Several days had passed since Masamune and his party left Dahms Ardan and headed for the Devil's Land.
　This was the heart headquarters of the dragon that was set up in a certain mountainous region - the House of the Black Dragon. Each of the usual faces were there, and it seemed that Ichijo had returned as well.

''And then?　How was he?　You're talking about killing the Demon King, right?

　A headquarters built near the top of the mountain looking down at the clouds - that's the mansion. But it's also worthy of being called a castle.
　Alford and Ichijo are on the slope, which is located in one section of this mansion. You can find a few small white tables and chairs in the open place, and beside it, you can see a flower bed reflected in the fantastic place. There, Elisa was watering the flowers.
　And an endless sea of clouds spread out beyond the fence of the slope. Some sunshine coming in from the heavens created a divine and fantastic landscape. They illuminated the land that was faintly visible through the clouds, reminding us of the clear skies.

Alford was leaning against the fence in front of him, listening to Ichijo's story.

''Well I'm not sure about it, but it was an awesome magic.

I see.

　Nito hasn't said his name yet - so Alford sighs in his mind.

　Zeke is a cool, calm and quiet man. He can be influenced by his emotions, but he still doesn't open his mouth more than necessary.
　Alford, on the other hand, is a sensible and emotional man. In other words, he's very compassionate. Nowadays, Alford is the only person who cares about the relationship between Ichijo and Nito. He's caring.

''Speaking of which, what happened to Vaham-san?　I hear you're back already?

Vaham?　Yeah, that guy left two days ago, right?　I don't know what's going on with him, but I hear something else is going on.

　What this "situation" shows is how Vaham collects information. Vaham brings stories from somewhere, but the source of these stories is known only to Vaham. Even Carpent doesn't know where it came from. That's how much he can be trusted.

'He's a meddler too...'

　Then, for some reason, Alford looked forlorn, let out a sigh as he shifted his eyes downward, and smiled negatively.
　He remembered. Vaham let loose as he left, "Don't miss an opportunity, okay? That's what he said.

　Then, when I looked up, I saw Eliza out of the corner of my eye. But he immediately averted his gaze, and with a faint sense of loneliness still on his face, his eyes had already returned to the sea of clouds.

It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect. .....

　Ichijo doesn't understand. Why does Alford have such a look on his face?　And what does that look mean?
　Zeke, Eliza, Alford and Vaham. These four could be considered the earliest members of the group, apart from Carpent and his butler, Sebastian.

'Sorry, so?　Where does he go?

　Alford returns to the subject to cover up his expression.

'You didn't hear that.

Again?　He's really secretive, isn't he?　And I didn't even know you went to school for magic until you told me.

'But that can't be helped, either. That's Mr. Nito, and if you force him to pursue it, he'll leave.

'Well that's true too. How was that guy's crew?

'Oh, there were ... there were three of them. One was a human woman, as far as I could see. The other was a young girl who looked like a white cat.

"...I see...the white cat people. How did you come to be... well, it's all right. So?

And finally, the demoness. Demoness.

Are they all women?

I know.

What's that guy?　By friends, did you mean the harem?　You're a dirty guy with a dirty face!

A face?　Has Mr. Alford ever seen Mr. Nito's true face?!

'What?　Well, well....

What's Mr. Nito's, uh, what's his story?

That's pretty standard, right?

Normal?

　You wouldn't know that if I asked you, would you? -- and that's what I thought in my mind, and Ichijo feels uncomfortable with Alford's unclear answer.

'Hey Eliza?　That's normal, right?

　Then Alford turns his gaze away from Ichijo as if to escape and asks for help from Eliza, who is loving a flower nearby. The expression on his face is desperate to not make Ichijou feel uncomfortable.

''Eh?　What?

　There's no way I'd know if you asked me out of the blue.

'So that's Nito's true face, right?　That was normal, wasn't it?

　With those words, Eliza immediately realized that Alford had slipped up.
　Eliza understands Alford's well-behaved personality. It's not just the fact that he's been living and traveling here for a long time now. Eliza already knew the meaning of this expression on Alford's face, and the feelings that Alford keeps hidden from her.

