The news that a War Game would be held spread like wildfire among the gods.
Of course the adventurers and citizens of Orario couldn't help but notice the jubilant
and high-spirited deities all around the city. It was no time at all before every living
thing on the surface of the Labyrinth City knew what was going to happen.
Something else transpired just mere moments after Hestia and Apollo's
announcement had been made official.
"That's it, that tower has to be…!"
Bell had left Apollo Familia's home at a dead sprint and worked his way through a city
much more active than usual. Weaving through unfamiliar territory, he arrived at the
northernmost block. One month ago now, he trained with her on top of the city wall.
Doing his best to remember the landmarks she taught him, Bell desperately searched
to find the building she called home.
The white-haired boy practically flew down North Main Street, furiously pumping his
arms in perfect rhythm with his strides. The side streets webbed out around him; his
eyes desperately scanned for something familiar.
He turned into one side street filled with decorative houses and well-known
structures. Bell kept his eyes on the rooftops, trying to find the one that was higher
than the others. A few more turns and suddenly he found himself outside Loki
Familia's home, the Twilight Manor.
"You there, halt!"
"State your business!"
"Let me talk to Aiz… Let me talk to Aiz Wallenstein!"
A man and woman immediately blocked the intruder's path at the entrance to their
home. The boy pleaded with them to allow him to meet with Aiz.
The male guard took a look at the frantic boy's face, his eyebrows sinking lower and
lower as he started to connect the dots.
"You, Little Rookie…? What's the big idea, trying to meet with her?!"
Bell's white hair and red eyes must have tipped him off. The guard immediately came
to the defense of his ally, trying to protect her from this outsider. However, Bell
couldn't afford to back down.
The boy asked the guards many times to let him see Aiz, but he couldn't explain
himself. The guards' voices grew steadily louder and angrier as the boy's pleas became
more and more desperate. It didn't take long for other members of the Familia to make
their way outside.
"…!"
A group of twenty adventurers emerged from the building that was built like a wall of
spears with several towers reaching out to the sky. They spread out just behind the
two guards, ready to defend their home against the intruder. Bell's situation had just
become that much more perilous.
The new arrivals started shouting threats, calling him "pitiful," "shameless," and
"reckless," among others… They already knew that Hestia Familia would be taking part
in the War Game and believed he wanted to convince Aiz to join the fight—a fox
recruiting a tiger for her claws. They would do everything in their power to drive him
away. Their desire to protect their ally quickly turned to anger—how dare he use her
for his own gain?
Fear consumed the boy's body as he took a step back out of reflex.
He knew full well that what he was doing was shameful.
But he was unwilling to turn his back.
He only had a small window oftime to get stronger,to overcome the gap that separated
him from his new enemy. The only way he knew to become stronger than Hyacinthus
in time was to learn from Aiz once again. Just like how she had made him strong
enough to take down a Minotaur.
The fact that Lilly had been kidnapped was still eating at him inside. Instead of rushing
to save her, he was standing out here getting yelled at. Every moment he wasn't
making progress to rescue her or getting stronger felt like an eternity.
"Let me see Aiz!" he pleaded with the mob again, bowing over and over. Every muscle
in his face was squeezed to its limit.
"What's all this?"
A voice cut through the chaos.
The mob of adventurers immediately fell silent. Bell stopped moving, his eyes glued
forward.
A top-class adventurer, the Amazonian girl Tione Hyrute, walked out onto the lawn.
As was normal for her race, she wore clothing that exposed a great deal of her wheatcolored skin. Her long black hair swished back and forth over her shoulders and down
her back as she approached.
The mob quickly parted, allowing her to pass. She walked directly up to Bell.
One of the guards leaned close to whisper into her ear and explained everything that
had happened so far. The Amazonian girl's eyes flashed at Bell.
"Be gone from here. I cannot allow this mockery to continue."
"…?!"
Tione showed no sympathy. She had delivered the will of Loki Familia in place of their
leader, Finn.
Her tone was cold and her stare showed no willingness to listen. Bell cowered in her
presence. She crossed her arms, aura unyielding and overwhelming. A moment later,
she grabbed both of Bell's shoulders and pushed him away from the front entrance.
"W-wait! Miss Tione?! Please, just hear me out…!"
Bell was forced to step backward to stay upright. Her strength overpowered him in no
time as Bell was driven farther and farther away from his last hope.
His body shook, trying to push forward, when Tione leaned in close.
"—Turn right from here and go two blocks down that street."
"!"
Her voice was quiet so as not to be overheard by the onlookers.
Tione ignored the look of shock on Bell's face and gave him one last shove into the
street.
Her face might as well have been carved from stone, emotionless as she stared at him
for a long moment before turning her back. Bell watched her long black hair dance
behind her, unable to move or speak. The Amazonian girl walked swiftly back through
the mob and into the building.
At long last, Bell's muscles started to respond. Slowly at first, he backed away from
Loki Familia. Feeling the angry glares of the adventurer mob, Bell backtracked down
the same street that he had come… The boy took off running the moment he was out
of sight.
He followed Tione's directions, running through a dim back alley with his heart racing
and fighting for breath. One block, two blocks and—
"Ah! Hey, Aiz! Argonaut's here—!"
"Aiz?! And—Miss Tiona?!"
Standing there to greet him were none other than the saber-wielding Aiz and the other
Amazonian girl, Tiona, with some kind of large sheath resting over her shoulders.
Bell froze in surprise, but Tiona greeted him like a friend as the two girls walked up to
meet him.
"We saw you from the window, Argonaut. Some kind of magic-stone lamp went off in
Aiz's head, and we asked Tione to meet you."
Tiona went on to explain the other side of the story.
Aiz had figured out immediately what Bell was doing when he appeared at their front
door. The look in his eyes told her that the boy wanted another round of training.
However, they couldn't allow the mob to see her, so they sent Tione outside to deliver
a message.
Whether she wanted to help out her friend or she was just along for the fun, Tiona was
completely on board with the idea.
"…Aiz, is this okay?"
Bell took a very cautious step forward as he spoke.
She had no reason to teach him anything, Bell was asking for a huge favor. Since their
Familias were not working together, she'd be doing this on her own as well as face the
consequences it might bring.
Bell's words hung in the air for a moment, tension rising. Finally, Aiz gave him her
answer.
"I cannot fight for you or alongside you… You have to do your best, and then…"
"Yep, yep! This is your fight, Argonaut!"
Tiona interpreted Aiz's vague words before—whoosh!—pointing her finger right at
him.
