It was now two days after Eugene had left the Vatican.
Although Pope Aeuryus and Cardinal Beshara had begged him to stay in the Vatican, Eugene had no intention or desire to do so. .
As such, Eugene had reserved a room in a luxury inn near the Plaza of the Sun.
In this season, with Anise’s birthday drawing nearer, no matter how much money one had or how high one or their family’s status was, finding a vacant room for was difficult. However, if the Holy See were to personally request a room, it was only natural that the owner of the accommodations would be willing to offer it up to them.
Eugene had locked himself up in his luxurious lodgings for the past two days. In any case, he didn’t have anything that required him to go out, nor did he want to do so. Mer secretly wished to tour the city, but as soon as they entered their quarters, she saw Eugene sitting down in the middle of the living room as if it was the most natural thing for him to do, so she gave up her faint expectations.
For the past two days, Eugene operated the Lionheart clan’s White Flame Formula and watched as the number of Stars increased to six. With each circulation of the White Flame Formula, the six Stars slowly revolved around his heart.
When there were only five Stars, they hadn’t exhibited any signs of rotation around the Core. So had the operating methods of the White Flame Formula changed just because of the addition of one more Core? That was what Eugene had suspected at first, but as a result of having watched the rotation around his Core for the past few days, Eugene had come up with a few more guesses.
‘Could it be that it changed by itself to better suit me?’
Although the idea seemed absurd, Eugene couldn’t think of any other reason apart from that. Currently, Eugene’s six Stars were spinning as if he had released the Ring Flame Formula, even though he hadn’t started operating the Ring Flame Formula. That said, it didn’t mean that Eugene wouldn’t be able to use the Ring Flame Formula if it came down to it.
The moment Eugene focussed on it, the slow rotation of his Cores became quicker and more violent. The Ring Flame Formula that was instantaneously activated when this happened generated a much higher output of mana that couldn’t be compared to when he only had five Stars. The Lightning-Flames were also perfectly melted into this torrent of mana, and even though they hadn’t been easy to handle when he only had five Stars, the Lightning-Flames could now be handled as smoothly as if it was just ordinary mana.
‘The fact that there’s no need to switch from the White Flame Formula to the Ring Flame Formula… means that the warming up process has disappeared. As a result, the output and the limits of the Cores have also increased.’
If he had to put it simply, the Six-Star White Flame Formula had Cores that kept rotating even if Eugene didn’t bother to operate the formula, so Eugene would be able to emit a high output of mana the moment he desired it. Also, thanks to its continuous rotation, his mana capacity was constantly growing. And what did this growth in his mana mean? It meant that his base output was also steadily increasing.
High output of mana, no matter how much of it was used to strengthen the body, would inevitably burden the body. In order to keep up with this burden, Eugene wasn’t able to neglect the training of his body. The recoil from using Ignition was the body breaking down because it couldn’t endure the heightened output of mana; even if it wasn’t as much as Ignition, as long as one pushed their mana to its limit, their body would be damaged by it.
However, there existed a ‘line’ at which the body would no longer be damaged by its own strength. The moment the body was completely united with its mana, it could be reconstructed using mana even without using magic. Rather than a simple rejuvenation, this was closer to metamorphosis, and the reconstructed body would become strong enough not to be damaged by its own mana output. Except for cases like Ignition, that is.
‘Although I never thought I’d be able to reach that line so quickly,’ Eugene thought as he clenched and unclenched his fist.
This twenty-year-old body was in such mint condition that it didn’t really need any reconstruction. However, it was a gratifying and pleasant surprise to be able to withstand the burden of his increased mana output.
‘That said, I still can’t withstand the recoil of Ignition, but… I wasn’t really expecting to, anyway. If I use a Six-Star Ignition, with the Empty Sword on top of that…,’ Eugene trailed off consideringly as he pictured what he could do at his maximum current limit.
When he had previously stacked two layers of the Empty Sword on top of his Fifth-Star White Flame Formula, the maximum output he had been able to produce momentarily had barely approached what Hamel had achieved in his heyday during his previous life.
When Eugene had killed Sergio, he had used Ignition with a Six-Star White Flame Formula, and he had been able to make three stacks of the Empty Sword. The slash he had produced at that moment was about the same as when he used Ignition during the peak of his previous life.