'Isn't it?　He was, what can I say, normal. He's about your age, you know?

With me?

　Ichijo was surprised by the words.

　Eliza didn't hide it at all and told him some of Nito's secrets. Alford was in a cold sweat beside Ichijo at her words. ''What is Eliza thinking?'' And so he was lightly upset, impatient in his mind.
　Eliza looked at Alford's situation with a sigh and a smile on her dumbfounded and gentle face. Alford sent a bitter smile that meant 'bad'.

'By the way, Ichijou?　Did you get to see Hidaka-kun?

'No, we didn't see him... only that there was apparently an adventurer of the same name in Razhuisen. We didn't know where he went after that.

　Ichijou's expression is positive as he speaks so. I guess he didn't expect to find her on this trip. It's a good idea to be prepared to take some time to find Hidaka from now on. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what's going on.

''Yes. That's a shame, isn't it?　But I'm sure we'll meet someday.

Yes, I will find him.

　Then Eliza said, "Isn't that enough? I'm not going to be able to get out of the slope," he said, turning his gaze on Alford and walking out of the slope with a misting gun in his hand.
　The expression on Alford's face as he stared at the back is a bitter smile. But when I noticed, it had settled down to a lonely one again.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what's going on in the world, but I'm not sure if it's something unnecessary, so I didn't touch it.
　It has been about a month since they came here, and Ichijou must have come to understand their relationships to a certain extent.

''Are you getting used to dealing with the 《The Power of the Brave》?　How did it go against the demons?　Did you get through?

　Alford asks, putting his hands on the slope fence and staring at the sea of clouds. The wind was reverberating through the mansion.

''I don't know what the demon race is really like, but it was good enough for the infantry level.

'Well, that's good, isn't it?　It's all in the training.

'Thanks to Mr. Alford. I've become so much stronger in such a short period of time.

No, it's a quality of yours.

What?

'It means you're talented. There's a part of magic that hard work alone won't get you there.

A talent...?

　It's an awfully meaningful line. Ichijo thinks about trying to understand Alford's intentions from those words.

'I wasn't good enough.'

　But soon enough, Alford answered, "No.

He said, "No?

'I stopped growing. A brave man has an ability that is not in his status. That's the Growth Compensation. You can gain more experience than normal. But when they reach a certain level, they stop growing. That's the penalty for a brave man with no talent.

The penalty....

''My growth stopped, and even though I gained experience, I couldn't increase my level, I could only train to consume a minimum amount of magic power. As a brave man, I could only use the Sword of the Brave (Excalibur) and Explosive Magic, and as such, my growth stopped. In other words, I've reached my limit as a brave man.

....

It's no wonder I never became one. Not like Master Carpent's The Kageta.

Heavenly attribute, magic?

That's right. Heavenly magic...

　Alford also has a past. He used to be a prince of Graysberg, and when he came here, he was an apprentice hero like Ichijo is now. He trained hard every day, and as a brave man, he dreamed of heavenly attribute magic. But Alford couldn't reach it. --You have to be able to get the best out of it.　Ichijo had no words to reply to Alford as he spoke so.

''It's getting cold, should we go back inside now?''

　Alford rubs his shoulders and pretends to be cold, misrepresenting the conversation again. This is a habit of his that doesn't seem to be going away now. Alford himself must have noticed it. But it can't be helped because he falsifies before he thinks.

''Well........that's true.''

　Ichijo is no fool. I can understand Alford's frustration. And I also know that he is always misrepresenting something.

　Alford leaves the slopes and goes up the short stairs leading to the pavilion. Ichijo, whose back looked lonely, stopped Alford when he did.

''Alford-san!''

"...hmm?　What?

'At least my feelings for Eliza-san.......don't fool me.

