Chapter 12

“What is it? Something you need to tell me?” he asked. “Y-you don’t need to kill anybody…,” Shizuku insisted. “Huh? Oh, I get it now. You’re one of those novices.” Was he implying she was hypocritical, ignorant, or naive? Shizuku couldn’t say, but the boy’s disdain for her was palpable. Shizuku continued, despite her nervousness. “You just need to talk to the people who are constructing the spell. Mages hate forbidden curses.” “What? You expect me to trust that? What if the whole city falls to ruin? Surely, it’s better to kill a hundred people than tens of thousands?” There was a notable lack of compassion in the boy’s words, but his assertion was correct. His tactic ensured success. However, Shizuku had witnessed how the mere mention of a forbidden curse disgusted mages. There had to be room for discussion. “There’s no point speculating on whether it’s worth sacrificing a few to save many. Extreme arguments don’t apply in every situation. Right now, we have another option available. They don’t know they’re making a forbidden curse. We can just tell them the truth and capture whoever tricked them into creating it,” Shizuku stated. But what if sacrificing the few really was their only option? If so, Shizuku might have to condone this boy’s actions, even if it made her feel horribly guilty. That could wait until it became necessary, though. The right option could change further down the line. For now, murdering the mages when they had no idea what they were doing was needlessly cruel. Shizuku couldn’t pass judgment on whether the massacre here was necessary. What she could say for certain, however, was that letting people die in such an unceremonious way was sad, frightening, and horrifyingly cruel. To Shizuku, all human lives, thoughts, and spirits were precious. She admitted that was idealistic, yet it was how she felt. She stared at the boy, surprised she was able to keep so calm. Maybe knowing this was a life-and-death situation had steadied her nerves, just like in the desert. The cold gray stones beneath her were the furthest thing from the hot sand that she could imagine. “I hate it when people preach to me about their idealistic notions—especially when the person who’s doing it has no strengths of their own,” the boy groused. “Sorry. But—” “Listen,” he cut in. “I know this is blunt, but I enjoy killing people.” “…What?” The boy narrowed his eyes at Shizuku. He scrutinized her, judging whether it’d be permissible to kill her. That sole thought directed him. No other feeling touched his expression. Despite insisting that he hated being preached to, he didn’t seem unhappy in the slightest. His gaze was completely and utterly empty. Even the dead bodies had flickers of fear and shock in their eyes. This boy had nothing. Although the two were looking at each other, Shizuku felt a sense of detachment between them. It was as if he wasn’t really seeing her, and she wasn’t really seeing him. Shizuku’s face was the definition of confusion. “…Why?” she managed. Shrugging, the boy replied, “No real reason. It’s just fun when moving things don’t move anymore.” “But once someone dies, that’s the end.” “I know. But there are loads more people around.” “No two humans are the same.” Shizuku knew her arguing was futile. He wouldn’t understand. Even if he listened, Shizuku’s feelings would never make sense to him. This was pointless. The boy shrugged again, looking unperturbed. “I get that. But they’re all kind of similar, aren’t they?” The way he spoke made it seem like he could’ve been from another planet. Shizuku felt hopeless. Nothing she said would convince him to see her side. This boy was too different. Talking to him accomplished as much as shouting into a void. “They’re not,” Shizuku declared. “Well, they’re all the same to me,” the boy insisted. “If you have a problem with what I do, stop me yourself. I can’t deal with annoying conversations like this. I’ll end up killing you.” “I don’t want to die.” “Oh. See ya later, then.” With that, the boy took his leave. Shizuku got to her feet slowly, surrounded by dead bodies. An emptiness like she’d never experienced before weighed on her. She returned to the staircase, feeling like she was dragging her legs along the ground. She was powerless. She couldn’t stop someone from murdering people—not easily anyway. Still, she had a goal. Shizuku needed to find Erik before that boy killed all the mages. While climbing the stairs one step at a time, biting her lip, Shizuku slowly put the events of this chamber behind her. They burdened her terribly, but her job wasn’t finished yet. She needed to run. Anything less and she might not make it in time. Upon reaching the final step, she looked back at the staircase that trailed into the dark depths. This was Shizuku’s first encounter with the boy who pushed her toward the abyss of helplessness, Kaito Dicis. The room was situated on the top floor of the castle, right in the center. Someone had drawn a complex magic array on the floor, surrounded by twelve evenly spaced candles. Each one had been lit with magic rather than standard flame. Every now and then, their faint purple glow responded to the light the magic circle gave off, burning brighter. An elderly man in opulent attire was seated on the throne at one end of the chamber. King Aurow of Candela, with a great furrow in his brow, sniffed for what had to be the hundredth time before calling over a nearby minister. “What’s happening? Is everything going according to plan?” “Well… There have been some delays, but things seem to be progressing well. Unfortunately, however, the citizens have gathered at the castle gates, and a significant commotion has erupted. Continued silence might lead to rioting…” “Hmph. Those fools can’t see the bigger picture. It’s obvious this is best for the country.” Upon hearing the king speak about his people in such a dismissive way, the minister frowned, but the king didn’t notice. Not everyone was in favor of creating the forbidden curse, but the only one to vocally dissent had been relieved of his position. After that, everyone had been left with no option but to remain silent. “Please pardon my boldness, Your Majesty, but I believe that a few words from you would likely put an end to this turmoil.” “We need to eliminate all the attackers first. Then I can placate the people.” The minister didn’t bother arguing. It didn’t seem like the king was willing to accept any further advice. The minister wished to warn him that it might be too late, but suggesting any inadequacy of the castle’s defenses wouldn’t end well. Plus, the intruders were already lurking in various parts of the palace, targeting mages and soldiers. If the king were to venture out, he could be assassinated. The minister held back a weary sigh. Once the forbidden curse was completed, an orb of light enveloped in flames was supposed to come out of the magic array in the center of the room. When that happened, the castle’s mages would confine that light inside a crystal, transforming it into a sorcerous cannon. The part about the magic cannon had been fabricated by the Shula faith, but nobody in the room knew as much. A thousand-year-old adage posited, “Those who indulge in a forbidden incantation will meet their end by its power.” Once again, it was about to be proven correct. After leaving the tragic scene of the fourth underground research room, Shizuku debated whether to search for the fifth or follow the boy toward the third. Erik could’ve been in either. It was imperative that Shizuku keep him from any possible harm. That didn’t mean it was acceptable for anyone else to be murdered, but the direness of the predicament demanded that Shizuku prioritize, much as she disliked it. As she started for the third research room, thinking she should check it out just to be sure, she was immediately forced to change direction. Two mages appeared at the end of the corridor, gesturing toward her as they spoke. “Argh…” One of the mages began to chant, while the other ran for her. As soon as Shizuku saw him coming, she turned back and leaped around the nearest right-hand corner. Some sort of magic raced by. “This is bad!” Had the royal chief mage told his men what she looked like and sent them to find her? As one of the mages rounded the corner, Shizuku disappeared around the next one. She refused to look behind her as she zigzagged through the castle’s passages, evading pursuit. “O-ouch…” As far as she could remember, the last time she’d sprinted like this in her old world was during a high school fitness test. After starting college, she’d only played ball games. Shizuku never overslept, so she rarely had to run anywhere. Since coming to this world, however, she’d done nothing but run. She’d even noticed a gradual improvement in her stamina. As a liberal arts student, Shizuku was used to exercising her brain more than her body. Her life in this world was doing an excellent job at teaching her the meaning of the saying “Health is wealth.” “I—I think I’m about to die…” Dizzy from a lack of oxygen, Shizuku sank to the ground behind a pillar. Her throat hurt, her sides hurt, and her legs hurt. Her whole body burned. She’d been running as fast as she could and lost the mages for her effort, but now she was in the center of the castle, a long way from where she expected to find the research rooms. As Shizuku tried to get her bearings, she worked on steadying her breathing. She couldn’t sit in the corridor forever. Eventually, it would start to look suspicious. Shizuku found a small room nearby and slipped inside. It was wholly empty, even of furniture. Evidently, it wasn’t in regular use. “Let me do a quick check,” she said to herself. Shizuku took some paper and a mechanical pencil from her bag and drew out a map of the section of the castle she’d seen. After outlining her immediate surroundings and adding in the tower that had acted as her starting point, she sketched the second and fourth research labs. Then she marked her current location with an X. Just as she’d presumed, she was remarkably close to the castle’s center. Under normal circumstances, the palace corridors probably had tighter security, but staff was clearly in short supply. She’d spotted and fled from a few soldiers, but they’d all been in a hurry to somewhere else. “The center, huh…?” The five research rooms were positioned around this section of the castle. That’s what Shizuku assumed anyway. The locations of the second and fourth rooms aligned with that hypothesis. Her map placed her close to the middle of the entire castle. The forbidden curse’s magic ring connected the five research labs, forming a gigantic circular pattern. A “negative hole” would allegedly open in the eye of that array. In other words, it would be nearby. “I wonder if there’s a way for me to plug up the hole,” Shizuku said to herself. “I assume it hasn’t formed yet.” After striking a deal with Tarkis, Selue had explained that the forbidden curse would cause a so-called Hole of Negativity to open, which would destroy those near it. For Shizuku, who had a limited understanding of magic, it was hard to imagine what this actually meant. Would it manifest as a literal hole? In Japanese folklore, there was a story about the creator deity Izanagi sealing off Yomotsu Hirasaka, the path to the underworld, with a large boulder. Perhaps this would be similar. Were Shizuku able, she would like to block the forbidden curse with a boulder, but such a feat was probably only doable for gods. First and foremost, Shizuku didn’t have the arm strength to move a large rock. Plus, she didn’t know where to find one. Part of her felt like she needed take advantage of being near the center of the castle, but she didn’t have a good idea of what. Abandoning that plan, Shizuku put her things away and decided to head in the direction of the first research room, which she believed to be the closest. However, when she stood and opened a nearby door, Mea, who’d been silent for a while, suddenly took flight. The bird looked back at Shizuku and let out a small chirp. Then she started gliding through the air, heading down a passage to the right. “Are you