‘Ignition with the Six-Star White Flame Formula is even stronger than my previous life. If I can stack the Empty Sword to its maximum limit, it should also be similar in strength to my peak Ignition. As expected, the problem still lies in endurance,’ Eugene thought regretfully.
Ignition just came with too much of a burden. On top of that, even if it was Eugene, his current limit with the Empty Sword was three stacks, and it was close to impossible for him to be able to sustain those stacks for a lengthy time.
Eugene reminded himself, ‘I don’t really have to use the Empty Sword. Since I also have the Moonlight Sword, if I use Ignition to support the drain of the Moonlight Sword….’
Would he be able to beat the Demon King of Incarceration?
No, even Eugene wasn’t that arrogant. On the contrary, he was realistic and pessimistic enough that he was able to take a good critical look at himself when it came to matters like this.
Even if Eugene used everything he had available to him and pushed himself to his limit, it was likely that the Demon King of Incarceration would still be able to make him disappear with a mere flick of his finger….
He had never personally fought with the Demon King of Incarceration, so it was difficult to imagine how their conflict might play out, but that was the probable outcome.
‘I wouldn’t be able to match Noir Giabella or Gavid Lindman either. Still, I should be able to somehow keep up against Iris, right? If I used the Moonlight Sword from the beginning…,’ Eugene considered it for a moment before shaking his head. ‘No, that won’t work. Just like me, the Moonlight Sword isn’t in perfect condition either, so its light could go out in the middle of a battle. Instead, it would be better for me to keep it hidden throughout the battle, then at the critical moment….’
[Sir Eugene,] a voice called out to him.
Ignoring the interruption, Eugene continued thinking, ‘Just what is going on with the White Flame Formula? Does it usually transform like this once you’ve reached the Sixth Star?’
But it didn’t seem like rising to the Sixth Star should have anything to do with the Cores beginning to rotate. What if, as Eugene had already guessed, the White Flame Formula really had modified itself to better suit him?
Eugene recalled all those in the Lionheart clan who had reached the Sixth Star of the White Flame Formula. With Doynes Lionheart dead… there were currently only three people in the Lionheart clan who had overcome the hurdle into the Sixth Star of the White Flame Formula.
The Patriarch Gilead…
The Captain of the Fifth Division of the Black Lion Knights, Gion…
And the Captain of the Third Division of the Black Lion Knights, Carmen.
Among these three, Carmen’s White Flame Formula had even reached the Seventh Star, becoming one of the few in the history of the Lionheart clan to have been able to leap over that infamously devilish hurdle.
Eugene added another reminder, ‘When I return to the Lionheart clan this time, I have to make sure to ask—’
A voice shouted, “Sir Eugene!”
Eugene’s thoughts halted. Mer had jumped out of his cloak and grabbed Eugene by the collar. Eugene blinked his eyes, stunned by her sudden fiery outburst.
“Do you know just how many times I’ve called you?” Mer demanded.
“…I almost thought you were Sienna…,” Eugene mumbled to himself as he shook his head and pulled himself free of Mer’s grasp on his collar.
Eugene had gotten too lost in his thoughts. A moment ago, when Mer, who looked just like Sienna, had shoved her face into his and grabbed his collar like Sienna always used to, Eugene’s thoughts had frozen for a moment.
“Hehehem,” Mer smiled proudly and poked Eugene’s chest a few times with her elbow upon hearing Eugene’s mutter. “I was going to get angry with you, but I’ll forgive you for now. Sir Eugene, it looks like you were so busy thinking of Lady Sienna that you actually got confused when you saw me, right?”
“No… well… that’s right,” Eugene gave in.
“Even so, Sir Eugene, please keep in mind that I am not Lady Sienna. In the end, I’m Lady Sienna’s daugh…,” Mer caught herself. “No, wait, I meant familiar.”
Eugene nodded, “Fine….”
“However! Even if I don’t get angry at you, I still have to say something. Do you know why? The reason for my shouting is not that you have been ignoring my calls! It’s because you are acting like a dandy, Sir Eugene,” Mer complained.
These words only made Eugene even more confused at her interruption. Did she really just say that he was acting like a dandy? What kind of bullshit nonsense was that?
Mer protested, “Did you really need to wash your hair and take a bath before heading there?”
Eugene argued back, “So what, I shouldn’t wash up if I’m heading out?”
“But you even brushed your teeth.”
