V2C4

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Chapter 4 – Express Your Thoughts As Soon As Possible

The morning after the naval battle, we were contacted

by Shulavis, who had gone missing.

Inside the king’s office with old-fashioned interior

decorations, there were three people plus one gathered: King Markus, Queen

Wies, Jess, and a pig. At present, the

center of the royal dynasty was just this group.

Markus sat at the well-worn wooden desk, Jess and Wies

sat on the sofa in front of it, and I sat on the rug on the floor. I felt like a pet that was caught up in a

serious family meeting.

Last night, Markus arrived in Niabel after the battle

was over to retrieve me, Jess, and the late Evis, sending us back to the

capital using his dragon.

However, Shulavis was nowhere to be seen. For some reason, the location magic that Evis

had casted on Shulavis was also dispelled.

Perhaps due to his own failure, Markus was in a foul

mood and didn’t even go out to look for his only son, Shulavis. He seemed to have sat in the office all

night, waiting for Shulavis to contact him.

When he finally made clear of the news, he gathered us here.

Markus was a slimmer man than I had expected. I heard he was short-tempered, extreme,

and liked to set things on fire, so I figured he must be a muscle head, but

that wasn’t the case. He’s a slim,

middle-aged man with slicked-back hair.

He seemed like the kind of guy that would be playing money games on Wall

Street. His thin lips always appeared be

smiling nervously, but his eyes, peeking out from underneath his thick

eyebrows, were not smiling. His grey

eyes always shone fiercely.

“Shulavis…”

Markus spoke in a low, indifferent tone.

“After he disobeyed Father’s order and fought

alongside the Liberation Army, Shulavis underwent ecydessa and appeared to have

been taken prisoner by the Liberation Army.

The Liberation Army sent a letter addressed to me asking that I form an

alliance with them in exchange for handing Shulavis back.”

Markus threw the small piece of paper onto his desk.

“I’m so sorry that… Mr. Shulavis became a prisoner of

war.”

Jess apologized while appearing shaken and

overwhelmed. Wies placed her hand on

Jess’ shoulder.

“It’s not your fault.

It’s that child’s fault for acting on his own.”

“To begin with, there’s no way Father would entrust

you, an inexperienced woman, with safeguarding Shulavis.”

With his index finger, Markus went tap tap tap tap on

the desk. What are you, a

woodpecker-type power harassment boss?

“Shulavis doesn’t know that Father died, and yet

he still sent the letter addressed to me.

In it, he asks that I proceed with the matter while keeping it a secret

from Father. How sly of him. He probably knew that Father would never form

an alliance with the Liberation Army. He

wants the Liberation Army and the royal dynasty to join hands.”

Markus grinned.

“He also dispelled the location magic himself. He wrote that it disappeared because of

ecydessa, but Father wouldn’t have set it on Shulavis himself, it would have

been on his robe, so that was definitely a lie.

And most importantly, it’s strange that he, who has gone through

ecydessa four times now, has become a prisoner that can’t act. He just needs to reduce those non-mages into

ashes. In other words, he’s deliberately

not escaping. He intends to use himself

as hostage to take advantage of his father.”

I see. So

that’s what happened. …Excuse me for

interjecting even though I’m not part of the conversation.

(Markus-sama, what are your opinions on the alliance?)

A pair of cold eyes looked down at this pig.

“I am different from Father. I’ll use whatever means are available. That includes the Liberation Army. I plan to make full use of them as long as

they’re useful. Therefore, even if I’ll

be annihilating them in the end, I have no qualms with establishing a mere

superficial alliance. …Besides, I was

the one to let Nott escape from the arena.”

“So that’s what happened…!”

Wies exclaimed in surprise. I was also shocked. I thought a Yesma girl allowed Nott to

escape.

Markus glanced at me and continued.

“Though I never asked Father about his strategy, I

believe his plan was – even if we are to ignore the Liberation Army

because they have a strong influence on the people, we must not soften our

attitude towards them; and we should make thorough preparations to wipe out the

Northern Forces on our own. He probably had

no intention of joining hands with those who objected to the royal dynasty’s

system. I, too, was severely restricted

from interfering with those from the Liberation Army. However, Father is no longer here. I intend to take full advantage of the

Liberation Army, and the enthusiasm of those who support them.”

Hope was in sight thanks to Shulavis’ actions.

(Then, Markus-sama…)

“Yeah. Putting

aside how they’ll be handled in the end…”

Markus finally stopped moving his index finger.

“We will announce an alliance with the Liberation Army

in order to wipe out the Northern Forces.”

Jess and I entered the bathroom together.

Sorry to those that were expecting something, but the

purpose of this wasn’t to have a lovey-dovey bath. It was because, when I told her I wanted to

talk in a place where no one could eavesdrop, Jess chose the bathroom.

The bathroom was tiled in shades of blue and navy

blue, and in the center was a large circular bathtub. After taking off her socks, Jess entered the

bathroom with her bare legs, sat on a small stool with the waist attached to

her bare legs, and brushed me while her legs were still bare.

“Although this can’t be considered a thank you gift

for last night… Um, this is all I can

offer, so… please let me do this while we talk.”

While saying that, the barelegged Jess slowly poured

hot water over me with a bucket.

“By the way, does Mister Pig like bare legs…?”

How did she know…?

(How could I have that kind of perverted interest? I don’t just like a girl’s legs, I like their

entire body.)

Jess placed her hands over her chest with a shocked

expression.

“Um… my entire body is a bit… embarrassing.”

? ? ?

(I mean, it’s not like I’m telling you to show it to me?)

“T-that’s right.

Sorry.”

Is she an airhead?

Jess’ defenselessness made me really worried. It was to the extent where it seemed like she

would take everything off if I requested her to. I better do something about this danger as soon as possible.

“U-u-um, that’s not the case at all! I will only show my naked body to someone

special to me!”

I see. So

you’ll only show it to someone that’s special to you.

(In that case, that’s fine. Thanks for brushing me.)

“You’re welcome.”

Jess lightly smiled.

When Jess finally woke up in the morning, she seemed

to have a hard time accepting Evis’ death and Shulavis’ disappearance. However, this idle talk appeared to have

cheered her up a little, which is good.

“So what did you wish to talk about?”

Jess asked while brushing

behind my ears.

(To start with… what’s

ecydessa?)

“Ecydessa

(magic depletion) is something like a mage molting. When you use a large amount of magic, you’ll

temporarily lose consciousness and magic power…

Once you awaken, your magic powers will be strengthened further.”

(I see, so it’s kinda like

leveling up. That’s neat. Was yesterday your first time, Jess?)

“No, it was my third time.”

Didn’t Markus say that Shulavis underwent ecydessa

four times?

(Does this mean that the Jess today would be able to

fight on the same level as yesterday’s Shulavis?)

“Erm, I don’t think so. Because there’s a large gap between the types

of magic we can use and the experience that we have… Mr. Shulavis has been trained in magic ever

since he was born.”

Is that so?

Anyway, let’s put that aside.

(Once ecydessa happens, you’re left defenseless,

right? That’s why Markus thinks Shulavis was captured during that time.)

“Yes. After

ecydessa occurs, your consciousness and magic defenses are gone

temporarily… I don’t remember anything

that happened after we were chased by that Org in the pine forest yesterday…”

That’s good. It

looks like the fact that I secretly sniffed her nape went unnoticed.

“Eh?”

Oh.

(…Anyway, let’s move on to the main topic. We’re going to have a serious discussion now.)

“Y-yeah!”

Jess blushed and combed through her hair as if to fix

it.

(I have one more question. Even if you become defenseless temporarily,

once you wake up, your magic powers will be restored, right?)

“Yes, that’s correct…”

(I see. Then

what Markus said is a bit strange.)

“Huh? E-erm, is

that so…?”

Right, I was the only one from the royal dynasty that

saw Shulavis’ encounter with the Liberation Army.

(Shulavis was afraid of coming in contact with the

Liberation Army. When he grabbed me from

the ship, he was nearly killed. So even

if he kept his distance and fought alongside them, it’s hard to imagine that

he’d willingly become a prisoner of war.

The danger of being killed is too great.)

“I… see. Then

it must have been because of ecydessa that he was unwillingly captured?”

(That shouldn’t be it either. As Markus said earlier, even if he had become

a prisoner unwillingly, since he’s able to send a letter, he’s able to use

magic, which means he can escape at any time with his powers. Looking at it this way, only one conclusion

can be drawn. Shulavis was never taken

prisoner in the first place.)

“Eh? Then why-”

(He’s been worrying about how to get the Liberation

Army and the royal dynasty to work together.

He probably put on a show for that first step. Perhaps he really did experience

ecydessa. By mixing in some truths with

lies, its credibility rises.)

“So that’s what happened… But then, the fact that the Liberation Army

wants to form an alliance is a lie…”

As expected of Jess, it helps that she’s able to catch

on quickly.

(That’s right.

The problem lies there. Far

from seeking an alliance, the Liberation Army is filled with a burning desire

to overthrow the royal dynasty. Even if

we were to announce the alliance, it won’t be established so easily. On the contrary, they might find it

suspicious and think that it’s a trap.)

The royal dynasty, which kept their capital’s affairs

a secret, naturally treated Evis’ death as a top secret too. Therefore, the Liberation Army will

definitely be suspicious of the royal dynasty’s sudden change in attitude.

“Then what should we do…?”

(A friend of mine – or rather, a fellow pig of mine –

is in the Liberation Army. He has a lot

of influence there, and also believes that it may be necessary to form an

alliance with the royal dynasty, depending on the situation. The problem is, he doesn’t know the inside

situation here, so he probably won’t agree to the alliance so easily. That’s why I want to tell that guy – er, pig

– that the royal dynasty really intends to form an alliance.)

