The man’s body had become much more bloated in Rilin’s memory than Laila had seen.

He didn’t look healthy, but rather pathetically obese, twisting his grotesquely bulging body here and there as he struggled to escape, creating a ridiculously unpleasant sight.

Eustar’s gaze shifted from him to Laila.

“Laila.”

His voice contained a kind of appeal—or restraint. However, Laila did her best to ignore it. She couldn’t be swayed by Eustar’s voice right now.

Eustar spoke again.

“Laila, this isn’t a good idea.”

Laila took a breath and looked at him.

“That man killed Rilin.”

“I know. That’s why I ordered him to be brought here. But we’ve eliminated Smulkin, and you’ve obtained the child’s core. The sync will disappear anyway. We don’t need to sacrifice that man…”

“Sacrifice?”

Laila’s voice burst out momentarily, unbelievably loud and clear.

As if she had swallowed a tiny loudspeaker. Eustar, of course, as well as Robsker and the other members, and even the man being dragged in, were startled and stared at Laila.

Laila pointed at the man. But her gaze remained fixed on Eustar.

“I can’t attach the word ‘sacrifice’ to that man.”

The man must have heard those words clearly too. Sweat began to pour down his face, which had turned a bluish pale. He seemed to have vaguely realized where he was and why he had been dragged here.

“W-wait… Wait a moment. Let go! Let this go, I say! I don’t know what you’re trying to do to me, but I’m warning you… Damn it! I said let go!”

He’s urging his own fate. Eustar thought.

The more noisily he babbled, the harder it would be to persuade Laila. He didn’t know what Laila had seen in Rilin’s memories, but some things could be understood without seeing them.

Eustar said,

“Laila, think about it once more.”

But Laila shook her head. Her attitude was quiet and firm.

“Do you remember that fisherman, Eustar?” Laila asked quietly. “You said then, ‘There was no need to eliminate that man.'”

Eustar briefly wore a dismayed expression, then pressed his lips into a straight line.

“Yes, I remember. But at that time…”

Eustar’s eyes closed as his voice trailed off. He quietly shook his head and brushed his face, dirtied from battle.

“No. You’re right, Laila. It’s better to do as you think. That would be better.”

He turned and ordered his men.

“Make him kneel and open his mouth.”

The men did so. The man now screamed strange noises that could hardly be called human speech as he struggled, but he was no match for the strength of the men trained in combat.

When his massive body was forcibly pressed to the ground, his flabby flesh shook unpleasantly. One of the men tried to open his mouth, but the man resisted, clenching his yellow teeth.

“Move aside.”

The man who had been almost squeezing the fat man’s face stepped back. Eustar looked down at the trembling man’s face, then drew the dagger at his waist and plunged it towards his mouth.

“Ugh…!”

The man’s mouth opened with an unpleasant scream. The dagger Eustar had plunged stopped just before piercing his throat. Turning the blade towards his tongue, Eustar said in a low voice.

“Keep your mouth open. If not, you’ll never be able to move your tongue again. Of course, you won’t be able to drink soup either. Do you understand me?”

“Ha, huh… uh, uh…”

Tears streamed from the man’s reddened eyes. His brow furrowed as he blinked incessantly, sweat dripping into his eyes.

“Laila.”

Laila, who had been fiddling with Rilin’s core in her palm, approached his side. Then she stared down at the man’s face.

“Uh! Uh…”

The man began to tremble upon seeing her black hair and red eyes. Blood flowed from his mouth, cut by the dagger.

Eustar grabbed the man’s greasy hair and tilted his head back. His exposed neck was dirty.

“If you don’t stay still, you’ll die more painfully.”

At Eustar’s words, the man’s struggles momentarily ceased. Laila showed him the cube, Rilin’s ‘core’, that she had been holding in her hand. Though he probably wouldn’t know what it was anyway…

“You’d better apologize to Rilin.”

The man’s eyes bulged. Laila continued.

“While you still can, that is.”

The small, hard, and translucent cube dropped from Laila’s hand.

As it rolled into the man’s gaping mouth like a hideous cave, Eustar withdrew his dagger and nodded to his men. It meant to release him.

Released from the men’s hands, the man crawled, almost rolling on the dirt ground. Then he tried to vomit out what had just gone down his throat, but nothing came out except thin saliva.

