After Miss Alford's death, the atmosphere in the organization became strange.

　Ignoring the request from Rashausen, Carpent-sama abandoned the alliance he had once formed.
　There is a friend of Hidaka-kun's in that country. He too will probably join the fight.
　I knew that lending a hand would be the least I could do to make amends to him.

　He's so concerned about my left arm that he won't accept help.
　No, he doesn't need help in the first place.

''Ichijo, it's settled. The Empire is not the problem, it's the bloodline of the Charity.

　Carpent-sama's thoughts remain the same.
　He said that the investigation of Amadeus who killed Mr. Alford and the destruction of the cult was the priority issue.
　No one objected to Eliza-san, Zeke-san, or Vaham-san.

　After that, they split up into separate actions.
　We narrowed our target to Amadeus and continued our search.
　We walked from one area to another where the cult's followers could finish, and crossed several countries.

　Then one day...

"Aren't you Ichijo Yukimura, hero?

　A vast expanse of dead sandy earth.
　A lot of cracked ground and trees like bent stems growing out of it.
　There was not a single piece of water in every direction, and he appeared in such a landscape.

'Child...'

　-- A boy of about four or five years old was standing in front of me.

　His feet leave the ground slightly and he is floating in the air.
　He keeps it that way.

"Come with me, brave man.

　An old-fashioned tone emanating from an infant's body.
　I couldn't swallow it quickly enough.

'No need to be confused. It's not just that you need help, it's that you need help from the Lord of the Rest....

　The words trailed off and he turned away from me, looking in a different direction with a divine look in his eyes.
　There was another figure there, another one.

'You, what have you been doing...'

　It was a baby.

　Likewise, a baby that floats and maintains that state.
　The difference is that it is even younger than the infant in front of me.
　He looked as if he had just been born.

　He was silent in front of me.

'I told you that you would be watched, no fools out.

　It's very urgent.
　How expressive.
　The baby had the expression of a driven person, as if he was about to scream out at any moment.
　In contrast, he was stunned in front of him.

''It's born, the King of the Abyss.

"...stupid. How on earth did you do that?

"He ordered me to execute you, but if I kill you now, there's nothing I can do. Everything will fall away.

　Their conversation stopped, as if time had stopped.
　After a moment, he quietly pointed at me.

'It's him,'

...What?

He is the endgame. I'll give him that. He's not done yet.

Who is this guy?

'Ichijo Yukimura, the only one who's brave enough to do it.

....

　The baby laughed as he clenched something. You're happy - he said this to the child, ironically.

The king of the abyss, he can do the same deeds we do now. There's no such thing as magic!

You'll have to see him. I'll talk to him directly.

For crying out loud he doesn't have time to waste with people like you.

"You can't do it either, can you?　This is my last hope. He is my last hope, and for that I need the thundercloud of the observer.

"Thundercloud? You have no idea how long you've been taunting us! --

　A bolt of lightning struck in front of me.
　The earth shook violently and I lost consciousness of what had happened.

　As my hearing and vision returned and I saw the scorched scene in front of me, the baby's figure disappeared and there was only a mark on the ground that looked like it had been scorched.
　There was only the child's figure, looking unafraid of things.

'--Say, Adams,'

　Somewhere in the distance, from the heavens above the sky, an echoing voice fell.
　The voice gradually became clearer and clearer, as if it was gradually thwarting the echoes.

''.........Adams?''

　It was only then that I asked him in front of me for the first time.



*



　A few days have passed since the war ended.
　In the Demon Kingdom--the garden of the Demon King's Castle, two beds were prepared, and there was a princess who still hasn't woken up, and a former princess.

　Nem nursed them along. Toa's mother, Electra, and Lysana also accompanied her.
　But they just cuddled up beside her. Now no one could touch them.
　It's the same with Lucius and the rogue--Spillman.
　Toa and Sufilia. They were both now having their physical time stopped by their powerful magic.

