The air in the square remained taut. The moment Riko released her因子, the relics that had been on the verge of rampage all halted at once. The resonant hum—that viiin sound—faded, and the force-field settled like a calm sea. The hands that had been hurling stones stopped. The mouths that had been shouting abuse closed. A silence fell over the square, as if water had been poured over it. Riko stared at her own hands. The white-glowing scales still pulsed faintly. Around her alone, there was a stillness as if the air had grown thin. But it was none other than the cult leader's voice that shattered that silence. [excited] Behold! This is a new miracle!! From atop the pedestal, Karsh spread both arms wide. His voice was soft, sweet—seeping into the hearts of the crowd like honey. [gentle] Even a defiled shrine maiden is purified within this sacred square. Such is the mercy of the Mother Abyss! This is proof of the righteousness of our faith! A murmur of confusion rippled through the crowd. Hearts that had been shaken by Eiga's testimony were now being pulled back by Karsh's words. Some turned eyes of doubt toward Karsh, but many still listened intently to his oration. Riko lifted her face. (*This man… twists everything to suit his own convenience.*) Deep in her chest, a cold anger welled up quietly. It was not a violent explosion of emotion, but a flame that burned slowly, steadily, in the depths of a profound darkness. [shouting] Hear me, people of Orth!! The old appraiser stepped forward. He raised his magnifying lens in his right hand and strained his hoarse voice. [shouting] I am Eiga! Former Senior Appraiser of the Delvers' Guild! I saw it with my own eyes! Riko's power is a power that calms relics! Karsh's doctrine—that the因子 of the Abyss causes relics to rampage—is a lie!! But Karsh's rhetorical skill was far too deft. He ignored Eiga's voice entirely and raised his own even louder. [gentle] My children, do not be deceived. The voice of the Abyss whispers to me even now—bring that shrine maiden to the pedestal. If you do, the Mother Abyss shall bestow upon us yet greater blessings. Eiga's words hung in the air, lacking the backing of evidence. To an emotional crowd, Karsh's honeyed oration reached far more deeply. The old man ground his teeth and tried to raise his voice further, but it was drowned out by the clamor of the crowd. Watching this, Riko understood with perfect clarity. (*As long as I stay silent, that man's words will continue to dominate this square.*) She could no longer run. She could no longer remain silent. She drew a slow breath. Cold air filled her lungs to their depths. —That was when it happened. [cold] …Take her away. Karsh's voice went flat, just for an instant. The mask of benevolence slipped—only slightly. A dozen or so believers moved to surround Riko. Their eyes were clouded with fanaticism; they no longer saw Riko as a human being. Thud. A figure cut in, planting themselves between the believers and Riko. [angry] …Don't come any closer. It was Nat. His left arm was still not fully healed; faint traces of white scales remained around his elbow. The Delvers' Guild healer had warned him that overexertion would worsen it. Even so, he stood his ground without retreating a single step. His crimson hair swayed in the wind. His deep green eyes glared straight at the believers. Riko gazed at his back. (*Nat…*) The words he had spoken in that abandoned building, his voice trembling, surfaced in her heart. —*I liked you. I was in love with you.* It was neither a sense of duty nor obligation. He stood beside Riko by his own will. That fact spread slowly, warmly, through the depths of her chest. One of the believers tried to grab Nat's left arm. Nat shoved him back and let out a low growl. His left arm glowed faintly—Riko could tell pain was shooting through it. Still, he clenched his teeth and endured. [angry] You people, that's enough!! From the opposite side, Shigu's voice rang out. She slipped through a gap in the encircling believers and planted herself in front of Riko. Her jade-green bob cut swayed fiercely, and her amber eyes blazed with anger. [angry] Riko-nee isn't your tool!! The crowd's agitation spread like a wave. The mask of benevolence peeled away from Karsh's face. [angry] What are you doing?! Take that woman to the pedestal at once!! His furious shout echoed across the square. Witnessing this transformation, the crowd began, for the first time, to direct eyes of doubt toward Karsh. From beneath the mask of a saintly guide, a cold, fanatical true nature had shown itself. —Eiga did not miss that moment. [shouting] Look at this!! The old man pulled a bundle of aged parchment from inside his cloak. He raised it high, displaying it to the crowd. [shouting] This is a copy of Karsh's appraisal records—the ones the Delvers' Guild had sealed away! It is an internal guild document stating that after contact with a Special-Grade Relic, he underwent a psychological transformation!! The crowd buzzed. [shouting] I'll read it! *"Subject: Doreva Karsh. Following contact with a Special-Grade Relic, the subject began exhibiting severe auditory hallucinations. The subject himself claims these to be the voice of the Abyss. Deemed incapable of continuing his duties as an appraiser, the Guild dismissed him."