The High Priestess had already gathered.
　It was just as I calculated.
　Because Albus had adjusted the time to show that he was in control.
　Albus sat down on the top seat and glowered at the four High Priests.
　The four High Priests had beards and good-natured smiles.
　Albus realizes it's nothing more than mimicry.
　The High Priests are smiling a snake's smile.
　Smiling, they are looking for an opportunity to swallow us whole.

''........I heard that there were bandits on the East-West Highway....

　It was the High Priestess Flaum of the Temple of Loess that initiated the event.
　The fifth meeting often begins with a chatty exchange of ideas.
　I've heard that bandits have been appearing in the East-West Roads, too.
　However, the amount of damage caused is insignificant.
　Rather, the damage caused by hoarding and reluctance to sell is greater.
　This is a problem that must be dealt with at some point, but now is not the time.
　After a somewhat feverish correspondence, it was decided to tell the congregation not to be misled by the quotations.

'We have heard that General Ignis has begun trading with you. That too at the same time that the bandits appeared.
Ha, ha.

　When High Priest Wilidis, the High Priest of the Green Temple, said in a ridiculous tone, High Priest Rufus, the High Priest of the Crimson Temple, shuddered with a jolt.
　Ever since Ignis had become a general, Rufus had been languishing at the bottom of the pecking order.
　Even so, Rufus has maintained his position as High Priestess in the Crimson Temple because no one wants to draw a poor one.

''I've also heard that King Magnus has asked for help from the Cepheus Empire.
"My God, King Magnus is going to sell out his country!
To rely on a nation of treasonous assassins, of all places!

　Albus said, and Wilidis and Flaum bemoaned the exaggeration.

'My country and the Cepheus Empire have a peace treaty. It would not be surprising if King Magnus asked for your help.'

　Albus said in a flat tone.
　There was a feeling of resentment at being declared hostile.
　But there was also a desire to admire King Magnus.
　'The Temple' often acts as a mediator when the lords have disputes over tolls and other issues.
　I'm not sure I'm going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.
　A new trade route could upset that balance.
　In hindsight, this might be why King Magnus did not oppose General Ignis' transfer.

''However, we cannot deny the possibility that the Cepheus Empire is hiding its true intentions. We must prepare for a contingency. We must gather information for that purpose.
Well, then, I've already taken care of that, sir.

　When Albus looked at him, the High Priest Leum of the 'Blue Temple' puffed out his nose in a proud manner.
　Leum is the most obvious man among the High Priests.
　To put it simply, he loves color.
　'I guess power is just a tool for holding a woman in his arms,' he said.

'What steps have you taken?
Sneaking a spy in.

　Leum grinned.

'According to reports, the man I had sent from the Cepheus Empire was Crono and...'

　The man who killed the Gion Officer, Albus almost clicked his tongue.
　At that moment, Albus was greatly reduced in his ability to speak out.
　He was someone to be wary of.

'Crono repeatedly pretends to have the sub-humans under his command attack and defeat the village, and that he's been cooking up a soup kitchen for vagrants lately.
....

　Albus couldn't say anything.
　I can't read Crono's intentions.
　No, I can see that he is trying to get Ignis to have more of a say, but I can't read where it goes from there.

''In any case, we should be vigilant.
Of course.

　Albus said, and Leum nodded.
　Although, Albus didn't expect Leum to obey him silently.

*

　Sion-san started laughing a lot~, Crono looked down at the garden from the Ignis mansion.......the room that was addressed to him.
　Sion and Aqua were chatting in the garden.
　Crono wondered how long they had been friends, and Crono fished his memory as he leaned his weight against the wall.
　If Crono's memory was correct, it hadn't been since the fake Night Ranger incident.
　Back then, Crono had left Theon and Aqua at the inn.
　Something must have happened there.

'Oh, you're snooping?'
It's not like that.

　Crono turned around and frowned.
　A dull ache ran through his body.
　It's a reaction to the "Marking Technique".
　Apparently it was a bad idea to run up the wall.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

''It's best not to use the 'imprinting technique' too much.
I'll do my best.

　It's been a year since he acquired the Marking Technique, but Crono hasn't mastered the Marking Technique.
　It's not a good idea to be able to have a good time.

"While saying that, Crono will probably end up using the 'imprinting technique'.
No, it's not.

　Hmmm, Rio replied unenthusiastically.
　He seemed convinced that he was lying rather than suspecting.

'Ah~ You've been laughing a lot lately, Sion-san, haven't you?

　When Crono blatantly dropped the subject, Rio chuckled as if he had no choice.

'You don't think that's a good thing Crono, do you?
Do you understand?
I mean, who can tell with a scary face like that?

　Rio got off the bed and moved to face Crono.

'Why does Crono look so scared?'
...Aqua-san...

　Crono looked at Aqua through the window and remembered the first time they met.

'I think Aqua-san is a spy in The Temple,'
What makes you think that?

　Rio gave an amused smile.

'When I first met you, you told me you were interested in me or something.
....

　Rio stopped moving with a smile on his face.

'No woman has ever approached me with any ulterior motive.

　Crono assured him, and Rio looked at Crono like he was looking at the poor kid.

'Crono, you need to get some rest today,'
'Because it's weird. Aqua-san says she's interested in me for blowing off General Ignis' arm?

　Oh," Rio nodded, finally getting the point across.
　Aqua was an old acquaintance of Ignis.
　Normally, you wouldn't treat someone who took the arm of someone you know in a friendly manner.

'That's the way it is. The rest is a process of elimination.''
A de facto choice doesn't mean elimination.
You're right.

　Rio was right.
　The two factions of the Holy Argo Kingdom are the King's faction and the 'Temple' faction.
　With Ignis, the King faction has no reason to send spies to them.
　There is only one option left.

"It seems short-sighted to think that the only enemy is the 'Temple,' though.
'Yeah, but if you start saying that, it's hard to narrow down where the spy is. The only possibility is that he actually hates General Ignis.
You don't have to.