“If you don’t brush your teeth, you’ll have bad breath.”
“What does that matter? You just have to ensure that her face doesn’t get close enough for her to smell your bad breath. No way, Sir Eugene, did you actually brush your teeth just in case your lips get close to hers?” Mer demanded.
Eugene sighed, “Just what are you even saying….”
“You also changed your clothes,” Mer pointed out. “Why did you have to change? You could have just worn the clothes that you wore the day before. Or else, you could wear the clothes I picked out for you!”
“You seem to have mistaken my gender when you picked those out,” Eugene complained.
“When did I do that? Of course, Sir Eugene, you are a man. Just how could I be mistaken about something like that?” Mer replied while tilting her head to the side.
In response, Eugene just furrowed his brows and flicked Mer on the forehead with his fingertips.
Eugene turned the questions back onto Mer, “Then why the fuck did you pick out a skirt for me, especially a skirt that’s such a gaudy red? Huh? And where did you even get those tacky fishnet stockings from?”
“Those were a gift from Melkith,” Mer explained. “She told me I might want to wear them someday when I become an impressive lady.”
“Should I just kill her?” Eugene mumbled.
Tempest agreed immediately, [I think it might be necessary.]
“That’s not important. What’s truly important is that Sir Eugene, you have dressed up all fancy for your date with that dual-personality Saint,” Mer accused.
Eugene sighed once more, “Just why do you keep saying such nonsense… who the hell said that it was a date?”
“You’re not seriously saying that, are you?” Mer asked skeptically.
“Alright, it is a date,” Eugene conceded. “I admit it. However, I didn’t particularly try to dress up for it. I just washed myself up since I was heading out and made sure to change my clothes while I was at it. Does it look like I put something in my hair or sprayed on any perfume? Or else, am I wearing anything fancy or expensive?”
“Sir Eugene, you have good proportions, so along with that face, you look great no matter what you wear,” Mer pouted.
Eugene hesitated in embarrassment, “Uh… um… thanks for the compliment, but, in any case, I’ve never especially dressed up for—”
“That’s why it’s even more of a problem. Even though you haven’t done anything particular to dress up, you look like you have. What should we do if that insidious Saintess forms a strange misunderstanding after seeing your current appearance? Lady Sienna, Lady Sienna, what should I do?” Mer called out in a panic.
“What kind of misunderstanding are you talking about?”
Fortunately, Eugene didn’t have to keep responding to Mer’s whining. The voice coming from behind him felt like salvation to Eugene. With a grateful sigh, he turned around to look behind him.
He saw Kristina standing there wearing a white robe. It was Anise’s robe that they had retrieved from the Vatican’s Special Relics Vault. Kristina pulled the hood of her robe down over her face as she looked at Eugene and Mer.
“…Ugh…,” Mer couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated by Kristina’s appearance.
—Please close your eyes.
Mer could still clearly recall that voice and her blue eyes.
“Have I kept you waiting for long?”
“No, not really.”
It was almost noon in the Plaza of the Sun.
Right when they had promised to meet after parting ways a few days ago. There was still a little bit of time left before it fully turned noon, but the sun that was already high in the sky was warm and bright. Beneath the vibrant sun, the statue of Anise appeared to be flying with its wings spread wide open.
Today was the Thirteenth of April, Anise’s birthday. Yuras’ list of Saints, Saintesses, and Anniversaries was as long as its storied history. Still, the festival of Anise’s birthday was celebrated just as grandly as the Anniversary of the Empire’s founding or any of the other festivals dedicated to things like the harvest that were celebrated in Yuras.
Although celebrations for the festival were taking place all over Yuras, the most crowded location was the capital, Yurasia. During the week-long festival that started from this day, the Sunnyside Anise Train would be free to ride until late into the night, and any city carriage fees, as well as the prices of restaurants and most of the stores in the city, would be tax and tithe-free. On top of that, a parade would begin to march the streets of the city, and fireworks would be set off at night.
The center of the festival was right here, in the Plaza of the Sun. Even now, the plaza was full of people waving their hands up towards the statue of Anise that was floating in the sky and offering up their prayers.
However, even though there were so many people, the space around Eugene was quite vacant. Also, no one else in the Plaza seemed to dare to draw closer to Eugene. This was because of the mana that Eugene intentionally allowed to leak, as well as a complex suggestion spell. As such, while most of the people there recognized Eugene, none of them had attempted to approach him.
