"Halibel-Sama!"
The instant the Temple Knights withdrew and the path outside the ice fortress was clear, Nora dashed forward.
Without the slightest hesitation, she threw herself into Halibel's embrace.
"How have you been, Nora-chan?"
The wolfman chuckled warmly as he caught her with practiced ease, gently patting her head.
"I'm glad you're safe."
One after another, the others emerged from the fortress.
The suffocating tension that had filled the battlefield only moments ago melted into visible relief.
Zank immediately wrapped Mikli in a tight embrace.
Tristan stepped outside with a long, exhausted exhale, resting the flat of his greatsword against the ground for support.
Even Zarestia and Lilac had recovered enough to smile again. She leaned toward Tanaka, saying something with her usual teasing grin.
But he never heard a single word.
Every voice around him became distant.
Muffled.
As though he had been submerged beneath deep water.
His eyes remained fixed on one person.
Halibel.
An endless stream of thoughts flooded his mind.
Meeting Halibel in person...
It felt strangely surreal.
Much like the first time he had met Zarestia.
He already knew them.
Or maybe...
He only believed he did, as this timeline is playing differently, there's bound to be changes to their actions and perhaps even their personality.
In one reality...
The world had painted Zarestia as nothing more than a bloodthirsty Great Spirit.
In another...
She was a friendly spirit who occasionally came to visit the Natsuki family in Kararagi while controlling her blood lust.
The same was true for Halibel.
Once, Halibel had stood before him as a merciless assassin, his blades stained with the blood of countless people.
In another...
He was a friendly neighbor, who always lent a hand when Subaru and Rem were in trouble.
In this reality, Zarestia path is playing out completely different from the others. She did not succumb to the night weeping and she no longer has to isolate herself for long periods in order to talk with others.
This outcome was the best one for her, and that made him really happy.
But how was Halibel now? This was something he couldn't predict, something he was unbelievably anxious about.
His fingers unconsciously curled into fists.
'This is it, but what if this isn't it?'
This moment, this meeting, It was what he had struggled toward for months.
He was labeled as a villain, chased and killed like an animal, by people he cared about. For months upon months he persevered but was this really it.
Killed over...
And over...
And over again.
All for the chance to stand before the man he has put all his hopes into.
And yet, anxiety gripped him tighter than ever.
Thousands of possibilities raced through his mind.
"You're a Sin Archbishop."
"Someone like you deserves nothing but death."
Or perhaps...
"I'm sorry... but I've never heard of such a curse."
His breathing became uneven.
No matter how carefully he planned...
No matter how desperately he struggled...
Something always went wrong.
Always.
"Jay."
He blinked.
"Huh?"
Zarestia tilted her head, concern replacing the smile she'd worn moments earlier.
"You've been staring into space for a while."
She lightly waved a hand in front of his face.
"Are you okay?"
"...Yeah."
The answer came automatically.
Even he knew it sounded unconvincing.
Before she could press further—
Halibel's voice reached him.
"That ice magic..."
Tanaka instinctively looked up.
"...Was that yours?"
He froze.
Halibel's sharp eyes rested on him with calm curiosity. "I'm assuming you're the one who helped Nora reach Gusteko."
A faint smile crossed the wolfman's face.
"You have my gratitude."
Tanaka unconsciously clenched his fist even harder. Yet, Halibel's voice remained as relaxed as ever.
"Can you tell me your name?"
The question struck him hard.
His fingers trembled.
His throat tightened.
His lips parted, but no sound came out.
What now? What is he supposed to say?
Countless emotions swelled inside him at once.
Fear, Hope, Anticipation, Dread.
"...Hm?"
Before the awkward silence could stretch any further, Nora hurriedly stepped between them.
"Halibel-Sama, actually..."
____
___
__
Nora took a slow breath before beginning her explanation.
Patiently, she recounted everything that had happened over the last months.
Their fight with the nun, the appearance of the great spirit Zarestia, Abaris and the Night Weeping that had nearly reduced Kararagi to ruins.
And finally...
The one who had stood at the center of it all.
Tanaka.
She spoke of how he had fought despite overwhelming odds allowing to make it all the way here, and how he risked his own life over and over again.
Silence settled over the snowfield.
Then...
"...Stride Vollachia?"
The atmosphere shattered.
Metal rang through the air.
Shing!
Zank's twin blades were already in his hands.