　Crono tilted his head, unsure of the meaning.

'This is enemy territory, you know. Anyone can be an enemy and anyone can be a spy. I don't want you to get along with the enemy in that sense.'
If you know that.
'I don't have a hobby of giving you advice, knowing you won't like it. Well, if you're on good terms with someone, you'll probably give them some advice for once.

　Crono groaned at Rio's dryness.
　But if Rio was terrible, Crono, who had brought Theon along with him with the intention of using him from the beginning, was even worse.
　As Crono moved away from the window, Rio let out a sigh.

'You're going to go out of your way to make me hate you?'
I have a responsibility to you.

　He was responsible for bringing Theon to the Holy Argo Kingdom, for knowing that Theon was troubled and leaving him to figure it out on his own, and for failing to be vigilant about Aqua.



　I tried to jump out of the way but.......I can't warn you if you're with Aqua-san, Crono hid in the shadows of the tree and waited for the right moment to come out.
　However, Sion and Aqua are happily continuing their conversation.
　Still, they have good smiles on their faces~, Crono thought.
　The Zion smile Crono knew was an understated smile.
　It's different now.
　Sion turns that smile on Aqua, making him feel that his surroundings have brightened up.

'Hey, what are you doing?'
.....

　Crono reflexively turned around and patted his chest in relief.
　Because it was Ignis who was standing behind him.

'Oh, hey. What is it, General Ignis, that you are doing?'
I've been summoned to King's Landing.
What?

　Crono's voice flipped over in surprise.

''You've been called to King's Landing and you're on a mission on the king's orders, right?
The High Priests are harassing us.

　Ignis spat and started to walk towards the gate.
　Crono panicked and followed Ignis.
　Ignis noticed that Crono was following him, and he quickly slowed his pace.

''The operation is working better than I expected. I think they're planning to put pressure on us.'

　Ignis said with a wild smile.
　The harassment of the 'Temple' should not be fun for Ignis, but on the other hand, he's probably also happy to have given the 'Temple' a whirl.

'Does that mean we can't skip it?'
'I can't. If it was a call from them, I'd ignore it too, but I'm taking the appearance of a royal command. I can't ignore it.

　It's getting nasty, Crono frowned.
　I don't know if the "Temple" is aware of Crono's intentions, but it's not a bad move to divide our forces.
　If Ignis isn't there, that's enough to hinder our activities.
　Totally, always, always, Crono gritted his teeth.
　Whenever the operation was going well, it was always interrupted.

'Don't worry. When I'm not around, you can count on Aqua.

　I don't trust that Mr. Aqua, and that's what bothers me!　And Crono swallowed the words that came out to his throat.

'What kind of person is Aqua-san?'
Well yes.

　Ignis paused and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

'Aqua is a respectful colleague. We are both concerned about the future of our country and are like-minded. The rest of us are childhood friends.

　Crono was in a mood to hold his head up.
　Aqua was not suited to be a spy.
　Even Crono, who had never met him before, felt uncomfortable with Aqua.
　Ignis's eyes could only be described as cloudy.
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
　But the trust in Aqua is clouding Ignis' judgment.
　Ignis started walking again.
　The boxcarriage was stopped in front of the gate.
　Ignis got into the boxcarriage and looked at Crono.

'As for the matter of deporting the sub-humans out of the country, I'll advise King Magnus. This should make it easier for the old lady to move.
....

　The boxcarriage begins to move.
　Crono could only watch the boxcarriage with Ignis in it in silence.



　When Crono returned to the garden, there was no sign of Aqua.
　He looked around.
　Sion was reading a book on a decaying bench in a corner of the garden.
　Crono approached Sion unnoticed.
　There is a dry sound of cracking.
　He had stepped on a fallen twig.
　I failed, Crono frowned.
　Theon looked up and looked at Crono curiously.

'Hey, hey, how are you doing?'
Okay.

　So what?　The tone of voice is as if to say.
　Crono sat down next to Sion.
　The bench creaked as Crono protested.
　How should he cut it out?　And Crono stole a glance at Sion.
　Sion closed his book and straightened his back.

'Well, Sion, you've been talking to Aqua-san a lot lately, haven't you?
Oh, no, I mean, I'm just asking for advice!

　Sion panicked and waved his hands from side to side as if in denial... or rather, as if to cover up his embarrassment.
　Theon stopped his hand snappily and looked down as if he was ashamed of himself from earlier.

'I'm really just asking for advice.
'I've been too busy to give you much advice either. I knew you'd be able to talk to General Aqua.
''Well, I'm only consulting with you one-sidedly but Aqua-sama was so accommodating!　Oh, sorry.

　Theon leaned forward excitedly and immediately turned over in embarrassment.
　Apparently, Aqua's stock is surging in Sion's mind.
　Wasn't it called being a caterer to deliberately fish out the stock price?　And the scant financial knowledge went through Crono's mind.

'We're close, you know. It's a good thing, but we're in hostile territory.'
...?

　Theon tilted his head in wonder.
　Crono felt like holding his head up.
　This was the second time today.

''Well, if anything, ah, Aqua-san is a person who is closer to the Holy Argo Kingdom.
'Does Crono-sama think that Aqua-sama is the enemy?'

　Sion's eyes took a turn for the worse.
　Even two years ago, Sion wouldn't have stared at me with such a stern look.

''No, it's not that, but I still think we should be on guard.

　I think, Crono couldn't finish. Because Theon stood up silently.

''I don't feel well, so I'm going to go to my room to rest.
Oh, yeah?　Take care of yourself.

　Theon walked towards the mansion with a rough gait.
　Crono leaned back against the back of the bench and let out a loud sigh.
　When was the last time he'd let out such a loud sigh?　It's a grand sigh that makes you think.

'If you sigh, your happiness will escape.
I let out a sigh as my happiness fled.

　Crono looked up and saw that Elaine was about to sit on the bench.
　For some reason, the bench didn't creak when Elaine sat down.