“I see, in that case…”

(Think you can do that?)

“Markus-sama already set the location magic on Mr.

Nott. If it’s just sending a letter there, I might be able to do it.”

Jess stood up on her bare legs and rinsed my

back. That’s nice.

But… I had to wonder, was it okay to service someone

like me this much, even though I’m not someone special?

Jess wrote down everything I told her to on a piece of

paper in Mestrian. Thanks to the

treatment I was given three months ago, I was also able to read the text

here. Jess’ handwriting was very

beautiful, and it gave a knowledgeable impression.

After finishing writing the letter, Jess took us to

the birdhouse. I say birdhouse, but its

interior was large enough to be the size of a zoo, with a bunch of different

kinds of birds flying around freely. It

had large windows, was well ventilated, and all the birds chirped happily.

As we walked to where the raptors were, Jess pulled

out a map that Wies had given her.

“I was told that the dot on this map indicates where

Mr. Nott is.”

Jess showed me a solid black map that contained the

red dot. However-

(Hey Jess, why are there two dots?)

“Eh? Two?”

Jess looked at the map again. It’s hard to tell, but there were two red

dots next to each other.

“Oh, you’re right.

I wonder why…? This red dot is

supposed to move according to the location magic set by Markus-sama.”

(Maybe he split into two people.)

“I see!”

After exclaiming, Jess followed up with a mutter, “It’s not like he’s a starfish…”

It looks like she didn’t only learn about magic. I’m

impressed she even learned how to play along with jokes, and what

echinoderms are.

That aside, why are there two dots? Maybe he accidentally casted the magic twice

or something…? Forget it, it’s not worth

worrying too much about. It’s more

important that we get this letter delivered quickly.

(Looking at it seriously, if the two dots are next to

each other, it shouldn’t pose a problem.

It should be fine to tell the bird to aim for either one of them.)

“Right. After

all, Mr. Nott is going to be one of them…

Oh, over here.”

There was a wire mesh to prevent the birds from coming

and going, and beyond it were the large raptors. Jess opened the simple door and invited me

inside.

“There’s Mr. Goshawk, Mr. Golden Eagle, Mr. Falcon,

Mr. Buzzard… There’s also Mr. Owl.”

Jess looked to be enjoying herself as she introduced them to

me. A white-tailed eagle that was so

large I thought it would eat me was looking down at me from atop its

perch. I avoided eye contact and hugged

Jess’ leg while walking.

“Don’t worry, he won’t eat you. Which bird should we use?”

Jess asked like she was going shopping. I looked around and spotted a snowy owl

staring at me with its perfectly round eyes.

(If we’re talking about delivering letters in a world

of magic, then it has to be owls. How

about that snowy owl over there?)

“Mr. Snowy Owl it is!”

Jess headed over there and gently stroked its fluffy

white feathers. The snowy owl closed its

eyes in rapture. Hey, no fair!

“If Mister Pig wishes to be petted, you only have to

tell me.”

While giving me a mischievous-like laugh, Jess showed

the owl the map. The birds here are said

to have been trained in magic, so they’re able to understand location

magic. After talking to the owl a lot

and completing the procedures, Jess rolled up the letter she wrote earlier and

prepared to tie it to the owl’s leg.

(Actually, hang on a minute. We have to make sure they know it’s from us.)

“But it’s already written on there that it’s from

Mister Pig.”

(Anyone can make that sort of thing up. We need to show them that this letter isn’t

fake. I have a good idea.)

“What is it?”

I thought of an absolutely cunning idea.

(Rub that letter on your thigh.)

Jess raised her eyebrows in confusion.

“Erm… mine?”

(That’s right.

That’s all you have to do. Trust

me.)

“Well, if Mister Pig says so…”

Jess lifted her skirt slightly and let the letter

touch her absolute territory.

>TL Note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zettai_ry%C5%8Diki

“Is this alright?”

(Move it a little higher.)

Without the slightest doubt in her mind, Jess

obediently lifted her skirt further and placed the letter on the far top of her

thigh. I was focused on the letter. The letter, okay?

It went just as planned. Stupid owl, you won’t be able to see this

kind of view from the top of your perch.

What a shame!

“Um, is this alright now…?”

I came to my senses after hearing Jess ask that with a

seemingly flushed face.

(Sorry, I think that should be fine. You can send it now.)

After I conveyed that, Jess tied the letter to the

owl, placed it on her shoulder, and we left the birdhouse. The owl even cheekily bit Jess’ ear a number

of times.

“Stop… Mr. Snowy Owl.

It tickles.”

Hah!? No

fair! I want a nibble too!

Jess released the owl into the sky, and its white back

immediately melted into the clouds.

After we saw it off, Jess crouched down in front of

me.

“Mister Pig… I don’t mind if it’s just my ear.”

Jess held out her ear as she said that. Whuh?

(No, that’s no good.

Sorry, please ignore my monologues.)

As I hastily conveyed that, Jess mischievously

responded, “But you like to smell my nape, and look at my legs, don’t you,

Mister Pig?”

(That’s not true, that’s just a pig’s force of

habits…)

“Is that so? Then please endure it because it’s very bad

manners.”

Jess ended it curtly and got back up.

Huh? Wait a

minute, how could this happen…

I was flustered, and Jess gave me a blooming smile.

“I was kidding.

It can’t be helped if it’s a pig’s habits. I can’t thank you enough for last night, so…

please let me know if there’s anything you want me to do for you.”

Nn? Well, if

you insist.

“U-um, of course, there are limits as to what I can

do, but…”

Towards Jess, whose ears had turned red after

muttering those words, I gentlemanly replied.

(Don’t worry.

I’m not that kind of pervert. As

a pig, I think I like being petted the most.)

“I see. In that

case…”

Jess quickly crouched and started stroking my

head. Ah, that’s real nice.

My neck, shoulders, loins, tenderloins, ribs, and

thighs. Jess’ hands gently caressed my

body. I lost my strength and fell flat

on my side.

My chuck eye, heart, stomach, and liver. All of a sudden, I lost my wildness and was

rolling on the ground with my belly exposed.

Have any of you ever been buck naked while having a cute blonde girl caress

your entire body?

You haven’t had that experience before, you say? Sorry to say this, but I have. Well, that’s probably because of the

difference between how I spend my day-to-day compared to you.

I kept tumbling around, eventually throwing all four

of my legs in the air. Jess found it

funny and laughed.

“To be so happy just from being petted, Mister Pig

sure is strange.”

(It’s not like I’m usually this happy. It’s only because Jess is petting me.)

When I answered that, Jess quizzically tilted her

head.

“Eh? Because

of… me?”

(Uh, no. Rather

than saying it’s because of Jess, it’s more correct to say it’s because you're a blonde girl.)

As soon as I said that, Jess stopped her hands.

“Mister Pig likes blonde hair…?”

(Yeah. It’s

always been a dream of mine to have a blonde girl to rub my whole body like

this.)

Jess stood up with an expression that seemed both

satisfied but also unconvinced, and her cheeks appeared to be puffing out

slightly.

“I get the feeling that Mister Pig sure is fickle.”

＊＊＊

“Master!

Master!”

Just when I thought I heard a jumping-like voice,

Bart, who was playing outside, entered the tent. We were having a quiet discussion while sitting

around a shabby table when the outside sunlight shone inside and made us squint.

“What is it, Bart?

We’re in the middle of a meeting.”

At my question, Bart held up what looked to be a piece

of paper.

“I was talking to Litis when a white owl flew towards

us! It had a letter tied to its leg, and

I saw it was addressed to someone. What

was it again…?”

Bart narrowed his eyes to look at the recipient’s

name, and a girl with braids suddenly peeked out from behind him. She looked exactly like Nuris, someone who had

helped me in the north, but unlike Nuris, this mysterious Yesma girl had a soft

expression. This girl is now called

Litis by most of us.

Bart looked up and grinned.

“It says, ‘To the older-women-loving hecklepon killer,

and… the lolicon bastard?’ I mean,

doesn’t hecklepon killer refer to you, Master?”

Who’s calling me an older-women lover? Whatever.

It looks like it’s addressed to me.

“Well, who’s the sender? How did the owl know about this place?”

“It says it’s from ‘The sleazy pig.’”

Next to me, Sanon snorted with his pig nose.

—Let’s read it.

It might a letter from the royal dynasty. I don’t quite know what lolicon bastard

means, but it’s probably referring to me.

Celes stood across from Sanon and helped relay his

conversation. She seemed to be concerned

about something, as she would occasionally glance at me – As I thought that,

Celes quickly averted her eyes and started petting the black pig. The black pig’s curled tail started swaying slightly.

I walked over to Bart to receive the letter and patted

him on the shoulder.

“Thanks. Go

play with Litis for a little while longer.

The meeting will be over soon.”

After watching Bart leave, I immediately opened the letter

and read it.

“What’s on it?”

Itsune asked from the other side of the table. After I finished reading the letter, I showed

it to Sanon while explaining.

“That frizzy hair guy’s plan worked, and it seems the royal dynasty changed its attitude.

In order to fight off the threat from the north, they’ll be announcing

an alliance, and he wants us to accept it.

He says we won’t regret it.”

“Alliance?”

Josh’s black brows were raised, and Itsune’s face

contorted in disgust.

“Of course we won’t accept it. Why do we need to work with the royal

dynasty?”

