A warm breeze bathed in light softly ruffled Subaru’s bangs.

Feeling a ticklish sensation, Subaru took in the feel of the hand of the girl beside him and the breath of the tall beauty standing behind him.

The location was on the roof tiles of the Crimson Lapis Castle, even higher than the spacious room in the topmost floor of the castle—”the closest place to the sky,” granting a sweeping view of this Chaos Frame.

This was the “nice viewpoint abyss” that Subaru had deduced, the closest place to it.

“Orubaru-san, I seriously think you have a bad personality.”

Subaru pointed with his free hand, which he wasn’t holding Roui’s hand with, at the small old man leisurely sitting at the edge of the castle’s roof.

The creepy old man—Orubaru, who had slid down into a sitting position, raised a gourd to his lips and took generous gulps of the alcohol inside.

And then—

“Hey there, kid. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Uh…h-hungry?”

“Yeah, your stomach, of course. You mustn’t have had any time to eat in this sorry state right after waking up, huh? That gut of yours is important, it affects both your head and body functions, you know?”

Saying that, Orubaru placed the gourd down and pulled out another bundle from his coat. Subaru, slightly wary, watched as Orubaru chuckled softly, unwrapping the package.

What was wrapped inside was a black, round object about the size of a golf ball.

“Is that…?”

“It’s called a military food ball. It’s a portable food for us shinobi. This one little thing will keep your stomach full for a whole day and make your head and body work just fine. But, the taste is the worst.”

He pinched the military food ball with his fingers, shaking it in front of Subaru to display it.

It was survival food that certainly showed no signs of taste. It might be nutritious, but Subaru did not feel the desire to eat it at all.

While rolling the military food ball in his palm, Orubaru said,

“I’ve been a shinobi since I was young, so of course I’ve been acquainted with this since my youth. And every time I eat this on the job, I think, like those old men in the village, I also wish to retire early and live a life without eating this stuff.”

“…Then, why don’t you just do that? Orubaru-san, you said you’re the leader of the shinobi village, so aren’t you important?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m better and stronger than those old men who used to boss me around, but for some reason, I’m still eating this.”

Saying that, Orubaru tossed the military food ball into his mouth. The creepy old man chewed the food he claimed wasn’t good and swallowed it whole.

Then opening his mouth to show he had finished eating,

“In the end, it’s about how habits don’t change. This messy food, regardless of taste or appearance, is my best feast. Doesn’t this make you want to cry? No? Ha ha ha!”

Orubaru laughed, rattling his teeth, and Subaru felt an unsettling sensation from his reaction.

What the entire exchange suggested was something incomprehensible to Subaru, despite his youth. However, it didn’t feel like something he could simply ignore.

It felt, in a way, like Orubaru’s somewhat twisted form of praise.

“—Orubaru, this is my castle, you know?”

As the conversation hit a pause, the one who spoke up was Yorna Mishigure, the empress of the magic city—who had accompanied Subaru and appeared atop the castle’s roof.

Gazing into Yorna’s blue eyes, Orubaru ceased his laughter.

“Of course, I know that. It feels good to put the castle lord under my thumb. Doing what I like is the secret to living long, after all.”

“Well now, it seems like you have quite a vulgar hobby for someone of your stature. It’s certainly something I could never think of.”

“Oh, really?”

“Of course. To sacrifice your own lifespan for that secret to long life is hardly sane.”

Gently covering her mouth with her sleeve, Yorna smiled elegantly, radiating a heat that came from her graceful gestures—a sign of her anger, directed squarely at Orubaru.

Though Orubaru likely noticed Yorna’s fury, he remained seated, slouched, casually tossing another military food ball into his mouth from the open bundle on his knees.

“So, why are you three getting along so well? A fox girl and two kids, it’s not your style to have friends, is it?”

“Unfortunately, unlike the malicious old man Orubaru, I have no hobby of teasing children and no reason to torment them. Naturally, treating children with respect is the right thing to do. Besides—”

She paused for a moment, twirling a golden pipe in her fingers. Pointing the end of the pipe, from which smoke billowed, at Orubaru, she continued.

