Synopsis[]
When where deceit lies is exposed, the one receiving their punishment will be___
Thanks to the effect of the barrier set by the wise God Lina Rio was able to recover his bonds with the people important to him. While everyone was rejoicing, Rio was given an important advice by Lina who was possessing Miharu. However, that advice wasn’t something Rio could accept at all.
Meanwhile, Huguenot, who is worried about Restoration’s future path, schemes to gain the Rio turned into a hero as its personnel but___
「……It would have been fine if someone like you hadn’t been born」
What awaits the fools who touched the dragon’s inverse scale in their shallow thinking and conceit is.
虚構の在処が暴かれし時、鉄槌を下されるのは――
賢神リーナが仕込んだ結界の効果により、遂に大切な人たちとの絆を取り戻すことが出来たリオ。皆と喜びを分かち合う中、彼は美春に憑依したリーナから重要な助言を授けられる。しかしそれはリオにとっては到底受け入れられるものではなかった。 一方、レストラシオンの先行きに苦悩するユグノー公爵は英雄となったリオを何とか自陣営に引き込もうと画策するが―― 「……貴様など、生まれなければよかったのだ」
浅慮と驕りから竜の逆鱗に触れた愚か者たち、その末路とは。Content[]
Prologue: Restoration’s current state.[]
The morning after the golem attack, in a room of one of Galarc's castle guest houses, Huguenot makes a listless expression while looking at a report about Restoration’s financial state. After the loss of Rodania Restoration’s momentum is just about to fade out, only a few hundred people were able to escape from Bertram’s army led by Duke Arbor, the majority of them non combatants like women, children and a few civil officials accompanying them. Almost all of their possessions were left at Rodania so they only have their clothes and intangible things like patent rights, but the majority of those belong to and come from Celia, without Celia donating her earnings from her magic knowledge to Christina they would have run out of money already and would have been staying in the Galarc kingdom without giving anything back. Things aren’t good, they are barely holding on as an organization, if they want to maintain hundreds of people they need more income. Huguenot thinks everyone will lose morale if they stay like that and that they need something that can make them look like they have a cause and momentum to push forward, something impactful enough that no one can put a doubt on it. Things like Christina declaring her rise to the throne are fine, but while staying abroad Christina almost doesn’t have any royal authority, Huguenot can also see the Arbor faction using the great majority of nobles on their side to deny the legitimacy of Christina’s enthronement, in the end they only earned a bit of time. Huguenot makes a bitter face while imagining how that will make Restoration lose its legitimacy, cause and morale.
It would be fine if there were only some people giving in to despair, at worst internal conflict can make the organization disappear, they will also get more criticism from the nobles of the Galarc kingdom, right now they can turn into vagabonds with just a word from François. François should have welcomed them because he expected a gain, because he doesn’t like how close to the Proxia empire got to the current government of the Beltram kingdom, he wants to do something about that, but if they prove useless they will be abandoned, so Restoration needs to show the Galarc kingdom that there are merits on letting them stay and that will also improve the morale. Right now they still have time, the vote to invalidate Christina’s enthronement has to wait until her coronation, until then they still have time, they need to find something that can reverse things and only a young man comes to Huguenot’s mind, it can only be him.
Haruto Amakawa, they need to bring him to their side, if it is him Rodania can be recaptured shortly. There aren’t words to describe the strength Rio showed the previous day, Huguenot wants that power no matter what, now that Restoration has lost so much he sees more value than ever in Rio’s power, but he is curious about why he couldn’t remember Rio. Only François and the people living with Rio were explained about that, it seems Christina later also received that information but he doesn’t know if she will share that with him, Christina has always opposed bringing Rio to their side too, he wonders if that is the reason why Christina isn’t giving him any information about Rio. Until now Huguenot stopped insisting about Rio’s recruitment in front of Christina because he didn’t expect her to change her mind easily, but the situation has changed, he can't stay silent in the back while reading the mood anymore, they need Rio to revitalize Restoration more than ever so he is decided to bring this talk to Christina again for Beltrum’s and Restoration’s sake.
Huguenot wonders if there is anything they can give to Rio so he wants to side with them, he can’t think of anything aside of a marriage with a girl from an important family, but rather than that, there are too many mysteries about Rio, he wants more information about him, it would be fine if he could get that information from the people close to him, but they are as full of mysteries as Rio himself. Satsuki and her friends aside, he doesn’t know much about Sara’s and Gouki’s group. Sara’s group interacta with Rio as friends but Gouki’s group conduct themselves as Rio’s retainers, the only thing he knows about them is that they are a gathering of great warriors, a treasure trove of human resources, but just like Rio they never leave the mansion, probably because they have no interest on rising on society, and because François seems to respect that he can’t get any information about them, no outsider can meet the people at Rio’s mansion without going through Charlotte.
That child called Sora that Rio brought with him is the same, she also possessed a mysterious strength and seemed to be really attached to him, but Huguenot doesn’t know anything about her or about where or how Rio met her. Huguenot wonders if Sora’s rarely seen in Strahl black hair just like Gouki’s group is a clue, if they came from the same place and if they are connected to the pair of immigrants Rio said to be the son of. Huguenot looks back to the past searching for black haired people inside his memories, and there was one. They never met directly, Huguenot saw him several times but only from the distance, despite that it was a person that left an impression on others, he was called Rio, the orphan who saved the kidnapped Flora and was admitted in the royal academy and that went missing five years later after being suspected to have pushed Flora off a cliff during the academy’s outdoor drill. Huguenot makes a bitter face while remembering Stewart's involvement in the incident and how he needed to move to eliminate Rio afterwards. The thing is that Huguenot listened to that name being called recently and then he opens his eyes widely. It was that girl, Sora referred to Haruto as “Rio-sama” just after they appeared yesterday, then Hugenot’s eys get filled with fear, it wasn’t just the previous day, Sora also referred to Haruto as “Rio-sama” in Rodania. Huguenot keeps connecting the dots, but if it is like that…, no, but…, it isn’t certain yet, he has no other evidence but… Huguenot stayed for a while frozen with a hand covering his mouth.
Chapter 1: Rio and Miharu.[]
The evening after Rio defeated the golems. Miharu has just entered the dream world to ask Lina why she kissed Rio. Inside that white space she can’t see Lina but she can speak to her, it was after Miharu’s question about why she kissed Rio that Lina asked her who she is in love with, Haruto or Rio. Miharu lets out a surprised voice while making a dumbfounded face just like she had just been slapped. Lina asks Miharu what happened, if she won’t answer. Miharu asks with fumbling words why the sudden question, she was obviously flustered. Lina asks Miharu if she hasn’t already answered that same question to Takahisa during the evening party, if she didn’t say back then that she liked both Haruto and Rio. Miharu asks Lina with a bitter face if she even knows something like that. Lina says that it is obvious, that it is something related to her reincarnation after all. Lina asks Miharu why she didn’t answer instantly this time just like she did back them. Miharu says that it is because she suddenly asked something like which of the two she liked more. Lina asks if it is fine for her to think Miharu’s feelings hadn’t changed. Miharu says it is. Lina asks Miharu if she means it. Miharu says she does, that she really thinks like that. Lina tells Miharu she looks like she is having doubts. Miharu says that it isn’t like that.
Lina says she will change the question, then asks Miharu if she would choose Haruto or Rio if Haruto were to appear in their world now. Miharu responds that Haruto died and became Rio, and that something like that can't happen. Lina then asks Miharu if she would leave Rio behind to go with Haruto, in the case that it were possible to return to Japan before his death. Miharu counters by asking Lina if that isn’t just another question about impossible scenarios. Miharu thinks that, in the end, all three questions are about choosing between Rio and Haruto, and though she is reluctant to engage, she is too serious not to give Lina’s questions some thought. Lina argues that, viability aside, it isn’t impossible. Miharu asks if they can really go back to Japan. Lina replies that it shouldn’t be strange to send them back if they were able to bring them into this world, though it would be harder than finding a gem in a vast desert. Miharu hesitates, saying that something like returning to Japan before Haruto’s death is… Lina interrupts and asks Miharu if she has forgotten that she came to this world four years before Haruto’s death. She presses, asking if Miharu doesn’t think she would return to Japan before Haruto’s death if she were to go back now, reminding her that it has already been a year since she was summoned.
Miharu acknowledges that it might be like that and asks Lina why Haruto, who died after her summoning, arrived in the other world before them. Lina, however, insists on getting Miharu’s answer first, saying that discussing timelines would derail the conversation too much. She asks Miharu again who she would choose if she could go back to Japan before Haruto’s death. Miharu remains unable to answer. Lina responds that it’s as she expected—that Miharu can’t choose between Rio and Haruto. Miharu tells Lina that she can't think of Rio and Haruto as two different people. Lina asks Miharu if she still doesn’t understand, despite what she’s saying. Miharu asks what she means. Lina tells her that Rio can’t become Haruto—that they are two different people. Miharu looks down silently, her face showing signs of depression. Lina tells Miharu that she fell for both Rio and Haruto, and there’s no contradiction in that—her feelings aren’t a lie. However, since the evening party, she has always been stuck at that point, which is why she can’t choose between Rio and Haruto and why her relationship with Rio hasn’t progressed
Miharu begins to tremble, and Lina asks if she understands that saying she loves both Rio and Haruto is like saying she wants to be with both at the same time. Miharu hurriedly denies this, but Lina counters, saying that it’s not all that different—right now, Miharu won’t choose between the two, even in a situation where she would have to. Miharu argues that Rio has Haruto’s memories and that there’s no changing the fact that Rio is Haruto’s reincarnation. Lina responds that despite that, Rio was born and grew up as Rio, and he can’t become anyone but himself, even if having Haruto’s memories influenced him to some extent. Lina asks Miharu if Rio hasn’t already said so himself. Miharu is left speechless. Lina tells her that she’s thinking about Rio while also thinking about Haruto, and from Rio’s perspective, it must be troublesome—he’s always being weighed against another man, after all. After Miharu lets out a sound full of guilt, Lina tells her that if she had fallen for Rio before knowing about Haruto’s memories, she would have been able to confidently choose him, and the future would have changed as well. Miharu asks Lina what she means. Lina explains that there was a future where Miharu fell for Rio without knowing about Haruto’s memories, and in that future, Rio fell for her and even confessed his feelings. Miharu lets out a surprised gasp, her eyes wide in shock. Lina tells her that Rio chose her, and no one else, to confess his feelings to during the evening party. Miharu, holding her breath, says it’s a lie. Lina replies that it isn’t a lie, but in that future, Miharu was forcefully taken to the Centostella Kingdom by Takahisa. Lina then asks if that future wouldn’t have been more convenient for Miharu, smiling mischievously as she implies that this way, Miharu would have been able to monopolize Rio’s feelings.
Once more Miharu can’t say anything. Lina tells her with contempt that she can’t decide on that either and Miharu trembles. Lina says that unfortunately she can’t trust in a woman so indecisive, that she won’t be able to make Rio rely on her either, she asks Miharu if she intends to stay in the middle like that forever, waiting forever until Rio finally looks at her. Miharu tries to deny it but Lina interrupts her, she tells Miharu that if she can’t be relied on she can rely on the other capable children like Aisia, Sora and Celia, that she just needs to keep lending her her body while she sleeps, staying out of the important matters like until now, but she shouldn’t think there would be a future where she is with Rio if she does that. Lina now asks Miharu if isn’t fine already, she tells her that she doesn’t have anything else to talk about with her, that she wants to end this conversation already, but Miharu tells Lina to wait. Lina asks what it is. Miharu tells Lina to please not put an end to things on her own, that she… is serious too, that she really likes the current Rio.
Lina asks what about that with disinterest. Miharu says that she isn’t indecisive, that she doesn’t know what it is that Lina wants to do but that she also wants to be someone Rio can rely on, that she wants to be his power, that she intends to do anything for the sake of that, that she hates to be the only one that doesn’t know what is going on. Lina says that it is fine if it is like that, that she will give Miharu a chance since she is usually in control of the body, that she can just posses her while she is sleeping, that she can’t communicate like now while she is awake, so it would certainly be helpful if she becomes someone she can rely on. Miharu asks Lina if she wants to make her do something. Lina denies it, she tells Miharu that she will have her show what she has got, that she can’t trust in her with just words, so she wants Miharu to prove herself with her future actions, how she becomes someone reliable. Miharu says she understands. Lina warns Miharu teasingly to not do anything that might trouble Rio by carelessly going around in circles and Miharu says sulkingly that she understands again.
While Lina and Miharu are talking inside the dream Rio continues his own talk with Lina in his bedroom. Both look silently at the other after Lina gives her third advice, then Lina, still straddling Rio and smiling bewitchingly, asks him what he will do, if he can choose Christina as his familiar. Rio says that it is impossible and Lina asks why. Rio tells Lina that Christina has a position as Beltram’s first princess, that she is the person carrying the future of the organization called Restoration and her kingdom. Rio answered firmly that she can’t make Christina his familiar because then she will be forgotten by the world just like him but Lina says nonchalantly that that’s how is it. Rio asks himself in his mind why Lina is telling him to turn Christina into his familiar if she understands that. Rio asks Lina if she won’t give him a reason while expecting nothing of her. Lina says that unfortunately she won’t, that she doesn’t know how she will influence the future if she says too much. Rio says he understands. Lina tells Rio that she thinks he understands it already, but that what she said is just an advice, that he will be who decides, that that is only a half of what she has to say but that she wants him to take it seriously. Rio stays silent and Lina tells him that it is fine if he just keeps this in mind for the time being, but that it will be better the faster he can make a decision.
Lina smiles while observing how Rio makes a bitter face. Rio wonders if Lina will give him time to think, but even with that time he doesn’t think he will change his mind, turning Christina into his familiar is out of the question, anyone else too, he can’t turn anyone into his familiar. While Rio’s disgust for the idea keeps rising Lina tells him that aside of Sora and Christina he should be able to make four more familiars for a maximum of six. Rio’s eyes widen in surprise and he asks Lina if a transcendental shouldn’t be limited to three familiars. Lina tells Rio that he has the dragon king’s divinity and also hers, that he has the divinity of two transcendentals so he should be able to make the familiars of two too. Rio says he understands warily while wondering if Lina wants him to fill the six slots. Lina tells Rio to let the other four aside for the time being, that right now it is fine if he just thinks about Christina.
Rio can’t answer to that, then Lina asks him if he can give her the golems’ cores. Rio sighs and takes the cores out of his time space-cache. Lina says thanks, takes the cores from Rio’s hands and uses magic to store them away. Rio asks Lina with surprise if she has a time-space cache. Lina says she doesn’t, that she just did the same thing with magic. Rio says he understands. Rio asks Lina how she can use magic with Miharu’s body when she is a spirit arts user. Lina says she turned Miharu into a mage. Rio asks Lina when she did the contract ceremonies. Lina says she did it on the last days, while Miharu was asleep. Rio asks Lina if Miharu knows what she did. Lina says that it seems like Miharu didn’t realize it yet, that she can explain it to her herself, but that she wants him to please do it instead because it seems bothersome. Rio asks Lina if she can speak with Miharu. Lina tells Rio that she can talk with Miharu in the spiritual world while she is asleep, that in the end she is just Miharu’s shadow, so she can only come out while she is sleeping. Rio says he understands. Lina tells Rio to not think she can come out at any given moment, that please make that she will keep her contact with them to a minimum a premise, that when it is necessary she will come to them herself.
Rio asks Lina why it is like that. Lina says that to begin with the energy consumption is bad, that Miharu has a lot of magic power but that even her will run out of magic power if she is like this for long, that while she moves Miharu’s body can’t rest either, and that even without that she is still putting a big burden on Miharu. Rio says he understands. Lina says it will also be a bother if people grow over reliant on her and drag her to the main stage, that she doesn’t want the future to change in strange ways so there are a lot of many things she can’t answer to, that to begin with the transcendentals aren’t existences that should get directly involved with the human world, so she wants Rio to please properly explain that to the rest. Rio says he understands with a serious expression and Lina tells him that he has a really serious personality, that he should be a different person but that in that regard he is identical to the dragon king. Rio asks if it is like that with curiosity. Lina says that it is, but that when it comes to him it is fine if he enjoys the present to the fullest, that at least inside the barrier he isn’t the dragon king but Rio, that he has the right to that, that even Miharu is acting like herself as if they were completely unrelated. Rio says he understands with a wry smile.
Lina asks Rio if there is anything he wants to ask, that since it is him she will make a special exception and answer things that seem like they won’t affect the future. Rio asks Lina if she plans to reuse the golem cores he recovered. Lina says it will take some time to break through the golems’ protection so she will work on them bit by bit. Rio asks Lina who activated the golems. Lina says that if he knows that now it seems like the future will diverge a lot so that is a secret. Rio says he understands after a pause to convince himself to accept that, from his point of view that is what he wants to know the most but he understands Lina’s circumstances. Rio asks Lina if there is a way to separate the heroes from the great spirits. Lina says that unfortunately there isn’t, that the spirit pact is a technique to bind a human’s and a spirit’s soul close to fuse them, that there isn’t a way to undo the contract until the contractor dies. Rio says he understands and asks Lina if she can mass produce the masks. Lina says that it is complicated to process the materials so she can’t mass produce them right now, so for the time being he will have to make do with her spares from one thousand years ago, then Lina gives Rio five new masks and he thanks her for her help. Lina tells Rio he doesn’t need to thank her, that she is the one being helped by him.
Rio says that it is fine if it is like that, then he asks Lina when she set her atelier below the castle. Lina says she did it just after the divine war, that her future sight informed her of where the Galarc kingdom would be and about the golem attack. Rio asks Lina if she was still alive by them since he heard she suffered a fatal wound during the war. Lina says that it was impossible to avoid her death from that wound with healing, so she treated herself to prolong her life as much as possible and got ready for the future, that even then she barely had time left so she couldn’t do that much. Rio asks Lina about the size of her atelier. Lina says that there is a space to control the barrier, living quarters, a research room and a storage, that she will take them there at another time, that she planned to take Celia there again, that eventually she will make it so they can come and go freely. Rio thanks Lina for that and asks if he can report that to François because he thinks he will be curious about what kind of installations are set below the castle. Lina tells Rio that he can do it, that the atelier is so deep that it doesn’t affect the castle’s foundations, that François can tell him to be relieved about that, that no one can enter or leave without her permission. Rio says he understands.
Lina asks Rio if he has more questions, that since it is the first time she will give a big service but that it might be time already to set a limit. Rio aska Lina if she didn’t know already what he was going to ask. Lina says that the answer is “YES”, that she knew from the beginning what he was going to ask. Rio says he understands after a small pause. Lina asks Rio if he thinks it is useless to continue as is a conversation she knows how it will go, if he thinks it is disquieting. Rio widens his eyes in surprise at that question and then says that it isn’t like that. Lina asks why. Rio says that it is because he thinks the weight and comprehension degree of information coming from questions he thought of himself and information given one-sidedly are very different. Lina says that that is wonderful, that there is meaning in him thinking and holding this conversation, that the future can change from the smallest things, specially the details of a conversation, that depending on the case the future might flow towards somewhere she doesn’t know. Rio asks Lina if it is like that even if she can see the future. Lina tells Rio that the information about the future is too abundant, that the more the future ramifies the priority level of information about the less possible futures will decrease and she might overlook things. Rio says he understands.
Lina tells Rio that there are times when a change that shouldn’t have happened brings a future with a probability of zero, that when conversations flow in ways she doesn’t know of that uses to happen, that she might enjoy those changes during conversations but when it comes to events things change. Rio asks Lina if that’s why she doesn’t want the future to change. Lina says that it is, that if the future changes it will become something she doesn’t know of either, that that’s why she hates to change the future, that even when a problem is going to occur she waits and see, that special cases aside she doesn’t take measures until something happens. Rio says he understands, he says he will take care of not thinking something like “Why didn’t she do something despite knowing what was going to happen”. Lina says that it is human to not be able to draw a line even if they say that they understand, that it isn’t as easy as just warning someone, that he really is identical to the dragon king in that regard. Lina looks down at Rio while her face looks like she wants to say something to him, probably due to past feelings resurfacing, but she purses her lips to hold herself back, then she tells Rio she also knows where Takahisa is, but she won’t tell him his location. Rio says he was just about to ask that. Lina says she knows that and Rio says that of course with a wry smile.
Lina tells Rio that he is really kind for worrying about a man like that, that he should have received a lot of jealously and harassment. Rio says that Takahisa is Aki’s and Masato’s important big brother, and also Miharu’s and Satauki’s friend. Lina says she understands and that she will teach him the things that don’t affect the future, she tells Rio that Takahisa is fine and that he eloped with a prostitute. Rio says that he understands. Lina tells Rio that with time they will meet again so he will have to tell everyone else to be content with that for the time being. Rio says he understands. Lina tells Rio that he finally reached the question limit, that this will be the last time she will answer a question unconditionally, that his next question might lead to many others so he needs to consider that too. Rio says he wants to know about a way to send back to the earth the people summoned to their world. Lina tells Rio that the calculations needed to summon and sending anyone back are very different, that the coordinates, time axis and a lot of other things vary a lot, that it is hard to tell because there are a lot uncertainties, but that with luck if they begin the calculations now they can send them back to earth during their lifetimes. Rio asks Lina if she can begin the calculations now then. Lina says she already did because she thought he would say that and Rio thanks her.
Lina tells Rio that it is too soon to say thanks yet, that if things go wrong they won’t be able to go back until they die, she tells Rio to not make anyone have any expectatives until they really can go back. Rio says he understands but that he also has information related to the future in this case, that it is about things that happened on the earth but… Lina says that it is obvious, that he has the memories of Haruto who lived for four years after the disappearance of Miharu’s group. Rio tells Lina that Haruto visited his mother shortly before his death, that when he asked about Aki at that time he was told she was fine. Lina asks if it is like that and what else. Rio says that of course it is possible that Haruto’s mother lied, but that he wondered if fortunately the calculations could be already done in the not so far future. Lina says that she won’t tell him when the calculations will be over. Rio says he understands, that he isn’t having a contest of who draws more information with her. Lina asks if it is like that and says that she will take a challenge whenever.
Rio says that what he is curious about is the timeline, that he thinks it is mysterious how the memories of Haruto, who died four years after the disappearance of Miharu’s group, can lie within him since before the teleportation. Lina tells Rio that explaining that properly would become quite a long thesis. Rio says he understands but… Rio can put it well into words, he wants to know if there was a plan and a reason beyond that logic or if it was___ Lina tells Rio that it wasn’t a coincidence. Lina smiles after Rio lets out a surprised voice. Lina tells Rio that Haruto and Miharu being chosen as their reincarnations, him being born before Miharu got lost in their world, all of it are inevitabilities she made after looking at the future. Rio says that he understands and that it is as he expected. Lina tells Rio that everything that happened was necessary but that she doesn’t want him to misunderstand some things, she tells Rio that Haruto and Miharu would both have been born even without being chosen as their reincarnations, that not matter the future Miharu would get caught in the hero summoning and Haruto would die in a traffic accident when he was 20 years old, that that was the future supposed to exist, that it is fine for him to call it fate. Lina asks Rio if he didn’t understand himself already, that with their reincarnations Haruto’s and Miharu’s future changed, that if the dragon king hadn’t reincarnated Haruto would have died and that would have been it, that without Aisia’s guidance he would have been killed by that assassin in the slums and that Haruto’s experience with martial arts was also important at that time, and Miharu would have died as a slave after getting lost in their world.
Rio gulps in shock while listening to that. Lina tells Rio that she thinks he understands that an earthling has a lot more of magic power when compared to the residents of their world, that that’s why Miharu was convenient for reincarnating into, but Miharu was weak as she was, with things like that she would have been captured as a slave so she needed a protector, he who had Haruto’s memories, that if he hadn’t had Haruto’s memories the future would have changed greatly again. Rio loses his words and Lina tells him that the difference in the timeline is due to the difference between using teleportation and reincarnation if she puts it in simple words, that with the reincarnation that only transports the soul it is easier to adjust the time axis. Lina tells Rio that what he wanted to know about the timeline comes from there. Rio says it did with a dry voice. Lina tells Rio that it is simple, that by making someone reincarnate at the moment Miharu was teleported they wouldn’t have been able to help her, that it was inevitably necessary to choose as reincarnation destination someone that was born before that and he was the one who fulfilled those conditions better than anyone else. Rio doesn’t say anything and Lina asks him if that answered his question. Rio says it did and that he wants to know one last thing. Lina asks what it is. Rio says that it is about Latifa and Liselotte, he asks Lina if there is any meaning in making those two reincarnate alongside Haruto. Lina says she wonders about that. Rio asks himself in his mind if Lina’s silence means that that is related to a future that isn’t certain yet, then he tells Lina that he understands and that he won’t ask anything else.
