Nosfy dodged the flash of light with a light sidestep.
He watched it go, biting his lip. It was his first experience of drawing a weapon before the person he was talking to.
“Heh, heh, heh, please stop making such a pained face, Lord Uzunami. You might accidentally weaken your lingering desire and disappear, heh, heh.”
However, perhaps because of his efforts, his position at the entrance remained unchanged, allowing him to place Reinand at his back. He could feel the waves of magic from behind. Reinand was barely breathing, but by using me as a wall, he seemed to have gained the leeway to cast recovery magic on himself.
“Hey, Nosfy. Do you hate me…? Are you my enemy…?”
While protecting Reinand, he sought final confirmation.
In the labyrinth, he had fought due to Liner’s urging, but he had not yet given up on reconciling with the guardian. He had held onto the hope that he could do for Nosfy what he couldn’t for Arti—but that limit was nearing.
Neither Arti nor Palinkron had shown such an overt malice. This “Thief of Principles of Light” here was so malevolent that just facing them made his heart feel like it would break.
In contrast, Nosfy struck a grand pose.
He placed his left hand on his chest and raised his right hand to the sky, beginning to speak as if he were singing. It was clear that there was no longer any restraint left.
“Oh, no! Please don’t say such sad things like being an enemy. I am Lord Uzunami’s ally. Because I love Lord Uzunami. I’ve yearned for him since I was born. And I still do! So, there’s no way I could become your enemy, Lord Uzunami. If possible, I’d like to be married to you again. Yes, these are my true, true feelings! I love you so, so much, Lord Uzunami! Heh heh heh!”
“Then why are you looking at me now with such satisfaction! Tell me!”
From the snippets of conversation with Arti and Palinkron, he had felt a sense of duty. While they might have lied for victory, he couldn’t imagine they were people who would lie solely out of malice. In fact, they weren’t.
But he felt none of that from the girl writhing in front of him with pleasure.
“Heh, ah, ahahaha! Is that so strange? Don’t you think that love and hate coexisting isn’t that rare? It’s like, when you like someone, you want to play pranks on them. Rather, I think it’s quite common. —I’m perfectly normal. Heh heh.”
“You’re normal? It’s common? What are you talking about!”
“As a result of love and hate coexisting— I just want to be by Lord Uzunami’s side forever and always see him suffer. Yes, that’s why I want to be married again. Just thinking about Lord Uzunami, who would have a bride like me, and his anguish makes my heart leap with joy. Honestly, I can’t stop feeling excited!”
Nosfy’s triumphant smile—his malice shone with a poisonous brilliance. It was an expression that made him realize how many “good people” he had been dealing with until now.
“You’re… insane… You’re abnormal… Such lingering desire is strange…”
“Hmph. In what way?”
After much confusion, he hurled the most hurtful insult he could at her. But Nosfy deflected it with an unshakeable smile.
“Rather, I think this is normal lingering desire. I just want to have a little cute revenge, you see? Revenge, revenge. As a person on the verge of death, I think it’s a very, very common lingering desire. Honestly, the wishes of Lords like Lord and Rowen are more insane. That’s abnormal, over there.”
“You…!”
Seeing his friend’s wish belittled, blood rushed to his head, and he directed a hostile gaze mixed with murderous intent at Nosfy. But she accepted it with glee. She accepted it gently, as if cherishing a favorite dessert.
Then, with an expression that suggested she couldn’t take any more, she shook her head.
“Hee, hee, ah, hee, really, please stop! If Lord Uzunami suffers too much, this enjoyable time will end so quickly! That’s not good. Yes, it’s not good. Because I still want to be happy! Because I still have selfish desires I haven’t expressed enough! I want to repeat ‘wrong things’ again and again, and ‘make mistakes’ countless times! I want to see Lord Uzunami’s twisted expression time and time again! —Heh heh, so, the important thing is balance. I need to adjust properly so my body doesn’t disappear. Like last night, forcing the mark of our vow and seeing Lord Uzunami suffer was the last time. Yes, the ‘beginning of Lord Uzunami and me’ was the end! It’s a loss if I don’t enjoy it until the end!! —Heh heh, ah, ahahaha, ahahahahaha —!!”
As Nosfy let out a cheerful laugh, his thoughts grew colder and colder.
He had crossed a line.
It was impossible now.
Because this state was Nosfy’s true intention.
This was what Nosfy had been thinking in the dead of night yesterday, at the peak of their happiness.