Bell broke out in a cold sweat. Aiz continued.
"I think it would be wrong to… abandon you."
"Aiz…"
The look in the girl's golden eyes made Bell's heart melt. Completely ignoring the
sudden change in mood, Tiona jumped back into the conversation.
"This is fine, no problem. If Aiz whips Argonaut into shape, the War Game will be more
entertaining! Loki'n all the rest'll be thrilled for sure!"
Bell could only grimace at the thought. If the difference in power between him and
Apollo Familia wasn't so staggering, their fight would be more fun to watch. Aiz looked
at the Amazon and lightly smiled.
"But for me, Apollo Familia is going about this all wrong. Way over-the-top, dirty, I just
can't stand it…"
Tiona's cheek twitched for a moment before she looked at the boy and grinned from
ear to ear.
"So I'm gonna help you, too, Argonaut!"
"Wait, so that means…"
"Yep! You're stuck with me, too!"
Bell looked at Aiz, unsure what to say. She nodded back to him.
Getting over the shock of this turn of events, Bell wasted no time in showing his
appreciation to the girls.
"Really, I can't thank you enough…"
"Relax, relax, it's nothing! Let's go, time's a-wastin'!"
"Yes."
Bell swore to himself right then and there that he would find some way to repay them
for their kindness. He was in their debt.
Tiona was so excited that she thrust her large apparatus straight up, a childish smile
on her face. Bell and Aiz followed her down the backstreet.
Their destination: the same place they'd trained before—the northwest city wall.
Bell's training under two top-class adventurers was about to begin.
The Guild officially approved the War Game between Hestia and Apollo almost
immediately.
At the same time, preparations began all around the city.
However, no one was busier than the Guild employees. They had to find a way to allow
both sides to unleash their full potential within the rules of the game while posing no
danger to the citizens of Orario. The combatants would need supplies, directions, and
most of all a stage on which to conduct the War Game. It could start any day; there was
no time to waste. They also had to accommodate the wishes of the gods.
There wasn't a soul in the city, adventurer or otherwise, who wasn't waiting with bated
breath for the conditions of the War Game to be announced. In the meantime, all they
could do was prepare.
"—Is Hestia still not here today?!"
On the thirtieth floor of Babel Tower in the center of Orario…
Apollo had reached his breaking point.
Many gods and goddesses had gathered around a circular table in the center of the
web of high pillars that supported a lofty ceiling. The rules and style of the War Game
were to be decided by the two participating gods as well as the observers—in order
to squeeze every possible ounce of entertainment out of the event—at this Denatus
meeting.
Three days had passed since the assault on Hestia Familia.
Apollo had become irritated that his opponent refused to show her face. She excused
her absence by claiming to be "sick" for the past few days. Despite her assertion that
she was not physically well enough to take part in the meeting, it was clear as day that
she was stalling for time.
Apollo angrily paced around his chair, insisting that she was concocting an escape
plan. The moment he finished his rant, the doors to the tall chamber swung open.
"Sorry I'm late. I apologize for keeping you waiting."
Although her words were polite, she didn't sound the least bit sorry. Miach strode in
beside her.
What's more, she showed no remorse for keeping the Denatus at a standstill. Apollo
scowled at her.
"You're very late, Hestia. How do you plan to take responsibility for delaying Denatus
to this extent?"
"It's not my fault I got a fever after being chased around the city by your followers. For
a while there, I thought I was a goner."
Hestia once again brought up her health to circumvent Apollo's complaints. Miach
sided with Hestia, backing up her claim.
"Yes, she was in dire straits."
"Yah, yah, Itty-Bitty's a moron, but enough burnin' time. Can't we get goin'?"
Loki was leaning back in her chair, one eyebrow raised and hands behind her head as
if she were out of patience as well. All of the deities returned to their seats and the
discussion finally got under way.
The first order of business was for Hestia and Apollo to sign the necessary paperwork
with everyone present as witnesses.
"Once I'm victorious, I claim Bell Cranell."
"…"
"I want to make that perfectly clear. There will be no petty excuses or far-fetched
assertions after everything is over. Should Hestia win, she's free to demand whatever
her little heart desires."
The possibility of defeat didn't seem to cross Apollo's mind. He wanted only one thing:
ownership of Bell Cranell and his immediate transfer into Apollo Familia. Hestia
remained quiet. The deity in charge of keeping notes for the meeting responded with
an "All right, then" as he recorded their terms.
Next up, they needed to decide how the War Game would be fought.
"One-on-one, the best of our Familias settle everything. Wouldn't that be exciting?"
Hestia didn't even look at Apollo as she made her suggestion from her spot at the
round table.
"It could be held at the Coliseum for everyone to see. The final battle right in front of
our eyes. How could anyone not be entertained?"
"I agree. Watching all of Apollo's children attack Bell one after the other sounds rather
boring."
"I second the motion."
Apollo's hostile gaze first fell on Hestia and then to her allies, Miach and Takemikazuchi.
Quite a few heads around the table started to nod, seeing the logic in her reasoning.
"What say you, Apollo?" "That's the Ox Killer you're fighting!"
"A strong opponent in a one-on-one duel, sounds good to me."
"…"
The deities around the table grinned in Apollo's direction. They were on no one's side;
they simply enjoyed watching Apollo's reaction.
The blond deity wearing a crown of laurels put on a calm face before grinning once
again.
"The only reason that your Familia isn't larger is entirely due to your laziness, Hestia,
when it comes to recruiting."
"Muh…"
"You can cry all you want about your lack of children, but that's no reason for me to
have to accommodate."
"Grrrr," Hestia growled under her breath as Apollo pointed out that the size of the
Familia was completely under the god's control.
It was true that Hestia wanted to always be alone with Bell and had never tried to
increase the size of her Familia.
"In the interest of fairness, why don't we draw for it?"
Unable to defend her position, Hestia remained silent as Apollo suggested a different
solution. "Sure," came the voice of their transcriber as he pulled a box out from under
the table and placed it on top.
Each of the gods in attendance wrote how they would like to see the War Game be
played on a sheet of paper. The papers were collected and put into the box. Of course,
Hestia wrote "DUEL" in big, bold letters and shoved her paper into the box.
All that was left was to decide who would draw.
"I can't trust anyone who has sided with Apollo."
"…The feeling's mutual. I won't accept a paper drawn by Miach or Takemikazuchi."
Hestia and Apollo issued their conditions in curt, sharp tones.
