Chapter 329 The Secret Strategy Meeting
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
# Rewinding to a time before Espera learned of Fortis’s escape
At noon on that same day, a group gathered secretly in an empty building that used to be a greengrocer’s shop—the same place Harmon and Olbranche’s Phantom had met in secret.
”Is this everyone?”
Lewya looked around at the five people gathered beside her. She turned to Estesia, who stood beside her.
”Everyone I reached out to is here. What about your end?”
”We’re all here too~”
Answering Estesia’s question was Iko, an outworlder1 from the same world as Momoka. Niya and Momoka stood nearby.
”Well, since everyone is here, I’ll get straight to the point. The reason I gathered you all today is Betty’s sister-in-law, Fortis.”
”Before we get into that, I want to ask something. How much does Neil-sama know about this gathering?”
”He doesn’t know a thing. This is our own independent move.”
”Uh… is it really okay to do that?”
Iko looked confused at Estesia, who was about to act without even asking Neil about it.
”Standing by and watching will only cause more trouble later.”
”You think so?” Iko pressed. “I know the situation isn’t good, but from what I heard, that Espera person seems pretty reasonable, right? I heard he’s willing to listen to our side too. Wouldn’t it be better to wait a bit and see how things change before we make a move?”
”By then, it might be too late.”
”Too late? What do you mean by—”
”Uh, can I jump in for a second?”
Cutting Iko off, a person who had been silently listening raised his hand and joined the discussion.
”What is it, Jott?” Iko said, annoyed. “We’re talking about something important here.”
The one who raised his hand was Jott, a native of the kingdom and one of Harmon’s companions. Meeting Iko’s annoyed look, Jott gave an equally annoyed look back.
”That’s exactly my point. I was dragged out here with no explanation at all. I’m sitting here wondering ‘Who the hell is Betty?’ and ‘Who the hell is Fortis?’ Because of that, I haven’t understood a single bit of this supposedly important conversation.”
”…Who brought this man here?” Estesia asked coolly.
”That would be Iko,” Momoka answered.
”Ah, well,” Iko said with a sheepish grin, “I just grabbed him on my way here because he looked bored, so I hadn’t gotten around to explaining it yet.”
”So you invited someone here without even knowing if he would help?” Estesia asked, raising an eyebrow.
”But I think he’ll be useful for this. He’s from the kingdom, and more importantly, even though he’s not pureblood, he has Lycus blood in him. I figured having Jott around would help when talking to Betty’s sister.”
”Ah, I did hear we had a Lycus half-blood around, but I didn’t realize it was this guy,” Estesia said. “The Lycus are very protective of their own, so he might be good at persuading her. But he doesn’t have ears or a tail, so how do you plan to prove his bloodline?”
”Well… you know, don’t the Lycus have like a secret language only they can use?” Iko said, turning to Jott. “Right, Jott!”
”Huh!? Are you kidding me?” Jott exploded. “You brought me here completely unprepared, didn’t you? Let me tell you right now, even if you talk about blood relations, the only Lycus was my grandfather. And he left his pack and cut all ties, so any blood relation I have is basically nothing. Man, we’ve gotten completely off track. What is this gathering even about? From all this talk about the Lycus, I can guess it has something to do with that Lycus Nick told me he picked up in the forest.”
”The one rescued in the forest was a Lycus named Betty,” Estesia explained. “And the issue we’re facing now is about her sister-in-law, a Lycus named Fortis. You already know about the raid that caused trouble yesterday, right? The one behind it was Fortis.”
”Hm? Huh?”
”And right now, she’s being kept in the basement of the Theocracy’s clinic,” Estesia continued. “We’re planning to break her out of there.”
”Hold on!” Jott shouted, jumping to his feet. “Are you guys planning to pick a fight with the Theocracy!? Iko, you bastard, don’t drag me into something so crazy so casually!!”
”Well, if I explained it to you beforehand, you would have run away, right?” Iko replied casually.
”You’re damn right I would!! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m leaving—”
”It’s useless.”
”…Huh?”
Estesia’s cold words stopped Jott right as he turned to leave.
”Even if you back out now, the moment you learned about this, you became a full accomplice. Just staying quiet would make you a target for the Inquisitors.”
”…Then, what if I choose to save myself and quietly tell the Inquisitors—”
Before Jott could finish, a blade of flame pressed against his throat.