She just wanted to make him suffer.
That was all.
Reconciliation with such a person was impossible.
“Then you are my enemy…! You have no complaints if I kill you here and now!!”
He tightened his grip on his sword.
He would cut her down. Not as a guardian, but as if he were battling a monster.
With that resolve, he glared at Nosfy… but all he received was a bewildered expression.
“—!? Y-you’re going to kill me? Why? I love you this much… I care for you…! Are you going to cut me down if I get in the way…!? How cruel…!”
Tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, Nosfy broke down in tears.
Her reaction, which completely ignored the context of their conversation—it was he who should have been bewildered.
“Wh-what nonsense are you spouting! You just said you wanted to make me suffer!! Aren’t you my enemy!!”
“I don’t want to do this either, but… I have no choice…! You are the one who forced me into this… Lord Uzunami! You’re the one who made me seek revenge! Yes, you’re the one who made me do this… Yet, Lord Uzunami, you refuse it!?”
The tears gushed out, scattering sparkling droplets in the air as Nosfy cried out. Pushed by her sudden change, his voice became smaller.
“Y-you made me do this? What did I possibly…?”
“Heh heh, I’m lying. I can lie to you now. Ah, I’m like a child, aren’t I? Please praise me.”
“—NOSFYYYYY!!”
His sword had swung before he could think.
With Reinand behind him, he couldn’t act carelessly, yet Nosfy had dismantled that with words alone.
His sword strokes, driven solely by emotion, were clumsy.
Nosfy easily dodged again and continued speaking with an amused smile. She folded her outstretched hand at the wrist, her fingertips touching her forehead as she spoke.
“Heh heh heh, but Lord Uzunami, this is also something you taught me! When you ask someone for a favor, you have to look cute. If that doesn’t work, you cry! And if that doesn’t work, you cry with all your might!! You taught me that this is the easiest way to succeed! Yes, even if not everything, most of it is your fault! Most of what is ‘here’ has been influenced by you! First, me and Lord… and then, the history with Viaisia Country, the Royal Knights, the townspeople, our culture—… Ah, it’s not ‘most’ anymore! Heh heh heh, it’s everything! It’s all your fault!”
“So you’re saying this is my fault too!? And you’re telling me to stay ‘here’!? Don’t mess with me!!”
With a light, carefree tone, she threw his responsibility back at him with just the right amount of sarcasm.
And all of it was ‘correct.’ Because her reasoning was sound, his personality wouldn’t allow him to ignore it.
Indeed, it was undoubtedly because of him a thousand years ago that ‘here’ existed as it did. To such an extent that the words ‘Aikawa Uzunami,’ ‘Primordial Kanami,’ and ‘Knight Commander’ were rooted everywhere. Everyone ‘here’ hated him. They were chasing him, wanting him to atone.
That meant that his past self had committed a sin and fled from punishment. And without taking any responsibility, at that. If that were the case, what he should do now—
Nosfy’s words tangled with his thoughts. His past sins became countless arms, stopping his advance. They forced him to stop and question himself.
Seeing this, Nosfy charmingly placed her index fingers on her mouth.
“—Oops, I mustn’t defeat Lord Uzunami here, should I? Heh heh.”
She took a step back, implying further discussion was strictly forbidden. It was as if she could defeat him any time she wanted. Whether in an argument or a battle, she exuded confidence that she would never lose.
From her demeanor, it seemed that what Nosfy was focused on now was only ‘how to win.’
“Crushing Lord Uzunami’s heart is Lord’s role. This time, I’m just an extra. In terms of order, I’m at the very end, ten thousand years later. This time, I must savor the ‘dessert’ part… or I cannot die. ”
If she won straightforwardly, her lingering desire would disappear. Nosfy was avoiding that. From the way she spoke, it was possible she was even considering ten thousand years after Lord’s disappearance.
“You… are you seriously going to spend ten thousand years here…!?”
The sheer terror of such a vast time frame brought him back to a temporary sense of calm.
If he succumbed to her taunts and let his emotions run wild, he might truly be trapped ‘here’ for nearly ten thousand years. He had to avoid that at all costs.
A moment of cool-down for both sides.
After that brief silence, the sound of a door opening echoed—BAM!
“Knight Commander, Knight Commander! Knight Commander… I found you…! *huff, huff, huff* I can’t believe you’re here…!”
A young female knight entered the mansion’s entrance—it was Bess-chan.
She was dripping with sweat and panting heavily. Her appearance showed she had rushed here.
