Lattis Castle.


I sighed deeply.
In front of me is the grave of Commander Saran, the man who saved us until just a few days ago.

He was the one who saved us many times in the labyrinth.
And yet his tomb is in disarray, and the weeds are growing on their own.
Maybe the grass in this world grows fast, or maybe it was beautiful just a few days ago, but now it's an overgrown grassland of weeds.


'No one's coming to visit the grave: ......


In the grave, which was different from the Japanese grave, the flowers that the whole class prepared for when they were buried were placed in a state of exhaustion.
The flowers I left there were also left in the same state of disrepair.
I was saddened to see that no one had come to visit the grave even though ten days had passed since then.

That day, the day Akira disappeared, my classmates began to go crazy.
The atmosphere was awkward and they would fight over trivial things.
The people who have always been close to each other huddle together and look at the other classmates as if they are their parents' enemies.
It's as if someone is ordering them to fight, to break up with each other.

I'm the only one who has been able to escape it, like a curse.
I'm adjusting to my surroundings now, but slowly I'm starting to float away from them too.


'I guess the only reason I'm sane now is because of you and Akira.


I don't remember much of what happened while the curse was being lifted.
However, after the curse was lifted, Deputy Commander Ziel told me that Crystal and Commander Saran had worked hard to lift the curse.

Deputy Commander Ziel also told me that the king and the princess had put the curse on us little by little so that we wouldn't know.

I should have protected the people near me first, before I said I was going to help everyone or help the world.

I still don't like Akira, but I can see now that he was protecting the people around me instead of me.
I'm also grateful.

All I can do is get angry at myself.
All I can think of is the regret I should have done then.


Desperate to do it myself, I pulled out the weeds and cleaned the grave with the water I'd fetched.

I polish the grave with the tools the castle maidservant loaned me.


...... phew.


I poured water on it and carefully removed the moss with a scrubbing tool, similar to a tashew.
The area where the name was dug in was carefully polished.
I don't want anyone to forget about this man.

My neck hurts from looking down the whole time, and I slowly unwind.


'...... hmm?'


I thought I could feel the presence of a person in the direction of the forest where I suddenly turned my gaze.
There are many places to hide, so I can't tell where it is, but it's definitely peeking at me.


''Who's there!''


I pulled out the sword I've always worn since that day.
As I stared at it, a woman emerged from the shadow of a tree.


''I'm sorry. I didn't mean to peek at you.

Are you ...... Ueno, Mr.?


The Haunting Master, Yuuki Ueno.
She was the one who kept breaking the spell on me in the labyrinth until the magic power ran out under Akira's direction.
The energetic girl with the Kansai dialect is wilting uncharacteristically.


'No, it's fine. I'm sorry for pulling out my sword too. It's not an exaggeration to say that you are a benefactor too.

'Yes. I think it's normal to be wary if you're all watching now.

...... You're not under a curse?


Somehow, I felt different from everyone else.
Most of all, his eyes were different.
While my classmates were glaring at me, trying to find someone's weaknesses, Ueno-san's eyes were looking straight at me.


'What are you talking about? I'm a curse breaker. We have the highest resistance to curses in our class.


I didn't relax my guard against Ueno-san, who was weakly beating his chest.
That's how the princess tricked me.
There is no second time.


You'll be able to see that ...... is unreliable. I'm not sure if I still trust that Tsukasa-kun's curse is truly and completely lifted, either. So why don't you come back here tomorrow?

Tomorrow?

Yeah. The more friends you have, the better. I know I'm not under a curse. And I want to prove it.


I know what it's like to be alone.
Because that's exactly what I am right now.
Only some assassin would be aloof, even alone.


'All right. I'll come back here tomorrow. But I'll keep my sword close, and I won't get any closer than a certain distance. Is that alright with you?

Of course. I've never been around a man with a sword either.


I was a little relieved when Mr. Ueno finally smiled his usual smile.


'You, too, will watch. I'll change this country for the better.


I plucked a flower that resembled a hollyhock that was growing nearby and offered it to him.
Mr. Ueno, who was looking at the flower, was impressed with it and said, "The language of the flower of Aoi is 'trusting heart'.


The language of flower of Aoi is "Trusting heart". He chose an appropriate flower for this occasion very well.

"'Believe in the Heart' ....... I didn't know that. I'll keep that in mind.


Where the hell is Akira?
It's been a long time since I've seen that irreverent smile.


In the clear blue sky, the hapless hero took a step forward.
In order to catch up with the assassin who is forever ahead of him.