“Ahem,” Kristina quietly cleared her throat and lifted her head.
The Icon of Anise was symbolic of the Plaza of the Sun. It was considered one of the best among the various statues, ruins, and religious iconography that could be found throughout Yuras. In the past, whenever she saw the statue, Kristina would also feel her emotions stir deep within her heart and get the urge to offer up a prayer.
[They screwed up their historical research. There’s no way that my wings were so shabby. Also, they made the face of my statue too benevolent and caring, like a mother who’s given birth to a child, but my actual face had a slightly sharper feeling to it.]
From now on, Kristina wouldn’t be able to feel the same heightened emotions she had in the past. While ignoring Anise grumbling away inside of her head, Kristina reached into her cloak. Her eyes were focused on Mer, who was clinging to Eugene’s chest like a cicada.
“Lady Mer,” Kristina called out to her.
Mer stammered, “Wh-wh-what… is it?”
As she was replying, Mer grew so nervous that she couldn’t help but lower her gaze. How humiliating…!
While recalling Sienna, who Mer had last seen so long ago, the corners of her mouth drooped down. Mer had never missed Sienna, her master and creator, as much as she did now….
Kristina continued in a friendly tone, “Do you know? This square is huge.”
“I guess so,” Mer reluctantly mumbled.
“Once you exit this plaza, the surrounding squares and streets are all called the Gourmet Streets,” Kristina informed her.
Mer’s eyes shook.
“Being able to survive the strict management and all of the competition, the delicacies found in the Gourmet Streets are so delicious that it’s hard to believe they’re just food stalls… especially during a festival like this when both local and foreign businesses are allowed to open stalls as long as they apply for a permit in advance. Do you get what I’m trying to say?” Kristina asked.
“I… I don’t know,” Mer resolutely shook her head.
“This is a chance to enjoy flavors from all across the continent,” Kristina explained as she pulled out a wooden rosary that could be worn on the wrist from inside her pocket. “This rosary is only issued to high-ranking priests above the rank of a bishop. In a place like Yuras, the welfare shown to priests is quite exceptional. Especially in Yurasia, where you can receive the best service provided in any store just by wearing this bracelet on your wrist.”
Mer silently stared at the rosary.
“That goes for the stalls as well,” Kristina added. “No matter how long the lines are, if you show them this bracelet, you can place the next order immediately without having to line up. And of course, with this bracelet, you won’t need to pay for it.”
Mer’s eyes wavered in temptation.
Kristina continued to tempt her, “It’s not just the stalls. You can use this bracelet in any of the restaurants or stores. While ordinary people would have a hard time even getting into just ten of the stores during this whole week-long festival, with this bracelet… if you wear it, you can partake in all of the stalls and shops in just half a day, assuming that your stomach allows for it.”
As long as her stomach allows for it? Mer didn’t even have a stomach to ask for its permission. These festival street stalls, could they really be as exciting as Kristina was making them sound?
“However, it’s a pity,” Kristina sighed. “Even though I’ll be staying in the plaza all day because I don’t have any appetite, I won’t be able to visit any of the street stalls or restaurants.”
Mer stammered in outrage, “Th-that’s…!”
Kristina reeled her in, “But Lady Mer, if you really wish, I can lend you this rosary just for today, but….”
At these words, Mer couldn’t help but fall into a long silence as she pondered her choice. Even as Mer kept her mouth shut, she could feel that time continued to pass.
Dong, dong, dong….
From a clocktower nearby, Mer heard the sound of a bell tolling noon.
“Ooooh!”
Gasps erupted from the crowd as a gimmick that was built into Anise’s statue and only revealed at noon on holidays was activated. A sophisticated mechanical device that borrowed the power of magitech sprung into motion and changed the posture of the statue.
Anise’s statue, which had been flying in the sky while looking down at the ground, knelt down while still floating in the air and took on a praying posture. After that, her outspread wings flapped once, and feathers of light were scattered into the sky.
Mer silently gazed up at this scene. The sunlight hit the wings of the statue at just the right time, creating a dazzling array of beautiful colors.
At this sight, Mer put her hands together and offered up a prayer, ‘…I’m sorry, Lady Sienna.’
Shouldn’t it be okay if it was just a day or so? Since this was also the birthday of her comrade from three hundred years ago, and if it was to commemorate her….
