The red sky, caused by Masamune's magic, had cleared and there was an orange sunset.
　Beside it was the hanging table where the bodies of the three students had been hung.
　Near one of the several doorways, there was an accumulating pile of bodies that filled the passageway.
　Red blood splattered the flowers in the flower beds and on the white walls.

　A black crow crossed the iron-smelling sky.
　It cawed in a familiar voice.

'Oh, I forgot there were crows in the other world too, I don't see them very often. Hey, Quill. Do crows in other worlds run away when you point an airgun at them?
What's an airgun?
... "It's nothing. Forget it.

　From the dungeon whirlpool that opened into the courtyard, a flickering knight in white armor emerged.
　Masamune told him to retrieve all of the forbidden books that lay in Fischanatica.
　Then he carried Shushi Kida on his shoulder.
　He's still breathing, and now he seems to be fainting.

"Quill, there is no world without torment. But if you reject them, they come up to you and lick their tongues as if it's the easiest thing in the world. That's what they want to see. Embrace the world of abuse.

　Quill looked down and didn't reply.



*



　The Republic of Detritus--Aussius District.
　The royal capital of this country was built within a huge defensive wall consisting of 13 wards.
　Each one of the wards was as large as a small country, so large that one adventurer's guild was established in each ward.
　It possessed the largest territory of all the great powers of the eight wards.

　The guilds are as crowded as ever by outlaws.
　When you open the door, you'll find a crowd of fussy adventurers, mugs in hand.
　Each table is covered with plates of food that have been consumed.

''What do you say, brothers, let's go hunting for S-ranked monsters tomorrow!

　One adventurer came up to the table, holding a mug in his hand and agitating the surroundings.
　Yet another came up to the table and said, "Two of them, let's have two S-ranked ones!

''Two of them, let's go with two S-ranked ones anyway!

　He further encouraged the adventurers.

　On the right is Iida Shogo, and on the left is Sato Hajime.

　On the left is Hajime Sato.

　The two had been promoted to A rank adventurers in the past two years.
　Iida is a spearman and Sato is a double-sword user.

　They were well known within the Detritus, especially in the Aussius District.

　Since they appeared in the country one day, they had received countless requests for help.
　Most of them were A-ranked and above.
　When he accumulated a large amount of money, he would hold a party in the guild, and when the money ran out, he would receive requests, and when it accumulated again, he would hold a party.
　While they were repeating such things, their name was spreading.

　Then the door of the shop opened.
　The figure of the person who appeared gradually made the guild quiet.
　He was a smart man with a good appearance.
　He had slightly blue skin, long black hair, and a cool expression on his face.

''Are there two A-ranked adventurers, Iida and Satou?''

　The one told this to the guild in a low, quiet voice.

''Yes, we are, but...''

　Iida answered first.
　They stepped down from the table and shyly walked over to the person.

　The person checks their faces and closes the double-opened book and says "good" before leaving the guild.
　They are led away by his guards and taken away without knowing why.








　They spent several minutes moving across from each other in the carriage.

'Um, Master Aussius, what exactly is your business?

　Iida asked with a mysterious look on his face.

'Did we do anything?' Sato smiles bitterly.

　Then the carriage stopped and the door was opened by the soldiers outside, and there was an old man.

'Well, well, well, Aussius-dono, it's been a long time.
I brought them with me, but are you sure this is them, Mr. Romero?

　The one who was there was a gentleman in all white with an all-back - Romero.
　He was wearing a hat and holding a cane.

''Yes, no problem. Thank you. Now Amadeus-sama will be pleased.''
I'm glad to hear it.

　Aussius smiled happily.
　Iida and Sato had never seen someone named Aussius laugh before and were surprised, though they didn't show it on their faces.

　Aussius dismounted from the carriage and handed them over to Romero, who shook hands with him.
　Then he held up his thumbs, making a fist with both hands, and held his hands up to make a little hollow between the palms of his combined hands.
　He put his thumb to his heart and added the words, "For the sake of our Lord".
　Romero paused as well.

'Then shall we go, Iida-dono, Sato-dono?

　They were puzzled when the old man, a stranger, said that to them.

'Your friend is waiting for you.'

　Romero smiled slowly.







　Kyoka Mashima and Madoka Kihara spend their days making men and moving from place to place within the Grayberg.

　It all started when they heard about Saeki, who had risen to the top of his game, and wondered if they could be a part of it.
　But the result is a precarious day.

　They move from one dubious shop to another, and they have been making new men of nobility and replacing them.
　Sometimes they lived apart, but since they never went out of Greberg, they saw each other at some point.

　The joy for both of them was to walk leisurely around downtown alongside the man they had captured.
　This day was no different.
　They were walking down the back streets at night, following each other's men.

　Mashima says to the blond man next to him.

'I'm still a brave man in this one, so I have the benefit of the doubt. So I'm sure you'll have strong children.'

　This is their strength.
　Every time they catch a man with this line.

　But I guess it's not working for them in their current situation.
　Their life is not a good one.

　Each of the 21 names that emerged from the summoning of the heroes have fallen into disuse, and only a few are still making a name for themselves.
　They were different.
　There was not even a rumor about them.

　Kihara said.

'Yes, yes, we both are,' said Kihara. See, didn't this country summoned a brave man six years ago?　That's why they called me.

Oh, so you're from another world then? By the way, are you human?

Of course it's human, you see, and it shows up on your status.

'Really, there are humans in other worlds. It's amazing.

'Hmmm ... so we're in for a treat.

That's great.

　The men are only thinking about where they are going after this, and the two girls are hoping for the future as they read it.