telling me which way to go?” The small bird cried again to tell her master she was correct. It was the opposite direction of the first research room, but Shizuku trusted her assistant demon and chased after her. They turned several corners. Shizuku began to grow anxious. Mea was leading her deeper into the heart of the palace. They descended a set of stairs to a half-basement level, but they definitely weren’t getting closer to any of the research chambers. This semiunderground level appeared to be used for storage. Unlike the first level, where Shizuku had been earlier, there were no furnishings. The bare stone corridors bore a resemblance to the stone halls of the research chambers At long last, Mea came to a stop in front of a door, a completely ordinary one that was no different from the dozens of others. Shizuku pressed against it with a trembling hand. They were surely at the center of the castle now. There was a chance this was the room where the hole would form. Was Mea trying to tell Shizuku to close it? Before opening the door, Shizuku checked around the corridor. Crates were piled up here and there. A few even looked light enough for Shizuku to move. “Could I use one of those to cover up the hole?” If the hole was bigger than the box and she ended up dropping it inside, where would it go? As Shizuku earnestly puzzled over the question, struggling to wrap her head around it, she finally opened the door. She was immediately confronted with a wall of crates. They were stacked into high towers just past the door. Shizuku looked up, dumbfounded. This was probably yet another storage room, but why had someone piled the boxes in front of the doorway? No one could get through like this. Shizuku grew frustrated, but she swiftly noticed a gap in the barricade that was wide enough for her to slip through. There was definitely something past the makeshift wall, so Shizuku turned sideways and tried to squeeze through. Mea suddenly chirped in warning, which was quickly becoming a regular occurrence today. A dagger stabbed from behind the crates, forcing Shizuku to stop. “…” The weapon had been thrust perpendicular to her, like a bar to block her path. The blade came about as high as her neck. Shizuku’s attacker was behind the boxes. Briefly, she debated drawing her own weapon on them. While Shizuku deliberated over what to do, Mea flew over the dagger and drifted into the room. Panicked, Shizuku reached after her. “Wait, Mea!” “Huh?” came a startled voice. The dagger pulled back. The assailant sounded familiar. Shizuku knew him immediately. After spending so much time with him, it would’ve been impossible not to. She impatiently pushed through the gap, and there, on the other side of the barricade, was Erik. “Erik!” “Huh? Why are you here?” Surprise showed in his deep-blue eyes, although he didn’t appear particularly anxious. He spoke with the same calm he always did. Shizuku, meanwhile, was overcome with emotion. She’d missed him so much. They’d only spent a day apart, but the time had passed so slowly. He’d felt terribly distant. At long last, they were reunited. All the worry that had built in Shizuku during their time apart dissipated. She found she was incapable of restraining herself anymore. Tears flowed down her face, and Shizuku tried frantically to wipe them away. Her attempt to speak proved fruitless. Every bit of her energy was focused on keeping in her loud sobs. Erik looked down at her court-lady attire, eyes wide. Then he returned the dagger to its sheath and forced a smile. “I see. You really tried your best. Thank you.” How did he understand so well when Shizuku hadn’t said a thing? At the moment, Shizuku didn’t care about the answer. Those few words made her feel like everything had been worth it. She smiled, cheeks damp from crying. Shizuku and Erik ate in the cramped storeroom, which was about seven square meters in size. When Tarkis had woken Shizuku, he’d said, “You might have a long day ahead of you, so you should eat while you can.” While in the inn’s kitchen, Shizuku had prepared two simple boxed meals. She’d put some tea inside her plastic bottle and brought along some rice balls, rolled omelet, and some dried meat. Although admittedly simple, it was plenty for a young woman who’d been running around for hours and a young man who hadn’t slept for a day. Erik held a rice ball, which Shizuku had seasoned with salt, in his hand and gazed at it intently. “What a strange shape,” he remarked. “It’s normal in my country. I didn’t have any nori or salmon, though, so the only thing giving it flavor is the salt.” “What’s ‘nori’?” Erik asked. “Seaweed,” Shizuku explained. “Usually, it’s harvested, dried, and then made into thin sheets. It’s really tasty.” “Whoa. I’ve never eaten seaweed.” “You’re going to lose your hair, then.” “Why?” Erik shot back immediately. Erik wasn’t aware of the Japanese superstition that claimed that seaweed was the key to healthy hair, so it was only natural that he was confused. Shizuku was content to ignore the question, though. Instead of answering, she pointed at the floor. “What is that thing?” she asked. “A kind of magic circle?” Erik nodded. “That’s right. I drew it.” It had a complex design formed of three circles. Close inspection revealed that Erik had created it with something like white ink. Long sticks and strings had been placed around the array. They must have been used in the circle’s creation. Without any magic implements around, Erik must have had to go through a lot of trial and error to complete the pattern. The whole thing measured roughly one and a half meters in diameter. While the two chewed on rice balls in the storeroom in the center of the castle, they exchanged stories on the situation. When Erik heard that soldiers had come to the inn, he looked displeased. “I didn’t expect them to go after you. I’m sorry.” He had deduced the hired mages were working on a forbidden curse on his own. After informing one of the castle’s mages of the truth, he’d been forced to flee. “Oh, I’m impressed you figured it out yourself…,” Shizuku said. “The spell reminded me of the one in Clare’s tower. If it hadn’t been for that similarity, I never would’ve guessed.” “I guess the Shula faith had something to do with Clare’s tower, then. It sounds like that spell was different from the forbidden curse, though.” “Yeah. This one creates a Hole of Negativity and calls out to the other side.” “A Hole of Negativity…” There was that phrase again. Shizuku frowned, unsure how to picture it. “Excuse me for asking such a basic question, but what is a Hole of Negativity?” “Hmm… Before I tell you, how have you been feeling—physically and mentally?” Erik said. Shizuku blinked. “Huh? The same as always…” She was tired from running around, and things had been very tense, but apart from those understandable qualities, she didn’t feel abnormal. Erik examined Shizuku’s expression intently, trying to discern whether she was telling the truth. She met his gaze with confusion. “I see. This is interesting. In some ways, though, it makes sense.” “What makes sense?” Shizuku pressed. “Does this have something to do with the Hole of Negativity?” “Far from it. But first, let’s start with your explanation.” Erik pondered to himself for a moment. “In this world, humans are believed to consist of three parts—the body, the mind, and the soul. The body obviously constitutes the physical part of a human being, responsible for sensory perception, sustaining life, and reproduction. The mind is closely linked to the body, governing intellectual cognition, thoughts, emotions, and memory. The presence of the soul is the thing that separates living beings from inanimate objects. It resides within all living organisms, embodying the essence of life. When they die, it disperses and returns to nature.” “I see,” Shizuku said. “Are you following?” Erik asked. “So far, yeah.” Shizuku enjoyed these kinds of topics well enough. She attended elective lectures that covered similar subjects as part of her liberal arts program. While Erik spoke, she took out some paper and made notes about what he was telling her. She poked the spot where she’d written the word soul with the end of her pen. In this world, it was accepted that nothing remained of a person once they had passed away. That belief stemmed from the idea that the soul dissipated once someone died. The mind perished along with the body, while their soul disappeared. Such was the reality of human death here. Shizuku’s mind began to drift toward the corpses she’d seen earlier, but she frantically pushed the thought out of her mind. “After a living thing dies, its soul disperses. So how do you think souls form inside living beings in the first place?” Erik said. “Oh. Huh? Uhhh… Do they come into existence at the same time as their bodies?” “That’s partially correct. There are actually a lot of things about souls that we still don’t know. According to magical research, souls ‘comprise everything, connect to everything, and are shaped by the physical body.’ In other words, the body uses natural forces that are found throughout nature, and then…” Erik picked up Shizuku’s plastic bottle with the tea inside. Brown liquid swirled behind the transparent plastic. “…it traps those forces inside it, isolates them, and turns them into a single soul.” “Are you saying that the liquid is the soul and the bottle is the body?” “Yeah. So when the body dies, the soul leaks out.” Erik gently shook the bottle and raised it to his mouth after removing the cap. The bottle, which Shizuku had brought from her world, had initially held water, but since it was useful, she’d kept it with her instead of throwing it away. Naturally, Shizuku had no cups with her, so she and Erik had been taking turns drinking from the bottle. This didn’t bother Erik at all, so Shizuku elected to say nothing. “The problem is the way souls comprise everything and connect to everything. Unlike this tea, which is trapped inside the bottle, souls—despite residing within the body—are linked to all kinds of different things. The reason humans share the same fundamental emotions and basic thought processes and speak the same language is thought to be because our souls are all connected to the same things. That’s also the reason why mages are able to perceive rules of magic that are only supposed to exist on another plane of existence,” Erik explained. “Ugh,” Shizuku groaned. “This is getting complicated now.” “I know,” Erik said. “Think of souls as outward-looking windows inside every human that connect them to things beyond themselves.” “Got it.” “These windows are tied to myriad different places, from the virtuous heavens to the deepest depths. The Sea of Negativity is what we call the latter.” “Negativity?” “Indeed.” This wasn’t a Hole of Negativity, but a sea. According to Erik, it wasn’t a real place as such, but that didn’t help Shizuku understand it any better. For some reason or other, she found herself scrawling the word ocean on the piece of paper she’d been using to take notes, then drew a picture of a dolphin. “The Sea of Negativity, or Sea of Chaos, is a theoretical ocean that stretches beneath the world. If the realms of virtue and knowledge and the planes that magic spells and high-ranking demons exist on were to be ranked above our world, then the Sea of Negativity would be ranked beneath it. It’s a place teeming with resignation, sorrow, and resentment—a reservoir brimming with Negativity not yet molded into human emotions.” “Eugh.” The description painted it as a sinister place, not at all appropriate for the dolphin Shizuku had sketched. She considered drawing over it in black but immediately abandoned that idea. She pushed the graphite back into her mechanical pencil, then posed a question. “So if someone were to be envious or bear a grudge, would that be because their soul was connected to that sea?” “Some claim as much,” Erik answered. “I don’t think that’s all there is to it, though.” “I see.” The idea that souls were linked to the good above and the bad down below wasn’t that far-fetched. If a person’s connection to the bad was achieved through the soul, then there were