Naturally, that's how they reacted. Itsune and Josh hate the royal dynasty to

death. In fact, their resentment might

even be worse than mine.

“Well, to be honest, I don’t want to agree to this

either…”

“Right? Just

ignore them.”

That’s what Itsune says, but if that sleazy pig wrote

that we won’t regret it, it’s worth considering.

“What do you think, Sanon?”

Sanon conveyed his response after my question.

—I think we should agree to this alliance.

“Why?”

Itsune glared at Sanon intensely.

—Because we won’t survive at this rate. No matter how much support the Liberation

Army garners, there’s only a limited number of people actually fighting. In contrast, we still haven’t seen the limits

of the Northern Forces’ power. If we

keep fighting like this, we’ll eventually be worn down and suffer severe losses

like the battle at the Rocklands.

No one spoke for a while, but eventually, Josh opened

his mouth.

“I understand what Sanon is saying, but it’s not like

we don’t have any other choice. There

are people who can fight, even among those that support us. Shouldn’t we be relying on those guys first,

instead of teaming up with these fucking bastards?”

Sanon shook his head.

—Do you really think an ordinary person would’ve

helped had they joined yesterday’s battle?

It’s thanks to the support of the royal army and mages that the

Liberation Army was able to survive with little to no losses. The letter on the glowing arrow which

informed us of the danger was also clearly sent via magic. Even after what had happened on the ship,

that frizzy-haired mage acted to save us.

Due to whatever reason, the powerful royal dynasty has offered to work

with us. We can’t miss this opportunity.

Itsune crossed her arms and rebutted.

“I don’t like it.

The fact that they’re trying to borrow our strength means that the royal

dynasty is also in trouble, right? Then

if we leave them alone, they may crumble on their own. That way, we’ll profit big. Right, Nott?”

I pondered after the question was thrown at me. To be honest, I’m not very good at thinking

about the complicated power relations.

“I’m fine with anything as long as we win in the

end. If it’s for the sake of winning,

I’m willing to eat dirt and even pretend to ally with the royal dynasty. If Sanon thinks we should ally with them,

I’ll comply.”

Around two months ago, Sanon showed up before us

with Celes, gave us, who were young and inexperienced, a lot of strategic

advice, and helped immensely to develop the Liberation Army. Even that crushing defeat we suffered a

month ago, he sacrificed himself to pave the way for our retreat,

minimizing the damage done to the Liberation Army.

That’s why I put my full trust in Sanon.

Sanon looked at me and slowly nodded.

—As Tsune-tan stated, it’s very likely that the royal

dynasty is weakening. Now look at it

this way. What if they collapsed just

like that? Those who support us might

end up falling under the control of the Northern Forces. In that situation, we’ll also be worse

off. Do you think the Yesma girls will

be happy if the Northern Forces ruled over Mestria?

Sanon snorted before continuing.

—There’s an order to this. First, we join forces with the royal

dynasty. After we destroy the Northern

Forces, we can then find a way to take care of the weakened dynasty. I think it would be wise to put aside the

sentimentalism and cooperate for now.

His reasoning was sound. Itsune and Josh both reluctantly nodded in

agreement. It’s decided.

—It’s just…

I questioned the seemingly uneasy Sanon.

“‘It’s just’ what?”

—This only applies if that letter is the real deal. I do think that the written contents,

including the recipients’ names, are very much like Mr. Sleazy Pig’s style. However, it’s not out of the question that a

mage could have forcefully extracted the information and pretended to act like him. So if it really is him, I’m sure he would’ve

used a method that’s just like him to let us know if the letter is genuine or

not…

Sanon suddenly noticed something and started sniffing

the letter.

—Can you call Ro-kun over for a bit?

Without hesitation, I whistled to Rossi with my

fingers. Rossi, who was standing guard

outside, immediately entered the tent.

“What is it, Sanon?

What do you want Rossi to do?”

—I want Ro-kun to smell this letter.

What is he talking about? Despite my doubts, I handed the letter to

Rossi, who was sitting in front of me, and let him smell it.

Rossi then wagged his tail, barked, and started

shaking his head vigorously while jumping.

What kind of scent did this letter from the royal

dynasty have to make Rossi this happy?

“Sanon, what did you smell from the letter?”

—It smelled of a young girl’s legs.

Why does this guy know what that smells like?

But thanks that, the mystery was solved. The fact that the smell of someone’s legs

would make Rossi this happy must mean…

“The smell of Jess’ legs are on there.

”

The black pig nodded.

I see, it’s like that sleazy pig to think of that.

I glanced at the delighted Rossi and declared.

“It’s decided.

We’re accepting the alliance.”

＊＊＊

The morning after we sent the letter, the royal

dynasty put up notice boards all over the country acknowledging its alliance

with the Liberation Army. As a result,

the Liberation Army was allowed to live in cities ruled by the royal dynasty,

and they were able to openly purchase items distributed by the royal dynasty,

such as ristas. The Liberation Army

immediately agreed to the alliance, and Nott came to visit the capital by

himself in the evening. Allowing an

outsider to enter the capital seemed to be an unprecedented special treatment.

Shulavis returned unharmed on the royal dynasty’s

dragon, but he had no time to be stricken by his grandfather’s death, as Nott

was coming to the capital. Shulavis

joined Markus and headed towards the meeting place, the Golden Sanctuary.

Jess and I were allowed to observe in secrecy from

behind a sarcophagus near a wall. I was

all too familiar with this place, where the setting sunlight shone through the

stained glass windows. I felt a little

uneasy wondering what this sanctuary was meant for.

Be it the height, width, or depth of this hall, they

all looked to be over 100 meters. The

floor had a geometric pattern that used marbles of varying colors, and planted

in the center of it was a single golden throne.

The last time I was here, I didn’t really get the chance to observe this

place, but now that I got a closer look, I saw that there were several altars

along the walls, each with their own grand sarcophagus. The altar opposite of the throne as seen from

the entrance was especially large, with an eye-catching statue of a young

woman placing her left hand on her chest and stretching her right hand

upwards. That’s Vatis, the progenitor of

the royal dynasty, and the female mage who ended the Dark Ages.

Markus was sitting haughtily on the throne, and Shulavis was sitting on

a wooden chair next to him, when Wies led Nott in front of them. Nott appeared to be wearing basically the

same clothes he wore yesterday. He

didn’t have any injuries, and looked to be healthy, but he was wearing what looked

like a black stole around his neck. His

twin daggers were held onto by Wies.

Jess and I held our breath as we watched the situation

unfold.

“Welcome. No

need to be polite, you can take it easy here.”

Markus encouraged from the

throne. However, Nott still knelt on the

ground and lowered his head slightly. It

seemed like a small defiance against the king’s order to take it easy.

—That’s Mr. Nott…

It’s the first time I’ve seen him up close.

Jess placed her hand on my back and told me

telepathically.

(Told you he’s handsome. Is he your type?)

Jess’ ears turned red in silence. That wasn't right, that was sexual harassment.

—I-I don’t know…

I’ve only seen his appearance after all…

That’s true.

Jess isn’t the type of person to judge a guy by his appearance.

“I know you resent us. Do you truly intend to agree to this

alliance?”

Markus asked in a low tone of voice.

“Both my feelings of resentment and my intentions to

form the alliance are real.”

Nott also responded in a low voice.

“This is nothing more than a strategic alliance. Compared to the Northern Forces, the

Liberation Army has weaker war potential, lacks intel, and frankly speaking, we

can’t see a way to win. The same goes

for you, the royal dynasty. Even though

you could just annihilate them quickly, you’re dragging your feet. It looks like you’re in trouble, so for the

time being, let’s put aside the sentimentalism and cooperate to eradicate the

Northern Forces – that’s the offer.”

“Put aside the sentimentalism,” huh? That sure sounds like something Sanon would

say.

Markus nodded with a cold look in his eyes.

“Understood. We

have no objections, so the alliance is established. Let’s shake on it.”

Markus rose.

Nott appeared a little wary and quickly took a stance.

“What? Did you

think I was going to kill you?”

“Sorry, but it looks like, deep down in my heart, I

still can’t let go of my caution.”

Markus sneered.

“No need to worry.

If I really wanted to take your life, it would be easy enough to do it

at this distance while sitting. Like so.”

Markus returned to his throne and crossed his

legs. Immediately, the marble around

Nott exploded one after another, drawing a perfect circle with Nott in the

center. It looks like the floor was

quite deeply dug into.

Nott was frozen in place, unable to move.

“Well?

Actually, let’s not shake hands.

The best way to deepen a relationship of trust is to have a

heart-to-heart conversation.”

Nott frowned, and he sat cross-legged on the spot with

a sour expression.

“I agree. By

the way, you probably already know this, but if you kill me, a number of

citizens will revolt, and a second or third leader will appear. Your population, which was reduced because of

you during the Dark Ages, will decrease even further. Don’t think that you’re the only one with the

upper hand here.”

Nott glowered at Markus unyieldingly.

—He’s a very brave man.

Jess conveyed to me.

(Did you fall for him?)

—Yeah, just a little.

Even though I knew she didn’t mean it in that way, I

regretted making that joke.

“A man of unwavering principles, huh? Fascinating.

Now, is there anything you wish to talk about?”

Nott thought about it for a few seconds before

answering Markus’ question.

“Is Jess at the royal capital right now?”

I could feel the hand on my back react with a twitch.

“Sorry, but I can’t tell you anything related to the

secrets of the royal dynasty.”

“Shouldn’t it be alright to tell me the fate of my

travel companion?” Nott said defiantly.

Markus then chose his words carefully and spoke.