　The flowers in the garden swayed in the breeze under a clear sky.
　There was a soundless, calm time.
　But their minds were quite the opposite. Everyone looks down with a thoughtful expression.

　Sierra doesn't try to get too close to the sleeping Toa.
　They seem to be hesitant.
　That bothered Reinhardt, who waits patiently by the side for her to start talking.
　It's behind the pillars of the short staircase leading to the garden. It's in the shade.

''Did you intend to kill the Emperor from the beginning...?''

　Sierra slowly opened her mouth.
　But it was only a deceptive attempt to distract her from the mood.

'I was going to destroy Razhuisen.

　Reinhardt replied quietly.
　Sierra's eyes widened as she looked at the ground.

'My father never said anything to me. I thought I had two brothers, both of whom were just like me. But it wasn't so. In order to take the magic stone away from the world, Lage had been sentenced to destroy Pulse Terra. For the dead Jade, the destruction of the dwarves and elves that inhabited Modherne. To eliminate as much of a threat as possible. And they would lead to the chaos of the world, my father believed, and bring in the Black Dragon.

What do you mean?　Calling for a black dragon... what the hell is that for?

It was for my mother. Emperor Uranos had a wife, too. My father believed that when the world was unsettled, an observer would appear. He was trying to bring my mother back to life.

...just for the sake of it.

'For that alone Hilda died....'

　To tell the truth without deception, that was the atonement for Reinhardt.

'Why did you turn, and when on earth did you do it?'

"King Arnold made me a White King's Knight. He was already aware of it.

'Because you took Rickman's last name, why did you? .....

I don't know.

　Reinhardt answered honestly.

'But not for the reason that Your Majesty found out.

　I feel the same vibes as Gaia - Arnold said that to Reinhardt.
　The former king of the now deceased Dames Aldan - Schneizel's sister is Gaia. Before Uranos came into the world, Arnold had been friends with both of them.
　At the time, Gaia was so beautiful that all the royalty on the continent recognized her beauty, and there was a time when Arnold was distracted by her.

'My father didn't tell me what to do, only me. Time will tell. When the time comes, there will be chaos in Rashausen. I want you to take advantage of it and destroy it...

That's the surprise.

'Yes, without him, there would be no Razhuisen by now. My strength is the weakest of the brothers. Even Gid, the vampire, couldn't stop me.

You didn't know what you were supposed to do, so you betrayed your father?

'I don't know I still can't get the feeling out of my hand when I slashed Uranos.

Reinhardt...

　Hearing Reinhardt's anxiety was distracting.
　But Sierra's eyes immediately went to the bed where Toa slept and stared at the two demons, who were talking about something beside her.

'Lucius, I'm sorry,'

I know.

　He knew where Spillman's words were going. Lucius refused to do so.
　There was nothing anyone or anything he could do about it.
　Lucius asked about Masamune. Where and what he was doing.
　But even Spillman - he had no idea.

'I don't know. I've never seen him so speechless. And I don't know everything about him, I've only observed him.

...how long can you freeze our time together?

Until you're dead. But say it out loud.

Okay.

　In Spielman's opinion, they are both long dead.
　Stopping time or healing superficial wounds won't bring them back to life.
　I know, but Lucius intends to bring the Toa back to life.

"Many curses have been created by you and me. They are now tormenting my daughter.

'Regret is not a mistake. This is just a consequence.

"If you can't save him, you're wrong. Rogue, at any cost, at any cost you can use my life to bring the Toa back to life. I can make as much magic as I want.

　Grief turned to anger, and Lucius's vision narrowed.
　Lucius knows what a rogue is capable of. So he was deluded. He seeks out that there is a way to bring him back to life.
　He's like the former Masamune who raided the bookshelves.

　The Demon King's eyes became more of a Demon King than before.

''-- You are Rosef's descendant, aren't you?

　A sudden voice stopped their conversation and changed the air in the garden.

　There was a small child there.