He was with the man who had killed the High Priest of the Sky.

Ephraim suspected who that person might be.

But in the end…

Chronosa had not chosen Holy Arboas.

This realization stirred an indescribable sense of relief deep within his heart.

His closely trimmed nails dug into the palm of his tightly clenched fist.

Drops of blood fell silently to the floor, one after another.

Finally, Ephraim forced himself to speak with cold determination.

“There is no princess in Belphegor.”

“Your Grace, Great Lord…”

“Go to the Great Lord Beelzebuth at once and deliver my message.”

Ephraim cut off any further discussion before it could begin.

He could not afford to let his resolve waver.

“This is our only chance to claim the northeastern territory as our own.”

As it happened, Aaron had been unable to return to the battlefield since Nergal went back in time.

For Chronos’s sake, he had restrained himself as much as possible.

He was undoubtedly eager for battle.

Once he received the message, he would be eager to join the campaign.

“Tell him that if he marches to war, I shall march alongside him.”

Upon hearing this unexpected declaration, the Shadow abruptly lifted his head.

He did not know whose sake he was taking this first step for.

But for Ephraim, too.

This was his only chance: to find his missing daughter. To reclaim the one thing he had lost.

***

During the brief period when Talata was unconscious due to her injuries…a great deal happened in Zion.

The border to the Spirit Kingdom was sealed.

Aether, the High Priest of the Sky, was buried.

The official cause of his death was recorded as death by misadventure while carrying out his duties.

Strictly speaking, that wasn’t entirely untrue.

They had simply withheld the details.

After all, he had been killed while carrying out an order from the Holy Emperor.

Although Aether had made enemies wherever he went, he died as a high priest.

His funeral was therefore conducted with all the grandeur befitting his position.

But that was where it ended.

In a war like this, no one had the luxury of mourning the dead for long.

Or of mourning them any more deeply.

Soon afterwards, the Holy Sword of the Sky was put on display in Zion’s Grand Plaza, awaiting its next wielder.

Even after Talata regained consciousness, there was still no sign of the new wielder of the Holy Sword.

No one had yet stepped forward to claim it.

A lot had happened since Talata awoke.

Following Talata’s advice — or rather, her warning —Akasha, the City of Merchants, was the first to bear the brunt of it.

Zion’s soldiers had spread quietly throughout the city.

Before long, thorough inspections were being carried out at every checkpoint.

Silver-haired men and black-haired women were detained.

While this combination might have stood out in the bleak lands of Arcadia, in Arboas it was an all-too-common sight.

Initially, most of those detained were found to be innocent and were quickly released.

However, as time went on, the inspections became slower and more exhaustive.

It was under these circumstances that Talata finally arrived in Akasha, somewhat later than intended.

The moment they recognized her, everyone immediately sprang to their feet and bowed their heads.

“Your Highness, Great Scholar.”

“…”

Under normal circumstances, Talata would have responded cheerfully, perhaps giving one of them a light tap on the back of the head.

Instead, she merely nodded slightly.

Although her vibrant pink hair bounced with its usual energy, she was uncharacteristically subdued.

She simply wasn’t feeling well.

But to those who had only ever heard tales of Talata’s infamous reputation, the sight was both puzzling and unsettling.

The soldiers instinctively straightened their backs.

Brushing aside the person supporting her, Talata limped towards Retunea, who was sitting quietly watching the people passing through at the inspection checkpoint.

“Retunea.”

“So you’ve arrived. I heard you had regained consciousness. How are you feeling?”

“Yes. Considering I can walk on my own, I think I’m doing just fine.”

She was limping slightly at the moment, but this minor injury would heal over time.

After all, she had suffered sprains like this many times before.

There was just one problem.

Talata unconsciously ground her teeth.

The shoulders of everyone nearby flinched in unison.

She finally struck her open right palm with her clenched left fist.

Smack!

The sharp sound echoed through the checkpoint.

At the same time, a searing pain shot from her right wrist up her spine and into her brain.

“Don’t worry. A broken bone will knit itself back together in a few days.”

She had meant it as a joke.

But Retunea looked at her with quiet sympathy.

The burning resentment in Talata’s intimidating golden eyes made her fury painfully obvious.

Then again…

If she hadn’t been angry, that would have been far stranger.

“And that son of a… that bastard?”

Retunea slowly shook her head.