'You're not in a dress today?'
The one that doesn't have a negotiation.

　Elaine said as if it were natural.
　
　Elaine's dress was erotic, but it was still erotic enough.
　I can feel the eros in her pulled hair.

'Did you see that?'
Yeah, it was a fun spectacle.

　'Gutsy,' frowned Crono.

'You reacted like a woman with a boyfriend who said bad things about him to a woman with a boyfriend.
I can't tell if it's easy to understand or hard to understand.

　Crono grunted and looked up at the sky.

'I was offended when someone said something bad about the object of my dependency. Should I have said that?
Dependents?

　Crono sat up and looked at Elaine.

'Doesn't it seem like you've been through a lot, Priestess-sama?　I was able to tap into that void in my heart. It's like falling in love with a guy who's been nice to you for a bit.
The metaphor is easy to understand.

　Crono sneered.

'If you'd been a little nicer to him, the Chief Priestess would be your several mistresses by now, wouldn't she?
I don't like the idea of exploiting someone's weaknesses.

　Hmm, Elaine gave an amused smile and looked at Crono with an amused smile.
　It's a s*xy gesture that may be creepy.

I'm sure you've been taking advantage of other people's weaknesses. Are you now awakened to your conscience?
No.....

　Crono's head snapped up this time, thinking about the time with Layla, the landlady, Elena, and, if you think about it, Rio... Arididid and Deneb, and Faye, too, if you say they took advantage of a weakness, you might say that.

'Maybe I'm a terrible guy.
"Maybe.

　Elaine looked at Crono with eyes that seemed to see something incomprehensible.

'I'll be a bad guy.'

　Crono clenched his fists and stood up.

'If you try to hug the Chief Priestess right now, she'll resist. I mean, that's just rape.
Yes, sir.

　Crono sat down on the bench as Elaine pointed out to him.

'What am I supposed to do?'
'The Chief Priestess has made her own decision, so why don't you just let it go?
Not so fast.
It's a pain in the ass.

　Elaine said with a frown.
　Apparently, Elaine thinks it's troublesome from the bottom of her heart.

''Well, no matter which one you choose, you won't get badly hurt, so you can do what you want to do.

　Ideally, it would have been ideal to fit in a circle~, Crono said, standing up.



Lord Theon is asleep in his room, don't you think?
Yes, sir.

　Crono returned to the mansion, ready to go, and was shot down by Faye's words.
　I don't know if it was a temporary illness or unfaithful sleeping, but I can't just step into the room.

'Speaking of which, is Faye sharing a room with Sion-san?
Yes, sir.

　Faye nodded.
　The room assignments were Crono and Rio, Faye and Sion had two rooms, and Leonhard and Elaine had a single room.
　The deputy, Shilo, and Hiilo are not in the guest room, but use the large room for servants.

''Lately, Sion-dono has been spending a lot of time in Aqua-dono's room, and he only comes back to his room when he's going to bed. Mmm, I shouldn't have warned you about this.
Oh, I'm advising you.

　Crono couldn't help but say something rude.

''You are the one who takes care of your disciples, Lord Sion. As a master, I don't want to do anything that would make it impossible for you to face your disciple.''
Faye, you've grown up.

　Crono muttered sincerely.

'What is Faye going to do after this?'
I was just about to take a swing in the garden, sir. How about you, Crono-sama?
I'll go out with you.

*

　In the evening, Crono headed to the dining room, enduring the pain in his body.
　Faye had said that he could swing with his bare hands, but I should say still, it wasn't enough to just swing with his bare hands.
　The flailing turned into randori, and the randori turned into mock combat... By the time the swordsmanship training was over, Crono had wounds all over his body.

"I think I can sleep well today, sir.
Faye looks great!

　Unlike Crono, Faye is very energetic and full of energy.
　Crono would be able to sleep well if he was this exhausted.
　When Crono entered the dining room, Rio, Leonhardt, Sion and Aqua were already seated.
　Bread and soup were laid out on the table.
　The food was prepared by the servants working in Ignis' mansion.
　It seems that Ignis doesn't hire servants with the expectation of skills, so the dishes on the table are home-cooked, or country cooking, or something like that.

''Hey, how are you feeling?''
I'm feeling better now that I've had some rest.

　Crono asked, and Theon replied in a rugged voice.
　Apparently, Theon was still angry.
　Faye tapped Crono on the shoulder as if she cared.
　Crono sat down in an empty seat and picked up his spoon.
　It was as quiet as a wake.
　Only the occasional sound of dishes touching each other could be heard.
　Crono mechanically moved his hands and mouth to flatten his food.

'May I have a moment?'

　As Crono lifted his hips from the chair, Aqua opened his mouth.
　Crono sat back in his chair and looked at Aqua.

'It's planned for the future, but more people are coming to the soup kitchen, and we want to keep the soup kitchen going while Ignis is gone.'

　Aqua looked around to see if he could see a reaction.
　Theon's eyes are shining, but Rio has a mocking smile on his face.
　Leonhardt has his eyes closed.
　Faye was getting a refill.

'What does Lord Crono think?'

　Shall I dump it on me here?" frowned Crono.
　Of course, the answer is no, of course.
　I can't do anything that would make me fall into the enemy's trap myself.
　That's what Aqua understands.

''I'm against it.
'Master Crono!　Why is that?

　It was Sion who responded to Crono's words.

'It's because it's useless without General Ignis. He will win over the surrounding lords with trade and gain the support of the people with skits and soup kitchens. It's not for us. It's to give General Ignis more of a voice, so that he can compete with The Temple. It's for the benefit of the Empire.

　Crono cut off the words and stared at Theon. It's not a lie. At least, that's what it's ostensibly supposed to be, and it's working to appear that way.

'I'll say it again, because it's important. It doesn't mean anything without General Ignis.
I don't think it would be a problem for Mr. Aqua to install the support.

