too, Princess Alexia."
The two stood at the scene for a while and then parted.
After school that day.
Christina was waiting for Kanade in the classroom of
Midgar Academy to talk about the case.
Kanade was the girl who had exposed Eliza's misdeeds
in the white mist. Naturally, she had made enemies and was
being targeted by the Night Sword.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Christina."
Kanade was cautious and seemed frightened.
 There were still a few students left in the classroom
preparing to go home, but it was conceivable that the Dark
Eye faction could resort to extreme measures.
"Kanade, have you heard about the incident this
morning?"
"Yes, of course. I can't believe Count Goethe Moono
ended up like that..."
"This changes the situation. For better or worse."
"For worse?"
"Yes. You will be targeted. There's no doubt."
"...?!"
Kanade's face turned pale.
"You were safe until now because the Dark Eye faction
had room to maneuver. They didn't need to take the risk.
But with the death of Count Goethe, the situation has
changed."
"They're at a disadvantage... is that what you mean?"
"Yes. They can't afford to be fussy. Of course, I might
be targeted too. So, I have a proposal for you, Kanade..."
Christina was about to say something, when...
"Uwah!? What is this!!"
A pitiful voice of a male student echoed in the
classroom.
"...What happened?"
Christina called out to the screaming male student.
 There were only Christina, Kanade, and the male
student who had just screamed left in the classroom.
"Christina...!"
The black-haired boy turned around in a panic.
He was holding something like a document in his
hand.
"You're the younger brother of Claire Kagenou... Cid
Kagenou, right?"
Christina called his name as if squeezing it out of her
memory.
He was an ordinary male student, so she barely
remembered him.
"Yes, look at this. I found this lying around."
"What is it..."
The document was dirty and stained.
There were two types of stains. Black stains, and dark
red stains.
From the black stains, a faint smell of coffee, and from
the dark red stains... the smell of blood.
"This is..."
The moment she held the document, Christina's face
tensed.

Contained within were the intricacies of the Eliza

Duckuikan affair, the expenses incurred in the cover-up,
and implications of vested interests with the parties
involved.
Undoubtedly, these were the documents that should
have been lost at the scene of Count Goethe's murder.
Christina hastily ensured that no one else was present.
"Cid, where did you find this?" she asked, suppressing
her voice.
"Well, it was sticking out from that shelf over there... I
thought someone might have forgotten it," he responded.
The shelf was one prepared in the classroom.
Allocated to each student, the one Cid pointed to was
Christina's.
"In my shelf...!?"
"Oh, it was your shelf, Christina. I'm sorry, I shouldn't
have..."
"No, it's a good thing you noticed," Christina
reassured.
"Right. It's good you didn't forget."
"Cid, did you look at its content?"
"Erm... Yes, I did, but only for a moment..."
"I see... So, you saw it." Christina's voice dropped.
"Wait, was it a document I shouldn't have seen?"
"Yes, it's something you shouldn't have seen."
"I only saw it for an instant, it's almost as if I didn't
look at it at all. So, I'll be leaving now..."
 "Hold on!"
Christina swiftly grabbed Cid by the collar as he tried
to leave unexpectedly.
"Unfortunately, I can't let you go."
"Oh... That's rather high-handed." Cid sounded
decidedly bored.
"I'm telling you this for your own good. You wouldn't
want to be beheaded in your sleep, would you?"
"Wait, are you planning to behead me?"
"I'm not going to do it. However, you never know
who's watching. They'll undoubtedly come after you if they
find out you've seen this."
"Who are they? I don't really understand, but I think
it's wrong to leave such a document in a classroom shelf."
"I didn't put it there."
"Huh?"
"I have no recollection of putting such a document in
the shelf."
"Then who did...?"
"Someone who wanted me to see these documents."
An ineffable sense of quiet anxiety began chilling the
atmosphere.
Someone had taken an important document from the
murder scene and deliberately placed it in Christina's shelf
at school.
 Perhaps, even at this moment, they were nearby,
watching.
It wasn't exactly a dire situation, but not knowing
their motives or identity made the situation eerie.
"Hey, there's something written here."
Cid suddenly said.
"What do you mean by 'something'..."
From where Cid was standing, he should have only
been able to see the back of the document.
"The back of the document has a dark red stain... If
you look closely, don't you think it looks like writing?"
"What is this...?!"
When she flipped the document over, as he suggested,
there was indeed writing in blood.
It was blurred with blood, making it difficult to
decipher.
"Jack the Ripper. Is this a name?"
"Could be the name of the person who put the
document in your shelf, Christina."
"Who on earth... Why would they give me this
document?"
Christina swallowed, deep in thought.
"Well, it's about time I left then."
"Hold on!"
Once again, she caught him as he tried to escape.
 "My sister is unconscious and I'm worried, I can't sleep
at night and I want to nurse her as soon as possible so..."
"I know about your sister. However, for your safety, I
can't let you go."
"I can protect myself."
"If I recall correctly, you’re one of the worst students
here. I'm saying this for your sake."
"No matter how you say it..."
Ignoring Cid, Christina turned around.
"And from today, Kanade can't go home either."
"Eh, me too?"
Kanade exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes. This was something I was planning to suggest
from the start, but from today, you two will live in the Hope
family's annex."
"Eh-"
"That's great, now I can feel relieved."
The reactions were mixed.
"This can't be helped, it's for your safety. We can
provide security at the Hope's family annex."
"Eh-"
"Thank you, Christina."
"Well then, let's pack our stuff and head to the annex."
And so, the three of them began their shared life.
When I kill people I have a few loosely followed rules.
 One of them is, I try not to kill people who would be
pitied if killed.
And another rule is, it's generally okay to kill the bad
guys.
"Yep, no problems there."
I am living within my rules today. That's a check mark.
"There were various unexpected things."
As a result, I am now in Christina's living room.
"Cid, why don't you have some too? It's super
premium coffee from Mitsugoshi, you might not get to
drink it again in your lifetime, you should drink a lifetime's
worth now!"
Where did the fear from the classroom go, Kanade,
the poor nobleman, was grandly drinking her coffee. She
was a normal, cute girl with short, black hair and black
eyes.
"You can drink my share too."
Gamma keeps sending me more than I can consume.
"Eh, really!? I love you, Cid!"
Having received a rather light declaration of love, I
sighed deeply while sinking into the sofa.
I never thought I would end up staying at Christina's
house.
 As a mob, I wondered if this was a good idea... But
Kanade, who was about to drink a lifetime's worth of coffee,
was a perfect example of a mob, so it was probably okay.
"Yep, no problems there."
It seems I am leading a life without issues today as
well.
"Cid, can I have the chocolates too?"
"No, you can't have the chocolates."
"Eh- stingy. I hate you, Cid."
I swiftly rescued my share of the chocolates from
Kanade's hands.
These are newly launched, high-end matcha truffles.
Gamma sent me a prototype last month. I heard it was sold
out for the next year, it's impressive that she managed to get
her hands on it.
Is this the power of a grand noble... I'm indeed
envious.
"This sofa is also from the high-end furniture brand of
Mitsugoshi... The chandelier, rug, tableware are all from
the high-end line of Mitsugoshi..."
She's such a Mitsugoshi maniac. Or rather, how wide
is Mitsugoshi Company's range of business?
As I popped a matcha truffle into my mouth, there was
a knock on the door of the living room.
"I'm coming in."
 It's Christina.
"Thank you for inviting us!"
Kanade, with her incredible ability to switch gears
quickly, bowed deeply.
"You don't have to be so formal. The rooms are ready,
let me show you."
Christina led us down the hallway with an air of
familiarity. We then ascended a spiral staircase and stopped
in front of a pair of double doors. Two guards stood in front
of the door.
"This is the room."
As she opened the door, a spacious bedroom was
revealed.
"Wow~ It's like a princess's room."
Kanade rushed excitedly towards the bed.
"Um..."
"Cid, your bed is the farthest on the left."
Christina pointed out.
"Um, why..."
"Christina, is this spot okay for me?"
"Yes, that's fine. So, I'll take the bed in the middle."
"Um, why are there three beds?"
I voiced my question that had surfaced the moment I
entered the room.
"Because there are three of us."
 Christina counted me, herself, and Kanade.
"Right, there are indeed three of us."
"It's more efficient to keep those under protection
together."
"I see."
It was a reasonable explanation.
"We're in the same room, but your bed is separated by
a bookshelf. That should be enough."
"Cid is weak in practical skills, I'm a hundred times
stronger. If you try anything funny, I'll beat you up.
Shushushu!"
Kanade, with a nonchalant attitude, began to bounce
around on the bed, striking a fighting pose.
"I get it."
I raised my hands in a gesture of surrender and sat on
my bed. My belongings from the dorm were placed next to
it.
The beds were arranged in order from the window:
mine, Christina's, and then Kanade's.
"There are 17 million... 54 million... 9 million... 2
billion..."
Kanade, who was walking next to me, was murmuring
in a low voice.
"What are you doing?"
"Uwah!? You heard that?"
 "Yep."
"I was estimating how much the artwork costs."
"Hmm..."
I made sure to memorize the one Kanade valued at 2
billion.
"This is the dining room. We plan to eat here tonight.
Next to it is..."

"Right in front of the door or by the window? It's the

first person to die if anything happens, which fits perfectly
for a poor baron like me."
I muttered under my breath.
"The chance of you being targeted is the lowest, Cid."
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean any harm."
In fact, I was rather pleased.
"There are two guards at the door and three under the
window. They're all skilled and have even participated in
the main event of the Bushin Festival."
"Hmm."
 "You can rest assured. It's much safer than being in the
dormitory."
"That's fine then. I was told about most things on the
way here, but can I ask what happened this morning?"
I asked.
"Yes, of course."
"Ah, sorry, I need to go to the bathroom..."
Kanade said. No matter how you think about it, she
drank too much coffee.
"There's a bathroom and a bath in the next room."
"Okay."
As we watched Kanade rush out, Christina began to
speak.
"Count Goethe Moono has been murdered. It'll
probably be a hot topic at the academy tomorrow."
"What!? A murder case!? That's alarming. Speaking of
which, the documents had names written in blood..."
"Those are probably missing documents from the
crime scene."
"How terrifying! Writing characters in blood is the
absolute height of brutality."
"Count Goethe Moono's murder was not ordinary. This
is not just a murder. The culprit is acting with some kind of
intent."
 "To think a mundane student like me would be
involved in such a heinous case..."
"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to bear with it. You
might be targeted too."
"I'll probably be trembling with fear tonight. Because I
might be targeted..."
"Cid..."
Christina gently stroked my trembling back.
The cold night wind slipped in through the window.
When Kanade returned from the bathroom, we went
to get a late dinner.
It was a lavish meal with an array of dishes from a
high-end recipe book published by Mitsugoshi Company,
and I was surprised when sushi with salmon-like fish was
served. I hadn't had sushi since my previous life.
"All the dishes were original and very delicious!"
Kanade was excited when she returned to the room.
"There's no miss with Mitsugoshi Company's recipe
book. Kanade, you should try it at home too."
"Wha!? I can't afford to buy high-end ingredients..."
"There's also a recipe book using cheap ingredients.
Tuna burgers and others used to use discarded fish..."
And so, the food culture of this other world was being
eroded.
 We continued talking for a while, with the excitement
of a school trip, on the bed.
As the fireplace crackled, Christina turned off the
lights in the room.
"We should go to bed now. We've been talking too
much because it was fun."
"No, I want to talk more."
It was past midnight. Grumbling, Kanade got into her
futon.
"Good night."
I also followed Kanade and covered myself with a
futon.
"Goodnight, both of you."
Christina was about to say that when the door was
knocked on and a maid came in.
"Miss Christina, the master is calling for you."
"...You two go ahead and sleep. I'll go talk to my
father."
"Okay."
"Goodnight."
Kanade was already asleep.
"Cid..."
Christina turned around at the door and stared at me.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"I wonder if we've met somewhere before."
 "In class?"
"No, not that. I feel like we've talked somewhere
before."
"Hm, I don't think so..."
"Is it the atmosphere? I feel like you resemble
someone... I'm sorry for asking such a thing all of a
sudden."
With a faint smile as if to gloss it over, Christina left
the bedroom.
--- Late at night.
Christina was in her father's study.
"This is a serious matter."
Her father's hand, flipping through the documents,
was trembling.
"With this evidence, we can proceed with the trial in
our favor. We can convict Eliza Dakuaikan."
"I know that!"
Her father slapped the desk and raised his voice.
"We'll make the Night Swords our enemy. This is all
because you protected the lower nobles..."
"Father, Night Swords already have their eyes on the
Hope family. Given the murder of Count Goethe Moono,
the biggest beneficiary is the Hope family."
 "So, they targeted us because you did something
unnecessary! No, could it be... did you kill Count Goethe
Moono?"
From anger to fear, her father directed a mixed gaze at
Christina.
"No! I didn't do anything. Jack the Ripper killed Count
Goethe Moono."
"But..."
"Father, let's support Kanade. Let's use this evidence
to convict Eliza Dakuaikan. Then the Night Swords will
weaken, and more nobles will side with the Hope family."
"No, think the other way. If we return the evidence to
the Night Swords here, they'll recognize us..."
"Do you think the Night Swords will let those who
know the secret go?"
"Argh... Wait. Speaking of which, you invited that
lower noble to our house, right?"
"Yes. I'm protecting Kanade at our place."
"Good job. If we hand her over to the Night Swords,
they should see our sincerity..."
"I won't let you. Even if you're my father, I won't
forgive you if you do such a thing."
"Are you defying me, Christina!? I'm the head of the
Hope family!"
 Christina glared at her father, who was raising his
voice.
And the first to look away was her father.
"I'll take care of this matter for now. We don't know
who Jack the Ripper is, so it might be a trap. We need to
verify the evidence."
"Father...!"
"With the death of Count Goethe Moono, the Thirteen
Night Swords will definitely move. The next targets are
probably Count Kuzaya and Baron Grehahn."
"The two of them are warriors."
"They're the youngest among the Thirteen Night
Swords. That's why we don't know what they'll do. I'm
sorry, but I don't want to die yet."
Saying that, her father left with the documents.
Christina looked at the flickering fire in the fireplace
and sighed.
"That's one of the great nobles of this country...
Everything is rotten."
Christina laughed as if she had given up.
"It's ridiculous... My father, who only caters to the
Night Swords, and myself, who has no power..."
She had come to one conclusion as to why Jack the
Ripper had put the evidence in her locker.
 "He's telling me to accuse. That's why he left evidence
of Night Sword's misdeeds..."
But Christina couldn't do anything.
To acknowledge the evidence, power was needed, and
she didn't have that power. If a powerless person
brandished evidence, they would only be crushed.
"If only I had power..."
It would be exhilarating to wipe out the parasites
infesting this country.
What came to mind was the dead face of Goethe
Moono. His head pierced with a card, his eyes wide open in
shock.
"Heh..."
Christina chuckled.
Until Alexia called out to her at that moment,
Christina had been lost in thought, captivated by his death.
A small laugh echoed in the late-night study.
Count Kuzaya and Baron Grehahn were conversing in
a dimly lit hidden room.
"We still don't know who killed Goethe Moono, do
we?"
Count Kuzaya said, puffing on his cigar.
"All the witness statements are about the clown. What
a joke."
Baron Grehahn spat out his words.
 "He's quite skilled. The witness information is useless
halfway through. Even using a skilled tracking team to
trace his magic, we couldn't catch his trail."
"He's a pro, isn't he?"
"Yeah. Goethe Moono had hired enough guards, but
they were all taken out in one hit. We can assume he has the
power of a knight's captain."
"Maybe he's from the lawless city. There used to be an
assassination organization called "Absolute Wolf" there."
"If it's the "Absolute Wolf", they have enough power.
But I've never heard of a clown assassin."
"Maybe he's a newcomer?"
"I don't know. But even if we don't know who the
clown is, we can guess who hired him."
Count Kuzaya spread the documents on the desk.
"There are several candidates, but the Hope family is
particularly suspicious. However, there's no evidence."
"That's unfortunate, there's no evidence, huh?"
Grehahn said so, with an evil grin.
"We just need to kill them as usual. If we torture them
a bit, they'll spill everything."
"Don't rush. What if you're wrong?"
"Heh, we can just fabricate evidence. Dead men tell no
tales after all."
 "The other party is the Hope family. Cleaning up after
will be troublesome."
"What? We've killed major nobles up until now."
"Up until now. You know that the Fenrir faction has
been annihilated, right?"
"The Fenrir faction? Ah, they're the religious
organization supporting the Thirteen Night Sword, right?"
"That's right. Due to them being destroyed by the
Shadow Garden, it became difficult for us to receive the
Church's support. We're currently negotiating with a
different faction. We need to move cautiously until we
reach an agreement."
"What a pain. It's just a religious organization that was
destroyed."
"You know nothing. About the power of the Church,
and its terror..."
At Kuzaya's serious voice, Grehahn swallowed his
breath.
He spat out as if to hide his agitation.
"Darn, it's become troublesome because that guy
Goethe died."
"Don't rush. We will continue to monitor the Hope
family until we receive instructions."
"Big bro, Miss Christina is quite a beauty, right? If
we're going to kill the Hope family, let me do it, okay?"
 "Do as you like. But make sure to clean up properly
afterwards."
"As expected, big bro is the best!"
Baron Grehahn laughed vulgarly.
"Hehahahahaha"
"Hey, be quiet, Grehahn"
"Sorry, big bro."
"...Hehahahahaha"
In the dimly lit basement, an eerie laughter echoed.
The smile had already disappeared from Baron
Grehahn. Count Kuzaya placed his cigar with a stern face.
"Hey... there's someone here."
Count Kuzaya said in a low, sharp voice.
In the dimly lit secret room, there were only Kuzaya
and Glehan. Only a limited number of people knew about
this room.
"Hehahahahaha"
However, the laughter was certainly coming from
inside this room.
The two drew their swords cautiously.
"Don't mess around, come out, Gora!"
Kuzaya barked.
"Hehahahahaha"
The laughter continued unabated.
 They strained their ears to find the source of the voice.
It wasn't from the right, nor from the left. Neither from the
front nor the back.
And then, the two looked up.
At that moment, something fell.
A dark red liquid fell onto the table, creating a stain.
The strong smell of blood stimulated their noses.
They looked up at the ceiling.
There, a blood-soaked clown was clinging.
"Hehahahahaha"
The clown looked down at the two and sneered.
"You bastard!?"
"A clown!?"
Kuzaya and Glehan quickly swung their swords
overhead.
As expected of those known as warriors, their
movements were refined. Their swords sliced through the
clown, splattering blood.
With a splat, the blood-soaked clown fell onto the
table.
"Kill him!!"
Kuzaya and Grehahn swung their swords down while
laughing.
Each time their swords sliced through the clown, a
large amount of blood flowed out.
 And then, the convulsing clown's laughter gradually
faded away.
"...Did we kill him?"
Looking down at the miserably slaughtered clown,
Kuzaya said.
"Did this guy kill Goethe too? He's just a small fry. Or
have I become too strong?"
Grehahn proudly wiped the blood off his sword.
"I also made a name for myself at the Bushin Festival
in the past. We're different from Goethe's guards. He picked
the wrong opponents."
Kuzaya also had a smile on his face. He felt like his old
sharpness had returned.
"Now, now, Mr. Clown. What kind of face are you
making..."
Glehan tried to peel off the clown's mask while
laughing.
"Hey! Grehahn!!"
"What is it, big bro?"
He turned around with an annoyed look.
"On your head..."
"What about my head?"
"There's a playing card stuck in the back of your
head..."
"Huh?"
 Glehan hurriedly touched the back of his head.
A playing card was deeply embedded in the back of his
head. He blankly wiped off the blood flowing down his
neck.
"Ah, big bro... what's with my head..."
Saying so, he slowly fell forward.
The playing card stuck in the back of his head was the
two of spades.
Looking down at the convulsing Grehahn, there was a
slow sign of someone getting up.
The blood-soaked clown.
"You... why are you still alive"
Kuzaya trembled at the sight of the clown standing
calmly despite his obvious fatal injuries.
Kuzaya started to retreat.
The clown advanced with a splash.
"Wait, what's your goal?"
The clown advanced with a splash, splash.
"Is it money? Who's your employer? How much did
they pay you?"
Splash, splash, splash.
"Wai-, wait! I'll double it! I'll prepare everything,
money, women, everything!"
There was a light impact on his back.
There was a wall behind Kuzaya.
 Before he knew it, he had retreated to the edge of the
room.
"Don't come any closer! I'm a master of Bushin style!"
Splash, splash, splash, splash.
"Once you enter my range, I won't let you go easily-!"
With a sharp spirit, Kuzaya swung his sword.
That was his preferred range.
In Kuzaya's mind, he could see the moment when the
clown's head would fly off.
However, his sword cut through the air.
"W-He avoided at that distance..."
The clown had only pulled his foot back half a step.
Yet that movement ignored the logic of the human
body and exceeded the limits of reaction.
"You, who the hell..."
There was a sound of something being inserted.
"Ah, hyu..."
A playing card was stuck in Kuzaya's throat.
The card was the three of spades.
He spat out a spray of blood as he swung his sword
down.
His sword grazed the tip of the clown's nose and hit
the floor.
"Mon...ster..."
 He fell forward as he was, spat out blood, and stopped
moving.
And then, the blood-soaked clown disappeared into
the darkness of the night, carrying the two corpses.

Chapter 2 : Intruders at the Sleepover Party!

The main street of the royal capital was bustling.

"It's a corpse...!"
 "What happened?"
"Two nobles were murdered, it seems!"
"Don't come near!! It's under investigation!"
In the middle of the street was a fountain. Two bodies
were hanging from its pillar.
The crowd gathered around the fountain, causing a
commotion.
"Is that a playing card stuck in their heads?"
"There was a rumor about a noble being killed the
other day."
"I know. Count Goethe Moono was killed. My friend
Horaco is a maid there..."
"What, really!?"
"Really! Horaco saw the criminal! He was dressed as a
clown!"
"That sounds like a lie..."
"I told you not to come near! Step back!!"
The knights pushed back the crowding public.
A beautiful red-haired girl pushed through the
unusually crowded street in the early morning.
It was Christina.
"Excuse me, please move!"
"You are..."
"I am Christina Hope of the Duke's family. Please let
me see the scene."
 "Ah, from the Hope family. Please, this way..."
The knight, who was holding back the public, let
Christina into the scene with an annoyed look on his face.
"This is..."
Looking at the fountain, Christina held her breath.
Two men were hanging from the pillar of the
fountain. She recognized the faces of the dirt-colored
corpses.
"Count Kuzaya and Baron Grehahn..."
The faces of the corpses were frozen with terror and
surprise.
"...Heh."
Christina's cheek formed a twisted smile.
Two more parasites had been exterminated.
"Three members of the Thirteen Night Swords were
killed in succession. It's hard to think it's a coincidence."
She was spoken to from behind.
Christina covered her twisted smile with her hand and
turned around. There was Gray, the head of the Knight
Order's Investigation Department.
"Chief Gray... what do you mean?"
"I just expressed my honest opinion, Miss Christina."
Grey laughed lightly. However, his eyes were firmly
observing Christina.
 "Three nobles have been killed in succession. And they
all belong to the same organization. It's too unnatural to be
a coincidence."
"It seems so."
"And there seems to be a noble family that's having
trouble with that organization."
"You know a lot."
"That's my job."
"I envy the knights for having such a dedicated section
chief. I'm sure the culprit will be caught soon."
"Of course, that's the plan. Now, I'll get back to work."
Grey turned his back, but stopped in his tracks.
"Is there something else?"
When she asked, Grey turned his sharp gaze to
Christina.
"By the way, Miss Christina, did something amusing
happen?"
"What?"
"It seemed like you were laughing earlier."
"...You must have seen it wrong."
Christina said, removing her hand from her mouth.
"I see, it was a misunderstanding."
With that, Grey walked away.
Christina sighed a white sigh, and turned her eyes
back to the two bodies.
 "Miss Christina."
"Princess Alexia..."
When she turned around at the call, there was Alexia.
"I went to Count Kuzaya's mansion."
"Count Kuzaya's?"
"It seems that the crime scene was not here. The killer
killed the two in a hidden room in Count Kuzaya's mansion
and brought the bodies here. The knights are investigating
the footprints.
"That's true..."
The knights were crawling and investigating the red
footprints that continued from the fountain.
"The situation in the mansion is the same as before. All
the guards were either killed or incapacitated. The maid
was just knocked out and is fine."
"They're very efficient."
"They're quite skilled. They've succeeded in a series of
difficult assassinations. Count Kuzaya and Baron Grehane
are not fools. They were cautious and in a hidden room..."
Christina looked up again at the bodies hanging from
the fountain.
A card was stuck in the throat and the back of the
head. Those were the only visible injuries from here.
"It's a one-shot with a card, just like last time."
 "The maid of Count Kuzaya also testified that she saw a
blood-soaked clown. There's no doubt that it's the same
offender."
"What could be the purpose? The weapon, the clown,
even transporting the bodies to the fountain, everything is
unnatural."
"I don't know. There are only a few people who have
such power. The powerful people in the royal capital will be
investigated."
"I hope they find the culprit..."
"Let's get away soon. It's not good for us to be seen at
the scene."
"Yes. Princess Alexia, there's something I want to talk
to you about..."
Just as Christina was about to leave the scene.
"Oh, that's strange."
A deflated voice echoed from the scene.
The one who made the sound was an ordinary
black-haired, black-eyed boy. Cid Kageno.
"Cid, why are you here? I told you to wait at the
mansion!"
"What do you mean, 'wait at the mansion'?"
At Christina's words, Alexia reacted at an amazing
speed.
"Eh, that is..."
 Christina stumbled over her words, unsure of how to
explain.
She had planned to talk about the Jack the Ripper case
and everything else later.
"There are various reasons."
"Various?"
"Well, I was planning to talk about that later."
"Right after this, right?"
Feeling a strange tension, Christina nodded.
"Oh, that's strange."
As if weary of waiting, Cid repeated the same words.
"Cid, why are you here? I told you to wait because it's
dangerous..."
"Well, I was worried about you, Christina..."
Cid said in a monotone.
"You two seem to get along very well. I wonder when
you became friends."
Alexia had a nice smile.
"Cid, what's wrong?"
"It's the cards."
"The cards are certainly strange..."
"Anyone can see that the cards are strange. That's why
I hate Pochi."
Alexia grumbled from the sidelines.
"The first victim was the Ace of Spades, right?"
 "Yes, that's right."
"And this time's victims are the two and three of
spades."
"You're saying that the numbers are in sequence."
"That's something anyone can see."
Alexia spat out dismissively.
"It's not just the numbers. All the spades. The killer
chose spades for some reason."
"All of them are certainly spades, but I wonder if
there's any meaning..."
"Each suit of a card has its own meaning. For example,
hearts mean love, diamonds mean merchants, clubs mean
knowledge, and so on."
"I've never heard of that. So, what does spades mean?"
"The first meaning is winter."
"Ah, yes, yes, it's winter now so he chose spades.
Brilliant deduction, Pochi."
Alexia said in a dumbfounded manner.
"The meaning of spades is not just one. There are
others. For example, night, sword, death."
"Night and sword!?"
"And death, could it be..."
Christina and Alexia looked at each other.
"There are thirteen spades cards. That's exactly
thirteen people."
 "He's going to kill all thirteen Night Swords!?"
"That's a bit much..."
This is clearly a challenge and declaration of war
against the Thirteen Night Swords.
"What are you thinking? To announce it in advance, I
can only think that he's crazy."
Alexia said.
"But the killer has killed three targets as he
announced. A person who is just crazy can't do such a
thing."
Christina pondered.
"I don't know what the killer is thinking either. But he
left another significant clue here."
Cid smiled enigmatically.
"A significant clue?"
"What on earth..."
Alexia and Christina looked around.
"Over there."
When they looked to where Cid was pointing, the
onlookers were buzzing.
At the end of their gaze were two bodies. They were
just being lowered from the fountain by the knights.
And the blood-stained pillar of the fountain was left
behind.
 "Don't you see the blood on the pillar looks like
letters?"
"What!?"
"Is that!?"
Alexia and Christina noticed at the same time.
"What's that, there's writing in blood."
From a distance, the onlookers couldn't see clearly.
"Jack... What does it say?"
"It's Jack the Ripper. That's what it says."
Cid's words resonated strangely and spread quickly
among the onlookers.
"It seems to say Jack the Ripper!"
"Is that the name of the criminal!?"
"That's right, it's the serial killer Jack the Ripper!"
"A noble killer has appeared in the royal capital! This is
a challenge to the nobles!"
The onlookers shouted as they ran through the royal
capital.
"By noon, everyone in the royal capital will know
about the incident."
Alexia said resentfully.
"It's something anyone would know eventually."
Cid sighed in exasperation.
"Jack the Ripper..."
Christina whispered the name softly.
 "What's wrong, Christina? Do you have any idea?"
"No... I have something I want to talk about..."
She said with a difficult face.
Alexia made a difficult face as she read the copy of the
evidence handed to her.
"So that's what it was. You've already been contacted
by Jack the Ripper..."
This was an unused classroom in the academy.
Inside were Alexia, Christina, and Cid.
"If you use the evidence skillfully, you can corner the
Dakuai-Khan faction. But without knowing Jack the
Ripper's objective, we can't act rashly."
Christina also had a difficult expression.
"We don't know if he's an enemy or an ally. He
probably wants us to use the evidence, but what benefit
does Jack the Ripper get from it..."
"It's a document whose source we can't tell. There are
limited places to use it."
"I have an idea about that. Can I hold onto this
document for a while?"
"That's fine, but it's a copy. What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to consult with my father."
"That's reassuring."
"I wonder..."
 Alexia put the blood-stained document in her bag and
smiled sadly.
"Princess Alexia?"