In that case… Both of the deities looked around the table, their gazes stopping on one
god in particular.
""Hermes""
"Ehhh… Seriously?"
Hestia's and Apollo's voices overlapped as they said his name in unison.
Shocked by his sudden selection, Hermes forced a smile without thinking.
"My dear friend, I leave it in your hands."
"I'm counting on you, Hermes."
Apollo, who had known Hermes since their days in Tenkai, solemnly nodded. Hestia
looked up at the charming deity with trusting eyes.
This happened because Hermes had always taken the stance of the go-between and
had never taken sides in these situations. "Looks like I gotta," he said in a deflated
voice, accepting the role thrust upon him by the other two deities. He stood from his
chair and made his way around the table. Every set of eyes in the room followed him.
"Please be gentle…"
Hermes whispered to himself as he slowly lowered his hand into the box.
Hestia was on the edge of her seat, unable to breathe as Hermes withdrew one sheet
of paper and unfolded it.
Hermes's face went pale as he paused, an empty smile on his face as he opened his
mouth to speak.
"Castle Siege."
—Slam! Hestia drove both of her fists onto the table, teeth clenched.
"Fa-ha-ha-ha-hahaha! This decision was reached fair and square. This is final!"
Apollo's roar of laughter echoed throughout the chamber.
Whether on the attack or defending, this style of War Game required a large number
of warriors. Most likely, Hermes drew the paper written by Apollo himself. "That's
Hermes for ya." "Can't wait!" The other deities reacted to the decision, chatting
amongst themselves.
Hermes looked up at the ceiling in disappointment while Hestia's face turned red,
shaking in anger. Apollo, on the other hand, was in a very good mood.
"It's impossible to defend the castle with just one person. So I concede the attacking
role to Hestia."
Apollo was all smiles as his words were recorded.
Hestia's molars were halfway into her tongue out of frustration as the worst possible
outcome had come to pass. Her shoulders started to droop…"Excuse me, may I have
the floor?" Hermes spoke up.
"Apollo, this puts Hestia at an extreme disadvantage… It's completely unfair. And I'm
sure many of us here will get bored watching it."
"…"
"Therefore, I would like to propose outsiders be allowed to participate in this battle."
Hermes's proposal to allow members of other Familias to join the War Game in order
to even the numbers made Apollo frown.
"…Hermes, I know what you're trying to do: playing something off like it's no big deal
while at the same time forcing me into a corner. Don't think for a moment I'll let it
happen."
Bringing up their rough relationship in the past, Apollo forced a smile of his own as he
tried to stop Hermes's plan in its tracks.
Apollo declared that he wouldn't accept such a ridiculous proposition.
"All participants in the War Game must be contractually bound to a Familia directly
involved, that's the rule. The presence of other Familias on the field of battle would
only disgrace the gods at war."
"Well, that's not wrong."
"Also, should a top-class adventurer choose to join Hestia's side, that would put me in
danger. I happen to know that Hephaistos is rather friendly with Hestia as well."
Apollo continued his response to Hermes as he looked at all of the gods around the
table in turn.
Hephaistos's followers were recognized not only for their skills as blacksmiths but for
their exploits on the battlefield as well. Their goddess took one look at Apollo, folded
her arms, and said, "I would do no such thing."
Apollo sneered back at her, unwilling to take her at her word, when—
"My, my, Apollo. Are you frightened?"
"Freya…"
The silver-haired goddess had been sitting quietly in her chair up until now. A small
smile bloomed on her lips.
"Are you afraid to fight more than one enemy at a time?"
"Don't take me for a fool…"
"So then, you don't trust your children? Is that the extent of your love for them?"
The deity with the power to control love itself took a shot at the pride of the god who
loves too passionately. Apollo's jaws clenched together, strong enough to make them
cry out under the pressure. Sure enough, a large group of male deities sided with Freya
and voted to allow the addition of outsiders. The Denatus instantly shook with fervor.
—So Freya is interested in Bell.
While the silver-haired goddess's words set off alarm bells in Hestia's mind, this was
not the time or the place to voice them. If the Goddess of Beauty's actions would make
even the slightest difference in Bell's predicament, she had to accept them with open
arms.
Perturbed by this turn of events, Apollo gave in and agreed to accept one part of
Hermes's suggestion.
"…Fine, then. There may be one outsider. However, that outsider must belong to a
Familia outside of Orario."
You monster! Hestia's lips formed the words, but no sound came out as her shoulders
fell.
Disregarding sheer numbers, the average strength of a Familia located in Orario was
much higher than that of the Familias residing outside its walls. Most of that was due
to the fact that Orario's top-class adventurers were just too powerful.
There were more than likely a few Familias operating close to Orario with adventurers
above Level 2. The difficult part was making contact with one of them and negotiating
some kind of deal before the start of the War Game. It was a next-to-impossible task.
There were no objections to Apollo's conditions. The new rules were added to the War
Game as is. Even Freya didn't try to interfere.
The blond-haired god looked thoroughly pleased with himself as he glanced over at a
silent and despairing Hestia.
"We can't be usin' just any old castle, so let's get the Guild in on this. We can work out
the date then, too. Shall we call it a day?"
Loki called an end to the Denatus. Chairs scraped on the floor as the deities made their
way out. Apollo took his time, sneering at Hestia before disappearing through the exit.
Hestia could do nothing but glare back at him. She let out a long sigh as soon as he was
out of sight. Soon, only Miach, Takemikazuchi, and other friends of hers remained in
the chamber.
"Sorry about that, Hestia. I kind of put you in a rough spot."
"No, Hermes, it's not your fault."
Hermes was the first to approach Hestia and offered his own apology. She shook her
head no. No matter how much she didn't like it, the decision had been reached using
a fair draw. It was a miracle that an outsider would be allowed to participate. It was
all thanks to the fact that the gods and goddesses were thirsty for a good show, and
Freya, that her side was given some favoritism during the meeting.
All of the rules were in place, so Hestia made up her mind to do everything she could
with the pieces she had. Her eyes burned with the desire to find a way to win.
Mentally flipping a switch, Hestia turned her attention to the other matter that needed
to be resolved.
"So tell me, Hermes, did you find out where our supporter is being held?"
She hadn't been standing around doing nothing while feigning illness for the past
three days. She had tapped every resource she could to find out what happened to Lilly
after she was taken by Soma Familia, including asking Hermes for his cooperation.
"In fact, I did. That is to say, Asfi did. It looks like little Lilly was taken to Soma's storage
facility."