Lina smiles and praises Rio for his smartness. Rio tells Lina he is letting it be because she answered a lot of other questions already, that it was always a mystery for him, why he had Haruto’s memories. Lina tells Rio that he looks like he is still unconvinced about something. Rio says that it isn’t like there isn’t anything, but that he thinks it is a problem that it won’t do if he doesn’t arrive to an answer himself, but that he already arrived at that answer. When asked if he was Rio or Haruto during the evening party Rio already said he was Rio, he already told Miharu that he couldn’t interact with her as if he was Haruto. Lina asks Rio if he is doubting about his answer being right or not. Rio says he doesn’t think it is wrong, he shakes his head and says strongly that he is Rio ant Haruto. He lived as Rio before and after getting those memories, he pursued his revenge and realized it, he made decisions and choices that Haruto would never make, at times he dirtied his hands, he tried to push Miharu away during the evening party, it was he and none other who refused to become Haruto, so he isn’t wrong, now that he got his revenge and achieved peace he has had more chances of being influenced by Haruto but… Rio tells himself in his mind to stop the hesitation of his heart that it is too convenient to change this late in the game , he is he himself, he can’t become Haruto.
Lina says that that’s it, that he is Rio not Haruto. Rio smiles in relief when listening to that, but then he lets out a surprised voicewhen Lina says “but…”. Lina says that it is nothing. Rio says that now he got curious while smiling wryly. Lina asks Rio if he didn’t tell him already that the goddess Lina hates to provoke changes and that she is a meanie. Rio says that so it seems. Lina looks at Rio while thinking he certainly might not be able to become Haruto, but that his memories certainly influenced him, that that’s why he can accept Haruto as a part of him, but that it has to be him and none other who forgives himself and act on that wish. That it depends on how much Rio can spoil himself, but that if it was that easy he wouldn’t have become someone so strict. He is a man with a selfcontrol harder than steel, he won’t change that easily but… people can change, that possibility lies in them, and people can change other people, that potential lies on them, but teaching that much would be too much of a service, doing so much for an unreliable woman is irritating too, and he will arrive to the answer shortly anyway. Rio asks Lina with a troubled face what it is when he sees her smiling meaningfully, Lina says that it is nothing and to leave things at that for today. Rio agrees without letting go of his worry. Lina tells Rio that he will let Miharu with him and to rest well. Rio lets out a surprised voice while Lina undoes her transformation by touching her earring and uses magic to put it away while going back to Miharu’s appearance. Then the now unconscious Miharu falls over his body.
Rio catches her in a hurry while wondering if Lina really won’t take Miharu back to her room herself. The smell of Miharu’s champoo reaching his nose makes him even more flustered. He can’t just let her sleep there like that, he wonders if it is fine to carry her to her room before she opens her eyes, but for the time being their current position with them hugging each other on his bed isn’t good at all, so he should get her off him but… Miharu’s consciousness came back. Rio gets rigid while thinking it is bad, he wonders if he should throw Miharu’s body at the bed but he fears that in this situation anything he does will create a misunderstanding anyway, so Rio relaxes his body and waits for Miharu to wake up completely. Miharu finally comes to herself and looks curiously at Rio while calling out to him. Rio tells good morning awkwardly to the dumbfounded Miharu while looking away from her. Miharu still half asleep doesn’t know well yet what is happening, she looks around her to confirm her situation and then she gets flustered when she looks at her position. Miharu almost falls off Rio’s body while trying to get away from him with a completely red face but Rio hurriedly hugs her against his body so she doesn’t fall off the bed. Miharu asks what happened, if it is a dream. Rio tells her that it isn’t a dream. Miharu asks him if she isn’t heavy and says she is sorry. Rio tells Miharu that she isn’t heavy and to calm down for the time being, that he will explain the situation after laying her in the bed next to him.
Miharu agrees and lets Rio put her in the bed next to him. While Rio is laying her in the bed Miharu closes her eyes and fidgets while trembling like a small animal while the bed’s creaks resound through the silent room. Rio tells Miharu with a troubled face to please open her eyes. Miharu opens her eyes nervously but it is embarrassing to look at Rio from so close and she is still red faced. Rio tells Miharu that he had been talking with Lina, that she suddenly came to his room. Rio incorporates himself for letting that extra distance calm Miharu down, Miharu says she understands while she tries to stop Rio by extending her hand towards him while making a lonely face but in the end she gets too embarrassed to actually do it. Rio tells Miharu that she doesn’t seem surprised with his back turned to her. Miharu says she was also speaking with Lina inside her dreams. Rio asks if it is like that. Miharu says it is, that she wanted to tell something to Lina. Rio asks what it was. Miharu says that it was about the ki… about a lot of things. While Miharu gets more red faced behind him, Rio guesses what she was just about to say and says awkwardly that it seems that a lot happened, that Lina was even borrowing her body again until just now after all. Miharu says that a lot happened, then she asks Rio what he was talking about with Lina, if she did something strange again and why they were like that on the bed. Rio tells Miharu that Lina did nothing strange, probably. Miharu is really worried about that “probably”.
Rio tells Miharu he was sharing information with Lina, but that he was the one who was taught the most things though. Miharu asks Rio, who was hiding what Lina really did, why they were on the bed then. Rio tells Miharu that he hadn’t recovered completely from the battle yet, so he was told to rest lying on the bed and when the talk was over Lina released her body and let her fall on him, then when he caught her it turned out like that. Rio also tells Miharu that Lina also asked him to tell her that now she is mage and not a spirit arts user. Miharu lets out a surprised voice and Rio tells her that Lina seems to have made the contract ceremonies by herself and now she can use a lot of different spells. Miharu says she understands while puffing her cheeks sulkingly, after a moment she gets frustrated with Rio who isn’t looking at her and calls out to him. Rio asks what it is and Miharu asks him if she can look at her. Rio says he can and when he turns towards Miharu she asks him if Lina really didn’t anything strange. Rio says that there wasn’t anything like what happened on the morning. Miharu gets flustered and tells Rio that she is really sorry for that, then she tells Rio she wants him to forget it. Rio smiles awkwardly and tells Miharu that he already erased it from his memories. Miharu says that it is fine if it is like that, but inside she has complicated feelings, she asks herself if Rio intends to make it as if nothing happened.
It certainly happened in an unwilling way, but it is still true that she kissed the man she likes, and that man saying that it was nothing for him makes her chest hurt. Miharu asks herself if Rio is completely fine, if she is the only one conscious about it. Does Rio not care about having kissed her? Did he dislike it? Did he erase it from his memories because of that? Even if she told him herself to forget she can’t help it but wondering what Rio thinks of having kissed her. Now she doesn’t want him to forget it. Then Miharu remembers her talk with Lina about her kiss with Haruto. Miharu begins to have strange palpitations while remembering how wrong she was equaling Rio and Haruto and having forgotten the kiss of back then. Rio calls out to Miharu worriedly when he sees her face get filled with guilt, he looks worriedly at her pale face. Miharu looks at Rio as if she wanted to tell him something, but in the end she doesn’t dare to tell him that she doesn’t want him to forget the kiss, then she just says she seems to be feeling tired. Rio says that it seems like that, that her face is also pale, he tells her that Lina said that while she possesses her her body can’t rest so she should have a good rest for the rest of the day. Miharu tells Rio she is sorry for troubling him when he should be tired too. Rio tilts his head curiously at how Miharu seems to feel bad calling him “Haruto” like she usually does and tells her that the evening has just ended, so they should rest well from then on. Miharu apologizes for troubling Rio while walking towards the door, she stops in front of the door and asks Rio if she should call him Rio instead of Haruto.
Rio freezes in shock and asks Miharu why she asked that. Miharu says that there is no particular reason and Rio asks her if Lina told her something. Miharu apologizes for saying something strange so suddenly, she tells him that it is nothing and to have a good night. Rio calls out to Miharu in an attempt to stop her but she leaves anyway. Rio is left alone wondering what happened, he can't think there isn’t a reason for Miharu’s sudden question, he can’t only think of Lina due to their previous conversation. He still thinks he is he himself and not Haruto, he doesn’t think he is wrong. But maybe the kiss with Miharu brought back Haruto’s memories and he can’t help it but doubt his answer. After all he understands it well, that it isn’t wrong that Haruto’s memories influenced him, that since he got Haruto’s memories he has been torn between the part of him that it is Rio and the part of him that is Haruto, specially since the summoning of Miharu’s group. But even like that he concluded he couldn’t become Haruto, his encounter with Lucius at Amande should have made him conclude that he didn’t want to make Haruto shoulder his burdens and sins. Or was it maybe the part of him that is Haruto that doesn’t let him be Haruto? Haruto’s memories and the valors opposed to his that they carry are disordering his identity. Of course the memories are just memories. They are vague and subjective but. Why can carry the memories of two people give someone so many doubts? Rio thinks it is troublesome to have memories that aren’t his own while making a bitter face and touching his lips with his fingertips.
Chapter 2: The daily life that came back.[]
Next morning, in the garden of Rio’s mansion. It is just about to dawn so there isn’t anyone there except Rio who is moving quickly through the garden while seemingly making some kind of image training. After testing himself like that Rio thinks he is at the 70-80% of what he can do in his best condition, he thinks he still feels heavy but that it shouldn’t be a problem in a fight. Now he needs to wait and see if this lethargic feeling remains or goes away. Then Rio decides to seal the strong assimilation until he is back to his best condition. After that Rio decides to test his spirit arts, he stands still, creates countless light balls and begins to move them in complicated ways. Rio thinks it is as he expected, the techniques feel incredibly well. Right now it is still vague but his sense for spirit arts is getting better, he wonders if that is because of the assimilation too. Just like after undoing the assimilation for the first time the better feeling of his spirit arts that he gains during the assimilation is staying with him. Rio erases the light bullets and focuses on strengthening just his left hand. When his hand is hardened enough for him to be able to punch a stone without hurting himself, Rio envelopes his hand in compressed destructive energy just like Sora did the previous day.
Rio groans in pain, his hand is kind of covered by a flexible barrier now but it is also exposed to the heat and burden of keeping the energy around itself. Rio thinks it is as he expected, that it puts a big burden on the flesh, that if he raises the degree of body strengthening he will endure an even greater output of energy but… rather than the body that has a limit to how much it can endure even with spirit arts it should be more efficient to clad a tough weapon in the destructive energy but… Rio takes out a dagger with his right hand and tries to clad it in destructive energy too, the more energy he poured in the dagger the more the blade distorted and finally crumbled. Rio thinks it is as he expected, normal weapons would have to be treated as consumables, only a dwarven made mithril weapon or his spirit equipment can endure the burden, but when fighting against something at the level of a golem he doesn’t feel sure using a mithril weapon, in fact the earth’s great spirit broke the sword that Dominique made. Rio thinks what it is really scary is having to take an attack from something like a golem with something that isn’t his weapon. Covering himself in destructive energy might be a good defense but it isn’t realistic if he burns his body at the same time, he would have to limit the energy output if he doesn’t want that to happen. He might be able to reduce the burden on himself if he only covers himself in destructive energy at the time of attacking and defending, but what Rio wants is a way to defend himself from an attack he received without expecting it.
While Rio is lost in thought Sora calls out to him, she fumbles her words while going through the three different ways of referring to Rio and then apologizes to him. Rio says good morning and tells Sora that it is fine, that now they are alone so she doesn’t need to worry about not calling him Haruto. Then he beckons Sora to come closer while putting the dagger away and smiling kindly. Sora greets Rio and asks him if yesterday’s tiredness went away already. Rio says that after a night’s sleep he is already well. Sora says that fine then and asks Rio if he was practicing how to use the fighting spirit. Rio asks Sora if by fighting spirit she means the destructive energy. Sora says she does, that she calls it fighting spirit and that really long ago she learnt it from the dragon king. Rio says he understands and that after seeing her using it against the golem he thought he could do the same so he also wanted to ask her something. Sora tells Rio to ask anything he wants to. Rio explains to Sora that he can’t use the fighting spirit without using body strengthening so he was wondering if there was a better way of using it. Sora tells Rio that the human body is weak, that even if he uses body strengthening there is a limit. Rio tells Sora that while he assimilates with Aisia his body gets tougher, but that he can’t always be assimilated with her so he was thinking of ways of protecting his body with the fighting spirit but…
Sora says sulkingly that it isn’t good to rely on Aisia, that they need to do something about it. Rio asks Sora if she was safe while covering herself in a strong fighting spirit because she is the dragon king’s familiar. Sora says that it is like that, that it is because she received a powerful body from the dragon king, that even without using her dragon body she can handle the fighting spirit. Rio asks Sora how tough her body is in her normal condition. Sora says that even without body strengthening her body is the hardest in the world, she can’t be wounded regardless of what object hits her, she can endure magic and spirit arts, she won’t get burn even while covered in flames, but of course she isn’t at the level of the past dragon king. Rio says that it is incredible, he wonders if he would hurt himself if he were to punch Sora despite using body strengthening. Sora tells Rio that she isn’t at the dragon king’s level again while laughing happily. Rio tells Sora that the talk derailed, that he will test several things to see if there is a good way to handle the fighting spirit and that he hadn’t tested how much he can endure while assimilated with Aisia either. Sora tells Rio she will think of something too.
Sora makes a thoughtful expression while Rio keeps his practice with the fighting spirit and then Sora acts as if she remembered something. Sora tells Rio that there was someone who could handle fighting spirit in the divine war. Rio asks Sora if it is like that. Sora says that it is, that it was guy who could fight quite much for a human, that she was also a little surprised at seeing people handling fighting spirit, that when the dragon king saw them said that it was like they were using a barrier, that it loses a lot of attacking power but that in that way even people should be able to use fighting spirit safely. Rio begins to think about Sora’s last words. Sora gets worried thinking she isn’t being helpful, she apologizes with Rio for the explanation she believes insufficient and adds more things, she tells Rio that the dragon king said that normally no one would use a barrier in such a way, but that because at first sight it didn’t seem so different from the normal fighting spirit she soon lost interest. Rio tells Sora to not be sorry, that she gave him enough of a hint, that he feels like he understood something, so he will give it a try. Rio points his hand forward and creates a normal barrier, then he begins to compare it to the fighting spirit.
Both are things that can be physically touched, but the fighting spirit is hot, and when it gets powerful it is dangerous to the touch, but the barrier is just tough, no matter how powerful it is safe to touch. Even if they are made of the same energy there are differences on the surface. The barrier deploys the energy as a solid wall and the fighting spirit flows like a liquid or a beam of light. Rio tells Sora while knocking on the barrier with his hand clad in fighting spirit that he was trapped on the idea of deploying a barrier as a wall, but that if he makes a barrier flow like the fighting spirit does then… Rio erases the barrier and clads his right hand with luminic energy, it looks exactly like the fighting spirit. Sora lets out a surprised and happy voice when seeing it. Rio wonders if he succeeded while comparing his right hand with the left one, while the left one lets out a heat that might burn him he can’t feel that from his right hand. Rio says that because he isn’t using any magic power on generating heat the consumption is better than the normal fighting spirit’s, but just as the dragon king said it loses a lot of attacking power. Rio believes it is easy once anyone thinks about it, it is just a matter of cladding oneself in the energy used to create barriers instead of the energy used to create light bullets. Sora tells Rio that it is splendid. Rio tells Sora that it is hard to use in combat where he has to combine it with the body strengthening and other techniques but that the ability to protect the body is a big plus.
Rio thinks it might be fine to use this new technique at the same time that he flies with his wind spirit arts, it might protect him from the air resistance and also from sudden collisions. Then Rio tells himself to wait. Rio erases the normal fighting spirit around his left hand and this time he uses the wind with which he creates wind barriers, now there is a storm raging around his hand. Rio thinks it resembles the fighting spirit, his hand is completely safe while the wind’s destructive power flows just towards the outside, It can still hurt him if he uses it wrongly but it is safer than the normal fighting spirit. Rio begins to think about what would happen when using the rest of the attributes, water seems to be safe to use as a defensive wall but it he covers his face he might drown, using the earth attribute to protect his body with rocks seems like it will become a good defensive wall but it might impede his vision. Fire, lightning and ice are out of the question, they seem like they will damage his body just by cladding himself in them like when he uses the normal fighting spirit but that they also seem that much more effective when attacking. Rio then asks himself if he can make use of those attributes if he puts a layer of normal fighting spirit below them. But isn't it simpler to use normal fire and lightning techniques then? If he needs to use the normal fighting spirit at the same time the consumption will also get worse. Sora calls out curiously at Rio who got lost in thought. Rio tells Sora he was thinking about using the rest of the attributes just like the fighting spirit, but that the normal fighting spirit is still the most quirk free and easiest to use
Sora tells Rio that that is how it is, that punching things while using the normal fighting spirit is the fastest way of doing things and begins to shadow box. Then Latifa calls out to Rio and Sora happily while running towards Rio and hugging him. Rio greets Latifa while receiving her hug. Latifa also says good morning while rubbing her face on Rio’s chest. Rio tells Latifa she is full of energy since the morning. Latifa says that it is obvious, that it is because now he is here with her. Rio says he understands while petting Latifa’s head. Then Sora asks Latifa angrily until when she is going to hug Rio. Latifa says she will hug him forever. Sora says that something like that can’t be, she tells Latifa that Rio has been training since earlier and that she is interrupting him, she tells her to quickly get away from him. Sora puffs her cheeks sulkingly and tries to pull Latifa away from Rio, but she finds it hard to do while taking care of not hurting Latifa when using her full strength. Satsuki tells the three that things are lively since the morning. Sara, Ouphia, Alma, Gouki and Komomo follow after her, everyone with their respective wooden, training weapons. Rio greets with a smile. Gouki greets Rio back and tells him that it is a good morning. Komomo says that it is perfect for training.
Masato comes from behind them and says that he will also join the morning training. Alma tells Masato that today he got up early. Masato says that it is because he will be able to spar with Rio again after so much time. Ouphia says that they want to spar with Rio too. Sara agrees and says that today they might need to wait for their turn. Satsuki says that after all it is good to have Rio with them. Now surrounded by everyone Sora gets shy and hides behind Rio. Masato asks Rio if they can spar already. Rio tells Masato that it is fine and that he will do it. Masato says that it is great, that it is fine to get a divine weapon after becoming a hero, but that he doesn’t know how to use a two handed sword so he wants to learn from him. Rio tells Masato that for the time being he will have him show how he uses it to fight, that he wants to see his basic movements so body strengthening is forbidden, and that he will use a shield and a one handed sword. Masato agrees, then both Rio and Masato prepare wooden weapons before facing each other to begin their spar.
Rio tells Masato he can come at him whenever he is ready, then he sees Masato is nervous and tells him to relax, that he will teach him from now on, to please show him how much the current him can do with a weapon he isn’t used to. Masato agreed, took a deep breath and began to run towards Rio. Masato swings his sword down at Rio but he easily side steps the first swing. Masato keeps attacking Rio but he parries his swings with minimal movements from his sword and shield. Rio tells Masato that when using two handed swords the movements tend to get wider easily, but that due to the human’s body structure the attacking trajectories are limited to the same of a one handed sword’s, so from the opponent’s point of view it is easy to see the attacks coming, so unless the difference in skill is small is easy to deal with the opponent’s attack just like he is doing it. Rio then asks Masato if he understands what he means. Masato agrees with Rio’s analysis while being frustrated about how the difference in reach isn’t helping him at all. Rio tells Masato that it is good to comprehend oneself’s and the opponent’s reaches, but that alone isn’t enough, that two handed swords are weak at short distances so the opponent will try to enter the range that is convenient just for him. Then Rio lowers his body to pass under Masato’s horizontal swing, pushes Masato’s sword upward with the shield and puts the tip of his sword in Masato’s throat.
Rio tells Masato that it isn’t good if his opponent can enter his sword range so easily, that he needs to focus on keeping his opponent out of the distance that is convenient for them. Masato agrees with that. Rio asks Masato if he hadn’t learnt already how to position himself with that sword, how to swing it and if he had been training those basics. Masato tells Rio that he has been learning from Hilda, one of Liliana’s escorts, and that the experience he got from Rio’s training is still alive too. Rio says he understands, that he will teach Masato what kind of attacks make it so the opponent can enter easily into their range, that from now on he will keep counterattacking like he did just now., that that way Masato should learn how to keep his opponents at a distance convenient for him. Masato smiles happily and says that that is how he wanted it.
Ten minutes later, Masato is lying down in a corner of the garden, he is completely exhausted but Rio is completely fine. Satsuki asks Rio if it is fine if she goes next after the rock-paper-scissors bout she won to everyone else. Rio says that of course it is fine, but then asks Satsuki if she is fine moving around so much with the wound she got the previous day. Satsuki says she wonders if it is because everyone’s healing was good, but that she feels incredibly well, her body feels light and is full of energy. Satsuki makes some basic moves with her spear to show she is fine but Rio is sure that it is because her wound raised her degree of assimilation while looking fixedly at her. Rio tells Satsuki that it is fine if she is feeling well, and tells her to please not force herself, to stop if she is having it hard. Satsuki tells Rio that he is the same, that he can’t force himself, that it seems he had it hard after yesterday’s battle. Rio lets out a troubled laugh and says he is fine already because he went to bed early. Satsuki says she did the same so there is no problem. Rio changes his shield and one handed sword for a bastard sword and tells Satsuki to do it then. Satsuki agrees and both of them walk away from the group so they have space for their spar. Rio tells Satsuki that body strengthening and low powered spirit arts will be allowed this time. Satsuki agrees while Rio thinks about wanting to see how the assimilation affected her. Rio asks Gouki if he can be the referee, Gouki says that gladly and once Satsuki and Rio are ready and at a distance he gives the starting signal.
Satsuki charges at Rio just after the starting signal, but she is moving faster than she expected and needs to go around Rio to not collide with him. Satsuki swings her spear at Rio while passing him by but Rio hits the spear away with his sword. Rio shoots a light bullet at Satsuki’s back after that, it should have been an attack from a blind spot but Satsuki didn’t have any trouble sesing it coming, turning back and cutting it, her senses seen sharper than usual. Gouki lets out a voice of admiration and Satsuki tells Rio that he is being merciless from the beginning, but despite her words she sounds happy. Rio tells Satsuki that she seems to be in a good condition just like she said. Satsuki says she is also surprised herself. while charging at Rio once more. Rio stands still while waiting for Satsuki’s attack and thinking that it is as he thought, that the degree of body strengthening is higher than before. The moment Satsuki’s spear clashes with Rio’s sword he back steps lightly to dissipate the power of the attack. Rio thinks there is no mistaking it now, that Satsuki’s physical strength is also higher than before. Satsuki charges at Rio again in a good mood while saying that today it might finally be her win.
For two hours both Rio and Satsuki kept fighting against a variety of opponents. Satsuki says sadly that in the end she didn’t win against Rio, Gouki or the rest. Gouki laughs happily while saying that he can’t afford to lose yet. Satsuki says she felt like she would be able to win at least a match today. Gouki tells Satsuki that it was because her body strengthening got stronger and she couldn’t adapt to that change. Satsuki agrees sulkingly. Sara tells Satsuki she was incredible today, that it wouldn’t have been strange if she had lost. Ouphia tells Satsuki that her body strengthening improved greatly. Alma asks Satsuki if she got the grasp of something she didn’t have until now. Satsuki says she wonders if that is the reason for her improvement. Rio says that it is as he expected, everyone realizes something is off, he doesn’t think he can’t keep a secret for long the relationship between the heroes and the great spirits, he needs to tell them soon what is going on. Latifa tells Sora that she is really strong and that she is surprised, after all she didn’t manage to put a finger on Sora after she reluctantly agreed to spar with her by Rio’s request. Sora says that it is obvious, that she is the world¡s strongest just after Rio. Latifa asks Sora if it is like that, she tells her that Aisia is as strong as Rio. Sora says she is stronger than someone like Aisia. Latifa asks if it is like that.
