'Then the Toa would often disappear, saying Rosalia was calling them.

Huh ... huh ...

　Masamune shook his shoulders and breathed, turning his attention to Lucius, who was sitting in front of a tombstone.

'I discussed it with Elektra and even kept the Toa out of the castle. I also made him learn sorcery and swords at Electra's suggestion, because you never know what will happen at any time. But I couldn't protect the Toa otherwise I didn't want her to even mention the lake. If the Toa ran amok in the town, the lives of the people would be in danger... this was the best option.

...Where's Lisa?

　Masamune calmed his breathing.

'I had Lisana keep an eye on the Toa. I left the other maids to take care of the Toa when I and Electra were out. But I had ordered all but Lysana to refrain from talking to her as much as possible. I didn't know what the consequences would be.

Where are you two going to be in the meantime?

'I kept an eye on Cassandra and Ignotus. Then I found out that he was clean about Cassandra, but I couldn't take my eyes off that guy.

Why didn't you kill him?

　Masamune muttered to himself.

'Wouldn't it be enough to kill Ignotus?　He killed Miss Rosalia, remember?　Even Toa wouldn't have had to go through this...

Would you have killed him?

"...What do you mean by that?

'There's no deep meaning to it. I'm just asking the question honestly, just the way it is. Would you have killed Ignotus?　Through my memory, you must have learned about the history and circumstances of this country and the demon race. Yet you would still say you would kill Ignotus?

What do you mean by that?　I would kill for the Toa, right?

'For Toa's sake ... phew, that's self-righteous thinking. Why don't you try to look around a little?

....

'If you kill Ignotus, of course you will also kill his brothers, Bishas and Felsen, because they share your will. For they too share the same will. But if that happens, the blood of Ragpalos will be destroyed. At the same time, one of the forms of history that Rosef-sama and ... the first demon king joined hands with humans without regard to the separation of races would disappear. Do you know what that means?

Is it more important than the Toa?

....

'This isn't more important than the Toa, is it?　The Toa is the only thing that matters to me. That's why I want to protect the things that the Toa want to cherish. So does the lake and the town and this castle. And the garden. The memories of Rosalia may still be there. But what about Ragpalos?

"...what the hell are you talking about?

　Suddenly, Lucius' eyes widen as he understands the meaning of Masamune's words.
　His eyes waver a bit in agitation.

'I'm talking about Ignotus. I'm talking about what we should do with that guy, not about Ragpalos. The way you put it, it sounds like...

That's what I meant, right?

　There is no expression in Masamune's eyes as he speaks so.

''........''

　Lucius' expression was mixed. And silent.
　He must have stopped hiding it, at least in front of Masamune.
　And he understood and doubted the true meaning of Masamune's words.

　Because different species have joined hands, so what do you say?　Does that mean it would be great?　I don't get it. To me, demons, beastmen, elves and dwarves are all the same life. It's not a matter of a separation or anything like that. But........humans are different, you know?

　-- both of Masamune's eyes were glowing red.
　But the right eye showed that it wasn't fully dyed.

'The eye of a fool...'

　Lucius mutters.

'It's the humans who are stupid,'

　I heard Masamune's dark voice.
　But soon Masamune smiled.
　Then he sighed.

　Lucius doesn't say, "You're human too, aren't you?
　Because he knows that the question has no meaning.

'But it does make sense now.

...what is what?

　Masamune said, ''Can't you read it with the Emotional Sense?'' He looked at Lucius' expression.

''No, I've been curious about it since I visited this country. Why is Lucius-san's expression gloomy... why does Electra-san's expression look sad... no, it's not that, how can I say it, everything is empty.

The void?

''Well this is Toa's home, home, and you are all family, so it should be familiar to you. But it all feels empty, as if it's all empty...empty. I don't know how to describe it, but there are times when I even feel like we are strangers to each other. Of course, different countries have different cultures and maybe I just don't understand it, but it's like a hurricane.

....

''I know the answer to that question. It's all human beings who killed Rosalia-san, who made Toa sad, who turned this country into a void....

That's not true.

No, I don't. Ignotus actually has a grudge against humans, don't you?　Of course, Ignotus has a grudge against humans because the demons of Shastain and Ursula made fun of him... right?　It's almost like recrimination in some ways. But it does prove that the root of all evil is human. If we hadn't even crossed paths with humans, this history might not have existed. If Ignotus were a pure-blooded demon race, this current situation wouldn't have been created.

'We could have had another problem, couldn't we?　That's the way things are.

'There's no point in talking about something without substance. If Rosev hadn't even been involved with humans, Ignotus wouldn't have been born. That's what I mean.

'That's what it's all about, so what the hell!　So you're going to kill him?