“I hear that Orubaru deceived the child and even enticed my attendant… As the mistress of this city, I must take appropriate action.”

“Oh, oh?”

With a thoughtful hand on his chin, Orubaru’s cheerful gaze moved toward Subaru and the others.

Understanding the intent behind his gaze, Subaru nodded deeply.

“Sorry, but I had to report you. According to your rules, that shouldn’t count as a foul. After all, you were the one who directed the attack against us.”

“Haha! You sure know how to keep your mouth shut, kid. But you’re right. If we started this quarrel, getting back at us and whining would be quite unbecoming. But…”

“But?”

“It seems like you’re thinking faster than your brain can keep up, huh? Are you perhaps a member of the Volakia Royal Family? Seems like they share the same bad personalities.”

“Please don’t say something so scary…”

At a glance, Subaru shared the same hair color as the current emperor, Abel, but the rest of him was wildly different. His facial structure and leg length were proof of that.

After all, saying that the Volakia royalty had the same bad character was pushing it too far.

For example—

“I can properly say thank you when someone treats me well.”

“With a big, cheerful voice and a smile. Children should always do that. I want Tanzer to learn from that too. In any case—”

Smiling with her lips, Yorna praised Subaru’s boyishness while lowering her voice. She squinted her eyes and the cheerful atmosphere started to dwindle.

Because—

“Even if I wanted to admonish my earnest attendant, it’s nonsensical without the person in question present. Now, where has Orubaru hidden that child?”

Yorna’s question was essentially the biggest reason she had come here.

“——”

Feeling Yorna’s tense aura directed at Orubaru, Subaru bit his lip tight and tried to calm his racing heart.

—Having been found by Yorna immediately upon entering the castle yesterday, Subaru had felt the intense nature of Yorna, leading him to gamble once more.

He decided to reveal the situation they were in and the game of hide-and-seek being played within this Chaos Frame to Yorna without holding back.

Of course, he didn’t mention Abel’s true identity or that they had been infantized by Orubaru’s hand. What mattered was that Subaru and the others were playing hide-and-seek with Orubaru, and that Tanzer was assisting.

Resolving to plead with sincerity and patiently dissolve her doubts, Subaru steeled his will to open up to Yorna about the entire situation.

After listening to Subaru’s plea, Yorna considered for a moment—

‘—I’m not a woman who can’t see through a desperate child’s words.’

She answered, then accompanied Subaru and Roui up to the top of the Crimson Lapis Castle.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to be someone I could talk to this much…”

“Ah, ah!”

“Yeah, I get it.”

Hearing Subaru’s mumbling, Roui shook the hand they were holding and pouted her lips.

In response to that, Subaru told himself that this was a stroke of luck born from a series of coincidences. Without any of the factors being in place, this situation could not have materialized.

He had managed to separate from the scheming Abel.

With Ubiruku’s “advice,” he had reached Crimson Lapis Castle.

He had been found directly by Yorna instead of the guards.

He wasn’t with Al or Medium, but with Roui.

And, Subaru, who was most affected by the ‘infantilization,’ took a gamble.

The reason Yorna had lent her ear to Subaru’s words was that she took them as sincere, a serious plea from a child without any falsehood.

Just as there are adults who laugh off children’s words, there are those who truly listen and strive to respond.

It was something he hadn’t expected from the vicious “Nine Divine Generals” of the Volakia Empire.

“Who said Yorna-san is crazy…?”

Subaru thought perhaps her logic wasn’t in line with the commonly accepted “survival of the fittest” of Volakia, that’s why they treated her like that.

At least for Subaru, after being treated this well, he had no choice but to think so.

“Orubaru, I have two demands for you.”

Saying that, Yorna raised two fingers.

Subaru couldn’t interject into the conversation exchanged between the two transcendent beings over his head. He merely made sure to keep the feeling of Roui’s hand in mind, ready to move should the need arise.

