The interior of the spire was an entirely different place from the ruined city outside. A stone-paved corridor stretched deeper inward. Not a speck of dust. No accumulated grime, no crumbled stone fragments—nothing. The preservation was incomparably better than the ruins scattered beneath the purple sky. Light sources set at regular intervals along the walls—ancient illumination devices powered by magic—filled the entire corridor with a white light that was neither warm nor cold. Someone, or something, was maintaining this place. Aira proceeded down the corridor without releasing her grip on her sword's hilt. Her green eyes swept quickly left and right. Her reddish-brown long hair appeared a muted color in the light. Raid walked slightly behind her. The pale blue scar on his left arm—a mark of damage from magical fusion—held a faint warmth. The deeper they ventured into the heart of the ruined city, the stronger the response of the magical circuits within his body became. "Given what happened with that magical beast earlier, don't let your guard down," Aira said. "I know," Raid replied. Lilia pinched the hem of Raid's coat between her fingertips, gazing up at the corridor's walls. Each time carved patterns on the stone entered her field of vision, her lips moved slightly. She wasn't speaking aloud, but perhaps some sound was forming in her mind. A great hall appeared at the corridor's end. The doors stood open. Or rather, the very concept of doors didn't exist here. An arched entrance gaped wide, and beyond it stretched a spacious chamber. The lighting was brighter than in the corridor, and the stone floor bore the same geometric patterns carved into it. The ceiling was high. Sound would echo here. Two figures stood motionless within the hall. Raid stopped. Aira halted at the same moment. Lilia, still holding the hem of Raid's coat, looked ahead past the two of them. One figure had the form of a young girl. She was slightly shorter than Lilia. Black clothing, pale skin. Long hair draped over her shoulders. The other had the form of an elderly gentleman. His posture was perfectly straight, his bearing composed. White-haired, dressed in carefully maintained clothes. Both had their backs turned toward them. Aira's hand gripped her sword's hilt. Raid focused his consciousness on his left arm. In that instant— The girl turned slowly around. Her eyes were a pale gray color. Her expression was serene, with a softness that seemed almost nostalgic. The elderly gentleman turned simultaneously. Both their gazes fixed directly on Raid. And then, both of them bowed deeply at the same time. "Welcome home, Your Majesty," Min said. "Thank you for your long and arduous journey," Gen said. Silence fell over the great hall. Raid's brow didn't move. Aira remained frozen, her hand still gripping her sword's hilt. "...Your Majesty?" Lilia asked slowly, looking up at Raid's face. *** "You have the wrong person," Raid said quietly. His voice was low, emotion carefully controlled. There was no self-deprecation or complaint mixed in this time. He spoke simply, as if merely stating a fact, in a calm tone. "I'm Raid. I was a mage who lived in the eastern frontier village of Kazami in the empire. There was a time when I was called the finest mage in the realm, but I retired three years ago. I hold no position to be called Your Majesty," Raid said. Min lifted her face. Her expression didn't change. It remained serene, composed, and even somewhat cheerful. "You've always been so modest, Your Majesty," Min said. "No, it's not modesty—" Raid began. "Am I a princess!?" Lilia's voice rang out through the hall. Raid stopped speaking. Aira narrowed her eyes. Min and Gen both turned to look at Lilia. Lilia's eyes were shining. Her silver short bob trembled slightly, perhaps from excitement. Her odd eyes—one pale purple, the other a faint amber—had gone perfectly round like a full moon. It seemed Lilia's thought process had made a single leap: if someone was called Your Majesty and she was with them, then she must be a princess. "Princess! It's been so long!" Min smiled. That smile was the kind that fully affirmed Lilia's expectations, causing her eyes to shine even brighter. "I'm a princess!" Lilia exclaimed. "Lilia, that's—" Raid began. "Your Highness! It's wonderful to see you again! You look well!" Lilia approached Min. Min welcomed her with a serene expression. Aira placed her hand against her forehead. She paused for a second, then took a deep breath. "Everyone, please calm down," Aira said. Her voice carried through the hall—crisp and controlled. It was the voice of a female knight, a vice-captain of the advance guard sent to the frontier, commanding the situation. All three turned to look at her. "First, I need confirmation. Who are you? Why are you here in this ruined city? And—" Aira began. "Your vice-captain's efforts are always greatly appreciated," Gen said quietly, nodding. His tone was polite, respectful, filled with gratitude. He hadn't interrupted Aira so much as inserted himself into the space between her words. Aira tried to continue. "...I'm not a vice-captain. I'm the vice-captain of the advance guard—" Aira said. "You've become quite humble. Perhaps through His Majesty's influence," Gen said mildly. Aira paused, her mouth still open. "It's not humility, it's fact—" Aira said. "Aira," Lilia called out. Lilia had turned around, beaming at her from beside Min. "Try calling me 'Your Highness,'" Lilia said. Silence fell over the hall again. This time, Aira was the cause. A vertical line appeared between Aira's eyebrows—deep and distinct. Her sharp green eyes fixed directly on Lilia. The thin scar on her left cheek appeared white against her tightened expression. "I won't," Aira said flatly. "Aw, why not?" Lilia whined. "Absolutely not," Aira said firmly. "But Min said I'm a princess!" Lilia protested. "The premise itself is flawed!" Aira's voice rose