　It's a problem, and I'm against it!　And Crono was tempted to yell at him, but he barely restrained himself.

'Good?　There's a lot of money at work in this operation. They are spending a lot of money to try to gain the support of the people. If the people's support is split between General Ignis and Mr. Aqua, that's how much money we're wasting.

　When Crono mentioned the money, Sion almost opened his mouth to argue, and he looked down in frustration.
　Aqua touched Sion's shoulder in concern.

''Is money that important to you?''
It's important.

　Crono answered immediately.
　Theon was muttering something, but Crono ignored him and got up from his seat.



　Crono returned to his room and collapsed onto his bed.
　Anger at Theon and Aqua swirled in Crono's chest.
　Crono remembered Theon's attitude and clicked his tongue at the thought of being brainwashed so easily.

'Geez, Crono must be very angry.
I'm not in the mood for flattery.

　Rio cowered his shoulders as Crono picked himself up and sat down on his own bed.

'For someone who says he's not in the mood, you're keeping up with me.
Yeah?

　Crono lay back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

'What did Mr. Theon say?'
I'm here because I didn't want to hear it.

　Rio crossed his legs gracefully, resting his elbows on his thighs and poking his cheekbones.

'Rio is an expert on the doctrine of the 'Green and Flowing God'?
As I've said before, I'm not a religious man. Are you finally going to cut him off?
That's not very polite.

　'But,' continued Crono, 'I don't know.

'Do you think we'll have to do that if we don't?　I don't care if it's just a mission, but the lives of my friends are at stake, too.
You're going to get stabbed when you get back to your estate.

　Crono giggled and looked at Rio.

'How did you come to that conclusion?'
Lord Theon is the type of person who thinks things through. He must have felt bitter that he'd been betrayed and... gasp, you know.

　It seemed possible, and Crono could easily picture himself being stabbed by Theon.
　However, Crono could easily picture himself about to be killed by Rio rather than the image of himself being stabbed by Sion.

'At any rate, for now, let's talk about the mission.

　Think about it, Crono couldn't get the last word out.
　Because Rio held up his index finger near his lips.
　After a moment, there was a knock on the door.
　Crono signaled to Rio with his eyes and slowly approached the door.
　Crono cautiously opened the door and found Aqua standing in the hallway.
　Crono saw that Rio had moved into Aqua's blind spot and opened the door.

'I need to talk to you again,'
'I'm done talking. We're not going to do skits and cookouts without General Ignis.
'Yes, I know you're working to make the mission a success. But I also want you to think about Zion-san.

　Aqua began to speak as if she was seriously concerned about Sion.
　How anxious Sion was in the unfamiliar foreign land.
　How much was Sion suffering from the situation that he couldn't do anything about?
　And how Sion had finally regained his peace of mind after the cookout began.
　Crono was irritated by Aqua's words.
　The blatant switching of arguments only seemed to want to piss Crono off.

'There has to be something more important than money,'

　For a moment, his mind went blank.
　Crono found himself grabbing Aqua's chest.
　Just as Crono opened his mouth to curse at Aqua, a faint sound reached Crono's ears.
　Crono pushed Aqua away and looked down the hallway, but there was no one there.
　No one was there, but Crono could tell who was there.
　It was Theon.
　Just like Crono had Rio lurking in his blind spot, Aqua had Sion lurking in his blind spot.

''Well the story is over.

　Aqua smiled thinly.
　It was a schemer's smile.
　Crono wondered if he should kill Aqua, but understood that he couldn't do it right away.
　Ignis trusts Aqua.
　If even King Magnus trusts Aqua, Crono will have to be hunted as a murderer.
　That's not all.
　The peace treaty could be broken.
　Crono let go of his hand and stared at the back of Aqua, who was leaving with ease.
　No, all he could do was glare at her.



　The next day.

"General, we've got a problem! (BUMO!)
.....

　Crono was awakened by the wild voice of his second-in-command.
　It was a loud voice that shook the entire mansion.
　When Crono jumped out of the room, the second in command rushed over to him.

''General, General Aqua and Sion-sama aren't here.'' (Bumo~)
Rio!
You don't have to call me. I'll be awake. I'm sure a corpse would wake up if it heard that much hollering.

　Rio sat up languidly.

'Is it really that much to worry about?'
"When White and Hairo heard the sound of the wheel...

　Why didn't you stop him?　Crono almost shouted, but he weighed himself.
　There was no way he could imagine the worst from the sound of the wheels alone, and now there was something to do.

'Rio, wake everyone up and stay in the mess hall!　Mino-san........Mino-san and the others are in the cafeteria waiting!　I'm going to go gather information.
I've already collected information. According to the servants, General Aqua and Lord Theon have left to do a soup kitchen in the city of Karina.
We have to hurry up and catch up!

　Six hours by carriage to the city of Carina.......Just thinking about where Aqua and Sion are going now makes me feel hopeless.
　There's also the question of whether Aqua is really going to get to the city of Carina.
　But Crono can't afford to do nothing.

'Anyway, horses!　Horse after horse!　Elaine!　Horse, make the horses available!

　Crono yelled.



He's a bad horse!

　Crono looked at the horses gathered in the garden and screamed.
　The four horses gathered in the garden they were all skinny old horses.
　Instead of catching up with Aqua and Sion, they could die just by running as fast as they could with people on them.

''How can I catch up with them with something like this?''
'Excuse me. This was the most decent horse I've ever seen.

　Elaine's willow eyebrows arched up at Crono's words.

'd*mn it, think, think, there must be something we can do.
'Crono, I'm sorry to be in the middle of thinking about this,'
What!

　Rio is unperturbed when Crono yells at him.

'Do you need to go help?'
There must be...

　Crono noticed Leonhardt, who was unperturbed.

'Crono wants to help because he has feelings for her. But I and Lord Leonhardt don't have that much of a feeling for her. At least, I don't feel the need to put everyone's lives in danger.

