“…”

“Screech!”

Lynen stared for a moment at Imelen, who was crying out fiercely toward him.

He slowly lowered his sword.

Imelen, who had been making screeching sounds, gradually relaxed and placed all four feet on the ground.

But Lynen suddenly raised his lowered sword again, and the startled Imelen quickly stood up again and made an even louder sound.

“Roar! Screech!”

She even clumsily moved her fingers to point accusingly. It was as if she was complaining about being toyed with. Quite determined.

Lynen, who had been stoically receiving Imelen’s criticism, finally sheathed his sword.

“That’s clearly purposeful behavior, isn’t it?”

“Purposeful…?”

“She’s protecting you, isn’t she?”

“…!”

Allen’s wavering eyes suddenly widened.

It was an undeniable realization.

This monster’s actions were, no matter how you looked at it, protecting Allen.

Standing on two feet like a human, shouting, pointing accusingly, getting angry…

It reminded him of his much younger sister who used to take care of her unreliable brother.

Finally, the storm that had been shaking him began to subside.

Allen slowly stood up and muttered with an expression of disbelief.

“Imelen… is it really you…?”

“Kuuung.”

The white-eared monster turned to look at Allen. Naturally, responding to her name.

This was the first time he had looked at White Ears this closely for this long.

So only now did he realize.

That White Ears’ eyes were the same reddish-brown as Imelen’s.

Allen’s heart dropped. He clutched at his chest.

“―Huk.”

All this time, she had been silently enduring my resentment and hatred.

“You were avoiding me. That’s why I couldn’t find you all this time.”

Unable to rely even on her only remaining family, all alone.

He remembered how White Ears hadn’t even tried to defend herself when he was about to deliver a fatal blow. That memory flooded over him and flowed hot down his cheeks. His lips trembled pathetically.

“I’m sorry.”

When Allen embraced Imelen with both arms, his sleeves and her fur began to get wet.

“I’m sorry, sorry… what have I done…”

“Kuuuung…”

Tears also fell from Imelen’s eyes as she made a pained sound.

It was the reunion of siblings who might never have recognized each other again.

* * *

Only after shedding tears of reunion did Allen seem to have the composure to look at us.

The first thing he said to us after separating from Imelen was “Thank you.”

“If it weren’t for all of you, I don’t know what would have happened by now… thank you so much.”

His eyes were red from crying so much, he looked at me.

“So that’s why you pulled me back when I tried to attack Imelen then? For us siblings…”

“…”

That wasn’t really the case, but instead of denying it, I just gave a meaningful smile.

My irritable features turned me into a villain who seemed to say ‘everything is going according to my plan’ with just a slight smile.

Sure enough, Allen sent me sparkling eyes of admiration.

“Lady Calliphe…! Please forgive me for almost resenting you when I didn’t understand.”

“Hmhm. Don’t mention it. That sounds nice, say a bit more.”

“Of course. The debt I owe you couldn’t be expressed even if I talked all day. Should I record it? Perhaps compile it into a book later…”

[Faith +2]

“…You mean make it into scripture.”

Is he serious?

I deliberately ignored Allen, whose eyes were gleaming ominously with a saint’s face. I thought things had worked out well, but somehow the kid seems to have gotten stranger.

“More importantly, don’t you have many questions? Like why I have the High Cardinal’s bracelet, and how I recognized Imelen.”

“Of course I’m curious. But.”

Allen didn’t prioritize his own curiosity.

“I shouldn’t press our benefactors. Especially since we haven’t even properly hosted you and are keeping you standing like this, it would be even more shameless.”

Allen smiled at me like gentle sunlight.

Then suddenly his expression hardened.

“And there’s something more urgent we really need to know. How Imelen came to be in this form, we need to know that.”

“I agree. Rather than past events, we should prepare for the coming dangers.”

Nodding, Lynen turned to Imelen.

“Saint. Do you perhaps know anything?”

Imelen wrote letters on the ground.

Perhaps because using fingers was uncomfortable, she didn’t seem to bother with proper spelling.

She was following it well earlier but now seems too lazy…

‘I don’t really know either. I don’t remember well when this started.’

‘But…’

Imelen, after searching her memories for a moment, continued writing.

‘I only remember the spirit who was with me suddenly disappearing.’

“Are you saying the Light Spirit left you, Imelen?”

“Kung.”

Allen’s expression darkened.

He seemed to think the Light Spirit had left after seeing Imelen become a monster. He had shown distrust toward spirits before.

‘But White Ears being Imelen wasn’t a setting even in ‘Marino’. No, more precisely, it wasn’t revealed.’

Then there might be hidden circumstances this time too.

At that moment, I noticed Lynen furrowing his brow, having reached some conclusion.

“What’s wrong? Do you know something?”

“Holy power is the force most opposed to black magic. That’s why it’s most sensitive to corrupted magical power. And vice versa.”

“Why are you suddenly stating known facts?”

“Perhaps…”

After briefly stroking his chin, Lynen spoke like a true detective.

“I think I might know where the Light Spirit is. After all, there is only one truth.”

“…Can you bet your grandfather’s honor on it?”

“What? Why would I bet that?”

“Never mind.”

Lynen gave me a strange look.

Hey, you’re the one who used that kind of line first!

* * *

A little while later.

We peeked out quietly through the rustling undergrowth.

Me and Noah, along with Allen and Imelen, were all covered in rather unpleasant-smelling herb juice.

“I heard there was a folk remedy in the north to avoid monsters, so this was it. How interesting.”

“I can see why it’s not known in the south. The smell.”

As we whispered among ourselves, Lynen’s sharp words flew at us.

“Please be quiet. It’s distracting.”

“He really speaks quite rudely…”

Who said this person was polite and courteous?

Anyway, scolded by him, we shut our mouths and tried to stay as quiet as possible.

Outside the undergrowth, in a somewhat wide clearing, Lynen stood alone.

He hadn’t applied the terrible herb juice, and he had released the monster’s poison he had been suppressing.

The black stain that had been reduced to around his wrist suddenly consumed his entire arm. As the poison spread, cold sweat ran down Lynen’s forehead.

He was trying to lure the familiar.

“I’ll draw the familiar to where I am. It will sense its own poison and come closer. Before it discovers me, I’ll suppress the poison again and apply the herb juice to conceal myself.”

“And then?”

“Then, when the familiar suddenly loses its target, it will go to another target nearby.”

That target being the Light Spirit, he meant.

It sounded plausible, but honestly, it seemed like weak evidence to be certain the familiar would go straight to the Light Spirit.

Unless there was something more.

But Lynen was adamant.

“Isn’t that assuming the Light Spirit is still in this area? How can you be so sure?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

And with that, Lynen closed his mouth.

His eyes showed he was conflicted about whether he should tell me.

‘Well, can’t be helped. I’m keeping quite a few secrets from Lynen too.’

Because I can predict how he would react if he knew about the corrupted magical power.

I’m also not sure how to tell him that the familiar is actually following the black stone I have, not Noah.

Since we made a contract anyway, and he needs to solve his magical power thirst, would he keep the secret out of necessity?

While I was pondering various concerns,

Grrrr.

From somewhere came the growling cry of the familiar.