The northern witches’ city, Sandora, was as large as its long, storied history.
Thanks to that, it was always a busy place—but today, the streets and alleys were so packed with people that it was hard to even find a spot to step into.
“Wow.”
For Nare, this was apparently the first ti she had seen so many people in one place.
“So many people! Those bald guys over there must be the Sephiroth monks from the Eastern Mountains. I didn’t think I’d see them up north! Should I go say hi?”
Nare and the imps seed completely absorbed, gawking at all the different people who had gathered from far and wide.
“Are all these people here to participate in the tournant? There must be at least ten thousand of them!”
At Nare’s question, Mirna shook her head.
“Not everyone’s here to take part in the festival. But in another sense, you could say they are all participating.”
Mirna’s red eyes drifted toward the many peddlers who had laid out mats and were selling unfamiliar, exotic goods. Nearby, noblewon in palanquins fanned themselves gracefully with the help of their attendants.
It wasn’t just the tournant participants—Sandora had beco a vibrant swirl of desires, drawn in by the economic boom of the festival.
And in places like this, trouble always followed.
━━ Soone stole my wallet!
━━ Mom! Mom, where are you?! I lost your hand!
━━ Who touched Borbor’s tail without permission...!? This is blatant imp discrimination...!
It was complete chaos.
I had more or less expected it to turn out like this, which was why we’d poured extra funds and personnel into security—but even that wasn’t proving enough.
Sowhere in this city right now, Elga was probably leading a squad of soldiers, putting out fires and resolving incidents.
That was when my eyes caught sight of sothing—armor painted blue over a silver base.
At the center was a red cross—sothing that felt deeply familiar. And as I watched, the crowd began to part to make way for them.
━━ It’s the Inquisitors.
━━ Step aside.
They were paladins dispatched from the Church of Fla.
Swords and scriptures hung at their waists and in their hands.
Looking at their ornate cloaks and shining insignias, I felt a strange stir of admiration inside —like so romantic longing for knights, perhaps a side effect of getting too used to this dieval world.
Maybe they were here to take part in the tournant too. But whatever the case, the reaction of the northern locals toward them was clearly unfavorable.
━━ What a bunch of bad luck.
━━ Don’t like the look of ’em.
The distrust and unease in people’s eyes were obvious. Watching this, I turned to Mirna, thinking she would know more—after all, she was a devout follower of the Church of Fla.
“The paladins don’t seem very welco here.”
Mirna answered lightly.
“Up until about a century ago, this northern land was one of the most active centers of heretic hunts. Countless witches and ascetics were put to death by sword and fire.”
“I see.”
“I’ve also heard that the House of Tarantella suffered greatly during that period.”
Hearing that, I rembered that Ayra disliked the Church.
I’d assud it was just because of the Church’s rigid doctrines and policies—but if there was longstanding resentnt between her family and the Church, that would explain a lot.
The Church, after all, never recognized the royal authority of House Tarantella. I’d always thought it was simply because the Church had historically supported the old royal line of Angmar.
But maybe there were deeper, more personal political tensions that I hadn’t been aware of. And the reason it never reached my ears, even as soone active at court, was probably because it was a long-buried sha—deliberately hidden away.
「Calm Analysis!
You have gained EXP through the talent 《Calm Thinking》.
All job EXP 5」
So that’s how it was.
Looking back now, sending Queen Ayra—of all people—to the Ark, the Church’s facility, was an act of extre recklessness.
It makes perfect sense now why Reinhardt, when I first ntioned it to him, imdiately said it was impossible.
Taking the daughter of witches to the Ark—the stronghold of inquisitors and paladins—for education, of all things? If I’d known then what I know now, I would’ve scrapped the plan entirely.
“So, where is the queen now?”
Nare’s cheerful voice pulled out of my thoughts.
Several days had passed since Ayra woke from her dream, and now, on the day before the opening of the tournant, the queen—arguably the main star of the entire event—had been so busy that it was hard to even catch a glimpse of her.
“Sir Teo, you must’ve noticed it too. The queen has definitely changed.”
At Mirna’s murmured observation, I nodded in agreent. Ayra had changed. You could say that a spark of life had returned to her.
Unlike before—when she spent most of her ti holed up in her room, sleeping away the hours—she was now showing real motivation to go out and do things. That, if nothing else, was a positive change.
“The opening ceremony’s tomorrow, so I’m sure she’s out sowhere getting ready.”
At my vague answer, Mirna narrowed her eyes and nudged in the ribs with her elbow.
“I thought Sir Teo knew everything about the queen.”
“I thought so too.”
But believing you fully understand soone is a very arrogant assumption. That’s what I learned from traveling through her dream.
There’s still so much I don’t know about Ayra.
No—forget Ayra. Sotis I’m not even sure I understand myself.
***
After returning from the chaotic streets, I sat down on the bed in my room and began to ditate.