　Crono couldn't argue with Rio.
　Even Crono had thought last night that he couldn't risk everyone's lives by falling into Aqua's trap.
　That was wavering.

'Still, you're going to help?'
I ...

　Crono remembered the events of yesterday.
　Theon hadn't listened to Crono's advice and had been blind to Aqua.

'I'm going to help,'
Why?
'Because I made a promise. I don't want to be the kind of man who breaks his word.

　How selfish, Crono grumbled.
　People who put the whole thing at risk because of their personal beliefs and convictions shouldn't be above people.
　Crono knew that, but he couldn't abandon the people he knew.

'I can't blame him. If Crono says so much, I'll go along with him. 'What about Lord Leonhardt?'
I'm responsible for adopting Mister Crono's plan.

　That's not an answer, Rio chuckled.
　Apparently, Leonhard is willing to help.

'But how are we going to catch up?
That's........divine magic!
With Activation, you can make any horse run like a warhorse. We'll run out of steam long before we reach the city of Kalina.
'Shit, there's got to be something. Something.

　Crono chewed on his claws as he thought of a way to catch up to Aqua and Theon.

*

　Theon deftly lit the firewood, saying that he had to make preparations before General Aqua returned.
　Right now, General Aqua was not next to Theon.
　He is going to the lord who rules the city of Karina.
　Sion's lips twitched as he recalled the events of last night.
　Crono's attitude is not good.
　That was no way for General Aqua to stand up to him.
　Not only that, Crono had tried to violate General Aqua.
　If I had to do that to myself, I would have backed down.
　But General Aqua was not deterred.
　He said sincerely that he was going to hold the cookout on his own and get Crono's approval.
　Theon offered to help.
　I'm confident I'll succeed.
　This is the fifth time that Sion has held a soup kitchen in the city of Karina.
　Lately, more people have joined the soup kitchen and more opportunities to exchange words with each other.
　Crono will acknowledge me.
　If you ask me, Crono had General Aqua waiting at the inn when the false night rangers attacked the inn where they were staying.
　It seemed to make sense if Crono didn't approve of General Aqua.

'You've kept me waiting,'
No.

　Theon looked up and his eyes widened in surprise.
　General Aqua had nearly twenty soldiers in tow.
　The lord was with him.
　For some reason, the lord had his hands tied with a rope.
　The rope was so loose that it looked as if it might fall off at any moment.

''Um, General Aqua?　Who are those people?
I guess I should apologize first. I'm sorry. I'm a spy for The Temple.

　General Aqua said in a dark, subdued voice, as if he was sincerely sorry.

'Lies, right?　General Aqua was consulted.
"I'm sorry, but I really am a spy. I approached you because I thought it would be easier to fool you.

　General Aqua's face contorted in pain.

'There's something, some reason, isn't there?'
I have my reasons. But that's it. What I've done is unforgivable, and what I'm about to do is unforgivable.

　Theon stared at General Aqua, stunned.
　General Aqua hadn't changed at all.
　That was excruciatingly sad.

''I'll at least ask him not to be horrible, but don't hold your breath.

　The soldiers moved as General Aqua gave him a look.
　Theon turned his back to General Aqua and ran out, a breath later.



　Theon moved his feet frantically.
　He didn't have time to think about why he wasn't caught sooner.
　He just kept moving his legs because he was scared.
　I'm desperately trying to move my legs.
　It had to be.
　But I didn't feel like I was running.
　No, don't look back, Sion told himself.
　But there was no way to control the anxiety.
　Sion gave in to the anxiety and looked behind him over his shoulder.
　Then the soldiers were about to split up.
　General Aqua had a languid look on his face and his arms were crossed.
　Theon was desperate, but he had only run far enough to be able to check General Aqua's expression.
　The moment he understood that, the power drained from Sion's legs.
　Where should he run to?　Theon panted loudly as he was swept away to the easy side again, and this time he didn't even have a place to return to.
　The back of his eyeballs went numb and his vision blurred.

''..........!''

　Theon exploded a scream in the back of his throat.
　Several hands reached out from the side of the street and dragged Sion into the alleyway.
　Theon remembered General Aqua's words and flapped his limbs.
　The alleyway was dimly lit and reeked of sweat.

'Be quiet, Priestess, be quiet!'
...?

　The voice sounded like it was from somewhere else.
　When Theon stopped his rampage, the owner of the voice let out a breath of relief.

'What about you?'
The other day I had a gift of food.

　'Uhehe,' the man scratched his head.

'Why me?'
It's just a way of repaying the kindness you've given me. If we abandon the priest who is in trouble, he will be punished by the gods. We'll lead you to safety.

　We ... the guy was right, there were a few vagrants lurking in the alley.

'Come on, come on,'

　With that, the man began to run.
　Theon wondered if the men were fooling him, but he decided to comply.
　Maybe he was halfway to desperation.
　As it turned out, Theon hadn't made the wrong choice.
　Sion and his men had encountered the soldiers many times, but the men sometimes lied and sometimes used themselves as bait to keep the soldiers away from Sion.
　When Theon approached the outer edges of the city, the man was alone.

''It's okay, right?''
I know the city like the back of my hand.

　The man smiled happily.
　Sion tilted his head, not knowing why the man was smiling so happily.
　Theon went through the alleyway and fell with a flourish.
　It took a few moments for him to realize that he had been pushed out of the way.
　And those few moments were all it took.
　The man slumped heavily.
　It was more of a reflex than a will of his own.
　He was pierced from behind with a blade, a reflection of that.
　The man falls.
　The soldier roughly pulled his sword from the man and reached for Theon.
　Sion strengthened himself.
　At that moment, a hand reached out from behind the soldier.
　The hand sliced deeply into the soldier's neck with the dagger.
　Blood gushed from the soldier's neck.
　The soldier falls down.
　It was Crono who was standing there.

''Crono-sama?''
I'm running, Miss Theon.

　Crono grabbed Sion's wrist carelessly.

'Well, wait!'
He's too late for that.

