"You can't go, Nora."
The words were calm and firm.
Yet they only made Nora's expression tighten further.
"But Riften-Sama!"
The discussion was taking place inside what remained of the mayor's office.
Or rather...
What used to be his office.
Part of the building had collapsed during the battle, leaving one entire wall missing. Evening sunlight poured through the opening, illuminating broken furniture, scattered documents, and piles of rubble that workers had yet to clear away.
Despite the state of the room, Riften sat behind what remained of his desk as though nothing had happened.
Years of governing Banan had apparently prepared him for disasters of every kind.
Tanaka stood nearby with his arms crossed while Hugo hid inside the bracelet gemstone, meanwhile, had somehow decided that his shoulder was now her rightful place and sat there as if she owned it.
Nora stepped forward.
"If Halibel-Sama is really going after him alone, then I should help."
"You would not."
Riften's response came immediately.
"There are former Temple Knights who resigned years ago. Some retired, others disappeared into obscurity. If I can locate them and convince them to fight alongside us.."
"Nora."
The older man interrupted her gently.
"You are underestimating the situation."
Silence fell.
For the first time since arriving, Riften's expression became noticeably grim.
"The Holy Kingdom of Gusteko is even more dangerous now than it was ten years ago."
The atmosphere in the room immediately changed.
Even Nora stopped talking.
Riften slowly folded his hands.
"When speaking of the Mad Prince, numbers have little meaning, you yourself now this more than anyone else."
This time there was no gentleness in Riften's voice.
Only certainty.
"Our only option is to trust our strongest fighter, Halibel."
Nora lowered her head.
Her hands clenched into fists.
The frustration on her face was obvious.
She hated standing still while someone important to her walked into danger, leaving it all to fate again.
"Hold on."
Eventually Tanaka spoke up and everyone looked toward him.
"We are talking about the prince of a neighboring nation, right? Why is Halibel even trying to kill him in the first place?"
For a moment Riften hesitated.
A rare sight.
It almost seemed as though he was deciding how much he should reveal.
Eventually he sighed.
"Eight months ago, we received a letter. A letter bearing the royal seal of Gusteko."
Riften's gaze hardened. "The contents were a threat. He informed us that he intended to send troops across the border."
Tanaka blinked.
"...Why?"
The question slipped out instinctively.
Kararagi and Gusteko shared little besides trade routes and he didn't know they bore any grudges.
Launching an invasion made no sense.
Riften's answer came immediately.
"Because of her."
"Huh?"
Tanaka looked around. Beside him, Zarestia pointed at herself.
"...Me?"
She sounded genuinely confused.
Only then did Tanaka finally notice something.
The Great Spirit was practically hanging off his shoulder.
One arm wrapped around his neck.
Completely comfortable.
As though she had been sitting there for hours.
"...Hey."
Zarestia ignored him.
"Why are you clinging to me?"
She looked away, dodging the question.
Tanaka was flabbergasted, it wasn't just because of the fact with how she ignores the personal space, it had to do more with the fact that he didn't notice her clinging until the mayor pointed at her.
Nora watched the exchange before suddenly smiling.
"You two have gotten surprisingly close."
"Well a lot happened. Anyway, get to the point."
Riften nodded.
"The reason Gusteko threatened us was because they demanded the death of the Great Spirit Zarestia, in addition to to the extermination of every spirit residing within the Kararagi City-States."
For the first time, genuine surprise appeared on Tanaka's face.
Not just Zarestia, but every single spirit?
For what reason exactly was they demanding a crusade.
"...Why?" The question escaped him before he could stop it. "I thought spirits were sacred in Gusteko."
His confusion was genuine.
More than a year ago, during his stay at the Roswaal Mansion, Tanaka had spent countless nights buried in books. Back then he had desperately searched for anything that might help him understand the world, or better yet, find a way back to Earth.
That hope had ultimately led nowhere.
Still, the knowledge remained.
The Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica.
The Sacred Vollachian Empire.
The Kararagi City-States.
And the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko.
A nation renowned for its reverence toward spirits, with Odglass even being known as the mother of Gusteko and the Benevolent Mother of the Gustekan Church.
This made this situation feel utterly backwards.
Riften's expression darkened.
"Ordinarily, you would be correct." He folded his hands atop the desk. "However, according to the reports Halibel has sent over the past several months, the Holy King is dead."
The room fell silent.
"The one who killed him and the one who inherited the throne was his son, the Mad Prince."
"The Mad Prince?" Tanaka repeated.
"Vague Adgard."
The name lingered in the air.
Riften's gaze hardened.
"He is infamous for his hatred of spirits."
The old mayor sighed.
"Given the contents of the letter, it is almost certain he was the one who issued it."
Tanaka frowned.
Hatred of spirits alone wasn't enough to explain this.
An invasion?
The extermination of every spirit in Kararagi?
That sounded less like prejudice and more like obsession.
"What happened after that?"
Riften leaned back slightly.