presumably religions that taught how to escape the influence of that sinister realm. “This is all religious speculation, right? The Shula faith teaches stuff like that, doesn’t it?” “If only it were just that.” Erik sighed. “The truth is, a hole leading into that Sea of Negativity was opened once before, a long time ago.” “Huh?” Shizuku looked at Erik, her dark eyes wide. Erik, meanwhile, had finished his rice ball. “Thanks for the food,” he whispered, smiling awkwardly at his companion’s reaction. “It was about eight hundred years ago. A hole formed within a cave in the middle of the continent.” “A—a Hole of Negativity?!” “No. It was just a hole.” Shizuku hung her head, feeling curiously disappointed. She felt like this was a very roundabout explanation. However, if Erik had skipped ahead, she likely wouldn’t have been able to keep up. Erik pointed at the magic array he’d drawn. He gazed at it as though there were a deep crater in its center. “It was just an ordinary hole, but perhaps its position made it easy for miasma to build within. Dead bodies had been cast into the pit during a war, which I assume worsened things. After more dead were dropped in, a rift in the world formed, and the hole became a passage to the Sea of Negativity.” Erik snapped his long fingers. The small sound made Shizuku shudder. “Legend has it that the first man who noticed the hole was dragged into the Sea of Negativity. The second man lost his sanity. And then before anybody could do anything, uncontained Negativity seeped from the aperture. The third man called it a god.” Shizuku felt like she’d heard this story somewhere before. She held her head. It was hurting a little. Shizuku hadn’t heard the story from a Shula follower. She’d heard it somewhere else—somewhere deeper. Every time she tried to remember, her head throbbed, and her memories grew hazy. Feeling as though merely seeking the memory would lead her to lose herself, Shizuku gave up. “The Negativity that emerged was referred to as Simila. The third man worshipped Simila and founded a religion around it, building a small village around the hole. That and the Shula faith…are probably one and the same. Over the next century, that village gradually grew, gaining more followers. In those days, Simila was referred to as an evil deity, and apparently, the village was labeled as a cult.” “A-an evil deity? What happened after that?” “Well, there was destruction.” “The entire world was destroyed?!” Shizuku exclaimed hysterically, her voice echoing around the small storeroom. Once it had gone quiet again, Erik answered with a flat tone, “Calm down for a moment. If the whole world had been destroyed, then how could we be here?” “…Good point.” The crazy story had given Shizuku a wild idea. She hung her head bashfully. Erik, meanwhile, appeared largely unperturbed by her theory and continued in his typical way. “The village was wiped out, along with the evil deity. They were blown away by a huge magical attack. A forbidden spell was responsible for the blast, although it was an accident.” “Hmm. That’s kind of like Invasion of Astro-Monster.” Shizuku recalled the old Godzilla movie. “What’s that?” Erik inquired. Shizuku sighed. “Please don’t make me explain.” Erik, who wouldn’t have known anything about giant monsters, gave Shizuku a questioning look, but he seemed to realize that the conversation would derail if he pressed the matter. He carried on speaking as though he’d never asked. “Since Simila’s destruction, there have been several attempts where fanatics attempted to use forbidden curses to open a hole again, but according to our records, all those incidents were unsuccessful,” Erik said. “But failures or not, each try left hundreds dead or insane. It doesn’t bear imagining what kind of tragedy would unfold should any of those fanatics succeed.” Erik rarely lost his temper, but Shizuku recognized a bitterness in his tone that she’d never heard before. It frightened her. What was lurking deep beneath the world, down below the stone floor where the two sat? Shizuku felt as though she was sitting on a thin plank of wood floating on a murky sea. A shiver ran down her spine. “So…what are we going to do?” Shizuku asked. She knew full well that they were in a dangerous situation, and so did Erik. Had he set about drawing a magic array in this room because he had something up his sleeve? Erik pensively pressed his fingers against his temples, then abruptly pointed toward the ceiling. “The center of the forbidden curse has been set up directly above us. On the second or third floor, I’d assume. Did you come here searching for the heart of the castle?” “Uhhh, no. Mea brought me here.” “Oh. I guess she sensed my magical power once you got close enough.” The little bird tweeted to let him know he was correct. Erik gave her a small nod, then rested his chin on his knees. “I’ve been here trying to buy time. When I realized this was a forbidden curse, I slightly rearranged my part of the spell. Through it, this array is now connected to the forbidden curse. Although I can’t interfere in any significant manner, I can stall the magic and reduce its effects.” Shizuku’s eyes widened as she listened. Ever since Erik had fixed that magic implement and passed the castle’s application process, she’d begun to suspect that he was actually rather skilled in his craft. He’d uncovered the forbidden spell on his own and worked on countermeasures. Not even the castle’s mages had done as much. Shizuku couldn’t help but express her admiration. “That’s amazing… I didn’t know you could do such a thing.” “This is the extent of my abilities, though. Fortunately, this palace is teeming with magical power, which affords me some flexibility, but it doesn’t mean that I can stop the forbidden curse entirely. There has to be a core that’s bringing it together somewhere, but this circle can’t reach it, even if I knew where it was. All I can do is stall things.” “In that case, then everyone above will…” Shizuku didn’t know what to say. Thoughts of the bloodshed in the fourth research room and the boy responsible came surging back. If he cleared out the other research rooms, the threat of the forbidden curse would be over, and all for the price of a few dozen lives. Shizuku felt a bit smothered. Her vision seemed to narrow as she struggled to breathe. There was something in her throat threatening to come out. She clasped her hand against her mouth to stop it. Her mind and body seemed ready to contort out of shape. Realizing how strangely Shizuku was acting, Erik reached for her. She waved in front of herself to dismiss his worry. “Are you okay? You don’t look too good,” Erik said. Shizuku shut her eyes tightly. “I’m fine.” She took a deep, slow inhale. Once the air reached the depths of her lungs, she paused, then released it all evenly. Erik was with her. She wasn’t alone. She could relax. If her mind and body were intertwined, then she could control them both. It was only when one managed to do so that they truly became their own master. Shizuku finished her gentle exhale and raised her head. Her attempt to suppress the vileness had returned her to something close to normal. She calmly told Erik about the mercenaries inside the castle, and that one of them was going around killing wizards. Erik frowned while listening carefully to Shizuku’s news. As far as his expressions went, this one looked fairly severe. His voice seemed sharp when he replied: “I see. That’s not good. No wonder progress on the forbidden spell has accelerated.” “Accelerated?” Shizuku echoed. “It didn’t stop?” “It’s coming together more quickly,” Erik confirmed. “Fifty people were gathered to construct the forbidden curse. That’s no small number of mages. The basic spell has already been completed. Do you remember why that hole opened up eight hundred years ago?” “Oh, right…” Some kind of dark miasma had gathered there. After dead bodies were discarded in the hole, a rift in the fabric of the world had formed. The deaths of the mages who’d worked on the curse might cause a similar event. Shizuku felt like the blood was draining from her head. Her lips quivered. A few seconds later, she was on her feet. “I-I’ve got to tell him!” she cried. “Wait. I understand why you want to try, but it doesn’t sound like you’ll be able to get through to that murderer. He might just kill you outright.” “But!” “I know how you feel, but this is a very dire situation. We can’t risk any missteps.” Erik’s words were assertive and firm. He picked up a map of the castle that was lying on the floor and gestured for Shizuku to come closer. Once she did, he pointed to a spot on the map. “I can’t leave this area, but my work alone here won’t cut it. We need to do something that will turn this whole situation around. I feel bad for asking you, but…” Shizuku glimpsed something flicker in his deep-blue eyes. She peered at him, briefly distracted. “…you’re the best person for the job,” Erik continued. “Go to Farsas and tell the king’s younger sister what’s happening.” “Huh?” Shizuku felt like the world had just tilted off-center a little. Surely, that couldn’t have been the case. With her head cocked slightly to one side, Shizuku struggled to process what she’d heard to little success. Erik pointed to a place on the northwest side of the castle. The hall there contained several transit rings. One of them had to lead to Farsas. “A transit ring’s destination is typically written on the floor before it. Don’t rush, and take care that no one spots you. Hopefully, this chaos has pulled any guards away from the transit rings. Take Mea with you just in case, though. Tell someone in Farsas that you want to speak to the king’s younger sister about a forbidden curse—that should be enough.” “W-wait! Will things be all right afterward?!” “Most likely. The king’s younger sister is a part of the royal family and a mage who commands high-ranking demons—mystical spirits. At present, she’s one of the best spellcasters on the continent. She’s the only person I know of who could potentially counter the forbidden curse. If you manage to reach Farsas successfully, you can remain there. The king’s younger sister should be able to work out the rest.” “But that means…” Shizuku trailed off, unsure whether she ought to say more. Erik’s unusually forceful proposal might have been seen as an attempt to drive her away from the chaos of the castle. Maybe he wasn’t sure whether the forbidden curse could be stopped, and that was why he was trying to send her out of the country and to their intended destination, Farsas, before the worst happened. Naturally, seeking help from the kingdom of magic was best, considering how dire the situation was—but if that was all there was to it, why would Erik tell her to go “carefully” and assure her there was no need to panic? Shizuku struggled to grasp his true intentions and was left unsure what to say. When she looked at Erik—who seemed tired, presumably due to his lack of sleep—her chest felt tight. “I’m scared of leaving you here,” she said. “If I’m going to go, then you should come with me.” “If I leave this spot, the forbidden curse’s progress will quicken. I can’t let that happen.” If her only wish was to flee danger, she would have left the city as soon as she found out about the forbidden curse, but Shizuku hadn’t chosen that option. Instead, she’d made her way here and even opted to arm herself. Shizuku had done it all because she was worried about Erik. She wanted to repay him for the countless times he’d helped her. Abandoning her goal now was intolerable. She stared at Erik, the look in her eyes almost accusatory. She didn’t know the best course of action, but at that moment, he seemed more important than the best interests of the country. The silence didn’t last for long, just two or three seconds. Erik didn’t avert his gaze. Instead, he stared directly at Shizuku, then declared, “You have potential.” “Potential?” Did he expect something of her in the future, like a parent would for their child? If so, he was on extremely shaky ground. Everyone clung to some kind of hope. The mere mention of “potential” was enough to create endless