　Theon stared at the man.
　The man did not move.
　He smiled a satisfied smile and was dead.

'Mr. Theon!'

　Crono shouted and stepped in front of Theon.
　A black light colored Crono's body.
　It's a secret art of the barbarians called the 'imprinting art'.
　Sion's vision blurred for a moment.
　He was struck by a sensation that the air around him had changed.
　The next moment, something flying at high speed snatched Sion's ear.
　When Sion reflexively turned around, the walls were frozen in place.

''You seemed so close, but you're relentless.
You're here.

　When Theon returned his gaze, General Aqua was standing there with a languid expression on his face.
　Beside him was the lord with his hands tied.

''You there........why are you tied up?''
'I told him to tie himself up. I guess he didn't want Ignis to think that he was hostile to Ignis or the 'Temple', did he?

　General Aqua held up his hand.
　The air turned white, and tiny icicles formed a few inches away from General Aqua's hand.
　The tiny icicles grew to the length of a spear in the blink of an eye.
　Faster than General Aqua could release the ice spear, Crono moved.
　When I say moved, I mean that Crono only twitched slightly.
　General Aqua was not caught off guard.
　He tried to determine the identity of the transparent gravel that Crono had flicked with his fingers.
　Then, a flash and roar burst forth.
　The flash and roar brought Sion's thoughts to a halt.
　It must have been the same for General Aqua and the others.
　Crono took a moment to pick up Sion.
　Crono's cloak puffed up and an ice spear pierced its center.

''Let's run!

　With that, Crono kicked the earth.



　I didn't think it was a big deal for being able to get through Ignis, but it's terribly formidable, Aqua said as she followed Crono.
　The distance between Aqua and Crono is not more than ten meters.
　It's a distance that Aqua should be able to close down easily.
　In fact, Aqua had cornered Crono many times.
　Once, her fingers even touched Crono's clothes.
　But each time Crono escaped from Aqua.
　Crono used magic items to dazzle Aqua and even threw stones at the wary Aqua.
　It seemed to be an escape move, but then he turned around and attacked.
　Aqua frowned at the dull pain that crawled up from her abdomen.
　Crono's footprints were clearly left on Aqua's military uniform.
　Crono kicked him.
　Though Crono is more than Aqua......although he is wounded to the point of dripping blood.

''God!''

　Aqua produced a spear of ice in her left and right hands and released it at Crono.
　The ice spear thrusts into Crono's back as if it were sucked in, and when it was almost there, it deviated from the trajectory Aqua had envisioned.
　The ice spear pierces the ground and freezes the area around it.
　Maybe this is the power of the 'imprint technique'.
　Something seems to be deflecting my attack, but it doesn't seem to have a high level of defense, Aqua narrowed her eyes.

''Let's ... try it.''

　Aqua created ice arrows instead of ice spears.
　Ice arrows are less powerful than ice spears, but they are faster and can produce more.

''Go!''

　Aqua released an ice arrow.
　The target was not Crono, but above Crono's head.
　As Aqua clenched her fist, the icy arrows fell on Crono like rain.
　The ice arrows were blocked by something invisible.
　Aqua fired the second and third blows at it in rapid succession.
　The second and third blows pierced something protecting Crono, snatching Crono's arms, his legs, and some of them pierced Crono's back.
　Aqua felt a sense of satisfaction that his prediction had been correct.
　Something that protected Crono seemed to be more vulnerable to numbers than power.
　It was possible that Crono hadn't mastered the 'imprinting technique', but Crono was weak in numbers anyway.

''So you can still move.''

　Aqua shot an ice arrow at Crono as he tried to escape.
　Crono fell to the ground, and this time he stopped moving.

'You almost got away,'

　Aqua looked around and let out a sigh.
　It was outside the city.
　If Aqua had been slow to realize the properties of the 'Marking Technique', Crono might have been able to escape with Sion.

''General Aqua!''
Don't let your guard down.

　Aqua warned the nine soldiers who had finally caught up with him.
　Well, sometimes it was Aqua who was leading the way.
　Aqua stopped as she felt Crono move.
　Crono was moving.
　It was because Theon had crawled out from under Crono.
　Sion was covered in blood, but there was not a scratch on him.
　The blood would be all Crono's.
　Aqua was relieved that he hadn't hurt Theon, but at the same time, he was jealous that Theon was protected.
　Aqua walked up to Crono and Sion.
　That's when she felt uncomfortable.
　Aqua didn't know that Crono could use the 'Imprint Technique'.
　When Ignis lost his right arm, did he say that he had been killed by a man who used the 'Marking Technique'?
　Did Ignis get piggybacked by a man who could only use the 'Marking Technique'?　It can't be.
　If so, how?　And Aqua slowed her pacing without knowing it herself.
　That's when Crono moved.
　Aqua felt herself in danger and flew to the side as quickly as she could.
　A jet black sphere passed right beside Aqua and touched the soldier behind her.
　In the next moment, a large hole opened up in the soldier's chest.
　The soldier's body disappeared along with the jet-black sphere.

''Avoid it!''

　Aqua shouted, but this was out of town.
　Unobstructed.
　Aqua caught a jet-black sphere out of the corner of her eye and placed her hand on the ground.

'God!'

　Water spurted out of the ground and served as a wall to protect Aqua.
　But the jet black sphere approached Aqua as if there was no such thing as a wall of water.

''........God!

　Aqua prayed to God.
　It's not to use the divine threat art to protect himself.
　It was to use the Divine Majesty Technique to attack Chrono.
　Aqua pulls the jet-black sphere to the very edge, twisting his body and falling to the ground.
　The jet-black sphere touches the military uniform and disappears.
　A hole is left open in the military uniform, but Aqua is unharmed.
　Aqua releases a spear of ice.
　The new jet-black sphere disappears far in front of Aqua.
　Aqua raised her body and patted her chest.
　The spear of ice had pierced Crono.



Lady Crono!