Once he transferred downstairs, leaving the rooftop field would be that easy.

“Let’s hear your demands.”

“Firstly, return Tanzer to me.”

“Hey now, that’s a bold statement. The girl has her own thoughts, you know. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be plotting anything without telling you, now would she?”

“—Shut it.”

Partly acknowledging he knew where Tanzer was, Orubaru’s laughter was cut short by Yorna’s sharply spoken words.

The quiet authority of her words held enough power to change the atmosphere.

Even Subaru, not the primary target of her words, held his breath.

Then, having silenced Orubaru’s chatter, Yorna brought the pipe she was toying with to her lips, inhaling slowly as the smoke billowed into her lungs,

“Unfortunately, I have no intent of hearing Tanzer’s grievances or thoughts from anyone but that child. Especially not after they’ve been traced by the ‘Malicious Old Man.'”

“Haha, sounds like I’ve been disliked.”

“You can read that much within yourself, can’t you?”

With a smile that held an aggressive edge, Yorna tilted her head, her hair ornament tinkling. The ornate pin in her luxurious tresses seemed to be a weapon in itself, more beautiful than even Yorna’s admirable appearance.

—People in powerful positions deserve to be feared.

That notion was imparted to Subaru by Yorna. Perhaps not merely being feared, but also making others see her as beautiful might carry the same meaning.

“One more thing, this little game you’re playing with these kids needs to be called off.”

“A game, huh? Just because it seems play-like doesn’t mean it’s not serious business.”

“I believe I stated yesterday in front of His Majesty the Emperor— that no interference should be made by the envoy or His Majesty, and that I wish to protect him.”

—No one was allowed to interfere with Subaru and the others.

That sentiment was conveyed unintentionally through Tanzer. Yorna held within her the will to enforce that decision and the anger towards any breaches.

In other words—

“Are you prepared to turn me into an enemy in this magic city?”

“Oh, how frightening! What a dangerous little girl you are. Well, to clarify, I can’t say I’ve interfered with anything.”

“That’s Orubaru’s interpretation, is it? —Whose city do you think this is? Do you believe I’m the kind of woman who could forgive you with a smile?”

Feeling the air simmer and boil around him, Subaru’s whole body tingled.

He could sense Yorna’s emotions rising as she spoke. Of course, she wasn’t the type of person who would let her emotions spill into her tone or face.

But he could tell. He had seen countless people genuinely get angry.

Those who were seriously angry imbued their emotions with their life at stake. Thus, when in the presence of such people, one could discern an undeniable, pure fury.

“Ugh…”

Beside Subaru, Roui was small, letting out a faint groan amidst the tense atmosphere.

Earlier, when they were being pursued, Roui had eagerly attacked, but now, she was in the presence of two people—Yorna and Orubaru—whose might was in a completely different league.

With an animal instinct, she likely understood they couldn’t win in a fight. Perhaps she was worried about Subaru being dragged into a conflict—

“—Orubaru-san!”

Feeling his thoughts soften regarding Roui for a moment, Subaru shook it off. Gripped by that urge, he called out Orubaru’s name while staring Yorna down.

Orubaru, who remained seated on the roof, skillfully matched one eye’s focus to Yorna and the other eye on Subaru.

“W-wait, how are you doing that…?”

“Haha! Controlling your body is the absolute foundation for a shinobi. If you can’t do different things with your right hand and left hand, or right foot and left foot, you couldn’t aspire to be a shinobi. So? ”

“Huh?”

“You just called out to me, didn’t you? I’ll tell you, this is one of the most dangerous situations I’ve ever faced in my life. I can only take care of one of my eyes right now.”

Even with his carefree attitude, Orubaru seemed to recognize that this was a critical moment. In that case, even a bit of focus was valuable.

Subaru placed a hand on his chest, taking a few deep breaths.

“How about we call it even?”

“…Huh?”

Hearing Subaru’s proposal, Orubaru opened his left eye wide. With that one eye occupied, Subaru raised his voice in frustration, exclaiming, “So!”