"It's nothing. More importantly...what does this mean,

you staying together with this guy?"
Alexia grabbed Cid by the scruff of his neck and thrust
him in front of Christina.
"Well, it's for safety. He saw some of the information
too, so it'll be troublesome if the Dakuikan faction finds
out."
"It seems like you're sleeping in the same room."
"Concentrating security in one place is efficient."
"That's true, but..."
"Oh, by the way, Princess Alexia, you were pretending
to date Cid before, weren't you?"
"So, what if I was?"
"Could it be that you were really dating him? If so, that
was inconsiderate of me."
"No, that's not it, that's absolutely impossible."
"Exactly, I'd rather die than date Alexia."
"Shut up, Pochi!"
Alexia shook Cid roughly by the scruff of his neck.
"So you weren't dating after all?"
 "Of course. Dating Pochi would be a disgrace to the
Midgar royal family."
"Then, there's no problem."
"Eh?"
"If you're not dating, then there's no problem with me
staying together with him, right?"
"That's... I'm just worried about Christina. I'm not
sure if this guy won’t do something strange."
"He won't."
"You're worried about me. But there's no need to
worry, my skills as a magic swordsman are far superior to
Cid's."
"That's true, but Pochi sometimes shows a surprisingly
sharp sword. There might be a chance..."
"Princess Alexia is kind. I'm touched that you care so
much about me. In that case, why don't you join us,
Princess Alexia?"
"Eh?"
Alexia blinked her eyes.
"If Princess Alexia is there, nothing unexpected will
happen."
"No, no, just the thought of sleeping in the same room
as Alexia gives me the chills..."
"Shut up."
Alexia covered Cid's mouth.
 "Maybe that’s a good idea."
"Yes, my father will also be pleased."
“Mgh!”
"I'll try to adjust my schedule."
"Okay, I'll also prepare."
"Mgh! Mgh!"
"See you later."
With that, Alexia quickly left.
"What a shock, Alexia is coming to stay."
Cid said with a forlorn look on his face.
"I'm looking forward to it."
"I'll sleep in the dorm."
"No way."
"Sorry, but I can't go along with this. I have something
to do..."
As Cid was about to speak, at that moment.
"What the hell is going on!?"
A female student's voice echoed from the hallway.
"That voice...!"
"Hm?"
"It's Eliza's voice. Something seems to have happened."
Christina and Cid headed to the hallway.
The hallway was noisy with Eliza and her followers.
"Who the hell is joking around with me. Are you
mocking me..."
 As Eliza glared, the onlookers scattered like
spiderlings.
Then, Eliza's gaze caught Christina.
"Oh, oh, oh, Christina. The culprit is here, you're quite
composed, aren't you?"
"Culprit? What are you talking about, Eliza?"
"Who else could have sent something like this but
you!"
What Eliza showed was a letter written in blood.
"Thirteen fat pigs. The first one died in confusion. The
second one died in disgrace for underestimating. The third
one died stupidly in complacency. How will the next pig
die? Jack the Ripper."
"Is this... a crime notice? Where did you get this?"
"It was in my bag. You're making a fool of me."
Eliza glared.
"The thirteen fat pigs are our houses, aren't they?"
"Well, I can't judge that."
"You're transparent. Jack the Ripper. The assassin you
hired."
"No, it's not."
"You're going through all this trouble. Do you think
you can get away with this?"
"No, I'm not."
There was a dry sound in the hallway.
 Eliza had slapped Christina's cheek.
"You can only be calm for now. Your father is also
angry, so I don't care what happens anymore."
Christina returned a cold gaze.
Suddenly, Cid, who was behind her, was blown away.
"Pegyaaaaaaaaa!"
He was blown away, scattering a flashy nosebleed and
vomit blood.
"Cid!?"
"Ahaha, how pathetic!"
Eliza's follower had punched Cid away.

"How could you! He has nothing to do with this!"

"I don't know. This is what happens when you go
against me. Well done, Dekuno Bow."
The follower called Dekuno Bow wiped his
blood-stained fist with a smug look.
"Hehehe, I just punched him lightly."
"You're amazing, Dekuno. Blowing him away to the
end of the hallway with just a light punch."
Incredibly, Dekuno's punch had blown Cid to the end
of the hallway, more than fifty meters away.
"Well, I've gotten stronger."
 "I rely on you. I like men like you."
Eliza entwined her arm with Dekuno's and pressed her
chest against him.
"Uhehe, leave it to me."
"But be careful, you might be the next target."
"Huh, I'll make a counterattack on Jack the Ripper!"
"Ufufu, if that happens, I'll give you a reward."
Eliza smiled seductively and left with her followers.
 I was being treated by a sexy female doctor in the
school infirmary.
"There, all done. Be moderate in your fights."
The female doctor said and went back to her other
work.
"Cid, are you okay?"
Christina looked worriedly at me.
"His punch was pretty good, but I managed to avoid
3% of the damage with my Slipping Away technique, so I
barely survived."
I grinned with my swollen cheek.
"You should rest in the infirmary today. I'll come to
pick you up when class is over."
Christina said and left the infirmary.
I lay down on the bed and stretched lightly.
"Hey."
Suddenly, a girl appeared from under the bed. It was
Nina-senpai.
"Hey."
And I greeted her too.
I knew she had been eavesdropping from the start.
"What's up?"
"About Claire, I guess it's a progress report."
"Ah, my sister."
"Yeah. Let's go to Claire's room for now."
 Led by the unusually small Nina-senpai, I moved to
my sister's room.
My sister's room had changed a little since the last
time I entered.
Medical equipment and unfamiliar magical items
were placed around, and my sister, who didn't move at all,
was lying in bed.
"Sister..."
The magical device made a sound.
I had seen this in a hospital in my previous life.
"Her pulse has stopped. Is it her time to die..."
I closed my eyes and put my hands together in prayer.
Although I didn't believe in the afterlife at all, I had
experienced reincarnation myself, so maybe my sister could
reincarnate somewhere if she was lucky.
In order for her not to become a cockroach or a
paramecium, I prayed for my sister.
"I hope you can reincarnate as a mouse at least."
"She's not dead."
Nina-senpai said with a straight face.
"But the magical device seems to have stopped."
"This is the sound of the magic power measurement
being completed."
The one who said this was not Nina-senpai, but the
sexy female doctor.
 She had entered the room without making almost any
noise.
"You were... in the infirmary earlier."
"Yes, I was introduced by Nina-san and I am in charge
of both Claire-san's treatment and the school doctor. My
name is Mu."
Saying that, she bowed deeply.
Her dark skin, plump, sensual lips, and through the
gaps in her silver hair, pointed ears peeked out.
She was a dark elf.
"Thank you for your courtesy, I'm Cid Kagenou. I'm
acting as the brother of the person lying there, for now."
"Of course, I know. From now on, please take care of
me."
"No, no, the pleasure is mine."
"No, no, no, no, the pleasure is mine."
Courtesy for courtesy.
We bowed our heads to each other.
By the way, why is Mu-san, a doctor, so humble?
It's quite a rare type, but is a dark elf doctor rare in the
first place?
 When she finished bowing her head, she deftly
operated the device and began testing my sister's magical
power. I couldn't help but be impressed by Mu-san's
flawless magic manipulation.
Can someone of this level really be a school doctor?
This person is quite capable.
The way she erased her presence earlier was natural,
and the doctors these days are amazing...
It would probably be better to leave it to her than for
me, who has almost no medical knowledge, to intervene.
"I didn't know Nina-senpai had such a skilled doctor as
an acquaintance. It's good to have friends."
"Nyahahaha"
Nina-senpai laughed shyly.
"So, how is my sister's condition?"
"There's nothing wrong with her life. She will wake up
eventually. To explain her condition, the fluctuation of
magical power and the new emblem on her right hand
reacted..."
I stopped Mu-san, who started explaining with a
serious face, with my hand.
"Ah, yes, yes, I understand. If there's nothing wrong
with her life, that's fine."
"I'm sorry for being presumptuous."
 "No problem, the issue is when my sister will wake
up."
I wish she could sleep a little longer.
"If you wait for her to wake naturally, it will take
several weeks to several months. It depends on Claire-san's
magic aptitude."
"I see."
"Of course, you can force her to wake up, but in that
case, there may be aftereffects on the magic circuit..."
"Ah, wait, that's not good. That's very bad."
"You're right, we shouldn't underestimate the
aftereffects on the magic circuit. If we consider Claire-san's
body first..."
While I let Mu-san's explanation pass through my
ears, I looked down at my sister who was sleeping
peacefully and muttered.
"My sister should just keep sleeping."
Anyway, she's just noisy.
The moment I said that, the air froze.
Nina-senpai's eyes widened, and Mu-san stiffened and
swallowed her breath.
"Is that... your decision..."
Nina-senpai said in a voice so serious it seemed like it
was announcing the end of the world.
 "Great, let's follow it, looking far ahead. No matter
what awaits us there, until this life ends..."
Mu-san knelt down with a determined look in her
eyes.
"Um..."
What's with this atmosphere?
I was overwhelmed by the bizarre tension and
retreated.
"I was... just kidding..."
It's hard when they take me so seriously.
"Oh, it was a joke..."
"You're bad. I thought my heart was going to stop."
The two of them relaxed and smiled warmly.
But why did Nina-senpai start speaking politely?
"Well, I'll leave my sister to you."
I left the room as if running away.
What was that atmosphere?
I may have made an inappropriate joke. I felt a little
regretful.
But if I were to make an excuse, my sister has always
been incredibly stubborn since she was a child.
She's so abnormal that I can laugh off her being
unconscious as a joke.
After dinner, Christina-san, Kanade, and I were
playing Old Maid in the bedroom.
 "Ugh, Eliza-sama is really angry. I'm going to die, I'm
definitely going to die."
Kanade, who was crying and drawing a card from me.
Oh, she drew the Old Maid.
"Don't worry. The security of this mansion is perfect,
and I'm here just in case."
"But, but, there was a big male student next to
Eliza-sama, wasn't there?"
"Oh, yes, there was."
He must be the student who was pretending to be a
bodyguard next to Eliza in the white mist. He also punched
me earlier.
"Dekuno Bow."
"Yes, yes, according to rumors, Dekuno Bow's father is
connected to a criminal organization, and he's used an
illegal security force to bury many people in the darkness.
If I get killed, my organs will be sold, my flesh will be
minced, my bones will be dissolved by slime, and I'll be
completely disposed of... I'm done for."
"Count Oyano Bow. He certainly has a lot of bad
rumors, but I wonder if he has the guts to step into this
mansion."
"I win."
I drew a card from Christina-san and won.
 "Cid, you traitor~ If I get attacked, I'll use you as a
shield."
"Okay, okay."
"Oh, I win too."
"Eeh~ Why can't I win at all?"
That's because everything you're thinking is written
all over your face, Kanade.
But of course, I didn't say that.
"By the way, is it fun to play Old Maid with three
people?"
"It's super fun!"
Kanade answered immediately, her eyes sparkling.
"Oh, I see."
Tastes vary.
"Well, I'll go take a bath first."
"Eeh~"
"We promised to go in the order of the winners,
right?"
"But I was planning to make a comeback..."
Ignoring Kanade's discontent, I headed for the
bathroom.
"Kanade, do you want to play Old Maid with me?"
"Let's do it!"
I heard a disturbing voice from behind.
 Next, when Christina-san goes to the bath, it will be
just Kanade and me.
No, she'll surely realize that playing Old Maid with
two people is fruitless.
After that, I ended up playing Old Maid with Kanade
alone.
Late at night.
In the quiet Hope residence, there were several figures
moving.
They wore masks and drew their weapons, waiting for
the time to attack.
"Dad, is it time yet?"
"Don't rush, Dekuno."
Dekuno Bow and Oyano Bow conversed in hushed
voices.
"But, the lights are already out."
"We've left the scouting to Viscount Shinobi. Wait for
the signal from the Viscount."
"Okay, dad."
Dekuno Bow replied discontentedly.
"It's all right, Dekuno. I'll let you take the credit for
this attack."
"Really!?"
 "I'm getting old, too. After you graduate from school
and a little time passes, I'll hand over the seat of Night
Sword to you."
"Hehe, I'll tear Christina apart. She's underestimated
me."
"The targets are two people. Christina and Kanade.
Duke Hope is... preparing the evidence and waiting."
"It's pitiful to be sold out by one's own family."
Dekuno laughed scornfully.
"It's a wise choice. If the family that has been going on
for generations is destroyed because of a stupid daughter,
it's an enemy. It's a promise to save only Duke Hope in
exchange for presenting the evidence. Don't kill him by
mistake, okay?"
"Hehe, I know..."
"Be careful. Oh yes, there seems to be a male student in
the same room as the target. His name is... Cid Kagenou, I
think."
"Ah, that small fry who was next to Christina. What
should we do with him?"
"I don't care, but it would be a hassle if he saw us. Get
rid of him while you're at it."
"Got it."
 "Okay, don't mess up. The scouting is left to Viscount
Shinobi, the attack is left to us, the Bow family, and the
siege of the mansion is left to that Duke Jet."
"So there's no escape, huh?"
"Yes. If something happens, the scout and siege troops
will also act as a backup. The attacking team includes
assassins from the lawless city. The siege team includes a
swordsman who participated in the main battle of the
Bushin Festival, and an expert of the white tiger style who
was excommunicated for being too violent. There's no way
we can fail."
"Hehe, that's like you, dad. The game is decided before
the fight. The game you can definitely win is the most fun.
That was your favorite phrase."
"Kuku, that's right."
Oyano Bow twisted his lips and laughed.
"Dad, there's a signal from the scout team."
"It's time. Let's move."
And so, several figures invaded the mansion.
Christina was lying on her bed, looking up at the
ceiling.
The only sounds in the room were Kanade's snoring
and Cid's breathing.
I can't sleep...
 The cause is not Kanade's snoring, but this morning's
incident.
When she thinks back to the two of them, bloodied
and hung on the fountain, her heart aches unbearably. The
two of them, who had exhausted all their violence, were
killed miserably by a force that surpassed them.
Power.
Pure power transcends everything.
Law, ethics, authority, all are powerless before pure
power.
"Fufu..."
She reached out to the ceiling and laughed.
Then she heards a small sound of clothes rubbing.
"Is someone awake?"
There was no answer.

"Kanade? Cid?"
Kanade's snoring and Cid's breathing were the same as
usual.
"Is it just my imagination?"
At that moment, there was a click.
The sound of the door opening was heard.
 "Who is it?"
When she asked, the opening door stopped.
From the other side of the half-opened door, a faint
sigh was heard.
"Do you need something?"
As she spoke, Christina picked up the sword next to
her bed.
If it was someone from the mansion, they should
respond immediately.
Above all, it was strange that there was no reaction
from the guard in front of the door.
For a while in the room, only Kanade's snoring
echoed.
And then...
"Kill them."
At the same time as the signal, a group of men in black
stormed into the room.
"Everyone, wake up!!"
Christina shouted and threw Kanade's futon at the
intruders.
"Wha...what!? What!?"
Christina tossed a sword to a bewildered Kanade.
"It's an attack!"
As she answered, Christina blocked a large attacker's
sword.
 She exerted a light force, probing his strength.
He's strong.
A considerable user.
When she changed the angle of her sword, she
deflected it.
However, he's not an opponent she can't defeat.
And Christina's sword stabbed into the shoulder of the
attacker who had lost his balance.
"Guh! You did it!!"
A familiar deep voice echoed somewhere.
Five attackers stood in front of Christina who was
about to counterattack.
"I told you not to let your guard down! You, stay
back!!"
"But, father--!"
"Don't say another word!!"
The man called "father" pushed aside the large man
and stood in front of Christina. This man must be the leader
of the group.
"What!? I'm going to die!? Am I going to die here!?"
Kanade was somehow protecting herself from the two
attackers, screaming hysterically.
And then, Cid Kageno was...
Trying to sneak out of the window.
"Ah..."
 Cid, who had made eye contact with Christina, gave
an awkward smile and, "Well, that's how it is!"
He quickly disappeared outside the window.
"You, traitor!! I'll curse you!! I'll become an evil spirit
and curse you!!"
Kanade's angry shout.
"He'll be trouble if he gets away! After him!!"
The group's leader gave an order, and three men
chased after Cid.
"I'm saved."
Christina whispered quietly.
Cid had taken on three attackers.
Now only six remained.
One of them had a deep wound on his shoulder.
The situation was still disadvantageous, but it was not
desperate. If they held out for a while, the guards who
noticed the commotion would come running.
"You're thinking that help will come."
The man who seemed to be the leader said.
"Well, who knows."
"Your deception is useless. We know that you've spent
a lot of money to strengthen your security. Unfortunately,
no help is coming. By now, a separate squad is probably
dealing with it."
 "Thank you for your polite response. The Night Swords
are really desperate, aren't they?"
It wasn't a lie.
With this, the chances of survival had greatly
decreased. She didn't expect the Night Swords to set up
such a serious trap.
"Don't underestimate us. The Night Swords are still
the cornerstone. This is, well, a parent's concern for his
child."
"You're Earl Oyano Bow. I recognized your son's voice."
"Well, who could that be?"
As Oyano Bow feigned ignorance, he gave an order.
"Kill them."
And then, the men in black all pounced at once.
The man in the lead swung his sword at Christina.
"Ugh."
But Christina hadn't given up yet.
She deflected the man's sword and tried to join
Kanade before she was surrounded.
But that plan was abruptly shattered.
With a slide, the black-clad man's body shifted.
"Huh? Why, ahhhhhhh!"
With a scream, the man's body was split into upper
and lower halves.
"I...help..."
 The man reached out with a thin voice. But it was
likely too late for him.
"You bastard, what did you do! This man was one of
the top magic swordsmen in the city-state."
Oyano Bow glared at Christina.
The men in black were also cautious and kept their
distance.
"No, it's not me."
In fact, Christina hadn't done anything. She had just
tried to deflect the man's sword.
However, he had already been cut down at that
moment.
The skill that brilliantly bisected a first-class magic
swordsman without anyone noticing was beyond
Christina's ability to reproduce.
"Who else is there! Or, are you hiding something--"
Oyano Bow stopped mid-sentence and opened his eyes
wide.
The two magic swordsmen who were confronting
Kanade had also been cut in half.
"Eh, eh? Did I awaken? Has my hidden true strength
finally bloomed!?"
Kanade said with a bit of excitement.
"Foolish, what on earth...no, wait. That sword..."
 Oyano Bow seemed to have noticed something. His
gaze was on Kanade's sword.
"Why is there no blood on the sword?"
"Oh, that's true."
There was not a single drop of blood on Kanade's
sword.
That she hadn't done it was obvious to anyone.
Then, there was a rustling sound of clothes rubbing.
Everyone looked towards the sound as if they had
been repelled.
There was Cid Kageno's bed. But he had already run
away.
On that bed, there was an unfamiliar person.
Lit by the moonlight, he was sleeping with his back
turned.
"The blood-soaked clown..."
Someone muttered.
With a thud, the clown turned over and faced this
way.
The clown was smiling with his red-stained mask.
"Huh..."
Dekuno Bow retreated.
"So you're Jack the Ripper."
In contrast, Oyano Bow was calm.
 He gave instructions to his subordinates and faced the
blood-soaked clown.
"You showed up as if you were waiting for the right
moment. So you were the assassin they hired."
"No! The Hope family doesn't use assassins!"
Christina denied Oyano Bow's words. However, he
was no longer listening to Christina's words.
"How much were you hired for? You have quite the
skill. Thanks to you, we suffered a great loss."
Oyano Bow stared at the dead body of the magic
swordsman who had been killed mercilessly.
"They were all well-known magic swordsmen in the
underworld. It's a little hard to believe, but this is reality..."
Oyano Bow sighed as if tired.
The blood-soaked clown had been lying in bed all this
time, his smile frozen on his mask.
"We must accept reality. We think it's wise not to
antagonize you. Even if we fight and win now, we will suffer
a great loss. The same goes for you. You don't think you can
fight the Night Swords and get away with it."
The blood-soaked clown's shoulders shook slightly as
he laughed.
"Let's call it quits here. It's smarter for both of us. I'll
pay three times the money. I won't ask you to join us, just
back off. We'll be careful not to damage your reputation.
How about it?"
The clown's shoulders shook greatly.
He was laughing, suppressing his voice.
"...What's so funny?"
The shaking stopped abruptly.
And then the clown slowly sat up and pointed his
finger.
Slowly, slowly, the clown's finger pointed at the
attackers. As if he were choosing something.
His finger stopped, pointing at one of the attackers.
"What are--"
The attacker tilted his head in confusion.
At the same time, the clown flicked his finger.
The next moment, the attacker's head flew off.
"Impossible--"
Blood spurted out like a fountain, and the headless
attacker fell.
"I... I can't stand it anymore, father!"
Dekuno Bow crawled on the floor as if his legs had
given out.
But the blood-soaked clown's finger was already
looking for its next target. His finger passed over Dekuno
Bow and stopped, pointing at an attacker next to him.
"Wa, wait!"
 Even as he panicked and screamed, the seasoned magic
swordsman managed to dodge in the nick of time.
But when the clown's finger flicked, the upper part of
his skull was blown off in a gruesome fashion.
The remaining mouth on his torso moved as if trying
to say something, but only bubbles of blood came out.
Next, the bloody clown's finger pointed at Kanade.
"Wha, me!? Why!? Eeeeeek!?"
His finger hesitated for a moment, but then passed
over her and flicked towards the attacker in the back.
"Ah..."
He was beheaded while still in a state of shock.
And then, only the parent and child of Oyano Bow and
Dekuno Bow were left.
"D-dad, dad, let's run!"
Dekuno Bow clung to his father's leg.
Oyano Bow also couldn't hide his shock at seeing the
four magic swordsmen killed in an instant.
"So the negotiations have failed... No, leaving me alive
must mean they want to show off their power to gain an
advantage in the negotiations. There seems to be room for
negotiation."
 At Oyano Bow's words, the blood-soaked clown gave
no response.
"First, I apologize. I admit that I underestimated your
power. I don't know how you managed to obtain such
power, but I never expected this much..."
Cold sweat ran down Dekuno Bow's face.
"But, this mansion is already surrounded. I gave a
signal to my subordinates earlier. The troops that were
surrounding us will soon come to back us up. Among them
are the elite troops of the Viscount Shinobi and Marquis
Jet, as well as the master of the Byakko Style, the "Sword
Demon". No matter how skilled you are, you can't get out of
this situation unscathed—"
As if to interrupt Oyano Bow's words, the
blood-soaked clown moved.
He rummaged under the futon.
Upon closer inspection, the futon was unnaturally
raised and stained a dark red.
What the clown pulled out from there were two
severed heads.
"Wha—"
Two familiar faces to Oyano Bow.
"The Viscount Shinobi...and even the Marquis Jet..."
In each of the two severed heads, the 4 of Spades and
the 5 of Spades were stuck.
 "Are you saying that the entire siege force was wiped
out...? That's ridiculous, there's only one opponent!"
Finally, Oyano Bow lost his cool.
"What the hell are you!? What do you want!? What are
your demands!?"
He frothed at the mouth and yelled.
The blood-soaked clown slowly pulled a card from his
pocket with his right hand.
It was the 6 of Spades.
"H-hiiiiiiii!"
In an instant, Oyano Bow understood who the card
was for.
He hid behind his son, who had collapsed, using him
as a shield.
"D-dad, are you serious!? Let go, let goooooo!!"
"H-hiiiiiiiiiie!"
As Dekuno Bow tried to shake off his father, the clown
swung his arm to slash them both with the 6 of Spades.
At that moment, the sound of breaking glass echoed
and a tall magic swordsman appeared from the window.
"Hehe... So you're here, Jack the Ripper."
A calm voice and an extraordinary aura.
The long sword drawn from its sheath glowed in the
moonlight.
 "Y-you...aren't you the Sword Demon!? You're still
alive!?"
Oyano Bow's voice regained its vigor.
He peeked out from behind Dekuno Bow and laughed.
"I was looking forward to a thrilling fight after a long
time, but I'm disappointed that you killed only the small
fry around you and ran away."
Even as the Sword Demon spoke, he didn't take his
eyes off the blood-soaked clown for a moment.
He understood.
This clown was an existence comparable to himself...
"Sword Demon, who on earth are you?"
Christina also shuddered at his flawless magical
power.
Without a doubt, one of the world's leading magic
swordsmen.
"It's no wonder you don't know. This man is a martial
artist from Wakoku, a far-off country."
"A martial artist...!?"
Christina had heard of it too.
Across the sea, there is a country called Wakoku, a
land of warriors who have mastered the martial arts. There,
instead of magic swordsmen, beings called martial artists
reign as symbols of power.
 Wakoku is isolated, so little information comes in. But
occasionally, there are martial artists who come for
training.
Their skills are all top-notch.
"Moreover, this man was a promising member of one
of the four major schools of Wakoku, the Byakko Style, and
was expected to become the youngest ever chief instructor.
However, in his pursuit of power, he killed nine of his
fellow disciples and was expelled."
"Heh... That's an old story. I was a bit bored when I
came to this country, but I never thought I'd encounter a
peculiar martial artist like you..."
The Sword Demon said this as he prepared his sword.
"Hahahaha, Jack the Ripper! You're scared of the
Sword Demon and want to run away, don't you! What
happened to your bravado just now!!"
Oyano Bow's loud laughter echoed.
"Let's go."
The Sword Demon lowered his stance.
"Gulp."
Kanade gulped.
And then, the clown's finger flicked.
At the same time, the Sword Demon's body blurred as
he dodged something. Immediately after, a hole opened in
the wall behind him.
 "Finger flick... With this much power, without any
preliminary movements. If it weren't for me, that one blow
would have been the end."
The Sword Demon muttered with a hint of
amusement.
Jack the Ripper also seemed a little surprised. He
stared at the Sword Demon as if sizing up his abilities.
"But, it won't work on me. Even if I can't see it, my
senses tell me..."
Saying so, the Sword Demon closed his eyes and
prepared himself.
"Come, Jack the Ripper. Your attacks will never hit..."
At that moment, there was a dull thud.
"Huh..."
The Sword Demon's head went flying.
The headless body of the Sword Demon slowly fell,
and blood spurted out from the neck like a fountain.
The severed head of the Sword Demon that fell to the
floor blinked in surprise at Jack the Ripper.
"Haah..."
With a small sigh, the clown prepared the 6 of Spades.
"Im...impossible..."
Oyano Bow backed away.
"H-hiiiiii, wait, wait, wait! W-we still have a powerful
force behind us, that Diabo—"
 Oyano Bow's words were cut off as the 6 of Spades was
thrust into his head.
"Why...?"
Dekuno Bow also died in turn.
Once the blood-soaked clown confirmed this, he
turned his gaze to Christina and Kanade.
An eerie tension hung in the silence.
"We're gonna get killed... Witnesses are always
killed..."
Kanade was trembling like a newborn fawn.
However, contrary to Kanade's prediction, the
blood-soaked clown left, making a splashing sound with his
footsteps.
"Wait!!"
Christina called out to stop him.
She was captivated by the power that transcended
everything, like a god.
"W-what is your objective!? Were you the one who
delivered the Goethe Moono documents to me!?"
At her words, the blood-soaked clown stopped in his
tracks.
"Why, why me...? What do you want me to do?"
The blood-soaked clown didn't answer.
He just stared at Christina with a mask that had a fixed
smile.
 "Hehe..."
The clown let out a small laugh.
And then, he threw a card.
Christina reflexively tried to block it with her sword.
However, the card grazed Christina's cheek and stuck
into Kanade's temple.
"Eeeeeek!?"
"Kanade!?"
Kanade fell down, blood streaming from her head.
"Hehe..."
The clown jumped out of the window.
However, Christina couldn't pursue the clown.
"Are you okay!? Kanade, answer me!"
Because Kanade was on the verge of death.
A friend who didn't care about her status and spoke
her mind.
For her, it was a first-ever relationship.
"Kanade, Kanade!"
She has a pulse, she's breathing, if only the bleeding
can be stopped...!
"Ugh...Christina..."
"Kanade, hang in there!"
Kanade placed her trembling hand on Christina's.
"It's okay, I...I'm not going to make it..."
"That's not true!"
 "I know my own body best..."
"No, Kanade, you don't understand anything. It's okay,
you'll definitely be saved!"