I don't see why you're protecting him so much. I have no reason not to kill him.

But you! .... of Ragpallos you're even trying to kill innocent people!

'Because it's not irrelevant. If you kill Ignotus, there will be another Ignotus. We have no choice but to deal with the former.

　Their conversation came to a halt.
　A gentle breeze blew and Lucius looked at the tomb, but the tombstone didn't speak, and he had to face Masamune again.

'It was my mistake in confiding in you,'

It was Mr. Lucius' mistake to leave it unattended.

No!

　The conversation stalled again.

'You can't have it both ways, can you?　You can't change the will of Ignotus. You know that best, don't you, Lucius?　That's why you left it alone, right?　If it could have been resolved, it would have been over by now. Maybe Cassandra wouldn't have died.

You killed him, didn't you?

This is Tor.

　Lucius was surprised that he hadn't heard of it before.

'It was me who made him choose. But it was the Toa who chose it. Of course, that's the other Toa... but... come to think of it, why does the Toa have a grudge against Cassandra and not Ignotus?

　Then Masamune changed the subject as if he remembered.

'Even if you were very young, your memories should still be there, and as the months go by you will find out that it was Ignotus' doing.

That's because they are being used to control you.

What do you mean?

What did I tell you in the beginning?　This is a multi-layered problem.

I heard.

　Masamune was fed up with Lucius' roundabout way of talking.

''........Normally, the other personality that appeared due to 《Domination》 does not side with the main body. That's because this skill divides the personality into two parts. To explain it simply, the bifurcated personalities mean good and evil. The good person achieves the good that he or she wants to do and the evil person tries to subvert the body by going against it. That is the original [rule].

The right to rule?　So it's different in Toa's case?

You saw it. At that time, the Domination was clearly protecting Toa. He said that he was protecting the Toa's spirit from being broken. But that was impossible. The 《Domination》 always speaks to you in your head and tries to plunge you into the evil that you think you are. It's a simple thing. Only those who can overcome it will be able to dominate this skill. That's why it's called Domination.

I mean... what?　What do you mean?

What do you think that means?

'We have an answer, don't we?　So tell me about it.

"...there are three personalities in the Toa.

....

Strictly speaking. There are two now. I don't know at what point in time they came into being, but I have a theory that there were three in the past.

　Masamune didn't swallow the story right away.
　So he fell silent for a while, lost in thought as usual.

'This is only a theory. But if you spend a lot of time with Toa from now on, perhaps you too will come up with an answer to that question. Perhaps the Toa has created another personality apart from the bifurcation of personalities by the Control. I arrived at the answer to that question by watching Toa for a long time. As a child, Toa had always admired Rosalia. And he adored her. So he listened to everything Rosalia said. He wanted to be like his sister. She would always ask us if we could be like Rosalia. A beautiful, gentle, smart princess. But.....

...What...?

　Masamune then stopped speaking and asked Lucius for an answer to his problem.
　Lucius was still unsure of his hypothesis.
　That's the meaning of this pause.

'Toa is clever like that ... perhaps, but Toa remembered at some point. And he also remembered who killed his sister. Then it's quite natural to have the desire to kill. You can't avoid it, especially if it is the death of someone you love. It's a good idea to have a vow of revenge at one time or another. But is it really the person that the sister who loved you the most wants to be? --Toa should have asked himself that. When 《Domination》 comes to the surface, Toa often talks to the effect that killing the person in front of him will make Rosalia happy. If you think about it paradoxically.......that means that's what the 《Domination》 is making you say.

　Lucius unexpectedly put his hand on Rosalia's tombstone.

'The good self my sister seeks. The self that says that Ignotus should be killed. The evil personality that was divided into two parts there - 《Domination》. These three personalities were born in Toa, and the Domination was mixed with the vengeance personality who later believed that Ignotus should be killed. As a result, Toa's desire to kill Cassandra led him to say unwillingly that killing her would make his sister happy.

'But you know that Ignotus killed him, right?　What's that got Cassandra...

'First of all, Cassandra is not without fault. But the more important issue is Ignotus, and it would have happened even if Cassandra had said no. "But whatever the case, the fact that Cassandra was there does not change the fact that she was there. But no matter what, the fact that Cassandra was there doesn't change the fact that she was there. And it was Cassandra who put the finishing touches on Rosalia. The young Toa could clearly see Cassandra in Rosalia's arms. I knew this by reading Cassandra and Ignotus, the memories of the two of them, with 《domination》. Surely, as the months passed and I remembered, Toa would have understood that the problem was not Cassandra. In fact, it probably was. But the young Toa remembered - it was Cassandra who had killed her sister. The emotions that the young Toa had at that time became a memory, a trauma. It became a traumatic experience that has not disappeared, even if you try to understand it. Domination took advantage of Toa's fragility.