slightly—a rare crack in her controlled tone. "...Even if we grant that this isn't a case of mistaken identity," Aira took a deep breath and steadied her voice, "Lilia, there's no basis for you being called a princess—" "She is His Majesty's companion," Min said cheerfully. Aira fell silent. "Is that sufficient basis?" Aira asked. "Quite sufficient," Gen said, nodding quietly. Aira's gaze drifted toward the ceiling. The high ceiling of this ruined city suddenly seemed impossibly distant. *** The confusion settled somewhat later. Aira had made a conscious decision to shift her approach. Continuing an emotional argument wouldn't change the situation—a judgment befitting a knight. She reset her expression and moved to practical matters. "Please tell us about the means of return," Aira said. Min gestured toward a stone table at the far end of the hall. Something resembling a map was spread across it. "Yes. A transfer device still exists in the ancient ruins at the northern edge," Min said. A transfer device—an ancient mechanism that used magic to connect two distant locations and instantaneously move people or objects between them. On this continent, the manufacturing technique had already been lost, and only a handful of such devices were said to still exist. Raid reacted to those words. Raid approached the map. It showed the structure of the ruined city and the wasteland spreading to its north. The details were drawn in an old style, but the general spatial relationships were readable. "Is the spell formula still active?" Raid asked. "Yes. However—" Min paused slightly. "A magical practitioner is required." A magical practitioner—to activate the transfer device's spell formula, one must directly interface with the device while possessing an appropriate quantity and quality of magical power. Ancient mechanisms required a human to supply external magical energy. If the amount was insufficient, the spell formula wouldn't activate. As Min said this, she smiled at Raid. It was a faint smile. It seemed merely to convey information, yet something else was mixed into that gaze. Aira was about to question the meaning of that look. She opened her mouth. In that instant, Gen's gaze shifted. To Raid's left arm. To the area beneath his sleeve where the pale blue scar lay. Less than a second. Then Gen's eyes returned to the map. He said nothing. His expression didn't change. Raid was looking at the map. He hadn't noticed. Aira had noticed. She said nothing. Gen said nothing either. The hall remained quiet. But something began quietly taking root within Aira. A small, thorn-like something without form. "It's a three-day journey," Min continued. "If we depart today, I can guide you along a safe route. The path will be secure." "Understood. We'll prepare," Aira answered quickly. It was the natural judgment of a knight, a vice-captain of the advance guard. *** Min began efficiently preparing food and maps. Lilia immediately attached herself to Min's side. "Hey, what was this ruined city originally? I can actually read those characters on the wall," Lilia said. "My, how impressive," Min replied. "The sounds just kind of come to me naturally. I don't know why," Lilia said. "Is that so," Min said. Min continued her work without pausing, offering a gentle smile while saying nothing more. Lilia's "I don't know why" hung suspended in the air. Lilia tilted her head slightly but quickly moved on to her next question. Her curiosity couldn't be contained. Aira stood near a pillar at the far end of the hall, checking her sword's condition while trying to organize the information in her mind. Min's smile. The words "a magical practitioner is required." Gen's gaze. The scar on Raid's left arm. The dense mana of this ruined city. And—the precision Raid had shown in the previous battle, without any sense of rustiness. These things seemed connected somewhere. She couldn't grasp how they connected. But that was the feeling. The previous scene intruded into the gaps of her thoughts. Raid's back as he repelled the magical beast in the purple light of the ruined city. The hardness of his shoulder felt through the fabric. That moment when "hygiene management for the mission" had come out of her mouth unbidden, to no one in particular. Aira cut off her thoughts in that direction deliberately, continuing to check her sword. The way she cut them off was somewhat abrupt. She didn't notice it herself. Gen approached Aira. With quiet footsteps, naturally. While maintaining the composed bearing of an elderly gentleman, he spoke while looking at the wall. "Should anything arise during the journey, please don't hesitate to inform us," Gen said. "...Thank you," Aira replied. "Particularly regarding His Majesty's physical condition," Gen said. Aira looked at Gen. Gen continued looking at the wall. His tone was casual. But something was contained within those words. The same kind of implication as his earlier gaze. "Do you know something?" Aira asked. "No," Gen said with a smile. It was a polite, respectful smile. He said nothing more. Aira couldn't find words to respond. "...Understood," Aira said. As a knight's words, that was the most natural response. But something without an answer remained in the depths of her chest. *** By the time preparations for departure were complete, the light of the purple sky had changed slightly. The positions of the two suns differed from when they'd entered the spire. Time had passed. All five gathered at the city's entrance. Min folded the map and handed it to Aira. "Head straight north from here through the wasteland. Around dawn on the second night, you'll encounter rocky terrain at the mountain's edge. Cross that, and you'll see the northern ruins," Min said. "Understood," Aira replied. Lilia was checking the balance of her large pack. A bundle of specimens, dried medicinal herbs, several stones she'd collected during exploration. The amount