"...... hmm.

　It's been hours.
　Richt wakes up with a subtle headache.

　He doesn't remember much of what happened after he was kidnapped by the Demon Lord of the West.
　In fact, he can't even remember the face of the Demon Lord of the West.

　What she does remember is Dorothy being killed by the Mad King of the West.

"Where am I--?

　As he scurried around to check his situation, he saw Faith leaning against the bed next to him, asleep.

　Could she have been kidnapped too?

　That thought came to mind for a moment.
This place, this room, has a very familiar interior.

　The untidy books, the battered walls.
　It was definitely Faith's room.

　Things seem to have progressed quite a bit while I've been unconscious.
　At any rate, as soon as I touched her to wake her up, she woke up as if an electric current ran through her body.

"Richt-san!　You're awake!

　You're awake!" Faith's eyes widened as if she had just woken up, and she looked at Richt.
　Looking at her bloodshot and swollen eyes, you can tell that she has been crying for quite some time.

　I don't know if she was simply tired from crying, or if being next to him for so long had drained her strength.
　I don't know which, but I could tell from her expression that she was tired.

"Faith, ...... here.

I'm fine now. The Demon Lord and his men have brought back Richt-san.

　Taking Richt's hand, Faith began to explain.
　It was as if she had been practicing for a long time, thinking about what would happen when Richt woke up.

　The cold hand bothered her a little, but she was not the kind of person who would say something like that here.

　If what Faith said was true, the battle was already over.

So, ...... I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you, .......

I'm not sure what to do.

The rosé--okay.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea.
　You can't just leave your friends who risked their lives for you out there.

　Resuscitating Rose was the first and foremost task at hand.
　It seems that Faith understands this.

"Oh, wait, Richt-san. I'd like you to come back to this room when you're done resuscitating.

"......?　Why?

This is because I kept my promise to the ...... Demon Lord and did not participate in the recapture operation.

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　For a moment, she looked unsure whether to give it to him or not, but she ended up giving it to him with a fidgety gesture.

　Since he didn't know what Faith was trying to tell him, he had no choice but to take a look at what was written on the paper.
　Richt opened the folded paper fearfully.

　And.

　And there, in Aria's worm-like handwriting...

"The Demon Lord Aria's command over Richt is granted to Faith for one day only. There are no restrictions on the content of the order.

　--.