”Want to find out what happens if you try that?”
”I-I was obviously joking!” Jott yelped. “It’s burning hot, so hurry up and pull this thing back!!”
”Unfortunately, I don’t know you well enough,” Estesia said, her voice cold and measured. “Because of that, I can’t tell if you’re joking or not. You understand what will happen next time you say something like that, don’t you?”
”…What a terrifying lady,” Jott muttered, eyeing her warily. “I don’t remember ever seeing you around, but who exactly are you?”
”Hm? Jott, you don’t know Sia?” Iko chimed in, surprised. “The duel with Amelia is all over the frontier settlement.”
”A duel with Amelia? Rumors? …Don’t tell me that Amelia is Amelia Pordhail? If so, then you’re Estesia Pordhail!?”
Never expecting the woman dressed like an old-fashioned magic user to be the famous Pordhail, Jott’s face went pale with shock.
”What, so you really didn’t know?” Iko pressed. “Didn’t you watch the duel?”
”Listen, I’m out hunting from early morning until sunset every day,” Jott replied. “There’s no way I could watch a duel held in the middle of the day.”
”If that’s the case,” Iko shot back, “why were you idling around during the daytime today?”
”Because when I got back to my room at the inn last night, there was a note from Harmon saying, ‘I’m visiting my hometown, so I’ll be away from the frontier settlement for a while.’”
”From Harmon?” Iko asked, surprised.
”Yeah,” Jott nodded. “And his hometown is on the exact opposite side of the world from here, right? We’re talking about a trip where he might not return for three weeks at worst. Once that happened, the other guys said they’d visit their own hometowns too. The only ones left were me and Kilk, since we didn’t want to go back to ours. Going out to hunt with just the two of us is a bit too rough.”
”So that’s why you were wandering around the frontier settlement when Iko grabbed you,” Estesia said.
”Oh, what do you know?” Iko said with a grin. “Since you’ve got three weeks of free time, this is actually perfect timing.”
”The hell it is, you jerk!” Jott snapped.
Jott snapped at Iko’s shameless attitude, but Iko ignored him and steered the conversation back to the main topic.
”Alright, now that Jott understands the situation, let’s get back to it,” Iko said. “Why are we rushing to rescue Fortis?”
”Right,” Estesia said. “First, I feel bad for Betty, but I have absolutely no interest in her sister-in-law’s safety. I like Betty, but her relatives are a different matter. Therefore, I would be fine with just watching her get sent off to the Theocracy.”
”Wh-what!? Are you serious, Sia?” Iko stammered.
”Completely serious. I am not foolish enough to pick a fight with the Theocracy’s Inquisitors for someone I have almost no connection to.”
”Um, what about me…?”
Though Jott, who had been dragged into this despite having almost no connection himself, let out a weak plea, no one paid any attention to him as Estesia continued speaking.
”What I am actually worried about is them using her custody as a way to squeeze money out of the frontier settlement2.”
”Aren’t you overthinking things?” Iko said. “From what I understood from our previous talk, Espera is friendly. He said he wants to build a good relationship with the frontier settlement, didn’t he?”
”No, if you had truly listened to his words, you would understand,” Estesia replied. “What he cares about most is the citizens of the Theocracy who seek salvation. A good relationship with the frontier settlement is just a way to save as many of them as possible; it is not the main goal. If an easy way to get money appears right in front of him, and using it lets him save even more of his own people, he will choose that path without hesitation.”
”…Well, that’s something only you two who actually met him face-to-face would know, so the rest of us can’t really say anything,” Iko conceded. “In short, you want to help her before the Theocracy realizes they can use her to get easy money from the frontier settlement, right?”
”That understanding is fine,” Estesia replied. “However, regardless of how the Theocracy plans to handle her custody, it would be more accurate to say I want this wrapped up before word of the matter reaches Neil-sama’s ears. The worst case is for her custody to be moved to the Theocracy, word reaching Neil-sama, and Neil-sama going to the Theocracy to make a deal himself. If the proposal comes from our side, they will push for much harsher conditions than if they started the talk themselves.”
”Hmm, if that’s the case,” Iko murmured, “then the best course of action would be to get custody on our end before the Theocracy can decide how to handle her? The problem is whether the Theocracy already knows she exists or not…”
Iko looked at Estesia, silently asking how things stood on that front.
