Cepheus Gutetsko.
His name had long since faded from the world, buried beneath rewritten records, lost archives, and histories that deliberately skipped over certain years.
He had lived in the same era as Farsale Lugunica and Radkain Vollachia, the rulers of Lugunica and the Vollachian Empire, two names that history remembered clearly, their legacies carved into monuments, currencies, and royal bloodlines.
Cepheus, however, had been erased.
And that was not an accident.
During the time the three rulers reigned simultaneously, the world experienced something it had not known for generations, stability. Trade routes were safe, borders were quiet, and the four great nations prospered in ways that later historians would describe as an age blessed by fate itself.
Despite their vastly different personalities, the balance between them created a rare equilibrium.
For a brief moment in history, the world was at peace.
But it did not last.
Because what came after was so catastrophic, so all-consuming, that it swallowed that entire era and everything in it. The disaster that followed made the prosperity of that time feel insignificant, almost fictional, like a story told to comfort children.
Four hundred years later, people still spoke about the calamities that reshaped the world.
But almost no one spoke about Cepheus Gutetsko.
That, too, was intentional.
He had made sure of it.
He could not leave behind records, monuments, descendants, or bloodlines that could be traced.
Not when the Witches still existed.
Not when being remembered could become a trail.
In the official records, Cepheus Gutetsko was only described as a wise ruler who led his country into prosperity before dying without marrying and without leaving an heir. After his death, the Spirit Odglass began the ritual that would continue for centuries, choosing a new ruler whenever the throne became vacant.
A strange tradition.
A mysterious system.
History accepted it without asking too many questions.
History, after all, only knew what it was allowed to know.
How many disasters had he caused?
He was rarely the main trigger.
Rarely the one holding the blade.
Rarely the one who started the war, summoned the monster, released the curse, or crowned the tyrant.
But if one traced the chain of cause and effect far enough…
Every major predicament over the last four hundred years eventually connected back to him.
A decision.
A person he spared.
A person he killed.
A kingdom he allowed to rise.
A secret he buried.
A weapon he created.
A spirit he saved.
A child he failed to protect.
How many lives had been ruined because of him?
How many cities burned because of choices he made centuries ago?
He did not know.
And more importantly...
He no longer cared.
Not because he believed he was right.
Not because he believed it was necessary.
But because somewhere along the way, he had lost the ability to care.
He sometimes wondered when that happened.
Was it the first time he lost everything?
Or the second?
Or the third?
After a certain point, tragedies stopped feeling like events and started feeling like seasons.
They came.
They destroyed everything.
And then the world continued anyway.
He could no longer remember when his heart had finally stopped reacting.
But there was one thing he knew for certain.
One moment he remembered clearly.
The day he slid a knife through her heart...
He felt it pierce his own as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tanaka's bad habit.
Well, calling it a habit wasn't entirely accurate. It was more like a reflex, a response to problems that were too big, too complicated, or too dangerous to solve normally.
Kazuki Tanaka had a tendency to deal with impossible situations in the worst possible way:
He took the burden onto himself and became the scapegoat.
Since he faced impossible situations almost daily, people eventually started calling it a habit.
And when he finally resolved himself to deal with something, he usually chose an unorthodox method, something reckless, something unreasonable, something that only worked because he was the one doing it.
Which led to situations like this one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I thought I told you that you must report everything you do?"
Tristan's voice was calm, but there was clear irritation beneath it.
Tanaka leaned against the wall casually.
"I just thought I should report my actions when they're relevant."
Tristan stared at him for a few seconds before replying flatly,
"Guess what? Every action you take is relevant."
"Oh! So if I go take a shit, I suppose I must report that to you?"
A sarcastic remark that he instantly regretted as it earned him an intense glare.
Tanaka crossed his arms and averted his gaze.
Tristan sighed and spoke again, "Now explain in detail. What is that light ball you and Lady Tia are looking for?"
Tanaka looked away.
"…That's troublesome."
___
____
_____
Earlier
Tanaka had taken Zarestia to his room upstairs so they could talk in private.
He sat on the edge of the bed while she stood near the window, looking far too elegant for someone who had been working part-time in a pub just minutes earlier.
"I decided to help you find your light ball," Tanaka said.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
"Really? Then tell me where it is!"
"Hold on," Tanaka raised his hand to stop her. "I have conditions."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"As I expected… nothing is simple with you."
"I'm going to tell you the person I suspect and what that person looks like," he continued. "If you find that person, you must tell me immediately. Don't engage them. Don't talk to them. Don't fight them. Don't even approach them without me."
She frowned.
"Why are you adding so many annoying restrictions?"
Tanaka looked at her with a deadpan expression.