"So... I want you to hear my last will and testament..."

"There's no need for that...!"
"Please, Christina."
Kanade stared at Christina with serious eyes.
"Alright. There's no need for a will, but if it eases your
mind, Kanade. If anything happens, I will surely tell your
parents back home."
"Thank you, Christina... But, I have no messages for
my parents."
"What...?"
"My last words are..."
Kanade suddenly opened her eyes wide.
"Cid Kageno, you traitor! I won't forgive you!! I'll curse
you to death, so prepare yourself!!"
And then, Kanade peacefully closed her eyes.
"Kanade, Kanade, please wake up!!"
Kanade didn't move at all.
"I'm trying to handle the situation, so it's a hindrance
if you're sleeping there!!"
 Christina peeled off the card stuck to Kanade's head.
"Ouch."
"This is blood glue."
"What...? Am I alive?"
Kanade touched her own head in astonishment.
"Don't worry. You don’t have a single scratch Kanade."
"But, but the card was stuck in my head..."
"It was just stuck with blood glue."
"You... Jack the Ripper!"
Kanade got up with a red face.
"Ah, wait. There's something written on the card."
"What, what?"
On the card held by Christina, a poem was written in
blood.
"Blowing horns of liars,
Kill all the bad people,
I'm always just counting,
But sometimes I play like this."
"What does it mean?"
"Considering it was left behind, it must mean
something..."
At that moment, the door of the room slowly opened.
"Hey, everyone! You're safe!"
The person who came running with a somewhat fake
smile was Cid Kageno, a plain black-haired boy.
 "I'm glad you're safe."
Christina was relieved, and
"Hey, hey, Cid! How dare you, the filthy traitor, show
up?"
Kanade was threatening like a gangster.
"No, no, I almost died."
"You almost died? I was really about to die because you
ran away! If Jack the Ripper hadn't come, I would have
definitely died."
"Oh, so Jack the Ripper showed up."
"Yeah, yeah, he appeared dashingly and went byu,
byu, byu! It was really dangerous!"
Said Kanade, who had somehow returned to her
original state.
"Oh, that's good."
"Yeah, yeah, so, in an instant, the martial artist of
Wakoku... Wait a minute! This is about you, Cid Kagenou!"
"Ah, yes."
"I will never forgive a traitor! How dare you abandon
me and run away!!"
"I'm sorry."
"Don't think you can get away with an apology! From
now on... you're going to get a good beating!!"
Kanade tackled Cid with both legs, mounted him, and
started punching.
"How about that, have you given up?"
"Uwaa, stop it!"
And the beating continued for a while.
 Chapter 3 : Deciphering the Threatening Message!

In the bedroom of the Hope house, where the

morning sun began to shine, an investigation was
conducted by the Knights.
"I see, I see. Earl Oyano Bow, Viscount Shinobi,
Marquis Jet conspired to attack the Hope house..."
Christina and others were being interrogated by Gray,
the head of the Knights' investigative division.
"And then the blood-soaked clown, Jack the Ripper,
appeared. He killed all the attackers, but left without laying
a hand on you... That's a very convenient story."
Gray cast a suspicious gaze at Christina.
"But, it's true."
"In that case, it is only natural to assume that Jack the
Ripper was an assassin and bodyguard hired by the Hope
family."
"That's not true! We don't do such obvious
impersonations."
"One could also consider that you deliberately made it
obvious to escape suspicion."
"Stop it. Rather than that, the problem is that Earl
Oyano Bow, Viscount Shinobi, Marquis Jet and others
attacked. Shouldn't it be the Knights' job to first investigate
the background relationships..."
 "Ah, that matter. The fact that they attacked is just a
story from the Hope family's perspective."
Gray narrowed his eyes and smiled wryly.
"...What do you mean?"
"Earl Oyano Bow and the three others were lured out
by the Hope family and framed. That's one way to see it."
"What!? That's impossible, they were wearing masks
and were armed!"
"They are careful and sharp people. Anticipating an
attack, they had masked guards on standby nearby. It was a
wonderful decision, but... it ended in a regrettable result."
"Even Earl Oyano Bow himself was wearing a mask!
Where is the evidence that the Hope family lured them
out!"
"That's under investigation. Besides, it's just a story
that can be interpreted that way. The royal capital is now all
about Jack the Ripper. Who is he, what is his purpose...
Currently, the most suspicious is your Hope family."
"You're treating us as criminals based on rumors?"
"No, no, not at all. It's just a story that there are such
rumors. However, such public sentiment cannot be
ignored. They are afraid that the spearhead of Jack the
Ripper will turn to them. The nights in the royal capital are
quiet now. The lights of the shops go out early, and there are
no people on the streets. Everyone is afraid of Jack the
Ripper and not going out. If this situation continues, public
dissatisfaction will increase and a witch hunt may begin.
That's what we're afraid of."
"That's..."
"I won't say I don't understand, but we are also in a
difficult position. Last night, I was scolded for not
investigating the Hope family quickly, and for not arresting
them right away."
Saying that, Gray laughed as if he was troubled.
"Well, I'll get back to work. Kanade and Cid, right? I
might want to hear from you individually later, so please
cooperate then. The truth is always one."
With the signature pose of "Detective Catnan", he
smiled at Kanade and Cid and left.
"Christina..."
Kanade consoled Christina, who had dropped her
shoulders.
"If this continues, the Hope family will be treated as
criminals."
"That would be terrible."
Cid Kageno said while munching on high-class sweets.
"The Night Swords will definitely pin the crime on the
Hope family. It would be great if we could prove the Hope
family's innocence..."
 "Speaking of which... Jack the Ripper left a message,
didn't he?"
"Oh, this."
Christina took out a memo from her pocket. The card
was confiscated by the Knights as evidence.
"Blowing horns of liars,
Kill all the bad people,
I'm always just counting,
But sometimes I play like this."
She said the message she had written down out loud.
"I think it has some meaning. He left it behind on
purpose."
Cid said that.
"Because it says "Blowing horns of liars," his target
must be the Night Sword."
"Because it says "kill all the bad people," Jack plans to
kill all the Night Swords."
Kanade said proudly.
"But, the last two lines are a bit hard to understand."
"I don't understand the meaning of "I'm always just
counting". Just counting? What is he counting?"
"That's right... for example, corpses."
When Cid said that, Christina seemed to notice
something.
 "Jack the Ripper was counting the corpses of the Night
Swords with the numbers on the playing cards."
"So he always counts corpses with playing card
numbers, but "sometimes I play like this"? Leaving
messages is a game?"
"That might be the case."
"And here I thought it had a more serious meaning."
Kanade sighed in disappointment.
"That's not true. It's clear that Jack the Ripper's goal is
to kill all the Night Swords."
"Boring."
Ignoring the two of them, Cid seemed to have noticed
something.
"Huh? This message, you can read it horizontally too."
Pointing at the memo, he said.
"Eh! Read it horizontally?"
"Let's see."
The two of them peered at the message and noticed at
the same time.
"White?"
"Could it be referring to Count Oshoku White?"
"Who's that?"
"He's a high-ranking member of the Night Sword. He's
also the master of the large mansion on the outskirts of the
royal city, the "White Mansion."
 "Oh, that luxurious mansion..."
"So, the next target of Jack the Ripper is Count
Oshoku White... It's a crime notice. Good catch, Cid."
"Nah, it was just a coincidence."
"Well, I was half-aware of it too!"
Kanade competed with Cid.
"I'm glad. But the meaning left by Jack the Ripper in
the message is not just this."
"Huh!? Really?"
"Jack put another meaning into the card. I believe the
card was the ten of spades. Spades represent winter, and
the number represents the week. So this card means the
tenth week of winter. By the way, today is the ninth day of
the tenth week of winter."
"Tomorrow is the tenth day of the tenth week of
winter. The number ten lined up. I don't think it's a
coincidence."
"Um, so does that mean Jack is going to make a move
tomorrow?"
"On the tenth day of the tenth week of winter, Jack the
Ripper will target Count White of the "White Mansion".
With this much information, we can prepare as well."
"But why would Jack leave such a message?"
Kanade's simple question.
"That's...certainly strange."
 "Yeah, doing something like this would result in
failure."
Just as the two were about to continue their
discussion, Cid's cough interrupted them.
"Ahem, I think Jack the Ripper, with his genius
intelligence that we can't even imagine, has found the
optimal solution from a far higher perspective after
considering all possibilities. No matter how much we
ordinary people think, we can't understand his purpose..."
He said quickly.
"Maybe Jack the Ripper... is trying to tell me
something."
Christina murmured with a serious face.
"Tell you what?"
"I don't know. I just thought so..."
"Rather than that, how about letting the Knights and
the Night Swords know the meaning of this message? If the
Knights relay it to the Night Sword, they should also take
measures. For example, gather their forces and confront
Jack with everyone... if Jack the Ripper appears at such a
place, the suspicion against the Hope family will be
completely cleared."
Cid said.
"But then Jack the Ripper will..."
"Probably be killed."
 "Is Jack the Ripper really our enemy? He might be a
victim of the Night Sword."
"But no matter what the reason, what Jack the Ripper
is doing is murder. It's not something that can be
defended!"
Cid said with a strong light of justice in his eyes.
"But...yes, I'll go inform them."
In a gloomy mood, Christina went to inform Gray, the
head of the Knight Order's Investigation Division.
Alexia sipped high-quality coffee in the reception
room of the Hope residence.
"So that's why the Knight Order was in a hurry..."
She said, returning the note with Jack the Ripper's
message to Christina.
"So the Knight Order is going to participate in the
operation to capture Jack the Ripper?"
When Christina asked, Alexia shook her head.
"It seems the Knight Order is going to secure the area
around the White Mansion."
"Eh? They're not going inside?"
"There are also influential members in the Night
Sword. They must capture... no, kill Jack the Ripper with
their own hands. They're desperately gathering forces.
Tomorrow, the top magic swordsmen from both the front
and back will gather at the White Mansion."
 "It's become a serious situation... I wonder if Jack the
Ripper will really come."
"I don't think there's a fool who would come willingly
when such a force is gathered. The message could be a bluff,
and the real intention could be something else. That's the
normal way of thinking. The Knight Order is also acting on
that basis."
"But Jack the Ripper's ability is not ordinary."
Christina said.
"According to your story, Jack the Ripper
overpowered that martial artist from Wakoku. The martial
artists from Wakoku who are on training journeys are all
strong. If he can overpower them, he must be very
confident in his skills... considering that, he might come."
"Is that so..."
Christina let out a small sigh.
"You look down, Christina."
"Jack the Ripper is a brutal murderer. But is this really
the right way? I can't help but think that there might be a
tragic past that turned him into a brutal murderer... Maybe
he's trying to tell me something..."
"Alright, Christina. Let's head to the White Mansion
tomorrow. We can't go inside, but we can watch from the
outside with the Knight Order."
"Really!?"
 "The Night Swords will be against it. But as a princess,
I can handle it. Let's witness the end of this incident."
"Thank you."
Christina smiled.
Alexia sipped her coffee and let out a small sigh.
"Umm... Princess Alexia, you also seem to have a
gloomy look on your face."
"Well... I have a lot on my mind. And Claire still hasn't
woken up."
"Is Claire okay?"
"The doctor says there's no problem with her life.
She'll wake up eventually, but that female doctor called Mu,
she seems suspicious."
"Cid said he trusts the female doctor."
"He's bad at judging people."
"But I think Cid is also having a hard time. She's his
only sister. He refused to stay in this house because he was
worried about Claire."
"He... cares about Claire that much..."
"Yes. They're a lovely brother and sister."
"I thought he was a more heartless man. I'll buy him
some delicious sweets from Mitsugoshi next time."
"I think that’ll make him happy."
"Of course. There's no way he wouldn't be happy with a
present from me."
 Alexia softened her expression and suddenly brings up
another topic.
"I talked with my father yesterday."
"With King Midgar?"
"There's this matter and also the various things that
have happened so far... I can't handle it all by myself, so I
want you to listen to me a little bit."
Saying that, Alexia started telling Christina about
what happened yesterday.
"Why father?!"
Alexia questioned King Midgar in her private room.
"What are you talking about, Alexia?"
King Midgar said in a calm voice.
"Why do you tolerate the tyranny of the Night
Swords?"
"Again with that."
King Midgar sighed.
"I won't give up until I get an answer from you, father.
And this is not just about the Night Swords! It's also about
the entity that's been working behind the scenes of the
Night Swords!"
"Well, what are you talking about?"
"Please stop playing dumb, father. I know everything.
About the existence of the Diabolos Cult, everything!"
"Well..."
 King Midgar let out a big sigh again. He then closed
his eyes for a while and seemed to think about something.
"Father...?"
"It seems it's about time."
Opening his eyes, King Midgar said.
"About time for what?"
"I was going to tell you eventually. About the Diabolos
Cult."
"So you knew after all."
"The Diabolos Cult is an entity that controls the
darkness of the world. If we antagonize them, our country
will suffer a great loss."
"So you side with them?"
Alexia's voice became harsh.
"It was necessary to deal with them."
"It's all in how you put it."
"That's politics. There are things that should be
prioritized over good and evil to protect the country."
"...I feel sick."
"Politics can't be done by just attacking evil. If we had
done that, our country would have been destroyed a long
time ago."
"So you're saying we should join hands with the
Diabolos Cult?!"
"We didn't join hands."
 King Midgar said in a strong voice.
"Eh?"
"We didn't join hands, Alexia. The Midgar Kingdom
has simply been dealing well with the Diabolos Cult. That's
all."
"Isn't that the same?"
"The Midgar Kingdom has never approved of the
Diabolos Cult's actions. Of course, we haven't cooperated
either."

"But the Diabolos Cult is committing atrocities in the

Kingdom of Midgar! There were even insiders in the
Knights!"
"That's what each of them chose to do."
"It's the same thing! Aren't you turning a blind eye to
it?"
"The Kingdom of Midgar does not cooperate with the
Diabolos Cult at all. But neither do we condemn their
actions. That is how we have maintained our existence as a
nation."
"So the Cult has been allowed to do whatever it
wants?"
 "The Diabolos Cult never seeks the limelight. They
needed our cover. They knew their limits."
"Have you forgotten what happened at Midgar
Academy?! I was also kidnapped!! Is that what you call
knowing their limits?!"
"Until a few years ago, they did."
"A few years ago...?"
"Until the appearance of Shadow Garden."
"Shadow Garden..."
As the King of Midgar rose from his seat and moved
towards the window, he touched the window glass and
stared into the darkness of the night.
"In just a few years, the world has changed
dramatically. On the surface, the Mitsugoshi Company, and
behind the scenes, the Shadow Garden, are trying to
transform society itself. Those who cannot ride this wave
are resisting desperately. That's the era we live in now."
"So the Cult is panicking?"
"Before, they wouldn't have been so reckless. The
organization itself is being cornered by Shadow Garden.
The backlash is beginning."
"So my kidnapping was also part of the backlash?"
Alexia stared at her father, her voice filled with anger.
"Yes."
The King of Midgar declared.
 "So, should I accept it?"
"As a father, I will apologize to you, Alexia. That's how
it is."
Saying so, he bowed deeply.
"Father..."
"But as a king, I have no need to apologize. I am the
king of the Kingdom of Midgar, even before I am a father."
"Father!"
"We don't have the power to fight the Diabolos Cult in
this country. The cult has the Knights of the Round, who
have lived for over a thousand years, and the Children, a
combat group enhanced by ancient knowledge. As you
know, wars are decided by the quality and quantity of
magic swordsmen. Ordinary soldiers are nothing more
than shields in front of them."
"I understand that..."
War is a clash between magic swordsmen.
But that doesn't mean that ordinary soldiers are
useless.
If you have ten soldiers equipped with anti-magic
armor, you can hold down one magic swordsman. If the
quality of the soldiers is high, there is a chance to aim for
the magic depletion. That was the common sense of war.
But that's only if you're dealing with ordinary magic
swordsmen.
 Extraordinary magic swordsmen can kill ten soldiers
in a single blow. Multiple trained soldiers and expensive
anti-magic armor can be destroyed in an instant.
That's what the cult's magic swordsmen can do easily.
"No one could stand against the Cult, which boasts the
quality of its magic swordsmen. Until now."
"Until now?"
"Things changed when Shadow Garden appeared.
There have been groups that opposed the Cult in the past,
and of course, there were some in our Knights. But all of
them were quickly crushed."
"In our Knights..."
A man came back to Alexia's mind. The former head
librarian of the Knights, wielding a large pruning knife in
each hand, with eyes that had given up on everything.
"Shadow Garden will probably be crushed soon too.
Everyone thought so. Of course, so did the Cult... But that
didn't happen. They never collapsed. On the contrary, they
began to reduce the power of the Cult. It was completely
different from before. The name of Shadow Garden quickly
spread in the underworld. Everyone paid attention and
held hope..."
"Hope, you say?"
 "They might be able to end this world dominated by
the Cult. The leader of Shadow Garden has an
overwhelming power that makes people think so."
"You mean Shadow..."
Alexia still remembers the beautiful blue-violet light
that Shadow released in the capital.
It's not admiration.
It's the light that she swore in her heart that she would
reach one day.
"Not only Shadow, but those who work under him are
also strong. As an organization, they had a definite strength
to compete with the Cult. It was not a dream to overthrow
the Cult, and at the same time, we were cautious."
"Cautious, you say?"
"...After the Diabolos Cult, Shadow Garden might
control this world. If the Diabolos Cult collapses, there is no
one in this world who can compete with Shadow Garden."
"That's..."
The head librarian also said the same thing on his
deathbed.
"If that happens, nothing will change. That's why I
was watching. The existence of Shadow Garden. That's why
I was hesitating. Which side should I ally with..."
"What are you going to do?"
 "Well. It may be ideal for us to just let the Diabolos
Cult and Shadow Garden continue to fight."
"Father!"
"Just kidding. I don't want to choose, that's my honest
feeling. But at the turning point of the battle that divides
the era, all the forces that made a neutral choice have
perished in history. Regardless of my feelings, I will be
forced to choose eventually. Even if a future of destruction
awaits whichever I choose, I have no choice but to choose
one. That's the flow of a big era."
"The flow of the era..."
"The cult is panicking. Their recent recklessness is
both their panic and pressure on us. They are demanding
that we side with the Cult. I thought Shadow Garden would
contact us eventually..."
"Is there no contact?"
"Yes. Even if we try to contact them, we have no idea
where they are. The Kingdom of Midgar may not be
necessary for Shadow Garden. It might be that. If that's the
case, there might only be one path left for us."
The king smiled tiredly.
"What will happen to the Kingdom of Oriana? That
country opposed the Church."
"They will probably be crushed soon. Rose Oriana
opposed the Church and was declared a heretic by the Holy
Church. Trade will be heavily restricted. That small
country, which has nothing but art, will soon dry up."
"So that's it. Is there no way to save them..."
When Alexia heard that Rose had become queen, she
congratulated her in her heart.
They once swore to fight together. Although their
paths diverged due to various circumstances, she was glad
that they had not lost their will to oppose the Church.
But the path ahead is a thorny one.
"It depends on Shadow Garden."
"So they are involved."
The king nodded.
"Where do you think Rose Oriana was hiding after
killing her father? The Kingdom of Oriana, the Kingdom of
Midgar, and the Diabolos cult were all looking for her
desperately, but couldn't find her."
"You mean Shadow Garden was hiding her?"
"It's natural to think so. The flow of Rose Oriana
becoming a queen was probably all orchestrated. By
Shadow Garden... no, by Shadow. Whenever Rose Oriana
moves, Shadow is always behind her."
"I remember during the Bushin Festival too..."
It was Shadow who helped Rose escape.
"Although it's unconfirmed, there are testimonies that
Shadow appeared at the same time as the "Black Rose"."
 "So Rose senpai... I mean, Rose Oriana teamed up with
Shadow Garden."
"Yes. Although the Kingdom of Oriana has restricted
trade, they still have plenty of food. If you think that
Shadow Garden is bringing it in, it makes sense."
"So, the Kingdom of Oriana will be saved."
"We don't know yet."
"Eh?"
"The Cult is moving. They are working with the Holy
Church to execute a heresy purge. They are pressuring us to
deploy our troops quietly."
"What?!"
"The Velgelta Empire will move. That country has
invaded the Kingdom of Oriana several times in the past.
But each time, they retreated for unnatural reasons."
"...Unnatural reasons?"
"It seems the Church was involved. The balance
between the Kingdom of Oriana and the Velgelta Empire
was maintained by the Church. But this time, the Church
sided with the Velgelta Empire. If they get the justification
of the Holy Church, it's the best opportunity for the
Velgelta Empire."
"What will you do... I mean, what does the Kingdom
of Midgar plan to do?"
Alexia asked this not as herself, but as a princess.
 "Well..."
The king took a deep breath and fell silent.
Outside the window, it was snowing.