”It’s best to assume they already know,” Estesia said. “It seems an Inquisitor sent from the Theocracy as a watchman has already arrived.”
”What!? Is that the one mentioned in yesterday’s discussion?” Iko exclaimed. “Even Espera said he wasn’t sure if they had arrived at the frontier settlement yet, so how do you know?”
”Starting four days ago, I’ve been sensing a presence of magic power hanging around the clinic, as if keeping watch,” Estesia explained. “Well, I only realized that person was the Inquisitor monitoring Espera’s group after hearing yesterday’s story.”
”Huh? Wait,” Iko said, catching on. “Then when Fortis slipped around to the back of the estate yesterday, why did you ask Espera if it was that specific Inquisitor? If you’ve been sensing that magic power for four days, you should have already known that whoever went around to the back was a completely different person, Sia.”
”Ah, that was just to see Espera’s reaction,” Estesia said with a slight smile. “I knew instantly that the one who went around to the back was a Lycus. After all, they moved like that without using any magic. The number of people who can close that distance in a blink using only physical strength is very limited, don’t you think?”
”Good grief,” Iko groaned. “To think you figured that out and still kept quiet about it…”
”Hmph,” Estesia snorted. “The other side wasn’t being completely honest either. At any rate, since the Theocracy might already know about her existence, we don’t have a single day to waste. We do the operation tonight.”
”Tonight!?”
Both Iko and Lewya shouted in shock.
”Wa-wait, are you serious?” Iko protested. “First of all, how are we even supposed to get her out of the basement?”
”We’ll use different space magic for that,” Estesia said. “Yesterday, Neil-sama connected a different space path all the way down to the clinic’s basement, so we’ll use it. Right now, the path only reaches just outside the isolation cell. However, since I’ve prepared the materials to manipulate different space magic, it will be possible to extend the path slightly and go straight inside the cell.”
”Oh!” Iko perked up. “If that’s the case, then breaking her out should be easy?”
”Yes,” Estesia confirmed. “If it’s just a matter of rescuing her, there won’t be any problems at all.”
”Hm? What do you mean by ‘just’?” Iko asked, catching the implication.
”If a prisoner completely disappears while the walls and floors stay intact and the cell door stays locked… Espera will surely suspect the use of different space magic. In other words, his suspicion will fall directly on Neil-sama.”
”Well, yeah, that makes sense,” Iko muttered. “If someone who can’t easily escape on their own suddenly vanishes from a locked cell, people will think someone helped.”
”Given how few people know she exists, it’s inevitable that Neil-sama will be suspected no matter what we do,” Estesia replied. “Even so, there’s a big difference between them having solid proof versus just having suspicion. That’s why, if possible, I’d prefer to unlock the cell door properly before rescuing her.”
”Do you know where the key to the cell is kept?” Niya asked.
”Espera should have it,” Estesia said. “I saw him pull it from his coat when he threw Fortis into the cell.”
”If an Inquisitor keeps it on his person at all times, stealing it will be hard,” Niya noted.
”Hmm… Hey, Jott, aren’t you really good at sneaking around?” Iko said with a mischievous grin. “Can’t you just lockpick it or something?”
”Like hell I can! What kind of image do you even have of me?”
As Jott grumbled at Iko for painting him in such a bad light, Momoka, who had stayed silent the whole time, finally spoke up.
”I know someone we can count on.”
”What? Really, Momoka?”
”Yeah. If it’s her, I think she could take the key right out of the Inquisitor’s pocket without him noticing.”
”And who is this person?”
At Niya’s question, Momoka slowly shook her head.
”I’m sorry. I promised I wouldn’t talk about her, so I can’t say who it is. But if I ask, I’m sure she’ll help us. She’s a kind girl who can’t turn away when someone’s in trouble.”
”…Can we truly trust this person? Considering who our opponent is, if we mess this up even slightly, we won’t get off easy,” Estesia said, her eyes narrowing.
”It’s fine. If it’s her, she will definitely get the job done. Trust me.”
Momoka gave no more details, but her eyes pleaded for them to believe her. Estesia’s face tightened as she thought it over.
