Correct the confused mental state and immediately judge the situation.

How about outside?

Looking up at the outside scenery is the time of twilight. Seeing that the place I am at hasn’t changed, it doesn’t seem like a long time has passed.

If a long time had passed in the first place, I wouldn’t be here.

The innkeeper would have done something if he hadn’t intended to abandon the room.

“Then about two hours or so?”

Seeing that there is a commotion around them, it seems that they are watching from afar, but no one is approaching.

Well, that’s it too. While fighting the hero, he fired [Pinaka] wildly, but it would take a lot of courage to even think of getting close.

“The bones… … .”

It’s broken. Even after I passed out, it must have been cleaned up for sure.

Before I lost my mind, I thought I had suffered ribs, but when I opened my eyes, my limbs were also broken.

“And the place I am right now is the wall of the inn… … ?”

If you’ve taken extra measures to break it, I’ll put it down.

You only broke your arms and legs while you were stuck in the wall of an inn?

Is that a warrior? What kind of bullshit is this?

“Whatever… … . It’s as planned.”

At this level, it is much more compliant than originally expected.

I thought I would pass out for a few days at worst.

“Are you crazy?”

As I was thinking that, Lucia started talking to me as if she was tired of it.

“Is this according to plan?”

Lucia, who had fallen, approached me, clutching one of her ribs.

It seems that she didn’t even get her limbs. It’s fortunate that Lucia didn’t seem to recognize that she was as threatening an enemy as I was.

“I thought you said this was a plan unless my brain went crazy, but is that correct?”

“Yes, breaking limbs was acceptable.”

“Are you crazy?”

“No, can you listen? It was only natural that she would take action to keep us apart when she was caught by the hero, so I’d rather… … .”

“No no no no, that’s not the case Prince of Oz. you are crazy It’s crazy to have such a plan in your head in the first place.”

“… … .”

what. What’s strange about it?

It was about to break anyway. So, isn’t it natural to use it effectively?

“Oh yeah. Are you worried that you won’t be able to move like this? As you know, I have a recovery method that is more effective than magic, right?”

“… … Just because you have such a means of recovery, don’t include wounds in your plans.”

Lucia said with a rare bitter expression.

“If you allow that one by one, you will become insensitive to many things.”

“… … .”

Lucia’s words suddenly reminded me of Oz, who was leaning back on his chair as if he was exhausted.

The guy with the dry smile.

Was he like this too?

Like Lucia said, did he allow these actions one by one and eventually become numb?

Is that why you left your back to me without being able to move?

“Please, I don’t want to see the people around me change like that anymore… … .”

He looked extremely depressed.

Yes, being numb to her is tantamount to fear.

[SR Blending Cat]

Lucia Punisher

Yes, Lucia belongs to the Punisher family, one of the noble families of the Empire.

And in the Empire, there was a perception that people from the Punisher family had a bad feeling somewhere.

The Punisher family is one of the noble families of the Empire with quite a long history. But at its root is a dark history as an executioner.

Every time they cut the throats of criminals begging for their lives in terror, they cut something together in their hearts.

“I am afraid of those things now.”

The history continued until recently and they became so numb. No, I had to be insensitive.

That’s the true story of the Punisher family.

They are a clan that kills itself.

She’s been through a lot and will always be… … .

“Yeah, I’ll make sure I don’t come up with such a reckless plan again.”

Now, these confident words will be most helpful.

“You can rest assured.”

“yes… … .”

* * *

Immediately after recovering from the wounds through [The One Who Challenges Divinity], what Lucia and I did was to check the situation.

“Most of the Tenebris in hiding are minor, but they are said to have suffered so much damage that they could not move.”

What Lucia said to me after contacting me was somewhat shocking.

“You mean you sorted everything out in that moment? It’s amazing.”

There must have been more than one ＜Tenebris＞ hiding in this village.

But you subdued them all?

“Oh, not all. Only for those who can fight. It seems that measures were taken only for those who were likely to come after them… … .”

Lucia looked at me and began to pause. Is there something embarrassing to say?

“Just tell me.”

“I think Prince Oz was the only one who was severely beaten to the point of breaking all the bones in his limbs.”

“… … Did you have any ill feelings toward me?”

“It must mean that you were that much of a threat. Other people have broken bones too… … .”

“I know that.”

I know you rated me highly.

That’s why [Contemplation]’s sense of intimidation felt threatening.

But anyway, isn’t this kind of discrimination a bit too much?

