It was a red room.
　The floor, the walls, the furniture, and the ceiling. The floor, the walls, the furniture, and the ceiling were all stained red.
　It was black and ominous.

　A nauseating scent of iron wafted in the air, as if a ghost was prowling around.
　When I stepped in, there was a tinkling sound and water droplets bouncing around.

''.........Mom.......?''
　Dumbfounded, he says.
　The girl deliberately utters this, so as not to lose her ego.

　Another step.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it.
　The girl's eyes were empty. Still, it came into view.
　I don't like it, I don't like it, I shook my head many times, and yet the reality remained the same.


　Only the words echo silently.
　The small room, stained with fresh blood, is like hell itself.
　With a blurred consciousness, the drops that spilled out made a sound and carved ripples.
　The weight of reality pressed on the girl's consciousness.



　My throat trembled.
　Nothing, no one, was responding to me.
　Just alone there.
　The girl dropped to her knees in a pool of blood as she held her two heads.　

--Hey!
　Just scream, just scream.
　To deceive myself, to numb my thoughts, to wear out my mind.

........why........
　The bitterness that occupies my mind causes me to breathe uncontrollably.　

'I don't want to be alone ... no ... papa!　Maa!
　In the midst of sobbing in despair, the voice touched the girl's ears.

'Poor girl - hey, do you want to see your significant other again?'
　The girl just clings to it.



Yes, well, I hope - give the empty vessel the father and mother you had in mind for me.
　The girl wishes to do as she is told.
　She wants to see her father and mother just one more time.










　Inside the common room equipped in the church, Nacht was facing a girl who said she was a fire dragon priestess.
　Speaking of fire dragons, they are the ones who direct bad impressions to the extent that he sometimes wonders if he should have put a stop to it then. Nacht would never forgive that dragon for messing with Aisha for the rest of his life.
　Thinking about it, perhaps the reason Nacht is here like this is because he has unconsciously followed the fire dragon's presence.

　But of course, I don't intend to confuse such perceptions.
　The fire dragon and the girl in front of me are two different things, and I have no dislike for Tina.
　Nacht says with a cheery smile.

'Well, let's have a little chat, Tina, shall we?

Yes. Hey, you can ask me anything you want. I'm sorry I was rude to you earlier and...
　She seemed to regret pointing her blade at Nacht.
　She was curious, but never had a bad impression of Tina, who had been mercilessly pointing her sword at a person she had never met before, and that too at Nacht, a beautiful girl character who was very particular about her.

　Nacht slowly looks at Tina.
　She's a girl with short, slightly frizzy hair. Her age would be in her late teens.
　It's not that she's dressed in a maiden's uniform, nor is she holding a ritual vessel in her hand.
　Instead, he is holding a single sword with a black and red blade. It's not a miko, but a warrior. Even if you take a single bodywork technique, there is no doubt that you are quite a good user.

''There's no need to worry about it--but even so, it still has an interesting vibe to it.
　From the bottom to the top, when Nacht lifted her gaze, the girl was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
　Nacht's eyes, which seemed to look into the depths of her mind, pressurized her, and she couldn't help but shake her shoulders.

'It's not just people. One is that dragon's. The other one - it's not a thing thick enough to be called a hint, but it's definitely there. It smells just like a doll.
　Nacht takes a step forward and closes the distance between him and Tina.
　That was enough to bring them so close together that they could feel each other's breath.
　Nacht reaches out his hand towards Tina to confirm the identity of the presence he felt.

''H--!
　Sensing danger, Tina tried to move, but Nacht grabbed the hand that held the sword lightly and held it down just enough to prevent her from moving.
　It was a skilled move, but it was slow enough for Nacht to produce a lack of movement.

'Nah...!'

　Then, just like that, he reached out with his free hand to his swollen chest.
　The hand felt hard and cold as if it was touching iron, not skin. It's a coldness that is not inherent in people.
　Boom.
　Hearing the sound of the rhythmic heart, Nacht is convinced.