expectations. Prioritizing one person over another for something so abstract was unrealistic. It sounded as though Erik had a plan, but if it was based on something so vague as “potential,” Shizuku would have to find a different way, one they could walk together. However, Erik was talking about a more specific kind of potential—a sort only Shizuku possessed. “Recall my explanation of the Sea of Negativity,” he began. “Your soul is connected to it, just like everybody else’s. That Sea of Negativity is the reason that so many people lost their sanity following past forbidden-curse incidents. As the boundary to the Sea of Negativity weakens, the emanating miasma affects the minds of those nearby. The initial changes will likely commence in less than an hour. Perhaps even sooner for some people. You, however, carry some potential.” Erik pointed at the magic array he’d drawn. “This room is slowly connecting to the forbidden curse, so some miasma has entered it, yet it hasn’t impacted you at all, right? Usually, people with no magical powers are the most susceptible. They have trouble breathing or become restless.” “Oh…” Shizuku remembered Erik asking her how she was feeling earlier. There was still no sign that her condition was changing. That meant the miasma from the Sea of Negativity wasn’t affecting her. “I can think of one possible explanation,” Erik said. “You’re from another world, so your soul…” “Isn’t…connected…to the Sea of Negativity?” Why had Shizuku come into this world only to lose her way, rush around in search of a solution, and then end up back at square one again? She’d hoped to push ahead little by little, but it didn’t really matter how hard she struggled. Honestly, she didn’t know whether her goal even existed. And yet if she let this exhaust or stop her, there was no guarantee that anybody would come save her. Nothing was going to fall into her lap if she didn’t reach for it. Shizuku cast her mind back to her family, who now felt unbearably distant. She reflected on who she’d been since entering this new world. On countless occasions, Shizuku had thought of herself as the only outsider around. At times, that had made her feel lonely. But now…she was grateful to be different. Erik’s words weren’t empty praise. She really did have some potential. “I’m still a human, though. I get jealous and bear grudges. That might mean that I’m still connected to it.” “There’s a chance, sure, but there’s no magic in your world, is there? You might not have the same hierarchy of realms as we have here.” “Well, people don’t tend to view stuff to do with souls and darkness as especially practical in my world.” “Exactly. This is only an assumption, since I know very little about where you come from, but I want to take the risk,” Erik said. “Can you do this, Shizuku?” “Yes.” She was still the same person who’d attempted to convince the boy from earlier that killing people wasn’t the answer. Shizuku needed to prove she was right. She’d never make her point if she sat around pontificating on her ideals. She took the map from Erik. He’d written the letters for Farsas in the corner for her. She’d need to remember the word when it came time to pick out the right transit ring. Shizuku looked at it carefully to etch the characters into her mind. Then she picked up her bag, which had come to feel like part of her own body, and slung it over her shoulder. She placed her half-full water bottle next to Erik. She’d known from the start that he wasn’t the kind of person who’d flee a forbidden curse to wreak havoc. And so she decided to take the same stance. If possible, she would’ve preferred to work together, but she needed to focus on a realistic goal. If Erik believed this was a good move, then she had to trust him. “I’m going to run straight there. I promise I’ll be back soon!” Shizuku declared so firmly that Erik’s eyes widened in astonishment. Shizuku waited for the few seconds it took for his surprised expression to morph into one of resigned acceptance, refusing to look away. What would she say if he told her not to come back? It didn’t take long for him to regain his usual calm expression. He smiled at her, albeit a little awkwardly. “Your safety comes first. If you do return, then make sure you have someone accompany you.” “Of course. And if I die, I’ll come back as a ghost and haunt you!” “I am a little intrigued by this whole ‘ghost’ thing. What do they look like?” “Creepy! They have no legs and are half-transparent!” If Shizuku were to die, that was it, even if things operated differently for her because of her unique circumstances. She couldn’t test out what might happen simply because Erik was curious, nor did she have any desire to do so. “Wait there and stay alive, please. Also, try not to go insane.” “I’m more resistant than ordinary people because I’m a mage. Still, don’t get your hopes up.” “Don’t say that just as I’m leaving! You’ll jinx it!” Shizuku called to Mea, who’d found a spot on one of the crates, then faced Erik a final time. “All right. I’m going,” she said. “Take care,” Erik replied. Their reunion lasted only half an hour. Next time they saw each other, would it all be over? Briefly, Shizuku considered an unpleasant future. How many times had she parted ways with people since arriving in this world? She wasn’t sure, but she felt positive that she’d see Erik again. They’d be able to travel again, too. She had the ability to make that happen. Shizuku waved at him, then squeezed back through the gap in the crates and opened the door. “Wait. If you do meet the king’s younger sister, you probably shouldn’t mention my name,” Erik called from the other side of the barricade. “Oh, okay,” Shizuku replied. She found that odd, but there was no time to delay. She took off running. Once the door had shut, Erik let out a deep sigh. With the water bottle in one hand, he began to chant. When Shizuku had unexpectedly appeared before him, he’d been so surprised that it had left him at a loss for words. He knew she wasn’t the kind of person to sit around doing nothing, but he’d never predicted that she’d sneak into the castle disguised as a court lady. Initially, he’d been upset about dragging her into this peril, but he quickly realized it presented them with a good opportunity. Had she remained at the inn, Erik wouldn’t have been able to contact her or ensure she escaped. Mea would’ve sensed the forbidden curse, but that was a poor guarantee Shizuku would survive. Her coming to the palace changed things. Now Shizuku would escape to a foreign country through a transit ring. Erik had told her to go to Farsas in part because they truly needed help. However, he’d also understood she wouldn’t leave him unless given a reason. “She’ll probably get mad at me when she catches on. Or maybe she already has…,” he muttered. Even if she did manage to get in contact with the king’s younger sister upon reaching Farsas, she probably wouldn’t be able to return. Farsas would detain her so they had someone familiar with the situation around. And that was fine. Erik stood at the epicenter of the forbidden curse. He was about to take on an abnormally large burden. Even if Shizuku made it to Farsas before the hole opened, he wasn’t confident that he’d be able to retain his sanity. “Her old world, huh… I hope she gets home in one piece.” Erik would probably never get to speak to her again. There were still so many things he wanted to ask her about different writing systems, but it couldn’t be helped. He’d had a fun and interesting time with her. So much so that it had washed away all the gloom that had built inside him over the previous few years. Erik closed his eyes as he drew the magical power toward him, continuing to recite his incantation. He only saw her when he shut his eyes. She smiled as she began to cry. “I guess it was true after all,” muttered a mage. The soldier who was walking beside him looked up. He wasn’t particularly interested but asked the question anyway. “What was?” “That the curse is a hole that leads into the Sea of Negativity.” “Is that what that outsider who ran off claimed?” asked the soldier. “I thought the royal chief mage already squashed those rumors.” “He did, but there’s something off about him. Perhaps I’m imagining it, but I think miasma has started to form inside the castle.” “Miasma?” The young mage placed a finger on his chin. They’d just witnessed the result of the massacre in the fourth research room. It left the mage certain the chamber was shrouded in miasma. He’d initially assumed that the gruesomeness of the events had caused the miasma to build, but he sensed it all over the castle. The predictions of that mage named Erik seemed to be correct. The men had been tasked with quelling the chaos outside the castle and hunting down the assassin skulking around the halls, but the mage wasn’t sure whether either would solve much. They were already reaching the point of no return. The two men turned a corner in silence, and as they did, the soldier tripped on something and almost fell over. “Argh! What was that?!” As he straightened himself up again, he looked at the ground. Another mage was lying on the floor, bleeding. Had that assassin got to him? He wasn’t severely injured, but he was crying out in pain. “Hey, are you all right?!” Shaken by the sight of his injured colleague, the young mage hastily tried to heal him. Before he could, the soldier kicked the injured mage. “Wh-what do you think you’re doing?!” the young mage exclaimed. “He’s in my way. As far as I’m concerned, weaklings should hurry up and die,” the soldier spat. Then he stepped over the collapsed man and hurried on. The young mage watched him leave, dumbfounded. “What’s going on…?” he whispered. It was like the soldier had turned into an entirely different person. The mage swallowed nervously. The afternoon had only just begun, so it was bright inside the castle—but to the mage, it felt like his surroundings had just been plunged into darkness. The northwestern hall where the transit rings could be found proved to be a considerable distance from the center of the castle. Apparently, Erik had spent three hours roaming through the palace evading his pursuers before reaching the heart of the place. Shizuku had confidence in her sense of direction, though. She was the perfect person for this task. Erik had told her to take the long way around, so after retracing her steps back to the ground floor and proceeding down a hallway, she turned several corners, always moving northwest. Farsas had been her goal from the beginning. It was her one hope of getting home. The prospect of reaching her destination so soon provided little joy, however. Shizuku focused on reaching the hall quickly, no matter what. Her mind raced ahead so fast that her body couldn’t keep up. Occasionally, Shizuku detected someone else approaching and hid behind a pillar. When she ran into a soldier using the same door she was, she even asked Mea to knock him out. The more she scurried around trying to avoid people, the more time she’d waste. She needed to reach the transit ring quickly. Shizuku’s objective was her sole thought as moved from corridor to corridor. Slowly, the air began to change. An invisible yet palpable miasma was becoming steadily denser. When Shizuku heard voices coming from around the corner, she came to a stop. “The wards are in place. No assassin will be able to get through. That said, it’s unlikely that anyone inside will be able to get out, either.” “I’m sorry for troubling you with this.” Shizuku could hear an elderly man talking to a relatively younger, yet still aged, companion. She hugged the wall and worked desperately to control her breathing so they wouldn’t hear her panting. “Do we need to send in our castle mages to compensate for those who have died?” one of them asked. “That won’t be necessary, sir,” the other one replied. “Death itself will handle it.” “I see…” The younger man’s tone sounded familiar. It was the somewhat composed yet twisted voice of the royal chief mage. That he spoke in such a respectful way implied the other person was his superior. Shizuku was tempted to poke her head around the corner and spy