“The seal has been lifted…”

Gabe muttered with a short laugh. His reaction was almost one of interest. He looked at Greed, still on guard against him, and warned.

“Even so, the fact that you are Irkalla’s kin will not chan-.”

Elodie cut off Gabe’s words and answered coldly.

“Do not put my companion down.”

“…”

“Gaslighting is forbidden.”

“…”

“Greed, do not listen to that pointless nonsense. You are a very precious sin!”

Truly, he had thought so for a while, but she was a girl who left him with nothing to say. Gabe watched Greed and Elodie, who looked ready to bite the moment he took even one step closer. No matter how powerful a mage he was, properly facing a sin with its seal lifted was a burdensome task. He would not be easily beaten, but still. Gabe’s gaze turned to Elodie. It was a shame to let her go like this, but since the clairvoyance power would keep tracking her, it was right to release her for now.

‘Well, the immediate objective has been achieved, so that is fine.’

That girl would never know what he had taken from her. His plan was progressing steadily beneath the surface. Still, retreating just like this was too gentlemanly. Since there were expectations to be met, being underhanded was only fitting.

[Dodge!]

After launching a magical attack at Elodie, Gabe immediately headed for the door. At the same moment, the space above where he had passed tore open with a rip.

“…!”

A rift. Magical beasts began crawling out from the rift that had opened in an instant. Enormous magical beasts started filling the basement.

‘That man is not even hiding that he can create rifts anymore!’

Elodie gritted her teeth and plunged into the rift swarming with magical beasts.

“Stop!”

She could not let Gabe get away like this. Who knew what he would go off and do next. But Gabe calmly opened the door and stepped out, then locked the iron door without hesitation.

“Well then, if there is another opportunity…”

Clang. Gabe dropped the key on the floor and walked up the stairs at a leisurely pace. Elodie, gripping the bars, shouted loudly.

“Gabe Jenade!”

But the sound of Gabe’s footsteps quickly faded. He had created a rift and truly left. Just then, Elodie spotted the key Gabe had dropped. A familiar energy radiated from the key. The key was the medium for the rift.

“I need to purify that…”

Just then, Greed called to Elodie.

[Master! Too many magical beasts!]

Greed, which had been dealing with the magical beasts to keep them from reaching Elodie, complained.

“Bear with it a little longer. I am someone who must not get hurt!”

[What nonsense are you talking?!]

“If I get hurt, Willentia is in danger.”

How many reproachful looks had she received just for drinking poison. If she came out of this kidnapping badly injured, the two pillars of Willentia, Perdia and Severes, would not stay quiet. Elodie had an obligation to stay safe for the sake of world peace.

[You are already hurt?]

“Injuries like this heal quickly so evidence can be destroyed.”

[Wow, a genius.]

In any case, leaving her back entirely to Greed, Elodie focused on getting hold of the key. She tried to cut through the bars with the bird’s spear, but whether some special magical treatment had been applied, not even a scratch appeared. What on earth had this building been used for. She was deep in thought about what to do when she heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

‘Who is it? Could Gabe have come back?’

Elodie, every nerve on edge, stared hard toward the stairs. Before long, the figure that had come all the way down to the basement came into view.

“Are, are you all ri…”

Elodie let out a sigh of relief upon confirming the face of the person approaching hesitantly, unable to make proper eye contact.

“Lubo! Where are the others?”

“Up above…”

It seemed they were still up there.

‘Did Gabe just leave on his own?’

Since that man seemed to treat everything as disposable, it was not particularly surprising that he had abandoned the others and left. Lubomiros was trembling so badly it was visible at a glance. With his family’s safety immediately at stake, how much must he have agonized before resolving to come down here to help her. She had to get out of this place quickly if only to repay that resolve.

“Lubo. Can you see the key by your feet? Could you toss it over here?”

“Th, the key…”

Lubomiros frantically felt around the floor and tried to pick up the key, but his hands were shaking so badly it kept slipping away.

“It is all right. Take a slow deep breath and gra-.”

Just as Elodie was calming Lubomiros down. Boom! A sudden deafening crash rang out as if everything around them would shatter, and part of the ceiling caved in with a roar. Squeal! A magical beast that had been right below was caught under the debris and thrashed about. Immediately, someone leapt down through the hole in the ceiling.

“Raeyan?”

Raeyan cut through the magical beasts without hesitation and arrived in front of Elodie. She glanced up once at the ceiling where the outside was now fully visible, then looked back at Raeyan, and he added an explanation.

“…You said to come quickly.”

“Hm?”

Raeyan wrote something in Elodie’s palm. She started to curl her fingertips at the ticklish sensation, then realized what he was writing and burst out laughing.

‘He saw it.’

What Raeyan wrote was ‘T_T’.

[Come quickly, Raeyan. T_T.] She had definitely written exactly that.

‘I wrote it hoping he would see it, and he really did.’

Something so small, and yet it made her feel strange. Elodie found herself looking away from Raeyan without thinking and pointed at the ceiling with her finger.

“So you broke through the ceiling because I told you to come quickly?”

“The last scene I saw through the clairvoyance power also showed Gabe Jenade appearing.”

“That man created a rift and ran off.”

“I see.”

