"We won't give you information on the Sable Aquarius."
Yuichi said, boldly.
Kazuya sighed internally and glared at Yuichi as if he was almost bored.
'If you won't give us information, then we won't help you.'
Kazuya decided. Myraliana wanted to voice her objections but Elizabeth stopped her before she could speak a word.
"Then we'll leave—"
"We can't, Yuichi. Since we defeated that squad from BLOOD, they'll send people even more powerful. We won't be able to handle it with our little group."
(I'm sorry, but I can't let these guys push you around. Perhaps I'm feeling like this because this Arthur guy reminds me of that guy...)
Yuichi pretended to stand down and hid his hands under the table. He discreetly created orbs of lightning.
(These people are no different from those guys in BLOOD driven by nothing but their selfish desires. No one should complain about mercenaries dying, right?)
"Yuichi."
Mei called out to him.
"Are you sure you want to?"
"!"
He froze, slowly turning to the smiling Mei. Yuichi noticed a strange feeling as Mei asked him a question.
"I'll let you if you want to but... could you please remember that there are five of us here?"
As Yuichi looked at them, they all glared at him, almost like demons.
(She's right... What am I doing?)
All of them noticed his actions but decided to ignore it. Yuichi was under the influence of Mei's Active Suggestion. Although he was strong, he could not escape Mei's grasp.
(If someone knows about my Active Suggestion, then it becomes less effective. I never told Asame but I never expected him to be so easy to manipulate. When I first met him, I wasn't able to manipulate Kazuya properly even without him knowing...)
Mei thought to herself.
"Sable Aquarius' condition for a wielder is..."
[Beauty or handsomeness.]
A voice resonated as the black grimoire appeared in front of everybody. The black grimoire summoned a woman, only her top half. The woman's hair was long, silky, jet-black. Her ears poked out from under the sable strands. She wore a black blindfold and an ebony dress with flower patterns.
‹Hello, my little fairies. I am February, the spirit dwelling within Sa—!›
"Hah! Why did you come out now?!"
Lucia slammed the table and started shouting at the spirit.
‹Don't ruin my introduction!›
"Shut up! Whenever I ask you to come out and help you always leave me hangi—!"
"Uhm, customers, please could you quiet down, you're disturbing everyone else?"
The waiter came back and bowed to them before leaving. Lucia turned red and sat herself down.
"Can't other people see you?"
Kaito asked the spirit.
‹Don't talk to me, tree trunk.›
(Tree... trunk?)
The spirit floated over to Kazuya and smiled at him. She licked her lips.
‹Now, you're a face I like.›
Kazuya winced. He felt uncomfortable being liked by a spirit rather than a living woman.
(‹Tell me, what's your real name?›)
(Telepathy?)
(‹I can read the minds of those who I consider handsome.›)
(A useless ability indeed.)
February gritted her teeth and glared at him as she got closer to him.
(‹I'll reveal your true identity to the boy sitting there.›)
She felt like teasing Kazuya, however, he did not take it in the way she intended. February felt a strange pressure prickle her.
(Do it if you want to, but I'll kill your vessel.)
Kazuya was unknowingly unleashing his Authority. Everyone at the table felt a similar pressure, however, to them, it felt as though the gravity shifted.
‹I've decided, Lucia.›
"What?"
February pointed at Kazuya.
‹He'll be my new wielder.›
"You've chosen already?!"
‹Well, because, he's the thorn that will pierce the gods.›
"What does that—?!"
Before Lucia could finish her sentence, the black grimoire disappeared. It turned into mist and entered Kazuya's chest.
Everyone at the table stayed silent as they were trying to process what had just happened. It took around ten seconds for everyone to realise.
Myraliana was the one who expressed her thoughts.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
·———·
They accepted Lucia's request and the two returned to their hotel.
"Did you give Sable Aquarius to them so that you wouldn't be chased?"
"No, it makes no difference to BLOOD. I mean, it's not like they can tell."
"Yuichi!"
Shinobu called out to the both of them, she ran towards them.
"Shinobu. Where's Kyrie and Renya?"
"Turns out they're still sleeping in their rooms."
She told him.
(That creep... He fucking lied to me and he escaped. What's troubling is the fact that I couldn't tell that he was lying...)
"Are you two okay?"
"We're fine, or more like, we will be."
Lucia commented.
"We hired a group of mercenaries to protect us until we get to Wonderland."
"Gah, are you sure we should trust mercenaries?"
"We won't be able to do it alone."
The petite girl replied to the hooded girl.
·———·
(Kazuya's POV:)
I wasn't expecting to see Yuichi. I'm so lucky that Mei understood my intentions when I flicked my head at her.
"That's so unfair, how come you got the grimoire, Kazuya?!"
"Don't ask me. Seems like she knew who I was the moment she saw me."
Myraliana was in a fit of rage when Sable Aquarius chose me as its new host. I remember Elizabeth telling me that Myraliana is adept in both swordsmanship and magic, making her a sort of magic swordsman with Ascalon.
She loves magic enough to be considered a fanatic magus. I do feel bad for her but there's nothing that I can do.
"So, do you feel any different?"
Kaito asked, giving me a cursory glance.
"I guess... I somewhat feel more powerful."
I felt like my mana had changed somehow. Just in case, I instinctively opened up the Archive and checked what Singularities had been marked down.
"Hm?"
It looked slightly different. The five slots had increased to six and another Singularity had been added to the Archive.
"What's wrong?"
Elizabeth asked.
"I have a new Singularity in my Archive."
"Oh yeah, you said you don't know what conditions you need to fulfil to add a Singularity to the Archive. Perhaps you fulfilled it earlier."
Myraliana suggested.
"So, what's the new Singularity you have?"
The Chinese girl asked from the other side of the table.
"It says... Hope/Despair."
"What does that mean?"
‹It's my Singularity.›
A small figure appeared, floating in front of Kazuya. It was February but far smaller. She was like a black fairy.
"Your Singularity?"
‹Under no circumstances must you use it. You will tear yourself apart. You must never use it unless I say so.›
"What type of Singularity is it?"
Mei asked February.
‹Do not think that you can influence me with that cheap magic of yours.›
"Sorry, so, will you please tell us? The way you talk about it may spell trouble for Kazuya."
‹Kazuya...›
February muttered under her breath.
‹My Singularity is Hope/Despair. It has the ability to destroy and create. I can't use it myself due to how powerful it is.›
That's great, I've obtained a power that I can't even use.
‹There is one way you can use it though...›
"Really, how?"