“Did you develop feelings for that Yesma?”

Nott’s ears turned red immediately.

“Don’t be stupid.

Who would-”

“No need to be so agitated. I know you’re obsessed with another

Yesma. After all, I already heard your

impassioned speech from across the gold cage.”

Nott raised his head suddenly.

“Don’t tell me… you’re…”

Although I wasn’t clear on what they were talking

about, I was impressed by Markus’ conversation skills. If they were to delve into the matter of

Jess, there was a chance that the connection between mages and Yesmas would be

suspected. He cleverly played his hand

and diverted Nott’s attention away from the problematic topic of Jess.

—Mister Pig, do you know the story behind Mr. Nott and

me?

Hearing Jess ask that, I remembered she could listen

to my monologues.

(…I’ve heard about it, but I don’t know the details.)

—What did you hear?

(…That Nott had some involvement with Jess’ journey to

the royal capital. I don’t know anything

other than that.)

—I see… Please

fill me in on the details later.

While we were talking, their conversation had

progressed onwards.

“That means, you must’ve planted some kind of tracking

magic on me during that time.”

Nott pointed out.

“As soon as I arrived in Niabel, that frizzy hair guy

found our ship, and even the Northern army attacked us. I can’t see this as being a coincidence at

all. You must’ve used magic to know

where I am, right? That feels disgusting. Can you remove it?”

Markus switched leg positions in admiration.

“How perceptive.

That’s right. There's two

location magic casted on your body right now.”

“Two?”

“Yes. One was

set by me, and the other is from someone I don’t know.”

The space filled by the setting sunlight was wrapped

in silence for a while.

“…What do you mean?”

“It’s time consuming to explain everything in detail… Location magic is normally only able to be

detected by the person who set it, and anyone who was taught the detection

method by that person. It’s impossible

for the Northern Forces to arbitrarily pinpoint your whereabouts using the

location magic that I casted.”

“…Does that mean the Northern Forces have their own

mage?”

“Correct. And

that person is likely the real mastermind.

That mage brought together the underworld, incited them to defy the

royal dynasty, and created those monsters called Orgs. We call that one the surreptitious sorcerer.”

“Isn’t Arogan the gem merchant the leader of the

Northern Forces?” Nott pointed out.

Markus rubbed his chin in irritation.

“Arogan has already been dealt with by my own

hands. He’s been reduced to ashes

alongside the Ground Spider Castle.”

The sanctuary fell silent. Nott didn’t seem to understand.

“You killed him?

Then why is the Northern army still able to act without any trouble when

their king is dead?”

“I already told you.

The true mastermind behind the Northern Forces is the surreptitious

sorcerer. I was planning on killing

Arogan after you escaped, but he was already dead some time ago. Do you understand what this means?”

“He was being manipulated. That explains why he looked so awful.”

Markus responded with a monotone “Haha.”

“That looked to be the case. My blunder was that I burned down the Ground

Spider Castle without getting a hold of any clues regarding the surreptitious

sorcerer. That’s why it’s come to the

point where I need to borrow your strength.”

Nott lightly nodded in understanding.

“I see. Then,

Mr. Mage, can you please remove both of the location magic casted on me?”

Markus faintly nodded.

“As proof of my trust, I shall remove the one I set on

you. However, can you wait on the other

one?”

“What, you can’t remove it?”

“Don’t underestimate me. If I wanted to, I can erase as many of them as I wish. It’s a rather weak magic

casted by some old coot.”

“Then why not remove it?”

As if he were introducing an investment plan, Markus raised

his index finger close to his face.

“Look at it this way.

We’re up against an enemy who we have no idea on their whereabouts. Wouldn’t it be easier if they showed up on

our doorsteps instead?”

“…You mean to use me as bait?”

“Are you scared?”

“Hell no. But

when we come face-to-face with the surreptitious sorcerer, there might be times

where we’re not able to deal with him. I’m

sure the great mages will take responsibility and show up to the battlefield in

person, right?”

“Of course.

That’s the point of this alliance.

For our first joint effort, I’ll have you participate in the frontline

battle in the east. There, you’ll lure

out and kill the surreptitious sorcerer.

How’s that?”

For the first time since coming here, Nott showed his

teeth with a grin.

“Alright, then let’s get this party started.”

Nott was led outside the sanctuary by Wies. When Jess saw that, she told me, “Please

follow me,” slipped out the sanctuary’s back door, and started running in Nott’s

direction. Even though I thought this

was a bad idea, I chased after her.

Jess caught up to Nott beside the dark cemetery, where

the sanctuary was blocking the evening sun.

“Mr. Nott!”

Wies and Nott turned around towards us as I ran up to

Jess’ side.

“What’s wrong, Jess?”

Wies asked in surprise while stopping Nott with her

hand. Nott furrowed his brows as he

looked at Jess’ neck, which didn’t have a collar. Rather than her chest, he seemed more interested

in that.

“Um, Ms. Wies, sorry…

There’s something I want to ask Mr. Nott, no matter what.”

After sprinting at nearly full speed, Jess’ breath was

ragged, but her voice still came across clearly.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to be talking to an

outsider here…”

“Please, just give me a moment.”

Was it because she ran here? Jess was asking with tears in her eyes, as we

watched her solemnly. It’s rare to see

Jess acting so willfully.

“I see. Alright

then.”

Wies made eye contact with me and Nott. The meaning of that was very clear.

Jess looked at Nott and asked.

“Mr. Nott, did you travel with me before?”

Silence. Nott

frowned and looked into the distance for some time.

“Sorry, but I can’t answer that. This lady over here has forbidden me from

talking about the past with you.”

“But Mr. Nott, you said I was your travel companion

back at the sanctuary.”

“You heard that?”

It felt awkward, and the situation was not good, but I

could only continue being an ordinary pig next to Jess.

“You know something after all. Could you please tell me, even if it’s only just a bit?”

Jess stepped forward from my side and approached Nott.

Nott lightly clicked his tongue, seemingly out of

frustration.

“Don’t you understand?

I can’t talk about what I can’t talk about. Let me ask you this instead. Why do you want to know about what happened

in the past when we’re all here thinking so hard about the present and future?”

His unusual gaze led Jess to be briefly at a loss for

words.

However, she muttered back.

“…Because I care about it.”

What are you, an insatiably curious heroine?

>TL Note: Hyouka.

(Jess, let’s leave it at that. I don’t think Evis wished for you to recover

your memories through a backdoor route like this.)

As I said that, Jess abruptly covered her mouth.

“That’s right…

I… I’m sorry…”

Nott looked at me incomprehensibly. Without anyone relaying, the voice in my mind

won’t be able to reach Nott.

(Jess, I have a favor to ask. I want to ask Nott something. Can you convey my words in parentheses?)

Still under Wies’ watch, Jess nodded.

(Hey Nott, for the sake of the future, I’d like to

confirm one thing about the past, okay?)

“…What is it?

Tell me.”

Urged on by him, I quickly gathered my thoughts. There was one thing that bothered me as well.

—My

bad. She just looked a bit like the

Yesma who helped me escape from the north.

This was what Nott said when we were at the Broken

Collar. He noted that a Yesma allowed him to escape

from the north.

—Besides,

I was the one to let Nott escape from the arena.

This was what Markus mentioned yesterday morning. He stated that he enabled Nott to

escape from the north.

And there’s the topic of location magic from

earlier. The conclusion that could be

drawn from this…

(The Yesma who helped you escape from the north’s

arena was actually the king disguised as a Yesma, wasn’t it?)

“Yeah. He

called himself Nuris. We can’t be

careless around mages. If they can

change their appearance at will, then there’s no way to watch out for them.”

Hearing an unexpected name made my heart beat

rapidly. Doubts became conviction. Nuris should be the Yesma that Kento met in

the past. She should have been

conscripted to work at the Northern royal castle. That means-

“For your reference-”

Wies interjected.

“Magic that transforms one’s appearance is not something

that can be used so easily. Based on the

royal dynasty’s analysis of the quality of their location magic, the

surreptitious sorcerer hasn’t reached that level yet. Please rest assured.”

“I see. So that

means we only have to be on the lookout for the royal dynasty’s spies.”

Whether he was being sarcastic or sincere, Nott’s

words carried thorns. Wies looked down

towards me and conveyed.

—Let’s end things here.

She was telling me not to reveal to Nott the truth

that I had arrived at.

(Thanks Nott. That

helped a lot.)

Nott sighed after I conveyed that to him through Jess.

“Couldn't you have just asked the king

directly? Well, whatever. I’m leaving the matters there up to you,

stupid pig.”

After Wies signaled Nott with a nod, Nott

obediently started walking alongside Wies.

We stayed behind and saw them off.

“Um… Mister Pig.”

Hearing Jess talk to me, I looked over to her.

(What is it?)

“Did you realize something?”

After a brief hesitation, I decided that it would be

fine to discuss this with Jess.

(Yeah. I

figured out why there were two location magic when we sent out that letter.)

“Why? I’m

curious!”

The way you said that is kinda…

(When Markus infiltrated the north, he used magic to

disguise himself as a Yesma. He then let

Nott escape, allowed the Liberation Army to be revived, and even formed an

alliance with them. So far so good?)

“Yes.”

(Then there’s what Nott told me – Markus used to call

himself “Nuris.” And lastly, based on the

information I received from a certain source, I know that there really was a Yesma

called Nuris who was conscripted to the Northern royal castle. Therefore-)

“The question becomes: Where did the real Nuris go?”

I’m glad she caught on quickly.

(Right. And I

know where she went.)

“Really?”