So Toa....

'I'm ruled to resent Cassandra,'

　A multi-layered problem.
　Masamune learned of the unraveling of Toa's situation.
　But his expression was even more cloudy.
　It was still clearer before he knew.

'I want you to think about it for a moment. I may have neglected it, but it was time to think. But even now I don't have an answer. Killing Ignotus is synonymous with destroying the species. As a demon king, I don't know if I should do that. If you are acting on your emotions I will kill Ignotus and his brothers as well. That would be easy.

　It would not be easy for Lucius.
　Masamune understood that, but he didn't dare to point it out.

'Even the reason Uranos built his empire could be Ignotus. And moreover, it was Ignotus who killed Rosalia-san and left Toa alone. For the record, there is no reason not to kill him. If Lucius-san won't kill him, I'll do it on my own.

'And what would you say to the Toa?　Is that what you're going to tell me, that you've killed every single one of the demons in Ragpallos and that it's all right now?

'We can't kill Ignotus after killing Cassandra by mistake,'

'That's not what I'm talking about!　I'm telling you that doesn't solve the Toa problem!

　Lucius was frustrated by Masamune's lack of understanding.
　His tone was strong and his voice raspy.

''There's no room for discussion in the first place.

　But Masamune's voice was calm. But it's a cold stare. The eyes are red and miserable.
　It's as if he has a quiet anger on his face.

''Then where is it?　For the record, you knew Ignotus was insane when he killed the Rickman family, didn't you?　I should have killed him at that point. It's even too late to kill them now. The stage where we could have said something about the history of the demon race or its fertility is long gone.

'The Toa will remain in control!

　Lucius questioned. Let your emotions get the best of you.
　Then Masamune fell silent for a while and showed a pretense of thinking.
　Then he slowly tried to open his mouth, but his expression wavered slightly there.
　Lucius felt uncomfortable, "What? I ask.

'Then I'll take Toa with me.

　Masamune replied, trying to cover up something (,) that was similar to that upset.

'What?'

Whether it's the Toa or the other Toa, we're going to take them there anyway and let them decide what to do with them.

....

It'll be fine. It should be less dangerous than the monsters in the dungeon.

But...

When she killed Cassandra, she said that the Toa were mine. If you say that Domination made you kill Cassandra, then the purpose has been accomplished. The Toa has been normal since then. Of course, I might remember about Cassandra's death one day, and I can't say it's over yet. But at the same time, Toa will remember about the fact that Ignotus is still alive. If he didn't kill him, even if he could control The Domination, the vengeful personality in Toa would remain intact. The Toa will suffer for the rest of his life as he is now.

Do you think that's a choice?

''If the Toa want to, I will gladly kill them. But the Toa is a gentle demon race and if you can't decide, then I'll make the decision for you.

　Lucius didn't know how to respond.
　He had been worrying about it for a long time now.
　There was no way he would get an answer right away.

''Please decide what you're going to do by the time I get back.

Hmm?　Where are you going?

It's just a few pressing matters. I'll be right back.

'Wait!　What about Toa?

　At this time, Masamune's head had received a request for rescue from Zeke by telekinesis.
　That was the answer to the 《something》 just now.

　After that, Masamune, who accepted Sieg's request, went to the rescue called the farewell to the dragon's heart, and challenged the bloodline of the benevolent--the blood of the benevolent--to a one-on-one battle with Amadeus.

''Don't worry. I'll be back in a minute.......Ah. Come to think of it, Lucius-san, you know Carpent, right?

Carpent?

　Lucius was puzzled by Masamune's sudden doubling and tripling of the conversation.

''Yes. Actually, I'm a member of that black dragon's incomprehensible organization that he created. Looking back, it's a little funny in some ways what kind of coincidence it was, but I was recruited by the organization shortly after I came to this world. I'm not sure why I took it on, it's kind of subtle now... but it seems like it's time to cut out the disadvantages... as soon as I can get some errands done easily. I'll be back.

...You mean, Greiberg is ...you?

Apparently, Lucius had heard about the attack in Greberg.

''........''

　But Masamune looked Lucius in the eye, but he did not answer.

'I'll be back soon,'

　Then he smiles lightly and without answering, he turns his back to Rosalia's tombstone and begins to walk slowly.

''........I can't leave now.

　The last words were small, drowned out by the breeze before they reached Lucius.
　Masamune muttered to himself and took a few steps forward and let out a dungeon vortex without any explanation to Lucius.
　Then he stopped for a few seconds, but still didn't answer and disappeared into the vortex.