"You surely aren't suggesting that I should join the

cult."
"...When the snow melts, it's likely the war will begin."
"Are you suggesting an invasion of the Oriana
Kingdom?"
"Alexia, the cult is testing us. They want to see if we'll
side with them or the Shadow Garden. Our choices here
will determine the future of the Midgar Kingdom."
"If you, Father, are suggesting we invade the Oriana
Kingdom, then I..."
"We'll make our decision before the snow melts. I'm
simply choosing the option that ensures the survival of the
Midgar Kingdom. Alexia, you may do as you please."
"...Is that acceptable?"
"Iris is getting close to the cult."
"My sister is with the cult after all...!"
"That's what she wanted."
"That's not true, she's just being manipulated!"
The king shakes his head.
 "Alexia, if you can get close to the Shadow Garden,
even if we fall, the bloodline of the Midgar Kingdom will
survive."
"Are you suggesting that I might not be able to get
close to the Shadow Garden?"
Alexia clenches her fists tightly.
"Do as you wish."
The king says, turning his back.
Alexia recalled last night's conversation.
"...So that's what happened."
After listening to the story, Christina takes a breath
and sips her coffee.
"That's right. So I won't be stopped from intervening
in this incident by my father. Of course, it seems he won't
help either."
"So you're free to do as you please."
"Yes... whatever my father may think, I'll stick to my
own will."
"You're admirable."
"I ask you not to speak of today's conversation to
anyone."
"Of course."
"By the way, this is a change of topic but..."
Alexia suddenly starts to fidget.
"What's the matter?"
 "Aren't we going to the White residence tomorrow?"
"That's right."
"I think we should discuss our plans and other things."
"Eh? Ah, yes, we might need to."
"That's right... So, I'll stay over tonight!"
Alexia declares confidently.
"What?"
"That's why there's a lot to talk about, so I'll stay over!"
"There's still time though..."
Christina looked at the pendulum clock made by
Mitsugoshi.
"It's already getting dark. It would be terrible if
something happened on the way home!"
"I'll arrange for a carriage with an escort. Or we could
just contact the royal palace..."
"That might work normally, but with the Jack the
Ripper case, it's dangerous to be out at night!"
"That is... true. In that case, I'll prepare a room for
Princess Alexia."
"There's no need for that. It's my fault for barging in!"
"No, but..."
"By the way, I just remembered, aren’t Pochi and... I
mean, Cid Kageno and Kanade also staying over?"
"Yes, they are."
 "It's fine if we share the same room. It's my fault for
barging in!"
Alexia insists enthusiastically.
"Sharing the same room with them? That would be
rather rude, or rather..."
"It's fine, it's fine. It's my fault for barging in!"
"But, but..."
"It's fine! My father gave me permission!"
Christina thought for a moment that the permission
was for a different matter, but Alexia pulled her arm and
stood up.
"Come on, show me to your bedrooms!"
"Why are you here?"
Facing Alexia in the bedroom, those were Cid’s first
words.
"That's a very difficult question. Why am I here? It's
philosophical. I think, therefore I am. It's a quote from
Natsume Kafka. She's an annoying woman, but that doesn't
change the fact that it's the truth."
"I think, therefore I am..."
Cid muttered the words said to have been spoken by
the novelist Natsume, and made a grimace.
"Oh, did you also find it resonating? It's a remark made
by Natsume Kafka during her lecture at the top academic
conference in Ragas. It's all the rage among scholars. It
seems to be the most popular topic for dissertations in the
philosophy department of the academic academy this year."
"Ah, I see."
Cid held his forehead as if giving up.
"What I'm asking is not a philosophical question. I'm
curious about why the noble Alexia, who is an existence
above the clouds, would come to a place like this."
"Oh, I see, you're finally aware of your position. It's
obvious that I'm an existence above the clouds for you, but I
thought I'd come and see what it's like under the clouds."
"You're not answering the question."
"The view from above the clouds is none of your
business. Now move. I'm using your bed tonight."
"What? You're staying over? Where am I supposed to
sleep then?"
"Why don't you sleep on the floor?"
With a triumphant expression, Alexia drops Cid's
belongings from the bed to the floor.
"I'm sorry, Cid. Please make do with this blanket."
Christina quietly offers a blanket.
Cid looks at the blanket expressionlessly and asks,
"Can I go home?"
"You'll be attacked by the Night Swords."
"I feel like I could miraculously survive even if I was
attacked."
 "Stop it. Really."
Alexia says with a serious tone.
"...Alright."
Cid sighs and takes the blanket.
Alexia sits on the bed and looks around the room.
"You guys have had a tough time, haven't you? You
were attacked in this room last night, weren't you? Is this a
blood stain?"
Alexia's gaze is sharp, as if she's looking for traces of
the attack.
"No, the attack happened in the next room."
"That stain is from when Kanade got excited and
spilled coffee earlier."
"Eek!"
Reacting to Alexia's sudden appearance, Kanade, who
had been trying to make herself invisible in the corner of
the room, responded.
"Oh, is that so, you must have been worried about
what happened last night, Kanade."
Alexia said, blushing.
"Yes, I was so worried I couldn't sleep at ni..."
"Kanade was snoring and sleeping more soundly than
anyone else. She's surprisingly gutsy, so there's no need to
worry."
 "You're really annoying, you know that? I'm trying to
show some concern here."
"You say irrelevant things all the time, so I'm just
correcting you."
Alexia and Cid's gazes clash.
"Well, well, you two."
Christina intervenes.
"Anyway, we should re-examine the movements of
Jack the Ripper and the events of last night. We might have
overlooked something!"
Alexia insists and looks at Cid and the others.
"That's true."
"I agree with that."
"So, have you noticed anything? It could be about last
night's incident, or something before that. Anything is
fine."
"I still think that Jack the Ripper is not our enemy. If
he was, he could have just abandoned us last night."
"Certainly, the timing was too good."
"Yes. Perhaps Jack the Ripper has been following the
movements of the Night Swords all along. He saw us being
attacked and came to our rescue."
"---I wonder about that."
Cid objects to Christina's words.
 "I think it was just more efficient. It was easier for Jack
the Ripper to fight against the Night Sword with Christina
and the others than to fight alone."
"I don't think that's the case."
Christina immediately denies it.
"Cid, you didn't see it, but Jack the Ripper's abilities
are far beyond that of ordinary people. He annihilated the
enemy all by himself. We were no match for him."
"I see, it's only natural that Cid Kageno, who ran away
halfway, wouldn't understand."
Alexia casually stirs the pot.
"Yeah, yeah, it's only natural that a traitor who ran
away halfway wouldn't understand."
Kanade wholeheartedly agrees.
"Well, you could argue that thanks to Cid drawing
away the enemy, we were able to hold our own..."
And Christina follows up.
"This guy couldn't have thought of that. He just ran
away to save his own life."
"I'll never forget that moment. Those were the eyes of
a traitor."
"You guys sure talk a lot of nonsense."
Cid says, looking exasperated.
"By the way, there was a report earlier that there was
something inexplicable."
 Christina said as if she remembered something.
"Something's up."
"It seems that the art vase in the mansion has been
stolen. It was still there yesterday afternoon, so I think it
was probably stolen during the incident."
"Oh, that's interesting. What kind of vase is it?"
"Do you know the work of the potter "Da Vinci" from
300 years ago?"
"What, that 200 million Zeni vase that was in the
hallway!? That was stolen!?"
"Unfortunately, yes..."
"Wait, isn't that a national treasure level vase!? You
shouldn't be displaying something like that in the hallway."
Alexia said in a dumbfounded manner.
"Oh, the one that was stolen was a replica of Da Vinci's
vase."
"Huh? Was that a replica?"
Cid said.
"Yes. We wouldn't display the real thing in such a
place. That's why it was puzzling, why the perpetrator
deliberately stole the replica."
"That is indeed puzzling. A replica doesn't seem worth
stealing."
"Well, it was a good replica, so I think it could sell for
tens of thousands of Zeni."
 "If it's for money, they would've been better off
stealing something else."
"Yes, there are other art pieces in the hallway that are
worth several million Zeny. Why did the perpetrator
deliberately steal the least valuable replica?"
"Given the situation, the perpetrator is likely to be
Jack the Ripper or a member of the Night Swords."
"I wonder if they couldn't tell that the vase was a
replica."
"I doubt that. No matter how well made it is, you can
tell it's a replica if you look at it. The only ones who can't tell
are the poor people who don't have a shred of culture."
"That's true."
While Christina and Alexia were talking, Kanade and
Cid were looking at each other.
"Lacks a shred of culture..."
"Completely poor..."
They both slumped their shoulders.
"This is puzzling. There might be a hidden message
from Jack the Ripper."
"We can't deny that possibility. It might be worth
investigating."
"I don't think there's anything."
"Pochi, be quiet. Christina, show me the scene! I'll
solve the mystery from the slightest clue!"
 "I told you, it's a waste."
"Let's go, Pochi."
That day, Alexia and the others investigated the scene
of the theft until late, but they didn't find anything.
"The 'White Mansion' is just ahead."
"Wow."
I was walking through the upscale residential area of
the royal capital, led by Ms. Christina.
All the surrounding houses were ultra-luxurious,
easily exceeding ten billion Zeni. In terms of size,
Christina's house might have been bigger, but the
overwhelming sense of wealth radiating from the entire
town left me and Kanade with our mouths agape.
"It's strange. Jack the Ripper must have left a message.
Maybe from the reflection of the sun's light in the hallway
mirror, deciphering the code from the shadow that
appears..."
Behind me, Alexia, with bags under her eyes, was
muttering futile speculations.
"Did we come to the wrong place?"
A suspicious-looking Kanade looked at me.
"We should have waited at home."
"It's safer to be together!"
"Is that so?"
 "...If we use Princess Alexia as a shield, we can
definitely survive."
Kanade whispered disrespectfully, but my ears heard
it clearly.
I, too, have been leading a disrespectful life, so I'm
secretly cheering for her.
"Kanade might make a name for herself in history."
Of course, in a bad way.
"Eh? Really? That's kind of embarrassing."
Kanade made a creepy grin.
"Huh?"
At that moment, my usual habit of sensing presence
made me feel an overwhelming magical power
approaching at an incredible speed.
What's this, it's dangerous.
And when I realized it, it was Delta.
"...This might be bad."
"Eh, what's wrong?"
"No, well..."
It seems unnecessary for me, as a mob, to stand out at
this timing.
"I need to take a dump..."
Just as I was about to naturally distance myself, a
beastkin girl rushed in with tremendous momentum.
"Boss!"
 "Delta, wait!"
"Ugh!? Delta is not good at waiting!"
Delta, who slowed down for a moment, only waited
for that moment.
But that moment was enough for me.
With the maximum speed a mob can do, I back
stepped and fired a spell at Delta, who was accelerating
again.
"Wait!"
"Ugh!?"
Reacting with a twitch, Delta slows down for a
moment.
But she speeds up again soon.
"Wait! Wait!"
"Ugh!? Ugh!?"
"Wait wait wait wait wait!!"
Delta slows down gradually, twitching, and finally
arrives in front of me.
"Uuuuuu..."
Delta, whose face is melting from being patted, and
Alexia and the others, who are astonished by the sudden
appearance of the mysterious beastkin.
I racked my brains for how to explain.
"Um, Pochi, do you know that beastkin? She's got
tremendous magic power."
 Alexia said, slightly taken aback by Delta's magic
power. Her magic power was so swollen that it seemed to
burst with "wait."
"Um, she's my pet, or something... Good girl, good
girl."
I patted Delta's head to prevent her magic power from
exploding. If it exploded here, it would be a disaster.
"You're keeping a pretty dangerous pet. And I thought
owning beastkin slaves was prohibited."
Alexia said, casting a sword-swallowing gaze.
"Ah, this is bad."
It was too late when I realized it.
"Hey, you small fry, don't talk to the boss."
Delta took Alexia's gaze as hostility.
"Good girl, good girl, good girl!!"
As I patted Delta's head with all my might, her face
gradually melted.
"I’m a small fry? I can't let that go."
Alexia, who is adding fuel to the fire.
"Hey, idiot, stop it."
Even though Delta could make her disappear with a
flick of her finger, why is she getting so worked up?
"Fa~garuru."
Delta growled lowly at Alexia while melting her face
with a pat.
 I locked Delta in a headlock and dragged her away,
restraining her with considerable force.
"Sorry about that, my pet seems to have made a fuss."
"Wait, we're not done talking yet."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll hear your story afterwards."
While restraining Delta with considerable force, I
distanced myself from Alexia and the others.
"Gau, it's suffocating."
"Ah, sorry."
I released Delta in the shadow of the wall of a
high-end house.
"The boss is strong. It's amazing that he didn't use any
magic!"
"Well, I've been training. Anyway, you know the rule
that you can't contact me when I'm with the public, right?"
"Huh?"
"No, so when I'm with the public, you can't..."
"Hmm?"
Looking at Delta tilting her head in confusion, I gave
up.
"No, it's nothing. I don't do anything unnecessary."
"Delta doesn't do anything unnecessary either!"
"That's right. So what did Delta come here for?"
"I wanted to see the boss!"
"You came because you wanted to see me?"
 "No! Boss, can I beat up that female from earlier? I'll
make her understand her place!"
"No, you can't beat her up. She's the princess of this
country, so it'll be troublesome. So, what did Delta come
here for?"
"It's okay! I'll beat her up and make her wag her tail in
front of the boss!"
"No, so what did Delta come here for? And no beating
up Alexia, it's forbidden."
"Is it forbidden?"
"It's forbidden."
"But she's so weak and arrogant."
"She's arrogant, but it's forbidden."
"Uuuu... I understand."
"So, what did Delta come here for?"
"Well, Delta is..."
Delta tilted her head and blinked as if trying to
remember something.
"That's right! Delta came to find a female cat!"
"A female cat... Did something happen to Zeta?"
"Alpha-sama said to find her! Let's see, report? There
are a lot of blanks? Hmm, I don't really understand, but if I
beat up the female cat and bring her back, it's okay!"
"Oh, I see."
 Well, if it's a search for people, Delta's nose is the best.
However, even if she finds her, I can't imagine Zeta
obediently following Delta's instructions.
"Sniff sniff, the boss smells a little like a female cat.
But only a little."
Delta sniffed all over me, twitching her nose.
"We haven't seen each other in a while. The last time
we met was during the previous incident, wasn't it?"
"This country smells of a female cat. But only a little.
She must have moved somewhere."
Delta's face gradually became serious as he sniffed for
the scent. It was the face of a hunter.
At that moment, I felt a slight ripple in the air and
turned around.
"Lady Delta, please wait~"
A beast-girl, panting from exhaustion, appeared. She
was a beauty with blue eyes, white and black ears, and a
tail, reminding me somewhat of a Siberian Husky.
"Oh, Lord Delta? Could that person be..."
"Hmm, the boss is Delta's boss!"
Delta puffed out her chest and introduced me without
being introduced.
"Oh, hello. I'm Cid Kagenou. Are you acquainted with
Delta?"
"Eh, eeeeeh!? Really!?"
 The girl who resembled a Siberian Husky opened her
eyes wide.
"Um, Delta, who is she?"
"She is Delta's subordinate!"
Delta boasted with a smug expression.
Delta has a subordinate, huh. What a world we live in.
"A subordinate, huh. What's your name?"
"I am Pi!"
"Oh, so you are Pi-chan."
Given her name is Greek, she must be related to the
Mitsugoshi Company.
"I'm Pi. Nice to meet you~"
As she said this, Pi suddenly flopped down on her
back.
"Um...?"
"It's a pose of submission!"
Delta nodded with satisfaction.
"Ah, I see."
Not wanting to comment, I just nodded back.
"I'm being looked down on~ I'm being looked at like
I'm a cockroach~"
"That's not true."
I just thought that there are quite a few beast-people
like this. Yukime and Zeta were rather exceptional.
 "Why~ Did Pi do something wrong~ If the master
hates me, I won't be able to live in this group."
"Boss! Is Pi unsuitable for the group? She's a bit stupid,
but she's a good girl, you know?"
"Isn't she suitable?"
I don't know.
"Yay, the boss acknowledged Pi!"
"Really~? Pi will work hard for the master~"
Pi jumped up and began to wag her tail vigorously.
"Sniff sniff"
Then she approached me, sniffing.
"I've learned the master's scent~!"
"Boss, Pi is amazing! She might have a better nose than
Delta, even though she's stupid!"
"Oh, that's amazing."
The fact that she's more stupid than Delta is more
impressive.
"Also, Pi is quite strong!"
"I know that."
 The way she disappeared when she appeared was not
normal.
"Pi is planning to conquer the world with Delta every
day by creating the strongest group."
What is this disturbing plan?
"Pi, not yet! We haven't thought beyond having ten
thousand children with the boss yet!"
Unusually flustered, Delta stopped Pi's words.
The two of them started whispering to each other,
ignoring me.
"Eh~ Can't we conquer the world with ten thousand
people~?"
"Alpha said no! So we need a lot more, maybe a
million, then Alpha will admit it!"
"Eh~ That many~!"
As Delta explained with her hands fluttering, Pi was
surprised and fluttered her hands too.
"That's why we can't talk about "Delta and Pi's
strongest world domination plan" to the boss yet!"
It's a very disturbing plan. I can only pray that it won't
be executed.
"Then we have to revise the plan quickly~"
"We can't! We're on a mission to catch a female cat
now!"
"Ah~ I see, but Pi is allergic to cats."
 At that moment, Alexia's presence approached us.
"Hey, how long are you going to keep me waiting!?"
"Ah, sorry, we're on our way now."
As I signaled with my eyes, Delta and Pai disappeared
in an instant and moved away.
They're a bit disappointing in some respects, but their
communication in a pinch is smooth. I wonder if it's
because they're dogs.
After that, I joined up with Alexia and the others, and
apologized with some made-up excuse.
"Count White. Princess Alexia is at the front door."
Count White, who was addressed by the butler of
White's estate, raised his face.
"Princess Alexia, why?"
"She wants to witness the attack of Jack the Ripper."
"What a nuisance..."
Count White sighed.
"I won't let her on the premises. If she wants to wait
quietly outside the gate with the Knights, I'll allow it."
"Is that okay? It's Princess Alexia."
"She's a powerless princess. Once I've taken care of
Jack the Ripper, I'll invite her to dinner and cheer her up."
"Then, as you say."
The butler bowed and exited.
"Really, at a time like this..."
 Count White sat at the round table, looking annoyed.
Six of the Night Swords, including Count White, were
already seated at the round table.
"I apologize for the wait. I appreciate your assistance."
Count White bowed slightly.
"Don't worry about it. This is a matter for the entire
Thirteen Night Swords."
"Count Oyano Bow, Viscount Shinobi, Marquis Jet
have all been killed by him. The only Night Swords
remaining are the six of us here and Duke Dark Eye Can."
"The weakening of the Night Swords is inevitable. It
will take five years... no, ten years to train a successor."
"That's a discussion for later. First, our top priority
should be to take down this Jack the Ripper."
"That shouldn't be a problem. We, the top members of
the Night Swords, have gathered our maximum strength
without hesitation. A mere clown is nothing to us."
The top members of the Night Swords all said so.
"Where is Duke Dark Eye Can?"
Count White asked about the last Night Swords, who
were not visible.
"He seems to be negotiating with that organization.
We can't rely on the Fenrir faction anymore. It seems likely
that he will reach an agreement with a powerful figure in
the Loki faction."
 "If the negotiations go well, they will send us a
powerful reinforcement."
"It's just one opponent. Isn't this a bit of an overkill?"
"It's a crisis that has not occurred since the founding
of the Night Swords. It's just right to be excessive. We still
don't know who Jack the Ripper is."
"A comical assassin, huh. Are there any clues?"
The members' topic shifted to Jack the Ripper.
"I thought he was an assassin hired by the Hope
family, but the possibility seems low. The Hope family
doesn't have the means to hire such an assassin."
Count White crossed his arms with a difficult look on
his face.
"Hmm, then it's another organization. What about
that Shadow Garden?"
"If it was Shadow Garden, they wouldn't do such a
roundabout thing. They wouldn't disguise themselves as a
clown, use a card, and leave a message."
"Jack the Ripper is enjoying the killings. It may not be
an organization, but an individual. Pleasure killing, or
perhaps a grudge..."
"An individual... We're being underestimated, the
Thirteen Night Swords."
"Let's make them realize... what happens when they
underestimate us."
 Then the Night Swords stood up from their seats.
"The Swordsmen are ready. Let's lead them to the
'Underground Arena' that will be Jack the Ripper's
graveyard tonight."
As Count White said this, the butler lit the fireplace in
the room.
The flame glowed blue and drew magic characters.
Then, the fireplace transformed into a staircase leading
underground.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's impressive. Is
this an artifact used by the ancient elf country?"
"Indeed. Elf artifacts, elf books, elf weapons, elf
slaves. Everything about elves turns into gold."
Count White led the way down the stairs.
The staircase was wide, with ominous exhibits on both
sides.
"Oh, that sword is from the rabbit beastman
swordsman who lost the other day..."
"That was a wonderful match. The desperation of a
beastman whose family was taken hostage was
tremendous."
"It's said that among beastmen, rabbit people have a
particularly deep love for their families. Ah, the emotion of
trying to save their families, it brought tears to my eyes."
 Pointing to a sword stained with blood that was
broken in half and a tattered armor, Yato spoke.
"I'm in the process of making a stuffed animal. I'm
thinking of decorating it with the sword when it's finished."
"Be sure to call me when the time comes. By the way,
what happened to the beastman's family?"
"Of course, I'm planning to stuff them and decorate
them together. This beastman would be pleased too."
"Every time we pass here, we remember that fierce
battle and the emotion... Wonderful."
They walked down the stairs lined with blood-stained
armor and many stuffed animals while talking.
Then, they opened the door to the underground arena.
Beyond the door was a dimly lit dome-shaped space.
The light of the pine torch surrounded the circular
arena, and black stains and scars from battles were
engraved on the wall.
There was no glamor like the Bushin Festival. There
was only a dim, bloody memory of death.
"Here it is."
The butler bowed his head and guided the White
Count and others to a special spectator seat.
"This place is protected by a powerful artifact barrier.
Even if Jack the Ripper appears, he won't be able to touch
any of you."
 Yato each sat in his seat and looked down at the arena.
"And in the back of the arena, there are great
swordsmen from all over the place. The list is here."
The butler said so, and handed Yato a list with the
profiles of the demon swordsmen written on it.
"Good work. This is... quite a collection of demon
swordsmen."
The White Count swallowed his breath and flipped
through the list.
"Haha, we, Yato, gathered them without sparing any
money. It's a natural result."
"The swordsmen of Velgelta, the evil spirits of the
city-states, and the legend of the lawless city... It can't be
helped if this is called excessive power."
"Jack the Ripper is just one person. If we all fight him,
he'll be turned into ashes in an instant."
"That's where the White Count's skill comes in. You're
going to entertain us, right?"
Looking at the list of top-class demon swordsmen,
Yato's expression relaxed.
"Of course. I have a plan for that."
The White Count pointed to the entrance of the arena.
"There is only one entrance to the underground arena.
We have blocked all the other entrances, so if Jack the
Ripper is going to target us, he has to come from there. And
as soon as he comes, we activate the barrier."
When the White Count waved his hand, the entire
arena glowed and a dome-shaped barrier was activated.
"That's right. For Jack the Ripper to get out of the
barrier, he has to wipe out the demon swordsmen we have
prepared."
"There's no way he can do that."
"Of course, that's why we will choose our opponents
while watching his stamina. At first, we will increase our
force gradually while watching the situation, one by one.
The best show can be seen."
The White Count said with a proud look.
"Can we choose? That sounds fun."
"Oh, it's a show where the audience can participate. I
heard that Mitsugoshi Company just started it."
"Damn Mitsugoshi Company. They're ruining our
rights..."
"There are many points to learn from their business.
We should choose coexistence over antagonism now. So,
who will be the first to go? What about the legend of the
lawless city?"
"It's too strong. If it ends suddenly in the first battle,
it's a disappointment."
Yato was choosing the demon swordsman for fun.
 And when the selection of the demon swordsman was
settled, the White Count muttered.
"The sun seems to have already set on the ground. I
wonder if Jack the Ripper will come."
"If he comes to a place where so many demon
swordsmen are waiting, he's just a fool... but if he doesn't
come, we'll be bored."
"Well, if he doesn't come, he's scared of us and runs
away. If we spread the rumor widely, our face will be saved."
"Rather, his face would be crushed. If he ran away
after announcing it, he would be the laughing stock of the
royal capital."
"Either way, we won't lose anything."
"The cost of hiring a demon swordsman hurts."
A vulgar laugh echoed in the underground arena.

"Princess Alexia, are you really okay?"

Alexia, Christina, and Kanade were walking in the
dim underground passage.
"I'm fine. I know my way around the underground
passages of the royal capital."
"But isn't it just a rumor that there's a secret
underground space in the White residence?"
"You can't just say it's just a rumor."
"Do you have any evidence?"
 "There's usually a secret basement in a bad guy's
house."
"...... Ha."
Christina gave a vague reply, and looked back at
Kanade at the end with a worried look.
"I'm fine if I'm near Alexia... I can use her as a shield if
necessary..."
She was muttering something while trembling.
"Is Cid okay? We left him with the Knights."
"Tsk, Pochi is a coward at crucial times. Well, his
sword skills are mediocre, so it can't be helped. So far, Pochi
doesn't seem to be targeted by Yato, so he should be fine."
"Yato is interested in Jack the Ripper. It seems that the
surveillance of Kanade has also disappeared."
"Ue, really!?"
Kanade's eyes sparkled.
"Yes. Yato considers Jack the Ripper a threat to that
extent. They plan to concentrate their forces on Jack the
Ripper until this matter is resolved."
"This matter will never be resolved."
Kanade smiled evilly.
"Don't worry. If this plan I thought of... the plan to
invade the White residence from the underground while
Yato is in a mess due to Jack the Ripper's attack and collect
all the evidence of their evil deeds is successful, everything
will be resolved."
Alexia said confidently.
"That's a plan you came up with on the spot when Cid
happened to find the entrance to the sewer."
"Flexibility is always necessary in a plan."
"Cid is... who on earth is he?"
Christina asked after a brief pause.
"Who? Pochi is Pochi."
"He found the underground passage, and he
deciphered almost all of the messages left by Jack the
Ripper. Normally, you'd be too scared to do that."
"So, that's... when you mention it, it's true. Pochi is
sharp for a Pochi."
Alexia seemed to realize something too.
"Cid's insight to see the truth from a slight hint is
remarkable."
"Wi, I was almost deciphering it too."
Kanade muttered quietly.
"Also, I feel like I've met him somewhere before. That
mysterious atmosphere... Maybe Cid is..."
"Wha, what on earth is Pochi...?"
Alexia said anxiously.
"He might be a famous detective."
"Huh? A famous detective?"
 "Yes. He is a veteran detective. He's like the one in
Natsume Kafka's novel, Detective Conan, who was drugged
by a dark organization and rejuvenated. And he infiltrated
the Demon Swordsman Academy pretending to be a
student..."
"Ah, yes yes, there's no way Pochi is a famous
detective. He's ordinary. Look. The coat of arms of the
White Count's house. It's exactly as I planned."
Sure enough, the coat of arms of the White Count's
house was on the wall of the underground passage.
"So, what are you going to do?"
"There's usually a hidden door or something in a place
like this."
"I don't think it's that easy to find..."
"I found it!"
"Eh!?"
When Alexia fiddled with the coat of arms, there was a
sound and the wall opened.
"The same pattern as the castle's hidden door. What
power-holders think is usually the same."
Alexia began to examine the wall with a proud look.
Alexia, looking proud, proceeded down the dark,
narrow passage.
"Ah, spider webs are so annoying. It seems like it
hasn't been used for a long time."
 "Alexia, it's dangerous. Be a little more careful..."
"I'm careful. Compared to Claire."
"Is there any point in comparing it to that?"
Alexia, Christina, and Kanade followed down the dark
passage.
After walking down the dark passage for a while,
Alexia stopped.
"...It's a dead end," Alexia said, touching the wall.
"The wall seems thick, but there's a presence behind it."
"Huh, light is leaking from under the wall."
As Kanade pointed out, a faint light could be seen from
the gap in the wall.
"The material of the wall seems to be different only
here... if we do this..."
When they pushed and pulled the wall, it lifted
slightly, creating a gap just wide enough for a person to pass
through.
"Alright, let's go."
Alexia crawled forward.
"Please be careful, Princess Alexia."
"In this case, the safest positions are the second and
third... The third person might get crushed if the wall falls
or have their leg eaten by a monster..."
"Because it's dangerous, Kanade, please follow behind
me."
 "Wha!?"
Kanade, stunned at the sight of Christina crawling
forward, quickly turned around in a panic.
"Well, no signs of monsters, no pursuers..."
After confirming the safety of the wall, she crawled
after Christina.
"Yikes!? Wait, don't push, Kanade! My skirt!"
"Impossible, impossible, impossible."
"Wait a minute, Christina!? Just because my butt is
attractive doesn't mean you can squeeze it."
"No, it's because Kanade is pushing..."
"Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry."
Pushed by Kanade, the three of them crawled out
beyond the wall.
"Ouch~ what's this place"
It was a dimly lit, dome-shaped space.
"Princess Alexia, over there...!"
At the end of Christina's pointing finger, the nobles of
the Night Swords were gathered. They seemed unnoticed
due to the dimness and distance.
"Six of the Night Swords... what's this..."
"Gulp..."
The three of them concealed their presence and hid in
the shadows. Looking around, it seemed they were in some
sort of spectator area.
 "Is this a colosseum...? It seems to be definitely under
Count White's mansion."
"There are bad rumors about the count. He makes
slaves fight and gambles on it... it can't be true."
"Gulp..."
While they were observing, the colosseum began to
glow faintly.
"Something seems to be starting..."
With that, the three of them turned their eyes to the
center of the light.