(Trusting someone unknown at such a critical moment is reckless… but it’s Momoka saying this)
Momoka didn’t have the same clear, intense presence as Neil, but she carried within her soul the Azure—a power from the same bloodline as his Crimson. Estesia knew how special the Crimson and Azure truly were. Because the proposal came from Momoka, who had such power, a small hope flickered inside her—that this might be the key to breaking the deadlock.
”I’ll ask just in case,” Estesia said, looking around the room, “but does anyone else have a better plan?”
”……”
”…Right, I see. Since we don’t have another choice, doing something is better than doing nothing. Momoka, I’m placing my trust in you,” Estesia said.
”Okay,” Momoka said. “But I’m not the one you’re trusting, you know?”
”Since you won’t tell me who’s actually helping us, I don’t have a choice but to trust you, do I?” Estesia replied with a sigh.
Estesia gave Momoka a flat look before Iko asked another question.
”So, practically, how are we splitting up the roles for this operation?” Iko asked.
”That depends entirely on what you all can do,” Estesia replied.
”Ah… meaning?” Iko asked.
”It means it’s time to tell me whether or not you’re going to reveal the powers you’ve been hiding,” Estesia said firmly.
”Hey, Sia, that’s pushing it—” Iko protested.
”What?” Estesia replied. “I’m not saying I’ll force it out of you. But if I don’t know what you can do, I can’t optimize our positions. If you want to keep it a secret, I’ll just give you a safe, general role. I’ll leave the choice to you.”
”…What do you think, Niya?” Iko asked, turning to her former Captain.
”Don’t look to me for judgment,” Niya said. “I am no longer your Captain. If you think it is fine to speak, then speak.”
”Hmm, well, if you put it that way…” Iko trailed off.
Comforted by Niya’s gentle tone, Iko hesitated for a moment before finally opening up.
”My ability is gravity manipulation,” Iko said. “I can make myself or anything I touch heavier or lighter. I mostly use it to float in the air and scout from above.”
”An ability?” Jott blinked. “So that trick of yours wasn’t magic? Wait, does that mean you’re actually…”
”Yep! Just like you thought, Jott, I’m an ihomono! Ta-da! Surprised?”
”Ah… well, honestly, it makes more sense than it shocks me,” Jott admitted. “You were always kind of weird anyway.”
”What do you mean, ‘kind of weird’?!”
Iko raised her voice, offended that Jott just nodded in understanding because she was weird. But since they were gathered in secret, they didn’t have time to stand around watching the comedy routine. Estesia ignored them completely and pressed on.
”I understand Iko’s power now. I already know Momoka’s, so that leaves you, Niya,” Estesia said. “Can I hear what your power is?”
”Yes,” Niya said. “My ability is sensory sharing, specifically sight and hearing. For example, I can share Iko’s vision and hearing directly with Momoka. Also, I have telepathy—to put it simply, I can talk directly to a specific person’s inner voice.”
”What? That’s really useful!” Iko said, eyes wide. “So you’re saying while we’re talking normally like this, you could be having a secret conversation in the background?”
”It is possible,” Niya explained, “but doing both public speech and private telepathy at the same time is hard. It creates unnatural pauses and hesitation in speech.”
”Even so, unless someone already knows about your power, they’d probably just think it’s a bit odd,” Iko said. “They’d never guess a secret meeting was happening right under their noses… You said this telepathy only works with a specific person, but who qualifies? And can someone become one of those people if they meet certain conditions?”
”To answer the second question first: it is impossible,” Niya replied. “Sharing and telepathy can only be used with those who crossed over to this world with me.”
”Ah, I see,” Estesia murmured. “No wonder… Yes, that truly makes it impossible then.”
Having reached some kind of internal understanding, Estesia moved on as if nothing had happened.
”Fine. Then our roles are set,” Estesia said. “Momoka and Jott will handle Fortis’s rescue. Momoka, you’ll open and close your different space to create a path, and Jott, if Fortis starts making a fuss, I need you to convince her.”
”Understood.”
”Of all the roles, I get the babysitting duty…” Jott grumbled.
”Iko will watch the area near the escape point for Momoka and the others,” Estesia continued. “Even though it’s night, people still move in and out of the forest, so keep your guard up.”
”Roger that~”
”Niya, I need you to wait in the underground passage and act as the relay between Momoka’s group and ours,” Estesia instructed. “If anything goes wrong on either side, tell the other immediately.”
”Understood.”
