How much time has passed since I was put in this dungeon?

　Clair Berch wonders in a dazed corner of his mind.

　There is no sunlight in the dungeon, meals are irregular, and there is no way to measure the passage of time. These twisted senses have turned the flow of time into something ambiguous.

　My body was incessantly thirsty and hungry. The anxiety of wondering whether or not I would end up rotting away in a basement with no light. Frustration swelled up inside my body, and sometimes I felt like screaming.

　It reminds me of the time before I became a Seirin Bannerman, when I was just one of the many adopted children being raised in the Berch house. Kreia and her brother Klimt had been ordered by the head of the family, Gilmore, to clean the dungeons.

　Perhaps it was a show of force. What would happen if he disobeyed his master? What happens if you don't live up to the expectations of your master? By letting the children witness such examples, awe was instilled in their minds and bodies.

　A child no older than yourself, with both eyes wide open, is dying. Cryer had to stifle a scream when he realized that the owner of the emaciated body was one of his adopted children, who had not been seen for some time.

　He had even been forced to witness the execution of a prisoner by his master.

　Gilmore's attire is that of a Shinchū. A demon-eating worm with eight legs and a jaw like steel.

　Gilmore could make it as big as a house or as big as a fingernail.

　It could eat a strong demon. Of course, it could easily eat through a human body. And in executions, Gilmore preferred to do it from the inside rather than the outside.

　In other words, he would let the godworm burrow into the prisoner's body and bite through the belly from the inside.

　How many times have we witnessed such a sour scene? The fear of Gilmore was imprinted in Kreia's mind and body, and even after he became a Seirin Bannerman, that fear had not disappeared - even more so now that the worm was inside his body.

　If it hadn't been for this, would he have grabbed the hand that the sky offered him? Kreia smiles bitterly at the thought.

　It was funny that she kept thinking about what she could not do.

　Then, Kreia let out a heavy sigh.

　Until he left the island on a mission recently, the world had been simple to Kreia. The life of the Belch family was his everyday life, and he felt suffocated, but he did not want to escape.

　No, even now she did not want to escape. Kreia was not only in awe of her adoptive father (Gilmore), but she was also indebted to him, and was proud to fight as a Seirin Bannerman. There was no lie in those feelings.

　--But I also realized that there was a part of me that didn't want to do that.

　The sins of Cryer and Klimt were equal in the sense that they were both defeated by the sky. Nevertheless, Gilmore threw only Kreia into the dungeon because he noticed this change of heart.

　For Gilmore, it was as if the fruits of his years of "education" were lost in a single morning. If Kreia was left unattended, it would affect not only his brother Klimt, but also the rest of his subjects. To the head of Belch, Kreia is now a bad plague.

　If this continues, he might actually be killed. That's what Kreia was thinking.

　But even if he knew that, there was nothing he could do. Because even with the power of Kreia Belch, one of the golden generation, it was impossible to forget the comfort of the outside once tasted.





　How much time had passed since then?

　Kreia's ears caught the sound of faint footsteps. Someone was coming down to the basement. Not the stately, steady gait of the old man who always brought water and food.

　Thinking that Gilmore had arrived, Kreia stiffened.

　Soon, however, a figure stood in front of him, looking different from his foster father.


"You look terrible.


　It was a skilled bannerman with long black hair and fair skin, who described Kreia with the same words as Sora.

　When Kreia saw the face of her opponent, her eyes widened in surprise. A person she had not expected to see at all was standing in front of her.


"...... too, Meng-sama?


　The word "meng" refers to the heir of a family. In other words, the person who appeared was the next head of the Berch family, Diarte Berch, the flag bearer of the First Banner of Qinglin.

　He was Kreia's older brother. However, neither Kreia nor Klimt had ever called Diarto brother before, nor would they ever do so again.

　Diarto's position in the Belch family is second only to Gilmore, and even his blood brothers and sisters treat him as a vassal. This is not to mention the attitude expected of a bloodless adopted son.

　Diarte did not show any friendliness to his brothers and sisters, and when they passed each other on the streets or in the mansions, he usually walked past them without even opening his mouth, while Kreia bowed deeply.

　However, it's not as if he's ignoring them at all, as he nods so quietly that you can't tell he's doing so. ......


"What can I do for you?


　Kreia asks, in a way more nervous than when she was facing Gilmore.

　Di'Art said in a matter-of-fact tone.


"Klimt is dead.

"........................ What?

"Recently, the demon race was united by a king named Azuma. As long as they are killing each other, we can leave them alone, but now that they are united, we have to take action. Klimt went back to the gate with the mission to kill Azuma and disappeared. According to Gilmore, the God Worm he had planted has also disappeared. It's safe to assume that he's dead.


　There was no concern for his relatives in his voice, only the coldness of a clerical voice conveying definite information.

　If he was presumed dead, there would naturally be no search.

　Kreia involuntarily raised her voice.


'Wait, Master Meng!　It has not been decided yet that Klimt is dead. ......!

"It's not decided. But the fact that the God Worm has disappeared means that he's been wounded so deeply that his organs have been gouged out. If you are injured that badly in a demon gate, even if you live, you won't last long. It's too late.



But...

But!" "I volunteered for this mission in order to clear the stigma of my earlier defeat outside the island, and I can't move the Seirin Bannermen for a fool who would pile on the stigma again. This is not only Gilmore's idea, but also the decision of the lord. Please do not be reckless.


　If you listen to the sound of Dialto's voice, which is as unshakable as a rock, you will understand that no matter how many words Kreia repeats here, it will be meaningless.

　Looking down at the stunned Kreia, Di'Art still moved his mouth in an indifferent manner.


There is nothing else to do in the prison. You may pray for your brother's soul.


　As he finished, he turned on his heel and disappeared from Kreia's sight.

　The sound of his distant footsteps continued to ring in the back of Kreia's ears.