A chill runs down my back as I cringe.

''What...?''

　I stopped in my tracks and alerted myself to my surroundings.
　It was then.

''Rain!''

　Kanade's cry was laced with impatience.
　I immediately understood why.

　The Grim Reaper.
　A Reaper with a giant scythe drives through the sky.
　He's after ... me.

　There's no time to escape.
　We're already within her range.
　In order to intercept, I used Narkami to shoot a needle the size of the palm of my hand.
　It's a highly offensive gimmick that isn't laced with poison, but rather a single weapon.

　However.........the needle does not pierce the Reaper.
　It slipped through its body as if it was seeing a phantom.
　And yet, the chill doesn't go away, in fact, it gets worse.

　The Grim Reaper raises his scythe!

Lane, no!

　It's inevitable!
　Without a second thought, I closed my eyes and...

...hmm?

　...and nothing happens?

　When I opened my eyes in fear, I saw the Grim Reaper in front of me.
　And the scythe that the Reaper swung at me had pierced my body.

''Whoa!''

　I can't help but to scream....
　There's no particular pain, and there's no blood flowing.

　The Reaper wasn't going to do anything more than that...
　As it was, it disappeared like a mirage.

''........Hallucination?　No, it was real for that... and... and...
""Rain!"

　Everyone came rushing in, looking flustered.

''Duh, duh, are you okay?　Now, some freak is scything on Lane...
'You're not hurt!　The pain!　Hey, say something.
'I'll cast a recovery spell now!　Let's see the wound, quick!
They made a deal with me!　I will not allow you to leave me behind.

　Everyone's eyes seemed to be seeing the Grim Reaper as well, and they were in quite a panic.

　Was everyone here under a hallucination?
　Or was that not a hallucination?

　...no.
　I'll think about it, but I don't know.
　I need to put my doubts aside for now and reassure the others.

"Relax. I'm gonna be okay.
Really...?
Rain, I push myself a lot, so...
I'm fine, really. I'm fine. Oh, look at that.

　I moved my body lightly on the spot.
　That finally seemed to reassure them, and everyone looked relieved.

''Anyway, what was that all about........?
I had a really bad feeling I thought, well I thought Rain was going to die.
Perhaps it's... it's a quick death spell.

　It seems to have an idea, Sora says with a grim face.
　That's the spirit race.
　I'm sure you know more about magic than anyone else.

''As its name suggests, it is an extremely dangerous magic that can cause the target to die. It's not high grade, but even more so........classified as super grade magic. I didn't expect someone to be able to use such magic...
Hmm?　But there was no magical reaction at all, okay?　I'm not sure I've ever seen such a thing before. It's impossible to have no such thing at all. It's probably some kind of magic item.
'I see, that's a possibility... but what I'm wondering is how Rain was safe...'

　Sola looked sincerely curious.

'A dud, or something like that?'
''No. When the Grim Reaper manifests, it's not a dud. It reaps the life of the target without allowing any resistance... that's the kind of magic it is.

　Kanade said, and Sora quickly denied it.

　The magic was apparently activated normally.
　But I'm alive.
　What does that mean?

'It's Rain, so you don't think he has some hidden gem or something?
You know what ... what do you think I am?
"A ridiculous beast tamer with impossible skills.

　It's not just Tania, even Kanade says it all together.
　Did they look at me like that...?
　I don't want that fancy title.

"Hmm.

　In the midst of discussing the ah-ha moment, Luna had a thoughtful look on her face.
　Does she have an idea of what it is?
　He put his hand to his chin and made a thinking gesture...

　After a moment, he looks at me.

It's Rain. Do you mind if I do a little experiment?
Yeah?　I don't know, but that's fine.
Let's get going Poison Drop.
""What?"

　While everyone was stunned, Luna used a state magic, adding poison to me.
　A purple mist with a poisonous color enveloped me.