"A wine cellar?! Not their home?"
"That's right. Soma bought a big building just for storing his wine. Guess his home
wasn't big enough."
Hestia doubted his words, but Hermes was serious.
The deity continued to relay the information.
"It's located in the southeast, close to Daidaros Street. Apparently the security is pretty
tight, tighter than their home. Upper-class adventurers are crawling all over the place."
"…"
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to keep my children out of this. I won't ask them to fight…
What will you do?"
Hestia's head snapped up in response to Hermes's question.
"I'm going, of course."
She'd promised Bell.
That's what she told them.
A dirty magic-stone lamp cast faint light onto the stone walls.
Feeling a cold slab against her cheek, Lilly's eyes fluttered open.
She lay on her stomach, hands tied behind her back. Ignoring the aches and pains in
her body, the prum girl lifted her head to look around. Nothing had changed in her
dark prison cell since she was first brought here. Locked in a cage, she couldn't help
but feel that she was a sorry sight to see.
She followed Zanis's orders to the letter and was brought to the Familia's wine cellar.
She'd been locked up in here ever since.
This floor was designed to hold the Familia members who had violated the rules or
gotten a little bit too drunk off the divine wine. She was bound with a metallic wire
strong enough to keep lower-class adventurers restrained indefinitely. Several of
these compartments were used to store tools as well as serve as a makeshift jail inside
the complex. Lilly was being treated as a prisoner as a punishment for the extended
length of time she'd spent away from the Familia.
Having lost all sense of time, Lilly had no idea how many days had passed since the
battle in the streets.
Lilly wiggled her body into the corner of her cell where a small dish of water had been
mercifully left for her. Lifting her head off the floor, she put her lips into the liquid.
Part of her was embarrassed about her miserable condition, but she had been
expecting something like this.
The days that she'd spent with Bell were special, but now she'd live her life by slurping
the dirty water she was given.
Mr. Bell, Mr. Welf, Lady Hestia…
Were they okay?
That was all she thought about.
No one was guarding her outside of the prison, and stone bricks don't make the best
conversation. She had no way of knowing what was going on outside. But not once did
she consider trying to escape. The knowledge that she had fallen to the same level as
a prisoner tore a fresh hole in her spirit.
The stone floor was cold and damp. Her body shivered as she drank.
The magic-stone lamp outside her iron cage flickered like a candle about to go out.
"…"
Ker-tap, ker-tap. Noises started coming from the end of the hallway outside her cell,
the sound of someone coming down the stairwell.
Lilly willed her body off the floor and into a sitting position. Sure enough, a long
shadow was growing on the other side of the bars. Zanis's shadow.
"How are you feeling, Erde?"
"…Horrible."
The man looked down at her through the bars as Lilly practically spat her answer at
his feet.
He smiled ironically at her, his arms folded behind his back.
"Sorry about this. You see, the past three days have been very busy, collecting
information and whatnot. I haven't had time to step away until now. Forgive me."
"…Mr. Bell is still okay? Mr. Zanis really hasn't done anything to him?"
"I'm a man of my word. I swear on the name of Lord Soma."
Lilly finally got an opportunity to ask the question that had been burning inside her
for three days. While she didn't entirely trust him, she decided to believe his words for
now. That settled, there was something else that she wanted to know.
"Why… does Mr. Zanis care about Lilly?"
She asked in the most serious, dry voice she could muster.
She knew he'd said that he needed her when the man took her away. She clearly
remembered that moment.
Just like Kanu, the man who had left her for dead, Zanis often took money from her.
Never once had he offered a helping hand. She believed him to be a man who saw her
only as an insect that occasionally had vals worth taking.
"It's come to my attention that you are worth quite a lot." Zanis's smile deepened. "You
can't imagine how happy I was to learn you were alive. I considered capturing you the
other day when you appeared before Lord Soma by yourself… but we were already in
negotiations with Apollo Familia. We still needed you for our justification after we had
secured their payment. You played your part very well."
As a result, everything went according to plan, or so the man claimed. Lilly was vaguely
aware of her gaze sharpening as she listened to more of his story.
"…Lilly is useless, not worth anything."
"No, no, I have a use for you. I realized that you were saving up a great deal of money
in secret. I believe that anyone with fingers as sticky as yours deserves to be
recognized for their talents.
"But above all…" He let his words hang as he pushed his glasses back up his face with
one finger.
"You have a rather 'unusual' kind of Magic, do you not?"
Lilly's eyes shot open at the mention of her magic, Cinder Ella.
With the exception of Bell, Welf, and Hestia, she had never told the secret to anyone.
"Lord Soma told me," said Zanis in response to the look of surprise on her face. Soma
was the one who'd found that Magic in her excelia and enabled her to use it. Of course
he would have known.
Lilly thought about the time frame and came to the conclusion that Zanis probably
knew about her Magic before she'd feigned her death.
"Just to check… Erde, you can transform yourself into a monster, correct?"
"…What would it mean if Lilly could?"
A dark crackle of laughter escaped the man's lips.
Zanis's eyes narrowed in an evil grin as he looked down at Lilly like a wolf that just
cornered its prey.
"There's a project in which I would love your participation. Nothing much, just a new
business venture."
"And that is…?"
"Luring out monsters, capturing them, and selling them for profit… Isn't that simple?"
That's insane!—Lilly mocked him in her thoughts.
Even if a wild monster were tamed, said monster would only listen to the tamer.
Should the tamed monster be locked inside a small room and ordered to wait by its
tamer, it would still mercilessly attack anyone else who came near it. That's why tamed
monsters were never used for the carriages and other difficult tasks around town.
Monsters considered humans to be their mortal enemy; there was no way around it.
They were completely different from obedient slaves.
"Monsters have no value."
"Heh-heh… I'm not so sure."
An unmistakable twinge of greed passed through Zanis's smiling eyes as he laughed
off the girl's remark.
Anger began to take hold of Lilly. She glared daggers back up at the man. Even her vain
attempts to show respect disappeared.
"Is that the reason you brought Lilly back, back into Soma Familia… The reason you
got involved in the attack on Bell?"
"Yes, that was regrettable."
The tone of his voice turned up a notch, getting excited.
His mask of intelligence gone, Zanis's true character was beginning to emerge.
"I want Lord Soma's Divine Wine. I want money and women, too. I want to taste the
most exquisite dishes—I want every pleasure this world has to offer!"
BAM! Zanis slammed his boot into one of the iron bars.
