Master Arus, this is...

　An astonished voice rises right next to him. Loki unconsciously grabbed hold of Ars's clothes at the unbelievable sight.

　However, Ars understands what should take precedence over everything else right now, and shakes it off for confirmation.
　The sixth hispida offeem held by Rusalka, whom he had just met yesterday. He looks all over the bright red stained corpse before checking the situation around it as well.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea. It's unthinkable for a single person to have been hit in a hurry. It's not easy for a single wizard to kill with this level of force, no matter how many people are outnumbered.
What do you think, Mr. Ars?

　Even though it was a familiar sight, Loki's expression showed an unearthly fear. However, it was the same for Ars.
　There was no denying that he had underestimated the organization called Krama too much, to be precise. He had thought that Ilyce would be the best fighting force, but now he needed to reconsider.
　More than anything else, it wasn't hard to imagine the implications of this death.

'Perhaps they're not around anymore,'
"--!　Master Ars, there are five of them coming toward us.
Well....

　The reply that the prediction was correct immediately set a course of action for Ars. No, more to the point, it could be said that he shifted to several possibilities that he had been thinking about.
　Even if you don't know what the other person's purpose is, Ars must be considered a hindrance to Klama. Otherwise, he wouldn't even make contact with him as soon as possible.
　The reason I thought that was because Ilyce appeared. Her original purpose was undoubtedly to get rid of Ars.

　I believe that the information provided by Ilyce was due to her change of heart. Becoming this way was also the situation that Ars most wanted to avoid.
　Of course, Ars's expectation is based on the way he has been behaving himself and sorting out the half-baked things he has left intact. However, we are not completely defenseless. If possible, I would have preferred the choice not to be like this.

'Per the rescue from Rusalka?
''It's probably a platoon. The formation is also very common, but it has considerable speed and magical power. By my reckoning, it's probably a formation of double-digit mages.

(I knew it ... too soon.)

　The inescapable situation made Ars feel helpless and resentful. Couldn't it have been done a little better? It's a good idea to be able to get away with it.
　Even thinking about it now, time is overwhelmingly insufficient.
　The gears that are already in motion will not turn backwards.

''It looks like there's a detection mage on the other side. We're less than two kilometers away from supplementing our position. We'll let you know as soon as we're in range.
No, we're getting out of here.
"--!　Master Ars, Master Hispida....
'I'm sorry for her, but we can't be here,'

　Loki, who read Ars's divine expression, was shocked and denied it with his shoulders slumped.
　No matter how you look at it, this scene has only a situational disadvantage. There was no evidence that Krama was involved. Only the same single mage could kill a single mage, and only the same single mage could kill a single mage.
　It's all on a well-prepared stage.

　Once all the actors are on the stage, it's not easy to get down from there. That's why Ars had to get off before they all came together. Even if it was made to be so.

　A voice that sounded like it was going to be snatched away made Loki's throat ring.

''A, Arus-sama I will definitely explain the situation to you and you will definitely understand. Even if I could say all the words I have to say about how much Arus-sama has saved humanity so far, I would not be able to talk about it all in one night. Nevertheless, I will surely convince them of that.

　No matter how you fix it, this situation is obvious from the side. Ars's detention is a certainty.
　Loki still turned his damp eyes to me.

　Being stigmatized as a crime was hurting her even more than Ars.
　Lithia and Jean would probably be able to guess. But they would never be able to restrain the people who adored Hispida.
　And moreover, this is Rusalka. It would be difficult to hand over easily to Alpha as well. Everything is unprecedented.

　The situation will become even worse if it is revealed that Ars has been working behind the scenes. The only thing that could be moved was now - this moment.
　Even now, the magician who was invited to this place is coming towards you without knowing it. As per Loki's judgement, a high-ranking mage would probably get close enough to be detected in a few minutes.

''If we don't keep this up, what's the point...''

　Immediately after the tragic cry was about to overflow like a dam, it was still Ars that made him stop at the last minute.
　His gaze is not on Loki, but on an enemy who is not here, a gaze that seems to look far away.

The first thing you need to know is that you have not come to this day to make sure that everyone understands. Loki, if you know, that's all you need to know.

　A somewhat masterful and compassionate voice sound was spun quietly.
　If Loki hadn't said this, he probably wouldn't have cared. People want to be recognized. But Ars didn't need to ask himself the question to realize it.
　This is probably because there were a few people who understood him and Loki, who understand him to this day. That was enough to fill him up.

　He vented as he realized for the first time why he didn't feel as cramped as he had before.

'Maybe it would be humbling and pompous to say that I haven't saved a lot of people as a result. But that doesn't mean I've never wanted to be understood... but that's not the same as not wanting to be understood, is it? So.....

　Loki lays his own hand on the hand that was gently placed on his head and wraps it directly in front of his chest.

'So ... if you want to make everyone else understand, I won't stop you.

　Ars felt a tingle in his chest as he said this. The choice to push Loki away here made sense. As long as there is a good chance that she will be in a fight with Krama regardless of whether she succeeds or fails in clearing her name, this is one move.

'Master Ars, may I ask you one question?'
We don't have a lot of time, so make it quick.
'Yes. So you will continue to live with the stigma, Master Ars?

　The eyes that stare straight ahead are the kind of determination that Loki has never had before. A serious gaze that suppresses a sense of desperation.
　That's why Ars also reveals what's on his mind.

I'm not afraid of that. I'm sure it's fine as long as it's not an inconvenience to your life, but it's not in my nature to just keep getting beaten up. I need to pay this debt off properly and I still have a lot of unfinished business.

