Leaning against the wall of the treasure room, I looked blankly into the air.

　.........And yet, I'm bored.

　It must have been ten minutes already, but how long does it take to change into a mere dress?
　I tried knocking on the door to urge him to come, but all that came back was silence.

''It's ... odd.''

　It's not that I don't care if it's Sasha, but Misha will at least answer the door if you knock on it.
　It's not like she left without me.
　Or...?

Misha, are you there?　Let's open it up.

　When he doesn't answer, I open the door.
　I turn my attention to the altar. It looks noticeably different than before.

　It's red.

　There was a puddle of blood in front of the altar, and Misha was kneeling in the center of it as if she were hanging in a gutted position. There was a knife stuck in his right chest.
　From the looks of it, she seemed to be alive, but there was a magical barrier around Misha carefully so that she could not be treated immediately.

''Oh?　It finally came out. I'm surprised you listened to me so openly.

　Sasha, who was at the entrance on the opposite side of the altar, called out.
　＜She wore the Phoenix Vestments and held a royal scepter in her hand.

"Hmm. What are you doing, Sasha?

　Then Sasha said with a sneer.

''Hmph, you look like an idiot. It's so easy to be tricked just for a little bit of befriending. Did you really think I wanted to be friends with such a junk doll?　It's all a play to get first place in this dungeon test, of course.

　The play, huh? The fact that he made up with Misha, the fact that he was happy about it, the fact that he cried over his birthday present, everything he'd done so far was all a lie?

Men are so simple. They're so naive, they only have to kiss you to be fooled. Did you think that I was going to fall for a mongrel like you?

You're a pretty good actor, Sasha.

　When I uttered that, Sasha stared back at me as if she was slightly frightened.

''........What do you mean by that?''

Hey, you don't look like a good actor.

Yeah. Isn't it a great act?

But you're not very good at betraying them. If you're going to do it, kill Misha, shred her body so that it's hard to revive, seal the pieces of her flesh one by one in a rock and spread them around the world so they can't be found, and then, well, that's just the beginning. Why didn't you do that?

　Sasha frowned. It's an atmosphere like a don't-do-well. As I thought, you are not fully committed to being ruthless.

"What are you trying to do with a prank that is only a knife stroke to the chest?

...Shut up. It's just a matter of getting first place in the dungeon exam and that's all it takes to get the job done.

　That's also odd.

''Taking the royal scepter with you should be useless as long as you're my squad member.

　The ownership of the items they obtained was in the possession of the squad leader.
　However, Sasha smiled and deployed her magic circle.

''I'll break the
　When I said that, the 　Certainly with this, the contract to become my squad member is null and void, so I can exit at any time.

　However, from the looks of it, Misha does not agree to break the Contract (Zekt). ＜The Zekt, in principle, cannot be abrogated without the agreement of both parties. Even if the other party dies, it is still in force.

　I don't think Sasha can use enough magic to forcibly break the "Contract (Zekt)".
　There are several possibilities, but is there one that seems reasonable?

I see. Interesting.

　I let out that impression.
　Sasha, who thought she had the upper hand with that, on the contrary, looked like she was trapped.

''You........are you crazy?　If you leave her unattended, she'll die. Can't you see that we're not in a situation where we can afford to be so generous?

Hmm. What's the problem with this situation?　From the looks of it, it's just another boring, sleepy afternoon class, nothing out of the ordinary.

　Sasha's gaze grows steeper and steeper at my words.

'Well, it looks like we've been fighting a little too much with our sisters.

'I told you I don't remember thinking of that crappy doll as my sister!

　Sasha said, angrily.

'Okay?　It was born only to be used by me. They only use it, and when it's no longer useful, they throw it away like rags. A pathetic, miserable, magical doll.

　Sasha simply argues, as if spitting and hating.

'Hmmm, hahahahaha!　I can't believe you actually believe the word "forgiveness". How many times do I have to be fooled? You're a really stupid doll. Do they really think you and I are going to get along?　Oh, but it was good. I thought I had no use for it anymore, but it helped to fool that mongrel.

　Her gaze shoots straight through Misha, not me.

'Hey. Misha, are you still alive?　I'm telling you this because it's the last time. No matter how many times you've been deceived, you've always believed in me, and I've always hated your good-natured attitude, to the point that it makes me sick to my stomach!

　Sasha's words uttered with heightened and stinging emotions.
　However, the is not floating in her eyes.

　From a moment ago, even just once.

''So?''

　I take a step towards Sasha and step out of the way.

'What's the real story?'

　When I asked that question, Sasha glared at me with a snap.
　This time, the appeared in her eyes.

