The central district of Estor.
　In the middle of the city, where the royal castle and the elegant luxury houses surround it, there is a nobleman's mansion with a delicate garden.
　The main gate of the mansion is suddenly opened...

　-- torn apart.

　The pieces of wood that had been torn apart were slowly falling apart.
　In the midst of all that - a crunch.
　The sound of the footsteps of a single step rang out, heavy as ever.

"You're here, I won't say welcome, but I've been waiting for you, let's just say--
　Annalicia's voice, which she didn't know to whom she was addressing, went to Aisha and then to Tina.
　Her tone was high-flown, arrogant, and she didn't seem to have any intention of acting the way she once did at the earliest.

'Where is Isna--'

You're impatient. Nobody likes a woman who's in a hurry.
　Annalicia, who lightly brushed off Aisha's intimidation, said.

'That's an interesting combination, though. I'm frankly amazed that you're alive and well, Tina - what kind of magic trick is that, when the fool's heart I planted in you should have been shattered before I broke it?　
　Although she seems to be speaking calmly, her expression is still somewhat irritating, perhaps because she is still in a bad mood.
　However, it was Tina who rather wanted to complain.

''Ugh--Because of you, I will be Nacht-san's slave for the rest of my life I can never pay three hundred white gold coins.
　Annalicia tilts her head in disbelief, as if she doesn't understand the meaning of the words she says with tears in her eyes.
　What had happened to Tina and why was she working with Aisha?
　It was only a short time ago----




You're not going to be able to do that.




'Well, Aisha--you want to go see the mastermind, don't you?

Yes, sir. I want Izuna back. I can't leave her with that man.

I see...
　Aisha could see that Nacht's expression changed slightly as he said that.
　But it was only for a short while.
　Soon, Nacht was there, smiling kindly at Aisha.

''Then let's go to my slave first.

Are you a slave?
　Nacht poked at Aisha's deco, who imagined the wrong thing.

"--It can't be -- well, it's like being a slave, right?
　The place Nacht led me to was an orphanage as he said that.

'Oh, it's Nacht!　Welcome back!

Welcome back!

Come on, Nachtas!

　And there were children there to greet Nacht with mouths to mouth.
　Now it was Aisha's turn to make her mouth water.
　Even Aisha couldn't act so friendly to Nacht, but she thought for a moment that he was a rude son of a b*tc* and thought afterwards that it was unfair.

'Ha, well, wait--is Tina there?'

'Little girl?　Yeah, I think he's in the chapel!

Well, there's a good girl--
　Nacht said and lightly stroked the child's head.

'Nacht, where's the kid over there?　New friends?

'Mmm!　Aisha is not a child!　This is still Nacht-sama's squire!
　And he throws out his chest in exasperation.
　It's true that the girl in front of her isn't much taller than Aisha, but Aisha is still twenty years old for this.
　She is not a child.
　By no means is she a child.

It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on it. Call her Aisha.
　And.
　Aisha was delighted and embarrassed by Nacht's words, but still happy and smiled.

'Yeah, nice to meet you, Aisha.'
　As for Aisha, she would like to be called a big sister, but there is no way she can make such a request without the Lord.
　Along with a smile that came strangely and naturally, Aisha answers the children's voices.

''Yes, nice to meet you.''

Well, we're going to see Tina. In the meantime, go play with your golems...
　After saying that, the children scattered again and left.

''Golem, is it........''
　Aisha was also curious.
　For some reason, this orphanage had a full-body armored guard standing around, a maid playing with the children, a teacher to teach them knowledge, and an instructor to teach them swordsmanship, but it was clearly beyond the realm of an orphanage.
　All of these things seemed to be happily playing with the children, which seemed a bit strange.
　But it was soon to be expected.
　It was already easy to imagine that if the revered Lord was residing here, common sense would be blown away in two seconds.

'I had some time to kill while I was waiting for Aisha - I got fancy with playing dolls, too. Now I'm the children's plaything. After all, he is a child who has spent time with this Nacht, and he will have to be great in the future--
　Looking at Nacht, who says confidently, Aisha laughs too.

(Ah, I knew it--Nacht-sama is Nacht-sama...)
　And Aisha looks at the Lord with respectful eyes that leave a great kindness in his whim.
　Then Aisha thinks about it.
　Inevitably, she can't help but think about it.　
　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for when you're in the marketplace.

