The night-long search turns up nothing. No sign of the Akai family. No survivors.
The fires don’t die down until the first pale light of dawn.
Cold sinks into my skin. My clothes are soaked from the fire hoses.
Every drop of water bites like ice, keeping my nerves sharp and my mind clear, no matter how exhausted I am.
The acrid stench of ash clings to everything.
Around , I hear scattered voices—firefighters and Exorcists slapping each other on the back, talking like they’ve saved the day.
I sit at the edge of the garden fountain, watching them.
They’re proud of surviving the night. I don’t feel anything.
“Here you go.” A woman’s voice. High and soft.
A bottle of mineral water appears in front of —store-bought, the kind from a convenience store. I take it.
Next cos a sandwich, held out in front of . I take that too.
Finally, the last offering: Karaage-sama, a popular fried chicken snack from the famous convenience store chain, Lawson. I accept it gratefully.
She sits beside . White shirt, black tie, slacks. Black coat. Silver rosary around her neck. The standard Exorcist uniform. Short black bob with streaks of red underneath—sleek, understated, tasteful.
Sumire Akashi. Exorcist, Akachi Clan. I’ve been working with her for the past six hours.
Age around twenty. Five-foot-six. Maybe 130 to 140 pounds. Right-handed. Stronger vision in the right eye. Her palms sweat when she’s nervous—she keeps wiping them on her pants.
I figured that out by watching. She didn’t tell .
Six hours ago, the Akachi Clan rolled into Coral Eldarian with armored trucks and teams of Exorcists. I was assigned to Sumire’s team.
We’re not strangers now, but we’re not friends either.
“How much do I owe you?”
“You don’t. Just eat, please.”
“Thanks. I was starving.”
I eat in silence. She’s thoughtful.
“Am I under surveillance?” I ask.
“...Huh?”
“The way Lady Kimiyo looks at . It’s pretty intense.”
“...Yes. That’s true.”
Sumire looks awkward as she admits it.
“How’d you know I was the one watching you?”
“You’re tense. And I’m a key witness—the only survivor from inside the estate. Of course soone would be watching.”
“...It’s not that Lady Kimiyo suspects you, Mr. Akamuro. But you’re the only one who made it out. She can’t afford to take chances.”
We both glance toward the front gate—what’s left of it after a truck smashed through.
The cops, firefighters, and dics are packing up. Akachi Exorcists are urging them to leave.
“Thank you for your service. We appreciate your help. Thanks to your efforts, the fire didn’t spread to the forest. If we need you again, we’ll call.
Now please clear the area. This is noble land. Not the kind of place you people belong. Too many things here best left unseen.”
The one giving orders is an old woman with a voice like cracked stone.
She’s flanked by Exorcists. No one argues.
That’s Kimiyo Akachi. Current leader of the Akachi Clan, first among the branch families of Akai.
Eighty years old, they say. She stands like a fortress.
Since the mont she stord in with her troops, she’s been barking orders nonstop. A battlefield commander in heels.
I finish eating and rise. Sumire follows.
“Where are you going?” she asks.
“Back to the search.”
“You’ve been moving nonstop. Don’t you need a break?”
“I can rest all I want later.”
We head for the main building—the primary search location—circling wide around the ruined wings.
“Hmm. That’s quite an old gun.”
Sumire stoops to pick up a weapon along the way.
A double-barreled shotgun. Sawed off. Rusted but still functional.
Looking around, I realize we’re near the West Wing, behind the building.
The cherry tree’s a charred skeleton. The structure’s unrecognizable.
I hold out a hand. She passes the shotgun without a word.
“It’s yours, Mr. Akamuro?”
“My master’s. A keepsake.”
“I see...”
His body’s nearby. Or what’s left of it. Burned black, nothing left to recognize.
Cold morning air creeps down my spine. These ruins don’t offer comfort—only silence and finality.
Loss presses in from all sides.
“...”
“You all right, Mr. Akamuro?”
“I’m fine. Let’s keep going. We need to find survivors.”
Brooding doesn’t change the past. Ti only moves forward.
All I can do now is act and make sure I leave no regrets behind.