As Raeyan scanned behind them and spoke quietly, Greed, which had been silently overlooking their reunion, bristled.

[Stop flirting and come help quickly!]

Raeyan slowly approached the rift. Shadows began to ripple around him. Having formed his shadow sword again, he began cutting through the magical beasts without pause.

“H, here, the key…!”

Lubomiros, who had finally managed to lift the key, held it out through the bars. Elodie took the key and used her power, and the purified key soon recovered its original golden color. The rift closed.

***

 After dealing with every last remaining magical beast, I went up to Greed.

“Thank you for protecting me.”

I reached out to stroke Greed’s back as a thank you, and at that very moment.

[Aaaargh! Save the sin!]

Greed leapt up and bolted.

“What is wrong?”

[I am a sin, master is purification! Being purified! Currently being purified!]

“Ah…”

The hellfire on the spot where my hand had touched was visibly diminishing. It seemed our natures were polar opposites. I lowered my hand awkwardly and looked behind me, where Lubomiros stood trembling. Raeyan stared at Lubomiros.

“This is Lubomiros. Um… the one who kidnapped me…?”

“…”

Raeyan’s expression turned dangerous.

“A kind kidnapper?”

Even I found my own words absurd. What kind of statement was that, like warm iced Americano.

“In any case, he kidnapped me because he was being threatened, so please do not glare at him like that…”

At that, Raeyan’s expression softened, slightly, just slightly. Instead, the direction of his anger seemed to have shifted elsewhere.

“Where are the other kidnappers?”

“He said they were up above.”

“I will be right back.”

With a face that looked ready to finish someone off, Raeyan went up the stairs. I watched his retreating figure and murmured.

“I am worried.”

[He is not a person weak enough to worry about.]

“No, I meant the kidnappers.”

***

The cleanup was over quickly. Raeyan had combed through the building and subdued all the other kidnappers, gathering them together. Their shadows were bound by Raeyan’s power and they could not move a single finger.

“Gabe Jenade was not among them.”

“Of course not.”

Gabe had truly abandoned the kidnappers and fled alone. While Raeyan interrogated the kidnappers, I took Lubomiros and Greed and looked around the building.

“Being this sealed off means something that needed to be hidden was done here.”

[Hmm. Looks shady at a glance.]

Whether the visible evidence had been cleared away, I could not figure out what had been done here. It seemed better to send someone later for a thorough investigation. I glanced at Greed, standing proudly at my side.

“Hey. Did we properly contract?”

[Yes.]

“My lifespan?”

[…Did not take it!]

Greed shouted indignantly.

“Taking responsibility for you until you die, that was the price of the contract?”

[Y, yes.]

That was practically the same as receiving no price at all. So that is how it was. We had really gone and contracted. Despite saying I would not grow attached, I had ended up taking in a companion sin after all. At some point we had become precious to each other.

[I am on master’s side now. So no more treating me like a sin.]

“Then what do I call you?”

[You gave me a name before, did you not?]

“Black?”

It was a name made up for public use since I could not call out ‘Greed’ in front of others like Martha. Perhaps having been called by it, the name had grown on it.

“All right. I will call you Black from now on.”

[Hmph.]

Watching Black smile with satisfaction, I opened with a deliberately serious tone.

“But Black. There is one big problem.”

[What?]

“Going around… like that?”

It was big. Far too big. On top of that, the blazing purple flames were practically advertising ‘I am a sin.’ Black seemed to look itself over, bowing its head to look at its own feet, then nodded as if it had understood. Pop! Black transformed back into its original small fox form in an instant and climbed on top of my head.

[Is this better?]

It was very heavy. What gave it the confidence to climb on top of my head?

“This will not do. It feels like my height is going to shrink.”

I held Black snugly in my arms as I always had, and a settled, cozy warmth came over me.

“I am counting on you from now on.”

[Who else but me would look after such a scatterbrained master?]

Anyone watching would think it had been looking after me all this time. Now that the naming with Black was sorted, it was time to go home. I called to Lubomiros, who was hovering in the corner and reading the room nervously.

“Lubo. When can you use your power again?”

“I can use it now…”

It was a relief that the movement power was available, but there was one problem. The maximum number for the power was five people, yet our group, including the kidnappers, was well over twenty. Adding Gretel, who was said to be waiting somewhere safe nearby, made one more. But that concern was quickly resolved.

“I am so glad you are safe!”

Having received the message Gretel sent to Isis, Mario and members of the Vietan knight order came rushing in. After entrusting the transport of the kidnappers to Mario, we finally returned to Somnia.

***

The moment we returned to Severes, Dad confirmed I was safe and pulled me into a tight embrace, his face twisting as he fought back tears.

“I am sorry, Elodie.”

“Why are you apologizing, Dad?”

“…Because I could not protect you.”

His voice was thick, as if his throat was closing up. I patted his broad back and comforted him.

“I am sorry too. For worrying you.”

“…”

“I came back quickly so you would not worry too much. Please praise me!”

“Yes. Well done.”

Dad gently stroked my head.

But that warm atmosphere did not last long.

“Elodie.”

“Sister Lili!”

“Lili.”

“My lady!”

Guests came pouring into Severes one after another.

‘Wait. I did not destroy the evidence.’

Regrettably, I was still covered in injuries. The color drained from my face.