“We haven’t seen him.”

“So he’s not a son of a b*tch—he’s a d*mn rat, is that it?”

“The last time I saw him, he seemed to have steeled himself. He wiped them all out without hesitation… and left.”

Retunea watched the people being brought in, their faces filled with indignation.

Both she and Talata knew it.

This search was meaningless…

Yet at the same time, it wasn’t.

“As intelligent as that child is, I doubt he’ll come anywhere near Akasha from this point on. Unless… he’s already inside.”

If he was already inside, they could simply catch him when he tried to leave.

However…

“Considering the timing, I’d say there’s virtually no chance he entered before we sealed the borders.”

“So we were too late. Father too… honestly.”

Those who knew exactly who she meant by ‘Father’ tensed up instinctively.

The faint note of reproach in her voice made them even more uneasy.

Everyone knew that Perihilion doted on Talata.

But did that mean he tolerated her talking back to him?

Oblivious to their reactions, Talata let out a long, weary sigh.

“We should have sealed this place first and stationed someone who recognized their faces to wait quietly. Now we’ve reached the point where we have no idea where they’ll flee next.”

“When you put it that way… you’re right.”

Retunea nodded without hesitation.

Part of her couldn’t help wondering whether things might have turned out better if they had never started the inspections in the first place.

But there simply hadn’t been enough time.

This was the only practical course of action.

Besides…

They couldn’t openly issue an official notice announcing that they were hunting the High Priest of Strife for fleeing with a demon.

Even now, Retunea found herself thinking about the two snakes she had set free, imagining them wandering together somewhere, enjoying each other’s company in peace.

Even if those snakes happened to cross paths with the fugitives…

They likely wouldn’t utter a single word.

After all, they had admitted they were afraid of him.

“Until now, they may have crossed paths with others by chance… but as more time passes, encounters like that will only become less likely.”

“That bastard… seriously.”

Talata bit down on her lip.

No matter how many times she thought about it, she couldn’t make sense of it.

“I just can’t understand it. Do you have any idea how many creatures have died at his hands? He slaughtered them as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And now he’s holding a beast by the scruff of its neck? Destroying everything he built? And that female too…”

The moment Chronosa came to mind, Talata’s expression darkened.

For some reason…

An inexplicable sense of discomfort crept over her.

“And she watched her own kind being slaughtered right in front of her… Wait a second. Wasn’t I the one who killed them?”

The woman was captured when the situation in Gulgaltha was finally brought under control.

The traitors had been rounded up, the village had been reduced to ashes and all the young men who might one day pose a threat had been killed.

Then, unexpectedly, a highly skilled swordsman appeared.

Talata suspected that something was hidden deep within the forest and chased after him.

That was where they found her.

Nothing of note happened until they arrived at Belphegor’s territory.

It was the one who caused a commotion there…was Talata herself.

“Ah… This one’s on me. I should’ve waited to see what that bastard was going to do.”

“…Haha.”

Having no idea what had actually happened, Retunea let out an awkward laugh.

Whenever Talata got like this, she never knew how she was supposed to respond.

So instead, she simply stopped Talata from continuing to spiral into her own thoughts.

“Talata.”

“Yes?”

“Just in case, I believe we should keep Akasha sealed off while concentrating our search around Iades.”

Retunea offered a faint smile.

“What do you think? After all, you’re the one who knows that child better than anyone.”

“Even if I know that son of a b*tch well… do you really think I know him better than you do? You’ve known him since he was a child.”

Rarely for her, Talata answered with surprising humility.

In any case, understanding that Retunea wanted her to relay the message to Perihilion, she nodded without objection.

“I’ll make sure Father receives the message safely. I agree. That bastard would sooner walk all the way there than recklessly charge into Akasha after seeing the situation here.”

Of course, there was still a chance that they could be caught off guard.

So, as Retunea had suggested, it was better to keep Akasha on lockdown.

After gazing into the distance for a moment, Retunea murmured, almost absentmindedly,

“I only hope Arcadia remains quiet.”

If Arcadia found out what was happening in the Holy Kingdom, there would be trouble.

There was no doubt that they would not stand by and do nothing.

Talata’s expression darkened.

Yes…

That was indeed the biggest problem they were facing right now.

Above all else…

She prayed that they would capture the bastard as quickly as possible.

That was the main reason she had dragged her injured body all the way there herself.