on what was going on, but she couldn’t risk being spotted. Instead, she worked out her present location from her memory of the map. She was heading northwest, and the chamber with the transit rings was only a short distance ahead. Judging by her location and the conversation she was overhearing, one of the research rooms was likely nearby, too. “We should leave the assassin to do as he likes. Bloodshed will hasten the forbidden curse’s completion. Such chaos should be welcomed. Ensure the array at its core is safe, and all will be fine.” “The core is located in the central part of the castle, with the king. Security is most stringent there,” the royal chief mage explained. “I see. So the circle is what’s truly being protected, rather than the king. How amusingly ironic.” One man let out a crackly laugh, and the other followed suit. The peculiarity of it all sent shivers down Shizuku’s spine, making her cower. The malevolence emanating from them was so horrifying that it felt like they were the root of all evil. Footsteps echoed toward Shizuku. She’d been so absorbed in their conversation that she’d forgotten to hide herself. Panicked, Shizuku straightened up against the wall before dashing away. “Who’s that?!” one of the men yelled from right behind her. Briefly, Shizuku considered how amusing it would be if the two old men shouted something cliché like Hold it right there! However, all levity drained from the situation when the men began reciting incantations. Shizuku paled with terror. “Die!” one of the men yelled. “Mea, defend me!” Shizuku commanded. She only had a moment to wonder why nothing was happening before her body was suddenly propelled forward. She tumbled sideways and slammed against the floor. The impact sent her mind reeling for an instant, but tingling pain pulled her back. “M-Mea!” The bird had been thrown against the ground. Had she failed to deflect the magic? Shizuku sat up even as her body ached, hurriedly picking up her assistant demon. Shizuku was lucky. She’d fallen on her back. Her legs could still move. She could still run. Once she stood and felt pressure on the balls of her feet, Shizuku resumed her escape without bothering to look back. One of the mages was working a second incantation, although she didn’t know which. Shizuku pulled off her ring and tossed it behind her. She was fond of Erik’s gift, but this was her only option. The ring shattered with a clinking sound as it met the approaching flames. The spell commanding the fire dispersed. “Curses… Hold it right there, girl!” At long last, Shizuku got to hear that classic line, and she followed what everyone else did in such chase scenes. She ignored the command and disappeared around the nearest corner. “Are you okay, Mea?” she whispered to the small bird in her hand. Mea chirped in answer, albeit feebly. Shizuku held her assistant demon safe against her chest. Her pursuers were yet to round the corner. She had time. Shizuku ran for the next turn and was swiftly forced to stop. She’d followed a path to a dead end. There was nothing there but a door to her right. “…” Footsteps grew louder from around the corner, but Shizuku only heard one set. The absence of the other person suggested they might have gone elsewhere. Shizuku lunged for the door and found it was firmly locked. Her hands trembled anxiously. “Where did you go? There’s nowhere left to hide in this castle.” It was the royal chief mage. He was right on her tail. Shizuku looked at her assistant demon in her hand, then at her bag. “…I have no choice.” She couldn’t waste any time judging the situation. She put her bag on the floor and placed Mea on top of it. Then she took hold of the sword. Her jaw clenched tightly. An imaginary pain flashed through her mind. She had to believe in herself. It was no big deal. Shizuku pulled on the hilt. Then the weapon came free of its sheath while Shizuku breathed a sigh. Its silver, single-edged blade was terrifyingly sharp. Shizuku nodded at Mea, who looked on with evident worry. “Okay, let’s go.” Shizuku ran for the sound of the footsteps. A rare bit of single clarity dismissed all needless thought from her mind. She focused only on her body. Idos, the royal chief mage, moved down the passage, his face contorted in fury. The girl he was pursuing was the same one he’d let escape from one of the research chambers. He didn’t expect her to still be wandering around the castle. Anger boiled in him. He tutted. The bishop had already teleported away to check on the forbidden curse’s core. Idos had chosen to remain, in part because he was afraid. Miasma pervaded the castle, and the bishop seemed to enjoy it. However, Idos couldn’t let his true feelings show in front of the bishop or his underlings. As such, he’d turned his fear into anger. This time, he would kill that girl. “Where did you go? There’s nowhere left to hide in this castle.” The girl didn’t respond. There was no sign of her in the long corridor that stretched out before Idos. She must have turned the next corner, the one that led to a dead end. Idos moved in while constructing a spell with his hands. He wouldn’t kill her in one blow. A light shock would render her immobile, then he could torment her. With his right hand held out in front of him, he followed the bend in the passage. A piece of white fabric greeted him immediately. It was one of the aprons that the court ladies wore over their clothes. Idos flinched as he nearly walked into it. Rather than retreat, he gestured with his outstretched hand, sending streaks of electricity arcing into the surroundings. “Ahh!” The girl cried with pain, but she said no more than that. A kick slammed hard into Idos’s right knee. He collapsed with a short yelp. He hadn’t expected such retaliation. It left him too stunned to execute another spell right away. By the time he pulled the apron from his face, the girl stood over him with a sword pointed at him. The nameless girl stared at him with dark eyes. “Try any magic, and I’ll stab you.” “You…” “No talking until I’ve asked you something, either.” The tip hovered nearer. Her hand shook slightly, but Idos harbored no delusion she’d pull the weapon away. As far as Idos could see, his spell had singed the girl in places, including her left flank. Bits of her clothing had been burned away, exposing ivory skin. Her flesh was peeling, and blood ran from small wounds. The girl showed little concern for her injuries, though. Her gaze remained fixed upon the royal chief mage. “Let me explain it to you one more time. That forbidden curse is going to create a hole leading to the Sea of Negativity. Once it’s complete, everyone in the castle will lose their minds and die. That is the absolute truth. Will you continue, even knowing the consequences? Okay, now you can answer.” Pressured by the girl menacing him with a blade, Idos spoke reluctantly. “The forbidden curse will control the minds of the whole city. It’s not going to open a Hole of Negativity.” “That’s a lie. Don’t be fooled.” This was swiftly becoming a repeat of their earlier conversation. Even then, Idos had suspected that the girl’s claim was genuine. Something was unquestionably amiss. Idos was skilled enough to have become the royal chief mage. He’d sensed something enveloping the castle that was not mind-control magic. The realization frightened him, though, and he hadn’t been able to tell anyone about it. Had he spoke up, the bishop would’ve murdered him. There was no going back now. “People’s deaths are accelerating the forbidden curse. We don’t have much time left. Are you aware of that?” “No,” Idos replied. “But I know there’s miasma drifting through the air.” “You mentioned the core of the circle earlier. If we were to destroy it, would it end the forbidden curse?” Shizuku kept her sword pointed at Idos. She’d spent a lot of time with a mage, but Erik rarely used spells. Shizuku hadn’t seen many of them in action. In those few instances that she had, it always involved chanting. That a skilled mage could manage a spell without any recitation came as an unpleasant surprise. “Argh!” Struck by an intense pain in her side, Shizuku dropped her dagger. Looking down, she realized a stake made of ice had pierced her flank. It ate into her body like it had a will of its own. Shizuku pulled it out in a panic. The moment she did so, however, crimson liquid flooded from the wound. The sheer amount of blood made her feel dizzy. “Nghh… Argh…” Tears formed in her eyes. How deep was the injury? Shizuku tried to apply pressure to it with all her strength. To make matters worse, she heard the man bellowing down at her. “It can’t be stopped, girl,” said the man, who now towered over her. “You’re going to help create the forbidden curse.” Shizuku’s eyes remained firmly shut, even as the man touched her head. She struggled to open them and felt herself slipping out of consciousness. Escape felt impossible now. Oh, I guess this is where I die, she found herself thinking. Even so, she forced herself to form words with her quivering lips. “Tell me… If we destroy…the circle, then…” She did not plead with or curse her killer. When Idos heard what she said, something like pain entered his eyes. He did his best to push away the bewildering feeling, glaring at the girl. He kept his hand upon her head as he answered: “If the array at the core is destroyed, all the magical energy within the castle will start to dissipate. The forbidden curse will fall apart, and its remains will scatter. But that matters little for you. You’re going to die right here.” “You…should…destroy it,” Shizuku gasped out. “I…” Idos didn’t want to die. That’s what kept him from turning against the bishop. Why wasn’t this girl pleading for her life when she was on the brink of death? Was there something valued more than herself? Was she stupid, reckless, or something else entirely? Finally, the girl collapsed. Her small body slipped away from his hand and tumbled to the floor. “Idiot,” he grumbled. There was no anger in his voice anymore, but there was no fear, either. After a short pause, he began to chant with an expressionless face. No matter how noble or sincere a person, they always died in the end. There was no escaping that. It’s why the Shula faith taught people to embrace despair. The teachings were meant to steer people from becoming idle and instead indulge in the transient comfort of their fleeting lives. Idos would die one day, too. It was just a matter of when. Everybody died. That was all there was to it. That was all there was… He glanced at the palm of his hand, where the spell was forming, then at the collapsed girl. He let out a sigh, then dismissed his magic. Shizuku awoke on a bed. Her eyes cracked slightly and saw a familiar ceiling. White wallpaper. The same big flower pattern she’d known for over a decade. She sat up, feeling dazed, and held her head in her hands. Even through the curtains, she could tell that it was already fairly bright outside. She stretched her arms. Her pajama-clad legs slid off the bed, and her feet tucked themselves into slippers. She’d done this a million times before. She found herself trying to locate the injury on her side, but there was nothing there. “…Was it all a dream?” The words fell from her lips and onto the polka-dot carpet. She was in her room—in the same house she’d lived in for eighteen years. Once she stepped out of her bedroom, she walked down the stairs, yawning. Noises traveled from the kitchen, attracting her in that direction. Upon opening the door, she saw a tall woman standing in front of the sink with her back turned. “Finally up, Shizuku?” “Oh, Umi.” “Being on a break doesn’t mean you can sleep in forever. Everyone’s already left.” “Oh.” “Well, since I’m here, I’ll make you some brunch.” “Thanks,” Shizuku replied. She was still half-asleep. Her mind was foggy, and her head wasn’t functioning properly. She pulled the bottle of barley tea on the table toward her and poured some into her glass. The cool and refreshing taste was weirdly nostalgic. “Hey, Umi,” she said. “What is it?” Shizuku’s older sister replied. “Do you know Erik?” “…” “I need to get back to Erik. Do you know him, Umi?” Her