"No.

　I did some thinking, but....
　Still, he finally shook off his doubts and said once and for all.

'Oh my. Was I rejected?

　Even though her invitation was rejected, Monica's behavior is the same as before.
　They are simply making small talk, and they don't show any pretense of being agitated or radiating hostility.

　I don't understand........
　What the hell does this woman want?

'I understand. Well, I guess I'll just give up with an open mind, then.
You're a very good listener, aren't you?
I originally thought it would be difficult. I thought it was just a matter of hopefully making a profit, so I wouldn't be surprised if they rejected me. I'm not going to hang on to something for nothing.

　He has an uncanny ability to hear.

'Just for your information, can I ask you something?　Why did you turn down my invitation?　Is it because you're still suspicious?　Or is it because you're not going to get revenge?
For many reasons, but if I had to pick one, it would be that it's fishy.
Shady?
"You're not just a knight. You're much more than that... you're a danger to yourself and others. You're a fool for associating with a man like that. I'm a productive guy, and I'm not a doomsday guy.
'....Hmmm, I see.

　Monica grins and smiles happily.
　I can't believe that smile is from the same person.
　It's a terribly distorted smile, like a condensation of malice...
　I can't help but feel a shiver run down my back.

''After all, it looks like you're going to be our enemy.

　Me....us?
　Does the word include Arios?
　

　I braced myself again.

　This woman is dangerous.
　An enemy that cannot be mistaken.

　Even if she isn't hostile, even if she isn't angry, I can clearly see that.
　Sooner or later, I shall cross swords with this woman.

　........Or maybe it's now.

　I stare at Monica with my Kamui in my hand.
　I brace my legs, ready to move at any moment.

　And .....

"Hmm.

　Monica laughs again.

'Don't look so scared. I don't think you're going to do anything about it here just because you rejected my invitation.
Are you sure?
Yes, it's true. I told you earlier.　Originally, he said, he expected to be turned down. So we didn't have to do anything about it because we expected this to happen.
...Then what are you going to do about this grimoire?

　The magic tool that was taken from Arios.
　I shouldn't be able to leave this behind.

　But it's my lifeline.
　I can't let him get it back.
　

'Oh, you can do whatever you want with it.
What did you say?
'No. As for me, I'm against giving the magic tool to Rain-san. It's better to crush Rain-san here........that's what I advised her to do.

　Monica uses the word "crush" lightly.
　The appropriateness of it is contrary frightening.

''But ... well, there's a lot going on on my end as well. Yes, there really are many things. And.........after a lot of things, I decided not to take any action and let it happen. Because whichever way it turns out, as far as we're concerned, we'll achieve our goal.

　The way you put it, Monica has more than one goal in mind.
　If I can't prove my innocence, or if I can't prove my innocence and I'm guilty, it doesn't matter.
　What is the secret purpose behind this?

　I'd love to expose it, but...
　But it's not safe to go deeper.
　My gut tells me that this woman is dangerous.
　If I could, I would get out of here as soon as possible.

"Is it true what you say?
'Yes, it's true. If you doubt it, shall I walk away from you?　We're done with it.

　With that, Monica turns on her heel and turns her back to me.
　It's a defenseless figure.
　I felt like I could take it down with a single blow right now.

　But at the same time, there was a sense of danger.
　Exposing the defenseless figure is a trap........
　He seemed to be waiting for his prey to bite him.

Hmm.... so, have a nice day. I'll see you soon.
I wouldn't want to see you again if I could help it.
You're so dull.

　He turned around lightly and gave me a sultry look...
　Then Monica walked off somewhere else and disappeared.

　After Monica disappeared, I continued to be on alert for a while, but nothing seemed to happen.
　As the word suggests, nothing has been done.

Monica..... There's another troublesome guy out there.

　I had a feeling that a storm was brewing.



----------



　Monica walked down an alleyway shrouded in darkness and ....
　After a moment, he stopped.

　He drops to his knees and bows his head.
　Then the shadow beyond rises.
　It swells up large........and eventually takes the form of a person.

　The being that emerged from the shadow was a demon race called Reese.
　It is the one whom Monica truly serves.

''Thank you very much.

　Reese said in a gentle voice, offering Monica some words of thanks for her labor.

''Unfortunately, we were unable to bring the Rain Shroud into the fold. As we were instructed in advance, the magic tools will remain intact...
'Oh, no need to report that. I was watching you, too.
'I see. I beg your pardon.
'But ... did he refuse Monica's invitation? Hmmm, that's a shame. I thought it would make a good souvenir for Mr. Iris.
''As we were talking about at the beginning, that man, unlike the brave men, has very little in the way of greed. It's difficult to draw such a man in...
'Oh, I'm not accusing you of anything, you know. Don't get me wrong.

　Rhys smiles as he looks at the moonlit night.

'Whether the Rain Shroud returns or falls away as it is... in either case, my purpose will be fulfilled. If the Rain Shroud has fallen, I can get rid of the humans who would be in the way. If not.............................instead, who will fall?　Hmmm, I'm very excited.

　Reese's laughter echoed through the deep night.



----------



　After retrieving the magical tools, I was able to return to Sarya's place safely.

　I don't know much about magic tools, but it seems that Sarya was studying at one point in her life, so she can investigate.
　However, I was told it would take some time.
　Apparently, that's how complicated the magic tools are.

　Three days.

　That's how long it takes to investigate a magic tool.

　Right now, even every minute is too much time.
　And yet, I can't believe I have to devote three days of time to it....
　It's frustrating, but there's nothing I can do about it.
　The only thing I can do now is to just hang on.

　All I could do was to become Sarya's assistant and speed up the process as much as possible.

　And so ... two days passed.
　There's only one day left to analyze the magic tool.
　Then everything would be revealed.

　That's when things took a sudden turn for the worse.

''Rain-sama, we're in trouble!

　When I returned to the hiding place after scouting the city at the same time as I bought the evening meal, Sarya-sama had an impatient look on her face.
　As soon as she saw me, she rushed in with vigor.

''What's going on?　So much hurry.
A few moments ago, a group of knights were passing by and handing out these things.

　I receive a flyer from Lord Sarya.
　It says, "We will execute the most powerful species that are avenging the nation.

"Executing the most powerful species that avenge their nation.