'Who gave you this heart?'

'　.........how did you get that.......?
　Tina's eyes wavered, slightly.
　Nacht let go of her hand and went straight down and sat down on the simple sofa.

'I told you, I have the same feeling,' he said. I am a newcomer to the city, and my dear squire is being seduced by unfaithful people. As I was trying to discern the seed of the trick, I happened to come across you, who had the same faint but faint hint of the doll, that's all.
　At first I thought it was the pawn of the person who seduced Aisha, but then I realized that this was not the case.
　But as long as we're talking like this, I can somehow see that this is not the case.
　I'm sure you'll find a lot of people who have a lot of interest in the idea, but it's not the kind of action a doll can take, even though some parts of her body are exactly the same as a doll, but the actions she took to protect her children are not the kind of action a doll can take.

''So you too are going after the demon race!
　He shook his head while swallowing the information that came out of Tina's mouth.

'I was just involved, so I'd like to know a lot of things - apparently you're involved in a lot of this mutation. As I said, I'll tell you.

Oh, um!　Who the hell are you?
　A more alert Tina looked at Nacht and said, looking at Nacht.
　Nacht opened his mouth, wondering if this mannerism was a mistake at their first meeting, but somehow trying to gain their trust.　　

'I'm just a traveler. Most of all, though, I'm of the dragon blood that you guys revere.
　I'm not lying.
　The Nachtas are of the dragon lineage, though. Right now they have the power of a higher level dragon, but if you trace it back to the source, it's not hard to say that the source is the same.
　The Holy Dragon Church only worships dragons as gods, and there is a tendency to say that those associated with dragons, such as the dragon race, should be worshipped for now. It's a good thing that the dragon man, who carries the dragon element in his body, is treated as an angel of God.
　As long as this is a church, it's the best way for Nacht to realize the trust quickly.

''Ha!　So you are a dragon man, Nacht!　I'm very sorry about this.

Don't worry about it. I wish you could tell me more than that. It's not like this strange mix of people and puppets has been the way of the city for a long time, has it?
　Nacht asked, and Tina's face fell, a look of frustration on her face.
　She grips the hilt of her sword and, somewhat, opens her mouth.

'Maybe it started a little over a year ago--one rumor circulated in the city. I'm sure that at that time, the demon woman was already ruling the country--
　With that, Tina slowly began to speak.





◇





　Tina was an orphan from the church.
　She was just a girl who aspired to be strong and become an adventurer and earn money in the future, with the goal of someday eating a full meal and not sleeping with a full belly in the midst of an unfree life.

　The girl, who had no other purpose or goal in mind, was drawn to a strange fate and met a dragon in the forest.
　The strange talking, childlike dragon was much dumber than the fairy tales and legends told her to be. After all, it had apparently caught a large rock between its claws while playing with it, and it lamented that it was uncomfortable and unpleasant.
　Most of all, the fierce sight of it scared him, and he was trembling, rubbing his head against the ground and begging for his life.
　I thought it was impolite, but I cooperated with the somewhat dumb dragon and brushed the large rock between my claws, and before I knew it, I was given a blessing and became a priestess. Really, you never know what's going to happen in life.

　Dragon priestesses have a completely different role than the priests who preach in churches and are enshrined in big chairs.
　They are bearers of the dragon's blessing; in other words, they are mighty fighters.
　Therefore, their main role is nothing more than the church's warfare power to exterminate human enemies, whether it is the defeat of demons or bandits.
　Naturally, its opponents - demons are also included.

　The only thing that supports that position is power.
　Since Tina began to wield that power, she no longer experiences the hunger that she even misses.
　The branch of the Church of the Holy Dragon in Estor that gave birth to Tina has been given a budget and has grown. It also made life a little more prosperous.