Chapter 4 : And the Monster Becomes a Legend!

"Jack the Ripper... isn't coming."

One of the Night Swords, growing tired of waiting,
said as he picked at his dinner.
The time was approaching midnight, soon to change
dates.
"In the end, he fled in fear of us."
"I heard he defeated a warrior from Wakoku. Was it a
disappointment?"
 "It's fine, isn't it? It's proof that no one can oppose us
when we, the Night Sword, combine our forces."
"It seems we have gathered too much power. The
burden must have been too heavy for Jack the Ripper."
The Night Sword laughed mockingly.
"When the date changes, let's spread the rumor. Jack
the Ripper fled in fear, the Night Sword is still alive. Never
again to be underestimated..."
As Count White began to say this, the colosseum
began to glow faintly.
The light was gradually getting stronger, as if reacting
to something.
"What is this..."
"It seems he has arrived. It's reacting to the intruder's
magic power."
And as the entire coliseum glowed intensely, a
dome-shaped artifact barrier was completed.
A blood-stained clown was standing at its center,
unnoticed.
"Is that Jack the Ripper?"
"The blood-soaked clown. Just as reported."
"Hmm... he doesn't seem strong."
"You can't tell anything from just appearances. But at
least he seems stupid. He deliberately walked into our trap."
"No doubt. Well, as long as it kills time."
 The Night Sword leaned forward, focusing on Jack the
Ripper in the coliseum.
"Jack the Ripper. Good of you to come without
running. But we're tired of waiting. Did it take you time to
prepare yourself?"
Count White spoke in a theatrical tone.
But Jack the Ripper didn't budge.
"Why don't you say something? You have a purpose for
coming to us, the Night Sword. If you have a grudge, we'll
listen. Did we kill your parents? Or sell your child? Did we
rob you of your property? I'm sorry, but there are too many
to remember each one."
Only the laughter of the Night Sword echoed in the
coliseum.
"Is he too scared to speak? Well, it's fine. We've
prepared a special game for you. The rules are simple.
Defeat all the assassins we've prepared. Then the barrier
surrounding the coliseum will be lifted. Then you might be
able to kill us as promised?"
Count White looked down at Jack the Ripper with a
relaxed expression.
"I'll tell you just in case, this barrier is made of a
powerful artifact. It cost more money than you could earn
even if you were born a hundred times. It's useless to try to
break it by force. There's only one way left for you. Defeat
all the assassins!"
Count White spread his arms wide and raised his
voice.
"Let's get started! The first assassin is here!"
And the door of the colosseum opened, and a magic
swordsman appeared.
He was a huge man, so big you had to look up at him,
clad in heavy armor and wielding a giant sword. He swung
his huge sword easily, then turned and bowed to the Night
Sword in the audience.
"This man is a magic swordsman from the city-state of
Spartan!! He has an undefeated record of 200 battles in
Spartan's coliseum, known as the harshest in the world! He
has earned the nickname "The Butcher of Minced Meat" for
cutting down all his opponents with his mighty sword!"
The Butcher approached with a heavy step, looking
down at Jack the Ripper.
"Hey, hey, there were some crazy guys gathered in the
waiting room, so I was wondering who I would be fighting,
but it's a clown, huh?"
The Butcher grinned and readied his greatsword over
his shoulder.
"Let the first match begin!"
 At the signal to start, The Butcher swung down his
greatsword.
A tremendous sound and impact shook the coliseum.
"What a mighty sword."
"So this is the magic swordsman of Spartan. He's more
than just a rumor...!"
"But he didn't hit."
That's right, Butcher's attack didn't hit.
But it wasn't because Jack the Ripper dodged it. It was
off target from the start.
"I missed on purpose. If it ends with one hit, the
audience won't enjoy it. A magic swordsman is second class
if he only wins, and first class if he entertains the audience."
Butcher, pleased with himself, readied his greatsword
on his shoulder.
"Come on, clown. I know your strength. A guy who
can't even react to that, no matter how hard he tries, can't
beat me. But don't worry, it's also the job of a magic
swordsman to liven up the fight with a third-rate...!"
The Butcher was blown straight up.
He hit the barrier in the ceiling, scattering a spray of
blood from his face, and stuck to it with a squelch.
Blood dripped down, staining the clown.
He slowly lowered the leg he had kicked up.
"...The winner is Jack the Ripper."
 Count White barely managed to say this.
The Night Swords began to stir.
"What happened!?"
"It was a kick. An unbelievably fast kick...!"
"Count Butler, did you see it?"
"Barely. I worked my way up with just my muscles.
He..."
"That's right, Count Butler was also quite skilled as a
magic swordsman."
"Ridiculous, he was done in with one kick?"
"But we prepared a winnable opponent for the first
match. It's within expectations, right?"
"Why don't we change the opponent for the second
match? Count Butler would agree, wouldn't he?"
"Yes..."
There were no objections.
Count White drank his wine and called for the second
match's opponent.
"Now, let's bring out the opponent for the second
match!"
The magic swordsman that appeared was actually
three people.
"They are the legendary mercenary group "White
Wolf'' who made a name for themselves in the Velgelta civil
war!! However, their employer Doem Ketsuhat died in the
battle of the Oriana Kingdom and the business is in a mess!
Normally, these battle-hardened warriors, each one
stronger than Butcher, wouldn't be in a place like this.
Behold their coordination honed on the battlefield, and
their steel spirit honed by deficit management!!"
The three were calm magic swordsmen in their
thirties to forties.
Their weapons were a sword, an axe, and a spear.
Staring at Jack the Ripper with a sharp gaze.
"What do you think?"
Said the mercenary with the sword.
"I don't know. I can't read his abilities at all. But, the
fact that I can't read his abilities is abnormal."
Said the mercenary with the axe.
"I thought it would be an easy job. It's three against
one, don't take it personally."
The mercenary with the spear said, and the three of
them readied their respective weapons.
"Then, let the second match begin!"
As the match started, the three of them scattered
around Jack the Ripper.
They were gauging the distance and assessing the
situation.
Jack the Ripper remained still.
 The captains of the "White Wolf" slowly circled
around him.
One round, two rounds, and then three rounds...
A boring time with no changes passed.
"...They're just circling around."
One of the Night Swords said.
Voices of dissatisfaction rose in agreement.
These voices must have reached the "White Wolf" as
well. However, they continued circling around Jack the
Ripper without changing their movements.
There was no change.
It appeared to be a superficial battle, but a minor
change was attacking the "White Wolf".
Sweat was dripping from their faces at an abnormal
rate.
And then, their breathing became rougher and their
eyes bloodshot due to extreme concentration.
An eerie tension spread across the arena, and the
voices of dissatisfaction eventually disappeared.
The surroundings became silent.
At that moment, Jack the Ripper moved.
He took just one step forward.
It was an ordinary step, with no danger or
carelessness.
But the reaction of the "White Wolf" was abnormal.
 In an instant, they jumped back to the edge of the
arena.
Their rough breathing and tense faces, and their
shaking weapons, told of their state of mind.
They were overcome by a fear they had never felt
before.
In their line of sight was just a strange clown.
But to the experienced mercenaries, it seemed as if
they were looking at the end of the world.
One of the mercenaries lowered his sword.
Then, both the spear and axe also lowered their
weapons simultaneously.
"Stop, it's not worth it..."
The mercenary with the sword said in a trembling
voice.
"Stop...? You're not planning on forfeiting the match,
are you? That's a breach of contract!"
"We're mercenaries. We're prepared to die on the
battlefield, but we don't want to die in a musty
underground."
The mercenary with the spear said.
"Don't mess around! Have you forgotten how much
the penalty for breach of contract is? If it gets out that a
captain-class ran away, the reputation of the "White Wolf"
will fall to the ground!"
 "I'll pay a billion or even two billion. Spread the rumor
as you like."
With that, the mercenary with the axe smiled faintly.
"Y-you! What's so funny!?"
"It's ludicrous that you guys think you'll live to see
tomorrow."
With that, the three mercenaries turned their backs
and left the arena.
Jack the Ripper did not chase them. He only smiled
faintly behind his mask.
"Grr... To think that such barbaric mercenaries!"
Count White flushed and groaned.
"What a letdown."
"The foolish mercenaries should be rewarded. Arrange
for a chase."
"The 'White Wolf' is done for. To think that such a
drained person is a captain-class. Hm, Earl Butler, is
something wrong?"
Earl Butler's complexion was very poor.
"Earl, are you feeling unwell?"
"We might need to crush him with all our might."
"What are you saying, Earl Butler?"
"...I didn't understand a single thing about the fight
just now."
 "Well, they were just circling around. We couldn't
understand either."
"But I know the true strength of the captains of the
'White Wolf'. They are undoubtedly the top mercenary
group on this continent."
"That's quite impressive for the top mercenary group
on the continent."
The Night Swords laughed mockingly.
"They ran away without fighting. It's a desertion in
front of the enemy by the "White Wolf" who abandoned
their honor. There must be a reason."
"And what would that reason be?"
"Perhaps Jack the Ripper was a monster beyond their
imagination."
"...Ridiculous. Earl Butler seems to enjoy scaring us."
"Well, let's follow the Earl's advice and arrange for a
worthy opponent next time. How about the swordmaster of
Velgelta?"
"Um, that's good. Hey, change the opponent."
When the butler was informed of the change, he made
a bitter face.
"That's... the swordmaster of Velgelta has returned."
"What? He returned!?"
"Yes. He said, 'I have a bad feeling, pyon,' and left."
"You let him go just like that!?"
 "Y-yes. The payment was fully refunded, and he
disappeared like the wind so no one could chase him..."
"What a... all of them are playing with us! Enough!
Call the Evil Spirit of the City-State Group and the Legend
of the Lawless City!"
The trembling Count White said.
"Y-yes. Right away!!"
The butler hurriedly exited.
"Really, it's infuriating."
"Well, well, calm down, Earl. That rabbit-man didn't
look strong from the start."
"He's a unique and interesting female swordfighter.
The rumors must have been exaggerated. There are plenty
of popular swordsmen who don't live up to their
reputation."
"Even if we bring out the small fry, we'll just be
embarrassed. It'll be fine if we have the Evil Spirit of the
City-State Group and the Legend of the Lawless City."
"There are still many magic swordsmen, yet they're
bringing out their strongest forces in the early stages. And
two at the same time."
"Well, that's fine. It's not like it's going to be fun if it
drags on. Is that okay with you, Earl Butler?"
"Ah..."
The nodding Earl's face was pale.
 And then, the Evil Spirit of the City-State Group and
the Legend of the Lawless City appeared in the arena.
Jack the Ripper, while taking on the Evil Spirit of the
City-State Group and the Legend of the Lawless City at the
same time, repelled them without missing a beat.
"That's... Jack the Ripper..."
Alexia gulped as she watched the blood-soaked
clown's fight.
The fight was one-sided.
Against the two masters, Jack the Ripper continued to
toy with them.
The Evil Spirit of the City-State Group and the Legend
of the Lawless City who ran away with their backs turned
were torn to pieces, and the blood-stained arena remained.
"He doesn't seem to be serious..."
What surprised Alexia the most was that.
The Evil Spirit of the City-State Group and the Legend
of the Lawless City were quite skilled, even in Alexia's eyes.
They were not mere magic swordsmen of rumor, they
definitely had real skill.
To kill them one-sidedly is not an ordinary power. As
far as Alexia knew, there was only one person who could do
such a thing.
"Shadow..."
 Jack the Ripper's strength might be comparable to
Shadow's.
It's hard to believe, but there was no other way to
think about it.
What Alexia was most concerned about was that the
air around Jack the Ripper somehow reminded her of
Shadow.
"That movement... no, it can't be."
The way he fought and the quality of his magic power
were different from Shadow's.
The movements of the strong are similar in essence,
the War God had said. Alexia remembered that.
"Princess Alexia, what will you do?"
Christina asked in a low voice.
"...Let's wait."
"But isn't now the perfect opportunity when
everyone's attention is on Jack the Ripper?"
"No, it's easier to move later."
"Later?"
"Yes. After everything is over."
With that, Alexia focused her gaze on Jack the Ripper
in the arena. She even forgot to blink so as not to miss a
single movement.
There were already over a hundred opponents lined up
in the arena.
 "It's a joke. Using a little bit of power to wear down...
it's a classic case of a nation heading for destruction."
"Can Jack the Ripper win against this many magic
swordsmen?"
Those surrounding Jack the Ripper were all top-class
magic swordsmen.
They were magic swordsmen gathered by Night
Swords in earnest, and their quality was judged by Alexia to
be higher than that of the knights of the royal capital.
"Recently, I've been starting to understand a little at a
time. What is strength? How much difference in power is
there between me and them?"
"How does Jack the Ripper appear in Princess Alexia's
eyes?"
"Well..."
Alexia searched for the words and fell silent for a
moment.
"...He's in a different dimension."
She muttered.
"A different dimension... is it that much?"
"Gulp..."
Kanade gulped, and then…
"I am Jack the Ripper, my servant... Kill, annihilate all
the foolish night swordsmen," he muttered softly.
 The next moment, more than a hundred demons
attacked Jack the Ripper.
"What on earth..."
Count White muttered in astonishment.
The audience of night swordsmen fell silent as if they
had lost their words.
Their mood had changed since the demon of the
city-state and the legend of the lawless city had been
defeated.
The demon of the city-state had scratched Jack the
Ripper's mask.
The legend of the lawless city had torn Jack the
Ripper's outfit.
However, that was all they could do.
Their movements were instantly seen through, and
they were brutally killed.
And then, someone said,
"Is there any force greater than them here?"
No one answered. Their strongest force had been the
demon of the city-state and the legend of the lawless city.
Fear spread in an instant.
The composure disappeared from the faces of the
night swordsmen.
And they, without hesitation, deployed all their
demon swordsmen.
 The battle was still going on, but the result was clear.
All the demon swordsmen were killed.
In the center of the blood-stained arena, Jack the
Ripper was staring at the audience.
"Sorry, but I need to go! Count White, you're
responsible for this situation!"
When one of the night swordsmen stood up, the
others started moving as if a dam had broken.
"Wait, wait! I'm still...!"
Count White clung to the departing night swordsmen.
Then, a low, dignified voice echoed.
"Gentlemen, where are you rushing to?"
At that moment, a dignified middle-aged man
appeared in the audience.
"Marquis Dacquican! You're here!"
"Because you guys are so helpless, I came all the way
here."
Some of the night swordsmen grimace at Dacquican's
condescending tone, but they don't speak up.
"But, is there anything we can do now..."
"Hmph. For you guys, I brought a helper from the
Church."
Saying that, Dacquican pointed to the arena.
There stood a person with a hood. No, is that really a
person?
 "A helper from the Church... But, what is that?"
The silhouette hidden by the long robe looked
distorted, like a creature different from a human.
"Hehehe, that's a human weapon completed by the
Church after numerous human experiments. Now, show us
your form!"
As Dacquican gave the order, the human weapon
removed its robe.
Its grotesque form was revealed.
"This, this is...!"
There was a mass of distorted flesh patched together.
It was difficult to even determine the gender. Male...
no, perhaps female.
There seemed to be a remnant of a feminine aura, but
what meaning does gender hold for this lump of flesh?
A monster that barely maintained a human shape.
"Experimental subject 227, Millia, that's the name
given to her."
"She... is she a woman?"
"She was an experimental subject of the Fenrir
faction. She was defeated by Shadow Garden and
discarded, but a researcher of the Loki faction recovered
and restored her."
"She was defeated by Shadow Garden..."
 A sigh of disappointment leaked from the night
swordsman.
"Don't worry. The experimental subject of the Fenrir
faction was improved by the researchers of the Loki
faction. The result of the fusion of technical skills of
factions that should never intersect has created the
strongest human weapon. Its power is more than ten times
greater than before... that's what they say."
Dacquican advanced to the front row and shouted to
inspire.
"Experimental subject 227, Millia! Follow my
command and bury Jack the Ripper!"
And then, the battle began.
The grotesque experimental subject, Miria, ran like a
beast.
She moved so fast that she seemed to blur, circling to
Jack the Ripper's back.
Then, she flashed her powerful right arm.
"Whoa!?"
A tremendous surge of magical power stormed the
arena.
The barrier, which should never break, creaked with a
gigigigigigi sound.
"What kind of magic power is this...!?"
 The battlefield was deeply plowed by the aftershocks
of the magic power, changing the terrain.
"Where is... where is he?"
In the arena, only Millia, who had swung her right
arm, was there.
Jack the Ripper's figure was nowhere to be found, and
one could guess that it had vanished without a trace.
"When it's all over, it's ridiculous..."
In the quiet audience, Count White muttered.
Expressions of relief appeared on the faces of the night
swordsmen.
"As expected, the strongest human weapon created by
the Church. I thought the barrier would be broken."
"Hahaha, no one can break this barrier. But I doubted
it for a moment. That's the strength of the Church."
"It seems we should strengthen our relationship with
the Church even more."
The night swordsmen expressed their impressions.
"Indeed. Although there were many victims in the
night sword due to this series of incidents, it was our
achievement to be able to connect with the Loki faction."
As Dacquican said this, applause echoed from
somewhere.
"Yes, everything is for the Night Swords."
Dacquican looked around.
 But no one was applauding.
Everyone was looking at each other, and only dry
applause echoed in the audience.
Among them, a man was trembling in pale fear.
It was Count Butler.
He was pointing at an empty seat with his trembling
fingers.
"What's wrong, Count Butler?"
Dacquican asked quizzically.
"There, there..."
He was pointing at an empty seat.
--Or it should have been.
However, a blood-soaked clown was sitting there
before anyone knew it.
"Jack the Ripper!? Why are you here!?"
Like scattering spiderlings, the night swordsmen
moved away from Jack the Ripper.
"The barrier, what about the barrier!?"
As long as there was a barrier, Jack the Ripper should
not have appeared in the audience.
"How did you...?"
Jack the Ripper stopped clapping and slowly stood up.
He held a spade 7 in his hand.
Jack the Ripper slowly threw the card.
 As if only Jack the Ripper was moving in a frozen
world, no one could stop his leisurely movement.
With a small sound,
The card was deeply embedded in the head of a night
swordsman.

"Ah..."
He fell forward, twitching.
No one could move.
They just watched the pool of blood spread in the still
silence.
They felt like they were in the grasp of death. Whether
they moved or screamed or did nothing, they'd be killed.
In the midst of extreme tension, Jack the Ripper
moved very slowly, taking out one card at a time.
Spade 8.
Spade 9.
Spade 10.
Spade J.
Spade Q.
Spade K.
Exactly six cards.
Jack the Ripper held the same number of cards as the
night swordsmen present, and pulled out the Spade 8.
 He slowly took aim.
The targeted night swordsman opened his eyes wide
and shook his head.
"Hi, hi... help..."
As if in response to his voice, magical power swelled
up in the arena.
Experimental subject 227, Millia.
She closed the distance in an instant and slammed her
enlarged right arm into Jack the Ripper.
A tremendous impact sound echoed.
Bang, bang, bang, it echoed several times in rapid
succession.
However, Jack the Ripper didn't budge at all.
Experimental subject 227, Millia, was hitting a
glowing wall that stood between her and Jack the Ripper.
"The barrier..."
Someone said in a strained voice.
The barrier was still intact.
Experimental subject 227, Millia, was being obstructed
by it.
So why was Jack the Ripper here?
No one could understand.
In the midst of the earth-shaking impact sounds of
bang, bang, bang, Jack the Ripper threw the Spade 8.
One person died.
 He threw the 9 of spades.
Once again, another person died.
He threw the 10 of spades.
Another person died as well.
Gun, gun, gun, Millia #227 repeatedly pounded the
barrier.
"I-I told you, it must be crushed with all our might...
this creature is a monster."
Before he could finish his sentence, the Jack of spades
deeply pierced the heart of Count Butler.
With a look of despair, Count Butler clutched his chest
and fell.
"Yes, the barrier... if we release the barrier... someone,
release the barrier!"
Count White shouted at the top of his lungs.
However, no one responded to his plea.
"Someone! Someone! Someone! Someone! Someone!
Someone! Someone! Someone!"
Count White continued to scream as if he had gone
mad.
No, his eyes had completely lost their sanity.
"Someone! Someone! Someone! Someo-"
The Queen of spades pierced his throat.
Count White died, uttering incomprehensible sounds.
And then, only Dakuaikan remained.
 He collapsed to the ground, his legs giving out.
Jack the Ripper held the King of spades in his right
hand, spinning it playfully.
As if he were toying with his own life.
"What are you... why would a monster like you be in a
place like this..."
It was a frail voice, not befitting the leader of the
Thirteen Night Swords.
"Help me, I'll do anything, I'll pay you any amount of
money."
Jack the Ripper skillfully manipulated the King of
spades.
"If an apology is needed, I'll apologize as much as you
want. So please, just spare my life..."
With that, Dakuaikan lowered his head to the ground,
rubbing it against the floor in apology.
"Just spare my life, just my life..."
And then, the King of spades pierced the back of
Dakuaikan's head.
It was the moment when the Thirteen Night Swords
were completely annihilated.
Dakuaikan's death was as if he was apologizing to
everything in this world.
Gun, gun, gun, the sound of Millia pounding the
barrier echoed emptily.
 Jack the Ripper glanced at the corpses in the audience
seats, then turned towards Millia.
Millia continued to pound the barrier relentlessly.
Jack the Ripper slowly approached.
Towards the barrier...
And then, Jack the Ripper's arm touched the barrier.
From there, a bluish-purple magical energy spread
like smoke, and his body entered the barrier.
Immediately, Millia attacked.
"Guaaaah!"
She screamed with joy as she swung her right arm,
striking Jack the Ripper helplessly.
He was thrown against the wall with tremendous
force.
But he got up as if nothing had happened, and locked
eyes with Millia.
"Gooaaah!"
Millia pounced on him like a beast.
Her massive body, physical abilities, and magical
power were all perfectly fused, making her the finest
creation of the cult.
It manifested as overwhelming violence, shattering
the arena and shaking the sturdy barrier.
Jack the Ripper's body bounced off like a pinball.
He was repeatedly sent rolling through the arena.
 But he did not fall.
Though he was being hit, he skillfully evaded the
impact and avoided fatal wounds.
His eyes were fixed solely on Millia.
"Gyaaaah!"
Millia roared.
She transformed her body, sprouting numerous
slender tentacles from her back, chest, and even her face.
They spread out, covering the arena with their sinister
colors and forms.
Over a thousand tentacles surrounded Jack the
Ripper.
And they all pierced him at once.
The tentacles that impaled Jack the Ripper quickly
filled his body.
All that remained were wriggling and squirming
tentacles.
Just like an earthworm, Christina thought.
Unable to see Jack the Ripper impaled by the
tentacles, she could only see the mass of twitching and
creepy tentacles, which reminded her of earthworms.
"Did he... die?"
Alexia, standing beside her, spoke, her tone filled with
doubt.
 "I'm not sure. I don't understand why he was defeated
so easily."
"He didn't even fight back."
"No..."
Jack the Ripper never showed any intention of
counterattacking.
His wish came true as all the members of the Thirteen
Night Swords died.
The final moments of those who had reigned over the
underworld of the Midgar Kingdom for a long time ended
in a rather anticlimactic way.
Despite their initial bravado, it was quite pitiful.
Christina couldn't help but let a smile escape, hastily
covering her mouth.
In any case, the Thirteen Night Swords had vanished,
and Jack the Ripper had achieved his goal.
The battle with Millia was beyond his objective.
"Perhaps he's satisfied now that his goal has been
achieved..."
She said it, but it didn't quite sit right with her.
"It would be difficult to survive amidst so many
tentacles."
Alexia said with a stern expression.
Each of those tentacles was strong and infused with
powerful magic. And they were still growing in number.
 It was only natural for her to think that.
At that moment...
A bluish-purple light leaked through the gaps between
the tentacles.
At first, it was small and barely noticeable, but soon it
began to seep from everywhere, dyeing the arena in
bluish-purple.
"This... is magic...!?"
And it was incredibly powerful, beyond imagination.
The swollen magical energy blew away all the
tentacles.
"Gyooaaahhhh!!"
Millia screamed in agony.
She clawed at the torn tentacles, moaning in pain.
The bluish-purple light gradually subsided.
And there stood a man dressed in a pitch-black long
coat.
"This can't be...!"
With a click-clack sound of his boots, the man walked.
"I am Shadow... the one who lurks in the shadows and
hunts the shadows..."
In a voice that resonated from the depths, he said so.
"Shadow... why... is he...?"
Alexia was in awe.
 Christina was also confused. However, she felt that
his appearance before her held some meaning.
He must have a reason.
He said he carried the sins of the world and had
something he must accomplish.
Christina wanted to witness the end of his
blood-stained path.
"Gy... aaahhh..."
It wasn't just Christina and the others who were
confused.
Millia, too, suddenly stopped moving in front of
Shadow.
"Gyaahhhhaaaaaa!!"
It was the first time she let out such a human-like
scream.
It sounded as if she were shouting "Shadow."
"Sha... aaadd...oooohhh!!"
New tentacles burst forth, breaking through her skin.
Millia attacked Shadow with her powerful right arm
and countless tentacles.
A storm-like barrage.
Countless tentacles approached, and each time, her
powerful arm swept them aside.
Amidst the continuous onslaught, Shadow danced.
 He cut down the tentacles, narrowly avoided her
powerful arm, and fluttered about like the petals of a flower
in the wind.
Gracefully, he struck small thorns in between his
movements.
A bluish-purple trail carved into Millia's body.
Her blood scattered, and the bluish-purple magic
clung to her wounds.
As time passed, the bluish-purple traces increased on
Millia's body.
"Why doesn't he defeat her?"
Alexia said.
"The monster is undoubtedly strong. But Shadow still
has room to spare. It's as if he's tormenting her."
Christina agreed with that opinion.
Why doesn't he kill her with a single blow? Christina
knew that Shadow had enough power to do so.
"He must have a reason."
"A reason?"
"He has a mission. Let's watch, that blood-stained
path......"
"Huh?"
As Alexia tilted her head in confusion, at that
moment.
"SHADOWWWWWW!!"
 Miria's scream echoed.
It was heard clearly. There was no doubt that she was
crying out "Shadow."
"Is her voice coming back?"
Miria's voice was becoming more human-like.
Miria's relentless onslaught.
In between, there was a sparkling trail of
bluish-purple magic.
The bluish-purple magic clung to Miria's body,
completely covering her before long.
"This... What is..."
Miria's body had shrunk significantly.
The grotesque monster flesh had been shaved off,
revealing the patchy white skin of a young girl.