We check the outer wings, the training grounds. Nothing of note besides the shotgun.
When we reach the main building, Akachi Exorcists are already sweeping through. They’re stretched thin, but they prioritized this place.
Makes sense. It’s where the nobles would’ve been, and where any surviving Demons might still be hiding.
I step inside the charred ruins with Sumire.
A pulse of magic hits the mont we enter.
I glance up. The air above Coral Eldarian shimrs. A faint ripple—like heat off asphalt. A translucent barrier.
“They’ve reactivated the barrier spell. Lady Kimiyo must’ve started the ritual.”
“So the Akachi has that technique too…”
“So of our Mages study at the Akai estate... for contingencies. Like this.”
“I see.”
At least now no more Demons can get in… if the barrier’s as strong as it used to be.
As I stare into the sky, I hear a cute voice.
“Sumire, Sumire!”
I glance down. A small hand tugs at Sumire’s sleeve.
She startles. “What is it, Lady Ren?”
The girl—Lady Ren—glances up at .
“Is this Mr. Ikaku Akamuro?”
She’s maybe twelve. Noble ceremonial dress. A staff in her hands. Pale skin, round cheeks. She’s got the look of soone born into old money.
“Indeed, I am.”
She flinches.
“G-good. Grandma said to call you. I heard you were on break, but you weren’t in the garden, so I ca looking.”
“I thought we should resu the search as quickly as possible. My apologies, Lady Ren. What do you need?”
“Um... I want you to take to the Relic vault. We have to check the entrance and seal it. Since I’m not a Mage, I can’t do the spellwork, but even soone like got assigned a job. Ugh. My stomach hurts just thinking about it...”
“You’ll be fine, Lady Ren. I believe in you.”
Sumire smiles, offering calm where the timid girl needs it.
Relics. Any notable noble mansion stores a considerable number of these. Magical artifacts. Weapons. Treasures.
The Akai estate has a trove. Access is tightly restricted—only a handful know the way in, usually just family.
I’m one of the exceptions. Lord Jinichiro himself showed .
“Understood. I’ll guide you.”
We head to a private study. A false bookshelf hides the passage. You pull the right pattern of books, and the door opens.
It’s already open.
We descend the stone stairs. The corridor is cold and narrow. At the bottom, a thick tal vault door waits. Triple-locked: electronic, physical, magical.
A desk sits near the vault. A body slumped beside it in a pool of blood.
I know the man. Coral Terminator. Probably on guard duty last night. Never drew his weapon. Hole blown clean through his chest.
Lady Ren doesn’t scream. She just looks at with tight lips.
Sumire doesn’t flinch either. She’s seen worse.
“The door’s open, Mr. Akamuro.”
“I see that.”
“That’s... not good, right?”
“The Akai family’s vault being breached—if they took the divine object...”
Both of them look at .
The vault’s built in three layers. The deeper you go, the more dangerous the contents. The lowest level holds so of the rarest magical treasures in existence.
“I’ll check. Can I borrow a weapon?”
“You’re going alone? Sothing dangerous could still be in there.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for Lady Kimiyo?”
“What lies ahead contains particularly important items among Akai assets. If the Akai family is gone, control of those assets passes to the Akachi.
But until that’s official, this vault remains Akai territory. I can’t reveal its contents without cause. That would betray my lord’s trust.”
“...Lady Ren, your call?”
“Eh!? Even if you ask … Um, I think Mr. Akamuro’s right. It is the Akai family’s vault, after all.”
Sumire sighs, looking back and forth between and Lady Ren.
She unstraps the P90 from her shoulder and hands it over with three spare magazines.
I take it. Check the action. Load a mag. Safety off.
It’s not certain whether everything is dead and gone. I’ll do what I can for the Akai.
“… For all I said, though, I don’t know what I’ll find in there. Could be hostile and lethal assets roaming loose. Could be nothing. If I’m not back in thirty minutes, do feel free to co in after . Guns blazing.”
“R-roger. Please be careful,” Lady Ren replies.
“And make sure to return that gun, Mr. Akamuro,” Sumire adds.
I step into the vault.
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