"Initially, nothing. The council dismissed the threat as a senseless joke."
The city-states maintained economic agreements with all three major nations. A letter openly threatening invasion wasn't merely hostile, it was diplomatically absurd.
"However, we still took precautions." His expression became more serious. "We hired the Scratch of Silver and stationed them in the Seventh City Tenmitsu near the border."
Tanaka raised an eyebrow.
"The Scratch of Silver?"
"A demi-human mercenary company." Nora answered this time. "The second strongest mercenary group in all of Kararagi."
"The second strongest, huh? That sounds impressive."
"They were slaughtered."
The room became quiet.
"The entire force was wiped out."
"They were killed by three Paladins sent from Gusteko."
A chill ran through the room.
Even Tanaka could tell from the way Nora's expression darkened that these Paladins weren't ordinary soldiers.
"What happened then?"
"We sent Halibel."
That part sounded considerably more reasonable.
"He killed one paladin but the other two escaped."
"He only killed one? Hmph, is that all what your strongest warrior in the entire nation could do? Ouch!" However, her mumbling was interrupted by Tanaka's Karate chop in the head, "Why did you do that for?"
"Listen until the end, would you?"
Zarestia's reaction was understandable, anyone hearing that the strongest warrior of a nation letting the enemy troupes slip away and struggling against would question the strength of the man in question.
However, Tanaka knew beforehand how strong and capable Halibel is, he was one of the few people in the world who is able to employ martial skill on a similar level to the Kingdom's Reinhard, effectively making him one of the strongest people in the world, matched only by a bare few, and the most powerful military asset in Kararagi.
Tanaka saw his power with his own eyes, albeit in a reality that didn't take place, that's why he assumed there's some missing context there.
Nora's eyes narrowed. "The issue wasn't that Halibel-Sama couldn't kill them. the issue was that the one he killed had to be killed eight times."
The room fell silent.
Tanaka stared.
"...Pardon?"
Riften repeated after her.
"Eight times, it appeared to be that the temple knights possessed some regenerative abilities that granted them temporary immortality."
Riften continued.
"The Paladins of Gusteko were powerful. However, they were still no match for Halibel. At the start of the battle, he killed two of them almost immediately and left the third alive for interrogation."
Then Riften's expression darkened.
"But the two corpses stood back up. They resumed attacking him immediately. After realizing they could somehow return from death, he altered his strategy."
Instead of fighting all three simultaneously...
He focused entirely on one.
Killing him.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each time the Paladin regenerated, Halibel cut him down once more.
Meanwhile, the other two Paladins used the opportunity to retreat.
"And the one Halibel kept killing?" Tanaka asked.
"After the eight consecutive death, he didn't revive. The conclusion we came up with was that his healing factor was overwhelmed by continuous significant wounds that would cause it to stop functioning."
After listening to what exactly they were facing, Tanaka understood Riften's hesitation to send Nora.
After a long moment of silence, Tanaka spoke.
"What if I accompany her?"
The declaration stunned everyone in the room except Zarestia.
Riften blinked. "Huh? Stride, why would you want to go?"
"Don't misunderstand," Tanaka replied, leaning back against the cracked wall. "I'm not going to Gusteko to interfere with Halibel's mission. I'm going because he's the only person who might be able to help me deal with my curse."
His fingers brushed absently against the edge of his mask.
"I plan to find him before he tries to assassinate this so-called Mad Prince. That's all."
Riften studied him carefully. "And Nora?"
"As I said, I'll accompany her until we reach him," Tanaka said. "I've never been to Gusteko, and wandering into a frozen land alone sounds like a very probable way to die. She said she knows the routes, That's a workable arrangement."
Nora crossed her arms. "What exactly do you get out of this arrangement?"
Her skepticism was understandable, however in truth, he was quite desperate.
"I don't want to risk him dying before he can help me." He continued, "But considering that I helped saving the city recently, it isn't a fair trade if that's the only reason, so I would like a large supply of mana gemstones."
"Mana gemstones? if that's it, it shouldn't too much of a problem." However Riften was still reluctant, "But still just the two of you..."
Before the conversation could continue, Zarestia spoke up casually.
"You don't have to worry too much. I'm going too."
The man turned toward her. "Zarestia-Sama?"
The Great Spirit looked genuinely confused by everyone's reaction.
"What are those dumb looks for? It's only natural for me to follow my contractor."
A beat passed.
Then Nora's eyes widened.
"Wait. You made a contract with him?"
"Yeah," Zarestia replied. "What about it?"
Tanaka rubbed his forehead.
"What is it? Why are you sighing?" she asked.
He had hoped to keep that information quiet for a little longer.
The Sin Archbishop of Pride becoming a spirit arts user was already the kind of rumor that spread like wildfire. Adding a contract with one of the Four Great Spirits on top of that would turn wildfire into a national disaster.
And judging by Zarestia's expression, she still didn't understand why that was a problem.