What's wrong?　Did you get mad at me for seeing through you?

　Sasha continued to stare at me, but then huffed and smiled midway through.

'Oh?　Is that you?　Do you think I can't control the Magical Eye of Doom?

　Saying that, Sasha quietly closes her eyes.
　When her eyes were slowly opened, the had disappeared from her eyes.

''See, as you can see, it's nothing more than controlling this kind of thing.

　Sasha seems somewhat relieved, but now, what is the real story?

You think I'm wrong? Okay. So...

　I take another step forward.

'What's the real story?'

　Sasha pulls her lips together tightly.
　Is it because she's wary of me coming on to her, or is it?

You're just like your doll. I've heard the story about Zepes and Riorg. 'You're so pushy about brothers getting along with each other. Not all of them are peaceful, carefree, naive idiots like you.

　Am I naive? Well, I guess that's true in these times.
　But they say it's peace.

"Just because you're a little bit powerful doesn't mean you have to be a good guy and say what you want to say, even though you don't know anything about it!

"No.

　Sasha exclaimed as she answered immediately.

'I say what I want to say, when I want to say it. When I want to ask, I ask what I want to ask. I don't take orders from anyone.

　Of course, I'm trying to be polite in my own way, but there's no reason for me to back out now.

"Sasha," he said. You don't think I'm going to let you get away with this for free when you're working for me and you put your hands on my friend?

　I walked straight to Sasha.
　She gripped the royal scepter tighter as she braced herself.

'Is that okay?　If you do the slightest harm to me, she'll die.

　Linked magic ?
　If you harm Sasha, it becomes a
'You'll have to do something about that one first. It's a good thing that you have the ability to break the magical barrier and heal Misha in ten seconds. That's all you need.

　＜Using , Sasha's body came to life.
　She flew low in the dungeon and left this place--

　But far sooner than that, I was kicking the ground and approaching Sasha.
　When I grabbed her hand, Sasha couldn't help but roll her eyes in surprise.

　At the same time, the conditions were met and the magic was activated.
　However, Misha was safe. There was no change in the magic barrier.

''.......What do you mean.......?　＜I did activate the
　Sasha turns her magic eye on Misha.
　If you look closely into the abyss, you'll see that the magical barrier, the knife on the chest, and the blood are fakes created by my illusionary magic.
　Misha's wounds have long since been healed by the recovery magic 'Ent'.
　If the magical barrier that should be linked is broken, nothing can happen even if the is activated.

''
'It's obvious the moment you see it. You can't just leave your friends dying and act like a good guy if you leave them alone.

　After that, I thought Sasha was planning something, so I let her swim for a while with her "liner" mimicry.

"Well. "Well, you managed it in 0.1 second, but what do you think we should do with the 9.9 seconds left before you escape?

　Just a little bit of pressure on his clenched hand.
　Sasha frowned in pain.

''Wait.........''

　I heard a voice from the altar.
　Grabbing Sasha's hand, I look back there.

　＜When I deactivated the 【Phantom Mimicry (Linel)】, Misha was standing there.

''........forgive her.......''

　Hmm. I say the typical thing.

'Well, I don't mind forgiving you, but I think it would be better if you told me what you're thinking. This is a lame attempt at betrayal, a monkey's game.

　Misha shook her head shakily.

'Forcing is not a good idea.'

　Good grief. Your eyes are more earnest than ever.

...no...?

　Well, okay.
　I don't take orders, but if it's a wish, it's a different story.
　I'm always happy to do a friend a favor, especially if it's for a friend.　

"You can thank Misha for that.

　Let go of my hand. Immediately, Sasha flew through the air to escape.

"Misha," she said. Misha, you're such an idiot. Do you think I'm going to thank you for that?　Good riddance. Everything in your life was meant to be used by me. At best, you'll regret it in your last moments!

　The moment I said it, Sasha lost control of her .
　She fell to the floor and rolled with a flourish.

''........Ouch......what is this.......?

Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I let you off the hook, but you were in too much of a hurry. I had to disrupt the magic field so that I couldn't fly.

　I smiled wryly at the girl, who looked humiliated.

'Losers should crawl on the ground like losers, at best, and go home. Otherwise, I might change my mind too.



　Haha, I couldn't help but let out a refreshing laugh.

'That's the kind of line I was hoping to hear. If you do it, you can do it.

　He glared at me with a snap, but turned on his heel and trudged back to Sasha.
　At her back, I called out to her.

"Sasha," I said, "I'm not going to tolerate the betrayal of my men. I have no tolerance for the betrayal of my men. And that's about as far as you can go. You just need to show some respect and I will forgive you.

　Sasha didn't look back and just left.