"Are you seriously asking that? There's no guarantee you wouldn't kill that person on the spot — along with anyone standing nearby."
She looked offended.
"You… I don't know what kind of image you have of me, but I'm not going to suddenly go insane. Yes, the light ball makes me want to kill people, but I'm not going to become..."
"That's my condition," Tanaka cut her off. "If you don't agree, I'm not helping."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"You have a lot of nerve bossing me around."
Tanaka shrugged.
"What are you going to do about it? Kill me? Go ahead."
"…!"
She took a step forward, then stopped.
"You are crazy," she said, half irritated, half stunned.
The whole interaction felt strangely comedic.
It was like a weak, sickly parent scolding a rebellious teenager.
The parent knew he had no physical power over the child.
But the child also knew that forcing things would only make the parent more stubborn.
So they argued in circles.
*********************************************************************************************************
After a moment, Tanaka continued.
"A young woman with short dark-brown hair and light blue eyes."
Zarestia listened carefully.
"She's also an Oni. That should make her easier to identify… And if you find her... I repeat! Don't kill her."
"Okay, okay, I got it," Zarestia waved her hand dismissively.
"And one more thing," Tanaka added. "Don't tell Tristan and Nora about the light ball. This stays between us."
He already had almost zero trust from them.
And honestly, they weren't wrong not to trust him.
"If that's all, then I'll get going," Zarestia said.
She walked toward the window.
Tanaka sighed.
"Can't you leave through the door like a normal person?"
"Well, you told me to keep it a secret," she said while opening the window. "So you deal with him."
Across the room, Tristan was already standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.
Zarestia jumped out of the window without another word.
Tanaka stared at the open window for a few seconds.
"She really left me to deal with this mess…"
He slowly turned toward Tristan.
Tristan looked at him silently.
Then he spoke.
"So…? You better start explaining."
Tanaka scratched his cheek.
"Explain what? You already know everything. I'm helping her find her light ball."
"Explain that," Tristan replied immediately. "What is that light ball Lady Tia is looking for?"
Tanaka fell silent.
This was exactly what he wanted to avoid.
If he explained what the light ball really was, it would lead to more questions. Those questions would eventually reveal that Zarestia was a Great Spirit. And that would lead to even worse misunderstandings — like thinking he was trying to turn her into a monster or steal the mana sphere for himself.
"…I'm not sure I'm allowed to say," Tanaka finally said. "It's a personal matter that doesn't concern you."
Tristan narrowed his eyes.
"You are plotting something."
Tanaka frowned, "On what basis are you making that assumption?"
"Your face shows you are planning something evil."
"I can't do anything about my face!"
Damn it… Couldn't she have stayed and explained at least half of this…
Tanaka sighed.
"I'll say this clearly," he continued. "It's not my place to explain anything. And honestly, I don't even want to find it. But she keeps nagging me about it, and I gave her my word that I would help."
Silence filled the room.
Tanaka then added one more line.
"If you want to come along, be my guest."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He really came along.
Tanaka walked through the streets while Tristan followed beside him silently like a guard.
"Where are you going?" Tristan asked.
"Since there are no construction jobs right now, I'm helping in other ways," Tanaka replied.
"Aren't you going to look for that thing?"
Tanaka shrugged.
"I'm not really feeling like it today."
It was clearly an excuse.
After walking for a while, they stopped in front of a large building connected to a church, a place where injured workers, poor civilians, and abandoned children were often treated.
Tanaka entered like he was familiar with the place.
A woman at the entrance looked at him.
"You are…?"
Tanaka pulled out his notebook, "It's me. James."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Ah, James! I didn't recognize you. Did you change your mask?"
Tanaka nodded.
"I see," she smiled warmly. "You're here to help again, right? The patients are inside. We always appreciate your help."
Tanaka nodded and walked inside without another word.
Behind him, Tristan watched silently.
He still didn't understand what Tanaka was planning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inside the church clinic, the air smelled faintly of herbs, alcohol, and old wood. Beds were lined along the walls, most of them occupied by injured workers, sick elderly people, and a few children with bandaged limbs.
Tanaka sat on a small stool in front of a boy whose arm had been wrapped in rough bandages.
Tanaka flashed a note. "This might feel a little cold."
He placed his hand gently over the injury and activated water magic.
A soft blue glow formed around his palm, spreading like liquid light over the boy's arm. The swelling slowly reduced, the bruised skin returning to its normal color as the magic accelerated the healing process.
After a few seconds, the glow faded.
Tanaka removed the bandages and gently moved the boy's arm.
"Try moving it."
The boy slowly lifted his arm, then his eyes widened.