　Instead, Tina was added to the group of maidens, of which there were only four.
　However, unless she received a direct order from the Holy City, Tina didn't have to do anything directly, and she had a reasonably leisurely life. She liked the days she spent in the capital of Estor, its church, unexpectedly, while living the life of a half-adventurer, going out into the forest on a whim to defeat demons and slaying bandits, and living a half-adventurer's life.

　Fast forward three years to the year when Tina turned sixteen, and a strange rumor had come to Estor that she had been living that same life.
　They were rumors of an elixir that could bring back the dead, or a secret art, or a tool.
　The rumor was that Estor was possessed of a divine skill that had raised the queen of kings from the dead.

　At the time, Tina had only heard it as a rumor and didn't care.
　She snickered that it was probably just a random rumor from a drunken bard.

　But before I knew it, the rumors spread, and even in the city, there were people who claimed to have encountered the dead, and before I knew it, Estor was being referred to as the land where the gods live, or the divine city, among the people.
　That's when it started. The king's policies were gaining momentum and the country was moving in one direction.

　Just when even the dim-witted Tina began to think that this was strange, Tina received a request from the prince of the country. A letter arrived. The content of the letter was quite simple.
　He asked for her help.
　The prince said he would enter the heart of the country and defeat the demons controlling the king. In order to do so, he asked for the help of a dragon maiden to help him defeat the demons.
　Surely, he was the only one who knew.
　Beside his father, who was exulting in the fact that the deceased queen had come back to life, he knew the simple fact that the dead never rise.

'In conclusion, the mastermind of this disturbance is the demon race. I don't know what his purpose is, but is it the overthrow of Estor or is it the overthrow of Estor... I followed the first prince's order, and as a dragon priestess, I contacted, fought, defeated, and died with the ringleader, the female demon tribe.

But you seem to be in good spirits.
　Nacht said as if he was in love with her while sending a stream of eyes.

''Haha........But as Nacht-san said, this heart is a machine that was implanted after being pierced by the female demon race. The real me might already be dead........
　Nacht kicked off such weak mutterings.

'That's not true. You have a soul in your body. Even if you have a false heart, you are still alive. I, myself, can assure you of that.
　Even in the gaming era, skills (skills) to temporarily compensate for missing parts existed, and there were even people who, perhaps influenced by manga and anime, liked to create and equip steel prosthetic arms. I still remember how excited I was when I saw my drunken buddies recreate a rocket punch.
　No matter if her heart turns into a machine, she is still a person, as long as her essence is a person.
　Nacht showed her a condensation of magical power floating over her hands.

'Do you look at my power and think it's a person?　Do you look at a demon and think it's a person?　When you see a dragon transformed into a man, do you think it's a man?　Appearances are just a decoration. --The only way to prove a person's existence is through the mind that tries to be a person.
　That's why the beauty of the human heart and soul is of the utmost importance to Nacht.
　Even now that Nacht has gained the half of a dragon, she has not abandoned her life as a human being.
　Her desire to live in this place as a human being was fully conveyed even with just this conversation.

''Nacht-san... well, thank you...''
　Tina, who was looking somewhat shady, smiled a little happily.

'Fine. More importantly, did the enemy think to take you down, give you a heart and make you a pawn?
　Tina nodded at Nacht's words.

'Yes, this false heart was inscribed with a curse that made me swear obedience to the subject.
　Tina said, clutching the clothes over her heart.
　It was a similar admonition to the collar that Krista had been restricted from acting on. Most of all, though, the one she received seemed to be several degrees more restrictive than that one.

'Originally, I would have been a doll that moved as she commanded. Luckily, I was already under the control of a higher power. --

Well, I guess that lizard's a bit of a lizard--

And the lizard?
　Tina reacts to Nacht's words as he spills them into the air, but Nacht doesn't take it up.

But, well, we get the point. You pointed your blade at me because you were wary of your pursuers. And your lack of busyness is due to the fear that your life is in your hands--
　The girl probably didn't have the luxury of time.
　So, taut and alert, I drew my blade.

