After hearing the news, Rafine sprang into action, concealing her plans from her sisters and preparing a lavish carriage with servants to masquerade as an aristocrat's leisure trip. She hired only Shion, her trusted former S-class bodyguard, and submitted an anonymous escort request to the Adventurer's Guild. Using the Transformation Ring, she disguised herself as a black-haired girl and hurried to the rendezvous.
"...No matter what trash says, it's still trash. Just pick it up and get rid of it." At the meeting point, chaos erupted between a B-class adventurer from the Stolz family and a lazy, unmotivated young man with striking black hair. For a split second, his silhouette stirred nostalgia in Rafine, but he appeared around twenty-five—far older than her boy should be—so she dismissed the thought.
When the B-class adventurer drew his sword, Rafine intervened with Word Spirit Magic, scolding him sharply and threatening to report him to the Stolz family. Craving answers, she dragged the black-haired youth into the carriage and questioned him intently.
"No... I'm the only one with black hair in the village, and there weren't any strange people wearing masks either," he replied, offering no recognition; though disappointed, Rafine refocused on the hero ahead.
Hours slipped by as the young man asked about her "soulmate," and Rafine, forgetting her ladylike composure, poured out the story of her boy with passionate fervor. She soon noticed oddities in the D-class adventurer: his keen eye pierced Shion's former S-class prowess, he wielded the rare dimensional magic Item Box, and he carried exclusive sweets from Chartette's main shop. Excited to reunite with her hero, she brushed the strangeness aside.
Four days passed uneventfully, and Etal loomed near; Rafine's heart raced with anticipation, though she fought to maintain her princess-like poise. She was moments from seeing him, or so she believed. Then a hellish vista unfolded before them.
"It's okay! I'm sure everyone is hiding somewhere safe! That person must be――" The young man shouted, averting his eyes from the devastation as if convincing himself the boy lived.
Hope flickered in Rafine from his words, until she saw the black-haired zombie shambling forward. Her world collapsed into darkness.
Everything blurred; thoughts spun chaotically as she refused to accept reality. A world without her boy held no meaning, if he was gone, she might as well follow. Just as despair peaked, a lifeline glimmered.
"So what if it was all the inhabitants of Etal?" The young man's words ignited possibility—he could revive the dead city, bring them all back. "P... Please! Help me, help me...!" Rafine begged, willing to sacrifice anything, even her life, to see him again. The D-class adventurer glanced at her pleading form.
『――"Turn Undead"』 A radiant purge swept the necropolis, restoring Etal to vibrant life. Rafine stared blankly, unable to comprehend the miracle unfolding. The young man then overwhelmed one of the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings as effortlessly as crushing an insect.
When the skeletal king tried fleeing with the B-class adventurer as hostage, the youth muttered, "If I do this, will this solve it?" and obliterated it into dust. Multi-layered barriers reinforced with imperial-grade magic shattered like glass, impossible outside fairy tales. Rafine's heart stuttered; for an instant, his back perfectly overlaid her boy's silhouette.
She had fixated on the "black-haired hero" being her childhood friend and overlooked the clues right beside her. Adventurers swarmed the young man in awe, but he bolted toward Rafine with a fierce expression. "--Are you okay?" he demanded, shielding her with his body.
"Y-yes..." she stammered, stunned. Crimson flames had erupted above her head; in a blink, he had intercepted them, taking the brunt himself. Her pulse thundered anew—she couldn't tear her gaze away.
"Ugh... I can't wear this outfit anymore. I really liked it..." The back of his clothes incinerated, yet his skin remained unscathed. "But it's so lame with only the back exposed! Throw it away already I guess." With that, he stripped off the ruined shirt, standing bare-chested. Rafine flushed crimson at the sudden display.
Her breath caught at the sight. His frame was sculpted from relentless training, nothing what anD rank looks like. He had lean, powerful muscle etched with countless battle scars. Three massive gashes clawed across his chest, identical to the wounds she'd once nursed.
"You're covered in scars." She could not take her eye off a particularly big red scar.
"Th-this...scar..." "Hmm? ...Ah, that's right...Wow, this is kind of embarrassing. I wish you wouldn't stare at me so much." He clutched the tattered cloth to his chest, cheeks tinting pink. "...Why, why didn't I notice..." Rafine whispered, pieces finally aligning.
Come to think of it, the hints were everywhere: rare black hair, bizarre strength, familiar mannerisms. She had assumed age disqualified him and so she never asked. "What's wrong? Staring at me... Ah, have you noticed that I'm just too handsome? Hehe, don't be embarrassed...!" He struck a playful pose, flashing a roguish grin.
"...Yes. It's really, really cool." To her love-struck eyes, his cloudy gaze radiated calm intelligence, his laziness gentle composure, his quirks endearing kindness. "Oh, really? Well... it's a bit embarrassing to be told that to my face...! Well, I'm a good-looking guy so it can't be helped, but I don't think anyone has said that to me that much...huh?" Scratching his head bashfully, he froze as Rafine launched herself into his arms.
She clung tightly, pressing against his warmth. Jirei Laro, her long-lost soulmate. "Finally, finally I've met you...! My - 'soulmate'!" Tears of joy streamed down her face as nine years of waiting dissolved in his embrace.