The cage had been designed to be strong enough to keep unruly adventurers under
control without breaking. But Zanis's Status was too high for it to withstand that kind
of blow, and it bent under the impact. Lilly stared in silence, eyes trembling, at the
boot-shaped dent in the bar.
The avarice in his voice was far beyond anything Lilly had ever heard before—much
more hideous than those under the influence of the Divine Wine, soma.
"I love this Familia. No matter how many questionable endeavors I try my hand at, our
god doesn't say a word. He's too busy with that hobby of his to give a shit what any of
us do. It's the ultimate freedom!"
"…Lilly can see your true colors."
"Oops."
Zanis tried to cover half of his malicious smile with his hand. Taking his boot out of
the bent iron bar, the man straightened his posture and continued on, business as
usual.
The anger in Lilly's stomach burned brighter when she realized that this man cared
nothing for Lord Soma. It went without saying that Soma Familia's current condition
was partly due to their god's neglect, but the man standing in front of her deserved a
great deal of the blame.
Lilly's eyes flared as she looked up at the man, a thin smile on his face. That's when it
happened.
"…?"
"The alarm bell… Are we under attack?"
Even the thick stone walls of this prison couldn't keep out the piercing resonance
ringing out upstairs.
The hurried thuds of hundreds of footsteps sounded above their heads, mixed in with
the high-pitched tone of the bell. Falling to her stomach, Lilly looked up, down, and all
around for a clue as to what was going on.
"Chandra! Where are you?! Tell me what the hell is going on!"
Zanis yelled at the top of his lungs down the hall toward the staircase to the surface.
The hallway was still for a moment as the man's voice faded into nothingness. A few
heartbeats later, a very annoyed-looking dwarf appeared at the base of the stairwell.
"You could go have a look fer yourself… or are those feet of yers fer decoration?"
"Enough sass. What's happening?"
"A few 'mice' got into the maze. From a few Familias… A young-lookin' goddess was
with 'em."
A bearded dwarf with short hair and an inhospitable air about him, Chandra glanced
at Lilly as he approached the prison cell.
The girl's heart jumped at the mention of a "young-looking goddess." Zanis's eyes
narrowed as he came to the same conclusion about the identity of the intruders.
"Where are they now?"
"Fightin' in the first-floor foyer."
"Is that so? In that case—we need to exterminate the pests. I'll take command."
Lilly's face turned a shade paler in fright. Frantically kicking her legs, she managed to
get her body up against the bars with her hands still tied behind her back.
"You're breaking your promise?! You said that Lady Hestia wouldn't be harmed!"
"She came to attack us. It's not my fault if she gets burned by her own flame."
"Lilly will convince her to leave! Please, let Lilly talk to her…!"
"Absolutely not. I can't allow my beloved ally to be put in such danger. I bet they're here
looking for you."
Zanis's claim that he needed to protect her was the final straw. Lilly's fury ignited.
"Lilly refuses to work with you if the promise is broken!"
"How unfortunate…"
Zanis closed his eyes and calmly walked up to the iron bars.
A sneer on his lips, he leaned down to look Lilly in the face.
"Then it can't be helped. I've got a bottle of soma with your name on it. I'll make sure
you drink every last drop."
"—"
Lilly froze.
"Soma's influence should turn you into a very dependable servant… You'll be happy to
comply with every order I give you."
The "absolute" that was created by Soma.
A merciless drink that turned the hearts of the people of Gekai into an endless spiral
of drunken ecstasy and unbearable craving.
Not too long ago, one sip of the concoction was enough to make Lilly covet it more
than life itself.
"!"
Not caring if her skull cracked, Lilly whipped her head forward in an attempt to inflict
any amount of pain possible on Zanis.
Dunnnn. But the iron bars got in the way. The sound reverberated throughout the cell
as her head bounced off. The man just smiled as he watched a trickle of blood work its
way down the girl's face, thoroughly enjoying every second of the hatred emanating
from the girl's eyes.
"Chandra, keep Erde in here for me."
"Humph…"
The dwarf didn't respond to his leader's order, only turned his back on the prison cell
and sat down. Zanis only shrugged in response before disappearing from Lilly's line
of sight.
She wanted to yell out, get him to come back, but no words would come out of her
shaking throat. The man had been planning on breaking his promise and even
intended to turn her into nothing more than his drunken pet from the start.
Dammit all! Lilly gritted her teeth and decided that now was the time to break out of
her cell.
The only reason for her to stay was gone. She had to help Lady Hestia and the others
escape.
"…!"
She worked her way into Chandra's blind spot and began to vigorously pull at her
bindings.
But the dwarf just sat there, taking swigs of wine from the calabash strapped to his
back. The wires dug deeper and deeper into her wrists as she fought. She called upon
every trick she'd learned as a thief—including how to quietly trigger her magic. The
claws of a werewolf grew on her fingers, allowing her to loosen the grip of the wires
just enough to get her hands free.
However, she kept her hands behind her back to hide the fact that she was loose. Now
all that was left was figuring out how to escape without the guard noticing.
Lilly's mind kicked into high gear as she tried to find a way to get out of the cell without
drawing Chandra's attention.
But it was the dwarf who spoke up.
"Ya want out, get out."
Lilly was stunned.
Chandra didn't even bother to look at her, only wrapped his massive palm around the
lock of the cell and yanked it clean off the door frame.
"Wh-why… did you go against Mr. Zanis's order?"
"I hate his guts."
The loathing in his voice was more intense than the sounds of battle raining down
from upstairs.
"I came ta this city 'cause I heard I could drink the most fillin', most delicious wine
around. That's how I found this Familia. But now it's nothin' more than that man's toy.
No amount of our god's wine can satisfy me."
Lilly stared at the side of the dwarf's face as he took another swig from his calabash.
Chandra Ihit, an upper-class adventurer at Level 2, same as Zanis.
Never once had he extended a helping hand when Lilly was alone and tormented by
other members of the Familia. At the same time, he had never joined in.
"Got a feelin' you hate him just as much as I do. So, I'm lookin' the other way."
He took another look over his shoulder. Chandra's deep brown eyes met Lilly's
chestnut gaze.
Lilly decided to believe his rather simplistic desire for delicious wine and seized the
opportunity.
"Thank you very much."
After a quick show of gratitude, Lilly ran out of the cell.
Being restrained and locked up for three days had taken its toll on her body. Tripping
over her feet several times, Lilly ascended the stairwell to the surface as fast as she
could.
"…?!"
She emerged at the end of another long stone hallway, but the sounds of battle were
coming from the other side of the wall.