Nosfy calmly welcomed the sudden visitor.
“Heh heh heh, I held you up nicely, Elizabeth. Well done for noticing my faint magical signal. I commend you. *clap clap*”
With a cute gesture, she clapped her hands and beckoned Bess-chan closer. From her words, he understood that Nosfy’s previous conversation had been a delaying tactic.
Bess-chan bowed and then stood next to Nosfy, not Reinand.
“Thank you. I appreciate your cooperation.”
“No, no thanks are necessary. Our interests simply aligned.”
Then, as prompted by Nosfy, Bess-chan took a stance with her sword in front of them.
“Now then, Elizabeth. Here lies all your regrets. Settle them properly. That’s all I ask of you— Ah, since we’re at it, let me ask for a little more. If you are to die, do so in front of Lord Uzunami. Yes, preferably while blaming Lord Uzunami. Please end it after venting all your anger. I ask you.”
“…I don’t mind. Even before the mage’s request, my anger will achieve that.”
“Heh heh. A good reply, Elizabeth.”
The sound of Nosfy’s clapping grew louder.
He realized with annoyance that he had fallen for Nosfy’s time-buying ploy in this worsening situation. The reason she had been so talkative was that she had been waiting for Bess-chan.
Perhaps some magic—or rather, a skill—had been influencing him. For example, it was possible that the skill ‘Deception’ had been significantly at play.
With Bess-chan at the forefront, Nosfy retreated.
“Well then, while Elizabeth fights, shall I go call my friend Lord? It seems he’s busy destroying the entrance to Viaisia, oblivious to my signal… Indeed, destroying the ‘door’ would certainly trap him, but it’s too convoluted… Hmph.”
“W-wait, Nosfy!!”
“I won’t wait. The imperfect Lord Uzunami and the decrepit General Volz are surprisingly capable, so I’ll adjust the plan slightly. Lord Uzunami, please wait here with Elizabeth for a little while. We’ll be back soon with Lord.”
Without hiding her movements, she left through the entrance door with apparent enjoyment.
Nosfy was the culprit behind the current situation ‘here.’ He had tried to stop her to make her fix ‘here,’ but Bess-chan entered in the meantime.
“Knight Commander, I won’t let you escape anymore… I understand everything now… Your anger in life, my helplessness these past thousand years… I will unleash it all on you…”
His path was blocked. He cooled his head again and stopped chasing Nosfy. He was too confused lately. He was getting too worked up over Nosfy teasing him a bit.
What was important now was not Nosfy or ‘here.’ It was to escape to the ground with Reinand and Liner, who were waiting behind him.
Now, by defeating Bess-chan alone, they would be able to act as a group of three. He quickly calculated the gains and losses and moved to deal with the girl knight blocking his path.
However, his advance was stopped from behind. Reinand had grabbed his shoulder.
“…Wait, boy. …Leave fighting Bess to me. Thanks to you, I’ve had quite a rest.”
Reinand, crippled, stood up shakily and tried to step in front of him. He seemed to have been using recovery magic behind him, but he hadn’t fully recovered yet.
“N-no, Reinand-san. Bess-chan is the opponent.”
“That’s why. That witch of light might be your match, but Bess is mine. … You take Liner and escape immediately. He’s sleeping deeper in the mansion. He’s less injured than me.”
“You’ll die if you push yourself with those injuries…!?”
Reinand, who had been like a towering rock pillar, now looked as frail as a dying dry tree. Even in his ‘Status’ display, it was clear he couldn’t fight properly.
**[Status]**
Name: Reinand Volz HP: 54/589 MP: 7/123 Class: Blacksmith
Seeing him try to stop Reinand, Bess-chan stepped forward irritably. She spoke with an air of disliking everything—
“That old man must be very important to you… Knight Commander. Yet you cut down your former subordinates without mercy…!”
“That old man— Isn’t Reinand your grandfather!? Did you forget something so important!?”
Unable to stand Bess-chan’s words, which sounded as if she were talking about a stranger, he retorted instinctively. Hearing this, she looked genuinely bewildered.
“My grandfather? What are you talking about?”
“You two are family, aren’t you!? You’ve lived ‘here’ together for a thousand years! No, even in life—!!”
If he could persuade her, he might be able to resolve this peacefully. Perhaps he could even bring Reinand and Bess-chan with him to the surface. With that hope, he tried to persuade her.
However, his voice was cut off. By an attack from Reinand from behind.