(Yeah. It was

when I met the guys from the Liberation Army while on board the docked Broken

Collar in Niabel. Nott said there was a

Yesma who looked just like the Yesma that helped him escaped.)

—She

lost all her memories up until recently and was wandering around here. She seems to have a northern accent, but

she’s a genuine Yesma, so we took her in.

We didn’t know her name, so sis called her Litis.

(According to the others, that Yesma had no memory of

anything up until recently. She didn’t

even know who she was. Her memories had

been erased. Only a mage would be able

to do that sort of thing.)

“That means Markus-sama erased the memories of the

real Ms. Nuris and let her escape.”

(Likely so. If

she was released into the wild while she was still aware of the fact that she’s

Nuris – someone who was conscripted to the Northern royal castle – there was a

chance that he would be discovered as the fake Nuris. That’s why he wiped her memories.)

“And then, the people of the Liberation Army happened

to pick up the real Ms. Nuris…”

(It would be nice if that were the case.)

“Was I wrong?”

(Yeah. Let’s

return to the first mystery. Why was

Markus’ location magic displayed twice on the map?)

“Ah… So the

real Ms. Nuris also had location magic set on her…?”

(I’m sure of it.

I believe Markus deliberately let the remnants of the Liberation Army

pick up the real Nuris. He casted

location magic on her so he could track their whereabouts.)

“Then, when he said he’ll remove the location magic on

Mr. Nott…”

(Although Markus said it was as proof of his

trust in front of Shulavis, that wasn’t true at all. To begin with, since Nott and the others

aren’t able to detect magic, I don’t think they would’ve known whether it was

removed or not. It’s because he had also

set a location magic on the real Nuris that he could afford to do this.)

Sure enough, Markus didn’t trust Nott at all. He must be intending to thoroughly use them before finally using his power to force them to submit.

Sanon and I might have just steered us all in an

outrageous direction.

It was night time.

Nott returned to the Liberation Army’s camp, and the three members of

the royal family were busy with general affairs. After dinner, Jess invited me to a square

with a large fountain. Rosebushes were

planted in a designed manner, creating a garden-like atmosphere. This place is managed by Wies, and appeared

to be the most comfortable place inside the palace. The night breeze was blocked by the brick

buildings surrounding three of the sides, and the remaining side plus area above

us had a beautiful starry sky pasted across it.

Jess sat by the edge of the fountain pool and spoke

while aimlessly swinging her non-bare legs.

“Mr. Nott… knew me after all.”

(Yeah.)

I sat close to Jess, but not close enough as to be

able to see her out zones.

“So the bookmark in my memories existed for Mr. Nott?”

Jess questioned in vexation.

“Evis-sama told me that, inside my sealed memories,

there was a certain someone who was with me.

Is Mr. Nott perhaps my bookmarked person?”

Did Evis say something like that? Despite my surprise, I agreed with her.

(…Perhaps that’s the case.)

Jess showed a regretful expression.

“Actually… I had a small thought. I have no basis

for this, but… I was thinking that maybe Mister Pig is my bookmarked person.”

Jess looked at me with her slightly tired eyes. I quickly denied it.

(No way. How

could I be? On the contrary, I’d like to

know what made you think that.)

“Um, like I said… I don’t have any basis for it, but I

just think so.”

Jess had a lonely look on her face.

“If there was someone that stayed with me during my

dangerous journey… If there was someone

I cared so dearly for as to place a bookmark so that I would never forget about

that person… I’m sure that person

would be by my side during this very difficult time. This is what I believe.”

……

“S-sorry. This

is just me being selfish and delusional, isn’t it? Please forget about it.”

Jess, who denied it herself, was very strong, and very

pitiful.

(Maybe that guy thinks Jess can live on her own

now. Maybe there was something else even

more important. Or maybe he died. Don’t be mistaken. I’m by your side only because I happened to

come here by chance.)

“You’re right.

Sorry, I really thought…”

Jess hesitated to speak.

(I told you, didn’t I?

I’m a human from another country.

Over there, I still have a super cute, angelic girlfriend with boobs

that aren’t too big. Although I can help

Jess currently, I’m a pig that will eventually disappear and return to my

original country.)

“Oh… I see…”

Jess’ legs moved a little further away from me. This is how it should be.

“I-if… she’s Mister Pig’s lover, then she must be a

very wonderful person.”

Jess looked at the ground some distance away from me,

and spoke in a shrill-sounding voice.

(What makes you think that?)

“Because Mister Pig is a very wonderful person.”

That’s not true at all.

(How about I ask you this instead… If the “bookmarked person” Jess mentioned

really exists, what kind of person would he be like?)

Jess thought about it for a moment, before returning a

sad-looking smile.

“Right… I’m

sure he would also be a wonderful person.”

…?

(Again, why do you think that?)

“Because he was willing to accompany someone as

worthless as I am… he must be a kind and wonderful person.”

(Worthless? Don’t be silly. Shouldn’t it be more like flawless?)

“Is that really so…? I think I have

plenty of flaws…”

As if my oshi was being insulted at, I got pissed off from Jess’ doubtful head tilt.

(Then what are they? Go ahead and say them.)

Jess swallowed.

“I… only wish for things in my heart, and can never

decide anything on my own.”

(That just means you’re patient, because you

prioritize other people’s judgements.

Not forcing yourself onto others is a form of kindness.)

“I’m a hopelessly curious girl.”

(Curiosity is the driving force behind learning. It’s only right for you to want to pursue the

truth. There’s nothing wrong with that.)

“I don’t have any friends.”

(I think it’s weirder to have friends in this kind of

situation, but if you’re dissatisfied, I’ll be your friend.)

“I’m not good at magic.”

(It’s only been two or three months, right? If it was a baby, she wouldn’t have even been able

to crawl yet.)

“And… I have small breasts!”

(Well I prefer them at that size!)

“Eh?”

Oops.

(Sorry… you weren’t asking for my preferences.)

Jess blushed so hard I could see it even under the

moonlight.

“No matter what it is, Mister Pig always finds a way to compliment me.”

(I’m a good match, aren't I?)

>TL Note: In a contender sense, not relationship

sense.

“I wonder why?

Even though we’ve only been together for a few days… I feel like Mister

Pig knows me very well. It’s as if we’ve

been together for a long time…”

(Is it because I show up on the dinner table every

night?)

Jess looked at me and seemed to want to say something,

but in the end, she closed her mouth and vaguely smiled.

(Anyway, what happened in the past doesn’t

matter. I’m a pig with my own reasons,

and I came here at the request of Jess’ fiancé.

Nothing more, nothing less. I’ll

do my best to lend you my knowledge, so please lend me your strength as well,

Jess – as a friend, of course.)

Jess nodded, seemingly convinced.

“Understood.

We’re friends.”

Then, with an angelic smile, she said.

“I look forward to working with you, Mister Pig.”

The Crown Stone Castle is a sturdy mountain castle

built around the mountain village of Matto.

It’s said that its name came from the fact that it stands, surrounded by

cliffs, like a crown atop the rocky mountain.

Masonry towers in the shape of chess rooks were situated some distance

away, and a fortified wall like the winding Great Wall of China stood between

them.

Jess, Shulavis, and I departed from the capital and

arrived at the tallest tower in the Crown Stone Castle. I had an overlook of the vast,

dried-grass-colored wetland at the bottom of the cliff. This wetland marked the boundary between the territories

controlled by the royal dynasty and the Northern Forces.

The weather today was gloomy and cloudy. Even though it was just before noon, it was

too dark for shadows to be casted.

A team of people from the Liberation Army, including

Nott, were making preparations around the wall.

We were going to use Nott, who had the location magic attached on him,

as bait to lure the Northern Forces out to fight at this castle.

The basics of siege warfare dictates that the

defending side holds the advantage. The

Crown Stone Castle is under the control of the royal dynasty, so if the

Northern Forces were to recklessly send in their soldiers, they run the risk of

being completely annihilated by the royal dynasty’s mages. This means, in order to attack Nott, they’ll

have to play a certain number of cards. In

other words, it’s highly likely that the mastermind, the surreptitious

sorcerer, will appear. We plan to use

that opportunity to crush him.

But just in case, for this battle, Markus stayed

behind at the capital. If Markus were to

be cursed like Evis was, it seems the royal dynasty might really be in

danger of falling into ruins. Shulavis

was also dispatched, but he was essentially ordered to stay in the innermost

part of the castle.

Shulavis should only make his appearance after our

opponent has played their trump card.

The surreptitious sorcerer is an old coot after all, so as long as

Shulavis doesn’t get cursed, a surprise attack should easily take care of

things – or so Markus instructed us.

Jess and I were also sent to this castle to act as the intermediaries with the Liberation Army in case of an emergency so that Shulavis

doesn’t get killed.

All that's left now was wait for the enemy to

arrive. Despite being forbidden to do so

by Markus, Shulavis took Jess and me to get in contact with Nott. Nott was sitting on the steps of the stone

courtyard on the castle wall, munching on an apple. Itsune and Josh sat on both sides of

him. Nott was equipped with his twin

daggers, Itsune was equipped with her greataxe, and Josh was equipped with his

crossbow. They were ready to fight at a

moment’s notice. Nott still wore a black

stole around his neck.

Walking up to the three, Shulavis greeted, “Thank you for

your help on that occasion.”

Shulavis and Jess wore their max defense robes from

before, and I was still naked.

The two siblings were surprised and drew back

slightly, but Nott continued biting into his apple.

“I honestly didn't expect a great mage to show up.”

He then glanced at Jess and me.

“Why are these two here as well?”