“It’s a fair deal, a fair deal! Orubaru-san also tried to pull some shady stuff, and I reported Yorna-san. We’re both at fault here, so that means—”

“Wait, are you suggesting we just accept our wrongdoings and resolve this amicably?”

“Y-yeah, that’s right! See? It’s not all bad, right? I’ll hand over the things you wanted, and our problems will also be resolved!”

What Orubaru wanted was the secret the emperor, Abel, possessed.

Subaru didn’t know the details, but if he could offer that, Orubaru would ease off. After all, the game of hide-and-seek was for that very information—a test of wits.

“Promises are for three rounds, and we’ve only found each other twice… But let’s overlook that. We managed to climb all the way to the top of the castle after all.”

“Hmmm… So it was you who figured out this hiding spot? Not that demon-faced brat or someone else?”

“Y-yeah, that was me. I just happened to think of ‘the nice viewpoint abyss.’ …Though I did have another place in mind.”

They might already be heading toward that other place, given that Abel and the others were probably following along.

In either case, sooner or later, Abel and his gang would reach the Crimson Lapis Castle. Subaru had cheated, aided by Roui’s teleportation and Ubiruku’s “advice.”

If he could take credit for this moment, it would make it easier to convince Abel and the others regarding how to deal with Roui. That said, if the matter proved too difficult, winning Yorna over was also an option.

However, if Yorna found out about Roui’s true nature, how she would react remained a mystery.

“Anyway! What do you think, Orubaru? Are you willing to consider my—no, our proposal?”

Shaking his head, pushing away any negative thoughts, Subaru looked at Orubaru.

He used the plural ‘our’ regarding their proposal because Yorna’s cooperation was essential for reconciliation. If Yorna abruptly declared she couldn’t forgive Orubaru for enticing Tanzer into a malicious scheme, Subaru’s carefully considered proposal could go to waste.

However—

“——”

With one eye closed, Yorna, her pipe in her mouth, said nothing against it. By not opposing it, it seemed that she respected Subaru’s views.

That was extremely, extremely grateful. He wanted to show his immense gratitude.

To not squander this trust or kindness Yorna had placed in him—

“Orubaru-san.”

Once more, Subaru called Orubaru’s name, hoping for reconciliation.

Receiving Subaru’s expectant black eyes, Orubaru plucked the gourd he had set down with his finger. Bringing the gourd to his lips, he drank down every last drop of the liquor inside.

“Well, kid, I can’t tell if what you just said is the result of who you are now or who you’ve always been, but…”

“——”

“Once I’ve started a gamble, I won’t just toss it aside halfway. —You know it’s a thing with us old folks, right?”

That ghastly laugh from the creepy old man came as he crunched the gourd in his hand, shattering it.

The sound of breaking pieces echoed, and Subaru gasped.

Immediately after—

“An old fool who won’t even take the hand offered by a child should regret his stubbornness.”

Yorna’s long leg dropped from above, smashing down and splitting the top of the Crimson Lapis Castle in two.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　△▼△▼△▼△

In high-heeled sandals, a foot was raised high and swiftly driven down.

In an instant, the heel impacted the castle keep, bending it, cracking it a moment later, and shattering it, unleashing a deafening explosion.

The flying roof tiles danced in the air as thick smoke billowed up, and standing proudly in the epicenter of the explosion, her kimono fluttering, was Yorna, having unleashed that powerful blow.

In one fluid motion, Yorna leaped and executed the heel drop, resulting in a major destruction—the castle had been significantly damaged as a consequence of her power.

Literally, with one strike of Yorna’s heel, the keep crumbled, ruining the beautiful scenery of the Crimson Lapis Castle.

“Whoaahhh—?!”

Witnessing that intense destructive force, Subaru hugged his head and crouched low.

Just barely avoiding being caught up in the castle’s destruction, he felt an immense tremor nearly send him rolling off the roof.

Luckily, Roui’s arms were still holding him back.

“Uaaah!”

