"This is pitiful..."
"You were clearly companions, yet because of a dispute over interests you ended up doing something like this. So..."
"Why do humans hurt one another?"
A golden figure stood in front of the leader, radiant light pouring from her body.
"You are... that person from earlier today?" The leader's voice trembled with disbelief, his face filled with shock.
"You did all of this?"
He gritted his teeth and glared at the woman, but very quickly he realized something was wrong with his consciousness.
"What did you do to me?!"
He was furious—furious at what she had done to his subordinates—yet at the same time deeply afraid. He could not understand what was happening at all.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that? What have you done?" Elise did not answer his question. Instead, she asked sorrowfully.
"Kidnapping those lovely children all over the world and selling them off? Have you ever thought about how those children feel?"
"So what? Who cares about them? As long as I get enough valis, that's all that matters. What happens to anyone else has nothing to do with me!"
Even if his own men committed unforgivable acts, he would discard them without hesitation.
This woman was dangerous. But that did not mean he had no chance of escaping.
In his pocket was a special item he had bought from an item shop—something those people called a smoke bomb. As long as he released it while she wasn't paying attention and fled immediately, he would be fine.
"As expected... there's no reasoning with people like you." Elise let out a sigh. "So I can only use this method."
"You were planning to sell that elf girl, weren't you?"
"I've thought about it. The reason people can do cruel things to others is because they don't understand their pain..."
"You've always been the perpetrators. You don't understand the sorrow of the weak."
"Since that's the case, I'll let you experience the pain that elf girl would have to endure in the future..."
"I hope you engrave it upon your soul."
Elise clasped her hands together in prayer.
"May you not do such things in your next life."
What is this woman talking about?
Why can't I understand a word she's saying?
Cold sweat dripped down the leader's forehead. Soon, however, he noticed something abnormal in the shadows at his feet.
"Could it be...?"
He turned around in panic. What he saw were his four subordinates—but there was clearly something wrong with them.
Their eyes were bloodshot, saliva dripping continuously from their mouths... The sight was horrifying.
More importantly, their clothes were gone.
"Aaahhh—!"
An eerie, inhuman howl burst from their throats. Any adventurer who had ventured into the Dungeon would recognize it immediately—their voices sounded eerily similar to Minotaurs.
"What are you trying to do?!"
The leader stumbled back in terror. Then he suddenly remembered.
He still had the smoke bomb...
Wait!
Where's my smoke bomb?!
Turning around, he saw that at some point the golden girl had already taken it from his hand. She was examining it curiously.
"Give it back! Give it back to me—ahhh!!"
The moment he reached out, powerful arms seized him—more than one.
"Let go of me! Let go!"
If he wanted to survive, he had to struggle.
He flailed his arms wildly and kicked with all his strength. For a brief moment, he even seemed evenly matched against his four subordinates.
"That won't do. You have to feel pain properly..."
"Judgment—"
"Trial—"
"Virtue!"
Originally, the leader and the four men were evenly matched in strength. But with Elise adding fuel to the fire, the atmosphere ignited completely.
The four began howling as they lunged at their former leader, forcing him to the ground beneath them.
"This way, you'll surely understand, won't you?"
Elise lifted Ryuu out of the cage, no longer paying any attention to the commotion behind her.
She walked toward the warehouse exit. Only when she was about to turn the corner did she slowly look back. An unnatural ripple of power emanated from her once more.
"Ah, right!"
"Everyone, please—make sure you go all the way to death!"
Once, there had been a hero who did something similar. His name was Keyaru. Elise felt that sometimes she still needed to learn from her predecessors.
This was both imitation and tribute.
She did not look back, nor did she extend her senses.
She truly did not wish to witness that battle. The charm had already taken effect. They would surely carry it out.
"Next... I need to deal with this little fairy."
Ryuu Lion. Since you've fallen into my hands, how could I not leave you with a deep impression?
"In the anime, Ryuu seemed so tough-tongued. Who would've thought her body would be this soft... Truly, appearances are deceiving!"
Carrying Ryuu in her arms, Elise slowly left the warehouse. She needed to find a suitable place to wash off the filth covering her.
...
After all, this was Melen—a seaside town. Finding a place to bathe was not difficult.
Elise removed the excess garments from Ryuu's body and placed her into the bath.
"Mm, she's so young, yet her figure is already quite nice?"
Elise was a little surprised. In the anime and novels, Ryuu's "front armor" had always been something of a mystery. The differences between adaptations were considerable.
And now it had been revealed?
"Not bad. At least bigger than Lyra's!"
Now then, it was time for Elise's performance!
Camera—OK!
Setting—OK!
Actor—OK!
All that remained was to wake Ryuu, the final participant!
Elise removed her own clothes as well and stepped into the bath, holding Ryuu close against her.
"Ah, almost forgot. There's one more thing to do!"
She clenched her fist and delivered a firm punch to Ryuu's abdomen.
The force was not great, but it would definitely cause pain for a short time. And for someone as inexperienced as Ryuu, she would not understand that particular sensation.
If it felt real enough, with her personality, she would hardly suspect anything. And besides...
"Optimize!"
White light flowed from Elise's hand as it touched Ryuu's forehead. Soon, the golden-haired elf began to react.
"Mmm!"
At first, only a faint groan of discomfort escaped her lips. But as time passed, her tightly shut eyes slowly opened.
"Where is this...?"
Before Ryuu could fully regain her senses, something soft shifted unnaturally against her chest.
So soft!
What is this?
Still dazed, Ryuu lowered her head.
What she saw was a girl curled up in her arms...
Ryuu: ???