“They’re here as emergency food and the emergency

food’s caretaker.”

Shulavis replied coolly. Nn?

Who did you just call emergency food?

Nott chuckled through his nose.

“Forget it.

What do you want?”

Hearing the question, Shulavis placed the plastic-shopping-bag-sized

cloth sack in his hand in front of Nott.

“Have a look.”

Nott pulled open the drawstring cloth sack.

“Wow.”

Josh, the reserved guy with bangs, peered into the bag

and made that sound.

The sack was filled with large, medium, and small

colorful gems – the crystallization of magic power, ristas.

“These are high quality ristas. Use them liberally for this coming battle, and keep whatever’s leftover after.”

Itsune released her crossed arms, took out a yellow

rista from the sack, and asked.

“Is this one with a lighter color around its sides

defective?”

It was a transparent rista. The center was dark yellow, but its

surrounding area was nearly colorless.

“That’s-”

The one to answer her question was not Shulavis, but

Nott.

“It’s a rista that releases a large amount of magic

power in one go. If you use that with

your greataxe, you’ll definitely send yourself flying.”

Shulavis reacted in surprise.

“I’m surprised you knew about it. It shouldn’t have been distributed outside

the capital.”

“The king personally gave some to me.”

Nott replied while earnestly collecting the red

ristas.

After an appeased sigh, Shulavis approached Josh, who

was acting reserved.

“Are you good at shooting?”

Hearing that, Josh looked at Shulavis from behind his

bangs. He pointed a slender finger

straight at Shulavis’ right eye.

“I won’t miss next time. I’ll make sure to pierce your brainstem

through your eyes.”

“I see.

Alright. Lend me some

arrows. I’ll put magic on them.”

After a brief hesitation, Josh took out a single arrow

from the quiver attached to his waist.

“Will that be enough?”

“You’re using Nott as bait to lure out the bad guy,

right? Then I only need one shot to hit

him. I want to borrow a mage’s

power as little as possible.”

Itsune smiled.

“What are you going to do if two bad guys show

up? It’s better to have a few more handy.”

Josh resolutely refused to yield.

“Just one. So

what are you going to do to it?”

“Freeze, shock, or explosion. I can add one of these effects to it.”

“Then freeze.

These two can take care of the other two.”

“Understood.”

Shulavis held the arrow and closed his eyes for a

moment.

“That should do it.

There’s no point if you shoot something that doesn’t have water, so

don’t miss.”

“Didn’t I say I won’t miss?”

Josh casually returned the arrow he received back into

his quiver. Is he going to be able to

distinguish it from the rest of the arrows?

Like a statue, Shulavis’ expression didn’t

change. But whether it was because it

was calculated, or out of goodwill, he showed a cooperative attitude towards

the rebels. He didn’t intimidate them

like his father did, nor did he give the impression that he was looking down on

Nott and the others. He’s gruff, but

he’s also a straightforward and sincere guy with a strong will. I honestly felt that he would make a

surprisingly good husband.

When I glanced to my side, I noticed Jess was looking

at me discontentedly. And from

the corner of my eyes, a white mass flew towards us from almost directly behind

me.

Crap. Before I

could even think of the word, the white fluffy mass pushed Jess down. It panted excitedly.

“Eh? Um… Stop. Wait.

Ah…”

It was Rossi.

After licking Jess from the neck up one whole round, the perverted dog

stuck his nose into the hem of her robe and began sniffing at her absolute

territory.

I’m so enviou- I won’t forgive him! Just because he’s an animal doesn’t mean he

gets to do whatever he wants.

When I approached them to try and push him away, his

fluffy tail wagged and slapped my nose.

“Rossi, that’s enough.

Come here.”

After Nott’s command, Rossi stuck his head out from

between Jess’ legs and sauntered towards his owner in a reluctant manner.

“Is he your dog?”

When Shulavis asked that, Rossi showed an interest in

that direction.

“Yeah, he’s my partner… What are you doing? C’mere.”

For some reason, Rossi was sniffing at Shulavis’ legs

extremely politely. After a snort, Rossi

then returned to Nott’s side.

“It’s rare to see him interested in a guy’s legs.” Nott noted while scratching his jaw.

That dog definitely lacks discipline. I’ve never heard of an animal that’s

interested in female legs before. What

an unheard-of pervert.

(Are you alright, Jess?)

—Yeah, I was a little surprised… Is my face that tasty?

(Well… I won’t know until I’ve tried it.)

—Um, I was joking… You don’t have to actually try…?

Jess stood up, slightly put off, and wiped her

drool-covered cheeks with her sleeves.

At the same time, the sun of destiny had set.

We were awaken, not by the sound of birds chirping,

but by the alarm bell of an enemy attack.

“I’ll support the frontlines from the shadows so that

our soldiers don’t get exhausted. You

two stay here and keep an eye on Nott.

If anything happens, smash that glass ball.”

As he said that, Shulavis left behind a glass ball

about the size of a wind chime before dashing out the room. It was in the middle of the night. Jess and I were the only ones left inside

this room in the deepest part of the castle.

I should be able to see Nott from the window, but because of my height,

I’m not able to – as I thought that, Jess, who had just woken up, moved a

suitable desk over to the window.

(Thanks. Where

Nott?)

I asked while getting onto the desk, before spotting Nott standing still with his arms crossed at the courtyard where we went with

Shulavis to see him during the day. Itsune

was sitting a little further away. Josh

and Rossi were nowhere to be seen. They

were likely hiding. And on the other

end, far below in the dark wetland, numerous torches flickered. I could hear the clanking noise of countless

armors approaching from afar.

“Mister Pig, what do we do…?”

(For now, we should be fine as long as we remain here. Stay calm.)

I also felt this during the naval battle, but it didn’t

matter if I was with the main character of another world’s story, I was

essentially useless at times like these.

Celes and Sanon have also probably withdrawn to a safe place.

Our job is not to fight on the frontlines, but to

fight outside of the battlefield.

(It’s not a good idea to stay by the window for too

long. Let’s retreat inside and use a

mirror to observe the situation below.)

I instructed Jess where to place to mirror so that we

could observe Nott while sitting, and we sat still on the bed in the dark

room. Jess donned her max defense robe.

“Mister Pig… um… may I sit closer to you?”

I eyed Jess. Because

of how she slept, she had a slight bed head- that’s not the point.

(Only to the extent where Shulavis won’t get

angry.)

As I conveyed that, Jess moved close enough that her

waist would be able to sink into my pork belly that was laying on the bed. Her hands nervously caressed my back.

(Don’t worry.

It’ll be fine, so you don’t have to get so close to me.)

“Sorry… but, um… I’m scared.”

Jess replied in a weak voice that seemed to taper

off. Well, it’s no surprise that she’s

scared.

(Do you know what the suspension bridge effect is?)

I changed the subject to divert her attention, and Jess rested

a finger on her chin while thinking.

“I’ve read a book about how to use oscillation to

effectively destroy a suspension bridge, but…”

Wait, what are you planning on destroying a bridge

for?

(That’s not what I meant. I’m talking about the effect where, if your

heart is pounding from fear and someone else is nearby, you’ll be under the

impression that your excitement is caused by romantic feelings and end up

actually falling in love with that person.)

Like when you’re on a swaying suspension bridge, or

inside a castle that’s under attack.

Those kinds of situations.

“Is Mister Pig’s heart pounding right now?”

Well, of course.

It doesn’t matter what kind of virgin you are, if such a cute girl

pushes her body against you, your heart is bound to be racing…

(Stupid, I’m talking about you, Jess. Even if it was by mistake, don’t go and fall

in love with this kind of pig.)

“Eh? Oh… you

mean me? I-I won’t. Don’t worry…”

After staying quiet for some time, Jess murmured

softly.

“So you’re a virgin…”

That’s right!

I’m a scrawny four-eyed shitty virgin who hasn’t had any experience with

a girlfriend the same amount of time equivalent to my age! You got a problem with that?!

“N-no, I’m not complaining or anything like that. If you put it like that, then I’m also-”

The all-you-can-listen monologue happy hour is over

now, okay?

“Ah, sorry… but Mister Pig, I thought you said you had

a super cute, angelic girlfriend with boobs that aren’t too big…?”

That’s right.

(I only got her recently. Strictly speaking, they’re certainly not

equivalent, but my age, and how long I haven’t had a girlfriend for, are both

at nineteen years. Don’t sweat the

details.)

Not hearing a response, I checked on Jess and noticed

her brown eyes studying me.

(What?)

“No, um, I’m not doubting you or anything, but…”

Jess was still staring at me.

“I thought Mister Pig was someone that worried about

the details.”

(Why are you acting like a criminal investigator at a

police station…? Y’know, I’m

surprisingly crass.)

With an unconvinced look, Jess muttered “Is that so?” before

smiling.

“So you’re a crass Mr. Virgin, huh?”

……

Was it necessary to link those two things together there?

While we were being preoccupied by our silly

conversation, I saw two rays of red light reflected in the mirror. After that, the light flashed. That meant Nott took an evasive maneuver.

Before I had a chance to figure out why, a

fireball-looking thing flew towards us at a terrifying speed and hit the room we

were in.

There was a burst of light. Stones fell, smoke and dust

hovered, and our surroundings changed from heaven to chaotic hell in an

instant.

“Mister Pig, are you alright?”

I was relieved to hear Jess’ voice. My vision was pitch black. I could feel something soft on my back.

(Sorry, I think I’m fine, but what happened…?)

“Evis-sama’s robe protected us.”