sister didn’t answer. She moved the frying pan over the stove in silence. Shizuku flicked a droplet of water off her glass with her finger. “Thank you, Umi, but I have to go. I need to persist for a little a longer.” Shizuku’s sister didn’t reply. This wasn’t really her, after all. Shizuku realized that now. Umi was a terrible cook who’d never offer to make anything for anyone. Still, Shizuku spoke to her like she was her real sister. Concerned that her disappearance had caused her family worry, she whispered, “I’m sorry, Umi. I’m going now.” Shizuku headed for the door. A voice that sounded like her sister’s called out to her from behind. “Shizuku. All the answers are already inside you.” Shizuku’s hand touched the knob, then pushed the door open. Dazzling light enveloped her. She shut her eyes against the radiance. The first thing she saw was a woman peering into her face. She had blond hair and green eyes. As attractive as her features were, they had an impressive sternness that gave her the countenance of a strict clergywoman. Shizuku was sure she’d seen her somewhere before, but she couldn’t remember her name. Shizuku rubbed her eyes. The woman smiled. “Oh, you’ve woken up,” she said. “Seems you’re alive, then.” “Just about…,” Shizuku replied. “Did you hear that, Tarkis? I said she’s alive!” “That’s good.” The sound of the man’s voice made Shizuku sit up in alarm. She was even more familiar with his than the woman’s. A quick look was all she needed to find Tarkis in a corner of the room. He was exercising with his hands behind his head. The odd sight left Shizuku’s mind nearly blank. “Why are you doing squats?” she asked him. “The air’s turning foul in here. Moving keeps me from getting all worked up.” “You must really be a musclehead if you think you can resist the effects of the miasma by working out,” Shizuku remarked. “I’m really suffering over here,” Tarkis protested. “Just let me do my thing?” The word miasma was powerful enough to bring Shizuku back to the present. She looked down at her body. Her gray dress was charred and torn all over. The fabric covering her torso was soaked in blood, creating a stain distinct from the scorch marks. And yet there was no wound. Shizuku stroked her exposed skin. “I’m okay…” “I healed you,” the woman said nonchalantly. “You were bleeding really heavily. I wasn’t sure if sealing the wound would stop the blood loss from killing you.” That was when Shizuku finally remembered the woman’s name. “Thank you so much, Lydia.” “It’s no trouble,” Lydia replied. “Now Tarkis owes me even more.” “Yep,” Tarkis confirmed readily. “You’ll pay me back when you make it big, won’t you, Shizuku?” “Sorry, but I don’t expect that’ll happen,” Shizuku shot back. Tarkis roared with laughter, even as he continued to exercise. Feeling a bit bewildered by her current predicament, Shizuku sorted through her jumbled memories. “Did you two rescue me when the royal chief mage was about to kill me?” “He’s the one who did that to you?” Lydia said. “An assistant demon guided us to you. By that point, you were already on the verge of death. There was nobody else around.” “Oh. He must have left without checking whether I was alive. Seems kind of careless,” Shizuku commented. “You realize that’s the whole reason you’re still here, right?” Tarkis said. “Watch what you say.” Ignoring Tarkis’s chiding, Shizuku picked up Mea. The little bird looked worried. Shizuku wasn’t hurt. She felt the same discomfort that Tarkis mentioned, however. Was she really immune to the effects of the Sea of Negativity, as Erik had suggested? She looked around, her eyes settling on the room’s only window. The scene beyond shocked her. It was pitch-black outside the castle. Not even moonlight shone from the sky. Had night fallen while she was unconscious? That was a lot of lost time she wouldn’t get back. The thought of it made her pale. “Oh, no need to worry, Shizuku. Not that much time has passed. It’s a bit past three in the afternoon,” Tarkis explained. “Huh? But it’s dark outside…” “Miasma’s covered the entire castle. Pretty crazy stuff.” That’s why it looked like a solar eclipse? Shizuku’s body still felt a little weird, something she chalked up to her mended injuries. Ignoring this as best she could, she approached the window. It was so dark outside that she could barely see a thing. This wasn’t the same gloom that came from natural nighttime. The castle had been blanketed in a thick, black cloth. Lydia heaved a great sigh. “This forbidden curse is no laughing matter,” she said. “Tarkis brings me nothing but trouble. I considered teleporting away, but the coordinates for the outside world no longer seem to work. I’m completely trapped. Cough up what you owe me now before you die, Tarkis.” “And how do you expect me to do that?” he answered. “I haven’t brought anything with me.” “You could belly dance for money,” Lydia suggested. “It’d cheer me up a little, at least.” “That’s not the way I want to die…” Despite the desperate situation, the two didn’t seem anxious at all, firing quips back and forth. For all their calm, Shizuku didn’t miss the one alarming bit of information. She turned around. “You can’t teleport?” “Nope,” Lydia confirmed. “They’ve used magic to block off the castle. No one can get in or out.” “I wonder what happened to the people who were around the castle gates,” Tarkis mused. “I hope they’re okay.” “Does that mean transit rings won’t work, either?!” cried Shizuku, almost shrieking. Tarkis and Lydia exchanged glances. Tarkis finally stopped squatting and casually held up his hands. “It doesn’t sound like it. I heard that the castle mages were freaking out.” “I can’t believe it…,” Shizuku whispered. There’d be no going to Farsas for help now. She’d failed the task Erik had entrusted her with. Shizuku began to lose her balance. Her surroundings seemed to plunge into darkness just like the sky. Her determination to reach the transit ring had kept her going even in the face of terrible danger. Now all of it crumbled away. She sank to the ground while clinging to the window frame. “What’s wrong, Shizuku?” “…I planned to go to Farsas,” she admitted. “I was going to ask them for help.” “Oh, we’ve already contacted Farsas. I imagine someone will be here soon,” Tarkis stated. It had been nonstop surprises since Shizuku had awoken. She looked around, trying to make sense of what she’d heard. Tarkis resumed his squats. “It’s no use,” he said. “I’m still getting wound up.” As he did his workout, Tarkis explained that contacting Farsas had been part of the plan from the outset. News about the forbidden curse had been spread throughout the city at dawn, and if the ordeal wasn’t resolved by the afternoon, several mages on standby were to reach out to Farsas. The kingdom of magic still had to verify the claim, so there would be a delay before it took action. Nonetheless, they expected it’d intervene before the end of the third day. “It’s a shame, really. If we’d managed to sort this out by ourselves, it would have made us instant celebrities,” Tarkis groused. “We never would’ve managed that! You should have contacted Farsas at the start!” countered Lydia. “Letting them handle everything would’ve been so boring,” Tarkis insisted. “It’d besmirch my pride as a mercenary.” Shizuku wondered what kind of relationship these two actually had. As Tarkis was squatting, Lydia hurled a nearby cardboard box at him, which he effortlessly dodged. She felt like they’d carry on bickering forever if she left them to it, so Shizuku pulled herself together and forced her way into their conversation. “So, uhhh, are people from Farsas really coming?” “Probably,” Tarkis said. “I’m sure they will,” Lydia added. “When that country hears about a forbidden curse, it gets pretty scary.” If Lydia was right, perhaps there was still a chance. As Shizuku began to relax into relief, Lydia made plain an unpleasant truth with a serious expression. “But we don’t know if we’ll still be alive by the time they get here.” “Huh?” According to Lydia, the forbidden curse had caused significant changes to the castle in the two hours that Shizuku had been unconscious. A thick membrane had cut the palace off from the outside world. Within, the central area’s third floor was similarly sealed from all access by miasma. Anyone who approached from the second floor or below abruptly went berserk and began attacking those around them. Many had already perished…including the king. Those who’d managed to avoid such a fate had fled to the outer periphery of the castle, but they couldn’t get past the castle walls. All the survivors, including Tarkis and Lydia, had rushed around in panic, trying desperately to avoid killing their allies by mistake. To make matters worse, the forbidden curse was gradually spreading from the center of the castle, taking over more and more of the structure. The spell still wasn’t complete, but the crisis was undeniably here. When Shizuku told the pair what she knew of the forbidden curse, they started arguing, much to her surprise. “Ugh. Why didn’t you tell me that death hastens the forbidden curse, Tarkis? We never should have reached out to that Kaito kid!” “My client told me that killing the mages would stop the curse…,” Tarkis insisted. “And you should have warned me! You’re the mage!” “How?! No ordinary mage knows anything of forbidden curses! All documents on them are locked away in castles.” Tarkis seemed to be no match for Lydia, who never held back when criticizing him. Their conversation had a certain energy to it, but Shizuku knew they couldn’t waste their time bickering. She clenched and relaxed her hands to make sure she could move without issue, then stood. “Um, thank you for saving me,” she interjected. “Don’t worry about it. We might die soon anyway,” Lydia responded. “I don’t want to belly dance,” Tarkis protested. “Whether Tarkis belly dances or not, I’m leaving.” Shizuku picked up her bag. Tarkis and Lydia must have found it with her and brought it along. Standing before the only door out of the room, she turned and bowed to Tarkis and Lydia. Both of them looked puzzled. “Wait here for a little while. I’ll figure something out.” “Wai…wait a minute. Where are you going?” Lydia tried to stop her from leaving. Shizuku smiled. It was a fairly anxious expression, but simple apprehension wouldn’t stop her. She pointed straight ahead. There was no ring on her finger anymore. “To the center of the castle, to the core of the magic circle,” the girl from another world announced as she opened the door. This was her unassuming declaration of war on the repugnant spell slowly destroying the castle. “It appears that chaos has broken out in Candela’s castle city.” “Chaos?” a woman repeated irritably. She frowned at the man who’d sent for her out of the blue. Her face was lovely enough to elicit sighs from all who glimpsed it, but it was a rigid, harsh beauty. The magistrate who shared the room with the woman and man began to look tense. “What is this chaos about?” the woman asked. “Good question. I don’t really know for certain.” Facing her older brother, the woman asked, “Why would you summon me, then?” “I called for you precisely because things are uncertain,” he asserted in answer. “We’ve heard that Candela has attempted to create a forbidden curse.” These last two words changed the mood of the room entirely. An anxious gleam emerged in the woman’s blue eyes. “Are you certain it’s a forbidden curse?” she said. “The members of the public causing the commotion claim it with confidence. A few mages who were present in Candela’s castle city have informed us about a peculiar energy surrounding the palace. It’s a rather convincing account.” The man seemed fond of roundabout answers, although perhaps that was simply how he spoke of magic with his younger sister, who held the authority when it came to such matters. The man wasn’t a mage, but his younger sister was. Although he was the most powerful man in his nation, he still ruled the so-called kingdom of magic. And his sister was the greatest mage alive. “Are you asking me to check what’s going on?” she asked. “I won’t deny that I’d appreciate it.” “You sound so