”Lewya, I’ll need you to get the supplies we’ll use for tonight’s operation,” Estesia said.
”Hmm? Just that?” Lewya asked, raising an eyebrow.
”Besides everything else, it would look very strange if you weren’t at the mansion tonight,” Estesia said. “We absolutely cannot let Neil-sama notice what we’re doing.”
”Indeed, if that is the reality of the situation, it cannot be helped. Yet, I must ask for one thing.”
”What is it?” Estesia asked.
”If this plan succeeds, and if Fortis’s presence has already been reported to the Theocracy, then Espera will surely be held responsible for her escape. If that happens, will we not face the same problem we feared yesterday—a much harsher Inquisitor coming to replace him?”
The whole reason Espera had taken such a hard stance about Fortis was fear that any sign of weakness would get him removed from his post at the frontier settlement. If that happened, his replacement would almost certainly be a merciless Inquisitor with no kindness toward the frontier settlement. It was exactly for this reason that Estesia had convinced Neil to hand Fortis over to Espera in the first place.
”That possibility certainly exists. But it’s still just a possibility,” Estesia reasoned. “More importantly, the consequences of failing to catch someone vs. letting a captive escape are completely different.”
”Is that not overly optimistic?” Lewya asked.
”Optimistic or not, we have no other choice,” Estesia said. “At the very least, it is a more reliable path than hoping the Theocracy will simply release her out of kindness.”
If things continued as they were, Neil would inevitably move to protect Fortis, and the frontier settlement would have to give the Theocracy whatever they demanded in return. Once that pattern was set, the same demands would repeat forever. Estesia was determined to stop that at all costs.
Just then, Jott suddenly spoke up.
”…Hey, I’ve been wondering this for a while, but why are you guys going this far for the Prodigy of Atmiras? No one ordered you to do this, right? Yet here you are, willingly making an enemy of an Inquisitor. To be honest, I think you’ve all lost your minds.”
”That’s a harsh way to put it… but you have a point,” Estesia admitted. “If I were in your shoes when I first got here, I probably would have said the same thing.”
At Jott’s reasonable question, the girls exchanged glances.
”If you ask us why… well, right?” Iko chuckled.
”Because it’s for Neil-sama’s sake,” Momoka said simply.
”If we must put it into words, that is the essence of it, though I imagine he wants a more concrete explanation,” Niya added.
”Even if you ask for specifics, Momoka’s answer is pretty much entirely right. If I had to say it any other way…”
”It is because Neil hath declared his absolute faith in our strength,”3 Lewya spoke up, her voice steady.
”Believes in you?” Jott repeated, puzzled.
”Even if a task is impossible for him alone, he swore he would win together with those who stand by his side. Therefore, it is only natural that we wish to answer that trust.”
”To live up to his trust, huh…” Jott murmured.
(Using his name without a title is kind of rude, but I won’t point it out)
Jott noticed that Lewya, an assistant attendant, had completely forgotten her position, but he chose not to mention it.
”But still, for all your talk about living up to his trust, you’re keeping this a total secret from him, aren’t you? Is that really okay?”
”It’s perfectly fine,” Estesia said with a smirk. “Helping people without asking for permission first is Neil-sama’s specialty. He has no right to complain about us doing the same thing.”
”Estesia speaketh the truth,” Lewya agreed, nodding firmly. “Time and again, he doth throw himself into danger to save others. Why should we not do the same for his sake?”
”…I see. So basically, you’re all just completely in love with the guy.”
”Wh-What?! Nay, it—it is by no means romantic, I tell thee?!”
Lewya’s face turned deep red as she started to panic. The rest of the girls stayed completely calm, giving warm teasing looks at the flustered knight.
”Lewya, Jott didn’t mean it romantically,” Estesia said smoothly. “He meant you love his character. Basically, that you’re devoted to him.”
”What? Verily? Uh…” Lewya stammered.
Realizing she had completely misunderstood, Lewya stood there, opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water. Seeing her pure, innocent reaction, Momoka couldn’t help but speak up.
”Lewya, you’re cute,” Momoka said softly.
”C-Cute?! I—I understood that completely from the beginning! Did I not just declare that it was not that kind of discussion?!”
”Yes, yes, of course. Whatever you say,” Iko teased.
”What meaneth this dismissive treatment?! S-Stop it at once! It is not so! Truly, you are all completely mistaken!!”