I broke all my limbs.

“ha… … . yeah, what happened It’s not a day or two to be misunderstood by the look in my eyes, I have to bear it.”

In any case, I was prepared for the fact that my bones would break at the time of the encounter.

It’s pointless to think about it now and then.

“Then what are you going to do now? Are you going to go after them right away?”

Of the group that was watching Eleanor and Justitia right now, Lucia and I are the only ones who can move.

[Those who challenge divinity] boasts a fairly wide range.

The agents of ＜Tenebris＞ who were hurt by Justitia must have completely recovered from their wounds. but… … .

“Well? I don’t mind, but can you guys move?”

“Everyone says it doesn’t matter, but… … . After all, there will be aftereffects, so I’ll just move first.”

“Are you okay?”

“Because this is also my subject. Isn’t that Eleanor’s business?”

“You’ll be fine.”

There is no such thing as a tsundere, seeing as he insists on making excuses for work.

If you’re worried about Eleanor, you can be honest about it.

“Then keep your distance and follow me. This time, you’ll have to close the distance like before and check with your own eyes from a distance so you don’t get caught.”

“Right. Didn’t I say that the Prince of Oz can see wide but not far?”

“Are you dissatisfied?”

“No, rather, I thought it was fortunate that it wouldn’t be a burden.”

Lucia smiled softly.

Was that a complaint? Well, lately there have been few opportunities for her to play an active part. I understand.

I know how painful it is to be helpless because I have felt it so hard.

* * *

Eleanor and Justitia had already crossed the border and set foot inside Chrysos Kingdom.

Chrysos was a country consisting of five territories with a capital including a central capital.

And the two of them belonged to one of the five estates, the estate of the Margrave. I had arrived at ＜Pretium＞.

“Popular pretending… … Also no. hahahaha, I guess so. If there were people who survived the uproar, they would have fled right away.”

“Noah… … .”

“it’s okay. It’s something I was determined to do.”

Eleanor tried to pretend to be okay while looking at the Pretium estate that had become a ghost town, but she couldn’t hide the sadness she hid inside.

Justitia deliberately continued with a bright voice in order to evoke the atmosphere at Eleanor’s appearance.

“What kind of territory was Pretium?”

“Ah, you mean the Pretium estate? That’s it. Umm… … .”

Eleanor began searching her mind to answer Justitia’s consideration. Pretium estate.

“First of all, the name must have been a word that meant something valuable, like Chrysos, which means gold.”

“silver… … Like?”

“If I had to argue that it had such a meaning, it would have had the meaning of property more broadly.”

“what? The name of the country and the capital is golden, but it is unique.”

“My father thought it was an honor to protect the frontier. That’s why I would have conveyed a broader meaning than Chrysos as a place name.”

“I see… … . I wasn’t royalty or nobility, I didn’t even know that. ah! More than that, what kind of territory was Pretium that Noah remembers?”

At Justitia’s question, Eleanor shook her head in embarrassment.

“I’ve never been to Pretium, so I don’t know.”

“ah… … .”

“It was not too long before this situation that I, who had been confined to the palace, started wandering around.”

The moment Eleanor started to change, the moment she wanted to change. Her world cruelly turned all those promises into nothing.

“I was going to come with Decentra… … . hahahaha.”

“… … .”

Justitia saw Eleanor scratching her head and started scratching her head at the same time.

The atmosphere that I was trying to be okay by saying useless things became strange.

After that brief silence passed. Justitia began to ask questions of a different kind than before.

“Noah… … . Do you not resent the King of Delay?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t you resent the person who made you do nothing?”

“… … Nope.”

Eleanor smiled softly.

And Justitia was surprised to see Eleanor’s expression.

The Eleanor she knew must have been in pretty terrible circumstances.

The royal family who will live among countless people from birth.

They treated such a royal child like an invisible person.

The feeling of isolation was indescribable. Still, Eleanor was able to smile.

Because it’s already a thing of the past? Because you have already changed?

No, none of that.

“My father was cold to me, but… … .”

Eleanor was just an ornament to adorn the human named Delade.

It was built that way to prevent you from doing useless things.

If so, was that just unfortunate? No, Eleanor didn’t think so.

“Because they treated me with respect. If you hated me, wouldn’t there be a reason for that?”

“It may sound cruel, but could it have been just for political purposes?”

Justitia thought maybe Eleanor was being deceived by the surface of the delay.