"It doesn't hurt anymore!"
Tanaka stood up and gave him a thumbs up.
The boy jumped off the bed and bowed repeatedly.
"Thank you, James-San!"
Tanaka waved his hand dismissively and handed him a small note with basic instructions.
Behind him, Tristan had been watching the entire scene with a suspicious expression.
"You didn't even take compensation," Tristan said as they walked outside.
"Well, I can't exactly expect children to pay," Tanaka replied. "And those injuries were trivial to begin with."
And ever since the fight with Sonia, his mana reserves have been replenished more than usual thanks to Zarestia, enough for him to last for months without needing to buy mana crystals.
Therefor, these small applications of magic have little to no effect on him.
Tristan narrowed his eyes.
"What's your motive in doing all this? Is it to make me lower my guard?"
Tanaka stopped walking and looked at him with a completely blank expression.
"Yes. I want you to lower your guard so I can escape your sight and go commit evil deeds. That's why I formed an oath that would literally erase my existence if I tried anything like that."
"…."
Tristan said nothing.
Tanaka sighed.
"Honestly, I really think they should raise the intelligence requirement before someone becomes a knight."
Tristan's eye twitched slightly, but he ignored the insult.
Tanaka continued walking.
"I have an affinity for water magic. To maintain my identity as 'James' and avoid suspicion, I started acting as a healer here. People tend to suspect kind people less. Are you satisfied?"
"I wouldn't say satisfied," Tristan replied, "but I will keep that possibility in mind."
Tanaka clicked his tongue internally.
Dammit. If I can't get him to relax, I can't move freely to help Zarestia find the orb.
That was his real objective.
He stopped walking and turned toward Tristan.
"I understand your skepticism," Tanaka said more seriously. "And I understand why you're restless. The Sin Archbishops are considered irredeemable scum. But at the very least, you can be assured that I am under control."
He pulled down the collar of his shirt slightly and revealed the oath mark engraved into his chest, a faint magical crest that looked like burned lines forming a symbol.
"This mark is proof of that."
Tristan looked at it silently.
Silence stretched for several seconds.
And during that silence, Tanaka suddenly realized something.
…Why am I even against him coming with me?
If Tristan came along, he might be helpful if things went wrong.
When Tanaka was unconscious during the church's collapse, the two of them fought and this guy was able to hold his ground against her.
He had already proven he could fight her evenly.
With his help, they might be able to keep her in check.
And sooner or later, Tristan would find out the truth anyway.
Tanaka straightened.
"On second thought," he said, "would you like to come along to search for that light ball?"
Tristan blinked.
"Huh?"
___
____
_____
"Why the sudden change?" Tristan asked as they walked through the market street.
Tanaka shrugged.
"I thought you might be helpful."
Tristan raised an eyebrow.
"With what?"
"You know… with your nose."
Tristan stopped walking.
"My… nose?"
"Yeah. You could smell it and help us find it."
"I'm not a dog!"
Tanaka ignored him and kept walking.
If everything went well and Tanaka managed to save Zarestia and prevent the Night Weeping, Tristan would eventually learn the truth about her identity and the orb anyway.
And the worst thing that would happen was Tristan nagging him for the rest of his life.
Right now, their goals aligned.
So there was no real harm in letting him tag along.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tanaka was lost in thought when suddenly someone bumped into him hard.
"Watch where you're standing!?"
Tanaka stepped back slightly and quickly pulled out his notebook.
He wrote: I'm sorry.
"A notepad?" the man said, looking at him suspiciously.
Tanaka looked up properly at the man's face.
And then he froze for a brief moment.
Isn't that…?
"Is that you, James?" the man asked.
It was the father of the bedridden boy Tanaka had examined a few days ago.
His name was Will Bright.
"I was looking for you," the man continued. "Didn't you say you would contact me if you found anything?"
It had already been two days.
Tanaka quickly wrote in the notebook:
I'm very sorry. I didn't have time.
After everything that happened, the incident with the church, the nun Sonia trying to kill him, Tristan and Nora discovering his identity, Zarestia appearing, the light orb, the Night Weeping, that matter had completely slipped his mind.
The man's expression changed instantly.
"You didn't have time, you say?"
Tanaka quickly tried to write something else, but the man suddenly slapped the notebook out of his hands.
"Save the excuses!" the man shouted. "You're just a scumbag scammer, like every doctor we met so far!"
"Hey, take it easy," Tristan said as he stepped forward, his large frame blocking the man's path.
Seeing Tristan's knight uniform and imposing build, the man clicked his tongue and stepped back.
"Useless," he muttered before turning around and walking away.