”Mm-hmm, we get it. Lewya is very straight-laced, after all. You don’t have even a tiny bit of interest in romance or anything like that,” Iko giggled, patting her shoulder.
”Guh… You impudent wretches…!”
Faced with the loud, boisterous group of women, Jott felt completely left out, standing a few steps away from their circle. But that feeling of isolation didn’t come just from being unable to join the conversation.
(They’re lucky)
To feel envious—in a situation like this, most would think he envied Neil for having the trust of so many beautiful women. But Jott’s feeling wasn’t so shallow. He didn’t just envy Neil; he envied Lewya and everyone else standing before him.
To have someone you were willing to save even at the cost of your own life, and to have people who wanted to save you in return—Jott deeply envied that bond, his eyes narrowing as if looking into a bright light.
The women remained completely unaware of his intense, wistful stare as the hour for the operation crept steadily closer, second by second.
=====
Originally planned to finish up to the rescue in one chapter. How strange.
When Estesia learned that sharing and telepathy could only be used among Niya and her group, she muttered something meaningful… but that’s just backstory not relevant to the main story, so don’t worry about it.
I didn’t initially plan to touch on it, but given the flow of the conversation, Estesia would notice it, and not mentioning it at all would feel unnatural… so I just wrote it. Really, don’t worry about it.
If enough touched-on-but-unexplained backstory accumulates, I’ll talk about it in the activity report again, so if you’re interested, please look there… assuming I haven’t forgotten which backstory I touched on by then.
—
Summary:
Gathering secretly within the vacant building of an abandoned greengrocer shop, Estesia details a clandestine plot to break Fortis out of the clinic’s basement isolation cell using Neil-sama’s pre-connected different space magic path. Jott finds himself abruptly dragged into the operational conspiracy by Iko due to his distant Lycus ancestry, sparking sudden comedic panic and a life-threatening altercation involving Estesia’s fiery blade. While Jott is forcefully coerced into compliance as an accomplice, Estesia pragmatically explains her underlying motivations to forestall the Theocracy from leveraging Fortis to exploit the settlement before Neil-sama can step into a disadvantageous diplomatic trade. The tactical group aligns on a rapid deployment execution scheduled for that very night, though the inevitable risk of leaving a bloodless, locked-cell disappearance looms over Neil-sama’s involvement.
Gathering in absolute secrecy under the cover of night, Estesia, Niya, and their companions form a tactical rescue plan to extract Fortis from her solitary cell without leaving behind definitive proof of outside intervention. After debating the risks of confronting an Inquisitor and revealing their hidden, unique otherworldly powers, a shared sense of profound devotion to Neil solidifies their resolve. Jott watches their intense emotional bonds with a sudden, quiet ache of existential envy, leaving the final execution of the high-stakes heist looming in the balance.
—
Trivia:
- The vacant building being used for the secret meeting is the exact same former greengrocer’s shop where Harmon and Olbranche’s Phantom previously held their private discussion.
- Jott possesses Lycus blood via his grandfather, but because his grandfather severed all ties with the pack, Jott considers the blood relationship practically nonexistent and lacks distinct physical traits like animal ears or a tail.
- Harmon unexpectedly left the frontier settlement to visit his hometown on the exact opposite side of the world, a trip estimated to take at least three weeks, which caused the rest of his companions except Jott and Kilk to do the same.
- Estesia has been tracking a specific, covert magic power presence loitering around the clinic for four days prior to the meeting, identifying it as an Inquisitor sentinel sent from the Theocracy.
- Estesia explicitly states she lacks direct empathy or concern for Fortis’s personal safety, framing the rescue mission entirely as a calculated geopolitical play to protect the frontier settlement from financial and economic extraction by the Theocracy.
- Estesia notes that Momoka’s soul carries the Azure power, an existential cousin to the anomalous Crimson power held by Neil.
- Niya clarifies that her sensory sharing and telepathic voice links are strictly locked to companions who crossed into this fantasy world with her, a detail that hints at hidden background lore Estesia naturally deduces.
- Espera keeps the key on his person out of career paranoia, fearing that any perceived leniency would cause the Theocracy to deploy a far more brutal Inquisitor to the frontier settlement.
- Jott’s internal longing highlights that his envy is not driven by romantic jealousy over a harem, but rather an existential desire to experience such unconditional, life-sacrificing mutual trust.