'I pretended to be in control, gathered information, saw an opening and ran away. This was a gamble of sorts. If they wanted to put me to good use, if they recognized my value, I wouldn't be killed any time soon.
　Even with this, I thought I had pushed them to a step or two more. If only that time........if only my blessings hadn't weakened for some reason.......
　Nacht's eyebrows moved slightly for a moment at those words.
　He listened to Tina's words while pushing down his inner turmoil.

''-- He took the trouble to plant a heart in me and even tried to control me with a curse. So surely, this time he will capture me and say: 'I'm sure you'll be able to do this. Your life is in my hands, and if you don't want to die, follow that life.
　Somehow, I think I won the bet.
　Then she laughed.

　Regardless of the curse being nullified, it was the demon race that created the heart that held her life together, and if she stopped it, the girl's life would easily end.
　If that demon race changed its mind, Tina could die at this very moment.
　He couldn't possibly be afraid.

''I am a Fire Dragon Priestess. A warrior princess who takes on disaster, but - I don't really care about that. What I want to protect is this place, this city, the friends I live with, and I will never betray them all. So, I'm sure that when I do, I'll shake my head wide--

　--I'll die...

　The girl's eyes, filled with determination, refused to do so.
　She clenched her trembling teeth and faced her own death, which was sure to come.
　Looking straight into Nacht's eyes, Tina bowed her head.

I understand that this is not the right thing to say to a stranger like you. But if it's you--please, destroy that demon tribe instead of me!
　She pleads so.
　I understand the meaning of the word.

'Are you sure?　If I take care of that, you're the one who's going to die, okay?
　If the surgeon dies, the doll and its machine will stop moving.

'Still - it's much better than just dying!
　But Tina's intentions are the same.
　I don't dislike the sincerity of a girl who just bows her head in a direct manner.

"Hm--doesn't my decision waver?

Will you take the job, please?
　Nacht's answer is more determined than the original.
　At the girl's words, which have a heavy sound, Nacht nodded one nod and told her once and for all--

But I won't.
　And.

　You will be rewarded handsomely. I'll even ask the prince to make a request for a huge reward--
　Nacht tells a flustered and confused Tina.

'My purpose is to find out what kind of magic trick it is. It's not just a matter of time before I get to the point where I'm misunderstood by Aisha. There is no way I'm going to use such a tactless method as cheating.

What!　Once we defeat that guy, surely this aberration should end!
　To Nacht, even that is only a trivial matter.
　More to the point, it's just another matter.
　He didn't dislike the sincere response or the polite plea, but it wasn't enough of a reason for Nacht to move.

''--and so--you're going to die?

Huh?

'In the first place, there's no reason for me to do you a favor - or not, but it doesn't matter. I don't intend to be foolish enough to cooperate with a death wish. Nor am I so good-natured as to give you what you don't wish for.

I've been--!
　It sounded half like a wail.
　A mournful voice leaked out from the depths of her throat, and the girl still looked at Nacht.　

''Even I don't want to die.........!　But!　I can't help it!　If I die like this, this city--everyone!　I'm sure he's going to be unhappy I would have protected him if it were true. I would have protected you with my own hands!
　As if regretting her weakness, Tina gripped the hilt of her sword.

''The power of the demon race is mighty!　There's no one in this town who's better than me!　So I'm going to run off to do something about it and if he continues to control me, one day he's going to flip me off and the city will fall!　It's not enough for the demons to invade the kingdoms--
　The girl's words, trying to convince Nacht, were cut off there.
　A shattering sound broke in and the only window in the common room shattered.

　Nacht became aware of the tactlessness of the situation.
　Three figures entered the room.
　Anger welled up at the intruders and turned to rage at the sight of them.
　Of the three dolls, Nacht knows two of them.

'Of all things, you would taunt my people--'
　The black and white counterpart of a beautiful nekomimi girl.
　It was the figure of a companion of Nacht, with whom he had fought in the past.