Tanaka bent down, picked up his notebook, and brushed the dust off calmly.
He didn't seem angry nor offended.
Tristan looked at him.
"I'm surprised you just took it," Tristan said.
"I'm more surprised you defended me," Tanaka replied. "What, are we friends now?"
"Don't push it."
They started walking again.
"What's his story anyway?" Tristan asked.
Tanaka sighed.
"His son has been bedridden for months. I told him I would look into it. But after everything that happened these past two days… I didn't find the time."
And even now, he had a far bigger problem occupying his mind.
If Zarestia loses control… everyone dies.
They continued walking through the streets.
That thought had barely crossed Tanaka's mind when a loud voice suddenly cut through the noise of the street.
"Watch where you're walking, idiot!"
Tanaka and Tristan both turned their heads.
Two men stood in front of a vegetable stall, glaring at each other. One had a basket of apples spilled on the ground, the other looked just as irritated, arms raised defensively.
"You walked into me!" the second man snapped.
"You dropped them yourself and now you're blaming me?"
"Are you calling me a liar!?"
"It wouldn't be the first time!"
A small crowd began to form around them. People didn't intervene, they just watched, whispering and waiting for something to happen.
Tanaka frowned slightly.
"Everyone is on their edge today, huh," he muttered.
Right on cue, one of the men shoved the other.
"Don't touch me!"
"You touched me first!"
Another shove.
Then a punch.
The crowd immediately reacted, some shouting, some cheering, some backing away.
Tristan sighed.
"I'll handle this."
He stepped forward, grabbed the man who was about to throw another punch, and lifted him slightly off the ground with one hand.
"That's enough," Tristan said firmly.
Then he grabbed the other man by the shoulder and pushed them apart.
"Both of you go home before I arrest you for disturbing the peace."
They both clicked their tongues but backed away, muttering insults as they left.
Tanaka watched them go, his expression thoughtful.
"That was fast," he said.
Tristan crossed his arms.
"People are more aggressive than usual today."
'Something is off...'
Is what Tanaka thought, for the two weeks he's been here, he has never seen the people be this irritated.
They continued walking anyway.
A few minutes later, they heard shouting again.
This time, it was louder.
"You cheated me!"
"I told you the price already!"
"You're raising prices because you think I'm stupid!?"
A man grabbed a merchant by the collar and pushed him against the stall. The merchant's son tried to pull him away, but someone else joined the argument, then another person started shouting, and within seconds, five people were yelling at each other.
One of them threw a crate.
It hit the ground and shattered.
Another man punched someone.
Then someone else kicked a table over.
Tristan immediately ran forward again.
"Stop this right now!"
He grabbed one man by the arm mid-swing and slammed his fist into the wooden stall instead of someone's face.
"Enough!" Tristan shouted. "Have you all lost your minds!?"
The crowd slowly backed away again, breathing heavily, glaring at each other.
Tanaka looked around.
Something was wrong.
This wasn't normal.
Arguments were turning into fights way too quickly.
People were angrier than they should be.
Restless.
Irritable.
Like something was pushing them.
They walked further down the street.
Then they smelled smoke.
Tanaka stopped walking.
"…Do you smell that?"
Tristan turned his head.
Smoke was rising from a house down the street.
Then someone screamed.
"Fire! Fire!"
People started running.
A small house near the corner had flames coming out of one of the windows.
"Move!" Tristan said as he ran toward it.
He grabbed a bucket from a nearby well and started throwing water toward the burning window while others began forming a line.
Tanaka helped pull people away from the building.
Then suddenly someone shouted from the crowd.
"It's him! He did it!"
Tanaka turned.
A man was pointing directly at Tristan.
"He knocked over the lantern! I saw him near the house earlier!"
"That's not true," Tristan said calmly while carrying another bucket.
"You're lying!" another man shouted. "He was fighting people earlier! He's the one causing trouble!"
The crowd started murmuring.
Suspicion spread quickly.
"Calm down! He's a knight, there's no way he will do something like that."
Something was definitely off.
"He's a knight… From Lugunica, maybe that country is trying to take over Kararagi…"
"Yeah, Maybe you are just defending him because he's your accomplice!"
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Tanaka's eyes narrowed.
This was bad.
Very bad.
The man who started the accusation suddenly picked up a burning piece of wood that had fallen from the house.
"If everything is already burning, what difference does it make!?" he shouted.
And then he threw the burning wood toward a nearby stall.
"Wait..!" Tanaka shouted.
Too late.
The cloth covering the stall caught fire almost instantly.
The merchant screamed.
"My shop! My shop!"
People started panicking and running in all directions.
Someone knocked over a lantern.
Another cloth roof caught fire.