- The author explicitly notes in the meta-text that Estesia’s subtle deduction regarding the restricted nature of Niya’s telepathy relies on unrevealed background settings that do not immediately impact the main plot line.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Espera – A crisp-tongued, brutally honest middle-rank Pentis Inquisitor in black vestments who serves the Theocracy in a frontier town. Though she charges high fees to fund aid and holds individual discretionary power, she is currently hiding a captured Lycus. The object of Forutis’s hatred, she quietly assesses Bearty before departing, and once gave Neil a police notebook and memo pad for translation.
• Phantom – A legendary assassin known as ‘The Dream of the Eternal End’ (Somnil). Revealed to be the child of Duke Olbranche, having killed their own father and brother.
• Harmon – Harmond, the eldest son and heir of House Viscount Pelant, vanished and lived as a commoner named Harmon. As Harmon he is an experienced hunter and guard, part of the hunting group with Demar, Dominic, Jott, Victor and Kilk, knows Nick and Lewya, and discusses business ideas with Nick. He harbors a deep grudge against his father, Broome Pelant, and first appears in Chapter 220.
• Estesia – Also called Sia; a calculating Pordhail tactician who leads rescue planning and wields a flame blade.
• Lewya – A proud knight-like attendant who assists the group and is deeply devoted to Neil.
• Momoka – A quiet, expressive outworlder and the strongest associate of Ms. Niya, this young woman possesses Azure power and serves as a translator alongside Neil. She approaches historical texts with a casual, modern perspective and shares a close bond with Neil, observing his hidden emotions with deep concern. Aware of his ihomono status, she absorbed the MC’s Crimson and suggests a hidden helper for the rescue.
• Niya – An elegant, skeptical elf and former captain, Niya leads the Ihomono group beyond the frontier. Using telepathy and sensory-sharing limited to fellow outworlders, she maintains a stern, protective focus on security. She carefully monitors Seiji’s records, provides formal oversight and care intervention for Neil, and harbors deep structural suspicion regarding Frau’s past.
• Iko – An outworlder loli with light purple hair and part of the ‘Ihomono’ group, she uses gravity manipulation to scout from above. Pragmatic and observant, she notes the settlement’s weak security but remains unconcerned due to self-reliance, prioritizing daily comforts like requesting a bath. She casually pulls Jott into her plans.
• Betty – A grey-haired Lycus tribe member born without her left arm, she was labeled malformed and raised ignorant of sex education due to her tribe’s eugenics. After going missing for weeks, she was discovered in a noble’s manor by Neil, who originally set out to save her through his translation work. She is the sister-in-law of Foru-tis.
• Neil – An analytical Empire noble, outworlder, and “Prodigy of Atmiras,” this young man hides his ihomono identity while serving as a translator with unique space magic. Balancing managing a frontier settlement with decoding records of Masayoshi Sudo and Seiji via modern knowledge, he works alongside Lady Niya and Momoka to navigate social divides and uncover the sinister reality of the summoning system.
• Jott – A cynical hunter and member of Harmon’s group, Jott first appears in Chapter 221. He utilizes sharp senses from his Lycus ancestry for reconnaissance and communication, while serving as Iko’s grounded foil. Though cynical, he contributes to combat and defense with decent fighting skills and limited magic abilities.
• Nick – A servant who serves Neil and is trusted to protect him. He is strong enough to potentially fight Momoka. He first appears in Chapter 225, where he is introduced as a servant who is worried about Neil’s well-being after a monster attack. He is later revealed to be Neil himself, pretending to be a servant named Nick.
• Sia – A guard with unparalleled mana-sensing abilities. She wears a sheer negligee and displays exhibitionist tendencies. She is obsessed with Neil and enjoys the risk of being caught during intimate acts.
• Pordhail – The family name carried by Estesia and Amelia.
• Kilk – A man from the northernmost part of the Republic, where the climate is extremely cold. Due to his upbringing, he has a strong sense of individualism and prefers to work alone. He initially refused to join Harmon’s group but eventually chose to fight to protect the frontier settlement. He is practical, efficient, and values safety. Kilk first appears in Chapter 229.
• Atmiras – The Atmiras family name, a high-ranking lineage of Counts currently headed by Dirac and featuring the heir Neil.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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