'Oh, Nacht, welcome back,'
　In the meantime, they reached the chapel and a girl greeted them.
　The one there was a beautiful woman, even from Aisha's point of view.
　She was much more mature and attractive than Aisha.
　Seeing such a lovely yet mature woman, Aisha felt uneasy.　　

''.........Nacht-sama--Aisha is no longer needed, is she.......''
　I found myself saying that.
　No chance of winning.
　Especially in the chest area.
　Besides, Aisha's sensors are telling her.
　That chest is a work in progress.
　It's still developing.

"What?

'Because that's Tina right there!　Hey, I'm Nacht-sama's s*x slave, and Aisha hasn't even had a night out yet, and--

Hello?
　Nacht and Tina's voices overlap.

'Nah, nah, what are you talking about, this girl!

"Uhhhh-- this is not happening-- he's a cat stealer-- give me half your tits... ...
　Aisha's outbursts would not stop.
　After all, it seems that the time away was too much for Aisha to be worried.

'No, Aisha - or maybe I shouldn't have said 'slave' - well, what the hell, I just know you.

It's terrible, Mr. Nacht!　After what you did to me!
　Tina would never have said that with malicious intent, but the statement made Aisha go even further out of control.
　It was truly a fire hazard.

'Oh my God!　Lord Nacht, what on earth have you done!

'That's why I'm saying it's not-- Tina, you need to think about how you say it a little--ha--'
　Nacht let out one sigh and told Aisha the whole story.
　It was the story of Tina's identity, her encounter with her, and the time they were attacked.




◆




Kaha........why...........!
　Nacht's hand deeply gouged out Tina's heart, which was spilling confusion.
　The pure white arm that went through it was red and freshly bled.　
　Whether it was a haze of consciousness or because of Nacht's penetration of her chest, Tina seemed unable to speak any better.

　But Nacht's hands did not stop.
　With his penetrating right arm, he pulled out the mechanical heart.

''Kaffu.........!
　Nacht quickly took out a recovery potion (potion) from the storage as he was bathed in Tina's returning blood.
　It's not just a recovery potion either.
　The one taken out of the shared storage is a secret potion that is the highest-ranked among Nacht's recovery methods.
　It was a special class potion.
　Sutok always keeps a hundred of them, which is a charged item that was once used only when taking on raid bosses and the like.

　In the Real World Online, recovery items cannot be used continuously. Naturally, it requires a waiting time (cool time) to take it, so even if a normal player has one or two, that's exactly what they handle in an emergency.

　He sprinkles it on her wounds.
　Its effect was instantaneous.
　The moment a drop of water touched the wound. A faint, gentle light made the wound disappear.
　It was as if time had been rewound, leaving not even a single wound, but perfectly healed Tina's wound.
　The change wasn't just on the surface.
　Her labored breathing has become strangely calm, and her blood color seems to have improved somehow, as if the abnormality of her body has disappeared. Although all normal abnormalities can be healed, it seems that the blood-enhancing effect is also included in the effect.
　And most importantly, the heart, which should have been lost, has been revived.
　I don't know if it's because I heard the sound of the rhythmic ticking again, but Tina just looked at me as if she didn't understand.

''What in the world.........''

Hmm--I've been experimenting to see the effects on this side of the world--and the heart seems to have regenerated just fine.


　Still dreamy, Tina was looking at Nacht with somewhat unfocused eyes.
　No healing magic in this world could restore a lost heart.
　If it was a fatal wound received in the heart, it would be possible if the restoration magic of the Supreme Priestess was applied on the spot, but it was only last month that she lost her heart. And yet, here is a heart that ticks the rhythms again.
　It feels more like a regression than a recovery, and it's no wonder she's upset.
　Nacht had no choice but to tell her the reality.

'Well, Tina. I have used a secret potion on you that is extremely valuable and will never be available to you again.
　I'm not lying.
　They used to cost three hundred dollars a piece, but now they are impossibly valuable and will never be available again.
　I have ninety-nine more, but I will never get them again.

''........yes.
　Nacht tells Tina, who nods at him with a cockle.

'Well, let's call it pricing then, shall we?

Heh...........

You don't think a church maiden would give someone their precious elixir for free, do you?
　Nacht says whitewashed.
　Tina was pressured by Nacht's smile.