Sora says that that is how it is, that they spared once and that she was the one with the advantage. Masato is surprised but says that yesterday’s battle was certainly incredible. Komomo tells Sora she wants to spar with her too. A little away from the children Sara asks Rio how strong Sora really is. Rio tells Sara that Sora is so strong he himself can’t see her bottom either and that there is no mistake in her being more than equally matched with Aisia. Rio doesn’t think Sora gave her all yesterday, that she probably held back to not damage the city. Ouphia says that a reassuring child became a comrade then. At the same time Sora tells Latifa, Masato and Komomo that it is bothersome to beat them one by one so they should come at her together. Rio tells Ouphia she is right while observing Sora’s exchange with the other children with a smile.
After the morning training Rio’s group takes a bath and goes to the mansion’s dinning room. Masato entered the dinning room in a hurry while Miharu’s, Sayo’s and Kayoko’s group were setting the table and Aki scolds him, she tells him to not run in the dinning room because it will be dangerous if he bumps into someone. Masato apologizes while scratching his cheek awkwardly. Then Rio entered the dinning room with Latifa and Charlotte holding one of his arms each. Latifa asks Charlotte why she clings to Rio so much. Charlotte says she had been feeling dizzy since the morning so she is having Rio escort her. Latifa asks Charlotte if it isn’t better for her to rest in her room if she isn’t feeling well then. Charlotte says that it isn’t like that, that it won’t do if she doesn’t have breakfast and gets her nutrients, and asks Latifa if she isn’t glued to Rio herself too. Latifa says she is fine because she is Rio’s sister. Sora tells the two that it is enough already and to let go of Rio now. Then Aisia gets close to Rio and tells him to sit with her pulling him by the hand until a table nearby. Sora now scolds Aisia for grabbing Rio’s hand by herself, says that guiding him is her duty and takes Rio’s free hand. Rio says he understands and tells Sora and Aisia to sit at the same table with him. Sayo asks Rio if she can join them. Rio agrees with a smile. Latifa points at a table with six free seats and everyone sits there.
Aki looks at the group from the side and makes a complicated face while listening to Latifa calling Rio “onii-chan”. There are a lot of things on her mind. Now she understands she was in the wrong agreeing to Takahisa’s plans after Rio told her that he had Haruto’s memories. She hadn’t met with Rio since then, the previous day because of the awkward mood they just greeted each other lightly. She doesn’t know how to interact with the person that carries her brother’s memories so she keeps avoiding Rio, but when they are in the same space just right now her eyes end up following him. She understands it well when looking at Rio and Latifa, she is being made to understand it, she is being faced with it, that for the current Rio only Latifa is his little sister. Aki purses her lips while thinking she doesn’t understand her own feelings. To begin with she hates Haruto, she doesn’t know the reason of her parent’s divorce but she began to resent him while seeing her mother suffering after the divorce. After growing up she came to understand that her feelings were unfair but she still hates him, but Rio is the benefactor who saved her life, Latifa is her important friend who kept treating her like always despite what she did. She can’t think at all that she hates the current Rio, she might feel complicated when watching Rio and Latifa getting along but… then Aki begins to wonder why Takahisa hasn’t come back yet while looking away from Rio and Latifa.
Sara found the inn where Takahisa was staying at two days ago, they should have been able to bring him back when he went back to the inn but there hadn’t been more reports about him since then. Should he have been back by yesterday? The reports are taking too long to come even taking into account the golem attack. Aki wonders if something happened. Could Takahisa be in danger? Aki gets anxious but still thinks it is strange that there isn't a report if something happened. Aki wonders if Takahisa is keeping his distance from the castle after remembering about Rio himself too. She thinks recovering his memories of Rio just after being rejected again by Miharu could worsen his suffering, then she decides to ask Liliana if there are news about Takahisa when she comes to the mansion later. Then Aki realizes that there is another person looking at Rio from the distance, Miharu. She looks enviously and hesitatingly at Rio. Aki wonders why Miharu is like that when she can just sit with Rio’s group herself too. She wonders just why she is holding back. Didn’t she decide to stay with Rio after the evening party because she liked him to begin with? Even though she finally recovered her memories of Rio too. Now Aki sulks for a different reason.
She wonders if Miharu is still worried about the kiss, she certainly seemed embarrassed yesterday, but Miharu seems different now, rather than embarrassed she seems caught up in something, as if she was thinking about a lot of things. Aki now wonders if Miharu is worried about that Goddess Lina that has her soul inside her. Rio tries to compare Rio and Miharu in an attempt to know if she is right but she can’t see Rio, he went somewhere while she wasn’t looking, she looks around her until someone calls outs to her, it was Rio, he had a tray on his hand so he must have been helping serve the food, Latifa was with him too. After recovering from the surprise she greets Rio awkwardly and Latifa asks Aki if she wants to eat with them. Aki says she is sorry and that she already promised Miharu to eat with her. Latifa says she understands regretfully while checking Rio’s reaction, but he isn’t saying anything, maybe because he has reserves around Aki. Latifa now tells the two to have lunch together instead. Rio asks Aki what she will do reservedly. Aki says awkwardly that later, with everyone. Latifa says that it is a promise then. Aki nods and says that until later.
Later that morning, Liliana has just arrived to the mansion guided by Rio and Charlotte. Miharu, Satsuki, Aki and Masato wait for them in the mansion's entrance. Then Liliana tells them she has a report about Takahisa. Her face tells Aki’s group that they aren’t good news and their expressions harden too. Charlotte tells everyone to go to the mansion’s drawing room and asks Sara if she can join them. Sara says she doesn’t mind and follows the group. After everyone takes a seat Charlotte tells them that they can’t find Takahisa anymore. Miharu’s group doesn’t seem surprised, they probably expected that. Aki asks why they can’t find Takahisa, she asks if they hadn’t found already the inn where he was staying. Charlotte tells Aki that Takahisa never went back to the inn. Aki says that it can’t be. Charlotte tells her that when they interrogated the innkeeper they discovered that Takahisa seemed to have gotten into some kind of fight with a certain organization from the red light district. Charlotte hesitates on saying more and then Liliana explains instead of her that Takahisa killed a man in charge of running a brothel and after that he ran away alongside a young prostitute. The silence gets even heavier than before, the news that were completely outside of their expectatives make Miharu’s groups get pale faced and after a moment Aki asks why that happened.
Liliana says they aren’t sure because there aren’t any witnesses, but they think the cause was probably to protect the girl. No one can say anything. Sara makes a bitter face while remembering the smell of blood she detected when she inspected the brothel’s surroundings. Charlotte tells everyone that after that the organization running the brothel began to look for them for the sake of taking retaliations, and it seems that both Takahisa and the girl had been already captured by the time the search team arrived at the inn. Masato asks if Takahisa is already… Charlotte tells him they think he is alive. Miharu’s group is relieved by that but Charlotte then also says that they can’t know anymore where Takahisa went to. Satsuki asks Charlotte if she means that they don’t know where they are retaining him. Charlotte says she knows where they took him to, the hidden basement of a brothel, a place where some kind of clandestine business seemed to have taken place but… Satsuki asks Charlotte if Takahisa wasn’t there anymore. Charlotte says that that’s it, that the installations seems to have been raided, and right now the whole basement was consumed by flames. Miharu’s group gets tense listening to that, Masato murmurs to himself that it must have been that flame pillar. Charlotte tells Masato that it is as he thinks, that it is almost certain that Takahisa created that flame pillar shortly before the golem’s appearance, that someone that seemed to be Takahisa was witnessed leaving the brothel with a girl a little before the flame pillar rose.
Masato asks Charlotte if Takahisa really burnt the whole building.Liliana tells Masato that he did. Masato asks Liliana and Charlotte with a bitter face if Takahisa killed a lot of people. Liliana tells Masato with a sad face that there were a lot of victims. Masato clenches his fist and bites his lips in irritation while talking about how much against killing people Takahisa said he was. Charlotte tells everyone that all of the deceased were members of the organization and that all of the girls trapped in the brothel were released before setting it on fire. Masato doesn’t know what to think anymore and begins to ruffle his hair anxiously. Satsuki asks if they don’t know where Takahisa went to after that. Charlotte says that that’s it, that since then there hasn’t been anyone who saw Takahisa and the investigation has got complicated, so she was wondering if she could borrow Sara’s help again. Sara asks if she just has to go the place and follow the smell and she tells Charlotte to please leave it to her. Charlotte thanks her, the rest also lower their heads at Sara after Charlotte and Sara tells them that they don’t need to thank her that much. Charlotte tells everyone that Rio also seems to have something to report about Takahisa but that she wasn’t told anything about it yet.
Rio tells everyone that he got information about Takahisa’s safety from Lina. Satsuki looks at Miharu when she remembers that Lina was the goddess inside her. Miharu wonders if that was the reason why Lina visited Rio’s room the previous night. Rio tells them that it is as they think, that the information is scarce but that Lina can see the future so the information seems certain. Satsuki asks Rio what he heard from Lina. Rio says he wasn’t told Takahisa’s whereabouts but he was told he was safe and getting along with the girl he eloped with. Aki asks Rio why Lina didn’t tell him where Takahisa is despite knowing the future. Rio tells her that Lina won’t tell him anything that might change the future. Aki says that it can’t be. Rio tells Aki that Lina also said that they would meet Takahisa again after some time, and to be content with that for the time being. Masato says he is fine with that. Aki calls out to them in surprise and Masato that says if he knows that Takahisa is alive and that they will meet again he is fine with that for the time being. He takes a deep breath, crosses his arms and put his back on the chair’s backrest. Aki seems like she wants to tell him something but she stops herself pursing her lips.
Chapter 3: Behind the daily life.[]
At noon in Galarc’s castle. Steaward sighs while he is patrolling the castle grounds, he just isn’t in the mood to work, everytime he crossed paths with a knight from Galarc the feeling got worse. He feels inferior to them. He is a knight too but also a weakling who ran away from Rodania’s fall, he can’t help it but feel like the rest of knights look at him with contempt because of that, so everytime he crosses paths with them he quickens his pace. He feels that it is an humiliation while asking himself why someone from a ducal house like him ended like that. He is embarrassed of being seen in his uniform because he thinks he would look at himself with contempt too if he was in their position. He asks himself if he should have stayed in Rodania and become a prisoner of honor but discards the idea after concluding that he doesn’t know if he would have survived. It was he himself who chose to run away after seeing Renji’s attack while doing his work as a city guard, and he would have done the same thing again. He doesn’t know either what the Arbor faction would have done to him if he got caught being who he is.
While Steaward is lost in thought someone calls out to him with a voice full of contempt. Steawards turn towards the voice while making a disgusted face and he finds his two years younger brother, Pierre Hugenot, there. Pierre tells Steaward that he is pathetic, he asks Steaward if he isn’t walking with shrugged shoulders and without his chest held high despite being someone from the Hugenot family. Steaward asks Pierre what he said while being irritated at being seen through. Pierre tells Steaward he could have recovered a part of his lost honor if he had died at Rodania. Steaward curses Pierre in his mind for saying whatever he pleases. Pierre tells Steaward that Hugenot also knows what he did, that he was pretending to protect the evacuees but he just wanted to escape in the magic ship to protect himself. Steaward screams at Pierre angrily to not tell stupid things and that he wouldn’t do something like that. Pierre tells Steaward that he knows well he doesn’t have the guts to die honorably, but that even rotten he still carries the name of a ducal house so it might be better than becoming a prisoner. Steaward asks Pierre if he came only to say those sarcasms. Pierre says he didn’t and tells Steaward that Hugenot wants to see him. Steawards is curious but also happy about that.
At a guest house of Galarc’s castle. Pierre tells Hugenot that he has brought Steaward to him. Huguenot tells Pierre that he did well and to go back to his work. Pierre nods and leaves while glaring at Steaward. Steaward laughs while being happy about Pierre being let out. Huguenot asks Steaward what he is laughing at. Steaward says that it is nothing and asks Hugenot what he wanted to talk about. Huguenot asks Steaward if he remembers the outdoor drill he participated in four years ago. Steaward doesn’t know what Hugenot means and he tells him he is talking about the time he caused that problem, and that he won’t let him say that he forgot about it. Steaward says that of course he remembers but… there isn’t a way for him to have forgotten, but he doesn’t think he caused any problem back then. Flora was certainly just about to fall off a cliff, but he was pushed against her too, he is a victim too. He doesn’t think there is anything he can’t be responsibilized of. Steaward asks Hugenot why he asks about that after so long. Huguenot asks Steaward the name of the person who caused a scandal back then and Steaward says that it was Rio. For some reason Steaward blames Rio in his mind of what happened, “if only he hadn’t been there” he thinks, he thinks it isn’t his fault, that it was Rio who pushed him against Flora despite knowing well that it was the other male students who did it. Huguenot looks coldly at Steaward for a moment and after a pause he says he understands.
Steaward trembles wordlessly before that cold gaze, after a moment Hugenot closes his eyes in thought and Steaward wonders if the killing intent he felt just now was just his imagination or not. Huguenot asks Steaward why he wasn’t at the castle’s roof during the attack of the previous day. Steaward says he had night watch that day so…. Huguenot tells Steaward he doesn’t care about that and asks him if he saw Rio’s battle. Steaward says he didn’t, that he was tired after the night watch so he was asleep. Huguenot asks Steaward with surprise how he could sleep with such a commotion. Steaward apologizes for that. Huguenot says that whatever, he tells Steaward to come with him to meet Christina. Steaward lets out a surprised voice while Hugenot gets up from his chair. Steaward stands still with a dumbfounded face until Hugenot tells him to follow him once again, this time he obeys while harboring some hopes that being allowed to meet Christina might be the beginning of his comeback.
Steawads stands behind Hugenot as his escort while he sits in front of Christina, who also has Vanessa behind her, in her office. Steaward thinks she is as beautiful as ever. No cheap woman bought with money or average noblewoman can be compared to her, her levels of elegance and attractiveness are too different Steaward needs to gulp while enduring the wish of making her his. Christina tells Hugenot that it is unusual to see him with Steaward. Huguenot says he is short on personnel to the point of needing to use even Steaward as a escort. Steaward meanwhile begins to hope Hugenot will restore his position because of how unusual it is for him to bring company to a meeting with someone important, he feels he is finally back to the stage where only a few important ones are allowed. Christina says she understands with disinterest and asks Hugenot what he wants to talk about, she tells him to please be brief because after that she has a meeting with François. Huguenot says it isn’t urgent but that there is something involving Restoration’s future he wants to talk about with her as soon as possible. Christina tells Hugenot that she is listening.
Huguenot says that to begin with he wants to ask about the mysterious events involving Rio, that he had lost all of his memories of him until the previous day. Christina asks warily how that is related to Restoration’s future. Huguenot says that part of what he wants to say involves Rio so he wants to know if something is going on with him, he asks Christina if she knows something. Christina tells Hugenot that she was told Rio suffered the curse of some troublesome ancient magic tool, that apparently they recovered their memories because the barrier is annuling the curse. François was clear when informing Christina of the truth, revealing anything to third parties without Rio’s permission means losing Galarc’s trust, so she told the lie François, Liliana and her came up with. Hugenot has troubles believing the lie, he heard that there are magic tools that can affect how one is perceived by others but the effective range of this supposed magic tool is too big. Christina sympathizes with Hugenot’s incredulity in her mind, she herself thinks the lied is hard to believe, the problem is that the actual truth is even more absurd, then she tells Hugenot that his confusion is normal, that even she herself is confused, but that it is something that actually happened and that she doesn’t have a reason to doubt Rio. Huguenot says that it is obvious, that there isn’t a way for him to doubt Rio either.
Christina asks Hugenot what he doesn’t understand then. Huguenot says he investigated a bit and there were a lot of people that didn’t seem to feel anything was off after losing their memories. Christina says that it seems so. Huguenot tells Christina that Steaward didn’t even see yesterday’s battle. Christina wonders if that is the reason why Hugenot brought Steaward with him. Huguenot asks Steaward if he remembers Rio now and Steaward says he does with a bitter face. Huguenot asks Steaward if he felt something was off after recovering his memories. Steaward says he didn’t, that it isn’t like he was always thinking about Rio so he didn’t realize anything. Huguenot tells Christina that as she sees there are also people that didn’t realize that they lost their memories. Christina says she understands that but doesn’t understand Hugenot’s point, that she doesn’t know how that is connected to Restoration’s future. Huguenot tells Christina that there is a connection, that they need to discuss what kind of damage can occur if they invite Rio to Restoration. Christina says that she should have already refused to do that. Huguenot tells Christina that she should know too what kind of situation they are in right now.
Christina says that of course she understands it. Huguenot tells Christina that it isn’t a matter of lacking personal and having financial troubles, he says that there is no hope, that he doesn’t see a future, the evacuees are anxious about Rodania’s lost and their relatives left behind, it wouldn’t be strange if there are deserters if things stay like that for long, that the organization’s survival is in danger. Christina says she understands that, that she decided to declare her ascension to the throne faster than expected to relieve that anxiety. Hugenot says that Christina’s enthronement might have relieved that anxiety, but that that will only get them a bit of time, that as things are the legitimacy of the enthronement will be annulled during the coronation and their problems will catch up to them. Christina says she understands they need hope to overcome their situation. Huguenot tells Christina that it is as she says, they need hope, a tangible hope the current them can put their eyes on, one strong enough to clear the black clouds on their futures. Christina asks Hugenot if he wants to say that Rio is that hope. Huguenot says that now there isn’t anyone who doesn’t know of Rio’s valor, that a lot of people saw yesterday’s battle aside of the people in the castle’s roof, everyone in the castle knows well that Rio was who defeated that monster, he is asks Christina if she understand how effective it would be for them, who see so much meaning in Alfred’s defeat, to bring Rio to their side.
Christina understands Hugenot’s feelings, he is convincing too, but she stays silent, she is that opposed to the idea. But Hugenot doesn’t lose heart, he tells Christina that Rio’s incorporation should give them hope, he asks Christina if Rio couldn’t recapture Rodania by himself, if he couldn’t be their guide. Christina asks Hugenot if he would entrust their futures to someone unrelated to them. Huguenot says that then it is fine if they make a connection with him. Christina asks Hugenot why he insists on the marriage when he knows that Rio doesn’t wish for that. Huguenot says that they have Celia. Christina says that even like that that isn’t isn’t something outsiders have a say on. Huguenot tells Christina that they aren’t in a situation to take things so slowly, that Celia is a member of Restoration too to begin with, that letting the marriage aside she should be trying to get Rio to help them, that the problem is that Celia isn’t doing that and that it is also strange for Christina to not order her to do it. Christina says that there isn’t a way for her to order that. Huguenot asks why. Christina asks Hugenot what would get Rio for lending them a hand, that there should be a limit for shamelessness, that they can’t asks for help they can’t pay for. Huguenot says that they need to talk to Rio to know what to pay him with and asks Christina why she won’t do that.
Christina says she already tried to discover that on their meetings until now, that from that she concluded that there isn’t anything they can pay Rio with, that Rio doesn’t want that many things, that Hugenot himself should know that too. Huguenot says that even like that there never was an official meeting to negotiate with Rio as an organization, that he doesn’t mind if it ends in nothing but he wants to be present at that meeting and ask for Rio’s cooperation. Steaward meanwhile thinks their situation must be really bad if Hugenot is getting so heated. Huguenot tells Christina that he wouldn’t rush her so much if they had other options, that they don’t have the leeway to keep doing things like they did until now, they don’t have the time for that, he asks Christina if there is some other reason to not ask for Rio’s help. Christina tells Hugenot that even if they can get Rio’s cooperation they will forget about him again the moment they leave the barrier. Huguenot says that that shouldn’t be an inconvenient if they can recover their memories again when they return to the barrier. Christina says that there are more reasons, she asks Hugenot if he saw Rio’s mask. Huguenot says he did and Christina tells him that Rio can’t fight outside the barrier without them. Huguenot asks if that is an effect of the curse too. Christina says that it is, that if Rio fights without a mask he will be the one losing his own memories. Huguenot says that that is certainly a problem. Christina tells Hugenot that while Rio fights the curse keeps breaking the masks and that the quantity of masks is limited too
Hugenot asks if that doesn’t mean that Rio might help if he is paid a price equivalent to the consumed masks. Christina says that logically it is like that. Huguenot asks if there is anything aside of logic that they need to take into account and Christina stays silent. Huguenot tells Christina since the past he feels like Christina reaches conclusions based on emotions for everything related to Rio and then she searches for a logic for those conclusions afterwards. Christina says that she simply doesn’t want to trouble Rio. Huguenot asks if that is really the only reason. Christina asks Hugenot what he means. Huguenot says he can understand not wanting to trouble Rio but he can’t think that is the only reason. Christina asks Hugenot what is that other reason. Huguenot says that is what he wants to know while glancing at Steaward who gets curious about that look in his direction. Then a bell signaling time tolls and Vanessa tells Christina that it is time for her meeting with François. Christina apologizes to Hugenot for leaving in the middle, she tells Hugenot that Hiroaki will attend the meeting too and that they will continue this talk at another time. Huguenot tells Christina he will contact her soon and leaves her office while sighing heavily.
Just after leaving Christina’s office. Huguenot stops walking and calls out to Steaward behind him. Steaward asks what it is and Hugenot orders him to forget the conversation he had just listened to. Steaward is left confused by the sudden order until Hugenot asks him what is his answer. Steaward says he will forget it. Huguenot tells Steaward disgustedly to not do anything else and Steaward lets out a surprised voice. Both of them resume their walk back to Hugenot’s office and there they find a visitor, the duke Clement Gregory with an escort in tow. Gregory tells Hugenot that he came at the perfect moment, that he thought he was absent so he was just about to leave. Huguenot is surprised at the unexpected visit, Gregory apologizes for coming without prior notice, says he had something he needed to talk about with him soon and asks who is the boy accompanying Hugenot. Huguenot tells Gregory that the boy is his stupid son Steaward. Steaward also greets Gregory putting his right hand in his chest and making a knight’s salute. Gregory says he looks reliable. Huguenot says that as embarrassing at it is, he is the incompetent eldest son that can’t inherit the family. Gregory asks Hugenot is Steawad isn’t an splendid boy while laughing at how he trembles from Hugenot’s words. Huguenot asks Gregory what he wants to talk about and Gregory says that if possible he wants to talk in secret. Huguenot says he understands and invites Gregory to his office, then he tells Steaward to go back to his original work. Steaward nods and goes back to his patrols.
Once left alone with Hugenot, Gregory asks him if he knows that Christina is going to meet François. Huguenot says he does and tells Gregory he is well informed too. Gregory says that Satsuki, Masato, Charlotte, Liliana and also Rio will attend too. Hugenot lets out a confused voice when listening to that. Gregory asks Hugenot if he didn’t know that. Huguenot says he didn’t know the complete list of attendants, he says it will be a meeting bigger than expected then. Gregory agrees and asks Hugenot what they will talk about after even gathering the heroes. Huguenot says he wasn’t informed either. Gregory tells Hugenot that they can’t let things as they are, that they are keeping a lot of secrets from them, that he was told it won’t be a talk that important but that there isn’t a way it is like that. Huguenot says that he certainly wants people to hide it better if they are trying to keep information from him, that sometimes he feels he isn’t trusted and he doesn’t like it. Gregory tells Hugenot that that is exactly how it is, that sharing information is proof of trust, that if he is deceived in a bad way he will get suspicions too, that he wants them to trust more in people like them with a position of senior retainer.
