"Did you eat a lemon?"

"I do not have time for small talk."

As I turned around and left Findenai behind, a subtle voice could be heard from behind.

"Why do I feel like you’re avoiding the question?"

[You’re caught.]

The Dark Spiritualist, who had finally appeared again, looked upset beside me, but I ignored her and pretended not to hear, and approached the direction of the older man who seemed to be a Dark Mage and part of an extermination unit.

However, before that, Aria and Eleanor rushed to my side.

"P-Professor. It's a coincidence to see you here! I came here to sightsee!"

"...Really? In one of the Republic’s detention centers? Do you think Deus will fall for that lie?"

Aria looked anxious because she ignored my advice to just enjoy her winter vacation as a student.

When Eleanor rebuked from the side, they immediately started bickering.

As I gazed at them blankly, both of them naturally turned their heads to meet my eyes. Despite constantly opposing each other, they gave me the feeling that their relationship was actually better than it appeared.

Thud.

Perhaps because of that, I gently placed my hand on the heads of these anxious, petite girls.

"Ah."

"Uh."

Both of them gasped and stared at me with a blank expression. It was because a smile, which didn’t come to my face easily, had smoothly appeared today.

Surely a change had come to me as a person as well, and these two must have contributed to it.

"Thank you."

"P-Professor..."

"Deus..."

I couldn't stroke the top of their heads for long. The enemies who were waiting behind us seemed to have reached the limits of their patience.

"From now on, watch and trust me."

Upon my words, the two girls immediately nodded, trying to hide their flushed cheeks.

As I slowly withdrew my hand, the sound of insects incessantly flying near my ears was bothering me, so I stared at the culprit.

An old man with a hunchback, holding a staff, was smiling viciously like a snake while staring at us.

"Huheehehehe, the esteemed Soul Whisperer has arrived. Rather than being right here, you should go to the cemetery..."

"Shut up."

Pow!

I wielded my mana and materialized the soul who was hanging on his back, giving it a physical form with magic. The soul immediately thrust itself towards the old man.

However, the old man had already turned into an insect and appeared in another place.

"Huh."

The old man was genuinely surprised and speechless. Aria, who was standing behind me, subtly notified me of the old man’s identity.

"He introduced himself as Barctos Nikolay, a Dark Mage affiliated with Dante. It seems that he can manipulate insects."

"...Dante?"

He was someone I had never seen nor heard of before. Aria also nodded in agreement.

"I also have never seen that man while I was conquering Dante. He mentioned it was only a side job... I don't think he ever intervened when I destroyed Dante in my previous life."

A Dark Mage affiliated with Dante and we didn’t know about him?

Moreover, he possessed a very rare magic capable of manipulating insects, and had also received support from the Clark Republic.

Not only that.

He is similar to a Cadavermancer.

Just like how Cadavermancers hid their bodies while manipulating corpses, he also pretended to be present here by using his own insects, but it was not his true body.

No matter how many times I killed him, that old man would probably continue reappearing forever.

Strictly speaking, it meant that I didn’t kill the old man, but just all the insects nearby.

Barctos chuckled, his hand holding the staff trembling slightly.

"That performance you showed in Marias Great Forest was quite impressive. Well, can you reveal that explosive killing intent again?"

"..."

"You probably have taken Dante's Dark Mages’ souls too, right? Let’s see… Shaman of the Marias tribe, Monstrumancer Dina. Who else?"

"..."

"Huheehehehe! How about trying to take this old man's soul as well? Wouldn't it have some value? You’ll become a Necromancer who handles the souls of a Monstrumancer and an Entomancer at the same time! You might even surpass Dante's leader!"

Watching Barctos laugh, I sighed, feeling tired, and made a comment.

"You do not have to be scared."

"...!"

"I will not let you go just because you are provoking me."

"Heh, hehe."

Feeling absurd, Barctos irritatedly tapped the ground several times while beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

It seemed like he was trying to buy time, thinking there might be some other way.

[Ah! Ah! Aaaarrrghhhh!]

[Is this my chance?! My chance to get revenge on this land?!]

[Daaaaaaddddd!]