　Theon crawled over to Crono.
　Crono was pierced by an ice spear released by General Aqua.
　The ice spear pierced Crono's side and stitched him to the ground.
　Theon tightened his grip on the ice spear to pull it out and pulled his hand away from the ice spear in too much pain.
　When Theon looked at his hand, he saw that a blister had formed on his palm.
　This stuff.........!　Theon realized that the ice spear was a terrifying weapon and gripped it again.
　White smoke rose and a burning pain hit Sion.

''Enough,''
'No!　It's my fault, because of me, because of me!

　Theon shouted.
　But even though Sion struggled to put all his strength into it, the ice spear did not move.
　Sion sat there with his grip on the ice spear.

''Hurry up and run. I'll hold them off here.''
No!

　Theon cried and shook his head.

'Teng........kagura.

　Crono muttered something and a jet black sphere appeared.
　The jet-black sphere split the ice spear apart.
　The ice spear collapsed and Sion removed his hand from the ice spear.



　Theon gasped at the horrific scene.
　Crono pulled off the ice spear by force.
　There was a buzzing sound of something shredding, and blood and flesh poured out of a gaping hole in Crono's side.

''Master Crono!''

　Crono was trying to raise his body to support his sword.
　General Aqua and eight soldiers approached.

'There was something I had to tell you.

　Crono kneels with his sword in support.
　Crono can't even stand up.

'Humans, you know, are crippled.

　Theon looked at Crono.
　Crippling?　A nobleman like Lord Crono?

You're always limited in your options. The future isn't infinite.

　Crono tightened his grip on the necklace and closed his eyes.

'Still, I'm sure it will be worth it.

　There is no such thing.
　It was lost along with the Divine Majesty Technique.

"There will be bad times and painful times, but...

　It was all bad.
　I've been through a lot.

"You can't deny it. You can't say you wish you'd never met him, that he killed you.

　Theon finally realizes this.
　Crono knew people who had lived terribly crippled lives.
　You want to affirm those people's lives.
　They want to believe that their lives have meaning.

"...I, I,

　There were things I was happy about, I had fun.
　There were a lot of things.
　So why did I deny it to myself?

"...Dad.

　Would my father have said anything resentful?
　No.
　He had a peaceful look on his face.
　He wasn't happy.
　He devoted his life to breeding vegetables and died unrewarded.
　But if he didn't deserve it.
　My father was satisfied.
　He was satisfied.

''Ten........ra, tensou, kagu......celestial cardinal divine music.

　Jet-black spheres float around Crono.
　Their number exceeds twenty, and the number is growing even more.
　Crono was bleeding from his eyes and nose, wondering how much of a load he was under.

''........Heavenly Cardinal Kagura!

　The number of jet-black spheres exceeded forty and rushed to General Aqua.
　General Aqua attacked the jet black spheres with ice arrows.
　No, no.
　General Aqua's goal was Crono.
　If Crono died, the jet-black sphere would disappear.
　The jet-black sphere ducked with impressive body movements, but the jet-black sphere changed direction and attacked the General's body many times.
　One mistake would have been fatal to General Aqua.
　General Aqua must continue to attack Crono without making a single mistake.
　Ice arrows fly in the air.
　Many of them miss Crono by a wide margin, probably due to General Aqua avoiding the jet-black sphere while attacking.
　However, one arrow ripped through Crono's skin and another pierced Crono's shoulder.
　After a breathtaking attack and defense, it was General Aqua who won.
　Crono was pierced in the chest by an icy arrow and fell from his back to the ground.

''Crono-sama!''
Mr. Theon, I didn't get away yet.

　Theon tightened his grip on Crono's hand.

'Stupid, people.'
I'm an idiot.

　Crono smiled serenely, and Sion smiled as well.

'Well, it's finally over,'
General Aqua, get Lady Crono.

　General Aqua shook his head faster than Theon could ask for help.

'I want to let him die a brave man, not a prisoner. Besides, if he dies, I'll have a good excuse for missing you.
Oh, my God, somebody!　Somebody!

　Theon desperately needed help.
　He didn't care about himself.
　He just wanted to help Crono.
　He wanted Crono to live.
　Crono's hand lightened for a moment, a real moment.
　Death.
　Death was about to take Crono away.

'No!　Mr.....

　Theon held his mouth.
　Something touched Theon's consciousness.
　It was a nostalgic sensation.
　It was a communion with the ''Goddess of Ochre and Fertility''.
　Sion was strongly and deeply connected to '........'
　But it wasn't the calm communion he had once felt.
　It was despair.
　Sion had communed with '...' stronger and deeper than ever before, and he knew what '...' was.
　It's a god in the sense that it's a being beyond human knowledge.
　But that's all.
　Emotionless and inorganic, it was not the God that Theon had envisioned.
　God does not love humans.
　That's natural.
　The system cannot love humans.
　That fact was deeply ingrained in Sion's mind.
　Oh, Theon panted.
　He was about to be crushed by despair.
　Still, Sion bit his lip and endured the despair.

'God, the miracle of healing!

　A yellow light enveloped Sion and Crono.
　The icy arrows that had been piercing Crono's body disappeared as if they were melting into the air, and Crono's wounds were rapidly healing.

''I won't let you!''
Mr. ".....

　Theon shouted, and General Aqua took a huge leap backwards.

'Get that guy!'
Stop!

　One of the soldiers approached without even hearing General Aqua's restraint.
　The soldier collapsed.
　The soldier picked himself up, looked at his legs, and screamed.
　His leg was halfway down and then broken off.
　Could the soldier realize that his leg had rotted away?
　The soldier blackened and swelled before Theon's eyes, melting and disappearing.
　All that was left was the soldier's bones.
　General Aqua narrowed his eyes.
　Sion was recognized as an object of elimination for killing the soldier.

'God!