Huguenot says he understands that well when it comes to things that involve him, that not answering direct questions, trying to change the topic to put a lid on things and the like are like being told that he is a bother trying to pry into things he shouldn’t. Gregory saysbhe is reminded of himself and that both seem to be having it hard. Huguenot says that so it seems. Gregory tells Hugenot that if possible now he would like to stay and have some drinks with him but he will have to do that at another time, that today he came for a more serious matter. Huguenot tells Gregory that he said he wanted to talk about something complicated but… Gregorys says he did and that this talk has to remain between the two of them. Huguenot says he understands and asks Gregory what the talk is about. Gregory tells Hugenot he is reluctant to do something like this and asks him if he knows that he has relatives beyond the kingdom’s borders. Huguenot asks if it is something concerning nobles from Beltram. Gregory tells Hugenot that as expected, that he has a good intuition, that a relative of his got married to a noble from Beltram and he was asked something by them. Huguenot’s gaze sharpens while listening to that.
Gregory tells Hugenot that there is someone that wants to meet with him in private. Huguenot says that that doesn’t sound well, that something like having a secret meeting with someone from an opposing faction in the current situation is just too risky. Gregory asks Hugenot if that person and him aren’t fellow nobles worried about the future of their kingdom. Huguenot tells Gregory that that is just a figure of speech, he asks Gregory ifhe won’t be in troubles himself if rumors of them having this kind of talk come to light. Gregory says that that’s why they are talking alone like right now, that if Hugenot stays silent nothing will spread outside. Huguenot tells Gregory reproachfully that he is getting him into too many problems. Gregory says he is sorry, that his relative was being a bother so he needed to fulfill his minimal obligation, that he wants Hugenot to not misunderstand things, that he is someone neutral, that he doesn’t know what the other party wants to talk about and that even if he has a secret meeting it isn’t his business. Huguenot looks warily at Gregory without saying anything.
He wonders if it is trap or a rebel faction, it is obvious that someone is trying to shake things up but it is too late to have this kind of talk with him. If it isn’t a trap then the most likely it is an invitation to betray Christina and join their side. Huguenot says it wouldn’t be strange if they had plans involving other nobles too, so he needs to make his move quickly. Huguenot by his lips in frustration, even now Christina keeps doubting about borrowing Rio’s power, it wouldn’t be strange for defectors to appear in this kind of uncertain situation, if even he himself was this shaken the low rank members will be even more confused. Wouldn’t nobles agreeing to these secret meetings appear one after the other? Shouldn’t he accept this meeting and try to find out what the other part is after? But no, something like a secret meeting is impossible. Then Huguenot gulps while realizing he is approaching a point of no return. Gregory, smiles frivolously as if he was enjoying Hugenot’s hesitation and tells him that he obviously needs time to think, that he needs his answer before the next meeting with the Beltram kingdom or the coronation day at the latest. Huguenot tells Gregory to forget an answer, he doesn’t even know who wants to meet him, then says that enough, that they never had this conversation. Gregory says he understands without showing any significant reaction.
At the same time, in one of the castle’s drawing rooms. Rio and Aisia met there with François, Satsuki, Masato, Hiroaki, Charlotte, Liliana, Christina, Sara, Ouphia and Alma. Rio and Aisia are explaining to everyone about great spirits being assimilated with the heroes that they kept secret the previous day. Sara, Ouphia and Alma can’t hide their surprise at the closeness of the missing great spirits their people searched for so long but wait until Rio is done explaining things to the heroes before making their questions. Satsuki meanwhile looks curiously at her body. Rio tells Satsuki that the great spirits were known as the transcendentals alongside the dragon king and the seven wise Gods, that they were existences tasked with watching over the world, that Satsuki should be contracted to the wind’s great spirit, Hiraki to the water’s and Masato to the earth’s. Satsuki says sulkingly that a contract is something made by two parts that agree to it, so she isn’t satisfied about being forced into one. Hiroaki says that this is something that appears a lot in fantasy works and Masato agrees. Satsuki says with exasperation that only men can be convinced with just that. Masato says that it is because there are a lot of people close to him with contracts, that Aisia and Rio have one and Sara, Ouphia and Alma too.
Rio tells Masato that there are two types of contracts, the normal spirit pact that connects oneself to the spirit shallowly and the more powerful spirit pact, that what Sara and the others have are spirit contracts and what the heroes have are spirit pacts. Masato asks what the difference is. Rio tells Masato that the difference is the ability to use the assimilation and the ability to create spirit equipment or what the heroes call divine weapons. Rio calls out to Aisia, she nods and assimilates with Rio so he can show everyone how he can make his spirit sword appear. Hiroaki is surprised about Aisia suddenly disappearing and Masato says that Rio’s sword is cool. Rio tells everyone that now he is assimilated with Aisia, that now his body is stronger and his ability to use spirit arts higher, his healing ability rose too so he won’t die easily even if he is wounded, the higher the degree of assimilation the higher the effect will get and that the assimilation is also the reason why the heroes can handle powerful techniques. Satsuki says that listening only to that they don’t seem any different from Rio, or rather, that he is a hero too. Rio says he isn’t a hero, that just being able to use the spirit equipment doesn’t make one a hero, that the heroes are known as such for other reasons. Satsuki asks the frowning Rio if there is any difference between them when both can use the assimilation and the spirit equipment. Rio tells Satsuki that there are differences, that the spirit pact binding him to Aisia is different to the pact binding them to the great spirits, that that difference is what makes them heroes.
Hiroaki asks Rio what is that difference while guessing from his frown that it mustn't be a good thing. Rio tells Hiroaki that it is a matter of the contract respecting the spirits’ will or not. Satsuki asks why it is that way. Rio tells Satsuki that during the divine war the wise Gods asked the spirits for help to repel the invading demons but the negotiations failed, that he doesn’t know how but the spirits were deceived, then six wise Gods created an enslaving spell centered around the spirit pact to use one sidedly the spirits’ powers, that that is a hero. Satsuki asks if those six wise Gods aren’t horrible. Hiroaki asks if it is fine for them to know that, if it isn’t something that involves the Gods worshiped in the Stralh region. François tells Hiroaki that they can’t make it public, but that it was none other than Rio who decided to organize the meeting after telling him this story in advance and taking into account if the heroes can be trusted or not, so he needs the heroes to promise they won’t divulge the contents of this conversation. Hiroaki looks at Rio while scratching his head awkwardly and says that he understands, that problems related to religion seem dangerous after all.
Rio says that getting back on topic, he isn’t a hero, that only those contracted to the great spirits are heroes. Satsuki asks Rio if he can’t make everything they can do. Rio says that if they look only at what they can do they are same. Satsuki tells Rio while looking fixedly at him that his way of saying it seems to imply something. Rio tells the heroes that as he said already, it is a matter of the spirits’ will being respected or not, that even right now the great spirits want to escape from their enslavement, he asks the heroes if they understand that. The heroes harden their expressions and take a look at their own bodies while imagining the great spirits lying inside them. Rio tells them that great spirits want to break their pact with them and regain their freedom, but they can’t do it because the six wise Gods put a powerful seal on them so they can’t get out. Satsuki asks Rio if they can’t undo the contract. Rio tells Satsuki that they can’t, that the spirit pact is a technique that binds the humans’ and spirits’ souls at a level close to fuse them, so once done it can’t come undone unless the contractor dies. Satsuki says she understands. Rio tells the heroes that he and Aisia can undo their assimilation at will but that they can’t do that, that they are always assimilated with the spirits.
Satsuki asks Rio if he means to say that that is something only he can do. Rio says it is, that it is something that is also deeply related to them so now he will talk about the assimilation’s demerits. Rio tells the heroes to please think during the assimilation they are getting close to an existence that isn’t human while still having a in human body, so if they rise the degree of assimilation too much they might completely lose their humanity and it is still unknown what other inconveniences they will suffer. Hiroaki asks Rio with an intrepid smile if he means to say that they can gain power if they don’t fear the risks. Rio tells the heroes that because of the strong assimilation his hair and eye color changed and won’t go back to normal and that when releasing the assimilation the body will suffer a recoil according to the assimilation degree. Hiroaki gets rigid while listening to the changes in Rio’s body. Rio tells the heroes that he doesn’t know what will happen to him if he keeps assimilating strongly with Aisia, that he might be lucky for having only this much happening to him, so they, who are always assimilated, shouldn’t think about rising the degree of assimilation thoughtlessly because as long as it stays low the influence in the body will be low too.
Satsuki gets anxious and asks Rio if they are unable to lower the degree of assimilation once it goes up. Rio tells Satsuki that there should be a limiter stopping the assimilation degree from rising too much but that he doesn’t know to what level they can adjust the assimilation degree by themselves, that Aisia and him can communicate and adjust it at will but that the heroes can’t do that. Hiroaki asks Rio if Renji is assimilated to a degree higher than theirs. Rio tells Hiroaki that chances are high it is like that, but that Renji was also more used to fighting and better at using spirit arts than the first time he saw him. Hiroaki clicks his tongue frustratingly and asks Rio if there is a way to rise the degree of assimilation. Satsuki asks Hiroaki if he didn’t listen to Rio’s explanation about that being dangerous. Hiroaki says that of course he listened to Rio, but that he isn’t into losing again against Renji if they have to fight once more. Satsuki can’t answer to that. Rio tells the heroes that there is still another troublesome risk of the assimilation that only the heroes carry. Hiroaki asks what it is. Rio tells them that if the assimilation degree rises too much the great spirits will gain control of their bodies. The heroes gulp and Rio tells them that that was what happened to Erika and that Satsuki should know well what happened to her after that.
Satsuki can’t say anything and Hiroaki asks what happened. Satsuki tells Hiroaki that a natural disaster occurred, that an earth tsunami so big that it was as if the earth and heaven changed places that spanned the whole horizon appeared. Hiroaki asks in shock if it is for real. Rio tells the heroes the loss of body control should be temporary thanks to the limiter, but that there is no saying what the great spirits will do during that time, that if they use a power that a human can’t handle they will die. Then Rio asks Hiroaki if he still wants to rise the assimilation degree despite that. Hiroaki stays silent while making a bitter face. Rio tells the heroes that if they don’t rise the assimilation degree they aren’t different from normal humans, so if they want to get power he recommends to accumulate power through proper training, that by doing that they might become capable of controlling the degree of assimilation at will in a safe way. Hiroaki asks Rio if that way of saying it means that there are unsafe ways too. Rio says that there is, a method incredibly dangerous than can rise the assimilation degree quickly, that Erika also used it, that Renji might have used it too, but that it is precisely because he doesn’t want them to end in a situation like that that he will teach them what it is, he tells them that they can forcefully rise the degree of assimilation if they suffer fatal wounds.
The room gets enveloped in a heavy silence, then Rio tells the heroes that they won’t die easily when wounded because the regenerative power they get during the assimilation repairs those wounds, but regenerating a fatal wound takes a strong degree of assimilation, that’s why suffering a wound that needs of a high degree of assimilation to recover from can forcefully rise it. Satsuki gets pale faced while listening to that part of Rio’s explanation. Rio tells everyone that the reason why yesterday’s wound didn’t kill Satsuki is the assmilation’s regenerative power. Rio looks worriedly at Satsuki who puts on a pained smile. She says she thought it was strange, that her chest was certainly pierced, that even during the morning training she was feeling strangely well. Masato asks Satsuki if she is fine. Satsuki keeps doing her best to put on a bold front and tells Masato that she is fine, that she already told them that she was feeling well. Rio tells Satsuki that he doesn’t want to put it in such a way, but that there isn’t way for a single time to rise the degree of assimilation beyond what the limiter can handle, that unless she does like Erika, who received a lot of fatal wounds in a short time she should be fine. Satsuki nods anxiously. Rio tells her that she might keep the assimilation degree low during her everyday life but to please tell him if she notices something abnormal. Satsuki thanks Rio for that consideration.
Hiroaki tells Rio that he understands that it is bad to rise the degree of assimilation by receiving fatal wounds but asks if rising the assimilation degree isn’t still necessary. Masato asks Hiroaki if he still wants to insist on that. Hiroaki tells Masato that he only means to say that they need enough power to not end up receiving a fatal wound if the worst happens, that if he was stronger… that if he was better at using the hero’s power Satsuki might not have received that wound. Masato agrees while making a bitter face. Rio says that if they talk about yesterday he is also at fault, that he shouldn’t have got away from the castle, that he was the one who left to do things behind the scenes without knowing that a monster like that could appear. Satsuki tells Rio that he is wrong, that it is annoying but she thinks Hiroaki is right, that it is reassuring to know Rio is protecting them but that it isn’t good to always make him shoulder everything, that that’s why she wants to get stronger just like Hiroaki said, that she doesn’t want to protect just herself but also everyone else. Hiroaki snorts to hide his embarrassment. Now Satsuki stands up angrily and asks Rio why he thinks it is fine for him to carry everything when assimilating strongly isn’t any better for him than for them. Rio can’t answer that. Satsuki asks Rio if he doesn’t have to worry only about the assimilation, reminding him of God’s rules, she asks him sulkily if it is time for him to worry about the others. Rio smiles awkwardly and tells Satsuki that today’s meeting is for explaining to them the dangers of the assimilation so… Charlotte tells Rio while laughing that it seems that at some point the positions got reversed then. Christina and Liliana also laugh alongside her. François says that it is fine, that the meeting fulfilled its original objective, so now it is necessary to teach Rio to take care of himself too.
A bit earlier, Steaward keeps doing his job watching over the guest house when he encounters Gregory. Steaward greets Gregory who was leaving accompanied by his escort. Gregory greets him back and Steaward asks him if he is already leaving. Gregory says he is, that he already took care of his business. Steaward says he understands and says his farewell while making a reverence. Gregory was also just about to leave, but then he stops himself as if he just had remembered something and asks Steaward if he isn’t Christina’s age too. Steaward tells Gregory he is a year younger but that they took some lessons together at the royal academy. Gregory tells Steaward that she must have been very beautiful even back then. Steaward says she was, that a lot of students admired her but that they couldn’t get close to her. Gregory says he feels like he understands, that maybe it was because she was too beautiful, that even now she feels hard to approach. Steawards says that Christina being capable was a big part of it too, that Christina always had the best grades at the academy so people felt inferior to her. Gregory admits while laughing that being less capable than her certainly would be hard to stand for oneself as a man, but that it must be because of that the man who becomes her husband should become really happy. Steaward says that there is no mistaking that.
Gregory says it would be fine if it doesn’t cause problems for Restoration’s knights but… Steaward asks what it is. Gregory asks Steaward if he knows about Rio. Steaward says he does, that he is someone famous after all. Steaward’s expression clouds at the mention ofRio’s name and Gregory narrows his eyes while thinking that he might listen to something interesting if he keeps it up. Gregory tells Steaward that Cristina seems to have visited Rio’s mansion a lot of times lately, so he was wondering if the people in charge of her security were unsatisfied about that, if Rio isn’t just too disrespectful making even a princess make the way to his mansion. Steaward agrees, he says it might not be funny but that Christina must have something in mind too. Gregory asks what that is. Steaward tells Gregory that what he says has to stay between the two of them. Gregory says that of course. Steaward tells Gregory that Chritina might be trying to make Rio lend his power to Restoration, so she must be acting reservedly fearing his refusal. Gregory says he understands, that Rio’s valor is certainly worth seeing but that there isn’t any need to hold back, that Restoration has a friendly relationship with Galarc, that it is obvious to gladly listen to what they have to say when the Princess leading it is the one asking for help, it is fine to say that it is one’s duty as a member of the noble society even.
Steaward tells Gregory that Rio seems to come from a commoner family. Gregory says that he looked like a simpleton from the beginning, but inside he isn’t so sure, inside his mind he thinks it is suspicious if Rio is really a commoner or not, that he has to admit that his skill at least is real, he can’t underestimate him, he doesn’t like it but Rio is important for the Galarc kingdom, he can understand François’ special treatment, he doesn’t like to not know his roots but… but right now those thoughts aren’t important, he needs to keep edging Steaward on so he might get some information about Rio that he doesn’t know yet. Gregory tells Steaward that he seems like someone he can talk to but isn’t sure of his name anymore. Steaward introduces himself again. Gregory says he remembers now and asks Steaward if he can talk with him for a bit while they take a walk. Steaward says that gladly. Gregory asks Steaward if he doesn’t think Rio is sinister, that he said he was the son of inmigrants but there isn’t record of him from before he made a name for himself, that strange things like losing their memories of him keep happening too, so he is getting creepier. Steaward says that it is true, that there are a lot of mysteries, that he appeared for the first time at Amande’s outskirts but…Gregory asks Steaward if he means when Rio saved Liselotte, that it is said that he repelled the monsters with a strength improper of his age. Steaward says he means that time, that he was there too, that he thought he was strong as the rumors say, but that a great part of it comes from the power of his magic sword.
Gregory nods and asks Steaward if he doesn’ think it is strange when thinking about it, a man with such a strength remaining unknown until he is of such an age, a magic sword isn’t something a commoner should be able to get either. Steaward says that it is certainly unnatural, that he used to think he was purposefully hiding his past and falsifying his status but… Gregory tells Steaward that he is sharp, that as expected of man of the Hugenot family, truly capable. Steaward humbles himself bashfully and tells Gregory that there were rumors like that too. Gregory tells Steaward that the truth is that he thinks the same, that he wondered if Ro was lying about his identity too. Steaward asks Gregory what reason would have a man so strong to hide his past. Gregory tells Steaward that Rio might want to hide some shady past. Steaward says he understands, that it is convincing when thinking about it, that if it is like that he can’t be called a noble, that it is too despicable. Gregory asks Steaward if the story about Rio being forgotten by everyone because of a magic tool isn’t suspicious, that it is possible he is using that magic tool to hide his inconvenient shady past, then Gregory asks Steaward if he is the only one with those doubts. Steaward says that certainly, that it is an astute observation, that he also thought it might be like that after listening to him.
Gregory asks Steaward if he believes it too. Steaward says he does, that if Rio can really manipulate people’s memories and perception of him it wouldn’t be strange for him to falsify his identity, he asks Gregory if it wouldn’t be possible to know the truth by researching in detail that magic tool. Gregory says that the magic tool seems to have been stolen by an enemy. Steaward says that it can’t be while getting more suspicious. Gregory tells Steaward that he explained his worries to François but that he was told to not say anything stupid and ignored. Steaward asks if that doesn’t mean that even François is being manipulated. Gregory tells Steaward that he can’t do that, that in that case François would be a victim too, that they can’t doubt François’ decision without solid evidence. Steaward tells Gregory that he is right and apologizes. Gregory says that it is fine, that he also understands what he wanted to say but that they should keep this talk only among themselves for the time being. Steaward agrees, then says that he can see Rio’s bottom as a human if he can’t resist his ambition to rise in power to the point of even falsifying his identity for that sake. Gregory says that that is true but for the time being it is only a speculation. Steaward says that it would be fine if they had any evidence that could laid bare Rio’s shady past. Gregory says that there is something that he doesn’t know if it could become a clue or not but… Steaward asks if there is something. Gregory tells Steaward that he was told by a knight present yesterday’s battle that someone didn’t refer to Rio as Haruto but instead called him “Rio”, that if “Haruto Amakawa” is an alias then “Rio” could be the real name. Gregory doesn’t miss Steaward’s expression hardening at the mention of the name, he didn’t have many expectatives but it seems he really found something.
Gregory asks Steaward if something came to mind. Steaward says that it is nothing and Gregory tells him that his face is telling him that there is something. Steaward says he isn’t sure yet and that he doesn’t have any evidence either, but inside a lot of thoughts come and go. Rio? Is it him? No, impossible, but if it is like that…wouldn’t it be really bad? Was that the reason why his father asked him about the past? He was at the scene yesterday, it wouldn’t be strange if he listened to him being called by that name. But is it really him? The hair color is… he feels like the hair color changed again since the last time he met him. Steaward begins to sweat cold while wishing for it to be a lie. Gregory calls out to Steaward with impatience. Steaward asks Gregory what it is. Gregory tells Steaward he is really interested in what he was thinking about and asks him if he can tell him what it is. Steaward fumbles his words, he doesn’t want to talk, at least not before he puts his thoughts in order, he can’t decide well what he can and can’t say, Gregory tells Steaward that if he doesn’t talk he will have to ask someone else from Restoration. Steaward gets scared of someone else saying something he doesn’t want to be known of him and tells Gregory to please wait, that he wants a bit of time to think, he asks Gregory if he can wait for a day if he can’t wait until tomorrow. Gregory says he understands and that he will wait until tomorrow’s morning. Steaward thanks Gregory and he tells him that tomorrow he will come to ask what it is. Steaward nods and Gregory tells him that he is looking forward to what he will be told. Then after deciding on a place for tomorrow’s meeting Gregory leaves.
Chapter 4: Sleepover.[]
Just after the end of the meeting Masato tells Hiroaki that Christina and Liliana will visit the mansion later and tells Hiroaki to come too with Rei and Kota, then he asks Rio if he is fine with it. Rio says that of course. Hiroaki tries to appear uninterested but it is obvious he is just being shy. Masato tells Hiroaki that it seems like there would be a lot of delicious things at night, that if he asks for it when going back now they might prepare the food from the earth that he wanted so much. Hiroaki says that fine then, that those guys might want to eat too so he will invite them. Masato says that it is decided after a little laugh. Christina asks Rio reservedly if he is fine with that. Rio tells her that he is, that since it is a good occasion she should invite Roana too because he thinks Celia will be happy about it too. Hiroaki tells Rio that if it is like that he will take his word for it. Rio tells Hiroaki to say it without reservations if there is anything he wishes to eat. Hiroaki, hesitatingly and unsure of it being possible or not, says that he wants to eat sukiyaki then and that it would be great if there was udon to top it. Rio says he understands. Hiroaki asks Rio if he can really prepare it, he tells him he was convinced the udon would be impossible. Rio tells Hiroaki that the udon was prepared in advance and put in the fridge. Hiroaki asks Rio if anything goes with him and asks him if he can tell him what else he can prepare. Rio tells Hiroaki he can prepare miso soup, pickles and fresh eggs too. Hiroaki asks Rio if he doesn’t understand perfectly how things are done. Then Satsuki tells Christina and Liliana that Liselotte will stay the night at the mansion too and asks them if they want to do the same.
Rio’s mansion received a lot of guests that night, Liselotte and Aria, Liliana’s group and Finally Christina’s group. Rio and Celia receive Christina, Flora, Roana, Hiroaki, Rei and Kota at the mansion’s entrance. Christina apologizes to Rio reservedly for bringing so many people. Rio says he was who invited them lightly and that he is sorry if that caused them any inconvenience. Christina says that it isn’t like that at all and that Flora was very happy too. Flora agrees and Rio says that fine then. Celia also greets the sisters and they greet her back too. Celia then greets Roana too and Roana tells her she is glad Celia is doing well, then she also makes a reverence to Rio and thanks him for his invitation while seemingly paying attention to his reaction. Contrary to that Hiroaki greets Rio casually. Rio welcomes him, Kota and Rei. Rei tells Rio he is happy about him remembering them too. Kota also greets Rio politely and then Rio tells the group of six to come inside. Inside the mansion Kayoko tells the guests that she will guide them to their rooms. Behind her Aoi, Sayo and the others take their luggage to carry it to their rooms.
After that, at the mansion's baths. The first group of girls was enjoying the bath, the princesses and young ladies that came as guests and Celia and Charlotte as hosts. Christina sighs happily while relaxing in the warm water and Flora tells her that it feels really well. Roana says that if letting go of the tiredness inside a big bath is such a happy thing now she can understand why Hiroaki was so demanding about the baths he used. Flora asks Roana if it is her first time using the bath at Rio’s mansion. Roana says that it is and that it seems like she might want to come everyday. Flora says she understands that, that once one knows of this happy feeling then… Charlotte tells them to not hold back, that it is fine for them to come everyday. Roana says that there isn’t a way they can do that. Charlotte tells Roana that Rio won’t refuse and then asks Celia if it isn’t like that. Celia says that it is like that. Charlotte asks Liliana if she likes how the water feels. Liliana says that it is as if her heart was being cleaned too, that it is very wonderful, that she wants to spread it through Centostella too. Charlotte tells Liliana to feel free to come without reserves too while she stays at Galarc and that Masato should be happy about that too. Liliana thanks Charlotte for her consideration.