[A Detention Center! It’s a cursed building that has become my grave!]

The screams of the souls were now audible to ordinary people. And as always, I did not control them.

If he expected a battle like the one in Marias Great Forest where I abandoned my principles… then I'm sorry.

The grudges of the dead were so deep and strong towards the Republic that I didn't need to intervene at all.

Gulp.

I could tell from the sound of Barctos swallowing saliva, which was so loud that I could hear it from where I was. He was tense.

As if predicting the impending disaster through their extrasensory perception, the insects started to move tumultuously.

"Huheehehehe, Dark... Dark Spiritualist."

It was somewhat out of the blue for Barctos to mention her name. However, by now, everyone in Dante already knew about the Dark Spiritualist since I revealed her presence when I faced the Monstrumancer Dina.

"While you are going around and bringing her with you, do you know what kind of woman the Dark Spiritualist was?"

[...]

At his words, I glanced at the Dark Spiritualist who was next to me. She glared at Barctos as if she was ready to tear him apart at any moment.

"There's no other Necromancer who was as steeped in madness as that woman."

"..."

"So, you learned Necromancy from a woman who is the complete opposite of your principles. Dante, you say? Regardless, our final goal is still to save the continent. Well, personally, I only joined them since it seemed interesting."

Once again, he smiled like a viper.

Barctos judged that he had regained control of the conversation through this dialogue.

"You said you’re going to punish us? Can't you see the robe of the woman you call your teacher? It is stained with blood! Don’t you also hear the screams of souls around her?"

I slowly turned to look at the Dark Spiritualist. She was clutching her fists tightly without saying a word, trembling.

She purposefully refused to look back at me, which was evident from the tension in her stiff neck.

"Alright.”

I calmly nodded and reached out my hand towards Barctos.

"I have heard enough."

The souls which were appearing from all directions turned into blue flames, beginning to gnaw at him.

"Your argument is not as convincing as her silence."

[...]

The Dark Spiritualist widened her eyes and turned to look at me because of what I said, but I was already walking forward.

In response, Tyren Ol Velocus, who seemed to want to protect me, also stepped forward.

"Tyren, I entrust you with escorting the Princess, my student, and the sinners."

After I refused his unnecessary action, he wore a worried look.

"Even if it’s you, it is still a dangerous situation to be in. We do not know what kind of powers they have."

"Right now, the one you should worry about is not me."

"..."

"Go, before you get swept away."

At my words, Tyren hesitated for a moment before saying that he understood, turning his body.

However, he halted his steps and only turned his head towards me to speak.

"The attack on Norseweden is regrettable. Fortunately, there were almost no casualties. I also heard Margrave Darius was seriously injured, but his life is not in danger."

"...An attack on Norseweden?"

I stopped walking after hearing this information I wasn’t aware of at all. I simply came here to save Findenai, but now that I thought about it, it was excessive for the kingdom's princess and the Mage Tribunal Judges to move just for a runaway maid.

"You didn’t know about that?"

Tyren then briefly explained the event that happened in Norseweden.

After hearing all of it, I told him that I understood and gestured for him to leave now.

"It is fine as long as the Margrave does not die."

Although I heard something happened in Norseweden, I never thought it would be related to this.

Perhaps even Erica and Deia, who had sent me here, didn't know the details.

"Yes, as long as he does not die…"

I once again repeated it. However...

"Huff."

Normally, when people talked about signs of anger, it was typically associated with emotions boiling up like an inferno, but it was a bit different for me.

Even though I tried not to let it affect the battle ahead of me, the slow and cold approaching rage froze my heart and chilled the air every time I exhaled.

"Why is our family’s foolish eldest son going around getting beaten up?"

Barctos appeared once again in the distance with a new body.

Even though I could hear the orderly footsteps of the Republic's elite troops rushing towards the main gate of the First Detention Center, I was indifferent to them.

I clenched the black gem in my right hand.

A faint light emanated from Lemegeton, lending its power to the souls.

Now, the souls painted by Lemegeton's light were no longer just resentful beings, they became magic and floated in the sky.

However, this alone wouldn’t burn all the insects.