disingenuous,” the woman said. “It just makes me even angrier.” “Don’t get mad. It gives you wrinkles,” the man teased. “That’s the only thing you’ve said with any sincerity. It makes me want to ignore you completely.” “You can’t turn a blind eye to this. Send out that spirit of yours, at the very least. I want to know what’s going on.” At last, the man made a genuine entreaty for help, and his straight-faced younger sister obliged. She extended her pale right hand and called her assistant demon—her mystical spirit—by name. “Silfa,” she said. “Come.” “Yes, ma’am?” A young girl appeared from thin air. She had pure-white hair and silver eyes, colors that were incredibly unusual for humans. The high-ranking demon gracefully knelt before her master. “I am here to help you with anything you may need, Leuticia,” she said. “Confirm what’s happening in Candela’s castle city,” Leuticia said. “Then return and report to me.” “Understood.” With that, the spirit vanished without so much as a chant. The woman turned to her older brother and gave him a look that said Was that good enough for you? The young king of Farsas responded with a satisfied nod. If the core at the center of the castle was destroyed, the forbidden curse would end. Shizuku could barely remember where she’d heard that, but the words were etched in her mind with profound certainty. When she regained consciousness, it hadn’t immediately occurred to her to go to the castle’s center. After swapping information with Tarkis and Lydia, however, she figured that she was in a position to help. Farsas had already been contacted. Any remaining way to assist was here in the palace. Shizuku considered returning to the subbasement and getting Erik so he wouldn’t be stuck directly below the forbidden curse. Unfortunately, the cons outweighed the pros. Moving him would allow the magic’s progress to accelerate, and even if he left the most dangerous section of the castle, there was no escaping it entirely. Eventually, the worst would come to pass. Unless Shizuku managed to end the curse. Allegedly, everyone in the central section of the castle had turned on one another, leaving no survivors. Shizuku was immune to the effects of the miasma. That seemed to suggest she could go where no others could and destroy the core of the spell. Her mind was decided the moment she made that realization. The decision was easy. Shizuku felt obliged to try. Time was undoubtedly running short, but she could make it if she hurried. Shizuku only needed to destroy it. Then she could resume her travels with him. “Hey, I told you to wait!” The girl turned a corner and disappeared, leaving Lydia dumbfounded. She looked over her shoulder to find her friend still doing squats. After stomping to him, she delivered a kick in the leg. “Ouch,” went Tarkis, pausing his workout and standing up straight. “Go and bring her back, you bonehead!” Lydia demanded. “Bonehead?” Tarkis repeated. “She chose to leave. It’s fine.” “How could you possibly think this is okay?! What could a girl like her even accomplish?!” “I’d like to know that, too,” Tarkis replied. The response wasn’t meant as mockery. He was truly curious. Lydia frowned. “You saw it, didn’t you? That book she had.” “…” When they’d found her, she’d been lying in a dead-end passage, covered in blood. While Lydia had cast healing magic, Tarkis went to fetch Shizuku’s bag. It sat on the ground only a short distance from the collapsed girl. When he picked up a small book that had fallen from it, he noticed something astonishing. The densely packed intricate text inside the small volume was unlike any script used on the continent. It couldn’t have been a writing system from the continent to the east, either, for its people shared ancestors with this land and therefore the same language. Shizuku had claimed that she was from an island nation to the east, but it seemed like she wasn’t from this continent or the other that was known. She hailed from an unknown place that seemingly had no communication with any who used the language Tarkis understood. Was she from another land in this world? Or perhaps… Where had she come from, and why was she traveling to Farsas? Tarkis sensed that those questions were directly related to her identity. “If what you’re saying is true, then she must be built a little differently from the rest of us,” Lydia remarked. Tarkis sniffed. “Maybe she has more blood than we do.” “Surviving is one thing, but no normal person would be able to spring back into action so quickly after bleeding out like that.” Lydia had treated Shizuku’s wounds, but she acknowledged she might have reached the girl too late. The thought had made her bite her lip in frustration. Magic could seal wounds but not replenish lost blood. Yet Shizuku recovered anyway. Lydia found it odd but didn’t ponder it much. She didn’t sense any magical energy from Shizuku, and she didn’t judge her to be a seasoned fighter. It was difficult to imagine her taking on the forbidden curse everyone else feared to approach. Lydia clicked her tongue and glowered at Tarkis, who’d resumed his workout. “You’d better apologize to that kid’s family if she dies because of your misunderstanding,” she said. “I know she looks young, but she claims she’s eighteen. She’s responsible for herself. When the time comes, I’ll apologize…with a belly dance,” Tarkis replied. “That’s no way to show remorse! You’re the worst!” “I’d rather do that than offer an ordinary apology.” “I doubt she’d prefer it!” Lydia, a woman who’d received four offers to work in royal courts and decisively rejected them all, looked terribly irritated but said no more on the subject. It was the second day since construction on the curse had begun. The miasma flooding the castle threatened to paralyze everyone within, save a single girl. When Shizuku noticed the piles of bodies ahead, she was so taken aback that she stopped in her tracks. Pools of blood and discarded longswords surrounded the corpses. Had these people killed one another in a swordfight? The scene was too gruesome for an ordinary person like Shizuku to stomach. She sensed herself beginning to drift into a daze, but she shook it off and reminded herself to remain calm. Undoubtedly, she’d come across more dead bodies as she neared the center of the castle. She wasn’t an ordinary college student anymore. Ordinary college students didn’t journey through magical worlds. It didn’t matter if the situation made her want to cry and vomit; cowering was out of the question. She had to accept that this was reality. Shizuku closed her eyes and pictured herself striding forward. While clenching her hands, she lifted her head and gazed at the path before her. “Wait here, Mea,” she said. Shizuku left her heavy bag behind a nearby pillar and placed Mea on top of it. She herself might have been abnormally immune to the effects of the miasma, but that didn’t mean that her assistant demon was. Mea gazed up at her master worriedly. “I’ll be back soon—please be patient,” Shizuku assured her. The bird made a noise and accepted the order. Empty-handed for the first time since coming to the castle, Shizuku stepped over two dead bodies on the ground. “…I’m going to borrow this.” Showing no hesitation, Shizuku picked up a bloody sword. Then she approached a dead soldier whose eyes were still open. She extended her stiff hand and closed his eyes for him. Shortly after arriving in the castle city, she’d discussed the concept of life after death with Erik. While Shizuku had lamented the cruelty of death in this world, Erik had told her something in his usual unfazed tone. “Even if there were a place where people went after they died, there’s no way for us to confirm its existence. Every fantasy about crossing over to some afterlife exists for the living and the living alone. So if you want to believe that there’s a chance of salvation after you’ve died, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t.” At the time, she hadn’t been able to make sense of it. She could never convince herself to believe a lie just because it gave her some peace of mind. However, now that she’d seen death up close a number of times, she finally understood. It was okay to be sad. It was okay to pray. It was fine to fantasize that the dead would be saved and to hope for peace after death. Perhaps it was a necessary part of moving forward, even if you felt powerless and grieved in the face of it. The sword was too long and unwieldy for someone of Shizuku’s stature, but she ran with it anyway. Shizuku carefully treaded over and around the cadavers, surrounded by an atmosphere tainted with blood and miasma. At the end of the uncomfortably silent journey, she came face-to-face with despair. The room was in the central part of the castle on the third floor. Its interior was dark. Candles burned in a few corners, but they offered precious little light. The stench of blood was so strong that it made Shizuku gag. The place felt grislier than a haunted house. Shizuku took one step forward, covering her mouth with her hands. Although she had become somewhat accustomed to the smell, there were times when her nausea took over. She had no choice but to hold back the tears and swallow down her stomach acid. She wished for a distraction for herself or the strength to maintain focus. If she let herself stop now, she’d never make it. The rug beneath her feet was so bloody that she couldn’t tell what color it had been originally. Slowly, she pressed deeper into the room. Only the outlines of the dead were visible on the floor, but she did her best to avoid them as she walked. Beyond the darkness, Shizuku saw a flicker of light. This one was a different color than the candlelight. The first thought that popped into Shizuku’s head was They’re red will-o’-the-wisps. A small collection of little flames rested on the floor, giving their surroundings an ominous red hue. As Shizuku drew near, she realized that they were arranged in a circle. “Is this…the core?” Now that Shizuku stood before the little flames, she peered down at the magic circle on the ground. It was around two meters in diameter. The lines that formed it emitted a red glow not unlike the shivering flames positioned at crucial points on the array. The intricate creation felt intimidating, enough so that Shizuku hesitated to step within its confines. “How do I get rid of it?” She tried cutting through one of the little flames with the tip of her sword as a test, yet it had no effect. There seemed to be no choice but to destroy the lines scrawled across the stone floor. Shizuku looked around, wondering whether there was a pickax or something similar she might use. Suddenly, her gaze found a man who was lying on the ground nearby. He was wrapped in a mage’s robe and rested face down with his hand reaching for the magic circle. Shizuku sensed that she’d seen him before and wandered to him. It almost felt like he was drawing her in. She studied the dead man’s face. In the gloom, it seemed nearly fused with the floor. “That mage is a traitor. He turned against me,” announced an unexpected voice on the other side of the magic ring. “…!” Shizuku sprang to her feet, checking she still had the sword. Who could have possibly survived? She hadn’t sensed anyone approaching her. She strained her eyes, and a vague figure took shape. He was seated on the king’s throne at the end of the chamber. The man appeared to be wearing a mage’s robe, too, but Shizuku couldn’t make out his face. Still, his voice sounded familiar. “It’s human nature to betray people, so I can’t condemn him for it,” the voice continued. “But he died. He tried to break the ring, but the power that poured out was too much for him to endure. His vessel expired.” “He tried to break the ring?” said Shizuku. The man had met an anguished end, judging by his expression. The dead mage who’d lost his life trying to destroy the forbidden curse was the same person who’d seriously wounded Shizuku two hours earlier—the royal chief mage of Candela. She didn’t even know his name, yet she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of torment he’d suffered for trying to destroy the forbidden cruse. It