From Byolren, the territory of the Bright Household, located in the southern part of the Griffin Kingdom, to the land of the Clark Republic, beyond the Northern region.

If someone were to ask how Deus Verdi was able to warp there instantly, the main preparator would undoubtedly be his fiancée.

After all, it was all the doing of Erica Bright.

"Gosh, this is intense."

The Zeronia Household had already departed.

However, due to Deia's insistence, we decided to stay in Byolren for a few more days.

She lamented about the hardships she had endured until now and then sat near the flowerbed railing, smiling.

"Deia, care to give me an explanation?"

Due to an inexplicable surge of discomfort, I glared at her with a perplexed frown, however, Deia immediately deflected responsibility with an exaggerated gesture of her chin.

"It's something your future wife asked me to do. I'm just following her orders because I'm a good sister-in-law."

Erica, who had created a pillar of golden light, was standing where Deia was pointing at.

She was checking to see if the pillar was constructed properly and then wore a satisfied smile.

"Thanks to that, the Bright Household must have become terrified of us, right? It was a good idea to do some research beforehand."

I felt a sudden impulse to hit Deia on the head as she proudly declared that Darius would never have done something like this.

Previously, I was wondering why everyone, from Ellan, the head of the household, to the eldest and second sons of the Bright family, were suddenly treading around Deia carefully. It turns out that there was an untold story unfolding behind the scenes.

"Anyway, all I did was assist her. Everything else, from contacting the Royal Family to deceiving you, was done by Sister-in-law."

"The two of you seem to have grown closer, huh?"

Seeing her referring to Erica and herself as sister-in-law made me wonder if she had acknowledged Erica in her own way.

On the contrary, Deia stared at Erica with a wry smile.

"It's because she is a woman who is willing to make sacrifices to stay by your side. I admit, that's a wise move."

"..."

"I don't know what choice you'll make at the end of the day, but if you're going to break up with her, do it as gently as possible."

After saying that, Deia crossed her legs and stared at the pillar of light in the now destroyed garden of the Bright Household.

It was quite a rare spectacle to behold.

Seeing a gesture from Deia indicating she wouldn't engage in further conversation, I sighed and turned toward Erica.

Sensing my approach, she smiled faintly, as if proudly showing off her accomplishments.

"I have contacted the Royal Family. With this, you'll be taken directly to the First Detention Center in the Clark Republic."

"Erica."

I tried to speak with her, but Erica continued speaking, as if she didn’t hear anything.

"It's fortunate that Eleanor and Aria made the first move. It seems like they acted in advance after they noticed your strange behavior and became aware of Findenai’s disappearance from the Academy."

So the two of them were also involved in this?

I had clearly told everyone to stay still, but it seemed like no one was actually listening to me.

"Erica."

"If you go, you might find Findenai there. Go and bring back that maid of yours who ran away recklessly."

"Erica."

"..."

Eventually, Erica could no longer ignore me. She took a deep breath and raised her head.

"Yes, Deus."

"I never wished for you to do something like this."

"I know."

She replied succinctly, but it was not an answer that could be taken lightly.

"However, it is something you need."

"..."

Without saying another word, I slowly turned my eyes slowly towards the golden pillar and Erica followed suit.

"It is quite impressive, right? I mixed my specialty light magic with the warp magic of the Mage Tribunal Judges. Thanks to that, you can move much faster and safer."

"You must have also used a large amount of mana to open the passage from this side."

"Even though the dunderheads in our household are morons, we are still considered to be one of the top houses in the kingdom in terms of mana quantity."

Eventually, as I just stared at her with my lips shut tight, Erica slowly drew closer.

"It's a gift your fiancée has worked hard to create. Are you really not going to accept it?"

"Why are you going to such lengths?"

At my question, Erica simply grinned bitterly, trying to forcibly hide her expression.

"Because I love you?"

"..."

"That’s why I’m sending you away. I am unable to fill the void left by Findenai for now."

"Huff."

Exhaling deeply, I glanced down at my feet for a moment.

My heart was clearly telling me to accept this and go meet her.

However, the thought of leaving this woman in front of me made me feel uneasy.

Did she know that I felt like this?

Tug.

Erica gently tugged my collar.

It was a simple gesture that seemed insignificant, but since I was in a somewhat relaxed stance, my upper body naturally leaned forward.

My gaze, which had been on the ground, caught sight of Erica's raised heels.

She then gently pressed her lips to mine. The pillar of light enveloped us like a spotlight, creating a serene atmosphere.

Her lemon scent lightly tickled my nose.

After pulling away, Erica cautiously opened her eyes and stared at me.

As if determined not to cry, Erica smiled. However, that only made me feel more bitter.

"You should have at least tried to resist me, you know."

Her hand, which had suddenly reached out, was now resting on my chest.

"Let this moment linger in your heart."

Saying so, Erica pushed me into the pillar of light.

I was startled by the bewildering situation, and I could see Deia yelling something from a distance.

However, I was soon sucked into the light, and the scenery began to change.

[Whoaaa! Where are we going?!]

At that moment, the Dark Spiritualist’s voice rang in my ears. I hadn't seen her around recently, so I wondered where she had been, but all of a sudden, she was now clinging to my shoulder.

Even in the midst of warping, I was still able to have a conversation like this, so I calmly asked her.

"Where have you been all this time?”

[...I was doing something like searching for my ego. More importantly, did the kiss feel good?]

"..."

[Are you not going to answer me?]

"You should have not asked me if you already knew that."

[Tsk, I've never tried it when I was still alive.]

The Dark Spiritualist grumbled as she leaned closer to me to avoid falling away.

However, there was one thing that bothered me.

"When you were still alive?”

Did that mean she tried doing it after her death?

[...]