The clash of metal on metal, desperate yells and screams of pain—every sound was
like a knife through Lilly's heart. She couldn't stand it. Looking around to find a way
through, her eyes managed to catch light coming through a window at the other end
of the hallway. She wasted no time getting there.
The window was slightly higher than her head and barred off just like her cell was
belowground. She jumped off the ground, grabbed the bars, and stuck her head
between them.
"Mr. Welf, Miss Mikoto, too…?!"
Despite her very restricted view of the battle, Lilly saw many familiar faces engaging
Soma Familia in combat.
The inner courtyard was wide and littered with piles of boxes, some of which
stretched all the way up to the roof. However, the area was absolutely flooded with
enemies. Welf and Ouka protected the front lines, Mikoto providing them with blindside protection. Nahza and Chigusa supported them from a slight distance. Their
whole group had been forced into the corner of the courtyard by the seemingly
endless onslaught of Soma Familia.
Most of their enemies were lower-class adventurers, but their numbers were
overwhelming.
"Please get out of here! Run, hurry!"
Lilly's face turned blue as she used every bit of air in her lungs, pleading with them.
There was only one reason why these kind people had come so deep into enemy
territory: her. All the damage they took, every injury they sustained was her fault.
She yelled with all of her might in hopes that the battle would stop. It just so happened
that Hestia was holding her head in both hands behind a storage box near the same
window and heard Lilly's cries.
"Miss Supporter?!"
"Lady Hestia!"
Nahza was using one stack of boxes as cover; Hestia had been even farther behind her.
Keeping her head low, Hestia went to Lilly's window.
The two were reunited, face-to-face through a hole in the thick stone wall.
"Don't worry about Lilly! Please escape now!"
"I can't do that! I'm not leaving this place until you come with us!"
"WHY?! Lilly won't cause any more trouble! Lady Hestia won't get dragged into any
more bad situations without Lilly! So please…!"
The two young ladies argued back and forth, stay or go, through the iron bars of the
window until Hestia screamed back:
"We're going to face Apollo in a War Game!"
"?!"
"It's a Castle Siege! Two Familias will collide head-to-head with their full strength!"
Lilly was lost for words as she heard Hestia's blitz of an explanation.
The thought of Hestia Familia, which only had one member, taking on the full force of
Apollo Familia in a War Game was beyond belief. Bell was going to have to attack a
castle by himself?
Hestia paused for a moment to catch her breath, not taking her eyes off of the
flabbergasted Lilly.
"I'm doing everything I can to give Bell a chance to win!"
"Eh…"
"Right now, that boy is going through hell to prepare for the War Game! But it won't
be enough! We need you! It's hopeless unless you're with us!"
—What was that?
They need Lilly in order to win the War Game?
She didn't believe her. Lilly always held other people back—how could she possibly be
the key to victory?
Other people had used her as a doormat, taken advantage of her at every turn, and
stolen many things from her. How could one prum girl trapped in this dark reality
possibly be of any use?
Why was she worth saving?
Hestia was spouting nonsense.
"We can't win without you! It has to be you, no one else!"
The young girl objected.
She had never been needed before, and yet this goddess said she was.
That boy was the only one who ever helped her, who ever said that she was needed—
now it was time to help him.
Hestia wanted Lilly to come to Bell's aid.
"Please, help us____help Bell!"
She ran.
She ran as if shot out of a cannon.
Hestia's pleas on replay in the back of her mind, she zipped through the dim stone
corridor doors of Soma Familia's storage facility with nary a sound.
It wasn't something that weak little Lilly should be able to do. How could she possibly
be able to save Bell? Hestia overestimated her worth despite her divinity.
But…!
She said Lilly was needed.
She asked for Lilly's help.
She wanted Lilly, no one else.
No one had ever wanted her before, no one had needed her. But now, there was.
"Wah…!"
Her vision blurred, head feverish. Her chest felt so tight that her ribs might strangle
her lungs.
There was no way to describe the onslaught of emotions that tore through her. Her
only desire now was to help Hestia and those fighting for her in the courtyard. And to
do that, she had to move.
With Zanis at the helm, there was only one way to stop this battle: appeal to the only
person with more authority in the Familia than its leader, the god Soma. Lilly
desperately searched through her memories of the day she was brought here and
remembered seeing the deity in the building. He was also her only hope for being
released from her contract with the Familia. She had to persuade Soma.
She used her memories to piece together a small map of the facility. There was an
observation tower that overlooked the entrance to the underground holding cells. She
was almost certain that the highest room of this tower belonged to Soma himself.
That's where she'd find him.
Leaving clear tears in her wake, Lilly rushed to find the stairwell that would lead to
her god.
"They don't know when to quit…"
Zanis watched the battle in the courtyard unfold from the roof of the storage facility.
Soma Familia's soma wine cellar was a centraltower at the front with five more towers
on each side encompassing an open courtyard below. His subordinates were engaging
intruders who had been forced underneath one of the lookout towers in the corner of
the courtyard.
Zanis chuckled to himself as the group of less than ten desperately tried to fight back.
He silently applauded them for making it this far despite the overwhelming odds.
If he were able to capture the young goddess below, it would be easy to strike a
profitable deal with Apollo. He was already working out the finer details in his mind
as he ordered his subordinates to surround the enemy.
"…?"
Zanis watched the battle like a hawk until a flash of color caught his attention.
It was Lilly, on her way to the main tower.
What the hell is Chandra doing?! he silently snapped, his cheek twitching in agitation.
But his smile returned a moment later.
"Interesting. What do you think you can do?"
Leaving one of his high-ranking subordinates in charge, Zanis took off to intercept
Lilly.
Lilly ran through the vast complicated passages of the main tower.
At long last, she found the stairwell leading to the second floor.
Emerging from the narrow confines of the lower floors to this new open space felt
extremely liberating. The lower hallways were narrow and there were many doors
leading to small rooms and other passages. She could see blue sky outside the open
windows and the candlestick-style magic-stone lamps were bright and clean.
Soma's room was on the third floor.
Every adventurer who should have been on guard had gone to join the fight. It was
eerily quiet.
"Where do you think you're going, Erde?"
"?!"
A voice came from behind Lilly as she ran down the open corridor. CRASH! A window
out of her line of sight was destroyed.
It was Zanis. The upper-class adventurer had broken the second-story window before
jumping through. Casually stepping on shards of broken glass, the man taunted Lilly
again.
—He found me!