''Well, it's partly because this time it's my own choice. So I'll give you a little discount.
　Tina swallowed raw at the slightly hopeful statement.

''As I recall, there was a record of a recovery potion that was once traded at the kingdom's auction and was auctioned off for three hundred white gold coins - it was said to heal all diseases and healed the wounds of a princess who was on the verge of death from severe burns when she was a child. --of course, my potions are more effective, but let's just meditate on that, shall we?
　By the way, it can be said that two gold coins is the average annual income of a person collected by a knight. The wages of the priestesses provided by the church are also not much different, with a little coloration. Most of all, Tina receives it for almost nothing, so if she acts as an adventurer, she will earn twice that much.
　And one white gold coin is worth a hundred gold coins.
　To put it plainly, a gold coin is worth about a million yen and a white gold coin is worth about a hundred million yen. Of course, the prices of goods are different compared to modern Japan, so it's not exactly accurate.


　For some reason, Tina, who was supposed to be healthy, has fallen down again, coughing up blood.
　Seeing the state of affairs as if her soul had slipped out of her mouth, Nacht said.

'But if you ask me to forego payment, I will grant it - or does this sound bad - if you ask me to save your own life, I will not ask for a price. Not there?

That's.........

What do you want to do now, Tina?

"Wow, I...





You're not going to be able to do that.




That's why - because Tina has asked me for something else. It means you're my debt slave.

Wow, I'm sorry, how quickly...
　Nacht laughs at Aisha, who looks down in embarrassment.

But I don't need money. I would rather feed my children a good meal than pay me. So, I'll have to work to pay you back what you owe me - if you do me a favor, it will go away in time, so you can rest assured.
　If Nacht decided that was fine, then there was nothing for Aisha to interfere with.
　Aisha selfishly understands that it must have been a better result.

''Ugh....Jeez, I don't want to do human experiments...''

'I'm fine!　Nacht-sama is a man of great generosity.
　Aisha assured him.

'But if you think of repaying Nacht-sama with your body--then--hmmm--'
　I pull Tina to me and whisper in her ear.

The best thing about this is that it's not possible. You can't do this to a girl.

Then everything is okay.
　Aisha was able to interact with Tina with a smile on her face the rest of the day.

'Well--well, let's get to the point--'
　So Nacht cuts to the chase.
　Then Tina and Aisha were briefed on this mysterious city.
　Aisha looked at Nacht, who had uncovered everything while she was on the run, and almost dropped her shoulders.
　So far away - she thought.
　That's what I thought.
　I wondered when I would be able to catch up and stand beside it, and I wondered about that.

'Tina - I heard you were once kept by the woman behind the mastermind. Then you'll know his mansion. Lead Aisha there.

Yes, yes, yes.

"But then there are demons, dolls, demon eyes, fire dragon priestesses, special development zones, and invasions--a bit of a missing piece of information--

What?
　Nacht said to Tina, who had a question mark on her face.

'- he has his own agenda - but I'm sure he won't change his mind about you--'
　Nacht seemed to be sending a somewhat trusting look to Tina.
　After taking a breath, Nacht said leisurely.

"--Let's call this evening the end of the dream--




You're not going to be able to do that.




　--and so they were here.
　As if to be led.
　Let him take you by the hand.

Where's Izuna?

Huh - it's hard to talk at length when you're here - I'll be in the last room, if you like, okay?
　Aisha was puzzled by such words from Analicia.
　It's because of the habit of saying so much recklessness, but suddenly her attitude changed.

It's not reckless enough to mess with you - so do what you want. If she wants to stay with you, I won't stop her from doing that either--
　Vigilance, I wonder if they are being warned.
　Aisha didn't quite understand it, but it was okay nonetheless.
　It's a good thing, she thought, as long as she could have another conversation with Izuna.

'- Oh, and one more thing - if she's going to follow you, just give her a message -'
　Annalicia tells Aisha in a voice without inflection.

'---------' ---...and...

　The words that were uttered startled Aisha and she nodded.
　Annalicia looked at Tina after Aisha ran through to the hall.

'It's not going to work - no, it did work, but it's a monster intervention that I can't deal with, and there's probably nothing I can do about it.
　Even if I knew, I couldn't handle it.
　Such a person would be behind Aisha, Annalicia thinks.

'But we can still make some corrections - will you help us, Tina, the fire dragon priestess? You care about this country as much as I do, don't you?