My sight was freed from the darkness. Jess covered me, and we were protected by her

robe. Stone fragments tumbled off of

Jess’ back. We should have been inside a

room, but when I looked up, I could see the black clouds reflecting the crimson

color of flames. Broken bits of the bed

was scattered around us.

(No, you protected me, Jess. Not the robe.)

As I conveyed that, Jess raised her eyebrows in a

frown.

“I don’t think that’s the case…”

Anyway.

(Let’s evacuate while figuring out the current

situation. Since the enemy has a weapon

with that much firepower, it’ll be dangerous to be high up.)

Jess and I carefully treaded through the gaps in the

rubble and moved towards the stairs which managed to keep its structure. From there, we hurried downstairs. There were no signs of pursuers.

(I wonder what that attack was just now.)

Jess glanced at me while we ran.

“I think it was probably an artillery strike that uses

the magic power extracted from a Yesma’s collar. After all, ristas and gunpowder aren’t able

to exert that kind of power… According

to Evis-sama and Markus-sama’s analysis, when it comes to offensive attacks,

the surreptitious sorcerer is only able to use weak magic.”

I was reminded of something I once heard. The reason why Yesma collars are traded for

such a high price. – The reason why those Yesma girls are so mercilessly beheaded.

It was bone chilling just thinking about how the

Northern Forces had amassed their forces.

(I see. I’ve

learned something today.)

We ran through the winding corridors of the crumbling

castle and made haste towards the ground floor.

The surrounding masonry had collapsed, and bits of the fireball were

burning here and there.

I heard a footstep from behind a broken wall.

(Someone’s here.)

I stopped and blocked Jess’ direction. From the sound of it, I knew our

mysterious person had also stopped. Who

is it?

“Ms. Jess…!”

I heard a whisper-like voice and dropped my

guard. It was Celes.

A slender girl appeared from behind the wall. She still wore the dark brown one-piece dress

that I saw from before, albeit slightly wrinkled. At her feet was a large black pig.

The black pig snorted, to which Celes immediately

covered her mouth.

“I-I’m so sorry…”

Jess approached Celes, who had just spoken softly to

the black pig.

“Do you… know me?”

“No, um, er, I-I don’t…”

Just how bad are you at lying?

(Jess, she’s my acquaintance. Meet Celes.)

“Ms. Celes…”

I glanced at Jess muttering to herself, and asked

Celes.

(Hey Celes, what happened to Nott and the others?)

“I lost sight of them while evacuating with Mr.

Sanon… They should be at that courtyard with a good view…”

They shouldn’t be far from where they first took their

positions then.

It’s good that we bumped into Celes and Sanon, but

what do we do now?

As I was contemplating, I noticed Sanon approaching Jess while snorting heavily.

Oh shit! I have

to protect Jess from this perverted pig bastard!

With Celes’ help, I conveyed to Sanon.

(Mr. Sanon, stop.

Don’t you dare lay your hands on – or rather, your nose on my Jess.)

As I stood in his way and intimidated him with all my

might, the black pig stopped and looked up at Jess.

—Oops, excuse me.

It’s because she was such a cute girl that I unintentionally… Oh, but don’t worry, I’m a pig that knows how

to restrain himself.

“My Jess…”

Hearing Jess repeat that, I realized my slip of the

tongue.

(I meant it as in you’re my precious pet owner. There’s no other meaning to it.)

Jess, who had a bewildered look on her face, raised

her chin in realization.

“I-I see. Don’t

worry, I understand.”

During that exchange, Celes kept her gaze on me.

(What?)

When I turned to look at her, Celes’ cheeks loosened

into a light smile.

—Mr. Shitty Virgin is the same as me.

What do you mean by that? I snorted while thinking that, and then

conveyed to the three.

(I know we just met up, but there’s no point in us

sticking together. Celes is going along with Sanon to

support Nott and the others, right? Sorry, but my job is to keep Jess away from

any sort of danger, so let’s part ways here for now.)

The black pig seemed to agree as he nodded at me.

—I hope everyone ends up safe and sound.

(Yeah. You

better not die in a place like this.)

The black pig nodded, nudged Celes, and started

walking in the direction we came from.

Celes followed suit.

(Since Celes and Sanon headed towards that direction, we

should be safe to go this way.

Let’s go.)

“…Okay.”

Jess nodded while letting her discontentment bleed

into her words.

While we walked, I asked, (What’s wrong? Was there something that made you unhappy?)

Jess angrily puffed out her cheeks and looked down at

me.

“What did Ms. Celes mean when she said ‘the same as

me,’ Mr. Shitty Virgin? You’re hiding

something after all, aren’t you?”

……

(Please don’t call me by that. If the knowledgeable Jess says that, you’ll

be breaking your character…)

“Are you trying to dodge the question…?”

It was too tricky to explain, so I chose to run

away.

(I’ll tell you someday, so let’s focus on the current

situation. Their soldiers haven’t

reached this far yet, but we can’t let our guard down.)

Just as I said that, we arrived near the courtyard

before I knew it. At the end of the

corner, I spotted two red-glowing lights and stopped to hug the wall.

(This isn’t good.

It looks like we went the opposite direction.)

I squinted. On

the dark stone-paved courtyard, a swordsman wielding a pair of shining red

daggers was confronting someone. The

stole wrapped around the swordsman’s neck fluttered in the night wind.

“It was you after all.

You’re the mage controlling the Northern Forces from the shadows.”

The figure that Nott was confronting was tall, and

wore a grey robe that had several char and tear marks. His opponent was carrying a long, thin staff

made of a brass-colored metal.

“We meet again, youngster. You’re looking well.”

A deep and icy voice that felt like it was mixed with

the winter night chill transmitted clearly from afar.

Still glaring at the figure, Nott removed the ristas

from his twin daggers with his left hand and threw them on the ground. Like that of a magician’s fingers, he then

slotted in the new ristas into his daggers in a smooth motion.

“Was it because you were manipulating the king that your

personal feelings were involved in my treatment? Too bad you didn’t kill me, old man. I still gotta pay you back for the torturing.”

Does that mean the torturer who was close to Arogan

that Nott mentioned before is the surreptitious sorcerer?

They continued to glare at each other. I was wondering why Nott didn’t just attack,

but when I looked at his opponent’s robe, I figured out the reason. Those scorch marks were probably caused by

Nott’s attacks. They weren’t effective

at all. I then quickly realized

something. Oh shit.

(That’s the surreptitious sorcerer, right?)

—That seems to be the case.

(That mage might be able to hear our exchange. Let’s get out of here immediately.)

—Right, let’s go back and-

“Looks like there’s an ambusher.”

His voice sent shivers down my spine. For some reason, it felt like those words

were directed at me.

“What if I told you those words were directed at

you?”

Jess placed her hand on the back of my neck. Shit, we’ve already been caught.

(I’ll handle this.

Jess, you escape.)

—But…

(It’ll be fine.

I’m not the one who’ll be fighting.)

After conveying that, I ran out. Jess’ fingertips left my neck.

Once I reached Nott’s side, I could finally see the

other person’s face underneath his hood.

He was an old man with an aquiline nose, deep

wrinkles, and a terrifying face. He had

long white hair covering his face, and his skin was pale like it had been

bleached. For some reason, his outline was a bit blurry, making him seem like a shadow. Illuminated by the fireball remains, only his

golden eyes shone brightly. He looked to

be getting up there in age, yet also appeared to be full of vitality. How old is he exactly?

“Let me give you a hint. I’m the same age as Vatis.” The old man read my monologue without

permission and answered.

What? You’ve

got to be kidding me…

But it made sense.

Instead of assuming that a mage, unknown by the royal dynasty, came from

somewhere, it’s more reasonable to think a mage that Vatis failed to seal was

still alive.

“You’re that pig, aren’t you? The one I failed to kill back in Bapsas. I suppose this is our first time meeting. I’d like to kill you too, but…”

After thinking about it for a moment, the old man

said.

“I guess I can kill some time. Now die.”

What do I do?

What kind of attack is coming?

Due to the extreme tension, I watched the old man with

all the hair on my body raised. As he raised

his staff, I immediately bolted to avoid the attack.

Through the corner of my pig’s wide field of view, I saw the old man

stick his staff into the ground.

“Snor-!”

I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen and fell to the

ground. When I turned to look, I saw the

sharp tip of his long staff sticking out of the stone floor like a bamboo

shoot. My other eye spotted the old man’s

staff stuck inside the floor. That

kind of long-range attack is cheating.

It was at this moment that Nott acted. He must have aimed for the moment when the

old man was in the middle of an attack.

Leaning forward, Nott swung the dagger in his left at the old man.

A gigantic, crescent-shaped flame exploded from Nott’s

left hand. The waterfall-like mass of

fire engulfed the old man in an instant.

The flames tore through the stone floor and flashily destroyed the battlement

behind the old man.

“Mister Pig, are you okay?”

When I came to my senses, Jess was next to me. I was lying on my side due to the pain, and I

looked at her.

(Don’t come here, it’s dangerous.)

“If it’s that kind of attack, it’ll be the same no

matter where I am.”

I had nothing to say in response to her legitimate

objection.

(Could you take a look at my abdomen? I can’t see it myself.)

“…It’s a stab wound.

Don’t worry, I’ll heal it.”

When Jess placed her hand on my stomach, I could feel

the pain fade away.

“But this black bruise…”

I glanced sideways at the skeptical Jess and got

up. Some pain still remained, but I

could handle it.

The old man was engulfed in flames for some time, but

he was still standing when the flames were extinguished. His skin was charred black, and the whites of

his bones were exposed. How anticlimactic. Was that all it took to defeat him?