She was returning from a monster back to a human.

"The bluish-purple magic is healing her......"
Christina noticed that she was healing from the place
where the concentration of bluish-purple magic was the
thickest.
Soft white skin, grotesque monster flesh, and
tentacle-like threads.
These mixed and raised a sorrowful scream.
"SHADOWWWWW!!"
She realized that the voice was crying.
 Half of her face had returned to that of a young girl,
with blood-tears streaming from her eyes.
 "SHADOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!"
The girl was crying.
Crying, in the form of a mixture of human and
monster, controlling her tentacles and right arm.
Her movements gradually shifted from the boldness of
the monster to the agility of a human.
And then, multiple tentacles, enough to cover the
whole arena, sprouted from the pale skin of the girl.
"SHADOWWW......!!"
She groaned with pain.
Blood flowed from the places where the tentacles
sprouted.
She controlled her numerous tentacles and finally
restrained Shadow's limbs.
She swung down her right arm.
But Shadow ripped off the tentacles, chopping off
Millia's right arm.
The severed monster arm flew up into the air.
That right arm never returned to the form of a human.
However, she still had a human left arm.
In that left arm, a dagger was gripped.
Where had she been hiding it?
Until now, she had been swinging only her right arm.
That left arm was always holding something.
She was holding the dagger as if it was very important.
"SHADOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!"
The dagger was stabbed at Shadow's heart.
"...Impressive."
Shadow remarked.
At the same time, a surge of bluish-purple magic
engulfed Millia.
Her dagger was stopped just before it reached
Shadow's heart.
"Ah... uhh..."
Light of reason returned to Millia's eyes.
The tentacles disappeared.
With a clatter, the dagger fell to the floor.
It was a short sword with a red gem set in its hilt.
Carved on its hilt were the words "To my beloved
daughter, Millia."
"Da... Dad..."
She mumbled and collapsed.
Did Shadow stop the dagger, or did she herself?
Shadow lifted the unconscious Millia in his arms and
waved his hand.
Immediately, women dressed in dark, skin-tight body
suits appeared around Shadow.
 Where had they been hiding? They hadn't noticed
them at all.
They knelt down, waiting for their master's orders.
"...Take care of the rest."
Saying that, Shadow handed Millia over to the woman
who seemed to be the leader of the group, and disappeared.
As soon as they confirmed that Shadow had left, they
dispersed and started working.
The leader picked up Miria, her right arm, and the
sword, and looked at the place where Christina and the
others were hiding.
Then, she jerked her chin towards the exit.
They're letting you leave unharmed. That's what her
face said.
"We... we've been found out..."
Alexia said, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Wha-wha-wha..."
Kanade was seriously panicking.
"What should we do?"
Christina asked.
"Let's pretend to leave for now. Don't worry, they'll
disappear soon."
Alexia sighed and left the hidden passage.
Kanade quickly followed her, and Christina looked
back just once.
 "So this is... your choice..."
He had spoken of walking a blood-stained path, but he
saved that monster.
Just like how he once saved Christina from danger, he
probably saves many while on his mission.
To Christina, that bloody path seemed to be gleaming.
The man who had shaken the royal capital as Jack the
Ripper had slain thirteen Night Swords and disappeared.
His identity had called forth various speculations, like
him being an assassin from Velgelta, or a vengeful ghost of
a legendary magic swordsman who had come back to life,
and baseless rumors had spread.
There were voices insisting that the true identity of
Jack the Ripper was Shadow, but the Knights order denied
it.
In the end, the identity of Jack the Ripper remains
unknown.
On that night when he had killed seven out of the
thirteen Night Swords amidst a standoff involving many
knights and magic swordsmen, the event turned into
legend. The predominant presumption was that he must
undoubtedly be some sort of vengeful spirit or devil, due to
his outrageous strength.
 I bet it will be made into a movie about a hundred
years later and be distributed all over the world under the
title "Jack the Ripper and his Surprising Identity!?".
In any case, it was perfect.
My goal has been achieved.
Jack the Ripper has become a legend and has been
etched in history.
"Is something good happening?"
The man sitting in front of me said. I think it was Gray,
the chief of the Knights Order's investigation department.
Now, he's in the interrogation room as a person of
interest for the case.
"The Knights Order has competent people like you, so I
thought Jack the Ripper will be arrested soon."
I said something flattering.
"Of course, you're quite promising despite being
young."
Gray nodded in satisfaction many times.
"So, let me confirm for the last time, you didn't go into
the White estate, did you?"
"Yes, of course, it's illegal trespassing and I was too
scared to follow......"
"It's quite a problem for Princess Alexia. Intruding
into the White estate on her own, it makes her testimony
suspicious."
 "That, there's a rumor that the true identity of Jack the
Ripper is Shadow......?"
"Ah, that's certainly nothing but a rumor. Shadow just
wreaks havoc in the royal capital. It's just a rumor started
by those who want to defame the Knights Order by saying
it's been outsmarted by Shadow."
"But Princess Alexia saw it?"
"It was dark and maybe she saw something wrong.
There were no other witnesses and Princess Alexia is at an
age where she wants to attract attention."
"Is that so......"
"That's right. Well, it's time. I'm sorry to have troubled
you. I think this is the final interrogation session for you."
"Ah, thank you very much."
"Well, take care."
I bowed to Gray and left the interrogation room which
had no windows.
That man, his deductive skill is awful but his actual
ability as a magic swordsman isn't bad. I thought it would
be better if he wielded his sword in the field rather than
doing investigations.
Well, I guess Kanade is the next to be interrogated.
She was invited here at the same time as me.
I walked down the hallway towards the waiting room.
 Along the way, I happened to pass a man who caught
my attention.
"Huh?"
I stopped and looked at the man who had just passed
me.
"What is it?"
The man too stopped and looked at me.
He was a tall man with thread-like eyes. He had a
gentle manner and a smile on his face.
"No, it's nothing."
"Is it so? You are... ah, never mind."
He seemed about to say something but stopped
himself.
Then, still smiling, he walked away.
I started walking again, feeling his presence behind
me.
And then, he entered the interrogation room where
Gray was.
"That seemed like a fairly strong person."
I muttered to myself under my breath.
He entered the interrogation room and sat down in
front of Gray.
"You... you're here!"
Grey got flustered and gave a formal bow.
"You're slow."
 He sighed and said.
"What do you mean 'slow'?"
"You're slow to realize me."
"I... I'm sorry, if you erase your presence, I won't
realize until you're in front of me......"
"The boy just now realized."
"The boy... Do you mean Cid Kageno?"
"I don't know his name. The black-haired boy who
passed by just now."
"He's a magic swordsman who's not very good...
Maybe it was just a coincidence?"
"That might be true. Coincidences can happen
anytime, anywhere."
Saying that, he smiled.
For him, this was just a casual conversation, and he
would probably forget about the boy by the next day. It was
just that insignificant.
"The destruction of the Thirteen Night Sword was a
blow."
"Ah, I apologize. We were making moves on our end,
but in the kingdom of Midgar, we lacked the military power
to move freely..."
"It can't be helped. Thanks to the foolish Fenrir, our
influence in the kingdom of Midgar had decreased. Shadow
Garden didn't miss that opportunity."
 "...What about the impact on the plan?"
"There's no problem. We will definitely succeed in
hunting the shadow."
"The power of the Shadow is more than expected.
According to the report, the experimental subject number
227 Millia was completely defeated..."
"That's within the expected range. Everything is."
He said that and sneered.
"Because of the destruction of the Thirteen Night
Sword, the number of pieces we can play in the kingdom of
Midgar has decreased. You may have to move too, so just be
prepared."
"I understand, Lord Loki."
"...I'm counting on you."
He disappeared.
Only Gray was left in the interrogation room without a
window.
 Auxiliary Chapter : The Inherited Monster!

For Eliza, it had been a week like a nightmare.

One by one, the Thirteen Night Swords were
slaughtered, and finally, her father was gone. The
Dakuaikan family's assets were seized one after another
under the pretext of investigation, and in the end, she was
evicted from the mansion.
Eliza Dakuaikan could feel people and money moving
away from her day by day.
"Don't mess with me!!"
Eliza screamed in her temporary lodging.
She slammed a half-drunk glass against the wall and
glared with a face of rage.
"After all the flattery and groveling till now...!"
Why did she have to go through such a thing? She
would probably lose the trial as it is. Already, many nobles
have left the Dakuaikan family.
"It's not over yet, it's not over yet..."
But not all the nobles have left.
The Night Sword family and hers were like a lotus in
the same pod. The bond between them cannot be severed.
Their families had also lost their leaders and were
under investigation, and it was a tough time. But that's why
they can unite.
 "I'll gather the next generation of Night Sword
leaders... It's not over yet, absolutely not!!"
It's alright, she has the weaknesses of the Knights and
the judge.
If the next generation of Night Swords unite and put
pressure, the situation will easily reverse. Eliza believed so.
"Gather the Thirteen Night Swords and hold a
meeting! Gather people!!"
Eliza called out to her subordinates who should be
waiting in the next room.
But no matter how long she waited, no one appeared.
"Is anyone there? Is anyone there?"
She opened the door to the next room with a
suspicious face.
There was no one there.
Only the window was wide open, letting in the cold
night air.
"Did they go to the restroom...? I'll punish them later."
She said that with a cruel smile on her face.
At that moment, she heard a peculiar sound of
footsteps from behind.
"You're there, where did you go..."
Eliza's voice stopped as she turned around.
What was there was a blood-soaked clown.
"Ah, ah... Ja... Jack the Ripper..."
 Stunned, Eliza backed away.
The blood-soaked clown closed the distance with a
splash.
"Hi... d-don't come here!"
She threw whatever was nearby at him.
But there was no way that the blood-soaked clown
would stop with such things, and Eliza was cornered
against the wall.
"I-I'm sorry... I apologize, what's your demand?"
Eliza flattered him with a spasmodic smile.
"Hey, what's your demand? I'll listen to anything..."
She looked up at him and spoke in a sweet voice.
She casually opened her thin negligee, showing her
white skin.
Jack the Ripper just stared at her.
Seeing his reaction, Eliza opened her negligee even
more.
"Hehe..."
Her eyes fell on her white chest.
A knife was thrust into it.
"Ah..."
Red blood dripped from her white skin.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!! You dared to do this to me!!"
Eliza punched Jack the Ripper with all her might and
fell to the floor, clutching her chest wound.
 "You dare, you dare..."
She spat out blood and glared at Jack the Ripper with a
resentful gaze.
And then, Eliza gasped for breath.
"Why, you..."
Jack the Ripper's mask had come off.
It must have come off when Eliza punched him. The
mask was lying on the floor nearby.
"Why are you..."
The face of Jack the Ripper was a student Eliza knew.
"Why is Christina?!"
It was Christina Hope.
She looked down at Eliza with a cold gaze.
"Cough...I...I can't believe you were Jack the Ripper..."
Eliza said with a surprised expression.
The blood dripping from her chest spread on the floor,
swallowing the mask.
"That's not it."
She picked up the mask and said.
"What do you mean, that's not it..."
"I just succeeded him."
"Succeeded...?"
"Yes. He appeared before me. I finally understand
what that means."
"Hah..."
 "He showed me his mission, his blood-soaked path."
"What are you talking about..."
"This country is rotten. The blade of justice is useless.
To cut off evil, we need more evil. He asked me if I was
prepared for that."
And then, Christina put on the distorted clown mask
with a smile.
"That was what I had been waiting for."
With that, she grasped the knife stuck in Eliza's chest.
"St-stop..."
That was Eliza's last gasp.
Christina twisted the knife and pulled it out all at
once.
A large amount of blood splattered.
"Cough... Cough..."
Looking down at the cooling Eliza, Christina took out
a single card.
She was shoving it into the wound in Eliza's chest.
"My name is Jack the Ripper... The one who cuts off
evil with the blade of evil..."
The picture on the card was a joker.
 Side Story : Oath of the Prairie

Delta was in a good mood.

Today, she hunted a large number of thieves with
Shadow.
Power is power.
Strength is justice.
Hunting is not only a means of obtaining sustenance
but also a place to show off one's strength.
"Boss!! How was Delta's hunting today?!"
"Ah, yeah, it wasn't bad."
The shadow, clad in a glossy black long coat, said while
collecting wallets from the corpses of the thieves.
"I did it!! The boss recognized me!"
For Delta, hunting with Shadow was the ultimate
stage.
Being recognized by a superior to oneself was an
honor for a beastman and necessary for strengthening one's
position in the pack.
That was the beastman's sense of values.
"Ah, what about this body?"
What Shadow pointed to was the body of a beastman.
"Who is it?"
"Your brother, Delta. Have you forgotten already?"
Delta tilted her head and tried to remember.
 If she remembered correctly, there was a small fry
who had said something unpleasant to her.
"Should we bury him or something? I don't know how
beastmen do it."
"I don't need it!"
"Oh, okay then."
Saying that, Shadow resumed his wallet hunting.
"Hmm."
Looking at the beastman's body, Delta remembered
something unpleasant for some reason.
It was a memory from a long time ago, when she was
called Sara.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing at all!!"
She was in such a good mood.
Delta jumped on Shadow's back and began marking
him.
"Hey, get off!"
"I won't!"
"Wait! It's going to smell like a dog!"
"It won't smell!"
By enveloping oneself with the scent of shadows,
memories of the past gradually fade away. Delta had a
feeling like that.
 Inside the dark, narrow hut.
"Sara... are you awake?"
Upon hearing her mother's voice calling her, Sara
jumped up.
"I'm here, Mother!"
At the back of the hut, her mother lay bedridden due
to illness.
"Cough... Could you please fetch some water for me?"
Her mother said, coughing painfully.
"Understood! I'll go get it!"
Delta hurried out of the hut to the water source for her
mother.
Outside, the morning sun was dazzling, and the
grassland stretched all the way to the horizon. By the time
Delta reached the water source, her feet were wet with
morning dew.
The water in the water source was clear and sparkling.
As Sara squatted down to draw water, she suddenly
realized.
"Oh no! I forgot the bucket!"
She dashed back to retrieve it.
At that moment, someone tripped her.
"Oops?!"
Sara fell to the ground.
 "Hey, you idiot Sara, what are you rolling around for
all of a sudden?!"
"Hahaha, did you forget the bucket again?"
There were two boys slightly older than Sara.
"Lar and Ren..."
Sara's ears drooped.
"You're truly useless. Can't even do household chores."
"And yet you don't even hunt. What are you living
for?"
"But someone has to take care of Mother... that's why I
can't go hunting!"
"Don't talk back to us!!"
Lar's fist struck Sara's cheek.
Though young, it was the fist of a beastman. Sara
bounced across the grassland multiple times.
"Ugh..."
Blood seeped from the corner of Sara's lips as she
slowly got up. The two brothers looked surprised.
"Huh, I did hit her seriously."
"Did she get hit in a weird place?"
They said as they approached Sara.
"Hey Sara, listen carefully. It's pointless to take care of
that woman. You can't hunt anymore. Even though she only
gave birth to three children, it's disappointing."
 "She's just a burden to the pack. That's why Father
abandoned her."
"Why... Why would you say such cruel things! Lar,
Ren, and Sara... she's the only mother we have!"
Sara trembled, but gritted her teeth as she spoke.
"...You're truly a fool."
The response she received was cold words.
"There's no value in the weak. Isn't that the pack's
law?"
"Because I'm weak... the pack's law...?"
"You've forgotten all about it, haven't you? This is who
you are, my sister."
"But... she's our mother..."
"She's not our mother anymore."
"Huh...?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you? We were recognized for our
abilities and became adopted children of the Pit family, the
number three family in the pack."
"Yeah. Now we're Lord Lar of the Pit family and Lord
Ren of the Pit family."
"But... Mother..."
"That weak woman, I don't care about her."
"If you call us 'brothers' so casually the next time we
meet, I'll kill you. Remember that."
The two of them left, laughing mockingly.
 Sara stood rooted in place for a while.
"That's right... the bucket..."
Wiping away her tears, Sarah slowly made her way
back to the hut.
Sara opened the door to the hut with a smile.
"Mother! I forgot the bucket!"
"Really, you child..."
Her mother waited with a gentle smile.
"Hehe...!"
"Look, it's right there."
"Yeah!"
Sarah held the bucket from the back of the hut.
"Sarah... what happened to your face?"
"Huh?"
Sarah's cheek was red and swollen from being hit.
"I... I fell! Hehe!"
Her mother stared intently at Sarah's face as she tried
to deceive her with a laugh.
"...Did Lar and Ren do this to you?"
"Uh... it wasn't! It wasn't them!"
"I see. Those two..."
"It wasn't! Even though it wasn't..."
"You're a kind child. Come here, Sara."
 With her tail drooping, Sarah headed towards her
mother's sleeping area, and her mother smiled as she
stroked her head.
"Ugh... Mother is smart. All of Sara's lies are exposed."
"Sara's lies are easy to see through."
"Sara is not smart. Foolish Sara is ridiculed as an idiot.
How can I become as smart as Mother?"
"Well, that's difficult. Sara takes after her father..."
"Sara wanted to resemble Mother."
"Don't say that. Outside, never."
Her mother said sternly.
"...Yes."
"You're a good child, Sara."
Her mother gently stroked Sara's head.
"Oh, by the way. Sara should speak more politely."
"Politely?"
"Yes. Speaking politely will make you appear
smarter... perhaps."
"Like this?"
"Um, well, a little different..."
"Like this?"
"S-Something like that... that's fine."
"Will I appear smarter now?"
"Well... maybe more than before... I wonder."
"From now on, Sara will speak politely like Mother!"
 "Come here, Sara."
Saying that, her mother hugged Sara's face.
"You are a cute child. Cute, cute, my child."
"Mother...?"
"I don't want to make you suffer, Sarah."
"I'm not suffering!"
Her mother shook her head and touched Sara's
swollen cheek. Her fingers were terribly thin.
"Sara... listen carefully. Would you like to go to a
foster family?"
"F-Foster...?"
"I've already discussed it with the Dobell family. Since
Sara is a girl, you couldn't be taken in by the Pit family like
Lar and Ren. But the Dobell family is also a large and
spacious house."
"Eh... did Lar and Ren's mother...?"
"It's a secret. If those kids found out I arranged it, they
would be hurt."
"Why...?"
"Both the Pit and Dobell families owe me favors. You
see, I used to be amazing."
Saying that, her mother smiled proudly.
"It's not true! Why... Why, even though we're family!
Even though we're all together!!"
"Sara..."
 "Lar and Ren, they're so cruel!! Saying awful things to
Mother!! Even though she's sick and doesn't come home!!"
Sara shouted with a tearful voice.
"Sara, please listen. There's no other choice."
"Isn't there no other choice?!"
"It's the pack's law. I can no longer go hunting. And
besides, Lar, Ren, and Sara are still children. Even if they go
hunting, they will only be a burden."
"What about Father...?"
"He's the leader of the pack. He has to take care of
many other families. If I could have borne children, he
would have supported us. But since I can no longer bear
children... that's why there's no one who can hunt for this
house. We are currently receiving assistance from other
families, but we can't rely on that forever."
"Sara... Sara is Mother's child."
"You will always be my child, Sara. But... think about
it."
"I don't want to..."
"Sara..."
Sara hugged her mother tightly.
"Sara is Mother's child. Lar and Ren are cruel."
"Thank you, Sara. But don't speak ill of Lar and Ren."
"Why..."
"Those children are also my precious children."
 "Are they more precious than Sara?"
"No, you are the most precious, Sara."
Her mother smiled softly.
"I did it!"
"Lar and Ren are still young and have no status in the
pack. It's a shame for them to have a weak parent like me."
"So that's why you speak ill of Mother...?"
"They are also desperate. Besides, those children are
stronger than me now..."
"Is it good as long as they're strong?"
"That's the pack's law."
"I see..."
"So please, Sara. Don't speak ill of Lar and Ren. It's my
greatest happiness for everyone to get along well and be
healthy."
"Everyone getting along... I understand."
"Yes, you're a good child, Sara."
Saying that, her mother wiped Sara's tears with her
thin fingers.
"Mother... what should I do?"
"What should you do?"
"What should I do to live like before?"
"Well..."
"What should I do to not be mocked? What should I do
so Mother doesn't have to suffer?"
 "Sara... I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I don't know either. But I don't want to make you
suffer because of me."
"I'm not suffering!"
Sarah's mother shook her head.
"That's... I don't know either. But if Lar and Ren and
Sarah can grow up and hunt their own prey..."
"If I can hunt prey..."
"Yes. And... become stronger."
"If I become stronger, then everything will be okay?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Then Lar and Ren will come back?"
"It would be nice... if they come back..."
Her voice was faint.
"Will mom's illness be cured?"
"Maybe... it might heal."
Saying that, the mother smiled sadly.
"I understand! Sara will become strong and be able to
hunt prey!"
"You can't be in a hurry, Sara. When you grow up...
*cough*... *cough*"
"Mom!?"
"It's okay...!"
Sara frantically rubbed her mother's coughing back.
 The protruding ribs on her back made Sara anxious.
"I must hurry..."
"...Sara?"
"It's nothing! Are you alright now?"
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you."
"I'm glad! Well, Sara is going now."
Sara turned on her heel and ran off.
"Wait, Sara!"
Her mother called out to Sara as she was leaving the
hut.
"What is it?"
"...Where are you going?"
Sara hung her ears down and looked down in
response.
"...I'm going to fetch water."
"You forgot the water bucket."
"Oh... I forgot!"
Sara hurriedly took the water bucket.
"Well, I'm going to fetch water."
"Take care, Sara."
The mother watched Sara's back with concern.
- Night.
Waiting for her mother to fall asleep, Sara snuck out
of the hut.
 The plains, which should stretch to the horizon, were
simply dark as if smeared with ink.
However, Sara could see far into the distance.
"There, I can see it."
She sniffed her nose.
"And there."
She moved her ears.
"There too. There are a lot of them."
Eyes, nose, and ears.
Sara was sharper than anyone in her family.
"It would be nice if I could hunt prey."
However, Sara was still too young to be taken hunting.
Especially for females, it was customary to go hunting
much later than males.
But that won't be in time.
Sara stepped into the dark plains.
Her feet were trembling.
She was more afraid than when she was beaten by her
two brothers.
Her brothers were already receiving hunting training,
but Sara had not yet received any training.
She didn't know anything about hunting.
"I'll become strong..."
Sara advanced through the plains with trembling legs.
 After a while, she stopped and searched the
surroundings with her eyes, nose, and ears.
Then she moved again and searched the surroundings.
Repeating this, Sara moved far beyond the herd's
settlement.
Even when a group of monsters passed by close to her,
Sara held her breath and let it pass.
"I'm good at hide and seek."
None of the children in the herd could find Sara. Even
the adults had a hard time finding Sara.
That skill worked on the monsters as well.
Her legs stopped trembling.
There was no one in this plain who could find her. That
confidence gave her composure.
"It's not good to have a lot of them."
With her eyes, nose, and ears, she selected her prey.
If she strained her eyes, she could see far into the
darkness. If she sniffed her nose, the wind would bring a
faint smell. If she listened, she could hear footsteps and
breath.
She understood all of that.
Somehow, she could understand it.
"That's it."
It was a large leopard hiding in the grass.
 It was a strong creature of the plains and was usually
not targeted because of the high risk.
However, Sara knew.
That leopard was weak, a weakling.
She slowly approached from the downwind side.
As she got closer, the smell of death became stronger.
Indeed, there was no mistake.
It smells the same as my mother.
In that instant, Sara's concentration was broken.
What was she thinking just now? Understanding that,
she was astounded.
"No... it's not!"
There's no difference.
She had looked down on the weakness of the leopard's
death and her mother's death.
"It's not!!"
Forgetting herself, she screamed.
"Grrrrrrrrr..."
Before she knew it, there was a large leopard in front
of her.
"Ahh..."
Sharp fangs and a large open jaw were approaching
Sara.
"Ahhh..."
Sara thought.
 - How weak I am...
When she came to her senses, Sara was standing in the
plains before dawn.
The morning sun was coloring the distant sky.
At her feet, there lay a large leopard that had stopped
breathing.
"Ahh..."
Sara was crying.
Soaked in blood all over her body, she was crying in a
small voice.
There was not a single wound on her body.
This was all back blood.
"Ahhhhhhh..."
She understood.
She had understood.
In this plain, how much of a sin it is to be weak...
Sara quietly brought the breathless large leopard back
to the hut.
Without being found by anyone, she quietly placed it
in front of the hut and quietly sneaked into her mother's
bed.
Her mother was still asleep.
Sara loved her mother's warmth.
Sara decided to keep her hunting of the large leopard a
secret.
 According to the herd's rules, Sara was still too young
to go hunting, and she didn't want to worry her mother. But
the real reason was different.
Sara had understood.
The sin of being weak in this plain.
If you are weak, you will be robbed. If you are weak,
you will be abused. If you are weak, you will die...
"Mom is not weak..."
She was just afraid of becoming stronger than her
mother.
If she remained weaker than her mother, she felt she
could always be wrapped in her mother's warmth.
And then, she fell asleep quickly.
She was woken up by her mother's panicked voice.
"Oh dear... I can't handle such a big catch..."
"Mom, what's wrong...?"
Sara rubbed her eyes and approached her mother.
"When I woke up, there was a large leopard in front of
the hut."
"Wow, that's amazing, it's a big catch~"
Trying not to be obvious, Sara pretended to be
surprised.
I'm sure I did a good job.
"Do you know anything, Sara?"
"I don't know!"
 "I see, that's a problem... *cough*"
The mother, who was leaning on a pillar, suddenly
started coughing.
"Are you okay!?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine."
"Mom, go back to bed. It's okay, I'll take care of the
large leopard! Eat a lot of meat and your illness will be
cured!!"
Sara helped her mother back to bed.
"Thank you, Sara... but can you really handle it?"
"Yeah... I'll try my best, so it'll be okay! Mom, you
rest!"
With that, Sara took the large leopard and the knife to
the water place.
However, she had never dressed a prey before.
Although she had watched her mother's processing,
she had a poor memory and hardly remembered the
procedure.
"Let's see... hmm..."
First, she cooled the prey in the water.
From here, she was supposed to process the internal
organs while draining the blood, but Sara's hand holding
the knife stopped.
"From the top... or from the bottom?"
She didn't know the order to insert the knife.
 She didn't know how far to put it in so as not to
damage the internal organs. If she damaged the intestines
or bladder, she would spoil the meat.
At that moment, she felt a presence approaching from
behind.
Her senses had been sharpened since she killed the
large leopard last night.
Sara quickly shifted her body to the side.
Immediately after, a stone about the size of a fist
passed through where Sara had been.
"Tsk, missed it..."
"What are you doing, Brother Ral!"
"Shut up, I just missed it! Hey, Sara! What are you
doing with that stupid look on your face?"
The two approaching were beastmen.
"Ral and Ren..."
Sara's ears drooped.
"Hey, isn't this a large leopard!"
"Wow, I've never seen one before! Whose catch is it?"
The two rudely touched the large leopard.
"Ah... that's... Sara and Mom's catch..."
"Huh? This is your catch with that useless woman?"
"Don't be stupid! Even in the Pitt family, only the head
of the family can bring down a large leopard!"
"Oh... someone brought it to Sara's house..."
 "Huh? They must have gotten the wrong house."
"Who would deliver a large leopard to your house?"
"But... it's true!"
"Hmm, well, I don't care."
The two ignored Sara and lifted the large leopard.
"This is not a catch worthy of you useless ones! So
we're confiscating it!!"
"It's better for the Pitt family to share it than for the
useless family to consume it! This is the rule of the herd!"
"That's not fair...!"
"What's up, Sara, got a problem? We're family, the
Pitts."
"I can show you what happens when you oppose a
strong family."
Lal and Len glared at Sara as she tried to retrieve the
large leopard.
"Ugh...is it okay to do anything as long as you're
strong..."
Sara lowered her ears, tucked her tail between her
legs, and stepped aside to let the two take the large leopard.
"What's with your way of speaking?"
"It's 'it is,' huh? Are you an idiot?"
"It's...my mother told me that this way of speaking
makes me look smart."
Sara clenched her fist tightly.
 "Hahaha, 'it' makes you look smart!? No way!"
"That's something that useless woman would think!
Both mother and daughter are idiots!"
"Don't make fun of my mother...it is..."
Sara said, as if growling in the back of her throat.
Her voice was too quiet for the two to hear. But that
was a lucky thing for them.
If they had heard it, she would have not been able to
back down.
"Did you say something, Sara?"
"Hey, what's with your eyes?"
They said, and punched Sara, sending her flying.
Sara didn't resist and rolled on the grassland.
"Tch, creepy kid."
"We're Pitts now. We can't stand being lumped
together with such an idiot."
The two left, grumbling.
Sara looked up at the blue sky of the grassland.
The bruises from being punched didn't hurt at all. She
thought she would be fine even if she was punched a
hundred times.
But her heart hurt.
"My mother said it...so Sara looks smart..."
She gritted her teeth.
 "My mother said family is all about getting along...so
everyone should get along."
She clenched her fist tightly and said as if to reassure
herself.
The large leopard was taken away.
But that was okay. Because she could just hunt again.
"It's okay. Because Sara is good at hunting."
With her usual smile, she went home to where her
mother was waiting.
From that day on, Sara would occasionally sneak out
and hunt prey on the grassland.
She hunted small prey that even her mother could
handle, so as not to attract attention.
Sometimes her brothers took her prey, but she didn't
care. Because Sara was already able to hunt prey at any
time.
Sara learned how to butcher prey while learning from
her mother.
She was bad at it, but she tried hard to learn.
Her mother quickly lost even the ability to butcher
small prey.
And the smell of her mother's death grew stronger.
Sara instinctively felt that her life was soon to end.
"Mother..."
 Sara held her mother's arm, which looked like a
withered branch, as she lay on the floor.
"Sara...you're a kind child..."
Her mother said in a raspy voice.
"Mother...I don't want to, mother and Sara are always,
always together."
"Sara...you're the kindest child. I'm proud to have
given birth to you..."
"Ugh...uuu..."
Sara buried her face in her mother's chest and cried.
"You're really, really a good child."
"But mother, you ate lots of meat, but your sickness
didn't get better."
"It's okay. This is my lifespan. Thank you always,
Sara..."
With that, her mother stroked Sara's hair.
Sara felt her mother's warmth. And the two spent
some time together.
Her mother's breath grew shallow.
And at the end, she took a painful breath and said.
"Sara's meat, it was delicious...thank you."
And she took her last breath.
Sara cried on her mother's chest all night and buried
her in the grassland the next morning.
Without anyone knowing.
 She made a grave for Sara and her mother alone.
"Hey Sara, what happened, you're covered in mud?"
"Hahaha, she's crying!"
On the way back from burying her mother, Lal and
Len blocked her path.
"...Mother...died."
Sara said, looking down.
"...I see, she finally died!"
"If you're weak, you die! That's the law of the
grassland!"
The two laughed cheerfully.
"Don't make fun of my mother."
It happened in an instant.
"Ah...?"
Sara's hand pierced Len's chest.
"Gobo...what's...happening..."
Looking down at Len, who fell coughing up blood,
Sara looked at him as if he was trash.
"Mother will never laugh again...she will never be sad
again...so I don't have to endure it anymore."
She spat out, stepping on Len.
Boki, Goki, the sound of bones breaking and organs
shattering was heard.
"Oh, oh, oh oh oh, what are you doing! How dare you
do this to Len!!"
 "...It's not good to be weak."
"What...! If you do this, my father won't stay silent!"
Lal retreated backwards with a face contorted in fear.
"If you're weak, you get taken away, if you're weak,
you get oppressed, if you're weak, you die...that's the law."
Sara, who had hunted countless prey, deeply
understood the law of the grassland.
"But if you're strong, you're forgiven. This is also the
law."
Saying that, Sara casually slashed Lal's throat.
"Ah, you...Gobo."
"Sara will become the strongest in this grassland. If I
do, I'm sure..."
She smiled, splattered with blood.
There was a small black bruise on her neck.
 Chapter 5 : Welcome to Shadow Garden!