"After the incident with the light sphere," Tanaka explained, "she needed an anchor to maintain her physical form. My mana happened to be compatible with hers, and since I was responsible for destroying her original anchor…"
He shrugged helplessly as he pointed at the shining bracelet on his wrist.
"…this happened."
Riften absorbed the explanation in silence.
In their eyes, Stride was an extremely capable mage. In reality, one of the strongest they have witnessed, albeit because there weren't that mana in Kararagi in the first place, alongside Zarestia who was ranked among the four great spirits, one of the strongest beings in the world. Their attack power wasn't something they could find anywhere they looked.
Still, the old mayor eventually nodded.
"I won't lie," he said. "Your offer helps more than you realize. But your group is lacking someone suited for the front line."
Nora frowned. "We'll manage."
"Perhaps," Riften replied, "but I would rather improve your chances than gamble with th... Taking a risk."
Tanaka narrowed his eyes as he clearly heard him say something rude.
He folded his hands.
"Two months ago, I sent an envoy to negotiate with the Iron Fang mercenary group. At the time, they refused because their leader, Anastasia Hoshin, was away on a journey."
Tanaka stiffened slightly at the name.
It had been over a year since he had seen Anastasia. Back in the capital, he had bargained with her for support against the White Whale and the Witch Cult, trading a percentage of his future business ideas in return.
Then he had been kidnapped before any of it could properly bear fruit.
In hindsight, it probably looked like he had conned her and vanished.
Riften continued, unaware of Tanaka's thoughts.
"She recently returned, and the envoy reported that she should arrive in Banan within a month. If you wait until then, I'll do everything I can to secure Iron Fang's assistance for your expedition."
Tanaka forced himself back into the conversation and smiled faintly.
"Thanks for the offer, but I think we already have someone for the front line."
Nora raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"That grumpy knight."
"Tristan?" She stared at him. "What makes you think he'll join us?"
Tanaka leaned back against the ruined desk, looking far more confident than he felt.
"Want to bet?"
__
___
____
The next evening found him back in his room at the tavern.
The small space was cluttered with bags, spare clothes, and various supplies scattered across the floor. Tanaka knelt beside his bed, stuffing necessities into a travel pack.
Behind him stood a large cat demi-human clad in bulky armor.
The moment Tanaka had requested a private conversation, Tristan had followed him here.
Now he was beginning to regret it.
"Wait!" Tristan exclaimed. "This is not what we agreed on!"
Tanaka didn't even turn around.
"I mean, you already heard the story from Nora, didn't you? The plan changed, Mr. Knight. We have to adapt."
"Adapt?" The knight let out a frustrated growl. "You specifically told me you were staying in Kararagi until Halibel returned."
"Yeah, and now we're going directly to Halibel."
"That doesn't change the fact that crossing into Gusteko is dangerous. Travelling across borders without any notice is illegal."
"You really shouldn't concern yourself too much with diplomatic borders," Tanaka replied.
"I'm a knight. That's precisely what I should be concerned about."
Meanwhile, Tanaka finally tied the travel bag shut and stood up. "You heard what Nora said, the guy is planning to start a crusade soon, so it really doesn't matter anymore." He continued, "Regardless, we agreed that I would remain here until Halibel returned and removed the curse but if Halibel dies before that happens, then there's no point in waiting."
Tanaka knew little to nothing about the Mad Prince. But based on how anxious Riften and Nora were when they talked about him, he knew that it wouldn't a walk on the park for Halibel to defeat him.
The room fell silent.
Tristan's expression hardened.
"We had a deal."
"I know. "For the first time since the conversation started, Tanaka's tone became serious. "And I intend to keep my word."
A moment passed, then Tanaka spoke up. "Do you remember when I was sealed? And the oath mark disappeared."
Tristan frowned.
"...Yes."
The magical contract they had established after the battle should have remained visible.
Instead, after Tanaka's imprisonment inside Ol Shamak, it had vanished entirely.
The spell severed my connection to the world. Whatever magic maintained the oath was broken along with everything else.
He briefly glanced at his hand.
"Still, I made the oath again afterward."
The same conditions.
The same restrictions.
He would not commit evil acts.
And he would reveal the whereabouts of Kazuki Tanaka.
The agreement remained intact.
"I still don't know why you're searching for Kazuki Tanaka," Tanaka admitted. "But I intend to honor my side of the bargain."
His gaze remained steady.
"This benefits you too. The faster Halibel removes my curse, the faster you'll complete your mission."
The knight stared at him for several seconds. Finally, Tristan released a slow breath.
"...I don't like this and I know I'm going to regret this."
Then Tristan shook his head.
"...Fine, I'll come with you."
Tanaka simply nodded.
"Good."
"Don't misunderstand," Tristan immediately added. "I'm not agreeing because I trust you."
"Of course."
"I'm agreeing because leaving you unsupervised sounds significantly more dangerous."
"Yeah, yeah, sure..."
The knight groaned.
Somehow, that answer only made him feel worse.