'-- sounds fun,'

　The four men stopped in their tracks.
　It was the sudden sound of a voice.

　Mashima and Kihara looked ahead at the familiar voice.
　Then the rain began to fall.
　The two men looked up at the sky.

'Hidaka........'

　Mashima was puzzled.



　Kihara was puzzled.

'Why don't we take shelter from the rain somewhere?

　At the man's voice, Masamune's red gaze moved.
　At that moment, the heads of the two noblemen leapt up into the night's rainy sky.

　A splatter of blood splashed on the faces of the two girls, and they reflexively meditated on it.
　And after a few seconds of hearing something fall in the vicinity, they opened their eyes to see what the sound was.

　A neck, and then a neck.

　They slowly looked at Hidaka.

'Hidaka... eh...'

　Mashima exclaimed.

'Why....'

　Kihara exclaimed.

　The three of them stared at each other in what seemed to be a halting moment, drenched in the rain.

''We're here to have a rupture...''

　Masamune said, his red eyes drifting like fireflies.

'That's it,'

　And he smiled.







　The first thing Saeki Kenta saw when he woke up was a white ceiling.
　Next a window covered with a white rim.
　A vase ... a tube connected to his own body ... a device.

"A hospital....

　It didn't take long for him to understand.

　A knock on the door was heard in the hospital room, and the door slowly opened to reveal a beautiful woman wrapped in a white veil.

''Lady Guinevere........''

　Saeki called his name in a faint voice.

'I'll be fine as is.'

　Guinevere quickly tells Saeki, who tried to wake up her body.
　Her appearance was not only what she was wearing, but everything about her herself, including her skin and hair, was white.
　It's as if the hospital room is illuminated.

''What in the world am I........''

Don't you remember?

"....no. I remember my wife and my daughter....

Yes..... I'm sorry, sir.

　Saeki remembered and turned away to look at the ceiling.

'By the time I rushed in, the mansion had burned down and the fire had consumed all the bodies except yours. You were the only one outside the mansion, and you survived.

　The anger inside Saeki suddenly rose in a huff.

　-- had he kept her alive on purpose?

　Saeki remembers that the place where he fell was inside the house.
　In other words, Masamune deliberately kept only himself alive and did not hurt him further.

　Any more--''

''My body........''

　Saeki turned his attention to his own body.
　Then he noticed more.

'Saeki-sama, please calm down!

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

　I also noticed now that my vision was wrong.
　I can't see in my right field of vision.
　No limbs, no limbs.

'What the hell is this?

Calm down, calm down and listen to me, Mr. Saeki!

　Saeki was back to being a twenty-three year old man.
　There was no title of nobility there, nor the dignity of a Holy Knight Captain.

''Calm down ... calm down ... this is an automata.

　Guinevere gradually subsided and spoke in time with Saeki's breathing.

'Automata?'

　From the base of both of Saeki's shoulders and hip joints, there was a mechanical-like object that resembled an arm and leg.

''It's a prosthetic leg and hand that moves with magical power. Once you get used to it, you'll be able to walk like you used to again.

...Oh, I see.

　Saeki relaxed his entire body.
　His expression was desperate.

''Saeki-sama........''

'Lord Guinevere, I no longer have ... no, I don't have the power. You were good to me even before you became the holy knight chief. It's made my career easier. I'm grateful to you. But I'm afraid I can't repay you anymore. I can't repay you with anything.......sorry. This body is a piece of junk.

You can still live.

'It's only alive. It's empty on the inside. Then what do you want me to do, looking like this?

'Saeki-sama, you need to rest now. It's a miracle that you have regained consciousness. You've already performed a miracle. The rest is up to you. If you have the will--

I couldn't save my wife and my daughter, so what could I do?

....

The servant was killed. All ... in front of me. Those I trusted were betrayed, and I lost my home. My arms and legs my eyes....

Mr. Saeki...
"He left his tongue on the floor. "He left his tongue on the floor to expose someone to pain like this. To humiliate me. I see it now. You want to shut down and keep to yourself, but you can't do that with a tongue. Others won't shut me up. He wants me to face the pain until the day I die and remember the look on my wife and daughter's faces at the end.

'Who is the enemy, who made you look like this?　It was his mistake to leave his tongue on the floor. Because because because of that, Master Saeki can tell me his name!

No you don't understand Hidaka.

　Guinevere exclaimed when she heard the name.

'No way ... he's ...'

He says it's revenge for his high school years.

"Koko?

'It's about school. We were all students when we came into this world, and that was when we were 17.

'What the hell have you done to him?　Do you have any idea what this would do to you?

'There's no way that there is.......no way. I don't understand. What reason do you have to do this.......what reason do you have to do such a despicable thing!

....

I've always thought he was a little bit weird, but I don't know.

Well.....

What the hell is that guy planning to do? I never thought that he was the leader of the benevolent bloodline....

Now, what a...

　Guinevere couldn't believe her ears, and a look of astonishment came over her face.

　But their conversation was abruptly interrupted.

''-- Saeki-kun, let's play!

　A voice came from outside the window and they turned their attention to the window.
　Saeki rolled his eyes at the voice.
　Because it was the voice of someone he knew.

　Guinevere approached the window and looked at the scene below, wondering.

'Is that...'

Come on, Saeki-kun, play!　I know you're in there, ah!

Hydaka, Masamune...

　The mutilated bodies of my classmates, neatly aligned in a fallen state.
　And the five still-breathing classmates, tied to the iron bars.

　There was Hidaka Masamune, dressed in his former high school uniform and waving to Guinevere.