　General Aqua unleashes a spear of ice.
　Sion held Crono in his arms.
　But the ice spear did not even touch Sion.
　It evaporated.
　
　The person who had evaporated the ice spear was standing between Sion and General Aqua.
　General Ignis was surrounded by a red light.
　The red light seemed to block the power that turned the soldier into white bones, and General Ignis stood unperturbed.

''Ignis, didn't you go to the royal capital?''
''Yeah, if I didn't have any help, I would have gone to King's Landing.

　General Ignis said, emphasizing the cooperative part.
　The image of the bound lord passed through Theon's mind.

'Aqua, are you going to fight me?'
No way. I don't have the energy for that.

　General Aqua sat there.



　Crono woke up.

I knew it, I'm going to hell!
How dare you show your face to me!

　The priest rushed me.

'If it's not hell, then what is this place?'
In the house of Ignis.
Well, sure.

　A familiar ceiling, Crono said as he sat up.
　That was enough to cause him intense pain, and a buzzing sound could be heard from inside his body.

'Why, Priestess?'
Well, when I came back with the sub-humans Ignis asked me to take you to the house. I was surprised to see you, though. After all, your own people have passed away. What did you do to him?
Multi-stage rocket?

　Crono tilted his head.
　Crono let his horse use the divine magic in order for Rio, Leonhardt and Faye to get to the city of Carina.
　If they were alone, they would run out of power along the way, but he thought that if they used them one by one, they might be able to reach the city of Carina.
　Well, the result wasn't far off.
　All three of us were out of power, four horses were dead, and Crono was in a bad way, but we managed to make it in time.

'Where's General Ignis?'
Ignis is in King's Landing, and Aqua is lying in the basement of the mansion, tied in a bow. Theon is there.

　The priest pointed down.
　Crono looked down and saw Theon there.
　Sion was leaning against the bed, asleep.

'Speaking of which, how's your wound?'
I didn't do anything.

　Is that Mr. Zion?　And Crono touched Sion's bangs.
　Then Sion's lashes shook slightly.
　Sion opened his eyes thinly and sat up with a bang.

''Crono-sama!''

　Sion stared at Crono.
　Large tears spilled out of Sion's eyes.

'Thank God. You're alive.'
I think we'll leave this to the younger generation.

　Move it, said the priestess as she left the room.
　He made an obscene gesture just before he left the room, which ruined a lot of things.

Mr. Theon, have you made up with God?
Well, you know, maybe I could.

　Theon laughed in annoyance.

'I see.'

　Crono ministered to him, but it seems that Theon's troubles are not over.
　Yeah, well, Crono also has something he wants to ask Sion.

''Sion-san?''
What is it?
The priest told me that Mr. Theon has healed my wounds.

　'Yes,' said Sion, nodding with a serious face.

'Of course, I think the contents of his intestines came out because he was pierced in the side,'

　'Huh,' said Zion, not seeming to understand.

'What happened to its contents?　No, I don't think it's right to ask for logic, do you?

　Sion turned over with a face that looked like he was going to cry, even though he said that.
　It's Crono who wants to cry.

''I hope there are no after-effects~''

　Crono looked up at the ceiling.

*

That's all.
Mm, you can rest now.

　When Leila finished her report, Princess Tilia nodded her head hawkishly.
　Leila and Princess Tilia are in the Marquis' mansion.......in Crono's office.
　Princess Tilia was far more capable than Leila had imagined.
　She was also bright on the life of the common people and the market prices of crops and other commodities.
　Her footwork is also light and she is energetic and conducts inspections.
　As far as Leila was aware, his reputation seemed to be in good hands.

''What's up?''
No, it's nothing.

　Leila replied calmly, trying her best.

'I don't have the look on my face that it's nothing. I'm not angry, so just say it.
'Princess Tyria is more capable than I had imagined, I thought.
That's rude, half-elf!

　Princess Tilia raised her willow eyebrows upside down and slammed the desk with a bang.
　This was an exchange that had been repeated several times before.
　If Leila was silent, that would make Princess Tilia angry.
　But, Leila thought.
　Princess Tilia should be able to regain her throne if she wanted to.
　If she's completely incompetent, she still has the ability to perform the role of acting lord without difficulty.
　No wonder she would want to get back what was taken from her.

''Princess Tilia doesn't have any aspirations for the imperial throne?''
There is none.

　Princess Tyria stated flatly.

'Why?'
Because I don't want to antagonize the Cronos.

　When Leila was silent, Princess Tilia crossed her arms and let out a sigh.

'I know it sounds terrible, but Crono is a plague of a man. For the record, it's only a metaphor, okay?　Meaning that Crono has those qualities.

　Princess Tilia poked her cheekbones.
　She had a languid expression that didn't look like Princess Tilia.

''Leila, the Crono will destroy the empire just as you want it to?

*

　A few days later, a print was scattered over the city of Carina.
　The prints were a criticism of The Temple.
　In normal times, the prints might not have been effective.
　But in the city of Carina, a tramp had just been killed for trying to help a priest.
　Why had the vagrant been killed?
　Why was the priest being hunted?
　The inhabitants found the answer in the words of the priest who was being hunted.

　The goddess of fertility and fertility wants to share the bounty of the earth.

　The 'temple' as the inhabitants know it is the one who presides over the rituals.
　If you donate, the priestess will give you grace through divine power ... divine authority techniques, but she does not act on behalf of the people.
　This is because priests serve God and not people.

　The inhabitants went about their daily lives, feeling unexplained.
　They didn't know that whispers blended into their daily lives.

　Isn't the Temple the right way to deliver the word of God?

　The whispers were etched in the hearts of the people.
　The residents remembered the whispers whenever they heard rumors about the Night Ranger, a volunteer from the Temple who worked as a vigilante.
　Originally, the residents were dissatisfied with the "Temple".
　The whispers only encouraged the residents.
　Doubts about the Temple slowly spread.
　To the vagrants, to the poor, to the commoners, to the aristocrats who gained new trade routes, and from city to city.
　If one were able to get a bird's eye view of the flow, one might have this impression.
　It's like a plague, he said.