I get on Tania's back again and let her fly through the air.
　Then a little bit of hurrying...
　The ruins to the east that the villagers had told me about are now in sight.

　However, it seemed that a strike force had already arrived and an encampment tent had been set up near the ruins.
　We couldn't be spotted, so we went around to the side and landed in a gap in the trees to the right of the ruins.

'What do we do now?'

　Tania asks.

'I'd like to do a little probing but do you have time for that?

　From the air, the strike force had almost finished setting up the tents for the camp.
　They were almost ready to go, I guess.

"Sola, Luna. Do you have any idea where Iris is?
I'll take care of it.
I'm just waiting.

　Sora and Luna close their eyes and concentrate.
　As it is, they use their magic....
　He tilted his head slightly and tilted his head in confusion.

'It's funny ... there's no response at all.
Does that mean that Iris is no longer in the ruins...?
'Hmmm, I don't know about that. I couldn't detect anything at all about the inside of the ruins.
Maybe these ruins are impervious to magic.
Or maybe it's a mechanism that seals up the magic... Either way, it's tricky. I have no idea what's inside.
Does that mean you can't use magic?
Hmmm, it happens.

　The problem is that we don't know what's going on inside, but...
　More than that, it's more of a problem, the fact that you can't use magic.

　Even if there was an Iris inside, she couldn't seal it on the spot.
　You have to drag it all the way out.
　It's quite cumbersome and difficult to execute.

　Still, I can't just throw it out.

''Will Sora and Luna stay here?　I want you to be ready to seal it up at any time.
I understand.
I'm gone.
'Nina and Tina will stay here as well. I want you to support Thora and Luna ... or politely turn them away if anyone comes in.
I'll do my best.
We'll take care of it.
Hey, hey, what about us?

　Kanade tugged at the edges of my clothes with a sniff.

'You're going into the ruins with Rain?'
No it's a bit risky, but I have a favor to ask.
Hmm, what is that?

　Tania doesn't seem intimidated by being told she's in danger.
　Rather, she seems somewhat happy.

　I guess........
　I'm sure he's happy to be trusted with dangerous things.
　You show your trust in them by asking them to do something like that.

"I need you to scramble the front strike force.
Would that be a diversion?
That's why. If we leave it at that, the strike force will rush into the ruins. And I want to slow that down as much as possible.
I see........I understand.
Just don't push yourself too hard, okay?　Tania will change into dragon form and Kanade will ride on his back... just enough to stir from the relative safety of the sky. If you decide it's too dangerous, don't push yourself, just retreat immediately.
Hey. Do you think I'm going to be late for this?
'The other side is an elite group gathered to take down Iris, we can't underestimate them. Besides, we can't afford to put the two of you in harm's way.
Well is that why you're worried about me?
Of course.
'Yeah, well, if you say so much?　I'll follow your instructions, okay?

　Tania's cheeks tinted a bit and she said something that she couldn't be honest about.
　However, her tail was wagging around like a dog.

　Are you okay?　Not lost?
I'll be fine. I promise I don't do anything reckless.
""It's fishy."

　They all tsked together.

'Don't ever do anything rash!　It's a promise!
If you're reckless, I'll burn you with my bracelets, okay?
'I'm worried about Sora. Rain is reckless, as is the norm.
"Think hard and act hard, okay?
Hang in there, okay?
I'm rooting for you!　Also, I'll be there to help you out if you need anything else.

　With everyone cheering me on, I felt empowered.
　I'm going to make this mission a success for sure!



----------



　The front of the ruins became more noisy.
　Perhaps a diversion by Kanade and Tania had begun.
　The opponents are the adventurers and knights of previous battles.
　I hope they don't take it too far...

I mean, this is no time to be worrying about other people.

　We have to take care of ourselves first.
　Because if I fail, the whole thing will be a bust.

'And yet...'

　As I entered the ruins, I was struck with a strange sensation.
　I felt like I couldn't put any strength into my body, or I couldn't move properly....

"Boost.

　I'm going to try and cast a spell, but....

Nothing's changed.

　Magic does not activate normally.
　Just like Sora and Luna said, it seems that you can't use magic within these ruins.
　On top of that, it seems that my physical abilities are limited to some extent.
　The power I got from the contract with Kanade is also limited........
　Now I'm a little above the average person, I guess?

It's not good.

　I don't know if I could find Iris in this situation and still take her out successfully...

What about you, Iris?　Are you influenced by the ruins?

　If so, why are they hiding here?
　It seems to me that I'm just trying to get myself into a corner...

Well, let's hear it from him.

　We headed deeper into the ruins.
　It wasn't too complicated and we didn't get lost.

　Soon after, we came to a large hall.
　The King's Chamber............
　At the back of the room, there is what looks like a decaying throne.

　There I saw the figure of Iris.

'Good day to you, Miss Lane.
You look better than I thought you would, Iris.
Yes. Someone gave me a hard time, but I'm feeling much better.
That's mutual, isn't it?　We've had some pretty close calls ourselves.
"Hmm.

　Iris chuckles.
　There's no other intention in that smile...
　He just seems to genuinely say it's interesting.

'Master Rayne is really quite different, isn't he?
Hmm?　All of a sudden, what's going on?
Because we killed each other once, remember?　And yet, talking to me like this in such a swallowing manner it would normally include more rancor.
'That being said, I suppose that might be true but just, well, there's a reason why it won't happen.
The reason?　May I ask you a question?
It's just that I can't dislike Iris for some reason.
....

　Iris was pouting and...

"Ha-ha-ha!

　Next, he laughed out loud.

'You are truly a strange person... I am the absolute enemy of people and yet you can still say that... and you don't just lie in the heat of the moment, you speak from the heart. ......... I'm becoming more and more interested in Rain-sama.
I'd love to talk to you about all this stuff, but I'm sorry, but we don't have time.
Are you talking about the people gathered outside?
Did you notice that?
Of course. They must be very noisy, that's for sure.

　Iris says, annoyingly.

　But, well ... you've noticed.
　Then it's even more strange.
　Why is Iris holed up in the depths of the ruins where she can't use magic and her abilities are limited?

You look like you're wondering why you're here.
How did you know?
Master Rayne is so straightforward. It's so easy to know what you're thinking.
Is that...?

　Occasionally, people have said something similar to this to me.
　Should I train a little bit so that I can make a poker face?

''But, well, I think that's the charm of Rain-sama, so... please keep Rain-sama as she is.
'I'm not sure if I'm being ridiculed or complimented. It.
Hmmm, it's a compliment.

　Iris gave a small laugh and continued, her expression changing to a sharp one.

''Well since you're here, I'll answer your questions, Rain-sama.
It's a great service.
I'm a very generous person, you know?　We won't ask for a price, rest assured.
So, feel free to ask. Why is Iris here?
The answer is simple. This is a place where we can use our powers to the best of our ability the remains of the Heavenly Clan.