Akane Nishino woke up in a stark white room and looked

around.
"Where is this..."
Fortunately, she wasn't restrained.
She got out of bed and her bare feet touched the cold
floor.
She had been changed into a thin, white hospital
gown.
"It looks familiar, but not..."
The floor was similar to marble, but slightly different.
The hospital gown also had a familiar design, but the
material was closer to silk than synthetic fiber.
"Is it overseas...? But I've never seen this writing
before."
She followed the scattered text in the room with her
eyes, but there was no corresponding language in Akane's
memory.
For now, she had to check the situation quickly.
"It's likely a research facility. If that's the case, it's
natural to assume that I was kidnapped by an organization
trying to use my power...but why didn't they restrain me?"
If they knew about Akane's power, they would
definitely restrain her.
 Moreover, she has now regained her memory and her
original power as the "Knight of Origin".
It's a very sloppy kidnapping plan.
"...They're underestimating me."
Akane stood in front of the door of the room.
There were two presences in front of the door. There
seemed to be security personnel.
But if it's Akane now, she can easily suppress them,
but the other party is not necessarily a bad person.
There's a low chance, but it could be an organization
that helped her out of goodwill.
"Umm"
While she was worrying, she felt the presence in front
of the door move away.
"---This is my chance."
Akane's decision was quick.
She hit the door with all her might, as if to say that she
would think about the consequences later.
There was a loud, extremely hard sound.
"Ow, ow, ow!?"
Akane crouched down, holding her fist.
There wasn't a single scratch on the door she had hit.
"Why!? I put all my magical power into it!"
Looking at her, part of her black hair had turned gold.
"What is this door made of...?"
 She raised her head and noticed.
The text written on the wall and door was faintly
glowing.
"Is this light...magic...?"
She definitely felt the flow of magic.
"No way, they're using magic separately from people?
My brother said that's impossible..."
Many researchers around the world have been
studying the use of magic.
Among them, of course, were studies to separate
magic from the human body and use it as a new energy, but
all of them were supposed to have failed.
"That's...that's a lie..."
If it had been commercialized, she could understand
why they didn't restrain Akane.
Such technology exists in this organization.
"No, it's not decided yet."
It could be a coincidence if it's just one shot.
Akane put all her strength into her fist, pouring magic
into it, and swung it with all her might.
The next moment, the door suddenly opened.
"Ah, oh no."
She couldn't stop her fist suddenly.
Akane's fist was headed for the face of a silver-haired
beauty on the other side of the door.
 With a snap, a light sound echoed, and Akane's fist
stopped.
"Huh?"
Dumbfounded, Akane blinked.
The silver-haired beauty was casually stopping
Akane's full strength punch with one hand.
She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"The door isn't locked. You can leave anytime you call
out," the silver-haired beauty with broken Japanese said.
Akane recognized her.
"Ah, you're Natsume, right... Why are you here?"
She was Minoru's sister, supposed to be in her
brother's lab.
"It's okay."
Akane didn't know what was okay, but she said it
anyway.
"Um..."
"Sit down."
Encouraged to do so, Akane sat in a chair in the room.
For now, she decided to listen to the familiar person
who appeared.
"Miss Natsume, you can speak now. Who are you?
Where is this place?"
The silver-haired girl who was addressed tilted her
head and thought.
 "That's right. I'm not Natsume. I'm Beta."
Akane thought she was slightly not getting through.
"So, you're not Natsume, your real name is Beta?"
"I'll take care of you, don't worry."
"Uh..."
Akane thought it was worrying.
"I'm Beta of Shadow Garden. I brought you back."
"Bet of the organization called Shadow Garden
kidnapped me."
"That's right!"
The culprit admitted the crime with a full smile.
"So you were a spy who infiltrated Messiah under the
alias Natsume."
"Not a spy, an investigation. Investigation of beings
from other worlds."
"Beings from other worlds?"
Akane tilted her head, wondering what it meant.
"Beings from other worlds."
With that, Beta pointed at Akane.
"Um, I'm a being from another world?"
"That's right."
She didn't understand what it meant.
"I'll show you."
And then Beta took Akane's hand and led her out.
"What... what is this place..."
 Being shown around the base by Beta, Akane was
stunned.
The imbalance of magic technology far more advanced
than Japan and science technology far behind Japan.
All the women at the base spoke in a language Akane
had never heard before, and most of them had distinctive
ears.
It wasn't a lingering effect of awakening, it seemed to
be a race called elves and beastmen.
What surprised her the most was their high combat
ability.
Watching the training facility led by Beta, Akane was
awed by its intensity.
"Do you want to try?"
Beta said this with her arms crossed arrogantly.
Unbelievably, she seemed to be in a fairly high
position in this facility. Everyone showed respect to Beta
and responded courteously.
"Try... you mean I have to fight?"
Akane intended to ask, but Beta seemed to take it as an
agreement.
It was still slightly off.
"Come out, the weakest one here!"
Beta shouted triumphantly.
 It seemed to be one of her favorite phrases she learned
in Japan.
But no one seemed to understand. Naturally, because
it was Japanese.
"She seems to really want to fight, so someone who's
the weakest here should accommodate her. Don't hurt her,
okay?"
Beta said this a little shyly, but since it was in a
different world language, Akane couldn't understand what
she was saying.
After a while, a small girl was brought in by a dark elf
with a single eye.
She seemed to be about thirteen.
A beautiful girl with pure white hair like snow. It was
somewhat amusing to see her adorable eyes hardened.
"711, you're up. You know what happens if you mess up
Shadow Garden's reputation, right?"
The girl, who was told something by the dark elf,
tensed her nervous face further and glared at Akane.
"Um, nice to meet you."
It seemed that the fight was inevitable, so Akane asked
for a handshake hoping for a gentle match.
"I will never lose to you. I can't afford to stumble here."
Akane's hand was shaken off and she was glared at
even harder.
 "Um, sorry."
Akane learned that handshakes seemed to be a bad
thing in the other world.
And so, Akane and 711 took up practice swords and
headed to the center of the training ground.
Beta and Lambda waited at the edge of the training
ground for the start of the two's fight.
"Who do you think will win?"
The brown elf, Lambda, said. She was in charge of
training new members of Shadow Garden.
"Well, I don't know much about 711."
Beta narrowed her blue eyes and smiled ambiguously.
"711 has only been here for half a month. She's still the
weakest, but she's top-notch in terms of talent."
"It's rare for Lambda to say something like that."
"She's a gem. But she's a bit rebellious..."
"She's still a child. If you educate her from here on,
there should be no problem."
"Yes, of course."
"Lambda, who do you think will win?"
"I don't know much about that black-haired girl
either... Her magic power is a bit unique. Is she the girl you
brought back, Beta?"
"Yes. Her name is Nishino Akane... but I believe
Shadow-sama called her Nishimura Akane."
 "Then it must be Nishimura Akane. Since the Master
said so."
"That's right. It must be Nishimura Akane."
"Nishimura Akane has interesting magical power...
but the winner would probably be 711."
"I think so too."
At Lambda's answer, Beta immediately agreed.
At the training ground, Akane and 711 were facing
each other with swords drawn. As soon as Lambda gave the
signal, the match would begin.
At that moment, the door to the training ground
opened.
A petite elf girl appeared from there. She came
towards Beta and the others, rubbing her sleepy eyes with a
worn-out lab coat.
"Eta, what are you here for?"
Beta called out with a slight caution.
The petite elf's true identity was "Seventh Seat Eta of
the Seven Shadows." She mainly conducts research on the
"Wisdom of Shadows."
"I came to see... the test subject."
She said so with a sleepy voice. Her dark long hair was
bouncing with bed hair.
"Test subject means Nishimura Akane? Did you get
permission from Alpha-sama?"
 "...Of course."
Eeta averted her eyes and said.
"I'll check with Alpha-sama later. Don't touch her
until then."
"There's no need to check. It's just a waste of time."
"Don't touch her until I check."
Beta repeated the same words as if to remind her.
"Mm... I should start researching the unique magic
power right away."
Eta complained as if sulking.
"May we start?"
Lambda checked with Beta and Eta, and they both
nodded.
"Then, let the match begin!!"
As Lambda signaled, Akane and 711 swung their
swords.
"Wh... This girl, she's strong!"
Akane was trembling as she received 711's attack.
Her arms were numb from the sharp, heavy attack
that was unbelievable for her physique.
"I won't lose... I won't lose again!"
711 followed up with a magic-imbued, forceful blow
that sent Akane flying.
"Kyaa!?"
 This was an unknown experience for Akane, who had
always been a strong person in Japan. She hadn't thought
she would lose in a simple contest of magic power.
Akane barely managed to take the fall and raised her
sword.
She had completely underestimated her.
She hadn't thought that someone so young could have
so much power.
At this rate, she was going to lose.
"This is a problem..."
Akane's black hair slowly turned golden.
It wasn't a match she needed to win.
She might not even have needed to fight in the first
place.
But Akane felt the need to show her strength here.
It was proof of her own worth.
She guessed that this young girl was probably a fairly
strong person in this organization. But she wasn't the
strongest. The three watching the fight from the sidelines
were probably higher up, and there were likely other strong
people as well.
She needed to show that she wasn't someone they
could look down on.
And so, Akane's magic power was released.
 In other words, it would be extremely difficult for
Akane to escape from this organization on her own. She
also needs to find a way back to Japan within the
organization.
Then, she should demonstrate her worth and raise her
standing here.
Eventually, an opportunity to escape will come.
Akane made this decision and released her magic.
And Akane's black hair was dyed a beautiful golden
color.
"Sorry, but I'm going to go all out."
Akane slowly closed the distance while maintaining
her sword stance.
"Hmph..."
Number 711 seemed to be on guard, watching her with
a sour expression.
The distance gradually closed.
Then, the moment Akane stepped forward, she
moved.
Her golden magic was swept away at an incredible
speed.
"What...!"
Number 711, who had reflexively matched her sword,
widened her eyes at the momentum.
 The sword she caught creaked, and her arm went
numb.
She was being overpowered.
Judging as such, Number 711 flew back to dissipate the
force. But it seemed that she couldn't completely dissipate
it.
"..."
She grimaced, feeling a sharp pain in her right arm.
It seemed that she was injured.
However, Number 711 immediately erased her
expression and held up her sword.
She stared at Akane with a calm gaze.
Finally, Number 711 regained her composure.
She forgot about the pressure from Lambda and Beta,
and truly faced Akane.
"Huh..."
She took a small breath and adjusted her magic.
The atmosphere she exuded became clear, like the flow
of water.
She seems to have been learning the sword for a while,
but she has only been handling magic for half a month.
This is the original power of Number 711, recognized
by Lambda as a prodigy.
"...I won't lose."
Number 711 murmured as if to encourage herself.
 "What's with this girl..."
Akane shuddered at the little girl who exuded the air
of a master.
It should have been a good opportunity for a
counterattack.
Number 711 seemed to have hurt something in the
previous offense and defense. Akane had sensed that.
If she had pursued her without a gap, there was a good
chance that the match would have ended.
However, she couldn't do it.
Because the eyes of Number 711 seemed to see through
everything.
An opponent with these eyes is dangerous.
"I, too, can't afford to lose."
Even if her words didn't get through, she felt that
Number 711 was carrying something in this fight.
But Akane can't afford to lose either.
Because she has decided to meet him again.
"Haaaaaaaa!"
"Huh──!"
The two's fighting spirits overlapped, and their swords
clashed.
One round, two rounds, three rounds...
At first, Akane's sword was pushing. The difference in
magic was directly connected to the result.
 Six rounds, seven rounds, eight rounds...
However, as the battle continued, Number 711's sword
became sharp. No, she was diverting Akane's magic with
skill.
The number of times Number 711's sword grazed
Akane's body increased.
"Lord Shadow, lend me your power...!"
Around the twentieth round, Akane stepped into a
dangerous distance.
She realized that she would lose if she continued like
this.
"Huh...!"
However, Number 711 was waiting for that.
She had been inviting her all along.
The moment Akane stepped in.
Because if she continued as she was, Number 711
would have been the one to lose.
At the perfect timing, Number 711 swung her sword.
At that moment, there was a cracking sound in
Number 711's right arm.
Her bone was shattered at that moment.
"Ah...!"
Number 711's sword was slightly delayed.
Then, Akane's attack overlapped.
"Lord Shadow..."
 "Dad...!"
And then, the outcome was decided.
"I can't believe it was a draw..."
"Our predictions were off."
Looking down at the two who had fallen in the center
of the training ground, Beta and Lambda spoke.
"As you said, Number 711 was a prodigy. The lack of
calmness at first was a minus point, though."
"It's my lack of instruction. I'll train her immediately."
"On her own, Number 711 was superior. The quality of
the magic of Nishimura Akane who brought it to a draw is
abnormal. Not just the simple amount of magic, but
something seems to be mutating..."
"So this is the magic of a different world than ours. Or
is she special...?"
"I don't know. In any case, we'll have to ask her a lot of
questions once she calms down, and investigating that will
be──wait!"
Beta cut off her words and grabbed Eta by the scruff of
his neck.
"This peculiar magic... is fascinating."
Eeta was scurrying towards Akane like a cockroach.
"Hey Eta! Don't approach until Alpha-sama gives
permission!"
"If I wait for permission, she might die."
 "She won't die that easily!"
"Time is money. My mission is to prevent the loss of
opportunity due to foolish choices."
"Okay, okay, I won't give you permission no matter
what you say."
"Hmph... I'll make Beta my next experimental
subject."
"Uh... if you do that, I'll report you to Alpha-sama!"
"Hmm... my budget will be cut... but if I yield to
threats, it will hinder the development of the wisdom of the
shadows..."
Muttering to himself, Eta was deep in thought.
"Now, let's carry the two of them to the medical room
while we have the chance. I'll explain what's next when
they wake up."
"What will happen next?"
"For now, I'll leave the instruction to Lambda until
Nishimura Akane calms down. After she calms down, I
intend to ask her for various cooperation."
"Then, I will."
Lambda gave instructions to her subordinates, and
Akane and Number 711 were carried to the medical room.
"Uh... where am I...?"
When Akane woke up, she was lying on a fluffy white
bed.
 It was a place like a medical room.
"Did I... lose? No, my sword should have reached..."
At the end of that battle, Akane's surprise attack was
completely read.
Normally, she would have definitely been defeated.
However, for some reason, the opponent's attack slowed
down and their attacks hit almost at the same time.
That's when Akane lost consciousness.
Akane sat up and looked around the room. There, she
noticed a white-haired girl sleeping on the next bed.
"It seems we had a draw."
Akane breathed a sigh of relief to see that the girl had
no injuries.
She has such an innocent, cute sleeping face.
But such a small girl was completely superior to Akane
in terms of ability. Only because she had actually fought did
she know that if she fought again, she would definitely lose.
"Dad... Mom..."
The white-haired girl grimaced and muttered
something.
"Are you having a nightmare? Are you okay?"
As Akane stroked her head, the girl jumped up in
surprise.
 "Oh, you...!?"
The girl jumped up in a hurry and distanced herself
from Akane.
"Hey, calm down."
"Don't... Come close! I... to you...!"
"Don't move so violently, it's dangerous."
"Did you... lose to... me? I... lost...?"
The girl looked around and seemed to gradually grasp
the situation.
"Calm down, it's okay."
"I lost... I can't afford to lose here...!"
Tears welled up in the girl's eyes.
 "What's wrong? Did something sad happen?"
When Akane reached out her hand, the girl brushed it
away.
In the other world, the act of reaching out a hand in
general was taboo, Akane learned.
"I... won't... cry... I... promised..."
The girl wiped away the falling tears and jumped off
the bed.
"Uh... uh..."
And, suppressing a sob, she ran away.
"I wonder if she's okay..."
Akane watched the girl leave with a worried look on
her face.
But there was nothing she could do for her, as they
didn't speak the same language.
"I'm awake,"
At that moment, a silver-haired elf named Beta
entered the room.
"Um, that girl just left crying..."
"It's okay,"
Beta said, although it was unclear what she meant by
that.
Akane realized it was pointless to argue with her.
"What's going to happen to me? What's your purpose?
Can I go back to Japan?"
 "I understand. I understand very well,"
Beta said, grasping Akane's hand and smiling a
strange smile.
"Ah, okay."
"I'm on your side. Someday, I'll help you return to
Japan."
"Can I really go back to Japan?"
"You probably can, but you won't be able to without
your cooperation."
"Eh, is this a threat?"
"No, it's a highly technical issue."
"Ah, okay."
"So please cooperate."
"Well, if there's something I can do..."
Although she didn't trust them completely, Akane
sensed that it would be pointless to resist at this point.
In any case, her current situation meant that her only
option to return to Japan was to investigate this
organization.
It would be easier to move around in the future if she
was seen as cooperative rather than rebellious.
"Thank you. Akane, you're a good person. I'm on your
side."
"Ah, okay."
 "You will now become a member of this organization,
Shadow Garden."
"I'm going to be a member of Shadow Garden, huh?
What kind of organization is it?"
"It's a group that lurks in the shadows and hunts the
shadows."
"That sounds cool."
Although she didn't really understand what they did,
Akane thought it sounded like something out of a different
world.
She remembered how he also liked cool things like
this and smiled nostalgically.
"From now on, you'll be known as number 712. You're
no longer Nishimura Akane."
"I'll be referred to by a number... wait, Nishimura
Akane?"
The mention of that name caused Akane to freeze.
"You're Nishimura Akane, right?"
"Nishimura Akane... why are you calling me by that
name?"
There was only one person who had ever called Akane
by that name.
"Isn't your name Nishimura Akane?"
"It is, don't worry. I was just curious about why you
knew my name."
 "Is that so? I heard it from someone."
"You heard it from someone, huh."
If it was just her imagination, that would be fine. But if
it wasn't... Akane's heart began to race.
Calm down, she can't find out yet.
"Do you want to know?"
"I was just surprised to hear that someone knew about
me. They're from Japan, right?"
Trying to mask her discomfort, Akane asked casually.
"Hehe, it's a secret. But everyone at that base knew
your name. It's not surprising."
Beta was right.
Everyone at the base knew the name Akane Nishino.
But the only person who called her Nishimura Akane was
him.
If he was here, Akane's objective would change
completely.
"Ah, I guess you're right. I must have forgotten."
Feeling embarrassed, Akane scratched her cheek and
Beta watched her with a smile.
"From today, you're number 712. You'll be living in
Shadow Garden."
"712, got it."
"I'll show you where you'll be living, 712. Follow me."
Holding Beta's hand, Akane left the medical room.
 Outside the medical room was a stone corridor.
The beautiful stonework and high, arched ceilings
were softly lit by indirect lighting.
Indeed, if you only looked at this, it would feel like a
fantasy world. But if that's the case, what was the room
Akane had woken up in?
For some reason, it felt distinctly Japanese. As if
Japanese technology had been recreated in a different
world.
"712, is there something on your mind?"
Beta, who was walking slightly ahead, asked.
"No, I'm just finding this new world fascinating."
"That's good to hear. The place we were just in is the
medical room. If you get hurt, you'll be taken there. And
this is the toilet."
"Right, the toilet."
"The toilet."
"The toilet, got it."
She seemed to be quite fond of the toilet.
Peeking inside, there were individual stalls on a large
tiled floor. There was a large mirror and a hand washing
area, and surprisingly, the toilet was a flush toilet.
"It's a flush toilet."
"It's the latest technology."
Beta said proudly.
 Akane's suspicions deepened. No matter how you
looked at it, this was a Japanese toilet.
"I wonder who made it."
"Eta made it."
"Eta?"
"The small elf in the white coat who was watching the
match with us."
"Oh, her."
Akane remembered the elf who had appeared just
before the match.
"But the knowledge it's based on didn't come from Eta.
It came from him."
"Him?"
"It's a secret."
Beta smiled cryptically.
"Again with 'him'."
There was no doubt that 'he' was the link between the
technology of Japan and this world.
But she still couldn't confirm that 'he' was the 'him'
she knew.
"Next is the dining hall."
Beta led her to a large, open space.
It was already past mealtime and it was quiet, but it
could easily seat hundreds of people.
"Wow..."
 Akane was overwhelmed by the vast space and the
decorations on the walls and ceiling.
"Are you hungry?"
"A bit..."
"I'll get you something."
Beta had Akane sit down and went to get food.
The table and chairs where Akane sat were also
high-quality. The huge table, over ten meters long, was
made of glossy single-board wood, and the chairs were
intricately carved and comfortable to sit in.
Wait, this design, could it be from that famous
interior designer...
"It's... similar."
The famous chair Akane knew didn't have any
carvings, but the overall shape was identical to the famous
design.
That meant she had to question all the furniture.
That light... those dishes... she searched for his
influence in everything.
"I can't..."
She was only taking in information that suited her.
Since these were tools used by humanoid creatures, it was
entirely possible that they could look similar by chance.
Akane tried to calm herself down.
"What are you looking around for?"
 "Ah, everything's so unusual, I couldn't help it."
Before she knew it, Beta was sitting across from her.
Servants, who seemed to be elves and beast people,
started to serve food in front of Beta and Akane.
"This is..."
"What's wrong?"
The meal served in front of Akane was unmistakably
Japanese food.
"Why is there Japanese food..."
"We ate the same thing in Japan."
"Right, you did."
Indeed, Beta had been active in Japan under the name
Natsume.
It wasn't surprising at all that she had recreated the
food culture she experienced there in this world...
"Miso soup... and soy sauce too."
Did they recreate these seasonings in such a short
time? Of course, it's also possible that Beta brought them
from another world.
"It's good..."
The miso soup had a refined taste, with the flavor of
bonito stock.
"I'm glad you like it."
Beta ate her food gracefully with chopsticks.
 Akane also tried to finish her meal without arousing
any suspicion.
"That was delicious."
After finishing her meal and drinking coffee, a
familiar girl suddenly appeared behind Beta.
"I got Alpha's permission."
It was Eta for sure. The sleepy-eyed girl in the white
coat spoke to Beta in the language of the other world.
"Really?"
Beta took the document from Eta with a suspicious
look in her eyes.
"It's definitely Alpha's permission. It says to leave the
handling of Nishimura Akane entirely to Eta."
Akane's ears perked up at the mention of the name
Nishimura Akane.
"Well, in that case..."
Eta tried to quickly take Akane under her care by
crawling under the table.
"Hold on! Even if Alpha did give permission, it's
impossible that she would leave it entirely to you. There has
to be someone supervising you."
"W-what?"
Eta's eyes darted around as Beta grabbed her by the
collar.
 "That's because of my daily actions and the trust I've
built up..."
"And another thing. Your handwriting lacks vigor. It's
as if someone was trying to imitate Lord Alpha's writing by
writing slowly."
"What are you talking about...."
Eta was sweating profusely.
"Eta, you forged the documents."
Stared at by Beta, Eta gave a forced smile.
"Give up. I'm going to take you to Lord Alpha now."
"That's enough."
Eta cut off Beta's words with a cold voice.
"If that's the case, I'll use force."
The next moment, Akane's world was turned upside
down.
"Wha, whaaaaat!?"
Akane was restrained by black slime and hung upside
down. Despite her desperate struggles, the black slime
remained rigid.
Even when she poured her magic into it, it felt as if it
was being absorbed.
"Eta, what are you planning!?"
Beta and her subordinates were also restrained in the
same way.
 "Using force. It's a waste of time talking to ordinary
people."
Eta said curtly, and tried to take away Akane who was
hanging upside down.
"Wait a minute!!"
When Beta tore the black slime apart, she created a
jet-black sword and slashed at Eta.
"Hmm."
Eta narrowed her eyes slightly and manipulated the
slime.
What she created was a huge shield.
Beta's sword and Eta's shield collided.
A dull sound echoed.
"What is this shield!?"
Beta's sword couldn't even scratch Eta's shield.
On the contrary, it was being absorbed by the shield.
Beta hastily pulled her sword back and kept her
distance.
"New technology, it reacts and absorbs magic."
"I didn't hear that! You promised to report useful
technology immediately!"
In case of strengthening with magic, the sword is
stronger than the shield.
It's simply a matter of area.
 While a sword only needs to strengthen its blade, a
shield must strengthen its entire surface. To achieve the
same strength, a shield consumes more than twice the
magic power of a sword.
That's why there are few magic swordsmen who wear
shields.
"Well... I haven't finished verifying its safety yet, so I
was going to report it later."
"You have no intention of verifying it, do you!!"
While they were talking, Beta attacked Eta with
astonishingly fluid movements.
Akane was simply overwhelmed by the movements,
which were difficult to follow with the eye.
"That's... amazing..."
Akane understood why Beta, a shady girl, was
respected in this organization. Compared to her, the
movements of the 711th were nothing more than those of a
baby.
"Do not disturb."
And Eta, who was confronting Beta, also showed off
her extraordinary skills.
She freely manipulated the slime, creating shields,
swords, and spears to intercept. Although her movements
were far from martial arts, they were the movements of
someone who had mastered a different direction of
technology.
Her magic manipulation and parallel thinking are
beyond the ordinary.
The abilities of the two are almost equal... no, neither
of them is serious.
They are fighting within a range that doesn't hurt each
other.
Besides, they haven't shown their trump cards.
Akane's intuition told her that.
"Stop it now!"
"Hmm?"
Beta's blow bounced Eta back.
While guarding with her shield, Eta skillfully
manipulated the slime in mid-air and took a defensive
stance.
However, Ieta looked troubled.
Beta's subordinates surrounded Eta with their
weapons drawn.
"This is..."
"Now, give up."
Beta said with a triumphant look on her face.
"Lord Eta, I will restrain you. Please pardon me."
New, Lambda, Kai, Omega, and other Numbers were
gathering one after another.
 Even Eta looked gloomy at this.
"Hmm..."
"If you apologize sincerely and surrender now, I'll
lighten your punishment a bit."
Beta closed in and put pressure on her.
"It's a bit noisy, what are you doing?"
A beautiful woman with hair the color of a
crystal-clear lake appeared.
She was Epsilon, the fifth seat of the Seven Shadows.
"Two of the Seven Shadows, and a bunch of others...
This is tough."
Eta muttered.
Some of the others frowned at being treated as such.
However, it was inevitable.
Everyone present was an incredible powerhouse,
without exception.
Their tremendous power was evident from their
combat-ready stance, with weapons drawn and magic
refined.
Surprisingly, every single one of them was a stronger
person than Akane.
They would have pride in their own abilities,
confidence in what they had built up.
It's inevitable that they'd be uncomfortable being
treated as "others".
 However, even though they were uncomfortable, not a
single one of them protested. The others understood that it
was a fact.
"Good timing, Epsilon. Help me restrain this idiot."
"Alright, alright, you owe me one, Beta."
The two communicated quickly.
Epsilon also understood that Eta was to blame.
Beta and Epsilon surrounded Eta, and the others
formed a tight circle around them.
"Okay, that's enough."
Eta raised both hands as if giving up.
"You're surrendering?"
Beta asked, but no one was fool enough to let their
guard down. Eta hadn't yet dropped her weapon, and given
her personality, it seemed unlikely that she would give up
just like that.
"....I warn you all who are tormenting me, surrender
now. Otherwise, you will regret it."
In her completely surrounded situation, with her
hands raised, Eta said something outrageous.
"Do you think I'm going to surrender?"
Epsilon said, on high alert.
"Yeah. Isn't anyone going to surrender?"
Eta looked around as if to confirm.
 Everyone was on guard, but no one was going to
surrender.
"I see, negotiations have broken down."
"That's right, negotiations have broken down."
Eta and Beta said at the same time.
"Everyone, secure Eta with all your might!"
And then, they all moved at once.
The next moment, everything melted.
"What!?"
Magic power was disrupted, and their clothes and
weapons began to melt.
"What is this!?"
Beta was barely able to keep her equipment, but the
others were half-naked and in a difficult situation to
continue fighting.
"Interference wave from the wisdom of the shadows
applied, magic disruption barrier (excluding me)"
"I didn't hear about that! You should report it as soon
as you develop something like that!"
"Because the condition setting is difficult, it can only
be used in a limited way..."
"That's enough! We'll deal with this with just the two
of us, Epsilon!"
Beta called out to her reliable ally.
 However, there was no sign of Epsilon. There was a
note on the table.
"I remembered a sudden task, so I'm leaving. Epsilon."
"Th-that woman!"
Beta roared.
"Open!"
Beta, who was enraged, was caught off guard by Eta
and lost consciousness, falling forward.
And so, Akane was taken away by Eta.
"Ugh... Where am I?"
When Akane woke up, she was in a dimly lit
basement.
She was restrained by black slime and laid on a bed.
Around her were experimental tools and junk that she
didn't know what to use.
She sighed a little, thinking that she had been
abducted quite a lot recently.
She tried to break free, but the restraint didn't budge.
The black slime alone had a shockingly high performance.
"Is anyone there?"
Akane called out.
There was a presence of someone moving, but she
couldn't see it because of the pile of junk and dimness.
"....Hmm?"
The presence turned towards Akane.
 The face that appeared from the pile of junk was Eta,
the girl in the white coat.
"You're Eta, aren't you. What are you planning to do
with me?"
"You're awake. You're surprisingly resistant... maybe I
should've used a stronger sedative."
Eta muttered in the language of another world.
She didn't understand what she was saying at all, but
Akane was startled by the look in her eyes.
That was not the look of someone looking at a person.
A lab animal... no, just a cold, inorganic gaze as if she's
looking at data.
She doesn't see Akane as a human being.
Eta approaches the bed and looks down at Akane, her
gaze as cold as ever.
"Breathing is normal, pulse is a bit fast, a light state of
tension."
She begins to examine Akane's condition without
hesitation, touching her body.
"Everything is normal. Therefore, no changes to the
plan."
She simply stated it matter-of-factly, as if confirming
something.
"What are you talking about? What are you going to do
with me?"
 Even when Akane spoke to her, Eta just returned a
cold gaze.
"Whether you're conscious or not, there will be no
changes to the plan. But the vocal cords might be a
nuisance. They're distracting. I'm considering removing
them, or maybe sedating you... since I'm going to dissect
you anyway, maybe I'll remove your vocal cords and study
them. But first, I need to verify the language of the other
world."
She seemed to be organizing her thoughts by talking
to herself.
She seemed to be speaking to Akane, but not really
acknowledging her.
"What have you been talking about?"
When Akane spoke, Eta looked at her for the first
time.
"Ah, ah, ah, iu, e, o, is this pronunciation correct?"
Eita said in a quiet voice.
"Oh, you can talk."
"All languages spoken by intelligent beings are similar.
He said so too, and it was indeed the case."
Akane was surprised by Eta's fluent Japanese.
Her pronunciation, her understanding of the
language, was several steps above that of Beta.
 "What's your purpose? What are you going to do with
me?"
"Experiment. To satisfy intellectual curiosity."
"Specifically?"
"First, conversation. Understand the rules of
communication and the flow of thought. Then physical
examination, magic examination, and then extract the
knowledge from the brain."
"Extract the knowledge from the brain..."
"The knowledge of the other world is valuable. But
even if you ask in a conversation, lies and noise will mix in.
It's a waste of time. So, with this, I'll do it."
Saying that, Eta pointed to a huge piece of junk.
The device, which was wrapped in numerous pipes
and cords and occasionally trembled and spewed steam,
looked like a coffin.
It was suspicious just by looking at it.
"What is that..."
"It's Brain Sucker No. 23. A masterpiece that extracts
all human knowledge. It was finally completed after
overcoming many failures... or so it seems."
"Completed... or so it seems?"
"I referred to the paper "The Relationship between the
Brain and Magic. The Possibility of Destroying or Healing
the Brain by Interfering with Magic and Its Practical
Application Plan" by Professor Sherry Barnett of the
Academic City Laugus. If it fails, it's her fault, but I'm sure
it's fine. I thought Laugus was full of stubborn old men, but
there are some excellent researchers. She's one of them. By
the way, there seems to be a lecture by Sherry Barnett in
Laugus next week, maybe I should go..."
Eta muttered irresponsibly, not trustworthy at all.
"What are you, what have you been suggesting? What
do you think of me?"
"Quite a valuable life form. Probably after him, and
then after him, and then after him..."
"A valuable life form? And who is he...?"
"He is he... a much more valuable life form than you. I
mastered the basics of your language thanks to him."
"Japanese... thanks to him, you don't mean...!"
She had a bad feeling.
If the one who taught Eta Japanese was him, then he
was captured by this girl who didn't even consider her a
person.
"If you're worried about him...? He helped me with
the experiment of Brain Sucker No. 19, but he was fine, so
No. 23 should be fine too."
"What... you used that ridiculous machine on him!?
Did he agree!?"
 "Agree... there's no need for such a thing, just deceive
and push him in. He's tough, he'll be fine."
"Forcibly... you're forcibly experimenting on him...!"
Calm down, it's not yet certain that he is the one
Akane imagines.
Akane took a deep breath to suppress her anger.
"It's not so much an experiment... I tried
dragon-slaying poison, tried to dissect his brain, tried to
extract his magic circuit, that's about it."
Eta said, nonchalantly.
Akane's back teeth gritted.
"Tell me. Who is he...?"
With a voice trembling with anger, Akane asked.
"He is he... hmm, it's hard to describe people. Oh, the
one who wrote this."
Eta said, showing Akane a memo written in Japanese.
There wasn't much written on it, but Akane
recognized the handwriting.
"No way... no way, this handwriting... is it
Kageno-kun's?"
Tears overflowed from Akane's eyes.
There's no mistaking it, the handwriting was
definitely that of Minoru Kageno.
At that moment, all the questions inside Akane
connected into one answer.
 Minoru Kageno is in this world.
He was taken to this other world in that truck
accident, became the experimental subject of this girl
named Eta, and had his knowledge of Japan taken away.
If that's the case, the body from the accident was a
fake, or even the accident itself might have been faked with
the technology of the other world.
Thinking of him, who had his home taken away, was
cut off from his family and friends, brought to an unknown
other world, and forced to live a harsh life to the point of
bleeding, Akane trembled with anger.
"You... What have you done! Is he... is he okay!?"
"He's okay... for now."
"For now... what are you planning to do!?"
"Experiments and dissection."
"What are you...! Where is he!?"
"Well... I wonder if we've had enough conversation, I
think I understand now."
Eita didn't seem to want to answer any more.
She turned her back on Akane and started preparing
some devices.
"Answer me! Where is he... where is he!?"
Akane struggled to free herself from the restraints,
but the slime didn't budge.
On the contrary, only Akane's bones creaked.
 "Preparation complete."
Eita had something like a collar in her hand. For some
reason, it was entwined with a slimy slime and was
emitting a strange smell.
"What is that...!"
"It is Vocal Cord Removal No. 1. It's been gathering
dust in the warehouse because it's too limited in its use, but
I'm sure it's fine."
"Stop...!"
Eta put the mysterious collar on Akane.
"It's okay, there's no pain. Now, 3, 2, 1..."
And just as she was about to press the switch on the
collar.
"Stop it."
There was a dull thud, and Eta's head shook.
"Ah, my head..."
Eita crouched down, holding her head.
"Enough is enough. I won't forgive you today."
Behind Eta stood a beautiful blonde elf. In her hand
was a hammer made of transformed slime.
She had hit Eta on the head with that hammer.
"What are you doing... once brain cells are damaged,
they don't return... my brain..."
Eta glared up at her.
"What's with that look?"
 "Even if you're Alpha, I won't forgive you..."
"Heh."
"Eat this, Magic Disruption Barrier (except me)."
However, nothing happened.
"Eh, why?"
"That Magic Disruption Barrier seems to be based on
the technology of jamming waves."
"No way..."
"I'm sorry, but I've blocked the jamming waves."
Saying that, Alpha took off her clothes. Then, she was
wearing a shiny silver slime suit.
"Aluminum foil..."
"You know it too. Among the wisdom of the shadows,
there's a skill to block waves with aluminum foil."
"You mean, that legend was true..."
"This is the answer."
Saying that, Alpha swung the hammer down on Eta's
head.
At the shocking truth, Eita couldn't move.
"Kyuu!"
She let out a small scream and passed out.
"Take her away. She's on probation until she reflects
on her actions, and her research budget is greatly reduced.
For a while, I'll only allow her to do the research I've
directed."
 "Yes."
The girls who appeared from behind Alpha collected
the unconscious Eta and took her away.
"I'm sorry for the trouble."
She spoke to Akane and released her restraints.
"Ah, you are...?"
Akane was overwhelmed by the beautiful elf and
couldn't say anything more.
"I don't understand your language. I'll leave the rest to
Beta."
With that, she left.
She was incredibly powerful.
And beautiful.
Akane intuitively understood that she was the
strongest force in this organization.
"Are you okay?"
Almost immediately, a silver-haired girl named Beta
appeared, and Akane was rescued.
"From today, this is room number 712."
Beta guided her to a nondescript door.
"So this is my room."
"Yes. I've explained a lot, did you understand
everything?"
"Well, more or less."
 "Then here, this is a language textbook. Learn it
quickly, okay?"
The title of the book Beta handed her was
"Understanding the Language of This World Even for
Beings from Another World."
"Um, is there someone to teach me?"
"It's all about practice. I'm busy, too. So, goodbye."
Beta avoided eye contact and quickly left.
"...Well, it's fine."
It wasn't fine at all, but she was tired from everything
that had happened today.
Akane sighed and opened the door to her room.
"It's cleaner than I thought..."
There were three beds in the room.
And someone was sleeping in one of them.
Noticing Akane's presence, the girl sat up. She was the
tiny girl with white hair who had fought with Akane.
"Yo, you are...!?"
"Ah, you are...!?"
Akane and the girl raised their voices almost
simultaneously.
"So, you're the new girl..."
"You're in the same room, nice to meet you."
Akane, who was quick to recover, smiled and said so.
 "Hmph! I can't stand being with you...! I'll sleep
outside!"
The girl jumped off the bed, glared at Akane and ran
away.
"Ah..."
She didn't understand what she had been told, but she
was sure it wasn't friendly.
Akane watched the girl's retreating back and sighed.
There were so many problems.
A different world, an incomprehensible language, an
organization full of strong people, an unfriendly
roommate, and no real allies.
But there was one ray of hope.
"Kageno-kun, I'll save you next time...!"
With that thought in her heart, Akane clenched her
fist.
 Epilogue : The Fragrance of That Day