So, I asked a rather straightforward question. However, Eleanor opened her eyes wide as if she was surprised by those words, but then said that it was okay.

“Political purpose… … . Yes, maybe. Still, I think it’s a little different. My father did not oppress me.”

“… … .”

“I was in a cage, but the door was always open.”

Delay did not force Eleanor. Even though she and those around her treated Eleanor like an ornament, she thought that it was not necessary.

Eleanor could change at any time. That’s how it was actually able to change due to the opportunity called Decentra.

And above all.

“My father always told me it was okay to do nothing. I’ve never been forced to. ah! Could it have been just once?”

“When is that?”

“It must have been when I popped the arsenal with Decentra.”

“that’s… … . Honestly, it deserves it.”

Justitia could not bear to defend Eleanor.

If the destruction of the royal family’s arsenal was simply finished with a single word, then Delay was Bodhisattva.

“I think my father has definitely fulfilled his responsibilities as a family.”

That’s why Eleanor couldn’t hate a person called Delade.

Maybe even worse than Eleanor.

Because I was just a clumsy person.

I just didn’t know how to love others without having a purpose.

“So I wanted to come here. My father may have been a harsh person to me, but he was a person who kept his responsibilities no matter what. I wanted to.”

Delade is obsessed with honor.

At the same time, it is said that he has done his duty as a king in order to protect his honor.

However, there is a monster who devours the body of such a delay, and eventually, with his voice, tries to tarnish the honor he has kept throughout his life.

Eleanor could never stand to see it.

“Families need to protect each other.”

“I see… … .”

Justitia could finally understand why Eleanor wanted to go to Chrysos.

There was a royal road to save the people of the kingdom who were captured by monsters and used at will.

But before that… … .

“My father may have been a man of slyness, but he was definitely family to me.”

There was the most fundamental and simple reason.

Because they are human, and because they are family.

I couldn’t stand to watch them being taken advantage of.

“Sister, do you remember?”

“yes? what?”

“The monsters I encountered while coming here. Most of them were grotesque and seemed to lack intelligence.”

“Is it?”

Justitia thought while patting her dazed head.

It seemed that he hadn’t even remembered that.

“ah… … .”

And the moment she remembered that fact, her complexion turned pale.

The effect of the curse was more prominent than expected. Normally, I would have checked properly.

But the reason I couldn’t do that was probably because my head was quite dull due to sleepiness that I couldn’t solve.

“… … it’s okay?”

“Yes? Are you okay? Looking back, I think it was.”

“Right? But the person I met at the Vatican was different.”

“Um… … . Technically speaking, that person seems a little different.”

“But the monster connected to him said he had swallowed my father.”

Justitia recalled the opponent she fought in the Vatican.

I couldn’t remember the exact details of the battle, but I did remember that the fight would have been quite long if I hadn’t struck first.

Yes, it was overpowered in an instant, but the opponent was clearly a formidable enemy.

“Why was it only the monster? Is that monster special?”

Eleanor spit out her hypothesis and started wandering around the Pretium estate. It looked like he was looking for something.

“Father, use a spear. But he used a greatsword. It is very natural, like a familiar weapon.”

The monster might have been good at handling a greatsword in the first place. But is it really so? To say that, there was no sense of difference in the man’s fighting style.

Because they are the same warriors, there are certain things that can be known.

This is impossible unless the weapon’s weight, shape, and physical condition are perfectly matched.

“Noah, what do you mean now… … .”

“Yes, that monster might be special, but if it’s not just the monster that’s special… … .”

Eleanor remembered the monster that devoured Decentra.

The monster dared to call Eleanor in the voice of Decentra.

That, too, was something she was quite used to.

“The monster devoured human souls. If so, wouldn’t it be possible to use that person’s power as well?”

After wandering around the ＜Pretium＞ territory, I was finally able to find the ones I was aiming for. The moment Justitia looked at them, she could fully understand what Eleanor was saying.

“And the monster… … .”

“So you’re using people’s bodies and souls as energy sources.”

What appeared in front of them were lumps of flesh spread like mud.

There had been several battles before, so it was possible to know that those chunks of flesh were what made up the body of the monster.

It’s not that someone knocked it down. The monster had a very unstable appearance from the first time I saw it.

That’s why it was using the bodies and souls of humans it swallowed as energy sources. And if that energy source dries up… … .

“aggressor… … .”

“Yes, these monsters cannot survive without killing us.”

They will need a new soul.