After escaping from Onigashima, Kreia headed straight for the west.

　He could not save Klimt by himself, but he could not involve his friends and acquaintances. In this predicament, there was only one person Kreia could turn to: the sky.

　In the past, when he had headed west, Klimt and Gozu had been with him, and the three of them had walked the Road of Law together, but now Kreia could not afford to take it easy.

　He slipped out of his house under orders of house arrest, injured a bannerman who tried to prevent him from doing so, and finally crossed blades with one of the twin peaks who was guarding the gate. All of these can only be described as grave crimes, and on top of that, he has committed the greatest abomination of all: escaping from the island.

　No doubt he was being pursued, Kreia avoided the city streets and entered the mountains, running like a wild beast through the vegetation.

　He didn't follow the proper procedures when entering the Canary Kingdom from the Ad Astera Empire, and he added border-breaking to his list of crimes, but perhaps his choice paid off, because his pursuers finally failed to show up, and Kreia managed to reach Ishka.

　However, because he ran without resting, let alone eating or sleeping, he was almost crawling on the ground when he reached the empty mansion. He had barely touched the doorbell when he lost consciousness, and the next thing he knew, he was lying on a bed.

　Her dirty clothes had been changed, and the mud on her face and hands and feet had been wiped away. And--


"It hasn't been that long since the last time I saw you, has it?


　The sky was standing beside him. Sora was standing beside her, looking down at Kreia, who was lying on the bed, and speaking quietly to her.

　Kreia called out the other's name in a trembling voice.


"...... and ......, which?


　The voice was very faint. The voice sounded like an old woman's, and Sora's eyebrows furrowed as if she hadn't thought of it.

　Then, without saying a word, she picked up the jug on the table, poured water into a small cup, and handed it to Kreia.

　Kreia hurriedly accepted the glass and, belatedly aware of her intense thirst, drank the contents of the glass in the blink of an eye.

　After emptying the cup, Kreia let out a deep breath and bowed to Sora.


"Thank you, Sora.

You're welcome. So, what happened?　Don't rush, speak slowly.

"Yes, yes, ......!


　When prompted, Kreia began to tell what had happened to her.

　As she spoke, Kreia wondered how she could get the sky to help her.

　The only one who could help Klimt was the sky, and so he set out for Ithaca. If it was Sora, he would not be afraid of the eight flags of the forest that guarded the gate, and he would not be intimidated by the demons and demons that roamed the depths of the gate, and he would be able to fight against them both. That decision is not wrong.

　However, this is only a matter of ability and mental capability. When I thought about the emotional side of it - in other words, whether Sora would risk his life to fight for Klimt or for Kreia - I couldn't come up with an answer other than no.

　Of course, it was only recently that Kreia and the others had fought the sky as Seirin Bannermen.

　It's not that I forgot. It had been in the back of his mind all the way to Ithaca. He didn't want to think about it because he didn't have time to think about it as he was trying to outrun his pursuers who were probably close behind.

　--But he was aware that it was an excuse.

　Kreia was scared. There was no reason for the sky to help them. Nor could they offer any profit to move the sky. There was no point in reaching Ithaca. I was afraid to face those facts.

　Because I knew that if I did, the tension would break and I would fall to my knees.

　And once she was on her knees, she would never be able to stand up again. Kreia knew that too.

　So she kept running without thinking.

　That's why I can't think of anything in front of the sky.

　In the past, she could have offered herself as a price. But now that I've committed so many crimes, that's no longer possible. Kreia is a mortal felon, and his mere presence in the empty house is causing him immense trouble.

　He could be kicked out of the house and told to leave right now. In fact, he deserved it. Kreia is endangering not only the sky, but also the people around the sky.

　--He knew this much, and yet he still tried to rely on his opponent, which made Kreia feel dizzy with despair.



　Eventually, she finished her story and looked at the sky while trying to hold back her sobs. She could not tell if it was fatigue or tears that made the sky's face look hazy. She didn't know how the sky was looking down at her.

　Is she mocking Kreia and the others, knowing their plight? Or does he look indifferent, as if it is none of his business? Or is he aware of Kreia's need for help, and is dismayed at her selfishness?

　Kreia clutched her hands tightly as if to withstand the cold eyes of the sky in her imagination. And then she thought.

　Just once, just once, I'll ask the sky for help.

　If she refuses, I'll leave this house quietly. Or maybe I'll just offer my head to the sky. It's a great achievement to have defeated a felon who escaped from the island. It'll be worth the trouble.

　With this in mind, Kreia paused to speak in a trembling voice.


"......, Lord Sky. I beg you, with shame. Can you please ...... help Klimt ...... with me?