It smelled of wood.
In the midst of the sunlight filtering through the
window, Alpha, who was sorting out documents, suddenly
looked up.
She stood up and walked over to the window, where a
large street tree was towering outside, and beyond that, the
cityscape of the royal capital spread out.
It was the end of autumn. The street trees were vividly
colored, carrying the scent of wood with the wind.
 Back then, she was always enveloped in the warm
scent of wood.
Alpha closed her eyes and reminisced about the past.
The days she spent with everyone. The nostalgic scent
of wood...
In the days when Shadow Garden was just Shadow
and Alpha, Alpha lived in the forest.
During the day, she was alone in a hut he had built.
The inside of the hut was always filled with the scent of
wood. He had cut the wood and built the hut from scratch.
Alpha learned how to build a "two-by-four" at that time.
At first, she could only watch, but gradually she
helped out, and in the end, she did most of the finishing
touches herself.
The hut, built by him and her, was full of memories.
It was simple and a bit clumsy, but Alpha loved the hut
filled with the scent of wood.
He could only come here at night. So, Alpha was
always looking forward to the night.
During the day, she trained in magic and
swordsmanship, and hunted small animals with traps and
gathered wild vegetables.
At night, he would bring bread and meat, and Alpha
would cook it. As they ate together, he always told her
various stories.
 "Steam has the power to move a huge chunk of iron."
One day, as he was eating the stew Alpha had made, he
said something like that. Alpha stared at the steam rising
from the stew for a while.
She could hardly believe that such a feeble steam
could hold such a great power.
But all the knowledge he had told her so far, no matter
how outrageous the story, was true. The fact that the world
is not flat but a sphere, and that the sun does not revolve
around the world but the world revolves around the sun,
Alpha initially denied as impossible, but in the end, he was
right.
So there must be a great power hidden in this steam.
"How can we harness such power from steam?"
While enjoying Alpha's stew, he was silent for a while.
He is always thinking about what to say and what not
to say.
"When water is heated, it becomes steam. That
produces a great power. The hint is... piston movement and
turbine, I think."
With that, he smiled cryptically.
He never tells everything. He gives a hint and always
makes Alpha think.
"I don't understand with just that."
 It's much more difficult than usual. She was planning
to start researching steam from tomorrow, but with just
this hint, it would take too long to reach the answer.
"If you can use the power of steam, you can run a huge
iron car or a ship."
However, what he spoke of was not a hint, but an
example of the use of steam engines.
If you can really move iron cars and ships, that's an
incredible thing. And if he says he can do it, he definitely
can.
"In other words, it's worth spending that much time
on a steam engine..."
He just smiled cryptically. He always makes Alpha
think.
In doing so, he imparts knowledge to her, and
cultivates her ability to think and solve problems.
And that dramatically improved her abilities, giving
her more knowledge than she had ever received in her
gifted education in her country.
Physical strength is a great power. But more
importantly, intellectual strength is a crucial power.
Alpha thinks she is a smart child. In her hometown,
no one could match her.
But even so, he, of the same age, was far beyond
Alpha.
 There are always those who are superior.
Alpha looked at his profile with a dazzling look.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"...Nothing."
They ate the stew together, then she received
instruction from him in swordsmanship and magic, and
saw him off before dawn.
Every day, she waved until she could no longer see
him.
She was happy.
As the seasons passed, their time alone came to an
end.
A girl with silver hair and tear stains, Beta, joined
their group.
Beta was shy, afraid of him, and always hid behind
Alpha. Alpha knew Beta from when she was in the country,
and Beta knew Alpha. They were not friends, they had only
exchanged greetings at social gatherings, but the two of
them, in the same situation, quickly became close.
Shortly after that, Gamma and Delta joined, and the
once lonely hut became lively.
Using the techniques they learned from him, Alpha
and the others expanded the hut and built a fine house. It
was a warm house filled with the scent of wood.
 One day, he finished instructing Delta and Gamma
early and gathered everyone.
Delta looked down on Gamma with a sense of
accomplishment, and Gamma glared at Delta with a
half-cry. It was a usual scene.
"Delta is stronger."
"I-I'm older... I'm the senior... sniff..."
"Gamma is too cheeky."
"St-stop it..."
Delta pushed Gamma down and covered her from
behind. This was also a usual scene.
Apparently, dogs ride on top of each other to establish
hierarchy.
"Okay, okay, stop it now."
Alpha pulled the two apart. Delta obediently listens to
Alpha. She is faithful to the hierarchy, for better or worse.
That's why she can't stand Gamma being on top, even
though she's weaker.
Gamma also can't stand a muscle-brain like Delta.
The two were like cats and dogs.
"Power is not only physical strength. The one who
always controls the world of people has intellectual
strength."
He gathered everyone and said so.
"Boss...?"
 "Lord Shadow..."
Delta and Gamma look up at him. Delta has a puzzled
look on her face, while Gamma seems to be seeking
salvation in his words.
The wind carries the scent of trees.
"I will teach you. The power of knowledge that can
inflate a single gold coin multiple times. The art of
manipulating money and controlling the world's
economy..."
Then, he spoke of an incredible plan involving banks
and credit creation.
"Amazing..."
What slipped from Alpha's mouth was an impression
like that of a small child.
At the sheer scale of it, at his terrifying wisdom, Alpha
was trembling.
Beta was trembling in fear of the shadows behind
Alpha.
Delta was trembling in sleep, blown by the cold night
wind.
And Gamma was trembling with emotion.
A strong force had returned to her dark, frail eyes.
"Shadow-sama, I... I have found the path I should
follow."
He simply nodded.
 From that day on, Gamma changed. She greedily
sought his knowledge and devoted herself to research,
sparing no time for sleep.
Alpha also had more opportunities to talk with
Gamma, and Beta joined them in envisioning the future
shape of the organization.
Eventually, Epsilon joined, then Zeta, and finally Eta.
Epsilon was a confident, competitive girl, and she had
the talent to match.
"I'll be number one in no time!"
At first they competed, but they soon calmed down
and fit in.
Beta is still competing, but I decided to think of it as a
good relationship.
Zeta was a beast-girl with a shadowy aura.
She was a bit distant from everyone else and didn't
talk much.
Because Alpha knew her circumstances, he took Zeta's
hand and helped her get along with the other children.
Little by little, she opened her heart.
Delta and her were still not getting along, but
apparently, that's how it is with beast-people.
There were moments when she could tell at a glance, "I
won't get along with this one."
Eta was strange from the start.
 She did unexpected things and caused trouble often,
but her inventions have been more than helpful.
Epsilon looked after the domestically challenged Eta,
Beta and Gamma somehow became experiment subjects,
Delta and Zeta were chasing each other, and before they
knew it, they had all become irreplaceable family members.
In a house enveloped in the scent of trees, they were
happy.
From that day on, Alpha kept running.
He lived so recklessly that he didn't notice the scent of
trees.
The beautiful, madder-red sunlight shining through
the trees colored the room.
"Alpha-sama, it's time."
The sound of a knock was heard, and Gamma entered
the room.
"Do you remember? In the scent of trees, we talked
together..."
"The scent of trees...?"
Gamma stood next to Alpha and looked up at the large
street tree.
Then, she narrowed her eyes as she inhaled the scent
of the tree carried by the wind.
"It's nostalgic..."
 "The dream we envisioned that day is taking shape...
but we're still in the middle of the dream."
"...Yes."
"We keep running on the path we believe in. We will
not forgive those who obstruct us. Now, shall we go?"
"Yes!"
Although the time she spent alone with him had
decreased.
The scent of the trees from that day lingers deep in her
heart.
 Postscript :

Thank you for reading the sixth volume of "The

Eminence in Shadow !"
It's been about ten months since the last volume, and I
apologize for the long wait.
A lot has happened in these ten months.
First, season one of the anime ended successfully.
Thanks to the wonderful anime staff and everyone
involved, I believe it turned out to be a great work.
Thank you very much!
If you haven't seen it yet, please watch!
And season two of the anime is currently airing!
It's turned out to be of great quality as well.
As the original author, I was heavily involved, so I
think you can experience "The Eminence in Shadow !" in a
way only possible with the anime.
I hope you enjoy!
In addition, the game "The Eminence in Shadow -
Master of Garden" has been very popular since its release!
The response has far exceeded our initial expectations,
and I felt the enthusiasm of the fans.
 The "Seven Shadow Chronicles," which depicts the
childhood of the seven shadows, and the unique story that
complements the original work are packed with content!
I thoroughly supervised all the episodes, and even
wrote some of the stories myself, so if you haven't played
yet, please give it a try!
And the "Seven Shadow Chronicles" is also being
planned for a comic adaptation, so please look forward to
that as well.
Furthermore, the total number of copies of this series
has exceeded 5 million!
The fact that we've come this far is all thanks to your
support.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the
readers.
Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to the
editor in charge who supported the entire process of
bookmaking. To Tōzai-sensei who drew the best
illustrations. To Araki-san from Balcolony who colored this
book with wonderful design. To everyone involved in the
anime and game. And to all the readers who supported us.
Again, thank you very, very much.
See you again in volume seven!

Daisuke Aizawa
(now cry with us and wait another year)