-- Not long after the meeting ended, Noir and Sakura left the adventurer's garrison.

　Their destination was the human living quarters that they had researched beforehand.

　Even though Algernon refused to meet with them, the information about where the humans were living was itself public information that was revealed to the entire Asropolis without wrapping it up.

　Humans were no different from other demons in this town, and since they were just a part of the many inhabitants, their living quarters were listed on the public map without any special or discriminatory treatment.

　Noir and Sakura relied on the map they had obtained and walked through the back streets of Asropolis, where the forest and the town seemed to blend together.

''Somehow, I feel that the gazes directed at me from the surroundings have decreased. As we get closer to the human settlement, I wonder if our appearance will become more familiar.

　Sakura looked around as she walked.

　When we were advancing down the main street, we were receiving curious and interested looks from all directions, but the closer we got to the living quarters, the more it was fading.

　It could simply be that there were fewer people on the street, but even if we subtracted that, the ratio of demon clans that were not interested in us was increasing.

'...... Um, this is not a serious question by any means.

　To Noir, who continued to walk in silence, Sakura spoke to him in a caring manner while matching his stride.

''If Bran the White Wizard were alive ...... then what do you intend to do, Lord Noir?''
............
Oh, no, no, of course I don't mean to be offensive. I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't do this or anything like that. I just wanted to see if I could be of any help to you at .......
...... Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. ......

　Noir swept his downward gaze and hesitated to look at Sakura, hesitating to speak in response to the question.

I'm sure that if ...... Bran is alive and ...... nothing has changed, then ...... then when... ...Once again, I will ...... me, settle the score: ......

　Noir's hands, which were passed in front of his legs, clenched into fists tightly.

'So, but it's possible that he's indeed remorseful!　People change their minds when they have a strong trigger!

　Sakura became impatient that she had elicited more of a response than she had expected, and dared to bring up her optimism.

　In the past, Noir had felt responsible for Bran's descent into the military ranks of the Demon King's army in order to survive, and set himself the mission of defeating him with his own hands - and he completed it with the help of the adventurer Kirigakure (Nagi).

　Although he himself seems to think it was a natural responsibility, it is true that many people, including Luke, who could be considered Bran's victim, were heartbroken by the ending of the twin sisters killing each other.

　Sakura was no exception, and she couldn't help but feel evasive about having her sister killed for the second time.

　-- so although she didn't tell him out loud, she inwardly thought that she should wield her blade.

　If Bran hadn't changed in any way from before, and if he didn't stop antagonizing the humans on the ground, including Noir, then he was willing to get his hands dirty.

　The right person for the job would be him. Sakura was sure of that.

　She and Noir had fought many battles together, but their daily activities were very different between the adventurer and the staff of the weapon shop.

　Even if I were to get my hands on Bran, as long as we don't see each other often in our daily lives, the shadow it casts on Noir's mind would be small.

　Besides, eventually - at least after a number of years, he would bring back the fruits of his quest to descend the gods to the Eastern Continent and say goodbye to this country without a second thought.

''If Bran was sorry for his own actions, then we'll either take him back to earth to receive a formal atonement ...... or leave him in the custody of Athropolis.
'Yeah, so ...... but ......
'It's just an option. If you rephrase it as barring her from the earth, it would be an answer to the idea that she should be punished, but of course I have no right to interfere. I have no right to interfere, of course.

　If only it would make Noir feel a little bit better ...... Sakura thought about that and piled on the words.

　As a gentile, I cannot influence the treatment of sinners in this country, but it is still not pleasant to see my friend painting his heart with the readiness to kill his sister.

　Then it's much easier to get this hand dirty instead.

'Oops ......, that's the living quarters, isn't it?'

　As we walked around talking to each other, before we knew it, we were nearing our destination.

　A wooden wall - not a so-called hedge, but an artificial wooden wall made from a combination of timbers - surrounded the entire block and shielded the interior from its surroundings.

　Although the walls were reasonably high, the tree dwellings growing inside were higher than that, and one could see the upper half of the building without needing to look into it.

''Ummm, I can only see the windows on the upper floors of the building from here.
...... climbing the wall is ......?
We can afford to do it, but we'll definitely be blamed for it. You could be charged with trespassing before the intelligence ban.

　Sakura scurried around and looked around, then spotted the building on the other side of the street from the living quarters.

'...... Yes!　If you use the windows of the building across the street, you might be able to get a natural peek inside!　...... No, but the way to get permission to enter the building over there is ......

　With Sakura twisting her head and thinking of a plan, Noir continued to stare at the trees in the wall.

　Just then, one of the closed wooden window doors was opened from the inside.

　Was it for ventilation, or was it for light?
　At least someone was definitely in that room, and Noir gazed gingerly, clinging to the slightest possibility.

　-- opened the window to see a human-like figure with a deep hood on.

　Although his face is not clearly visible, the left sleeve of his jacket hangs slackly down, and he seems to be struggling to somehow secure the window door with only his right hand.

　The left sleeve of the jacket was clearly empty, and it was obvious that he wasn't just wearing it without an arm through it, and there was obviously nothing in the sleeve itself that needed to be threaded through it.

　Eventually the figure leaned out of the window to stretch his arms a bit more.

　As he did so, the hood shifted slightly, revealing his profile.

　-- Yeah, I knew.
　I knew in my head that I had to move carefully.

　I told myself that I should be observant, even if I wasn't expecting it, and that I shouldn't do anything careless.

　But Noir couldn't hold back the cry that surged up from the depths of his mind.

'Bran!'

　The words came out of my mouth without a second thought. The name of my twin sister, the one who shared my blood.

　Sakura turns around in surprise, and the figure in the window also hurries to look at the street.

　The face - a pale face, much like Noir's - was cowering in fright, eyes peeled back in unspeakable surprise and fear.