Loti didn’t bare her teeth or growl. She simply gazed intently at the monsters with her tail half-lowered, as usual.

The monsters growled again and charged at Loti. Once more, Loti lightly leaped up and clamped her jaws on a monster’s neck.

It seemed unlikely that Loti’s small teeth could pierce the monster’s hide, but something astonishing happened.

As Loti shook the monster’s neck from side to side, it swayed violently as if it were a dandelion seed.

In this manner, Loti killed nine wolf-shaped monsters as easily as if she were hunting rabbits.

“Huh…?”

Cordelia couldn’t close her mouth, which had been open the entire time.

‘Could I have hit my head, passed out, and now I’m dreaming?’

Such a rational doubt crossed her mind.

Otherwise, it was unrealistic for a dog that barely reached Cordelia’s thigh to kill so many monsters.

Loti, her mouth covered in blood, trudged towards Cordelia. Then she spoke calmly.

[I told you not to come to Diloana’s territory. Look at the trouble you’ve caused. Tsk.]

“Wh-what? L-Loti, did you just speak?”

[It seems you can hear me here, at least.]

“You, weren’t you a low-grade monster? How can you talk? No, more importantly, how did you kill those beasts?”

[One question at a time, young human. We have plenty of time.]

* * *

“Is that even possible?”

“I couldn’t believe it either. To think Loti was actually the monster known as the Fifth Calamity… I thought she was just a stray dog from the neighborhood.”

Cordelia muttered, looking at the gray dog that appeared completely ordinary, scratching its ear with its hind leg.

Baron also seemed unable to immediately believe her words, but the corpses of the monsters were proof enough.

Still dazed, Cordelia recalled their recent conversation.

‘My name is Laustonio. The Fifth Calamity of Glendny, the Forest of Negation and Tears.’

‘Fifth Calamity? What’s that?’

‘Well, if I were to explain… Hmm. Just think of me as a monster that has survived for a very long time, human.’

‘How long have you lived?’

‘Let’s see. In human terms, it’s been well over five hundred years. But I’ve only had this self-awareness and personality for about a hundred years.’

‘…Should I call you Lord Lau… since you’re such an ancient monster?’

‘Call me whatever you like. By the way, how many times did I warn you not to go to Diloana’s territory? I told you countless times that woman is cunning and cruel, yet you stubbornly came here.’

‘What? When did you ever tell me such things?’

‘Those with righteous hearts can hear all that I say.’

Cordelia, suddenly branded as someone with a crooked heart, pouted.

Loti looked at the sky, which was gradually darkening, and said:

[Diloana is a cunning wench. It would be best to leave this forest after doing what you must.]

“Don’t worry, Loti. Master has already broken the barrier.”

“That’s right. Moreover, she has already surrendered her body to Master and capitulated.”

Baron added kindly. However, far from being reassured, Loti clicked her tongue.

[Tsk tsk tsk. Foolish humans. Do you know how Diloana absorbs the essence of living things? She pretends to be weak and pitiful, then swallows her target whole when they let their guard down. She’s truly vicious.]

For a moment, the image of her crying like a child flashed in Cordelia’s mind. If that was all an act…

Baron shuddered. Then he looked back in the direction they had come from.

“Master is currently with Maximilian and Diloana. If what she says is true, we must hurry back.”

“Maximilian? Maximilian is here? How?”

“It seems he’s been following us since the Wilas Islands. Master appeared to know already.”

“Then we must go immediately! Oh, but… What about Beluce? If we leave him like this, the monsters will come again.”

“I will carry him on my back.”

“You, Baron?”

Despite being smaller in stature compared to Beluce, Baron easily hoisted him onto his back without showing any signs of strain.

Finding Leonard wasn’t difficult. They just had to walk straight towards the source of smoke and flames.

“J-just a little slower…”

Cordelia panted, calling out to Baron’s receding back. Baron, carrying a grown man, was moving faster than Cordelia.

Seeing her falling behind, Baron came back.

“Shall we rest for a bit?”

“No, it’s not that bad. Let’s just walk a bit slower. My side has been hurting since earlier.”

Cordelia barely caught her breath, clutching her left side. Covered in blood, even a brief touch left her hand stained red.

Baron significantly reduced his stride as she requested.

“I didn’t get to ask earlier, but how did you end up in this forest?”

“After Master broke the barrier, there was a magical storm. Loti and I were caught up in it.”

“That happened?”

“Yes. But I guess it worked out well. After all, Master needs me to use the soul transfer magic, right?”

Baron briefly held his breath and turned to look at Cordelia, surprised by her specific statement.

“…You knew? How… Ah. I suppose the one on my back told you.”

“Beluce has quite a loose tongue.”

“So that’s why you’ve looked troubled these past few days.”

Now he understood why she had looked so unwell since disembarking from the ship until just before coming here.

“Baron. Can I ask you one thing?”

“Ask me anything.”

They continued walking briskly towards where Leonard was. The acrid smoke was now close enough to smell, indicating they were getting near.

“Did Master take me on as a disciple intending to use me from the start?”

“Hmm…”

The longer his groan lasted, the darker Cordelia’s expression became, even though she already knew the answer. Baron sighed briefly before speaking.

“To be honest, that was my intention when I recommended you to Master.”

It’s said that without expectations, there can be no disappointment, but it seems she had harbored too many expectations for these people.

She thought she had sorted everything out, but feelings of betrayal and disappointment resurfaced. It felt as if all the time they had spent together was being negated.

“I see. From the very beginning…”

“But Master opposed it.”

“He opposed it? Really?”

Cordelia’s face brightened as she lifted her head. Just that was enough to raise her sunken spirits back to the surface.

“Yes. I’m not sure how much Beluce told you, but Master was against that method from the start. The magical power was insufficient, and the success rate wasn’t particularly high either…”

He paused briefly, then looked directly at Cordelia’s face.

“Master cares for you deeply.”

“…”

“You’re the first person to become so close to Leonard in such a short time. Though he may appear cold and heartless on the surface, he’s extremely weak and soft towards his own people.”

“Then.”

“So don’t worry too much. Master probably won’t use you as a medium.”

Baron’s words were as sweet as honey, and Cordelia wanted to believe them wholeheartedly. However, she knew all too well how thin human faith and goodwill could be.

Hadn’t Cordelia herself just demonstrated that? If Loti had arrived a little later, she would have abandoned Beluce and fled alone.

“Then how will Master return to his original body? Is there another way?”

“That…”

Baron couldn’t continue, not knowing the answer himself. Cordelia voiced the thoughts she had been organizing over the past few days.

“Even if Master uses me as a medium, I won’t resent him. After going to the Magic Association, I realized how great Master is and what a tremendous fortune it is to learn under him. Though he always scolded me, I was happy and enjoyed learning, so I… I’m okay with it.”

“Lady Cordelia.”

“Let’s go. Master must be waiting for us.”

Cordelia forced a smile and took the lead.

The mental preparation she had done over the past few days proved helpful. She struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to fall again.

When you think about it, it’s just going back to how things were before she knew Leonard. No, actually, the situation is even better now, so there’s no reason to be so sad.

She comforted herself as she moved forward.

Baron quietly walked alongside Cordelia without adding anything. Leonard’s figure could now be seen in the distance.