After a bit Liliana says that Rio is an incredible person. Charlotte says that it is obvious. Flora also says that Rio is an incredible person and Christina smiles lightly while looking at her, Roana meanwhile looked curiously at Christina’s smiling face. Liliana tells everyone that she apologized to Rio for all the problems she caused to him beginning with Takahisa’s matter but Rio only tilted his head curiously without knowing what she was talking about, and after that he lowered his head at her while thanking her for taking care of Aki and Masato and even shared important information with her. Charlotte asks Liliana if she is unable to understand Rio’s intentions. Liliana says that she can’t, that she thought she couldn’t complain if she was excluded and not given any information. Charlotte tells Liliana that Rio’s real thoughts are simple, that he is just trusting her because Masato trusts in her himself. Flora nods strongly while Celia and Christina smile lightly while Liliana gulps in shock. Roana asks everyone why Rio can trust in people in such a way. Christina calls out to her surprisedly. Roana says she is sorry, she says she gets the logic but that she thinks it is easier said than done, that it might overlap with Liliana’s question but that she doesn’t get either what kind of person is Rio. Christina says she understands after some pause and decides to leave it at that. Liliana says she is curious too and asks Charlotte and Celia if they can tell her what kind of person Rio is.
Charlotte says that fine then, that since the princesses of three kingdoms are socializing naked it will be rude of her as a host to not give them a conversation that can be called a souvenir. She tells the rest that it seems like it will become a long bath, but that they will get dizzy if they are always inside the hot water so if they feel like that they will have to sit in the bath’s edge for a bit with only their feet in the water. Charlotte sits in the bath’s edge just like she explained and tells Liliana and Roana that to begin with she wants to know what kind of impression Rio gave them until now, that if there is any misunderstanding she will be happy to clear it. Liliana says that Rio is a mysterious person, despite being so powerful he is so kind as someone unrelated to fighting, the owner of a really calm atmosphere, that she really thinks he is a really kind person but at the same time there are parts of him she can’t get a grasp of, that she would say it is hard to read his thoughts. Charlotte says after a small laugh that Rio is a man of few words after all. Liliana says that he is, that that’s why she can’t see his real intentions or what he thinks and feels from the bottom of his heart, that normally thoughts of wanting to make this or that appear through one’s actions but that in Rio’s case those signs are too thin. Charlotte praises Liliana’s wise analysis and now asks for Roana’s impressions. Roana asks Christina with a silent glance if it is fine for her to talk, Christina tells Roana to try and say it, that she wants to listen to it too. Then Christina shows her wish to talk at length by sitting on the bath’s edge like Charlotte did earlier, Flora and Celia do the same.
Roana says that even if she is told that her impression of Rio overlaps with Liliana’s, that Rio’s real intentions being hard to see is as Liliana says, that if she has to add something it would be that she thought there should be a lot of people around him that get wary of him for being so hard to read despite how influencing he is. With that said Roana stands up and sits on the bath’s edge too. Liliana says that it is as Liliana says, that if she can say it without fearing to be misunderstood she might be wary of Rio, that the current Rio has as much influence or more than a high ranking noble in the Galarc kingdom, that she ends up fearing that depending on Rio’s wishes her country might have it hard to continue their relationship with Aki and Masato. Charlotte says she understands, that if they received a lot of important information from someone like that and are treated with hospitality it might not be strange for them to not be able to see his real intentions. Liliana tells Charlotte that if she had been asked for a proper price for the information she was given it would be simple to know what Rio is expecting of her. Celia tells Liliana while putting on a sympathetic smile that Rio never asks for something in return when he does something for anyone’s sake. Christina says that she heard from Latifa once that there isn’t anything as expensive as what is given free and that the current situation seems to be exactly like that, then she hardens her expression while thinking she isn’t unrelated to that.
Roana asks why Rio never wants to get anything in return, that it doesn’t seem to be a matter of noblesse oblige. Charlotte says that it is simple, that Rio doesn’t want anything in return or people to move in some concrete way, that if he wants something he will simply ask for it. Roana asks if it isn’t wasteful to not make any debts when dealing with fellow nobles, that depending on the person he will be looked down on. Charlotte tells Roana that then Rio would only end his relationship with such a rude person and be done with it, that that is also what makes Rio interesting, that often a lot of people misunderstand Rio and look down on him for not liking conflict and being a very kind person without realizing that they turned into an enemy someone they should have never turn into one. Roana says she understands while getting goosebumps from Charlotte’s pleased smile, then she enters the water again. Charlotte says that even if Rio himself has no intention of using it, he really is someone that has the influence and the military power to move people as he pleases, that it is her hobby, maybe even her duty, to teach courtesy to the fools that don’t understand that instead of Rio. Then Charlotte tells Celia that since it is the perfect occasion she wants to know Celia’s impression too. Celia says she thought it was as Liliana and Roana said, that it is certain that Rio is someone whose real intentions are hard to see. Charlotte asks Celia if that isn’t one of Rio’s charms. Celia says that it is, but that Rio also has proper feelings of wanting to do this or that and he will say so if he deems it necessary, but that that is a little different from wanting someone to move in a concrete way. She tells everyone Rio respects everyone’s will more than his own, he will warn someone if they are going down a dangerous path, he will warn people if there are things they don’t see even if it is inconvenient for him, he will generously give someone any information they need to not make a mistaken decision, that outside of times like those Rio almost never tells his real intentions.
Charlotte asks Celia if she has a problem with that after seeing her add the last bit with a sulking face. Celia says she isn’t really unsatisfied but Rio is putting himself in second place, he works hard for everyone’s sake without caring about himself, so she wants him to take better care of himself. Charlotte says that Rio is always like that even if he himself denies it. Celia says that it is because of that that she wants to support Rio from besides him, but that it is something troublesome that Rio is so skillful that he doesn’t need that help. Charlotte asks the other four what they think, if they understood how Rio is even if the latter part was Celia’s bragging. Celia says embarrassedly that she wasn’t bragging and Christina and Flora laugh at her. Celia tells Liliana that she seems to be anxious about having caused Rio problems but that Rio shouldn’t think like that at all, that she thinks Rio is only doing what he thinks it is necessary for Masato’s sake. Liliana thanks Celia for that with a soft smile, she says she feels like she understands in depth now what kind of person Rio is. But inside a different train of thought clouds her eyes with sadness. She thinks there wasn’t a way for Takahisa to be able to compare to Rio, Takahisa always that prioritizes himself even if it is bad, he is a man that treasures himself, so he tries to make people move as he pleases for his own sake, if it doesn’t go like he wants to he rampages. Rio meanwhile is a man that prioritizes others even if he has to sacrifice himself. It isn’t hard to imagine who will be more loved by their surroundings when comparing those two.
After the first group of six leave other two girls enter the bath, Latifa and Liselotte. Liselotte asks Latifa if Aki is really avoiding Rio. Latifa says that she is, that she tried to have her have breakfast and lunch with Rio and her and it didn't seem like Aki was avoiding Rio because she hated him but… Latifa sighs while putting her chin over arms on the bath’s edge, she apologizes with Liselotte for bringing that up, she says she thought she could have any good idea about what to do with Rio and Aki. Liselotte tells Latifa to not be reserved because she is happy about being relied on by her, to consult with her about anything she needs to. Latifa thanks Liselotte and hugs her while smiling happily and Liselotte tells her that that is ticklish. Liselotte asks Latifa if she can tell her the whole story, she tells her that she knew Haruto and Aki were siblings but doesn’t know the situation in detail. Latifa nods happily while looking at Liselotte sitting in the bath’s edge while patting the space next to her. Latifa then tells her the whole story regarding Haruto and Aki, that she thinks that is the reason why Aki feels complicated about Rio, that she also thinks Rio acts reservedly around Aki because he knows that she hates Haruto, but that she didn’t ask them about their feelings directly.
Liselotte asks Latifa what she wants to do. Latifa says that she doesn’t want Rio and Aki to stay like that, that she herself isn’t Haruto’s sister but still thinks Aki is like her sister. Liselotte asks Latifa if that is the reason why she wants to make a chance for the two to talk. Latifa says that that’s it, that she wants Rio and Aki to try and talk things through but that the most she can do is inviting them to have a meal. Liselotte says she understands but that then they will have to make it so there are as few people present as possible because it might turn into a delicate talk. Latifa agrees and says that she can’t be the one making the invitation, that she feels like Aki is getting wary of being left alone with Rio during mealtimes, so she thinks she needs another person to extend the invitation. Liselotte says that they need a seemingly natural reason to invite Aki then. Latifa agrees and asks Liselotte if there isn’t any good way to do it. Liselotte asks Latifa if she should give a try to make the invitation herself. After Latifa lets out a surprised voice Liselotte tells her that she doesn’t know if it will go well, but she thought of a good excuse, it will need a bit of preparation though. Latifa thanks Liselotte while hugging her.
Liselotte tells Latifa that it is too soon to be happy, that she didn’t decide yet on a good way to invite Aki and Latifa hasn’t listened to her plan yet. Latifa says that it isn’t like that, that if Liselotte will help her she is sure everything will go well. Liselotte says that it would be fine if it is like that, that she thinks Latifa could have consulted with other people too, that Miharu should know better what is going on between Rio and Aki, that she thinks everyone else would cooperate gladly too. Latifa says that it might be like that but that she thought about talking with her first. Liselotte asks why. Latifa says that it is because Liselotte is special or rather… Liselotte asks what it is special about her. Latifa says that Liselotte is like a real big sister for her, but that the others are the same in that regard, so maybe it is because she has a connection with Rikka too, that it isn’t like riding the same bus made them so close but it is still special for her. Liselotte tells Latifa that she is too cute and now she is the one hugging her while she lets out a surprised voice. Liselotte tells Latifa she is like her real little sister too, so it is fine for her to rely on her whenever she needs it. Latifa thanks Liselotte with a happy smile.
Rio, Masato, Hiroaki, Rei and Kota have just come back from the bath and it is finally dinnertime. Hiroaki says that it is great, that it is sukiyaki. Rei says that he can really smell sukiyaki. Kota says smelling that in another world confuses his brain. Masato says he is hungry. Satsuki tells the boys they came at the perfect moment and to sit in front of Christina’s group. Hiroaki nods and then begins to have doubts about the sitting order when seeing Roana, Flora, Christina, Liliana and Charlotte occupying the same side of a rectangular table and then watching Satsuki sitting next to Charlotte. Rei tells Kota nervously that it looks like a goukon and Kota tells Rei to be quiet with embarrassment. Rio tells Hiroaki and Masato to sit in front of Christina and Liliana. Then Charlotte tells Rei and Kota to sit in front of her and Satsuki and Rio to sit in front of Flora. Rei and Kota obey nervously and Charlotte says that they seem to be funny people. Satsuki tells them that they don’t need to be so nervous. After Rei and Kota take their seats Rio does the same while exchanging greetings with Flora and Roana. Flora is all smiles but Roana seems to be looking attentively at Rio’s face. After that Celia sits next to Rio and Flora tells Roana that she is happy about Celia being with them too, that now it is like a class meeting. Roana agrees after a small pause while looking alternatively between Rio and Celia.
Sayo and Aoi bring trays with food to their table and Hiroaki lets out happy voices while looking at its contents. He soon recognizes the Kanto style sukiyaki and praises how it was prepared in the right way. Christina says that it smells delicious. Hiroaki then begins to explain everything about sukiyaki to Christina. Satsuki tells Hiroaki that he got quite talkative even if he isn’t who made it. Rei says that that is how Hiroaki is. Masato tells Hiroaki that enough of that and to begin to eat quickly, he asks everyone if he can add the sauce to the sukiyaki already. Hiroaki tells Masato to not be stupid and wait, then he goes on another explanation about how to make sukiyaki be delicious. Masato cuts him off midway and tells Hiroaki that it is fine to just cook everything together. While those two are like that Satsuki asks the rest if they want to give it a try to make the sukiyaki themselves or if they prefer others to make it for them. Christina tells Flora and Roana to try and make it themselves now that they have the chance and both agree. Liliana says that it seems interesting so she will try to cook the ingredients herself too. Hiroaki tells everyone that then he will explain to them the proper way to do it, then he begins to cook the beef while explaining why that has to go first. After that he keeps explaining step by step what to put in the pot, when, why and in what quantities.
Bit by bit everyone else began to fry meat too. Rio tells everyone to ask questions if they have any doubt about how to do it. Satsuki tells the non japanese that they just need to listen to half of the explanation of the picky man and fry any ingredients they want to as they please. Hiroaki asks Satsuki who she is calling a picky man. Satsuki says that she didn’t say who that man was. Hiroaki says that whatever, that now he has now leeway to deal with her, that today he has to pay attention to the beef, then he continues enjoying the beef and rice combination. Rio meanwhile is helping Flora with her portion. Christina and Liliana do just like Flora. Roana says she is surprised at the sauce’s sweetness and Rio tells her that the sauce has sugar in it. Flora asks if the dipping sauce is different from the soy sauce. Rio tells Flora that the dipping sauce is a mix of soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. Flora, Roana and Celia make their own comments on the sauce.
After the dinner Rio, Masato, Hiroak, Rei and Kota prepared snacks and drinks and held their men’s gathering in one of the mansion’s drawing rooms. Rei says that he feels like on a school trip. Kota says that it certainly feels fresh to gather their current group. Hiroaki asks Rio if he wasn’t Kota’s age. Rio says he is a year younger. Kota says that Rio doesn’t feel like he is younger than them somehow. Rei says he gets that, that they met in the way they did after all, that at that time they were in the position of being protected by him too. Kota says that it has been months already since they met Rio at Celia’s home. Rio tells them that as he already said before he is younger than them and they don’t need to use titles or honorifics with him. Rei tells Rio that he is supposed to be a viscount from Restoration, so he can’t not use the lord Amakawa when talking with a honorary knight at the level of an earl. Hiroaki tells Kota and Rei that it is fine to relax, that no one is watching them and even Masato who became a hero is speaking casually. Rei says that it is like that but… Kota says that changing now is embarrassing. Then the two decide to set on “Haruto-kun” for Rio.
Now Rio asks Rei if he wasn’t just a baronette before. Rei says that a bit of time ago he was made into Hiroaki’s assistant so he was given a new rank. Hiroaki says he told everyone to treat Rei as a hero’s companion and it ended in that. Rei tells Rio that Kota is also Hiroaki’s assistant so there were talks of giving him a title too, but he put it on hold. Kota says that it was because he was planning to become an adventurer one day but he somehow ended up having to help with the production of the light novel that Hiroaki is writing. Rei tells Rio that Kota is very good at drawing. Masato says it was incredible when he told Kota to show him what he could do. Rio says he wants to look too then. Kota says that next time then. Then Rei tells Rio that Kota finally got a girlfriend. Kota protests to Rei with a red face for saying too much. Rio asks with surprise in his eyes if it is like that. Rei tells Rio that it is Michaella, a friend of his fiançe Rosa. Rio says he understands and asks Rei if he should have invited those two too. Rei tells Rio that better not, that the people gathered at his mansion are too high ranked and they feel intimidated by that. Kota tells Rio that those two are certainly daughters of barons but that for them the royals seem to be existences from above the clouds.
Hiroaki tells Kota to find a chance and introduce Michaella to him too, that he met Rosa already but Michaela not yet, so to hurry with that. Rei agrees, he says he wants to hear from Michaella herself how she got the timid Kota to fall. Masato says he wants to meet her too. Rio asks Hiroaki and Rei if not even them know how Kota and Michaella ended up together. Rei says that that is how it is, that he knew it from Rosa. Hiroaki asks Kota if he was who confessed or not in the end. Kota says that enough about him with a red face. Rei says that it won’t go like that, that school trips mean love talk after all. Hiroaki says they won’t let Kota sleep until he talks. Kota asks Hiroaki and Rei if they aren’t having too many sweets despite having said that they wouldn’t eat anymore today. Rei says that there is a different stomach for sweets. Hiroaki agrees, he says the sweets are delicious, that there are a lot of sweets in the other world but that these ones fit the japanese taste perfectly, that he recommends them with milk. Masato says that they are the sweets made by Miharu after all. Rei tells Masato to tell him sooner if the sweets are Miharu’s handmade. Kota tells Rei with a cold gaze that he has a fiançe. Rei tells Kota that those are different things, that Miharu is very cute, that if she was in their highschool she would be the cutest, even cuter than an idol. Kota sighs with exasperation. Hiroaki asks Kota if he isn’t one of those, if he doesn’t want to say that her childhood friend Akane is cuter. Kota says he wouldn’t date anyone else if he was still hung up on Akane, that Miharu is cuter. Hiroaki praises Kota for his words while putting an arm around his shoulders.
Kota tells Hiroaki to please not do that. Hiroaki tells Kota he rates highly how he tied the knot with Michaella, that to begin with he doesn’t want heroines from earth in a isekai. Rei says he is the type that likes a heroine from the same place in isekais. Hiroaki says that he didn’t ask him. Rei says that it is unfair that Rio and Masato can eat Miharu’s food and sweets everyday. Kota tells Rei that it isn’t unfair, that they are in Rio's mansion after all. Masato tells Rei that they can just come again but that Miharu might not be who prepares the food. Rio nods while laughing. Hiroaki asks Rio if Miharu doesn’t like him and Rio just lets out a troubled laugh without answering. Rei asks Hiroaki if he will attack from there. Hiroaki says that they kissed in such a passionate way in front of him after all. Rei asks Rio what happened after that, that he already dropped the honorifics so he doesn’t need to hold back. Rio says it was an accident against the will of the person in question, that he doesn’t think it will become anything else. Rei says that it isn’t like that, that they are conscious of it so there must be something there. Rio says that they feel a little awkward but… Rei asks how the other girls reacted, he says they didn’t feel upset but…Rio says he thinks they were just like usual. Hiroaki asks Masato if that is how it is. Masato says he didn’t feel they were acting differently but that he spent a lot of time at the castle so today he didn’t stay for that long with the girls. Hiroaki tells Rio and Masato that there might be mud throwing while they are absent.
Rio says that that is absolutely impossible while smiling wryly. Masato says he never saw the girls having a fight after all. Rei asks himself in murmurs if the world of yuri animes exists for real. Kota lets out a disgusted “wah” and Hiroaki asks if it isn’t a harem world rather than a yuri one. Rei says that certainly, then he asks Rio if there was any lucky pervert like incident. Rio says that there wasn’t. Rei asks Rio if there wasn’t really anything, something like seeing them naked or changing in the bath, entering the toilet with them inside because they didn’t lock the door, entering a different bed by mistake at night. Rio says that there wasn’t anything like that after a short pause, but Aisia sneaking into his bed often and Lina coming to visit still comes to mind. Hiroaki asks Rio the reason for that pause. Rio says that it was nothing, neither Aisia or Lina entered his room by mistake so it shouldn’t be a lie. Rei asks Rio what it is, he says that there is something after all. Rio says that there is nothing. Hiroaki asks Masato what is the truth. Masato says that sometime Aisia enters Rio’s room at night. Hiroaki says that there was something after all and Rio lets out a troubled laugh.
Rei tells Rio and Masato that they have it good being surrounded everyday by all of those cute girls under the same roof. Rio says he also spends a lot of time with Gouki and Shin while he is at the mansion. Rei asks if it is like that. Rio says that at times spaces with a lot of women feel narrow, specially if he is the only man. Hiroaki asks who Shin is. Masato tells Hiroaki that Shin is a person that came from the Yagumo region with Gouki, that he lived in the same village with Rio and Sayo and that he is Kota’s age. Hiroaki says that there certainly was a guy who seemed close in age to them, then he tells Rio and Masato to bring Shin to the room, that he also wants to listen to some unreserved stories about Rio. Rio says he will bring Shin then, he hesitates, he thinks bringing Shin might reveal a lot of things related to Sayo but that there isn’t any reason to refuse if that widens his circle of friends, so he goes to look for Shin while feeling shy and embarrassed.
While the boys had their men’s reunion the girls were doing the same in the mansion’s dinning room. The twenty of them could have a big reunion surrounding the same table but decided that making four groups would make things easier. Group 1 Celia, Sara, Alma, Cristina and Aria. Group 2 Aisia, Sora, Ouphia, Monica and Komomo. Group 3 Latifa, Sayo, Flora, Roana and Liselotte. Group 4 Satsuki, Miharu, Aki, Charlotte and Liliana. Groups 1 and 2 sit at the same table while groups 3 and 4 sit at the other. Group 1, Cristina says she understands, that Celia was like that at some point too. Aria confirms it, she says that Celia acts like an adult now but in her academy days was a klutz that fell often and was late to lessons after getting too engrossed in reading books. Sara says that Celia is a klutz even now, that she still does things like going to search for something that she actually had in hand. Alma says that the other day in the bath she also mistook the shampoo and the body soap. Celia tells them to stop with a red face. Monica is petting Sora’s head while making her seat in her lap, she says that Sora is cute, that when Celia was her age she had to send her to academy and live apart from her. Sora purses her lips sulkingly while Monica speaks. Komomo says she didn’t expect to see Sora like that. Ouphia says she is jealous, that normally Sora doesn’t let them touch her. Sora tells them to not misunderstand things, that she is only doing this because Rio told her to get along with them. Monica praises Sora for being obedient while putting sweets in her mouth. Asia says that Sora might be happy about having gotten a mother and Sora complaints with a red face.
At the other table Flora tells Sayo she is happy about talking with her again. Sayo greets Sora shyly and says she wasn’t expecting someone like her to be remembered. Flora says that of course she remembers, she asks Sayo if they didn’t talk before about becoming friends. Sayo says that of course she remembers that too, but that as expected, that being in company of a princess is too much of an honor for someone like her, that she doesn’t even know why she is being allowed at the same table. Flora tells Sayo that she asked for it, that she already told her before that it is fine for her to forget that she is princess. Sayo asks Latifa with teary eyes if that is really fine. Latifa says she isn’t sure either, even if Flora says that it is fine she doesn’t know what Roana might think. Flora asks Roana if she has any problem with it. After a short pause Roana says with a troubled face that outside it might cause problems but if it is only inside Rio’s mansion she won’t say anything. Flora tells Sayo that that is how it is, that today they are having a sleepover and a girl’s meeting for deepening their friendship, so they have to get along a lot, that she wanted to talk with Latifa and Liselotte too but in the evening she was at another table. Latifa tells Flora she feels the same way and introduces herself to Roana. Roana also introduces herself to Latifa. Sayo also introduces herself to Roana and Liselotte. Liselotte also greets Sayo back. Latifa says she remembers it now, that it wasn’t just Roana, that Sayo hadn’t talked with Liselotte until now either.
Roana is curious about Latifa calling Sayo onee-chan, she asks her if Sayo is Rio’s sister just like her. Sayo denies it in a hurry and Latifa tells Roana that Sayo is Rio’s friend. Sayo says that it is too much of an honor to be called friend, but that she got acquainted with Rio during his travels. Roana says she understands and asks Sayo if every black haired person in the mansion has that same relationship with Rio. Sayo says that they do, that all of them serve Rio. Roana says she understands but also seemed to still have something in mind. Latifa tells Roana that for Rio everyone are both friends and retainers. Sayo tells Latifa that it isn’t like that, that since they are being allowed to live in a mansion they can make anything rude when guests come. Latifa says that being told that she is also… then she asks Liselotte to please tell her if she does something rude. Liselotte tells Latifa she thinks she is fine as she is. Roana tells Latifa and Liselotte with curiosity that they seem pretty close to each other. Latifa says they get along just like real sisters, that they talked about that today too. Liselotte says they did, that Latifa and her got along since the moment they met. Flora says she is envious sulkingly when she sees Liselotte accepting Latifa’s hug from the side as something natural.
