Miriola tilted her head suddenly.

“Eremia. Did something happen just now?”

“Hm?”

“The temperature of your cute little hand changed. Also, it got a little damp.”

Sharp as ever!
Miriola—or rather, Juanere—murmured while faintly looking up at the sky.

“And also, I felt a nostalgic gaze just now.”

“That’s probably Lili Ituka, the ‘War Maiden.’”

“Come to think of it, she works here, doesn’t she?”

“Did you know Lili from your military days?”

“No way. Juanere was a backstage operative. I just knew her one-sidedly. Same as Blythe. The only ones who were certain of my existence back then were His Majesty, the top military brass, and maybe as a bonus, Void Scale.”

A hero in the open, and a hero in the shadows.

Back then, in that era where humans had to kill humans, which side was the better one? Both Lili and I killed far too much. But it probably wasn’t about the numbers.

Infiltrating the enemy’s inner circle, learning their personalities, and if necessary, deceiving and killing them—no sane mind could endure that.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why did you lose your sight?”

We rounded the main school building, approaching the main gate.

There, Void was leaning against the gatepost, arms crossed, waiting.

“When was it, I wonder? I already forgot the year, but there was a moment I suddenly hated my assignment so much that I thought maybe if I lost my sight, I could quit. And when I thought that, the enemy’s blade had already slashed across my face. Ahaha.”

Upon hearing that, the blood drained from my face.

“...Were you forced into missions by Kilpus?”

“No way. His Majesty isn’t that kind of person. Besides, up until the very last moment, I didn’t want to quit either. See, I needed money for the slums. But—”

Pausing for a beat, Miriola whispered hesitantly.

“But you know. When I befriended an elderly man from the Republic who had lost his child, and in the end had to kill him, something inside me broke.”

There were no students near the main gate. The Lehan Royal Knight Academy was a full-boarding school. No one was heading home, they all returned to their dorms instead.

Only Void stood alone in the distance.

“I hesitated, got badly wounded, and somehow escaped. By then, I had already lost my sight.”

“You say you had to kill him... was the old man a high-ranking official of the Republic army?”

“No, just a kind researcher. He treated me, who approached him for espionage, like a daughter. Of course, he didn’t know my true identity.”

“A researcher?”

“In a field called Magi Alchemy. I doubt anyone in the Kingdom of Galliant knows about it. It’s rare even in the Republic.”

“I’ve never heard of such magic. What can it do?”

Void noticed us.

He pushed himself off the gatepost, glaring at Miriola with an annoyed look.

Exactly the reaction I expected. It was almost laughable.

At that moment, a strong wind slammed against us. Miriola held her hair down and opened her mouth.

“It creates non-human humans inside a flask.”

――!?

It was a shock like lightning striking my head.

No doubt about it. Homunculi. That old man was the creator of homunculi.

Miriola continued.

“Before the Republic army could get their hands on the old man’s research, the Kingdom’s military brass ordered me to assassinate him.”

Miriola’s hand gripped mine tightly—painfully so.

But before I could utter a word about homunculi, Void loudly interrupted our conversation.

“Hey, Miriola! You’re late, what the hell were you doing!?”

“Oh my, terribly sorry! Thanks to someone’s sloppy directions, I mistook the main gate for the back gate!”

“Huh?”

“I’m blind, you know. You should’ve been clearer, Void.”

Void grunted and fell silent. A rare sight indeed.

Miriola looked down at me. Well, she couldn’t actually see me, but still.

“――Thank you, Eremia.”

“Yeah.”

I wanted to hear a little more, but pushing her any further would only cause more pain. Thinking that, I nodded.

Void scratched the back of his head, averting his gaze from me.

“Sorry, Eremia. Seems I caused you extra trouble.”

“No, it’s fine... But Void, meet me on the rooftop later. Bring dinner.”

Miriola approached Void and gently placed both hands against his chest.

“Oh, sounds fun. Maybe I’ll apply to the Knight Academy too.”

“Idiot. How can a blind person serve as a knight?”

Void scoffed and put his right hand on his hip. Into the space created by that movement, Miriola naturally slipped her arm through his.

They looked like lovers, but it strangely suited them.

“So, what is it? Another boring consultation? I don’t mind after I drop this one off at the black market.”

I put a finger to my lips and shook my head side to side, making sure Miriola wouldn’t hear.

“Just dinner. This time, we’re bringing Lili along too.”

Void snorted and frowned.

That alone was enough. He understood—it wouldn’t be an ordinary dinner gathering.

“Got it. See you then.”

“Yeah.”

We turned our backs to each other and walked away.