　It's not something you can easily step into.
　Ichijou knew that. But what is the meaning of the 《Thought》?　It was Ichijo himself who said, "Don't fool yourself," and the words came from a vague feeling.
　I know. I know, but Ichijou doesn't know that feeling yet. He hasn't experienced anything appropriate for his age. Is it Ichijou's personality of seriousness and justice that is pushing it away?　But for a man who had spent his life surrounded by women so far, he had never shown any interest in such things.

　Alford stopped in the exact center of the stairs at those words from Ichijo.

''Huh ... that's none of your business.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry...

　Alford said with his back to Ichijo, giving a light smile. Then Ichijo immediately apologizes for offending him.
　But Alford is not angry, yes. It's not that he's angry, it's that he's lightly disappointed in his own disappointment that even Ichijo could see through him, even though he hadn't said a word. He was Ichijo's teacher, and he was the only one who could teach him the power of the brave. He blamed himself in his mind, though he didn't say it, wondering what his master was going to do with this. But he couldn't get stronger so easily now.

　Alford usually hides his weaknesses with a facetious side. He has a cheerful demeanor and is cheerful to everyone. But inside, he is timid, insecure and always afraid of something. 'You are no son of mine,' he says, imprisoned in that dungeon in Greberg and abandoned by his father - Johannes. Was that period too long?　The events of that starvation state flashed back to me like it was yesterday.
　After that, he met Zeke and Eliza, found his place as 《The Dragon's Heart》, burned with the mission of being a hero, and drove the trauma of that day into the depths and hid it by immersing himself in training.

''No ... yes, you're right. Thanks, Ichijo.

'No, I'm not, sorry. I stepped in so easily...

　It would be a disgrace to be a master if he got angry because he was seen through. 《Tolerance》 - that was Alford's virtue. But Alford also hid it. By acting tolerant, he hid his shame.

''Never mind. Isn't that right?　It's about time I got it straightened out, too.

　In Alford's expression as he turns around, there is a smile on Alford's face, which again produced the usual 《forgiveness》. There, Ichijou has the usual impressions that cannot be expressed in words. Ichijo is relieved that he said something unnecessary but he didn't offend her. But on the other hand, Ichijo was firstly fed up with the helplessness of the words he had cut out after invading the risk and this sterile conversation that was the result of it. But it wasn't 《Dumbfounded》 to Alford, it was 《Dumbfounded》 to the fact that he hadn't been able to be of help to his master.

''Come on, let's go inside. It's cold in the mountains~

　Then Alford was already back to his usual self.
　Ichijo let out a small sigh of petty disappointment and followed Alford's back. He remembered the distance between him and Alford, still unable to speak to him through his stomach, feeling impatient that he was being given so much.

　There is one thing that Alford lacks. That is 《confidence》.
　The Alford at the time he arrived here, with those hopeless eyes, he found his dream of being a brave man. It was not a professional thing. But of course, it was related to his own bravery.
　But as a result, Alford could not become a brave man. His growth stopped, and he was unable to reach that heavenly extreme at the end of the explosive magic.

　Alford lost his confidence.

　How would Ichijou look in his eyes?
　Ichijo has potential. Ichijo has a goal, and he can dream. But Alford doesn't have one. That's why the depths of his eyes, which act brightly, are always somewhat lonely, as if he were staring into the distance. That is, for example, a lifeless eye that is also different from Masamune's.
　Alford hides his heart.
　And Alford, lacking in confidence, hides his feelings for those he loves as well.



　Then Ichijou and Alford return to the hall. There is something tense in the air there, and the expressions on Eliza and Zeke's faces are dark.
　And what is most disturbing is that Vaham, who should have stood two days ago, appears in front of Carpent.

''Hmm?　Vaham?　What, you're back already?

Alford Yeah. We're in a bit of a pickle, huh?

Problem?

　Black Dragon Carpent's serious expression.
　Zeke wanders around the same spot with a finger to his lips.
　Eliza sighs and waits for the support of these two.

'What's the problem?　What happened?

　For some reason, Ichijo felt a stirring in the air for the first time.

'Pasquantine has been destroyed,'

　That was the first thing Vaham told him.