* —This is the truth!! The evidence was thrust before the square in the irrefutable form of a document. Furthermore, several Guild members stepped forward and publicly attested to the document's authenticity. A stir ran through the mid-ranking believers of the Holy Covenant. [scared] Teacher… is this… truly the case…? [angry] Silence! Do not be deceived by forged documents!! For the first time, Karsh shouted back at his followers. His face flushed crimson, and his clouded gray eyes glittered with madness. But his words no longer reached their hearts. The Holy Covenant's congregation began to fracture from within, collapsing. The majority of the believers drew away from Karsh, their expressions filled with doubt and disappointment. The air in the square rapidly cooled. [angry] Eiga… damn you, Eiga…!! Isolated, Karsh spat out words of cursing. Then he hurled his final hatred at Riko. [angry] You will pay for disgracing me… Fall into hell, you and your defiled因子 together!! With that, he leapt down from the pedestal. None of the believers moved to protect him anymore. Shaking off the Guild members who tried to pursue him, Karsh vanished into the alleys of the South District. The darkness of night swallowed the cult leader's figure. —Silence returned to the square. The crowd exchanged glances, their faces a mixture of confusion and relief. Eiga carefully tucked the bundle of parchment back into his cloak and let out a deep sigh. Riko still stood before the pedestal, unmoving. Nat and Shigu approached from either side. Neither of them spoke right away. Riko slowly raised her face. She was standing on her own feet. She hadn't run. She hadn't died. She had fought. She opened her mouth, just a little, toward the people who remained in the square. [gentle] I'm… not a calamity. That voice was neither a declaration nor a speech. It was a self-affirmation spoken aloud for the very first time, at the end of a long, long self-punishment. [gentle] I'm just a person who came back from the Abyss. This因子… is proof that I lived. Proof of my past with Reg. Nat came to stand beside Riko. He said nothing, standing there without hiding his still-healing left arm from her sight. That posture was a more eloquent affirmation than any words could be. On Riko's other side, Shigu gently took her hand. She wasn't crying. Instead, she made a small smile. [gentle] Welcome back, Riko-nee. Riko squeezed her hand in return. —Several days later. In a corner of the East District, beneath the veil of night, a quiet table for three sat in the first-floor dining hall of the Harubi's Light inn. The lamp flame flickered, casting dancing shadows on the walls. The aroma of the deep-layer mushroom stew Shigu had made drifted warmly through the room. There was little conversation. Only the occasional faint sound of spoons. Riko glanced at Nat's left arm. The traces of white scales around his elbow had almost completely vanished. For a moment, she started to reach out—and stopped. Instead, she confirmed the state of his arm with quiet eyes. Nat noticed. He said nothing, carrying his spoon to his mouth as usual. But his movements were just slightly awkward. The fact that Riko was watching him stirred quiet ripples in his chest. (*It's fine. It won't get worse anymore.*) He murmured that in his heart. But he didn't say it aloud. He felt that if he put it into words, even the weight of that confession in the abandoned building that night would grow lighter. Shigu watched the two of them intently from across the table. Pretending to bring soup to her mouth, she confirmed each detail, one by one—the direction of Riko's gaze, Nat's tense profile, the air that hung between the two of them. (*I… don't want to end up as just a little-sister figure to Riko-nee.*) A fervent desire was budding deep in Shigu's chest. She wanted to be recognized not merely as someone to be protected, but as a person connected by an equal bond. It was neither childish admiration nor dependence—it was beginning to take shape within her as a clear, distinct feeling. It was Riko who broke the silence. [whispers] …I've decided. Both of their gazes gathered on Riko. [whispers] I'm going to go through the re-registration procedures with the Delvers' Guild. The air in the dining hall stirred. [whispers] I want to… properly unravel the truth about Reg. Until now, she hadn't even been able to speak his name. The boy who was supposed to have vanished with her in the Abyss. The warmth of his mechanical arm still lived on in Riko's memory. And unraveling the truth about him would also connect to facing her own因子—Riko sensed that intuitively. Nat's expression stiffened for just an instant. Reg. The boy Riko had lost most deeply, the one she still pursued. It would be a lie to say jealousy didn't rise within him. But he forced it deep into his chest and quietly opened his mouth. [serious] …I see. That was all. But his deep green eyes looked straight at Riko. It was neither jealousy nor a sense of duty. What lay there was a resolve: to stand by Riko's side and support her as she moved forward, still carrying her loss of Reg. Shigu took a breath and put on a bright voice. [excited] That's great! I'm all for it, Riko-nee! Her smile was genuine. But deep within those amber eyes, pain mingled. Riko returning to the Guild also meant she would draw closer to the Abyss again. Someday, would Riko descend into the deep layers?—that anxiety flickered briefly through her mind. Even so, Shigu didn't let her smile falter. Because this was what Riko wished for. It was proof that Riko had begun to walk on her own feet. —The next day. At the entrance of the Harubi's Light inn, an old man stood. The doorbell chimed, and Shigu poked her head out. [surprised] Oh, Eiga-san. The old appraiser gave a curt nod, his face as stern as ever. [serious] Is Riko here? I have something to discuss. Riko, coming down from the second floor, gave a small bow. Nat was behind her too. Seated at the dining hall table, Eiga took a sip of the tea Shigu had brewed and gravely opened his mouth. [serious] It's about Karsh's whereabouts. The air around the three of them tightened sharply. [serious] A report came up from my contacts in the Guild. He lowered his voice. [whispers] It seems Karsh is hiding out in the South District's black market—the alleys of Sarvo. The alleys of Sarvo. An unofficial market held only at night in the labyrinthine back alleys of the South District. Unregistered relics and contraband are traded there—a dark corn