But things weren’t that simple.

Ashes flew around the old man and returned to where

they belonged. As I watched, his tall

body regenerated. The fine ash weaved

together in the air to become strands, then cloth, and finally the shape

of a robe, covering his body.

We could only watch.

In less than thirty seconds, the old man was back to his original

appearance.

“This body has taken in hundreds of fruits. Don’t think it’ll be destroyed this easily.”

The old man spoke while turning his head. Fruit?

Is he talking about Devil Fruits or something?

Nott responded to the old man while switching out his

ristas.

“You sure talk a lot of nonsense. Are you trying to buy time for something?”

Nott slowly crossed his arms in front of his

face. A moment later, he swung down his

twin daggers and shot an X-shaped flame at the old man. That was the signal.

The old man blocked Nott’s flames with his staff. Rossi then leaped out from the darkness and

bit the old man’s neck from behind.

Sparks crackled from Rossi’s mouth, and the old man lost his

balance. The same time Rossi kicked

off of the old man and jumped back, there was a whistle, and before I knew it, an

arrow was lodged deep in the old man’s eye.

The old man’s body fell to the ground.

His head was starting to be covered in frost. The magic enchanted arrow seemed to have

worked.

The attacks didn’t end there. Just when I noticed the shadow of

someone falling while holding a greataxe from the top of a tree, the axe was

quickly swung down over the old man’s head.

In an instant, a thunderbolt-like flash and impact caused the

surrounding area to become completely white.

When my eyes adjusted, I saw the ground, which was

originally paved with stones, had caved in greatly, revealing the soil underneath; and the

charred fragments of a person was scattered everywhere. Nott then threw three walnut-sized metal

balls into that hole.

Boom.

We peeked into the hole after the smoke

dissipated. Nothing retain its original

shape except for the long staff.

“Was that it?”

Itsune slung the greataxe over her shoulder and asked.

Nott silently stared at the hole without putting away

his twin daggers.

It was then-

Something moved inside the hole. It made a creepy rustling noise. Nott made his daggers glow red, illuminating

the hole. Something unbelievable was

happening. The charcoal and ash began

gathering in one place as if they had a will of their own.

“Get back.”

Everyone present obeyed Nott’s order.

Something stood up from the hole. The cinders swirled and gathered to form the

shape of a person. It was as if a

three-dimensional shadow was being projected into that space.

The shadow looked at us for some time before flying outside the castle walls and finally disappearing.

Inside the hole that Itsune’s thunderbolt made, only

the metal staff remained.

“I see you weren’t able to kill him.”

A voice came from behind, and I turned around to find

Shulavis standing there unharmed.

Nott clicked his tongue.

“Hey, why didn’t you come and help?”

Shulavis calmly approached the furious Nott.

“Don’t you understand why he came here alone, didn’t

try to kill you, and fought so slowly? You’re

no longer the surreptitious sorcerer’s target.

The blood of the royal dynasty are.

He was planning to lure me out and kill me. That’s why I didn’t show up.”

“You sure it wasn’t because you were scared? If you were around to help, we might’ve been

able to finish him off.”

“Are you sure about that? My attacks are physical. If even his brain can regenerate after being

pierced and shattered by lightning, there’s no point in me helping. That old man must’ve anticipated this already

when he walked into our trap.”

No one refuted.

Shulavis looked down at the wetlands from the ruined battlement.

“The Northern army appears to have retreated. We’ll be leaving the royal army’s soldiers

here, so let’s withdraw. After taking

that much damage, I doubt the surreptitious sorcerer will return any time

soon.”

“That so? Then

we’ll be getting some rest.”

Nott stated and withdrew with Itsune. Rossi appeared to be concerned about us as he

chased after Nott briskly. Only Jess,

Shulavis, and I were left in the crumbling courtyard.

“Um, Mr. Shulavis.”

Jess called out in a shrill voice.

“What is it?”

“Mister Pig’s… stomach…”

Shulavis swiftly walked towards me and crouched down

to look at my abdomen.

“This bruise…”

(What’s this about a bruise?)

“There’s no mistaking it. It’s the same curse that killed

Grandfather. He died because the black

bruise eroded his entire body.”

Shulavis conjured up a metal disk in his hand and held

it next to my eyes. Reflected on it was

the appearance of a black bruise shaped like a brittle star spread across

this pig’s flank. The bruise was larger

than the size of a person’s palm, and continued spreading as I looked at

it. An unpleasant, chilling pain began permeating numbingly.

(Is there… no way to cure it?)

“…Grandfather was killed by this curse.”

Shulavis repeated the same content. I understood what he meant. If this cursed defeated Mestria’s greatest

mage, then there’s no one who could handle it.

“How can this be?

This can’t be happening…”

Jess sank to the floor, placed her hand on my back,

and lamented with teary eyes.

I couldn’t believe it either. It didn’t feel real to me. Am I going to die? In a place like this?

(I can endure the pain. Can you gouge out the bruise and regenerate it

afterwards?)

Right after my proposal, a

burst of sharp pain shot through me before quickly disappearing. However, the chilling pain remained.

“It’s no use, Jess.

If it could be dealt with like that, Grandfather would have already cut

off his right arm.”

“Mr. Shulavis, please.

Please save Mister Pig.”

“I’d save him if I could.”

……

No one said a word.

As the night returned to tranquility, Jess’ sobs began to fill the air. It was painful just hearing them.

(Jess, don’t cry.

You don’t have to go this far for this pig-)

“That’s because… Mister Pig was my first friend.”

Jess responded with a tearful voice while sobbing.

(For a girl like you, Jess, you’ll be able to make as

many friends as you want to. Don’t

worry.)

“That’s not it.

That’s… not why. It’s because

Mister Pig was always by my side, always thinking for me… That’s why……”

It’s only naturally.

Since you’re my oshi.

The pain continued to spread. Evis seemed to have held on for a while, but

my curse progressed rapidly. Was it

because of the difference in magic power?

The pain had already reached my neck.

“Doesn’t Mister Pig have a super cute, angelic

girlfriend with boobs that aren’t too big?

If you die, then she’ll definitely be saddened. So please… you can’t die.”

A super cute, angelic girl with boobs that aren’t too

big is shedding her tears in front of me.

Yeah, I guess if I had a girlfriend like that, I’m sure she would mourn

my death.

(Did I not tell you? If I die in this world, I’ll be able to

return to my original world. In fact, if

I die here, I’ll be able to see her sooner.)

Jess’ eyes widened in shock.

“Is… that so?”

(That’s why you don’t need to feel sad for her.)

“But I’m really sad.”

(You’re so kind.)

“That’s not it. I don’t want you to die… I don’t want to see Mister Pig die, no matter what.”

Standing became too painful,

so I buckled and laid down on the ground.

Pain started invading my limbs.

“No! Mister Pig!”

Jess hugged me. I saw Shulavis’ feet turn away immediately.

“I beg of you, please don’t

take away another important person from me…”

Jess’ voice didn’t seem

directed at me, but towards somewhere far away.

Perhaps at the starry sky stretched out beyond the thick clouds.

When my senses returned, the

sky had brightened. The clouds were

parting, and the red morning sun was shining from afar.

The pain was gone. Could it be…?

Jess released me. In front of me, Shulavis was still looking

away.

(Shulavis! Can you lend me that mirror again?)

As I got up and asked,

Shulavis turned towards me.

“Jess!”

Shulavis sharply yelled. I quickly turned my head to find Jess lying

on the floor as if she had threw herself onto the stone surface. Her eyes were closed, she had her hands on

her abdomen, and she seemed to be breathing in pain.

With a sudden gasp, Shulavis

lifted Jess’ clothes to reveal her stomach.

And…

A dense black mesh pattern was

spread on there.

Don’t tell me Jess took the

curse in my place…

This time, it was my turn to

panic.

(Jess, get a hold of

yourself!)

“Uu… ugh…”

Jess opened her eyes slightly

and smiled only with her mouth.

“I’m glad… Mister Pig was

cured…”

You’ve got to be kidding

me. Come on, come on, come on. This wasn’t supposed to happen. No matter how you look at it, that development

should’ve ended with me dying here. How

could Jess… This can’t be happening,

right?

(No, Jess, you can’t… you

can’t die here.)

“You’re so kind.”

No. That’s not right. What kind of stupid talk are you saying?

(Don’t you have someone

important to you? You wanted to remember

that person, right? It’s not right for

you to die before you remember who that is.)

The cursed bruise rose to

Jess’ neck at the speed of paper being burned, and it extended its grasps

towards her small chin. Shulavis’ eyes

swam in a panic. Not knowing what to do,

I just stood there beside Jess.

“Just having someone close to

me who’s willing to mourn for me when I’m dying makes me more than happy enough.”

Jess shut her eyes, tears ran

down her face and dripped onto the stone floor.

“I think I’ll pretend that

Mister Pig is my important person after all.”

The black mesh pattern crossed

Jess’ jawline and consumed her face. The

curse continued to seep into her once-beautiful legs and slender arms.

This can’t be real. If I knew this was going to happen, then at

least once, I wanted to…

(Jess, listen. I’m-)

Just then, Jess opened her

eyes. They shone like she had realized

something.

—I finally understand why the key was so big.

Her beautiful brown eyes

simply stared at me. What did she say?

Jess’ eyes closed seemingly

happily, pushing more tears down her face.

Without stopping, the cursed

bruise spread all at once and covered Jess’ entire body.

There was nothing I could do.

Her small, tightly gripped

hands, still covered by the pitch-black mesh pattern, lost their strength and

loosened up.