　How Loki caught the scowl in his eyes, after a large exhaled sigh.

''I understand. If that's the case, I won't say anything else. Even if I say I'm going to persuade you, Arus-sama isn't with you anyway, right?

　Yes, they were talking about that area of the world in a vague way. From the beginning, Ars has only thought of leaving this place. Regardless of Loki's attempts to persuade him, Ars would not be there.

''Of course.''
'Hah! It's fine. I know. I've already made up my mind.
What?
'If I'm the only one who knows Master Ars, that's all right, isn't it?
Yeah, yeah, you said that.

　I was just putting into words what I felt on the spur of the moment, so I wasn't actually thinking that much when I said it. Maybe that's why it can be taken as the true intention.
　The reason my confidence wavered a bit was because Loki brought up the word.

''Then you wouldn't know if I wasn't by your side. It's true that I wasn't beside you about the past in which Ars-sama played an active role, but from now on, I would like to watch the scene that Ars-sama sees with you. I have a few regrets, but I have no intention of leaving the side of Lord Ars from the start. Da, so, so, hey........can I call you Al, when we are together?

　Hmm?　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make your life easier," said Ars, who inwardly tilted his head and had an unresolved question as to why that happened. It was something she should have stubbornly refused to call her.
　From the beginning, Ars had said there was no need for a designation.
　Whatever the change of heart, I nodded without needing to get confirmation.

The first thing that comes to mind is that you'll be coming along, right?
'Yes!　I'm sure you have some thoughts on this case, and besides, you're not alone to any extent if I'm not watching.
'No, I don't think so...'
No, I won't leave A, Al alone!

　There were times when the nicknames he used to use normally in the academy were replaced here, perhaps out of embarrassment.
　Still, this small change is a big step for Loki. If he hadn't heard about the marriage from Lithia, he wouldn't have been able to muster the courage to do so.

　That's why Loki considers it courageous and trustworthy to meditate on a little bit of greed. It's a good idea to be with them for even a fraction of a second.

Well, then, let's go.
Everywhere.

　The two men sprinted to shove the approaching magicians away.
　Now we are still waiting for the right moment. It's time to get ready.


　♢ ♢ ♢


　He had succeeded in getting Ars and his men away from the seven nations. Or, in so doing, he had created an unprecedented crisis in Rusalka.

　This action, so to speak, was made possible because he was convinced that Ars would not return from the outside world. All hardships for this have been well avoided.
　It means that once you go out into the outside world, your ability to know what's going on inside is limited. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to find out what's going on inside.

　A mere three rounds of magic had left the Rusalka capital, Fonesova, in a state of semi-destruction. Those who saw it as a second sun, or a red flower, twinkling in the daylight, would have thought instantly. They couldn't even ask such a question as to what the crimson spot floating in the sky above was.

　It was a sudden chain of explosions in the great hall in the center of Fonesova. The heat, the impact, and so on, had taken away numerous lives in an instant.
　What had been a vibrant city turned to hell within seconds. The shockwave from the explosion caused houses to collapse, and flames like waves of fire covered their vision.
　There was no time to escape, no time to scream. When the entire landscape collapses, a scream of grief is heard for the first time. Those who were able to scream may still be good.

　But the otherwise voiceless voice burns the throat and doesn't even become a muffled voice. Humans fly through the air and descend.
　It blows off like a shell, scattering crimson flowers at the end of the slap.

　Red, crimson, just a red liquid.
　It fills the ground like a lake. It was a color I hadn't seen until a moment ago. The liquid, reminiscent of viscosity, runs through the gaps in the paved and rolled up ground.

　Arms and legs peeked out from the cracks of houses that were blown apart and collapsed. I wondered if it was a child's cry, or a scream, or maybe even a child's cry, but there were so many different voices that it was impossible to discern them.

　The wailing of someone who could not even understand what they were saying.
　The sky darkened all at once because the black smoke blocked out the sun. A strange odor mixed in with the smell of burning. An odor that I didn't want to imagine or even smell.

　The ground in the hall is a big hole that means the disappearance of what was there. There is no exception to the things that are blown away like dominoes from there.
　Merchandise, houses, wood, pets, and people are all caught in the aftermath without a single exception.

　The security forces were also helpless. The devastation is reminiscent of the great disasters of the past, and it is understandable that it is difficult to understand.
　Thick manuals are useless in the face of such devastation. The scale of the damage is so far beyond our expectations that we don't even know where to begin.

　There were only a few people who were able to protect themselves with magic on the spur of the moment. This is because this explosion occurred in the sky, and its purpose was to increase the scale of the damage, not just at close range.
　If they were to receive such a thing at close range, there would be no way to prevent it, even for any magician.

　The black smoke rising into the sky above is such that you'd think the day and night had been reversed.



　The aftermath of the damage had reached the outskirts of Fonesova.
　The Cayenos Palace, relatively close to Fonesova, was also exposed to the impact of the blast.

　However, there were ten high-ranking mages holding up their AWRs at the front of the Cayenos Palace. Because of Jean's spur of the moment instructions, they built a huge barrier in front of the palace, so there was virtually no damage.
　It is only natural that they are prepared for such emergencies, and their mages as guards are first class.

　One woman, the captain of the escort, asks Jean, who was watching sharply behind her, "Jean, what is this?

''Jean, what in the world is this........''

　She and I have known each other for a long time, and we have been exchanging frank correspondence. Her voice was laden with concerns about strengthening the defenses against attacks, and so on.
　But Jean, with a mysterious face, had something else in mind entirely.

'You mean this........Ars.