In no way was Mer being blinded by the allure of the festival stalls.
Come to think of it, she had promised Ancilla and Gerhard that she would buy souvenirs for them before she returned from Yuras. Since she had received such love and care from them thus far, Mer felt she should at least buy them some souvenirs.
Mer thought to herself, ‘There’s no way Sir Eugene will take the time to go and buy souvenirs. So apart from today, there won’t be any better opportunity for me to buy some.’
As such, Mer decided that it couldn’t be helped.
‘Lady Sienna did tell me that if someone did me a favor, I should always repay it,’ Mer convinced herself.
In other words, this wasn’t Mer succumbing to the temptation of food, but instead just practicing Lady Sienna’s teachings. She might get something to eat if she got hungry along the way, but her primary purpose today was to go and buy souvenirs. Mer calmly let go of Eugene’s chest and walked out of the cloak.
No further conversation was necessary. Kristina tied the rosary bracelet around Mer’s wrist with a benevolent smile. Once she received this bracelet, Mer slowly turned to leave.
Mer shot a glance at Eugene.
She took a step forward, then stopped and looked back.
“Can I just ask you something?” Mer requested.
Kristina agreed, “Yes, whatever you like.”
“…Right now, are you… Lady Kristina or Lady Anise?” Mer asked hesitantly.
At these words, Kristina just smiled and tilted her head to the side.
“Which one could it be?” Kristina teased.
Mer didn’t really want to think up a reply to this question. However, if possible, she hoped that this was currently Anise. If that was the case, then it meant this really couldn’t be helped.
After Mer bowed her head, she turned around once more.
Eugene finally spoke up, “Be careful. Don’t follow any strange people, and even if they tell you they’re going to give you candy, just ignore them….”
Instead of replying, Mer just raised a fist with the rosary dangling from it to remind Eugene.
“Let’s go as well,” Kristina said as she walked over, pulling her hood down over her face a little more securely.
The plaza today was the most crowded that it would be all year, and Anise’s statue was right above them. As such, Kristina didn’t dare to reveal her face, which so closely resembled Anise’s.
“But where are we going?” Eugene asked.
“I haven’t quite decided that yet, but… since I finally have the opportunity to come out like this, wouldn’t it be fun to just stroll around the festival together?” Kristina replied as she took the lead and walked forward for a few steps. Then she suddenly recalled something and turned to look at Eugene, “Hamel, do you recognize who I am?”
Eugene snorted, “Have you decided that you’re going to call me Hamel as well?”
Kristina just blinked for a few moments at this question before breaking into a smile.
“I thought that my acting was pretty good, but it seems that I failed to act like Lady Anise,” Kristina said with some relief.
“Do you really need to keep acting?” Eugene muttered as he lifted a finger.
He knew why Kristina was wearing a hood. He could also understand her reasons for doing so.
However, Eugene didn’t really like the fact that she was.
A gentle breeze blew Kristina’s hood back. Kristina was startled and tried to grab her hood, but the cheeky breeze kept forcing her hood back even as her hair was sent flying.
“Kristina Rogeris,” Eugene addressed her by her full name. “Since you’re not guilty of any crime, why do you keep hiding your face?”
“But… someone might recognize me…,” Kristina weakly protested.
“So what? Do you think that something troublesome will occur if someone does recognize you? It might. But you still shouldn’t hide your face. You are you, and Anise is Anise. If someone sees your face and tries to act all pushy, I’ll tell them to get lost,” Eugene grumbled in promise as he walked past Kristina. “It’s almost noon, and I’m feeling hungry, so I’d like to get something to eat. But is that still possible? You gave your bracelet to Mer, after all.”
“…Haha,” Kristina, who had been just standing there blankly, let out a short laugh and walked over to Eugene. “I have more than one rosary, so please don’t worry about it.”
Having her face exposed felt unfamiliar to her for some reason. Kristina needlessly rubbed her own cheeks as she followed behind Eugene.
[Kristina,] Anise called out to her.
‘Yes, Sister,’ Kristina meekly responded.
[Do you understand my feelings now?] Anise whispered fondly. [I really liked how Hamel was so nonchalantly considerate.]
What if those words somehow leaked out of her own mouth?
Afraid and embarrassed by the mere possibility, Kristina slapped her hands over her two lips.
𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