Latifa asks Flora what it is. Flora says that she has Christina but doesn’t have a little sister so she thought she wanted one too, she asks Latifa if she can be called “onee-chan” too. Latifa isn’t sure about that being fine or not and Liselotte asks her why not give it a try since they are having a sleepover together and all. Latifa then gives a shy try at calling Flora “onee-chan”. Flora says that it sounds good to be called like that. Latifa says it again and Flora thanks her for that, then she asks Latifa if she can’t call Roana “onee-chan” too. Roana gets rigid after becoming the topic and asks if she has to do it too. Flora says that she has, that Roana doesn’t have a little sister either. Roana can’t really refuse Flora so she asks Latifa if she can call her like that too. Latifa obeys and says “Roana onee-chan” and Roana groans in pain after the moe attack. Flora asks Roana what she thinks. Roana says that certainly, that this is a good thing. Latifa says that then she wants Flora and Roana to drop the “sama” too because it feels kind of itchy. Flora asks Latifa how she wants to be called now then. Latifa asks Flora if she can’t just use the “chan” like Liselotte does, that she can use the way she thought she would like to refer to her if she had a little sister or just drop the honorifics. Flora says that that is the ultimate question, that Christina never used honorifics with her but using honorifics herself might be… she asks Roana what they should do. Roana doesn’t know what to do either so Flora tries to with “Suzune-chan” first.
Meanwhile Charlotte is telling Miharu, Aki, Satsuki and Liliana that she is curious about something. She asks the girls if Masato and Liliana aren’t both conscious of the other. Satsuki asks Charlotte with a mischievous smile if she will begin from there. Charlotte says that Latifa told her once that girls meeting means love talk, then she asks Aki if she isn’t worried about her little brother’s love life as her big sister. Aki agrees half-heartedly while glancing at Liliana and Miharu does the same. Then Latifa and Flora listen to the new topic and ask to be let in. The girls in the other table also got curious about that and began to surround Liliana, then Latifa says she should bring Masato too and went to look for him despite the attempts to stop her of the Flustered Liliana.
Because Shin had been drinking before joining the men’s gathering the rest of the boys except Masato decided to do the same. Shin is telling them of how Rio left the village even after giving Sayo that hairpin. Rei tells Rio that that is horrible. Hiroaki calls him a sinful man. Shin says that that is how it is, that Sayo still treasures that hairpin even now. Rei says that Sayo has guts, that something like coming after Rio until the Strahl region despite being rejected is… Hiroaki says that now Rio only can take responsibility and marry her. Shin says that that is how it is, that Rio has to take responsibility. Rio asks the three if they hadn’t drunk too much already. Kota says that the three are hitting it off well. Masato says that it is tough to be popular. Rei asks Rio who he likes the most to begin with, he asks how can he not date anyone despite living with so many cute girls and being loved by them. Rio says that even if he is asked who his favorite is he isn’t thinking about that right now. Hiroaki asks Rio if he is even a man, he tells him to show them the guts to marry them all. Shin tells Rio that that’s how it is, he tells Rio to show him how he marries Sayo. Then someone knocks on the door and Latifa enters while asking if Masato is there. Masato asks Latifa what it is and Latifa tells him that she wants to ask him something for a bit. Masato is wary of Latifa’s smile, she is certainly smiling but her presence seems to say that she won’t take “no” for an answer. Masato agrees hesitatingly and Latifa takes him with her to the dining room.
Latifa enters the dinning room while pulling Masato’s hand, he feels as if he had just wandered by mistake into an only girls school when looked at by everyone at the same time. Masato asks everyone what it is and Latifa tells him to take a seat while pulling him towards a chair in front of Liliana. Masato thinks to himself that his current sensations must be that “having a bad feeling” thing. Masato tells the girls that on their side things were getting interesting too, that they brought Shin and were talking about Rio’s love life, he says he will go bring the others too. Masato tries to stand up while apologizing to Rio in his mind, he thinks he succeeded at baiting them when he sees the girls’ faces changing but Latifa soon sits Masato down in the chair again while putting her hands on his shoulders and telling him that later they will calmly talk about that too, she asks him if she didn’t tell him already that she wanted to ask him something. Masato asks what it is while realizing instantly that he couldn’t escape. Did he learn of a harem’s scariness or not?
After bombarding Masato with questions the girls brought in the other members of the men’s gathering and began to ask in detail about what they were talking about. Some people got red faced and Sayo got mad at Shin. The reunion kept heating up but the time to go to sleep finally came, while some people were already leaving Liselotte calls out to Miharu and Aki and tells them that she wants to ask them a little favor. Miharu asks what it is. Liselotte tells them that she was making new products for the Rikka firm and she thought she could ask for their cooperation. Miharu asks Liselotte if she needs both her and Aki, she has already sold dessert recipes to the Rikka firm before but she doesn’t know what Liselotte might want from Aki. Liselotte says she does, that this time she isn’t making sweets but fashion related things, so she wanted the opinions of the two japanese girls. Miharu says she will cooperate gladly if she can be of help but… Aki asks Liselotte if she won’t invite Satsuki too. Liselotte tells them she is thinking on bringing them to her store because she wants to show them a big quantity of things, so it might be hard to take Saysuki out of the castle because of her position. Miharu says she understands. Liselotte tells the two that she wants to ask for their cooperation if it isn't a problem and that of course she will pay for it. Miharu says she doesn’t mind if it is something like that but that she isn’t confident she will be useful. Aki says she doesn’t mind either but that she feels just like Miharu. Liselotte thanks them and says that they are really helpful, that she will do it on a close day after consulting with Charlotte. After that the meeting ended.
Chapter 5: Parent-child conflict.[]
Just after Christina’s group left for Rio’s mansion, Huguenot is having a meeting at his office with Elise. Huguenot apologizes to Elise for the sudden summons and she tells Hugenot to not mind it. Huguenot sees Elise getting nervous from not understanding the reason for the summons and tells her to not be like that, that he only wants to ask her something in secret and that he needs her to promise she won’t tell anyone about their current conversation, he asks Elise if she is fine with that. Elisa says she understands. Huguenot says that fine then, that he will go right to the point and asks Elise if she remembers the outdoor drill from almost five years ago, when she was still at the academy. Elise says she does. Huguenot doesn’t miss the guilt in Elise’s eyes when she answers. Huguenot asks Elise if she remembers the incident that happened back then too. Elise asks Hugenot if he means the monster attack. Hugenot says he doesn’t mean that. Elise asks Hugenot if he means when Flora was just about to fall off a cliff. Huguenot asks Elise if she witnessed the moment Flora was just about to fall off the cliff. Elise says she did. Huguenot says Flora almost fell off the cliff after bumping with his stupid son Steaward, but that before that there was another student who pushed away his stupid son and was made responsible for everything, he asks Elise if he has it right.
It is obvious that Elise is getting more and more nervous. Elise says with a rigid face and trembling voice that she didn’t witness the moment when Steaward was pushed away. Huguenot asks Elise if it is his imagination that she doesn’t sound like someone saying the truth. Elise says nervously that it isn’t like that. Huguenot asks her if she really didn’t see who pushed his stupid son. Elise asks Hugenot why he is asking about that now and Hugenot says that he is asking because he wants to know the truth, he tells Elise that as he said before their talk will be just between the two of them, that he has no intention of blaming her even if she declares something different from what she said in the past, he asks Elise if she can’t tell him things as she remembers them. Elise says that it is certain that Steaward bumped into Flora and that she almost fell off a cliff because of that. Huguenot asks Elise if that means that something aside from that is different. Elise says that the different part is who pushed Steaward away, that Steaward accused a black haired student of common origins of pushing him but that who actually did it were other male students. Huguenot frowns strongly and tells Elise to be more detailed.
Elise says that back then there was a monster attack and everyone panicked because of that, Steaward got wounded and tried to cling to the other male students to ask for help, they pushed him away because he was being a hindrance and then he bumped into Flora. Huguenot asks Elise if she means that the student of common origin responsibilized of everything didn’t push Steaward. Elise says she does, that he just tried to save Flora and fell off the cliff instead of her. Huguenot asks Elise why that student was blamed for everything. Elise says that it was because Steaward said that it was him who pushed him away. Huguenot covers his eyes in silence while his hands tremble but he can’t hide the anger twisting his mouth. Elise tells Hugenot that the students who pushed Steaward also agreed with his affirmation and she couldn’t say anything either because of Steaward’s higher position. Huguenot tells Elise after a small pause that she didn’t do anything wrong, that it was his stupid son who caused her a big problem. Hugenot takes a deep breath to calm himself and tells Elise again that she wants her to keep their conversation a secret and to forget about it the moment she leaves his office. Elise nods and Hugenot tells her that fine then, that she can leave. Elise excuses herself and leaves.
Now alone and after a moment of silence Hugenot hits his desk furiously with his fist. That damn idiot he says. There was a fatal trap waiting for him at an outrageous place. Huguenot asks himself with gritted teeth how much mud does Steaward need to throw at the family name before being satisfied? Rio and the honorary knight Haruto Amakawa, until yesterday they were completely unrelated but now the chances of them being the same person are high, It isn’t like it is already certain that they are the same person but… yesterday Haruto was called “Rio”, Celia that was close to Haruto since the past was also Rio’s teacher, Christina who is strangely reserved around Haruto was Rio’s classmate… a single piece of information connects dot after dot and piling too much circumstantial evidence for everything to be a coincidence. Huguenot says that if the two are the same person Celia should definitely have acted alongside Rio while knowing the truth. What will she do? What will she do if the past comes to light? His greatest problem is that he was really involved on pinning the crime on Rio behind the scenes, Steaward started it but he did a lot of things to clean up the mess.
At that time he couldn’t afford to get involved in any scandal because of the recovery of the Arbor faction, so he took Steaward’s words at face value and blamed everything on Rio who disappeared from the scene without trying to find the truth, the former orphan was just such good of a scapegoat, there wasn’t any reason to doubt. It was the best move at that time but… the current Rio is an honorary knight from the Galarc kingdom, he is trusted by François and is a friend of the hero Satsuki. Someone that must never be turned into an enemy. Looking at it now he did the worst possible thing, something like the person they discarded as a scapegoat becoming the existence he needs the most is… if he hadn’t underestimated or discriminated Rio as a former orphan, if he had been courteous, he could have obtained his cooperation, now his life as a noble can come to an end if everything is revealed. It is the worst that he even sent an assassin to seal his mouth, he will be completely left without any way out. The assassin never came back. Was that girl killed by Rio’s counterattack or did she die anywhere else? Regardless of that it is certain that the assassination failed, because of the slave collar Latifa shouldn’t have been able to tell anything inconvenient but… Huguenot can’t imagine that Rio was able to imitate with his spirit arts the spell to take off the collar.
Huguenot thinks if Latifa couldn’t have talked then he needs to worry about the information leaking through other routes, about Christina’s group visiting Rio’s mansion right now. Before knowing the truth he should have thought it is a positive event that would help Restoration deepen its friendship with Rio but now there isn’t a way it can be like that. Christina, Flora and Roana were at the outdoor drill too. Christina and Roana were also Rio’s classmates. Rio and Flora could have met at more times than only the outdoor drill. “Rio-sama”, when Sora said that the three of them were standing just next to Rio so it wouldn’t be strange if they listened to Sora too, rather than that, if he realized Rio’s identity it wouldn’t be strange if they did too. Are they trying to pretend they don’t know despite having noticed? It is possible that they are visiting Rio’s mansion right now for the sake of talking about that too or that they already realized long ago. Huguenot thinks he should have broached the topic about Rio himself when he met Christina in the morning, he made Steaward be there precisely because he wanted to talk about Rio but in the end he got cold feet.
Rio’s power is necessary for Restoration, indispensable even. The chances shouldn’t be zero, even taking Celia into account Rio shouldn’t have helped them in the past without a reason. He wondered if Rio got close to them for the sake of taking revenge but he didn’t do it despite having had several chances for it and kept keeping his past a secret, so Rio shouldn’t have any intention of taking revenge or bringing the past to the fore. Isn’t it better then to not do anything like poking a dragon’s nest? Isn't it better to play dumb if they want him to cooperate with Restoration? Is it better to apologize honestly when taking into account Rio’s personality? He needs to make a decision before his next meeting with Christina. Then Hugenot continued to think about a lot of things while holding his head in his hands for the whole night.
At the same time, Steaward sits alone in his room while tapping the floor with his foot in irritation, he gets up and makes laps around the room and begins to scream curses. Why!? Why!? Why now of all times that guy…!? Is he really that man to begin with? Is Haruto really Rio? Steaward doesn’t want to accept they are the same person, he wants to think they are different people but the evidence before him forces him to accept it. He didn’t understand why Celia was so close to him but… if Rio and Haruto are the same person it makes sense. But shouldn’t Rio be unable to prove he was lying when he was at the academy? Rio shouldn’t have a way to prove his innocence now unless he himself changes his declaration. That’s it, he should be changing his name and pretending to be another person because he knows that he has no way to prove his innocence. Steaward makes a relaxed smile while thinking he still has the advantage. But why is Rio’s hair color different? Are they different people after all or is that the effect of the magic tool that affects people’s perception of him too? Whatever, it is fine if he only insists on having been pushed by Rio, even if Rio says that he is innocent and that Steaward was lying… Rather than that, that commoner. What kind of nerves he has to suddenly appear before them and invite Christina’s group to his mansion.
No, that commoner was that kind of man, he always had a strong wish of acknowledgement, he never was able to control his wish of standing out, because he was never acknowledged as a person because of his humble birth he wants to be treated specially, a mass of complexes, he is a greedy man, really. Isn’t he changing his name to hide that he was raised in the slums too? It seems he wasn’t able to shake his longing for the noble world after tasting how it was the world above the clouds at the academy, that’s why despite his past he wasn’t able to resist the desire of making a name for himself in the Galarc kingdom. Steaward thinks mockingly there is no mistaking it but… he really is a shallow and stupid man, he doesn’t understands the world’s, the narrowness of the noble society, he must have thought he wouldn’t meet Beltram’s nobles if he left the kingdom but he casually met with them. But was it really a coincidence? Did he approach them with something in mind? Does intend to take revenge on them for the outdoor drill. That’s it, Alphonse went missing just after he appeared, he even made them make dogeza for what happened at Rikka firm’s restaurant. Wasn’t he always waiting for a chance to take revenge? It should have been the perfect chance to attack the Hugenot faction that fell from power because of the kingdom’s internal conflicts.
Was he really made to make dogeza before such a despicable commoner? It should have been very funny to be able to look down at him. Wouldn’t he have been able to manipulate the drunk Alphonse into causing trouble with that magic tool of his? There is no mistaking it, he is trying to take revenge on them, there is no doubt that Alphonse went missing because of him, no, he was killed. Steaward thinks Hugenot must know this too, that there isn’t a way for him to ask about Rio otherwise. But is he really trying to get the cooperation of that guy? He might be even aiming at Christina’s group and himself… It can’t be, even if they can get his cooperation he shouldn’t be trusted, there is no telling what kind of lowly demands he can make in exchange. Is it possible that Rio will ask for revenge on him? Would his father abandon him? Doesn’t he need evidence of Rio resenting them, of Rio having done something to Alphonse… if he doesn’t cut Rio down he will be cut down instead. He should be able to do something about Rio saying he was innocent at the outdoor drill if he can get evidence of him having killed Alphonse. But can he find after so long any evidence of Rio having killed Alphonse? Shit, impossible, there isn’t a way for him to find anything, he wouldn’t be allowed to go to Amande either. What does he have to do? Isn’t there anything? Something that can become his weakness…
The next morning, at the edge of the path to the guest house, Steaward meets Gregory while pretending to do his patrols. He wanted more time to think, to skip the reunion but he can’t ignore it if Gregory is going to make his own investigation and his secret comes to light from a place he doesn’t know about. He wondered if he should talk with his father but he can’t know if he will protect him from Rio. He curses while asking what he has to go through all of this. Gregory tells Steaward that he is quite pale. He pretends to be worried but inside he is happy about the chance of getting something more interesting than he thought. Steaward says he didn’t sleep much. Gregory asks Steaward if he wants to talk about that too. Steaward asks Gregory if he will be convinced if he tells him that it is nothing. Gregory says that it is obvious he won’t. Steaward says it is an unconfirmed story, he tells Gregory to think it will be dangerous to make an scandal without evidence and asks him if he still wants to listen. Gregory says that now he wants to know even more. Steaward says that he doesn’t want to say that they were acquainted, but that in the past there was a man who disappeared after committing a crime. Gregory lets out an interested voice. Steaward says that that man was called Rio, so listening to Gregory saying that name yesterday made him nervous. Gregory asks Steaward if he shouldn’t have realized who that man is if they were acquainted. Steaward says he should, but that it has been almost five years since Rio disappeared, that the changes from growing aside Rio also had a different hair color, so he can’t affirm Rio and Haruto are the same person. Gregory says that growing certainly changes people but…
Steaward says that even like that he thinks it is highly likely that Rio and Haruto are the same person. Gregory asks what it is. Steaward says he has no evidence of it but Rio is lying about his identity. Gregory says that if it is like that he should be judged… While Gregory is just about to decide to treat Steaward’s words as simple rumors Steaward says that that guy should be taken to justice, but there isn’t any evidence and he also established his status as a noble, so they will be the ones getting punished if they damage his reputation without any evidence. Gregory says that if Rio has any shady past then his kingdom can’t ignore it but… he asks Steaward why he thinks Rio and Haruto are the same person without any evidence. Steaward says that it is because there is a person who used to be close to Rio in Haruto’s circle, that that isn’t something that can be called a coincidence in the current situation. Gregory lets out and interested voice, but inside he thinks differently, he thinks if what Steaward is saying is true he can uncover Rio’s past but that it is weak, it isn’t enough to condemn him. He might be able to shake Rio up but if he does things poorly he might be punished himself, If he is going to do something it might be good to make use of Steaward instead. Gregory asks Steaward if he plans to denounce Rio. Steaward says that it depends on the materials, that as they are now it would be a losing battle for them. Gregory asks Steaward what he will do then. Steaward says he can only look for materials to drag Rio down, but that if they were easy to find he wouldn’t have it so hard. Gregory says that if it is like that he wants to listen to more details about Rio, that he might be able to help. Steaward asks Gregory if he is fine with that. Gregory asks Steaward if he didn’t tell him already that his kingdom can’t ignore it if Rio has some shady past. Steaward says he understands. Gregory says that it depends on what past Rio is hiding though, he asks Steaward what is Rio’s crime. Steaward says he doesn’t mind teaching Gregory that but that he has conditions.
Gregory tells Steaward that fine and to try and say it while thinking things are getting interesting. Steaward says that to begin with he wants to be left in charge of denouncing Rio, that that’s why he doesn’t want Gregory to pry into Rio’s past without his permission, he mustn't talk about Rio’s past until the moment of denouncing him either, that if he does that he will share the information. Gregory asks if that is everything. Steaward says he wants Gregory to cooperate with him to take Rio down if he agrees to the past he is about to reveal is a lowly thing, that that’s all. Gregory says he understands, that he has no problem then, he tells Steaward to go to another place and write down the conditions. Gregory accepts easily, if Steaward wants the worst part himself he has no reason to refuse. Steaward asks Gregory if he is fine with making a contract despite that leaving behind evidence against him. Gregory says that of course he is fine, he asks Steaward if he isn’t anxious with just a verbal promise. Steaward thanks Gregory for that. Steaward is relieved after Gregory suggested the contract, he even came to trust him now, but Gregory is just thinking about how convenient it is that a contract can limit what he is responsibilized of afterwards instead of how a verbal promise doesn’t put a limit to what he can be accused of. If the case against Rio succeeds he has evidence of having helped, but if it fails he can prepare to push all of the responsibility in Steaward.
Just after, at one of the castle’s drawing rooms, Gregory and Steaward wrote a contract with Steaward’s conditions and signed it. Gregory asks Steawad if everything is fine now. Steaward says that there is no problem. Gregory tells Steaward to teach him Rio’s past then. Steaward says he understands and begins to teach a version of Rio’s past that fits his interests, with embellished parts and hiding that he lied to put the blame on Rio. A brief recollection of how Rio who used to be an orphan from the slums pushed him against Flora during the outdoor drill and almost made her fall from it, it was decided to make Rio responsible for everything but he disappeared. So now it is possible that Rio resents them, might have approached them at Amande to take revenge on them, possibly killed Alphonse, etc… Gregory laughs happily and says that if everything is true he can’t overlook something like an honorary knight from his kingdom actually being a runaway that almost killed a princess.
Gregory keeps laughing while imagining how interesting it would be if this comes to light and Steaward asks him what he will do now that he knows Rio’s past. Gregory says that of course he will cooperate with him and Steaward thanks him for that. Gregory tells Steaward that it is soon to thank him, that it is exactly as he said, that they lack evidence to prove that Rio and Haruto are the same person, that as they are even if they make a scandal they will only damage his reputation and at worst they will end accused of defamation themselves, that if they want Rio’s punishment and fall they need convincing evidence. Steaward agrees with a bitter face. For him damaging Rio’s reputation isn’t enough, it won’t do if he doesn’t lose all of his credibility and is expelled from the castle, he needs to make it so the risk of Rio talking about the framing becomes meaningless or he won’t be able to sleep well again. Steaward says that it would be fine if they could prove that Rio killed Alphonse but… Gregory says that that is impossible, that even if Rio hates them Alphonse’s corpse never was found. Steaward says that it is like that but… Gregory tells Steaward that Rio himself is the living evidence, that if they can prove his real identity his crimes will come to light too. Steaward stays silent while making a bitter face, he thinks with just that he won’t be able to get rid of Rio. If Rio says he was framed his lies could become a point of discord. He needs materials for making it so Rio hasn’t any credibility left for when things arrive at that point.
Gregory asks Steaward if he is worried about something. Steaward says that the current Rio built up his status and is very trusted by his surroundings, so he was wondering how much of a punishment he will receive if his past comes to light, that since Flora who has a naive side is close to him she might cover for Rio. Gregory says he understands but that the sin of almost killing royalty is heavy, that even if Restoration tries to cover for Rio it is impossible for the Galarc kingdom to not punish Rio in anyway if that comes to light, that he won’t allow it, that it is an scandal that might even disqualify Rio as an honorary knight. Despite those words Gregory thinks inside his head that if he causes Rio’s fall it might be interesting to put him in his debt later by helping him make a comeback. Steaward doesn’t know that Gregory doesn’t want to end Rio completely as a noble, that he even thinks it is obvious for Rio to be judged highly by his achievements because he acknowledges them, his only problem is that he doesn’t like how Rio is the only one earning merits and rising in status, so that’s why he keeps searching for ways to pull his leg. Steaward meanwhile tells Gregory that he is reliable and that thank goodness he consulted with him without realizing that he is just being used and that they don’t have the same goal.
Gregory tells Steaward that he is happy he thinks like that and asks Steaward if it is fine for him to not consult with his father too, he needs to make sure that no one will interfere with his plans. Steawards tells Gregory that the incident with Flora angered a lot his father even despite him being pushed against her and because of that he needed to move behind the scenes in a lot of ways. Gregory thinks in his mind that he understands now, that it seems they needed to take some forceful measures and that that must have angered Hugenot, that if everything goes well he will be able to put him in his debt too. Gregory then asks Steaward with a smile if his father won’t look at him differently if he uncovers Rio. Steaward says that it would be good if it is like that but… Gregory says that despite everything Rio must be quite the thick skinned man, that to think the accident’s culprit will change his appearance to appear again before his victims is… Steaward says that Rio as man is like a mass of conceit and wish for acknowledgement, that he was a commoner from the lowly slums after all, so maybe he couldn’t shake off his longing for the noble society. Gregory says he understand while only half believing what Stead says, his image of Rio is too different from the actual man after all, he thinks it will interesting if Rio turns out to be actually like that but that’s it. Gregory asks Steaward if it is possible that Flora realized Rio’s identity. Steaward says that Flora shouldn’t have noticed yet, that in the past they barely interacted with each other, that even he himself didn’t realize until now, that even if they were at the same academy they were in different worlds. Gregory can only accept Steawards words as they are because he doesn’t know how much Rio changed since the past, but he thinks it is dangerous to discard entirely the possibility of Flora already knowing. Gregory asks Steaward who else from Restoration knows the past Rio.
