An urgent patient was brought in that day to a small clinic in the city center of Rashausen, the royal capital.
　Anita's cheeks twitched as she saw how much blood was flowing from the patient's chest. The white-haired man standing next to her had a grim expression on his face.

─ I'll have to take the patient,' he said reluctantly.
─ But, sir, I have to go with you.
The patient was never going to make it anyway.
Well if that's what you want.
We'll start the transplant immediately.

　Without even breathing, they carried the patient into the examination room.
　But the man in the emergency room could hear their conversation, albeit faintly. The sound of rain pounding on the roof held their dazed consciousness together. A wheel rolling under his head.
　The occasional thunderclap that shook like an earth tremor, and the hurried breathing of two people.

　When the sound of the wheel stops, it's on the examination table. The man unconsciously turned his head languidly to the side. One woman in a nursing uniform and one white-haired man in a white coat in his hazy vision. There was some kind of commotion.
　On the other side of the room, next to the man, was another examination table and another patient with dark body hair. The man could see the figure, albeit faintly.
　Already the voice in the man's ears was only part of the sound of rain. For a man who could imagine his appearance, who could not feel the pain caused by the bleeding, his maintained awareness was distant that he was already on the verge of death.

'Then we'll begin the operation.'

　The man's emotions raced as he heard the voice. 'No! No!' a muffled voice cried out, 'Stop!
　The man closed his eyes, unseen.







　It was past noon when Sierra returned home.
　When I saw her, Nem jumped up and said, "You're home," and Toa ran up to her, too. They found the two of us, Sufilia, and me, and to Sierra's puzzled expression, wondering what this means, I told her in my mind, "It's been a long time," and gave her an awkward smile.

It's a good thing that you're not just a good friend of mine.
''I'm going to stay in the royal capital for a while.''
''........I see. If so, there is a vacant room, and Masamune was previously........no, it was Nito, wasn't it? We've left the room that was previously used as it was, so please use it.
Don't give me a false name. They know who I am.
"They?
It's just me on Fischanatika.
...I see.

　Sierra is not very well, but Nem Nem suggested that they go to the garden to play with her. But Sierra said she was a bit tired and walked with the others to the living room.

'Come with me, princess.
...Sufiria is fine.

　I glanced at my face for a moment, and Sufilia walked behind me.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to change the atmosphere after a few moments of silence, sitting on the couch in the fireplace-lit living room.

I don't know if there is such a thing as a fireplace," he said.
'It's cold in the capital at this time of year,'

　After all, Sierra doesn't give me the same look as before. Already, the sunken eyes are already on the board. Every time I see Sierra's expression, the voice and expression of that time when Hilda asked me to "take care of Sierra" passes through my mind.
　Then the Toa.

'Is it always this late?'
Yeah.
'It's evening now, and you used to be home by noon, didn't you?'
...Well, yes. I've got a lot of work to do.

　It was Sierra who answered one question with more than five. As if she didn't want to talk much, Sierra was clearly not talking much now.

''Well things have been a bit tumultuous, especially today, and it's been a long drawn out affair.

　Sierra slowly starts talking. I decided to wait and see for a while. It wouldn't always be good to just pay attention.

'Things?' And Toa.
'There have been a lot of murders recently, and the victims are mainly beastmen.

　Radshausen is a peaceful country. That's why Nem was able to walk freely through the town on his own at such a young age, and even the Sisters in the orphanage weren't too worried about him.

'Did some beast-hater enter the country, it's sickening, they haven't caught the killer?
Discrimination against beastmen is one of the signs that peace is breaking down. If we don't surpass them here, we'll go downhill from there. The king is in danger.
'The king ... speaking of which, Mr. Arnold,'
'--dead, too, Reinhardt,' Sierra lowered her voice.
'Well wait, who's the king now?
I know...
No way, Patrick?
It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

Did you just say "Reinhardt too"?
The same day he died.

　 I was so upset that my eyes widened for a moment, but I covered my mouth with my hand in a gesture that I thought would prevent him from seeing my face, and then I turned over and hid my face.

　Reinhardt is in Sigma Deus now. He's not dead. I already knew about this one matter when Lord Elferise gave me a magical communication, "Information is a weapon," he said. But everyone in King's Landing, including Sierra, thinks he is really dead and that he was killed.
　I felt that fact in the flesh and knew it as a matter of course, but I was frankly surprised.
　In everyone's mind, Reinhardt is still a hero.

　I had heard one day that if I hadn't saved King's Landing from that incident in the Empire, Reinhardt would have been the first hero in King's Landing.