Willing more speed out of her weak legs, Lilly zipped around the corner and out of
sight.
"The stairwell in that direction only goes up?"
"?!"
Lilly suddenly felt a pressure from behind her before she was tapped on the shoulder.
The palm of Zanis's hand was all it took to send the girl crashing to the floor.
Nauseating pain overtook her as her body tumbled forward on the stone floor. Fighting
through it, Lilly climbed to her feet and started running once again.
"Fu… ha-ha-ha-ha-hahahaha?! Now now, Erde, what's the rush?!"
The man's menacing laughter sounded from behind her. Lilly frowned and continued
pressing onward.
A moment later, the man's boot plowed straight into her ribs.
"Agh!"
"Don't tell me, you're going to try to meet with Lord Soma? Pointless! Absolutely
pointless!"
His kick sent her face-first toward the wall. Fighting to find her balance, Lilly kept
moving forward.
Her thin legs reached their limit and Lilly had to thrust her hand out to the wall to
catch herself.
"What makes you think that he'll listen to you? The only thing our god cares about is
his wine!"
"Ighhh…!"
"Runts like you are nothing but background noise to him! No matter how much you
revere him, asking for help will leave you with nothing but dismay!"
He let Lilly gain some distance before catching up and striking her again. Then he'd do
some more taunting and repeat the process over and over. Be it his fists or his feet,
one strike was enough to send Lilly's small body flying in any direction he wanted.
It'd become a game to him. His black shadow would overtake Lilly, then he'd decide
how to hit, enjoy her squeal of pain, and then look down over her as she got up and
kept going forward.
All the while he would jubilantly remark about how all her effort was for nothing.
"You're a strange one, Erde! I thought you were smarter than this! I liked that cold look
in your eyes, like you hated the world and everything in it!"
In her darkest days, she had tried many times to escape the abyss only to have her
connection to Soma Familia drag her right back in. The shell of a man who was Zanis
sneered at Lilly.
However, the tears welling up in Lilly's eyes were not caused by her dark past but by
the pain coursing through her body. She would never show tears of sadness again. She
had already shed far too many.
Overcoming Zanis's physical and verbal attacks, Lilly pressed on. Forward, forward
until she finally found the stairwell and climbed to the third floor.
There were only a few walls on this floor, making one large room with one area
portioned off—Soma's private room. Lilly channeled all the strength she had left into
her legs and made a break for it.
"Three, two… WHAM!"
"AGUHH!"
Zanis counted down and playfully announced his own kick, hitting Lilly right between
the shoulder blades with all of his strength. The girl's body whipped through the air
like a rag doll.
However, his kick sent her hurtling toward the door to the private chamber. Lilly
folded her arms across her chest and used that momentum to break it open.
SLAM! Lilly tumbled into the chamber as the doors creaked on their hinges after
slamming into the walls on both sides.
"…"
Soma was there.
He stood in front of the wide balcony, tending to many different kinds of plants
growing in the sunlight.
He paid absolutely no attention to the sounds of battle outside the window or even to
Lilly's loud entrance. The amount of water that each plant received, future ingredients
for his wine, was the only thing on his mind at the moment.
"Lord Soma! Lord Soma! Please listen to what Lilly has to say!"
The deity kept his back to her as Lilly tried to peel her injury-ridden body off the stone
floor.
At first, the god continued working in his slightly dirty robe despite Lilly's pleas until
finally turning around with a slightly annoyed look on his face.
Zanis had entered the chamber—it was he who Soma was looking at through his long
bangs.
"This is much too bothersome, Zanis. I left all trivial matters in your hands."
Ignored by her own god. Lilly was shocked.
Zanis enjoyed the look on her face to no end, gleefully chuckling under his breath. He
kept his eyes on the girl and said:
"I apologize for the abruptness, Lord Soma. It appears that one Lilliluka Erde wishes
to speak with you directly. Won't you lend her your ears?"
Zanis spoke with a calm and almost mocking tone, as if he knew what was about to
happen.
Looking even more perturbed, Soma shifted his gaze down toward Lilly.
The girl managed to force her aching body into a kneeling position.
"I beg you, Lord Soma. Please bring an end to the battle taking place outside—please
save Lady Hestia and those fighting alongside her! Please, please…!"
Soma's cheek twitched as if Lilly's voice had hurt his ears. He slowly squared his
shoulders in front of her.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the expression on his face showed that he believed
it to be a waste of time.
"What good are the words of a child who succumbs to wine so… easily?"
"—"
Lilly fell silent after hearing Soma's monotone words. A cold chill swept through her
veins.
But it was the look in his eyes that did it, made Lilly realize the truth.
Soma was disappointed. Disappointed in his own followers, disappointed in the world
of Gekai.
The Divine Wine, soma, had caused Soma Familia to collapse from within. Just as he
said before, the children succumbed to the power of the drink he was giving them as
a reward. They soon began fighting amongst themselves for more, became selfish
beyond belief.
From the god Soma's point of view, all he did was reward them with delicious wine for
their services. But rather than thank him, they turned on one another for more
drunken pleasure.He had become disillusioned by their primitive reaction to his more
refined methods.
—Soma harbored no ill will. He had no urge to inflict pain. At this point, he had no
interest in any followers like Lilly at all. He was completely detached.
The divine being who'd had enough of the crude people of Gekai continued to produce
soma and reward the children who made it possible for him to focus on his craft.
"The words of children who succumb are… irrelevant."
Soma's eyes, black as ink, were finally pointed in Lilly's direction. However, Lilly's face
was not reflected in them, only empty disappointment.
Lilly remained still, unable to find any words in the face of her god's cold stare. It was
Soma who moved first.
He took a bottle of white wine off one of the shelves built into the wall of his chamber.
Lilly watched in dumbfounded silence as Soma took a glass from a different shelf and
said to her:
"If you can say the same thing after drinking this, I'll listen."
—She couldn't breathe.
The deity poured the wine into the glass, its cool yet sweet aroma filling the room. He
held the glass out to her. Lilly looked at her own reflection on the surface of the white
liquid.
Divine Wine.
Her throat clenched. Sweat poured down her face. The glass nearly slipped from her
grasp as she tried to take it with both hands.
Memories of the dark days when she was under the influence of soma's power
rampaged through her mind. She looked back up at Soma, shoulders shaking in fright.
The god's face was void of emotion as he watched her from behind his bangs.
Zanis watched all of these events unfold, smiling as if he'd seen this coming.
"Ah, aah…!"
Lilly stood up on unstable legs.