The Dark Spiritualist immediately puffed out her cheeks and shut her mouth. It felt like I had just received some annoying information when…

[Keeaaarrrrrghhhh!]

[Save meeeee!]

[I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!]

[This is hell! This place is hell!]

[Dictator! I curse you! Dictator! I curse youuuuuu!]

We somehow arrived in the Republic.

As if welcoming us, the cries of regretful souls greeted us fiercely.

The coldness of the Republic, the Mage Tribunal Judges surrounding the area, Eleanor, and even Aria, who was hiding behind Tyren—none of them caught my eye.

I just unconsciously lamented as I saw the souls surrounding the land and sky completely and heard the violent screams of the souls tearing my ears apart.

"How can… it be this chaotic?"

I had never come across such a sight before.

What was floating in the distance beyond the sky were not clouds but souls.

I thought that the color of the earth had faded away, but it turned out that that too were souls.

It was truly a place filled with dead; there was not a speck of it that wasn't crowded with souls.

This was a land where human life was treated no differently from a component in a machine.

This was the Clark Republic.

[Let me help you a bit.]

The Dark Spiritualist, who could hear and see the same thing as me, shook her head as she gathered her mana.

Thanks to that, the screams that were piercing my ears and disturbing everything around me quieted down.

"Hey! You said you wouldn't call Professor!"

"Shut up!"

Then, I heard Aria’s complaints as she approached Eleanor, still hiding behind Tyren.

When my gaze landed on the two girls, they flinched, seemingly unsure of what to do.

"Sigh."

Eventually, only a heavy sigh escaped from my lips.

Despite ignoring my words to stay still, they actually acted in my interest.

Hence, I was not able to just scold them thoughtlessly.

"She’s over there."

Eleanor gestured subtly.

At the end of her gaze was Findenai, who had collapsed in front of a giant door.

Her clothes were soaked in blood, indicating that she had fought to her limit. However, seeing the empty bottles rolling around, it seemed she had managed to overcome the critical danger to her life.

And before I knew it, my steps were headed towards her.

They were calm yet heavy steps.

As I looked down at her leaning back, Findenai slightly raised her head and greeted me.

"Hi, Deus."

"..."

"Why did you come to such a filthy place?"

Panting heavily, Findenai asked me. Why did you come?

"If you're here to help me, go back. This is something I have to do on my own."

Findenai rebuffed me coldly with her words.

I knew she was concerned about me getting involved in the affairs of the Republic.

However, her voice didn't reach me.

Why did I come?

That question alone spun around wildly in my mind.

I had come here because Erica and Deia gave me a push from behind, and now that I actually saw Findenai, I realized I was really behaving unlike myself in her absence.

However, I was still unable to answer Findenai's question properly.

"I came to arrest you."

Because I was unable to give a clear explanation as to why I came to find Findenai, that was the reply that slipped out of my mouth before I realized it.

"Huh?"

Findenai, wearing an expression that showed she hadn’t expected such an answer from me, gaped, and I could hear a subtle sigh from behind.

However, the milk was already split.

Adding more details to make it convincing, I decided to elaborate on my barebone excuse.

"I am the only Dark Mage in the Griffin Kingdom recognized by His Majesty, holding the position of Soul Whisperer."

"..."

“You illegally put a potion in my drink and sexually harassed me. That can be considered a serious crime, you know?”

Then, I heard the two girls gasp from behind.

"Sexual Harassment? Is she crazy for real?! We rescued her for nothing!"

"Wh-what did you do to Deus?! What did you do!"

As Aria and Eleanor blabbered, Findenai scratched the back of her head blankly and responded.

"I didn't rape you though, did I?"

How come her choice of words never changed? I wondered why.

"If you did that, you'd already be dead! Professor! May I receive permission to be a hero for just 5 minutes?!"

"Tyren! Off with her head! Execute her immediately!"

Tyren Ol Velocus was trying his best to pacify the two girls rushing towards me and Findenai.

Anyway,

I simply looked down at Findenai and declared.

"Findenai, I am placing you under arrest. Let us return to Griffin together."

"...Pfffttttt haha!”

Perhaps finding what I said to be absurd, Findenai burst into laughter, covering her face with both hands and took a deep breath.

"My accomplices inside there."

She used her hand to subtly point at the building where she was leaning against.

"Please take them with us too."

Indeed.

"Of course."

Her usual carefree smile could be seen on her face as she lowered her hands.

"Before I am arrested, can I at least have a smoke first? I only have one remaining."

To show her that I didn’t mind, I just nodded. Findenai then picked up the cigarette that had been rolling on the ground and put it in her mouth. It was the one I had given her.

She groaned with pain as she got up, then slightly stuck out her head.

"Fire."

"..."

Despite feeling annoyed by her blatant demand, I ended up conjuring fire at my fingertips and lit the end of the cigarette.

"Puff."

Findenai, who spewed out thick smoke, seemed to feel strange about something for a moment. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before she resumed smoking the cigarette.

"Hmm."

"Is there any problem?"

Feeling something was strange, Findenai scratched her head. She nodded at my question and threw the cigarette to the ground.

"It turned bad."

"...?"

It clearly seemed that she liked it when it tasted good.

While I pondered over her remark, the smoke and scent from the cigarette suddenly filled my mouth, and I could sense a tongue, like that of a beast, exploring my mouth.

Findenai, with her arms around my neck, rushed at me and was now exploring my lips.

The screams coming from Aria and Eleanor behind me sounded nothing like that of a human.

“Puha.”

Although she had already pulled her lips away, Findenai smirked and spoke while still clinging to my neck from behind.

"Yeah, this is what I've been craving the most.“

Findenai, smiling brighter than ever, was now right in front of me.

"But unlike last time, why does it taste like lemons this time?"

"..."