Whoosh!

Then, I summoned a flaming sphere in my left hand—the remnants of a spiritual being that had been burning for eternity.

"...Horua?"

Entomancer Barctos recognized his natural enemy and immediately trembled.

"You could even control the soul of a spiritual being?"

I extended my left hand toward Barctos, who was laughing uncontrollably in disbelief. I then shot the flames, engulfing the Dark Mage, which also caused the flames to rapidly spread.

The screams of the souls spread from all directions, and the ground was overflowing with the flames of destruction.

I walked away from the scene which was reminiscent of hell written in the Bible.

"There is a saying where I come from: ‘burn not your house to fright the mouse away’."

It seemed like an appropriate proverb for this situation.

"How much of the Republic do I need to burn down to stop you from reconstituting your body?"

"Is this… really the beginning of war?"

"I do not know about war, but..."

Although Barctos reappeared amidst the inferno, his body continued wavering as if it was about to be consumed by the flames, so I passed by, reigniting him once more.

"I should at least see the esteemed Dictator of the Republic."

Wanting to see that great face of his, I began walking alone to conquer the land of the Republic.

***"Wow, what the hell’s this?"

Findenai stared at the burning First Detention Center of the Republic bewilderedly.

The inmates who were inside the detention center were already in the process of escaping thanks to the Republic soldiers disappearing and the crumbling walls.

The only ones remaining with Findenai, who was under the protection of the Mage Tribunal Judges, were just the Scrapyard Nomads and the children.

Realistically, they couldn't save everyone.

"Is the Second Young Master this strong?"

"Is he trying to conquer the Republic alone?"

Even the members of Scrapyard Nomads, who had just had an emotional reunion with Findenai, were dumbfounded.

"Even if he’s Professor, is that really possible? There may be many souls in the Republic, but it's still too dangerous to go too deep."

"That’s right, even we need to maintain a certain distance."

Between the members of Scrapyard Nomads, there stood Aria and Eleanor. Though they had said this, they, too, were gaping in awe at Deus, who led the inferno that not even hundreds of souls and allies could approach.

Despite such two people being with them, Findenai, who was staring at Deus' back from a distance, naturally looked up at the sky.

"Pfft."

Findenai suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter as she realized something. Upon seeing this, Aria and Eleanor absentmindedly blinked for a moment, and as if something had just reminded them, they immediately rushed forward.

"Hey!"

"You!"

Both of them wanted to say something, but they couldn't find the right words, so they just stared at Findenai while standing at a close distance from each other.

"...How was it?"

"W-was it, good?"

The two people were curious about Findenai’s experience just now because they were unfamiliar with this topic.

Findenai just shrugged her shoulders and answered them like she was in a good mood.

"It tasted… like lemons? Did Master Bastard just eat lemons before coming here?"

"L-Lemons? Ah, I can't eat sour things..."

"If the taste changes depending on what we eat, I should eat strawberries."

"You guys are talking nonsense so much."

Even as she scoffed at the two girls who were lost in their own fantasies, the smile never left Findenai's lips.

When one of the members of the Scrapyard Nomads saw that, he subtly asked, thinking it was a good sign.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Huh? Oh, it's just... I just felt like I said something wrong."

"Huh?"

"I mean, to Muse."

Muse was the matron of the orphanage, and her friend.

Although she must have closed her eyes and entered into eternal rest now, the memory of telling her something wrong still crossed Findenai's mind.

"I told her that everything about Griffin was good. The sun, the wind, the clouds, the grass..."

"Um, but weren’t they really good?"

Findenai patted the head of the member who couldn't follow the conversation and smiled brightly.

"No, I thought everything was good because of Griffin."

However, it wasn't.

The sun in the Republic also felt nice.

She liked the rough wind blowing right now, and she found the clouds floating with souls amicable. She even liked looking at the grass now, which were nothing but weeds.

"I was mistaken."

Findenai still stared at the back of Deus Verdi in the distance.

It was because of you.

That was why everything felt good.

It was because of him, her fucking lovely Master Bastard.

"Haha! This is insane!”

She couldn't stop laughing as this feeling kept coming.