　A trembling voice with sobs. He stumbled in places and squirmed like a crying child. I felt so ashamed and shameful that I couldn't even look at Sora's face anymore.

　When I turned my face down, the tears that spilled down my face made dirty stains on the clean bedding. I'm causing trouble even in this place. That was when Kreia tried to cover her face with her hands.


Oh, good.


　Such words made Kreia's ear quiver.



　There was no mockery, no dismay, no kindness or sympathy. It was a very light voice. I wonder if it would have sounded like this if she had asked me to go shopping with her and I had said yes.

　Kreia looked up as if she had been bumped off, but her face showed more confusion than joy. In his red eyes, he had a sneaking suspicion that the words he had just heard were an auditory hallucination of his own imagination.


".................. Um, Sora-dono, are you at ......?

"Hmm?　Yeah, I said that's good. You want me to help you save Klimt, don't you?

Yes, yes, I do!

All right, I'll lend you.


　With that, Sora reached out his hand toward Kreia's face. When Kreia closed her eyes, she felt a slight shock on her forehead.

　The impact was not painful. It was just the tip of a finger pressing lightly on her forehead.


Ah!


　Normally, the force would have been nothing, but now Kreia could not resist such a small force.

　The sky pecked at Kreia, who had been lying on the bed with only her upper body up, and she was now lying on the bed again. Her head was buried in the pillow with a thud.

　When Kreia blinked, Sora said softly.


I'll bring you something to eat, so sleep until then.


　When she finished, Sora turned on her heel and walked out of the room without waiting for Kreia's reply.

　Kreia tried to open her mouth to say something to him, to thank him at least. But before he could say anything, his vision went dark. Sora's words, "I'll lend you a hand," filled his heart with a real sense of urgency, and the tension in his heart snapped.

　As if a dark curtain had been pulled down in front of him, Kreia's consciousness was immediately enveloped in darkness.



◆◆◆



"Hmph. I don't know who drew the picture plane, but they're playing a trick on us.


　I spat viciously, thinking back to what Kreia had just said.

　I don't think the whole thing was a lie. The way Kreia looked like she was about to die, it was probably true that Klimt had disappeared at the gate.

　However, since Kreia was able to reach Ithaca without being attacked by any pursuers, I could not take this incident at face value.

　--Someone is trying to use Kreia to lure me to Onigashima. That was not a guess anymore, but a certainty.

　As I walked down the corridor, I remembered Kreia's face from earlier. Her eyes were dimpled, her cheeks were hollow, her hair was shaggy, and combined with her original hair color, she looked like an old woman. Her skin had turned earthy white, and if the seals had not found her last night, she would have died at the gate.

　From that, we can assume that Kreia herself had nothing to do with the plot. Then why was Kreia used to lure me out?


"Did they think that I'd fallen in love with them while they were holding me hostage?


　I clicked my tongue. Thinking about it, there was a hint that Ayaka thought so too. It's no wonder someone else thought the same thing.

　If I were to accept Kreia's request and help Klimt, I would have to go through the gate no matter what.

　I can either bow to the Mikado family and ask for permission, or I can force my way through. The former would be tantamount to surrendering to the Mikken family, while the latter would mean becoming a true criminal. Either choice would put me in a difficult situation.

　And that's exactly what the person who came up with this plan wants.

　So what if I do neither of those things and choose to abandon Kreia?

　Maybe that someone thinks that I'll be able to get rid of the interloper in that case.

　--If that is the case, the source of the plan may be Gilmore. However, it is difficult to imagine that Gilmore would take into account something as uncertain as "sentiment," so there is a possibility that someone else has come up with the idea.

　Whoever the ringleader is, using my sister's feelings for my brother to frame me is a method I don't like at all.

　But it did give me a chance. I suppose I should be grateful for that.

　What kind of opportunity?　Of course, the chance to enter the demon gate.

　One day Klimt told me that there were plenty of demons inside the gate that could rival the illusions.

　Naturally, I was interested. However, since there were the aforementioned problems in order to pass through the demon gate, and the problem of Hydra's poison was still unresolved, I could not take action until now.

　However, when the Mokken family unexpectedly initiated the trick, my hope became feasible.

　I would use this trick to my advantage, and make my opponent gloat.

　Fortunately, I have the means to do so. I will pass through the gate without bowing to the Mikado family, without committing any crimes, and in a way that cancels out Kreia's accumulated sins.

　I'll think about Klimt after I pass through the gate. To be honest, I don't care if he's alive or dead... well, he's probably alive. He's the kind of guy who'd slurp down mud to keep his sister alive.

　I laughed sarcastically and made a plan of action in my head.