Steaward says that Christina, Roana and one other female senpai. Gregory says that if other people aside from him knew the past Rio, he thought Steaward would certainly ask for their cooperation and testimonies. Steaward says that Christina is indebted to the current Rio, Flora is the same and Roana will follow what the other two say, so instead of cooperating they might be stopped before they can expose Rio’s sins. Gregory says that he understands, that if they are going to ask for help it is safer to search for people that will keep silent. Gregory also asks Steaward who is the person who was both close to Rio and Haruto. Steaward says that it is Celia. Gregory says that she certainly lives at Rio’s mansion. Steaward says that Celia should be the only one that acts alongside Rio while knowing his real identity. Gregory agrees. Steaward then tells him that Rio took advantage of his condition as a student to take advantage of the kind Celia, that she is being deceived while not knowing of Rio’s true nature. Gregory says that if Celia is staying silent about Rio’s secret she is guilty of covering for the culprit, a crime that should be punished. Steaward asks Gregory if he intends to threaten Celia. Gregory says that Celia is a candidate witness, that if the threat works it will be easy to get her testimony. Steaward says the other female senpai present at the moment is easier to make to stay silent than Christina and Roana, and that Celia who also lives with Rio at the moment. Gregory says that if it is like that it is fine to make that girl a candidate too, that letting aside if they ask for their cooperation it is better to have more options, then he asks Steawards if he knows of someone else that might know the past Rio.
Steaward says that Rio was isolated inside the academy, that he should have almost no acquaintances outside either. Gregory says that then it might be fine if they make someone else close to Rio into a candidate. Steaward asks Gregory what he means. Gregory asks Steawards if Rio doesn’t have a little sister, if it isn’t natural to think a relative will know Rio’s past. Steaward tells Gregory that the Rio he knows shouldn’t have had a little sister. Gregory asks Steaward if he is going to tell him this late in the game that Rio and Haruto are different people and everything is his misunderstanding. Steaward says that that should be impossible, that there are too many piled up coincidences. Gregory thinks Steaward is the man he should trust the least when seeing how he is just trying to prove that pile of coincidences is real. He wonders if Steaward understands that they might need to use dirty or forceful measures too, that taking Rio down using only that accumulation of coincidences won’t be easy. Gregory changes his way of thinking, who will be doing things will be Steaward anyway, so he will just push his back and see what happens, then he says that whatever, that if they are going to take Rio down they will need to go on the offensive sooner or later. Steaward agrees. Gregory tells Steaward that it might be good to show himself in front of Rio at least once. Steaward asks why. Gregory asks Steaward if he doesn’t want to check Rio’s face too, that if he looks at him while thinking he might be the person from his past he will see things he didn’t see before. Steaward says that certainly.
Gregory tells Steaward that the problem is where to meet with Rio, that Charlotte manages the outside relationships of that mansion, that he doesn’t think they will given an appointment easily even if they ask for it. Steaward asks what they will do then. Gregory says that they can only wait until Rio leaves his mansion to contact him, that they will have to keep watch over the mansion but that he can do that. Steaward thanks Gregory for that. Gregory asks Steaward if he has to do any job for Restoration, he says it would be troublesome if he couldn’t move whenever Rio comes out of the mansion. Steaward says that currently he is a knight belonging to Restoration and is cooperating with the castle’s safety, that right now he is in charge of the area around the guest houses. Gregory says that then he will have Steaward be in charge of somewhere close to Rio’s mansion, that he will talk with the person in charge to allow him to move freely and that way he will have an excuse for his father. Steaward thanks Gregory for that and says he has a request if it will be like that. Gregory asks what it is. Steaward says he thinks he will stand out with Restoration’s uniform and asks Gregory if he can get a uniform from the Galarc kingdom. Gregory agrees while laughing at how inferior to others Steaward feels with his current uniform and Steaward thanks him for that too without realizing he is being laughed at.
Chapter 6: Big brother and little sister.[]
At the same time, at the gates of Rio’s mansion. Cristina’s group is just about to leave. Flora hugs Latifa and says sadly that it is a pity that she has to separate from her already. Christina tells Flora that it is bad to be selfish while putting her arm around her back. Latifa tells Rio to hold another sleepover that night too while hugging Flora back. Rio tells Latifa while smiling wryly that everyone has other plans too, then he also tells Christina that it is fine for them to come at times convenient for them. Flora says she doesn’t mind coming again that same night and Christina scolds her for not holding back more. Latifa says she wants Flora to come back again because it seems like they will get shy around each other again if time passes, that she wants to keep calling her Flora onee-chan. Flora tells Latifa that it is fine, to call her like that as many times as she wants to. Hiroaki says that the food at Rio’s mansion is the best, so if he is told it is fine to come he will do. Rei agrees with Hiroaki and Roana tells him to hold back too. Latifa asks Roana if she won’t come again too and then she and Flora attack her together with their puppy eyes. Roana says embarrassedly that she will come again if it isn’t a problem. Latifa celebrates happily and tells Roana to talk about a lot of things that night too. Flora also agrees. Then Christina’s group left after promising to come again.
Just after that Rio was called by Latifa and Liselotte to one of the mansion's drawing rooms alongside Aki and Miharu. Liselotte and Latifa then explain to Rio that she wants to bring Aki and Miharu to her store so she can have their opinions on the new clothes the Rikka firm is making. Rio says he understands while looking at Aki, he instantly guesses that she didn’t knew Rio was going to be there too from how awkward she got all of a sudden. Latifa tells Rio she wants him to come too. Rio says he is fine and asks if the five of them will be the only ones going. Latifa nods and Rio asks Liselotte if she is fine with that. Liselotte says that of course, that she was who asked them for a favor to begin with, that she also got Charlotte’s permission so she is thinking of going immediately after their talk. Rio says he understands while glancing in Aki’s direction again, Latifa grinning widely in front of him is also enough guessing material, he soon begins to think “could it be..?”. Rio says he understands, that he will go, but that before that he wants to have a talk for a bit. Latifa asks curiously what it is. Rio says he wants to talk with Aki at length about something. Aki trembles in surprise and asks Rio what he wants to talk about with her with a rigid expression. Rio says that it is about him having Haruto’s memories, that they weren’t able to talk much about that during the evening party after all.
Liselotte says that if it is like that it might be better if she leaves the room. Rio stops Liselotte while she is standing up and tells her he wants all of them to listen to what he has to say because the four of them were the ones who knew Haruto directly, he asks Liselotte if she can make him that favor. Liselotte agrees and Rio asks Aki if she is fine with it. Aki says she doesn’t mind while looking away from Rio and squeezing Miharu's hand. Rio tells Aki that as she knows he has Haruto’s memories, but that as he said during the evening party he considers himself a different person. Rio asks Aki what she thinks while seeing her pursing her lips annoyedly. Aki asks Rio what he wants her opinion for, she asks Rio if he hasn’t just said already that he isn’t Haruto he himself, she asks Rio if telling him her opinion will make any difference to such a person. The thorns in Aki’s words give Rio pause but he still tells her again that he can’t think about he himself as Haruto, that he can’t lie about that feeling but he still thought it was wrong to run away from Haruto’s memories, that he wants to face the way of life and the life that Haruto left behind. Aki says that even if he tells her that… Miharu tells Aki that there isn’t a way for her to not feel anything. Aki calls out to Miharu curiously, then Miharu tells her that she knows she has complicated feelings about Haruto because she was always by her side, she asks Aki if she can just tell Rio those feelings.
Aki tells Miharu that Rio doesn’t see her as her little sister, that he says he isn’t Haruto and asks what use it will be to throw those feelings at such a person, she tells Rio to tell her that first. Rio says that maybe it is his self satisfaction, that he is just doing what he wants, that he doesn’t want to run away from her only for his own sake, that he doesn’t want to look away from her, that if possible he wants to get along with her and keep going forward together. Aki doesn’t know what to make of the getting along part and Rio asks her if it is impossible but Aki runs away from the question by staying silent. Miharu tells Aki that Rio said that he wants to get along with her to get her out of her silence and Aki asks Miharu what she thinks, if she is fine with that, if she doesn’t like Haruto even now, she asks Miharu if she is fine with the person who carries his memories saying that he is a different person, she asks Miharu if she likes someone aside of Haruto. Miharu says she is fine with Rio’s words and Aki gets confused, Rio himself is surprised too. Miharu tells Aki that at the evening party she told Rio that she couldn’t think Haruto and him were different people, that she told him she wanted to be with the him that was both Rio and Haruto at the same time. Aki asks Miharu why she is fine with Rio saying that he isn’t Haruto despite that. Miharu says that maybe it is because she feels like she understands now why Rio feels that he isn’t Haruto, that she herself thinks she is a different person after being told that a person called Lina is her previous life. Miharu says while feeling bitter that she can’t ask of Rio what she can’t do herself.
Rio’s eyes are like saucers now, it was none other than Miharu who told him that it is fine to not become Haruto, he felt a weight falling off his shoulders. Miharu then asks Aki what she thinks of the fact Rio has Haruto’s memories, she tells Aki she wants to know that too, so she wants her to tell that to Rio too. Aki says she hates Haruto while looking away from Miharu and Miharu asks why. Aki says that it was because she saw from close up how her mother suffered alone after the divorce, that she doesn’t know the cause of the divorce, that she understands it is unfair resentment, but at the key moment when she wanted Haruto by her side he wasn’t there. Miharu tells Aki that she must have felt lonely. Aki says that it isn’t like that, but that even now when she thinks about it she feels sick, that as expected she hates Haruto but doesn’t think she hates Rio because of that, rather she is thankful to him and also sorry because she caused him a lot of troubles during the evening party. Aki says that it is as Rio says, that she also thinks Rio and Haruto aren’t the same person but… Miharu asks Aki what else. Aki says that for some reason when Rio himself is the one saying that he isn’t Haruto she feels angry.
Rio was just about to tell something while making a serious face but Latifa gets ahead of him, she asks Aki why is that. Aki lets out a surprised voice and Latifa asks her why she gets angry at Rio, she asks her what she wants Rio to do. Aki says she doesn’t understand that herself. Latifa asks Aki if she wants Rio to act as if he was Haruto. Aki says that it isn’t like that, she asks Latifa if she didn’t tell her already that she thinks they aren’t the same people and that she hated Haruto. Latifa asks Aki if she wants Rio to see her as her little sister even if he isn’t Haruto. Aki lets out a surprised voice and asks Latifa why she would want that. Latifa says that if she takes Aki’s words as they are it would be like that. Aki says that it is different and that it isn’t like that and… Latifa asks what else. Aki says she probably isn’t made to be a little sister, that the two people who became her big brother left her behind after all, she asks herself with a sad murmur if it is because she is troublesome and dishonest. Miharu tells Aki that it isn’t like that, she tells Aki that she is her important, cute and proud little sister even if they aren’t connected by blood. Aki thanks Miharu for that and Latifa asks Rio what he thinks, how he feels about Aki and in which way he wants to get along with her. Rio doesn’t know how to answer and decides to take a moment to think while the others look at him in silence.
Rio says Aki is a very important existence for him, that his wish is being able to live everyday laughing happily with everyone and wants Aki to be there too, so he wants to be alongside her and go hand in hand through the happy and the painful times. Latifa is happy about Rio’s answer and asks Aki what she thinks of it. Aki doesn’t know what to answer. Latifa tells Aki that Rio has just said he won’t be happy if she isn’t with him too and that that is his wish. Aki tells Latifa she understands that even if she doesn’t tell her anything. Latifa asks Aki if she dislikes being with Rio. Aki says she doesn’t dislike it, that she was happy about being included in Rio’s “everyone” but that she is still anxious about someone like her being accepted being fine or not. Latifa tells Aki that it is fine, that of course that it is fine, that Rio is saying he will help her carry and overcome those anxieties even if she has doubts or feels weak, then she asks Rio if it isn’t like that. Rio says that it is, that that’s why it is fine for Aki to hate Haruto and even to throw those feelings at him without holding back. Aki asks why. Rio says that it might be a little too convenient for him to say that he isn’t Haruto and leave it at that, that he still thinks it is unfair for him to look away if there is someone suffering because of Haruto next to him, that Haruto’s memories and feelings are certainly inside him, and he wants to properly face Aki as the heir of those memories and feelings. Aki asks Rio if it really isn’t a problem to be pointed at unfair emotions by someone like her. Rio says that it isn’t troublesome.
Aki asks Rio why. Rio asks Aki if he didn’t tell her already that Haruto’s memories and feelings are certainly inside him, so he doesn’t think she is a stranger and doesn’t want to either, that she might dislike it if he tells her that he sees her as a little sister but she is as important as one for him. Aki begins to tremble. Then Rio tells her that that’s why she wants her to tell him without reservations if she feels lost or weak, that he wants her to let him doubt alongside her, that that’s how he feels but… Aki begins to cry. Latifa asks Aki what happened and if she is fine. Aki says she is fine, that for some reason her tears came out… and apologizes for worrying them. Miharu tells Aki that it is fine to cry while hugging her. Rio asks while scratching his cheek awkwardly if he said something strange. Liselotte says she doesn’t think that's the reason. Latifa agrees with Liselotte and tells Rio that she is proud as his little sister, that Rio is her proud big brother.
After some minutes to calm herself down Aki apologizes for crying all of a sudden. Rio tells Aki she has no need to apologize at all, that he is who is sorry if he made cry by saying something disagreeable. Aki tells Rio that it isn’t like she cried because she disliked what he said. Latifa tells Rio that Aki surely… Aki screams at Latifa to please not say anything strange and Miharu and Liselotte laugh at them. Latifa tells Aki that there is something to which she wants her to answer properly. Aki asks Latifa what it is while being curious of how she began to pout. Latifa asks Aki if she wants Rio to see her as a little sister and if she wants Rio to become her big brother. Aki asks Latifa if she will ask that again with a red face. Latifa says she will, that if Aki becomes Rio’s sister they will be sisters too, and she will be incredibly happy if it is like that. Aki is surprised and Latifa says that that would be how it would turn out even if they aren’t blood related. Aki says she understands while blinking surprisedly and realizing she never thought about that. Latifa says that that’s why she wants to know Aki’s feelings, she asks her what she thinks of Rio. Aki murmurs embarrassedly without really answering and Latifa asks Rio what he thinks about it, she asks him how he wants Aki to think of him as the person who has Haruto’s memories, she says she wants to know Rio’s feelings too. Rio says it depends on Aki’s feelings so he can avoid an actual answer out of his own embarrassment. Latifa tells Rio she thinks that if he tells Aki to be his little sister she would do it honestly. Aki screams at Latifa to stop and tells her that she is being honest already. Latifa asks Aki how he called Haruto when she was small and Aki says that she called him onii-chan. Latifa asks Aki if she can look at Rio and call him onii-chan. Aki says that it is impossible, that there isn’t a way for her to do it. Latifa asks Aki what about nii-san. Aki asks Latifa what she had been talking about since before. Latifa says she is talking about how Aki will call Rio from now on. Aki screams at Latifa with a red face that it isn’t like she wants Rio to become her big brother.
After that Rio’s group left the castle and went to the store of the Rikka firm by carriage. With the president herself bringing guests of course they were given VIP treatment, but today they didn’t go shopping, so they went first to Liselotte’s office. Latifa, Miharu and Aki stand before a big table with a lot of clothes on it and the three comment on what change they would do to some of the pieces lined up there. Rio and Liselotte sit a little away from the three while looking at them, then Rio thanks Liselotte for his help. Liselotte asks what the thanks are for while tilting her head curiously. Rio asks Liselotte if she wasn’t asked by Latifa to make a chance for him to talk with Aki. Liselotte admits it and tells Rio that he doesn’t need to thank her, that it was the truth that she wanted their opinions on the products she was developing. Rio tells Liselotte that thanks to her he was able to talk calmly with Aki. Liselotte says that it isn’t like that, she asks Rio if it wasn’t he himself who decided to talk with Aki before she could do anything, she tells him that she didn’t do anything. Rio tells Liselotte that it wasn’t like that, that he was able to gather his courage because everything was prepared for him, that otherwise it would have taken him longer. Liselotte tells Rio that he was big brother-like and cool. Rio laughs awkwardly and says that he wanted to buy her a thank you gift but that because they are at her store she can get anything she wants anyway. Liselotte tells Rio to please buy something for Latifa rather than for her, that she was worried about Aki and him. Rio can’t help it but wanting to thank Liselotte evenmore now while seeing her looking so dearly at Latifa but still says that he understands.
Meanwhile at Galarc’s castle, Steaward has just come in a hurry to Gregory’s office with a tense expression and without breath. Gregory tells Steaward to calm down and tells him that his clothes look good on him. Steaward thanks Gregory while looking at the uniform of the Galarc kingdom with Restoration’s crest he wears, now at least from afar he might be mistaken for a knight from Galarc. Gregory says that it seems like there was some movement on the case at hand but… Steaward says that there was, that Rio left the mansion. Gregory asks Steaward if Rio is coming to the castle. Steaward says he isn’t, that he took a carriage and left the castle. Gregory lets out an interested voice and Steaward tells him that there were other four people with Rio aside of the servants, that he thinks Rio went shopping or to meet with someone but… Gregory says that he understands, that now is the perfect moment, that outside the castle they can lye in wait for Rio easily, that it is time to say their greetings while scouting things out.
Two hours later. Rio’s group has just taken a rest for having lunch at the Rikka firm’s restaurant and are going back to Liselotte’ office to check more new products. Latifa says that the pasta was really delicious. Then Rio tells the girls he wants to do some shopping first. Latifa asks Rio what he wants to buy. Rio tells Latifa that the four of them will decide that from now on, that they are thank you gifts. Latifa asks Rio who he wants to thank for something. Rio says that Latifa and Liselotte who helped him create this occasion, and also Aki and Miharu. Aki and Miharu don’t get why they are getting presents too and Liselotte tells Rio reservedly that she told him that it was fine to not buy her anything. Rio says he just felt like thanking people for things somehow, tells the girls to please accept it, that if they think he has no reason for it he will make it a present to thank them for having remembered about him. Latifa asks Rio if he is fine with that. Rio says he is while petting her head, that he is thankful for the bridge she built for him. Latifa laughs happily and says that then clothes are fine because they can use them at any time, then Latifa asks Rio if the others won’t be envious if he only buys presents for the four of them. Rio says that it is fine if he just goes shopping with them too at another time.
Latifa nods happily and Liselotte says she will take them to the women clothes section. While Liselotte is showing Miharu and Aki around Latifa is trying on several different things and asking for Rio’s opinion but he only says “It’s cute” regardless of what Latifa puts on. Latifa stares blankly at Rio while complaining about that. Rio says that it is because Latifa is cute with everything. Latifa then says shyly that she will forgive Rio then but also says that she wants to know which clothes Rio liked the most. Rio tells Latifa that he isn’t good at choosing clothes, even more women’s. Latifa says she wants Rio to choose because it is his thank you gift. Rio says he understands and that he will give a try. Rio spends a while taking clothes and trying to see if they suit Latifa, the staff and customers look kindly at the siblings but there are also those who don’t mind interrupting a happy moment.
Gregory calls out to Rio. Rio greets Gregory warily, but the most troublesome is that Steaward is with him. Both exchange greetings while Steaward stares fixedly at Rio without any care about being rude. Rio steps forward to cover Latifa with his body. Steaward meanwhile thinks Rio and Haruto resemble each other, that if he looks while thinking they are the same person there are similitudes. Rio also begins to wonder what is Steaward’s goal while strengthening his wariness. Gregory tells Rio that what a coincidence and Rio agrees while thinking it is an obvious lie, there isn’t a way for it to be coincidence, they are in the women clothes section, it is strange for two men to enter there alone, it isn’t absolutely impossible but those two absolutely don’t look like they went shopping. Gregory asks Rio if he went shopping with his sister, those words send Steaward’s gaze in that direction too but Rio is still covering Latifa. Gregory asks Rio if his sister is uneducated, that she isn’t saying her greetings even before a high ranking noble. Rio glances at Latifa trembling scaredly and with a pale face behind him and thinks it is bad.
Rio is just about to try to put a quick end to the talk but before that Steaward circles around him and scolds Latifa for being rude to Gregory. Then Latifa screams, watching Steaward’s face triggered her traumas and now she begins to scream at Steaward to not come while crouching in the ground while with her arms covering her head. Steaward lets out a dumbfounded voice while Liselotte comes to the scene in a hurry and asks him what he did. Steaward says that he didn’t do anything, that it was Latifa who began to do that by herself. Rio makes a bitter smile while realizing that he underestimated how many traumas Latifa was hiding behind her smile. Meanwhile Steaward gets reminded of how Latifa used to act everytime he abused of her in the past. He was convinced now it is her even if she doesn't have a beastman’s special traces, he doesn’t understand why she is there or why she became Rio’s sister but he can’t stop himself from asking Latifa if it is really her.
Some time later, at Christina’s office. Huguenot enters and asks Christina that has Vanessa behind her if he can take a little of her time, he tells her he wants to talk about something with just the two of them and ask for them to be left alone. Christina sees a resolve that wasn’t there yesterday on Hugenot’s expression while he is making a reverence and decides to agree, she says that fine, tells Vanessa to stand by the door and not let anyone in until she is done. Vanessa obeys and leaves after saluting Christina. Christina asks Hugenot what he wants to talk about. Huguenot says that he has spent the night thinking, that in the end it is a conversation about Rio but first he will confess his sin. Christina says that it doesn’t seem like a kind story. Huguenot says that certainly isn’t a kind story and asks Christina if she would understand if he says that it is about the outdoor drill of almost five years ago. The moment Christina began to sharpen her expression in silence the door was knocked on hurriedly and Vanessa comes inside. Christina asks what it is after a short pause, if Vanessa entered despite her orders this has to be something really serious and… Vanessa tells Christina with an anxious face that François has summoned them, that he wants them to come immediately because it seems like there has been some scandal.
Chapter 7: Where deceit lies.[]
A bit before Christina’s group was summoned by François. Rio’s group left the store of the Rikka firm and went back to the castle by carriage. Gregory and Steaward did the same in their own carriage. After they moved to François’ office because the situation was already out of control. Rio tried to play dumb about Latifa but Steaward wouldn’t back down or listen so by Liselotte’s suggestion they went back to the castle and for having François settle things. Gregory agreed readily, he thought the carriage trip was the perfect chance to have Steaward tell him why he made that scandal when they were supposed to go back after verifying Rio’s face. François soon stopped his work when he heard that there was a scandal and brought everyone to his office. Aki and Miharu hug Latifa from both sides while sitting behind Rio and Liselotte who had Gregory and Steaward in front of them. François sits between both groups and asks what happened.
Liselotte, who was also explained everything already during the carriage trip and now is decided to help Rio and Latifa, tells François with a voice unusually tainted with resentment that Gregory and Steaward called out to Rio while they were shopping at the Rikka firm’s store, Steaward began to affirm that Latiffa was a slave of the Hugenot family, and because it was impossible to make him listen to reason in the scene she decided to bring him to the castle and have François settle things. Steaward says that it is obvious for him to be angry if the beastman slave of his family is released without their permission. François says that he never saw a beastman in person but heard that they have ears and a tail that humans don’t, that Latifa doesn’t have those special traits so they must have any evidence then. Steaward asks if Latifa being scared of him isn’t the greatest proof, that she is scared of her release from her condition of slave being exposed. François tells Steaward that he think he understands that Rio is a noble from kingdom and that damaging the honor of his sister is damaging Rio’s honor, so he will ask once again if he is making his declaration while having evidence, that right now he is obviously slandering Rio’s sister.
Steaward asks François if he means that he is lying. François says he said that he can’t establish a fact without evidence. Steaward says that he is a witness, that that’s the evidence. François says that Latifa doesn’t have a beastman’s traits and that it was Steaward himself who said she was a beastman. Steaward says that the beastman traits are certainly gone but the other ones are still there, enough to make him certain she is the same person. François tells Steaward that with that he can only say that everything it is his imagination. Steaward says that he wants François to verify with Rio if Latifa is really his family’s slave or not, the he snorts triumphantly in his mind, he tells Rio inside his head to try and make a lie in front of François now, that at that instant his sins will be even heavier, then the moment he lost François’ trust he will laid bare his past, he dares Rio in his mind to step into his double trap. Gregory tells François that if everything is true, their kingdom can’t ignore the current situation, he asks François if can’t intervene already. François sighs and tells Rio that that’s how it is, he asks him if everything is the truth. Rio asks François if he can say something before answering the question and François nods.