“Damn! How did it come to this…?!”

Pulled tightly into Roui’s embrace, Subaru shouted with tear-brimmed eyes.

It wasn’t the chaos of dust and smoke that made him tear up. The tears were provoked from the debris filling his eyes, definitely not because Orubaru had turned down his proposal.

Though, that was still painful—

“Yorna-san!!”

“Step back so you don’t get caught up in this! Unfortunately, I’m not good at holding back. —That said…”

In response to Subaru calling from behind her, Yorna didn’t look back as she replied.

Cutting off her words, Yorna pulled out her foot, which had embedded in the roof, brushing off the dirt from her kimono, then looking above—

“Truly, it feels light on my feet.”

So Yorna remarked, above her, amidst the swirling smoke and sail of shattered roof tiles flew a small shadow—Orubaru’s form.

Under Yorna’s gaze, Orubaru grinned widely, “Hah!” exposing his teeth.

“We did agree to let no one interfere… but does this mean we can let that slide, right?”

“How surprising that you think you can win against me in this city. I recommend you pass the position of ‘Nine Divine Generals’ to the younger generation if you’re getting old.”

“Haha! That’s impossible. I intend to be the longest-living among the Nine Divine Generals.”

Both parties exchanged glares in the air and on the roof, confirming their intentions to attack.

Yorna clutched the pipe in her mouth while Orubaru flipped upside down in midair—unleashing plumes of purple smoke. Kicking off the air, Orubaru shot toward it like a missile.

“—!”

With both eyes gleaming, Orubaru aimed his flying foot for the unguarded back of Yorna, colliding head-on with the expanding purple smoke.

Despite having neither mass nor hardness, the smoke surged to dissipate the shock from Orubaru’s kick.

Upon witnessing that, Orubaru deepened his grin, “I’ll show you—!!”

With his short legs whirling rapidly, he unleashed a barrage of swift kicks—ten, twenty times with tremendous velocity.

The first and second impacts scattered the smoke, but as the force of the kicks drove it apart, the smoke could no longer function as a shield or armor.

Not that the smoke had done much at all.

“That’s quite the amusing show you’ve got going on. I wish I could jot this down in my technique book.”

“Sadly, it’s a secret technique only attainable by those who don’t love anyone, so you can’t replicate it.”

The moment Orubaru broke through the smoke, Yorna appeared by his side.

Yorna sprang into the air, wielding the high-quality-looking smoking pipe, targeting the exposed back of Orubaru’s head.

While it had a length and weight that seemed inadequate as a club, Orubaru treated it with the speed of his hand—no, the kunai hidden in his sleeve, deflecting Yorna’s blow.

With a high-pitched sound, the kunai hidden in Orubaru’s sleeve shattered.

Naturally, it had been made of appropriate materials, but upon breaking, the kunai crumbled while Yorna’s pipe remained completely unharmed. What on earth was Yorna’s pipe made of?

“Haha, an old man must be nurtured. To toy with one is truly unthinkable, little girl.”

“In that case, I guess I’ll have to take good care of myself.”

While exchanging light jabs back and forth, they each hurled fatal strikes.

Yorna’s slender arms and long legs unleashed blows that, despite their beautiful appearance, packed enough power to collapse castle walls.

In contrast, Orubaru’s attacks appeared less dramatic, focused on evasion while occasionally trying to slip in minor strikes against Yorna.

However—

“Well, you don’t need castle-wrecking power to kill someone. Ultimately, a long needle in the forehead could do the job.”

“Then, why don’t you give it a try?”

Receiving Yorna’s quiet provocation, Orubaru’s wizened face melted away into the air—no, he suddenly began moving with such incredible speed, he was gone before the average person’s eyes could catch him.

A long-renowned boxer once said to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, but what they were witnessing from Orubaru on the semi-destroyed keep was that very thing.

To phrase it better, it was more fitting to describe it like a fighter in the skies—zipping around and shooting like a sniper.

“You really are quite the flier, aren’t you? Aren’t you being a little too reckless?”