“—Flame Axel.”
He couldn’t react to the unexpected attack from an ally. Reinand’s thick arm reached out and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Then, with the strength of his mighty arm, he was thrown straight backward.
“—! Wh-what, Reinand-san!?”
Landing in the depths of the mansion, he questioned Reinand, who responded curtly.
“Boy, you’re wrong.”
Showing his sooty, large back, he pointed it out calmly.
“Don’t be swayed. That witch is undoubtedly aiming for your weakness. Listen, boy. There’s no such convenient path left. My unworthy granddaughter has been perfectly aligned to what is most convenient for that witch. Probably during the lowest point of her life, when she hated you the most. Therefore, talking is useless. It’s useless.”
“That might be true, but…!”
It was a piece of advice he couldn’t refute. He, who had just been played by Nosfy for time, had nothing to say.
—Talking is useless.
He understood that this applied not only to Bess-chan here but also to his dialogue with Nosfy.
And then, Reinand took his stance.
He had picked up his great-axe, which had fallen on the floor, and gripped it. Reinand’s great-axe was aimed at Bess-chan’s sword.
“Bess, the boy over there is not the Knight Commander you know. And you are already dead. We who are dead must not drag boy into the abyss.”
“Who are you…? Acting so high and mighty…”
As Reinand stood in her way, Bess-chan, whose irritation was reaching its peak, spoke to him.
“High and mighty, you say? Well, I was in a rather high position once.”
“You know nothing about me… Don’t talk big if you don’t know the depth of this lingering desire…”
“Hmph. To collapse your sense of self so early, and yet, you speak with such authority. You’re trying to make a tragedy out of lesser lingering desires than mine.”
“Wh-what did you say…!?”
With her fundamental premise denied, Bess-chan’s animosity gradually shifted from him to Reinand.
At the same time, her hostility ballooned to a deadly degree. Magic surged, and the ground physically throbbed with audible tremors.
It looked like a battle to the death was about to begin. Their magic power had risen to such an extent.
“Reinald-san!!”
Unable to watch, he tried to stop them, shouting. But—
“Let me. I’ve always wanted to face my family like this. This is my role. Don’t take it away.”
Conversely, he was the one who was stopped.
He had nothing to say.
—I’ve always wanted to face my family. That sentence made him understand everything.
If he were in the same position, he knew he would say the same thing as Reinand, so he couldn’t say anything. However, he couldn’t abandon them so easily.
Seeing him frozen in place, Reinand reprimanded him.
“—Now, move, boy! What are you stopping for, I told you you’re in the way! You have your own family, don’t you!? Don’t make a mistake! Head to the ground! Run to where your companions are—!!”
This was the same as telling him to abandon Reinand and Bess-chan. He couldn’t do that.
Seeing him still motionless, Reinand activated his magic.
“—Earthquake!!”
He repeated the magic Bess-chan had used earlier.
But its power was incomparable.
The moment Reinand set one foot on the floor, the entire mansion shook violently with a dull roar. With that single tremor, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the walls, and several pillars in the entrance shattered.
The dull sound didn’t stop. From afar, a sound like an avalanche continued to echo. With the aftershocks, dust and wooden fragments fell from the ceiling.
The mansion looked like it would collapse any moment. In fact, it would soon do so, as his 《Dimension》 sensed. The shattered pillars were all crucial structural components. Reinand understood the building’s load-bearing elements and targeted them for destruction.
The purpose of that magic was one:
To push him away from here.
If the collapse continued like this, Liner, unconscious somewhere in the mansion, would be in danger. Even the robust Liner would die if buried alive. To send him to rescue Liner, Reinand had cast the spell 《Earthquake》.
“I’ll… I’ll bring Liner back right away! Please hold on until then!”
He had no choice but to go. Entrusting the situation to Reinand, he opened a nearby door and ran into the depths of the mansion.
“Hmph… That’s good. And don’t come back…”
The voice from behind him was gentle.
It was gentle, like a father coaxing a sulking child. And he could also hear the voices of Bess-chan, who stood facing Reinand.
“It’s futile. I’ll finish this in an instant before the mansion collapses. I absolutely will not let Lord Uzunami escape.”
“Ah, yes… Let’s finish it in an instant. Everything has been more than enough already…”
The voice answering his granddaughter was also gentle.
As he dashed through the collapsing corridors of the mansion, those gentle voices lingered in his ears.
Gentle, yet faint, like a will.
Such voices echoed endlessly.