Rio tells François that if the current situation gets too big Restoration will also be greatly affected, but he doesn’t wish for that, that he obviously will explain honestly what happened and asks François if he can help keep things under control after that. Franois asks Rio if he means he will talk if Steaward and Gregory leave the room and Rio says he will. Steaward screams at Rio to not mess with him, he asks what kind of selfishness is that, he says it is a fight over his family’s slave and asks him with what intention he asks such stupidness. Rio tells Steaward that if he backs down now he can resolve things without Restoration getting affected, that that’s what he said. Steaward loses his words, he wants to tell Rio that he has no right to decide that but the anger in Rio’s eyes despite his calm tone is too scary. Gregory asks Steaward if it isn’t fine to talk about that other matter too now, that he will explain everything to François if it is necessary. Steaward agrees after taking a deep breath to calm himself and asks Gregory if he can ask him for that favor. François asks Gregory what it is while looking puzzledly at him.
Gregory says that it is related to why they appeared before Rio to begin with, that during yesterday’s attack there was someone who referred to him not as Haruto but as “Rio”, that he told that to Steaward by chance and that name brought back memories. Gregory pays attention to Rio’s reaction while Steaward makes a proud face thinking Rio has no escape now. Rio then finally understood that everything began with Sora. Gregory says that when he asked for details that person called Rio was a felon who almost killed Flora and disappeared from the Beltram kingdom to escape from his crime, that there are a lot obscure parts on Rio’s past, so if the person selected as an honorary knight is actually a runaway criminal their kingdom can’t ignore that problem, that Steaward wasn’t certain of them being the same person so he asked for his cooperation and went to investigate the situation. Steaward says that there is no mistaking it now, that Rio is the criminal who escaped from his kingdom, that their slave disappeared at almost the same time Rio did and Celia who used to be Rio’s teacher is also by his side now for some reason. Steaward asks if those aren’t enough evidence of Rio’s real identity. Steaward thinks triumphantly in his mind that Rio has no come back now, while standing up and pointing at him accusingly, he smiles while imagining that Rio must be anxious. Steaward says that if he alone isn’t enough as witness there are more people who knew the past Rio, Christina, Flora, Roana and Elise, he also wants to call Celia to talk, that if it is possible he wants to summon everyone and ask for their testimonies and prove that Rio is a criminal, he asks François what he thinks of it.
Rio closes his eyes to think while frowning. Why is Steaward doing this? How can he get this much in people’s nerves? Why does he not think there is something off when seeing Latifa with him even if he didn’t knew about the assassinations? Rio is trying to make sense of what Steaward is doing from a common sense perspective but he can’t make any. Is Steaward only thinking about himself? Can he only acknowledge the facts that are convenient for he himself? Is he not thinking about the effect all of this will have on Restoration if his complaints fails? If it is like that he can only be a fool, or rather, it would be fine if he was just a fool, the moment his malice is taken into account there isn’t any defense for him. Latifa calls out anxiously at Rio and he tells her that it is fine. He makes his resolve, he smiles softly at Latifa while thinking it was enough, it is fine to do as he pleases now. Why has he to stop Steaward if he runs towards his destruction without thinking about the influence on his surroundings? If he wants his ruin he can fall as low as he wants to. He was almost at the limit of his calm already, he would have endured if it was just about himself, but the moment Steaward involved Latifa he made it easier for Rio to stop enduring, he foolishly angered Rio, he touched the reverse scale of the man who became the dragon king. Now it should be impossible to resolve things without any effect on Restoration. The situation turned into one where it is complicated to just punish Steaward. François sighs and asks Rio what he thinks, if he doesn’t mind if the people nominated are called for. Rio tells François to feel free to call for them.
A while later, Celia arrived the first accompanied by Charlotte and with Gouki as their escort. Slightly after them Christina, Flora, Roana, Elise, Hugenot and Vanessa arrived too. Huguenot’s expression froze the moment he entered the room. Why was Steaward seated facing Rio? Why is Gregory with him and why is Steaward wearing knight clothes from the Galarc kingdom? Christina lowers his head in apology the first thing the moment she recovers from her own shock, she already knows that something bad is going on. Rio stands up and apologizes to Christina himself with a clouded expression. Steaward screams at Christina to please wait, he asks her why she is lowering her head at that guy. Huguenot tells Steaward to shut up, he tries to excuse himself and Hugenot tells him to shut up once more, he asks him what he is doing sitting there, what is that uniform and what he did this time. Huguenot was just about to let all of his anger fall on the scared Steawad when François told him to wait until he explains the situation. Huguenot obeys while glaring at Steaward as if he wanted to curse him to death
François tells Steaward and Gregory to cede their seats to Christina and Flora, he tells Hugenot he can sit too and Charlotte to sit next to Rio while the rest should stay standing. François tells Liselotte to explain everything, she obeys and explains everything, after summarizing the situation she tells everyone that they were called to discuss two points, if Rio is the student who used to attend Bertram’s academy in the past and if Latifa is the beastman slave that used to belong to the Hugenot family. Christina looks apologetically at Rio while making a face as if she had given up on everything, Flora was also angry, Roana didn’t seem that surprised but still feels bitter about something. Elise was shocked. Huguenot curses Steaward in his head, he was just about to tell everything to Christina and apologize formally to Rio but this happened and Steaward ruined everything without his knowledge, even Latifa who was sent as an assassin is there for some reason too. Does his stupid son resent him? Huguenot turns back again to glare at Steaward as if he wanted to curse him to death and he screams in fear. Hugenot tells himself that now isn’t the time to pay attention to that idiot. He wants to apologize to Rio but before he can do it François says that first he will listen to what both parties have to say.
Steaward says that then he wants to speak in the first place. Huguenot tells François to not listen to that idiot, to please let him explain himself first. Charlotte asks if it isn’t fine like that, even if they let speak the idiot first. While Steaward is still shocked at being called idiot so openly Charlotte says that once he leaves the room he won’t talk anymore, that she thinks it is fine to at least give him a chance to struggle as a souvenir for the underworld. François sighs and tells Steaward to speak. Steaward says that Rio is the great sinner that pushed Flora and him off a cliff and even released without their permission his family’s slave, he asks François if there is any reason to not punish Rio. François says that there wouldn’t be any only if what Steaward says is the truth. Steaward says that it is the truth. François ignores Steaward and tells Rio to speak too. Rio says that it is the truth that he attended Beltram’s royal academy, that his real name is Rio, that his sister’s real name is certainly Latifa, that he gave her a false name to prevent a situation like the present one. Roana and Elise gulp while thinking it was really like that. Rio tells that because his hair color changed the current one is his real color but he used to be black haired, that all of his former classmates should remember that and that he is using a magic tool to hide Latifa’s beastman traits. Steaward laughs while celebrating that Rio is admitting everything.
Rio said that letting those facts aside he has to object to a lot of things, that he doesn’t remember to have pushed Flora off a cliff and also has a good reason to have released Latifa. Steaward says that it is a lie, that Rio is lying. Rio says that it is true that his only way to prove the truth are his memories. Steaward tells Rio that that’s how it is, that he can’t prove that he is innocent, that he who was actually pushed away is the one saying it, that there were other male students who witnessed it, that that’s why he was found guilty and now there isn’t a way for him to erase that crime. Christina tells François that Rio is innocent. Flora says that Rio didn’t do anything like pushing her. Steaward asks the princesses in shock what they are saying. He asks Christina if she didn’t say in the past that she didn’t see who pushed him, he asks Flora if she didn’t say too that she didn’t know who bumped into her. Christina says that she certainly didn’t see that, but she still believes Rio’s testimony rather than his. Flora says she believes in Rio too. Steaward tells them that something like that is worthless, that without a witness all of that is just words.
Then Hugenot says that there is a witness. François tells Hugenot to explain himself. Hugenot says he had had doubts about Rio’s identity since the previous day too, so he researched the incident and found a testimony different from the established facts. Steaward loses his words and Hugenot tells Elise to explain what she witnessed. Elise has problems to speak under everyone’s sudden fixed gazes but then she says nervously that Rio didn’t push Steaward. François asks who did it then. Elise says that the students who pushed the crime on Rio alongside Steaward, then Elise explains what actually happened. Roana asks Elise in shock why she stayed silent. Elise says that she is sorry, that she did it because she couldn’t defy the past Steaward just like the students that actually pushed him so she didn’t say anything. Steaward says again and again that it is a lie while getting paler and paler. François turns slowly toward Steaward while saying that then who must be punished are those other male students and Steaward himself who lied to shift the blame. Christina orders Vanessa to arrest that criminal. Vanessa was already expecting that, from the beginning she stood behind Steaward ready to throw him to the ground and arrest him at a moment’s notice. Gouki tells Vanessa to let him help her hold Steaward down, he grabs his arms and twists his wrists while Vanessa straddles his back so he can’t get up.
Steaward screams at Gouki and Vanessa to not mess with him, he asks them screaming who they think he is, he screams at them that he is a member of the Hugenot family. Huguenot stands up, approaches Steaward and tells him that he disowns him then and there. Steaward screams at Hugenot to tell him that it is a lie and Hugenot tells him that it would have been fine if someone like him hadn’t been born. Steaward asks Hugenot if those are the words of a parent, he asks Hugenot how can he listen to that woman’s testimony instead of his son’s. Elise says that she didn’t lie. Steaward screams at Elise to not say anything else while glaring at her. Steaward then asks everyone screaming if they forgot that Rio released a slave of the Hugenot house without permission, he asks everyone if they are going to ignore that crime. Hugenot rises a leg, he is just about to step on Steaward’s face but stops himself, instead he turns towards Rio and apologizes while making dogeza. Steaward loses his words, he doesn’t understand what is going on anymore. Huguenot says that if Latifa is with him he understands that there is no escape for his side, he says he admits all of the blame. Christina tells Hugenot to wait and asks what is going on.
Rio tells Christina he will explain himself what happened and tells Hugenot to please rise his head. Huguenot says that he doesn’t have a face to rise anymore. Rio says he can’t speak either if he stays like that then. François tells Hugenot to stand up and he obeys. Rio says that in the past when he discovered he was framed at the outdoor drill said his farewells to Celia and left the Beltram kingdom, his destination was the Yagumo region, but on his way there he was attacked by an assassin at Amande’s outskirts, and Latifa was that assassin. The faces of Christina’s group freeze in shock. Steaward already admitted that Latifa belonged to the Hugenot house, everyone knows who gave the order. Rio says that he defeated Latifa safely, but because of the slave collar it was impossible for her to defy her master’s orders so he removed it. Charlotte asks how did Latifa end up as his sister. Rio says that Latifa was only nine years old back then, but being a beastman there wasn’t a place in the Stralh region where she could have lived by herself so he took her with him and they formed their sibling bond after that. Charlotte says that it is a splendid story and that it is as expected of Rio. Charlotte tells everyone that Rio acted in self-defense so he can’t be blamed for releasing Latifa in that case. François asks Hugenot if he ordered the assassination and Hugenot admits it. François asks Hugenot if he wants to add anything else. Huguenot says he doesn't. François asks Hugenot why he ordered the assassination. Huguenot explains how he made Rio into a scapegoat despite him having found Steaward’s story suspicious himself too because he needed to secure his position in preparation to oppose the Arbor faction, so just in case he sent Latifa to kill Rio because he thought it would be troublesome if he came back and began to say unnecessary things.
Flora says that it can’t be with a shocked face, Christina makes a bitter face while staying silent. Steaward says that it is a lie. Huguenot says that it isn’t a lie, that he is as guilty as his stupid son and will accept any punishment. Steaward says that he won’t accept something like that, that Rio should still be hiding some shady past. Christina finally snaps too and screams to Steaward to shut up and that Rio hasn’t any shady past. Steaward says that that's a lie, that there is no mistaking it, that Rio should have killed Alphonse. Christina asks Steaward why to talk about that man now. Steaward asks Christina if she doesn’t think it is strange, that Alphonse disappeared almost after Rio showed himself in front of them, he asks Christina what is that if not Rio moving his hand against them out of resentment. Christina asks Steaward what kind of stupid thing he is saying. Steaward says that it isn’t any stupidness, he asks Christina if it isn’t something that anyone can understand by thinking about it for bit, he asks Christina why she is looking away from the suspicious parts, he asks Christina if she wants to borrow Rio’s power that much. Christina asks Steaward what he is saying now. Steaward asks Christina if she doesn’t want to sell a favor to Rio now that he rose in rank, if she isn’t cutting him off just like his father cut Rio off in the past, he calls Christina despicable but Vanessa silences him pinning him down with more strength so he loses his breath and can’t speak. Vanessa apologizes for her arbitrary actions, she says she couldn’t stand to listen to that because she thought it was lese majestè.
François says he thinks it is time to end things already, that he doesn’t think letting Steaward keep digging his own grave will reveal any new crime, that now it only remains to decide on a punishment but… Charlotte soon tells François that damaging the honor of an honorary knight that equals an earl is supposed to be the most severe one, the death penalty. Steaward gets completely pale faced. Charlotte asks sarcastically if he suddenly fell ill despite how healthy he seemed before, that she wonders if they should loosen the hold on him a bit. Vanessa looks at Christina while waiting for confirmation and when she nods she puts less pressure over Steaward’s body. Steaward asks Gregory for help, he asks him if he didn’t promise to cooperate with him. Gregory says that that was with Rio really being a criminal as the premise, that he can’t believe he went as far as lying to him and deceiving him, he tells Steaward to not get him involved. François tells Gregory that he will have him speak too later and Gregory says that of course nonchalantly while calling Steaward useless man in his mind and looking down at him coldly. Steaward begins to cry and Charlotte makes fun of him. François tells Gouki and Vanessa to give that pain to the ears to the knights outside to be taken to prison, that for the time being he will let the fear to the end permeate his body and asks Christina if Restoration has any objection. Christina it doesn’t. Vanessa tells Steaward to stand up after tying his hands and takes him out while he begs her to stop.
François asks Rio how he wants to settle things, he tells Rio that the laws of the Galarc kingdom can’t punish Hugenot for things that happened before he became an honorary knight, that that depends on Restoration’s decision. Rio tells François that he had already talked about his past with Christina and Flora to begin with and told them he had no intention of bringing it up, that he personally doesn’t care about what punishment they receive but that what Latifa thinks is a different matter, that it was her peace of mind what was threatened by the current incident. Rio stands up, gets close to Latifa and crouches to look her in the eyes. He says he is sorry for not protecting her properly. Latifa tells Rio that he protected her, that she is the one sorry for losing herself. Rio asks Latifa what she wants to do, that he will do as she wants in regard to forgiving them or not. Latifa says she doesn’t care as long as they don’t get involved with her again and that she lets the rest to Rio. Rio says that that’s how it is, if they don’t get involved with Latifa or disturb her peace anymore he won’t ask for anything in particular. François asks Rio if he is fine with just that. Rio says that he is, that just thinking about it is a waste of time. François says he understands.
François tells Christina that that’s how it is, that he won’t ask for any punishment for Hugenot and that the decision will be left to Restoration. Christina thanks François and Rio for their generous words, but says that as the organization’s leader she can’t let Hugenot be without making him take any responsibility, that what he did in the past is just that severe, that both of them might not care about it but that he will receive his punishment shortly. Christina lowered her head at Rio and Latifa and Hugenot did the same. He says he will take any punishment, that he won’t run or hide and will also swear to not get involved with Rio and Latifa again. Christina says that then she can’t let Hugenot stand in Rio’s and Latifa’s presence anymore, that they will leave soon and hopes she is given a chance to apologize to them at another occasion. She stands up and tells her group to leave François’ office. Flora also looked at Rio and Latifa as if she wanted to tell them something but decides it will be bad to talk now and lowers her head to them too before standing and beginning to walk towards the door. Then Latifa calls out to Flora and Roana, when both of them stop she tells them she would be happy if they didn’t forget the promise of the sleepover and come to play again, that they might dislike a beastman like her but that it was fun to be with everyone. Flora begins to cry and tells Latifa while hugging her that she doesn’t dislike her. Latifa thanks Flora for that while crying. Flora says she is who has to say thank you, she tells Rio and Latifa that she is sorry, that if she hadn’t been just about to fall off that cliff in the past… Christina comes to check on Flora and sees Latifa telling her to not cry, that she thinks she wouldn't have met Rio if that incident hadn’t occurred and that she couldn’t have met her either otherwise. Flora begins to cry even more while hugging Latifa and Roana tells Christina that she will escort Flora back later and that she and Elise should go ahead. And like that Steaward’s case came to an end.
Chapter 8: Encounter on the rainy night.[]
That night, thanks to Latifa gathering her courage there was another sleepover with the same guests that the previous night, both the dinner and the talks were over and everyone went to sleep. Rio sits on his bed while alone in his room. Rio thinks he was unsure about how everything would end for a moment but things calmed down somehow. He smiles while remembering Latifa having fun with Flora’s group a bit earlier, then the sound of the strong rain breaks his train of thought. Rio stands up, approaches the window and takes a look outside. Rio wonders if the sudden downpour will stop in the morning, should he tell Christina's group to delay their return if the downpour didn’t stop come the morning. Then Rio realizes there is someone in the garden, he strengthens his eyes to see better who is there while wondering who it could be but it is still hard to see with rain and the darkness. Why are they outside so late? Why are they there in the middle of that downpour? Rio decides to go to the garden to see who is there. He walks towards the figure he saw while protecting himself from the rain with a wind barrier. Rio sees Christina standing alone under the rain, she just spaces out there, Rio gets close to her and tells her worriedly that she will catch a cold if she stays there.
Christina turns slowly towards Rio and looks at him dumbfoundedly. Rio asks Christina what she was doing while expanding his barrier around her. Christina says she just felt like feeling the rain for a bit. Rio thinks she is lying, she was already at the garden before it started to rain after all. Rio realizes Christina is trembling, he tries to warn her body with his spirit arts but Christina leaves her barrier while saying that she is fine. Rio follows after her to get her inside the barrier again and asks Christina why she is like that. Christina asks Rio if she didn’t tell him already that she felt like letting the rain hit her while looking away from him guiltily, she seems so weak and ephemeral that a slight touch could break her down. Rio asks her if she is like that because of today’s incident. Christina says that she wants to think for a bit, really just a bit and tells Rio to please go back. Christina turns her back on Rio and tries to leave his barrier once again. Rio thinks it is a lie for sure, he feels Christina will stay under the rain until she collapses if she leaves her alone, then for some reason Lina’s words come to mind, he remembers how she said that she thought Christina would be fine as his first new familiar. He wonders if there is a connection, if Lina foresaw this moment too, but now Christina is more important.
Rio says he understands while undoing his barrier and standing next to Christina. Christina lets out a surprised voice while turning to look at Rio. Rio says with a mischievous smile that if it is just a bit he will stay with her. Christina asks him why. Rio says that just now he also felt like letting the rain hit him, that what a coincidence. Christina says that there can’t be a coincidence like that while looking at Rio`s profile at the same time that he looks up at the night sky. Rio says that it can, that that’ why they are called coincidences. Christina loses her words. She makes a bitter face, she wants Rio to go back but she can’t tell him to do it. Rio says that this is just small talk but that just today he had a certain talk with his little sister. Christina asks what kind of talk while looking at the night sky herself after giving up on convincing Rio to leave. Rio says that it was a conversation about being fine for her sister to complain and rely on people when she feels lost and confused. Christina looks wordlessly and surprisedly at Rio’s profile again. Rio tells to the Christina just about to cry that it might be unneeded meddling but that if she is fine with it he will listen to her. Christina tells Rio to please not say something like that. Rio asks why. Christina asks Rio if he actually doesn’t want her to not rely on him. Rio tells Christina that he really is telling her that she can rely on him.
Rio turns to look at Christina, Rio’s eyes are clear while hers are wavering, under that gaze she tells Rio that she doesn’t have the qualifications for that while lowering her head to escape Rio’s gaze. Rio tells Christina that she doesn’t need that qualification when she is with him. Christina tells Rio that it is precisely because she is with him that she needs that qualification, that she doesn’t want to show her weak side to him, that only to him she… Rio asks Christina why not exchange one complaint each and help each other with those. Christina asks Rio why he would do something like that. Rio says that because he wants to. Christina gulps while trembling wordlessly and Rio asks her if she dislikes that. Christina says that it isn’t like she dislikes it while looking away from Rio and thinking that’s an unfair way of asking for it, that if he had asked if it was bad instead it would have been easy to refuse. Rio says he will go first then, he tells Christina that the person standing next to him is obviously worried about something but won’t tell him what it is, and when he imagines that the cause might be incident that occurred today he feels so bad that he might want to spend the whole night under the rain, he is very troubled by it, he asks Christina if she can tell her complaint to and rely on someone like him. Christina says with a pained voice that that’s unfair. Rio tells Christina that his sister tells him that a lot, that maybe he was told that today too. Rio scratches his awkwardly while smiling wryly and Christina purses her lips sulkingly while looking at Rio again.
Rio looked up at the sky to escape from that awkwardness for a bit and then Christina said in a small voice “Look here, at me…” “Please, help me…”, her complaints , her honest feelings. She wasn’t any dignified, strong princess carrying the future of a kingdom. It was the voice asking for salvation of a weak and unreliable girl that she always kept buried at the bottom of her heart. Because of the rain that small voice doesn’t reach Rio, or maybe Christina dared to say that precisely counting on the rain drowning out her voice, but Rio still lets out a surprised voice while feeling he was told something and Christina asks Rio what happened while he looks at her surprisedly. Christina asks Rio if he is really fine with this. Part of her hesitation is gone, she went back from girl to princess and her gaze tells Rio that it is too late already to take back his words. Rio says he is. Christina tells Rio that she was doubting, she wondered if the decision she is just about to make for the future’s sake is really the best, she can’t keep going forward because she is scared of being wrong or might even want to think her decision is wrong.
Rio tells Christina that she is wiser than anyone else, that he can’t imagine her being wrong. Christina thanks Rio and says that being told that by him gives her confidence, but despite that she can gather the courage to make a decision yet, so even if it is an impudent request she wants him to give her courage. Rio asks Christina if she wants courage. Christina says she does, that when she thinks about the future she gets frightened no matter what, so even if it is just a bit she wants him to give her courage, that’s what she wants to rely on him for. Rio says that of course he doesn’t mind doing it but that he doesn’t know how to give her that courage. Christina tells Rio that it is fine while getting close to him. Rio lets out a surprised voice while the shock ran through his body and Christina tells Rio that she will take it herself while hugging him and burying her face in his chest. Rio freezes in shock, he could feel Christina’s heartbeat getting stronger despite the sound of the rain, he can also feel how Christina trembles from the cold, then he lets out a surprised voice when Christina puts her arms around his body and pushes her soft body against his as if she wanted to get the heat to warm herself from him too. Lina’s words come to mind again but his head was too blank for him to be able to think about them, because for some reason the song of Christina’s heated breath can reach his ears better than the noise of the rain, rather than the coldness of the rain falling on him he can feel the warmth of Christina’s body so strongly that it could burn him. At least for just that instant he can’t think about that delicate, unreliable looking and fragile girl as princess shouldering the future of a kingdom, so he hugged back gently that body trembling from the cold.
Next volume's preview.[]
Rio feels an unspeakable anxiety while hugging Christina who trembles under the rain. For now he can only hug her cold body without realizing yet the real identity of that anxiety. The first princess of the Beltram kingdom, currently the existence leading Restoration, makes a silent decision alone in the arms of such a Rio. 「This is the only option left for us.」
精霊幻想記 27. 祈りの断頭台, Seirei Gensouki 27 - Inori no Dantoudai, The prayer’s guillotine. Scheduled for the year 2025.
Short stories[]
- Melonbooks - The mansion's sleeping princess: The sister princesses decide to sleep at Rio's mansion, but in the room they were guided to a cute stuffed doll was left alone...
- Bookwalker - Secret: Sara's groups goes to where Miharu is preparing lunch, and the topic that cames up is of course, about Rio's and Miharu's relationship!?