was beyond imagining. It sounded like Shizuku would suffer the same fate if she attempted the same. Perhaps the risk only applied to people of this world, though? There was no knowing. That wasn’t the only danger, either. Shizuku doubted this old man on the throne would let her do as she pleased. He was the one Shizuku had overheard the royal chief mage speaking to so respectfully. That meant… “…Are you the bishop of the Shula faith?” …he had to be the leader behind all this tragedy. The man responded to Shizuku’s question with a profoundly relaxed voice, cutting a stark contrast to the terrifying surroundings. “People used to call me that, yes—back when I had free will.” This is crazy. The man was either in a trance or he was possessed. Regardless, she sensed that this was an exceedingly dire turn of events. The only positive aspect to the situation was that the bishop exhibited no obvious hostility. Shizuku slowly began to move her sword forward, trying to make sure the bishop wouldn’t notice. Considering the blade was long enough to touch the floor, it was no easy feat. As she carefully pushed it toward the core, she thought to speak with the bishop to distract him. “So who are you now?” she questioned. “I have no name. I am always present, everywhere,” he replied. “Are you Shula?” “I have been called that in the past.” “What about Simila?” “Another name given to me.” “But what are you?” The man was silent. Shizuku thought he looked like a machine someone was switching on and off. It didn’t seem like he possessed any initiative of his own. When he was asked a question, he answered. If ascribed an identity, he would comply, but he wouldn’t assume any on his own. Such was his mutable nature. The man didn’t answer. It was as though his batteries had run dry. Shizuku wondered if he’d stopped working for good. However, “it” began to whisper. “I am despair.” The voice traveled up from the depths of a distant land. Strong, irrefutable responsibility kept Shizuku rooted where she stood. If not for that, she would’ve promptly fled. She desperately wished to more than anything. She couldn’t, though, and so instead, she summoned all her willpower. The man—or rather, “it”—exuded an ominous presence. Shizuku’s instincts told her that it wasn’t wise for humans to confront such a being in this manner. A chill spread throughout her body as she thought on what to do. Feeling that engaging in conversation with the entity was the only way to protect herself from impending destruction, she searched for questions. The tension rapidly turned oppressive. “Are you the Negativity?” she asked. “I am the Negativity, which makes people human.” “You must live in the Sea of Negativity, then.” “Resentment, resignation, sorrow. I am all those things and yet something even more fundamental, too. I am regarded as the embodiment of despair.” “Is that what humans define you as?” “Humans are the only ones who acknowledge me at all.” “Are you superior or inferior?” “Both. Those who acknowledge me are superior, yet I, as a being, exist on the lowest stratum there is.” “Then what do you want?” What if he wants to destroy the whole world? Shizuku asked herself, but she took a step forward before he had the chance to answer. The edge of the steel sword scraped against the floor, producing an unpleasant sound. Shizuku was only a finger’s length from the outermost edge of the circle. She was seized by the possibility that the array might electrocute her at a touch. It was an unsettling notion. As she braced herself mentally and physically, the thing that was despair answered, speaking as one did when they read from a book. “I do not wish for anything,” he said. “Then why are you here?” “I was invited.” Shizuku wanted to tell him that it was a mistake and that he ought to go home, but she bit her lip. Perhaps he would obey, but it was best to wait until she was certain he’d comply. She knew that gods’ actions often transcended human comprehension. For now, I need to find out what he’s up to and buy myself some time. Then Shizuku remembered that she lacked the luxury of time. She examined the flames, still flickering in the darkness. “Is the hole open yet?” she questioned. “Not yet, but it’s very close. The fact that I can exist within a person is a good sign.” It was only the afternoon of the second day. They hadn’t reached the decisive moment yet. The answer offered Shizuku some relief, but that was all. She needed to stop it. She moved the sword forward slightly. Above all, she needed to remain calm. Fear threatened to stir her mind into a whirlpool, but she forced it to calm. This swiftly became an endless cycle. Red light from the flames glinted on the double-edged blade. A suffocating sensation gripped Shizuku, making her head feel tight. Her vision seemed to be darkening at the edges. The situation was as though she’d been abandoned in a deserted place in the middle of the night. That was merely a vision, however. She could alter it as she liked. Shizuku inhaled deeply. I’ll be fine, she told herself. I should be able to do this. She closed her eyes and exhaled. Her breath fused with the world around her. Her grip on the sword tightened. Shizuku needed only to maintain her composure. When she next opened her eyes, her mind was in prime condition. “As an entity, you’re closely linked to human souls. Right now, however, you’re too close. It’s too much for the human spirit to bear,” Shizuku said. “There’s no helping that. That’s just the way humans are. They’ve always been connected to me.” Why did people get angry, resentful, or sad? Perhaps the Sea of Negativity had the answer. The human soul was always connected to the Negativity. Shizuku suspected there was more to it, though. She was from a different world, yet she also knew anger and sorrow. They were natural parts of being human. Decrying those elements wouldn’t change that. Surely, the Sea of Negativity wasn’t the only thing that made humans what they were. People often restrained the negative forces that sometimes threatened to erupt within them. “Humans are rational beings,” Shizuku stated. “That’s right. They are connected to the Positivity, too. Humans are connected to everything.” “If that’s true, then it’s up to everyone to decide what they follow. No one should infringe upon that. I want us to live freely.” “What do you intend to do about it?” “There’s no way I’ll surrender my fellow humans to you.” That was Shizuku’s conclusion. She believed free will was sacred. She readied the longsword with both hands. Her black eyes reflected the blade’s polished, mirrorlike surface. There was no hesitation. Death didn’t frighten her. Shizuku’s mind was resolute. She focused upon the thickest part of the magic circle, its outer perimeter. Curiously, she felt like there was something sitting at the top of her sword. “An amusing declaration for a lost thorn who wandered into this world by mistake.” Shizuku couldn’t hear anything. She wasn’t going to stop. “Ahhhhhhhhh!” she cried. Shizuku’s willpower and the root of the forbidden curse collided. The girl thrust the longsword into one of the red lines with all her might. The intangible power shattered. A torrent of force surged like water from a broken dam, effortlessly launching Shizuku into the air. It sent her flying through the room, just as Mea had done to her not long ago. As soon as she landed on the ground, Shizuku raised her arms to defend herself. A tingling pain surged through her left side. “Nghh… That…doesn’t hurt at all!” Shizuku gritted her teeth and looked up. She wanted endure the pain until it subsided, but the situation didn’t allow for that. She needed to see what had become of the magic array. Her vision turned hazy, but she focused her gaze as best she could. The red flames still flickered, but they didn’t emit the wavering light they had before. They danced in a strong wind, threatening to go out at any moment. Shizuku’s eyes widened in amazement. “A t-tornado?” A small whirlwind had formed atop the magic ring. Shizuku wasn’t sure what was happening, but some sort of wind vigorously fanned the small flames as it pulled everything into its vortex. Shizuku rushed to her feet. The tornado was yet to affect her, but she couldn’t bear the idea of being dragged in. She looked over her shoulder to confirm the way out of the chamber. Was it better to flee? Shizuku couldn’t decide. She focused intently on the tornado, hoping to assess the situation. All the air inside the room was drawn in. The heaviness that had pervaded the room rapidly dissipated, and the residue in the air similarly faded. Shizuku felt the changes on her skin. She swallowed nervously as she held down her hair. The robed man Shizuku had been conversing with stood, taking a place behind the tornado. The weak flames illuminated his face. Shizuku filled with horror at the sight of his visage. His dark eyes were devoid of human willpower. Fixated on the tornado, they resembled two hollow oceans of darkness. Shizuku knew better than to look into them. She held back the instinctive urge to scream, although only barely. The man’s vacant gaze fell upon Shizuku. “What do you want, outsider?” “I—I…” Shizuku stumbled over her words, overwhelmed. The “thing” was still here. This wasn’t over. He could only be speaking to her. Shizuku trembled as she began to reply: “…I…want…” “I want to go back to my old world.” That’s what she wanted to say. It was the reason she’d set out on this journey. She had no other desires. That was the most important thing—her one wish. At least, it was supposed to be. Shizuku stopped herself. Why had he asked her that question? He recognized that she was from another world. What would he do when he heard her answer? Shizuku gasped slightly. What if this being was powerful enough to send her home? If so, she hoped to delay her return a little longer, just until she knew Erik was safe. Surely, that would only take a short while. She only needed to thank him. That’d be enough. Shizuku longed for that brief bit of time so dearly. “Aren’t you going to answer me, you abnormal thorn?” “W-wait.” “You aren’t even supposed to be here. You’re not supposed to possess any willpower. It’s your human desires…that will lead to your demise.” “Huh?” Those words were too ominous to ignore. Shizuku’s eyes widened. The next thing she knew, the man had collapsed to the floor without warning. Something was being drawn out of his mouth and his hollow eye sockets, funneling into the tornado. The wind intensified. The corpse of the royal chief mage was pulled into the vortex like a limp doll. He was quickly joined by several other bodies that’d been scattered around the room and had emerged from their dark resting places. All were pulled to the circle’s center. “Wh-what?!” Undoubtedly, this was no ordinary tornado. A soldier in armor wouldn’t have been dragged in so easily if it were. Plus, Shizuku remained firmly planted on the ground, despite being closest to the rampaging whirlwind. The chairs next to her didn’t budge, either. It only sucked in the dead bodies. As soon as Shizuku came to that realization, she shuddered fearfully. Whatever was happening couldn’t have been good. Shizuku began to retreat toward the door, refusing to take her eyes off the tornado. The miasma was clearing and, with it, the foul heaviness that had enveloped the room. Yet that came as a poor comfort, for the tornado appeared to be collecting all the wickedness in the castle, turning an inky black as though to prove it. “This…isn’t good.” Shizuku dropped her sword. Mea wasn’t around. Shizuku wasn’t even strong enough to defend herself anymore. Shizuku was just a few steps away from the door when the wind came to an abrupt stop. “…This can’t be happening.” She went stiff, unable to believe her eyes. The tornado had swallowed more than a dozen people, and all of them had vanished. In their place stood a colossal jet-black snake. Its red eyes were fixed on Shizuku. The giant serpent stood over nine meters tall, its body a deep shadowy shade. Had Shizuku seen it behind a thick glass wall at the zoo, she would’ve been frightened, but certainly not horrified as she was now.