Perhaps due to Orubaru’s leg strength, the tiles he stepped on exploded. In the next moment, Orubaru appeared from a different location, launching an attack toward Yorna.

Using an incredible reflexive reaction, Yorna either blocked with her pipe or dodged entirely. In the face of this chaotic battle of equals, Subaru forgot to even breathe.

“Ugh…!”

Next to Subaru, Roui shrank back at the same horrifying spectacle.

At the start of the fight, he had worried Roui might burst out, unable to remain still.

But now, the clash between Yorna and Orubaru had entered a realm completely beyond that notion.

No matter who won, the consequences would undoubtedly be catastrophic.

It was far removed from the outcome Subaru had envisioned.

“But, what should I do? It feels like there’s no way to stop it…!”

With such grand chaos unfolding, considering the keep had been dramatically destroyed, all the people in the city would surely realize something was happening within the castle.

If that happened, all the townsfolk who admired Yorna might overflow toward the castle, or the impostor emperor’s party, allies of Orubaru, might take action.

If that happened, it would signal a citywide war.

That was not the outcome Subaru desired.

Even if Yorna had been approached by Abel for some large battle to reclaim the throne, a battle starting without proper preparation could only lead to tragedy.

“Await meee!!”

With a high-pitched cry, Orubaru’s spinning legs ground into the roof before Yorna.

Immediately, the shockwave rippled through the roof, and beneath her feet, the surface erupted, sending Yorna soaring into the air while the status quo flipped upside-down.

“——”

As Yorna rose into the air, shurikens cast by Orubaru flew at her from all directions.

It was utterly unclear when he had thrown them. Had he launched them after sending Yorna flying, or had he known beforehand they would head toward her? Regardless, there was no escape.

The shurikens aimed cruelly at Yorna’s soft skin—

“No, I know. I am the mistress of this city, the ruler of the magic city.”

As Yorna responded, the spinning blades of the shurikens froze mid-air around her.

It wasn’t Yorna who moved at incredible speeds to achieve this feat. There was no need for Yorna to shift at all. The tiles that had soared into the sky stopped the incoming shurikens.

That kind of luck could hardly be described as ordinary.

It was impossible for all ten or more shurikens converging from all angles to be caught by a single tile; such a coincidence was beyond improbability.

Eyes widened in astonishment, both Subaru and Orubaru looked on as Yorna gently waved her arm.

In response to the motion of her arm, the tiles that received the shurikens danced in the air, forming a spiral staircase around her.

Majestically, Yorna’s high-heeled sandals made contact with the tiles, allowing her to descend slowly toward the keep.

It was a sudden illusion, or perhaps a display of psychokinesis. Certainly, it could be termed magic, but it differed slightly from any magic Subaru knew.

She wasn’t manipulating fire or ice, wind or earth; instead, she was controlling parts of the building itself.

“Ha—ain’t you a nuisance? Is this what Cesilyus and Araki were talking about with their little parlor tricks? How on earth do you manage it?”

“I told you before. It’s a secret technique unattainable without love… I am, in fact, a woman who takes care of her belongings.”

With a smile, Yorna tucked the pipe into her lips and clapped her hands together.

At that signal, changes started to occur in the half-destroyed keep—no, it wasn’t a mere alteration. It was magic that distorted reality itself.

“What is this…?”

The ground began to warp, and Roui clung desperately to Subaru’s arm in disbelief. Supporting her, Subaru witnessed the alterations unfolding—he saw the building being repaired in real-time amidst the surreal spectacle.

Slowly, the wounds healed, like a video playing at high speed, the structure fixed itself before their eyes.

Considering Yorna as a practitioner of the “Soul Marriage Technique,” as Abel speculated, alongside her earlier words, a single hypothesis emerged.

It was incredibly absurd, but Yorna Mishigure was—

“Is she… using the ‘Soul Marriage Technique’ on the castle?!”

He could only stand there, speechless, witnessing the extraordinary majesty of this mistress of the magic city.