Her breaths very shallow and staggered, she took another look at the glass in her
hands.
She had no choice. In order to save Hestia, in order to finally break her ties with this
Familia, she had no choice but to drink it.
Lilly brought the glass to her lips, hands shaking and palms clammy.
This wine had once turned Lilly into little more than a monster.
It had stolen her life from her, caused all of her problems.
Under the watchful eyes of Soma and Zanis, Lilly willed her mouth open and drank it
down.
"—"
The world warped around her in the blink of an eye.
A boundless drunken euphoria enveloped her. The bliss was intense enough to bend
her consciousness.
Tink! The glass fell out of her hands, hit the floor, and rolled away.
Her arms and legs quivered. She couldn't keep standing and fell to her knees like a
puppet whose strings had just been cut.
Acute warmth filled her cheeks as her eyes went out of focus… Lilly giggled.
"—a… haa."
The flavor of the most delicious wine in existence made her heart melt.
Soma watched the girl's spirit disappear and turned his back to her without a second
thought. Lilly's ears stopped picking up the sounds around her, with only one
exception: Zanis's bloodcurdling laughter.
Overwhelming contentment spread throughout her body. Memories flashed before
her eyes before disappearing again. Nothing inside this room mattered to her, was
worth seeing. Even her purpose for being here, why she was so determined to drink
the soma, felt like nothing more than a passing thought. Everything that made Lilly
who she was evaporated in an instant.
She saw everything in the room with a white hue.
Her body, mind, and spirit were warm.
Down, down, down she went.
Then, just as the white was about to embrace her, she saw something.
A boy, a smiling boy.
"—"
Her craving intensified. The animal that demanded soma within her was on the brink
of taking over.
But amid all the white around her, she saw how the boy smiled when he saved her that
day.
It remained deep within her soul even after everything else had been erased. His smile
stayed with her.
"…"
A single tear slowly rolled down her cheek.
Her slack, open mouth smiled for a moment before weakening again. Lilly's head
started to rise.
The warmth of the boy's smile had awakened her heart, filled her with new emotion,
and caused a tear to be shed.
Lilly had returned.
"...Please."
Not much sound escaped her lips, but it was enough to stop Soma in his tracks.
A moment later, he spun around with vigor.
His long bangs swung out of the way, revealing his black eyes. Lilly's trembling figure
reflected within them.
"…Stop it, please."
Her words were getting clearer.
Soma and Zanis looked on in disbelief.
Lilly made eye contact with Soma.
"Lilly's begging you—stop the fight!"
Her words were unchanged as even more tears trickled down her face.
"Wha…"
She didn't know if that sound came from Soma or from Zanis.
She persevered. Lilly held off the effects of soma.
Countless people had fallen under its spell, becoming little more than savages in the
process. And yet this little, fragile girl had not.
It didn't matter that her Status was low, that her body was weak. She defeated soma
with sheer willpower.
"Lilly wants to save those people!"
She yelled her most earnest desire as loud as she could.
She sounded no different from a sobbing child.
Bonds with her allies had been forged in the fire, and she was a Phoenix emerging
from the flame, guided by them.
"Lilly knows, even without any gods telling her, Lilly knows that she was born for this
moment!"
It was highly unlikely that Lilly would ever forget.
Even if she died and was reborn many times, even in the deepest pits of hell…
Lilly would never forget the smile on that boy's face.
"Every mistake Lilly has made was in preparation for this day!"
The warmth of the hands that reached out for her, the kindness of his embrace.
She'd never forget the smile of the one who rescued her.
The image that had been seared into her very soul would never fade.
"This time, it's Lilly's turn to save him!"
Bell's smiling face and warmth filling every corner of her mind, Lilly yelled once again.
She had not forgotten all of the mistakes she made and the gray areas of her past.
Those memories gave her the strength to keep shouting.
"Please, bring an end to this battle!"
Lilly's voice was loud enough to be heard outside the tower.
"..."
Soma stood, unblinking eyes locked on the girl.
Gods did not grow or feel distress of any kind. It was hard to comprehend what just
unfolded.
Seeing a person of Gekai change right before his eyes for the first time left Soma
speechless.
"No way…?!"
Zanis sensed danger in the expression on his god's face.
His feeling of invincibility gone, he pleaded with the deity.
"Lord Soma, you mustn't listen to her! Our Familia is under attack—!"
"Quiet, Zanis."
Soma turned away without so much as a glance in his direction.
Zanis fell silent, face twitching as he knew that there was no chance for a
counterargument. Soma made eye contact with Lilly once again.
His ink-colored eyes clearly reflected the young girl's gaze. Then he walked toward the
end of his chamber and opened the large window.
The empty wine bottle still in his hand, Soma stepped out onto the balcony. He could
see the battle raging in the courtyard beneath him. Standing next to the railing, he
raised the bottle high above his head and threw it into the courtyard.
Spinning end over end, the bottle sent flares of sunlight flashing all over the battle
before crashing into the middle of it.
The shattering sound made all members of Soma Familia come to a halt.
Every head in the courtyard turned toward the balcony, waiting with bated breath.
"Stop fighting."
Soma looked down on the rest of his followers as he made his declaration.
Soma Familia's members were blindsided by a direct order from a god who had never
shown any interest in anything other than his hobby before. No one even considered
going against it.
Ignoring Zanis's commands, they listened to a higher power and put down their
weapons.
"Soma moved on his own…?!"
An uneasy silence descended over the battlefield. Zanis couldn't believe what he was
seeing, his eyes glued to Soma's back. He shook his head from side to side, refusing to
accept what was happening. His mask of refined intelligence broken once again,
muscles all over his body began twitching nervously.
He rocked on the balls of his feet—BANG! The main doors at the base of the tower had
been kicked in. His shoulders flexed.
Knowing that the intruders would soon arrive, Zanis looked around the room in a
panic. His eyes narrowed as soon as he saw Lilly on the floor.
"Damn you! At least give me the pleasure of slicing you open before—!"
Zanis jumped toward Lilly like a beast capturing its prey.
The man had only seen her as possible profit; he captured her out of greed. His avarice
made him torment her and now she was too physically weak to run away or defend
herself. She was the reason why his perfect world had come crumbling down.
Withdrawing a rapier from the hilt on his belt, he smiled to himself, believing that she
should be punished for what she had done to him. He reached out with his left hand.
However, just before his fingers reached her collar…
An arrow was fired at his chest.
"?!"
Zanis barely managed to avoid the attack that came from outside the window.