''Wait!　Luna, Luna!　What on earth are you doing!
Are you out of your mind?
Oh, my God, it's Rain...!
Boys, don't panic. We'll see about that. If I have the right idea, then that is exactly what I shall do.

　After a bit, the poisonous fog will lift.
　I'll be ... free of the poison, and I'll be healthy.
　Nothing has changed, nothing has happened.

　What the hell does that mean...?
　Now, I'm sure Luna could have cast a state magic on me.

''Mm, I knew it.
'Luna what does this mean?　Please explain.
"In signing a contract with us, Rain gained the skill of continuous chanting. But isn't it strange when you think about it?
What's that?
Lane made a deal with both Sora and I.　Then wouldn't it be strange if there weren't two powers to obtain?
'Oh....'

　I see.
　I somehow understood what Luna was trying to say.

'Perhaps the continuous chanting is the result of a contract with Sola. Sola is very good at that sort of thing. So what power did you contract with me?
Meow ... what do you mean?
''By signing a contract with me, Rain had gained yet another power.
Abnormalities...
Deactivation...

　Kanade and Tania continue to say, with a surprised look on their faces.
　Like a lecturer, Luna continues to explain to those two people.

You'll be able to find a lot of people who have been in the same situation. There are only a few ways to prevent it. Either you have a substitute amulet.......or you have a high resistance to state magic. So you thought that since Rain doesn't have an amulet, she must have acquired a high resistance to it. Hmm.
Surely there are no other possible..............
'So you used poisonous magic on purpose to make sure of that?　That was rough.
Nya what if I'm wrong?
'At the time, I apologised and apologised for my apologies, and I was quick to detoxify you. However, that was not to be the case. Just as I thought, Rain had obtained the skill of disabling the status quo. ''Hahaha, it was all according to my calculations!
What do you mean, you calculated it?
Whew!

　Sora's fist fell on Luna's head.
　Luna cowered on the spot as the frog let out a crushing cry.

'But that doesn't mean that anyone would suddenly cast a poisonous spell on their master!　That kind of behavior disqualifies you from being a messenger.
''It can't be helped, can it? I don't know if it has to be different from instant death magic, or if it's resistant to every possible state magic... and I have no choice but to do that!
'Then explain it to them beforehand and get proper permission before you do it. What do you think you're doing, just because you have an idea, and then suddenly do it!
'Hahaha, I'm not thinking about anything in particular!　Do not ask such things of me!
You don't mean that!
"Pish!

　Once again, Sola's lightning struck.
　Normally, Sola is a serious and honorable student, but.....
　He's afraid to get angry.

Burbling....
All right, all right. Let's try not to look at each other.

　Kanade soothed Nina, who was frightened by Sora.

'Rain, I'm sorry Luna did something terrible... see, Luna should apologize too.
Mmm.... but I am.
Do you apologize...?
Mm-hmm.

　She's smiling but not laughing.
　Luna nodded coyly as if pressured by Sora, who had such a creepy look on her face.

'I'm sorry, my Lord. I did it out of curiosity. I don't regret it.'
Luna...?
'I regret it!　I'm sorry!　I'm sorry.

　Luna was frightened enough to speak in a normal way.
　Apparently, a sister can't resist her sister.

'Oh well, that's okay. I was surprised by the suddenness of it, but it might be useful for something, and it's nice to know in advance. I don't mind.
Thank you ... see, Luna too.
"Well thank you for your generous measure. Fuhahaha puuuut!

　Luna tried to keep her usual attitude, but three times she was chastised by Sora.
　Let me put it this way....
　It was funny and I couldn't help but laugh.
　Kanade and Tania were also laughing, as if they had no choice.
　Nina also looked like she was watching something interesting.

　Everyone seemed to have relaxed nicely.
　It's a good trend.

　The lord's private army was able to get rid of most of them.
　However, the mercenaries, who were said to be comparable to B-ranked adventurers, had yet to show up.
　They are probably guarding the lord and Edgar inside the mansion.

　Next, we have to step into the mansion.
　This is the moment of truth now.