With my eyes quietly closed, I could feel the mana dwelling inside and the energy of nature pressing down on from the outside—pushing against each other in opposing directions.
As I maintained that tension and slowly approached the state of egolessness, mories of the past began surfacing in my mind, as if my own thoughts were trying to sabotage my focus.
The mory of that execution I witnessed the day I first t Marmar. If I hadn’t gone out for a walk with Ayra that day and ended up purchasing Marmar... what would I be doing right now?
And if I’d taken a completely different path and never enrolled in the Ark...
No. I’m getting too lost in thoughts again.
Bael, you can eat these stray thoughts.
━━Hiyoong...!
I felt the rustling paper-spider inside my chest nibble away at sothing. The whole reason I started ditating tonight was to better handle Bael, the high-rank spell I had recently acquired.
The tournant is tomorrow.
If I want to win, I’ll need to give it everything I’ve got—even . Just from walking the streets today, I saw that warriors had co from the kingdom, from across the continent, from far-off foreign lands.
Who knows what kinds of battles they’ll bring. I have to be prepared.
Can I really win? If I manage to fight through to the end and face Ayra in the final—and win—then what happens to ?
That would an the plan to bring the four great houses under my banner had been fulfilled.
“Status window.”
I parted my lips for the first ti in a while and lightly spoke into the air. Imdiately, lines of text appeared and flooded my vision.
==============================
Na: Teo Gospel Angmar
Level: 49 → 50
Class: Half-Fairy Lv. 9
Letch Lv. 8
Actor Lv. 10
Tar Lv. 9
Soma King Lv. 3 → 4
Talents: 《Clairvoyance》 《Calm Thinking》 《Ditch Eyes》 《Special: Demon King》 《Charisma》
Disposition: Chaotic–Neutral
You are the last surviving mber of a fallen noble house.
Avoid the enemies who wish for your family's destruction and restore your house to greatness.
Fortunately, you are filled with ambition for your family's revival.
==============================
I scrolled through the options and called up the section I wanted.
「Final Objective Completion Rate: 1/4」
The final objective.
The number had increased after I defeated Opal, Stella’s older brother—but even now, it still sat at just 1.
Despite having successfully seduced Elga, Mirna, Nare, and Stella... the number hadn’t changed. I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy about that.
I found myself caught between vaguely understanding what those numbers ant—and not wanting to believe it.
Rrrrr...
Click.
A strange wind blew in from sowhere and opened my room’s window. The candles I had lit were all extinguished, and the room suddenly fell into total darkness.
“What kind of wind is this?”
Creak, creak. That annoying sound interrupted my ditation. I rose from the bed and approached the window.
Looking out from the second floor window onto the wide garden—that action triggered what I could only call déjà vu, or maybe just an old mory.
Back then, I’d always looked out through high windows like this, waiting for soone. I used to wait for my mother to co ho.
But now that I think about it, I can’t rember her face or her voice—not even fragnts. All that remains is a faint impression of “waiting.”
“Your guard is down. If I were soone who ant you harm, Teo, your «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» head would be rolling on the floor by now.”
A soft voice ca from behind , and I turned my head sharply. In the pitch-dark room, all the candles snuffed out, there stood a person cloaked in a black robe with the hood pulled low.
“When did you co in?”
“Just now.”
“I wasn’t expecting anyone, so the room’s a bit ssy. I’ll clean up right away.”
As I hurried to gather the scattered candles and books I had laid out for ditation, Ayra—who had removed her robe—looked around the room and snapped her fingers.
With that gesture, a glowing orb of light hovered into the air and illuminated the room. At the sa ti, the scattered books and candles neatly floated into a corner and stacked themselves.
“Hm?”
Ayra let out a curious hum as she flicked her fingers again, causing one particular book to float into her slender white hand.
“A History of Heresy Inquisition, is it?”
“Well, it’s just... I got the feeling that the people in the North have a lot of hostility toward the Church. And from what I heard, the House of Tarantella suffered quite a bit too.”
“It’s all in the past now.”
Apparently losing interest, Ayra placed the book down nearby. She then sank into a plush chair and crossed her legs smoothly.
Only then did I truly grasp the reality that Ayra had entered my room—and that it was just the two of us here.
It wasn’t uncommon for to visit Ayra’s room.
But this? This was awkward. No—honestly, Ayra had been making feel awkward for so ti now. When I look at her these days—those clear, gleaming eyes—it almost feels like all my petty sches have been completely laid bare.
Didn’t she say in the dream that she had clairvoyance or sothing?
If that really exists, then hasn’t she already seen everything in my heart and mind?
No... if she had, she wouldn’t have let live.
I don’t know anymore.
“......”
“......”
The awkward silence pressed down on my shoulders. Unable to endure it any longer, I finally asked,
“So then, what brings you here at this late hour?”
Ayra slowly parted her lips in response to my question.
And what she said next—was sothing rather shocking.
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