“Ugh! Cough! W-what did you put in me! Ugh! Y-you witch, ack…!”

The man’s cheeks bulged as he staggered, clutching his throat. He looked like a clown with his mouth full of water…

But what poured out from his lips was not water.

“Ugh! Cough…! Guh…”

Every time the man shook his head, bright red blood gushed out in handfuls.

He crawled on the dirty dirt road, twisting his body for a very long time, until it was thoroughly soaked.

“I heard the child’s mother has died.”

Laila’s eyes blinked slowly as she raised her head. For a moment, she seemed not to understand Eustar’s words, but soon she lowered her gaze as if comprehending.

Eustar, who had already washed off the dust and blood and changed into clean new clothes, sat down beside Laila with a worried expression.

She still looked somewhat dazed even after returning to the Adiak branch, and her hair was still tangled with dirt and cobwebs.

“Laila, are you alright?”

Laila’s eyes blinked again. Her lips moved as if to say she was fine, but instead of a voice, only a sharp whistle-like breath passed through once.

“Laila.”

Eustar took her hand. It was cold to the fingertips, not like a living person.

“Laila, look at me.”

Laila’s gaze moved slowly. Her seemingly empty eyes trembled slightly, and light began to return to them little by little.

“It was a big shock.”

As Eustar spoke, Laila’s cheek twitched slightly.

“Yes.” After a long moment, Laila spoke in a trembling voice. “It was. Wouldn’t it be stranger if it wasn’t?”

A faint smile appeared on Eustar’s lips. It was a smile difficult to describe. He seemed to pity her, yet also look down on her.

“That’s why I tried to stop you.”

As Eustar spoke, Laila furrowed her brow and shook off his hand.

“That’s a lie. That’s not why you tried to stop me.”

“Of course, there were other reasons, but I also knew you would see an unpleasant sight. You mentioned it yourself, didn’t you? If I remembered that fisherman from before. Laila, your memory must be as clear as mine. What happened to that man.”

Laila’s shoulders trembled. Eustar removed her dirty jacket and draped his own clean new jacket over her shoulders.

“The energy of a soul that dies with hatred is powerful. Strong enough to create a sync. When such energy is concentrated and attacks… Well, the outcome is quite predictable, isn’t it? You didn’t hand over Rilin’s core to me because you wanted that man to die horribly.”

Laila’s eyes flashed fiercely.

Eustar continued,

“You can’t say that’s not true.”

That’s right. Laila thought. Eustar was correct. Laila had wanted him to die painfully. She wanted him to regret to his bones what he had done to poor little Rilin.

“But I’m not sure if Rilin would have been satisfied.”

Eustar smiled briefly—again, a smile whose intention was hard to guess—and took Laila’s cold hand again.

“I don’t think you need to worry about such things, but I understand why you’re confused. Laila, you…”

Laila interrupted him.

“Are you disappointed?”

Eustar’s eyes widened slightly.

“Why do you say that?”

“It just seems that way.”

Eustar, who had been silently looking at her, burst into low laughter. This time, his intention was relatively clear… He was amused.

“Not at all, Laila. You’re doing very well.”

Laila looked at Eustar with a suspicious gaze. “It doesn’t seem that way,” she replied.

Eustar’s shoulders lifted slightly.

“Well, I don’t know how you’re evaluating yourself, but at least in my opinion, you are. So far, you’ve never disappointed me, Laila. I hope you know I’m sincere. This mission would have been much more difficult without you. We were fortunate that Rilin opened up to you.”

She was so pitiful. Laila answered inwardly. Rilin must have been waiting for someone to see her pain for a very long time. It didn’t have to be her… If only there had been such a person.

“Well,” Eustar said, gripping her hand more firmly. “Let’s get up. We need to go back.”

Laila stared blankly at Eustar’s hand holding hers, then let out a short sigh before standing up.

“Is marrying you all that’s left now, Eustar?”

Eustar, who had been gently leading Laila, smiled softly with closed lips.

“Marriage is left, yes. But that’s not all that’s left. This is just the beginning.”

The two stepped onto the portal. Laila took a deep breath to relax, then looked up at him.

“The beginning?”

Eustar nodded.

“The beginning. As Tentinella, that is.”

So everything up until now was just a rehearsal, huh. Laila thought, and at the same time, the portal began to activate.