He thought he has seen his face somewhere before but only after his name was revealed did the points connect.
His expression twisted with unmistakable hostility.
Tanaka remained perfectly still.
He neither denied it nor readied himself to fight back.
Before anyone else could react, a gust of wind swept across the clearing.
"Don't you dare!"
Zarestia stepped directly in front of Tanaka, spreading both arms as if shielding him from the swords pointed his way.
Her golden eyes burned with fury.
"Were you even listening to shorty?! He saved an entire city, maybe the entire country. He even saved you two idiots!"
Despite the pressure she was exuding, Zank's hostility didn't lessen in the slightest.
His grip on his swords only tightened.
Mikli gently tugged at his sleeve.
"Zank..." Her voice was soft. "Please calm down..."
He didn't even look at her.
"The church was right labeling you two as heretics" His gaze shifted toward Zarestia. "A great spirit contracted with a Sin Archbishop."
Before the confrontation could escalate further, Tristan stepped between them.
"Enough."
His voice remained calm.
"Stand down. He is my prisoner."
"I intend to escort him back to Lugunica after we've finished what we came here to do."
Zank frowned.
"You are a knight from Lugunica. What exactly did you come here for?"
Tristan answered without hesitation.
"We came here because Halibel is supposedly capable of removing Stride's curse."
"...Curse?" Zank scoffed. "Stop feeding me that..."
A flash of silver.
His words died instantly.
A kunai rested lightly against his throat.
Halibel had moved.
No one had seen him do it.
His smile remained as carefree as ever.
Yet the warmth had completely vanished from his eyes.
"...Put your swords away."
His tone was intimidating.
Zank's jaw tightened.
"You're actually siding with him?"
Halibel didn't answer immediately.
Instead...
He glanced toward Tanaka.
"A sin Archbishop or not, he saved my home and my people in my absence."
He slowly turned back toward Zank.
"That debt is one I could never repay."
After several tense seconds, Zank clicked his tongue before finally lowering his blades.
Halibel withdrew the kunai with the same effortless motion.
The tension eased...
Only slightly.
Then, Halibel began walking toward Tanaka.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Stopping directly in front of him.
He bowed his head.
"For everything you've done..."
"...you have my eternal gratitude."
Everyone understood what that gesture meant.
Standing before them...
Was Halibel.
One of the Four Strongest.
The legendary warrior who had driven an entire battalion of semi-immortal paladins into retreat almost single-handedly.
If he chose to protect Tanaka, no one present possessed the strength to oppose him.
Yet...
"I don't need that!"
Tanaka's voice cracked as he shouted.
His fists trembled.
"I don't need your gratitude!"
His breathing became ragged.
"I just..."
He clenched his teeth.
"...need you to get rid of my curse."
He couldn't even say what it was, but he put all his hopes on the probability that he would figure it out on his own.
And the hopes that he might actually be able to do something about it.
Silence.
Halibel studied him.
For several long seconds...
He simply stared.
"...I see."
Without warning, his hand shot forward.
Grab.
Tanaka's eyes widened.
Halibel's fingers closed around his throat.
Before anyone could react, he lifted him clean off the ground.
"Jay!"
Zarestia screamed.
Violent winds exploded around her.
"What are you doing?!"
She took a step forward.
"LET HIM GO!"
A blizzard itself began swirling around her, even the surrounding snow started lifting into the air.
Hugo floated in front of Tanaka in panic.
"Master!"
Tristan instinctively reached for his sword.
Nora's eyes widened in shock and even Zank was caught off guard.
Yet Halibel remained completely unmoved.
His grip tightened.
Tanaka clawed weakly at the hand around his neck.
His face quickly turned pale.
Drops of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.
Zarestia's killing intent erupted. The snow around her exploded outward under the pressure of her wind.
She raised her hand.
Wind condensed into blades sharp enough to tear apart stone.
"Let him go..."
Her voice trembled with rage.
"I said..."
"...LET HIM GO!"
Halibel calmly drew another kunai.
Not toward her.
Toward Tanaka.
"Do not interfere, it should be over soon."
Zarestia froze.
Her arm trembled violently.
She had never looked so furious.
Or so helpless.
Then, Halibel suddenly released him.
Tanaka collapsed to his knees.
"Cough!"
Violent coughing wracked his body. He struggled desperately to breathe.
"Jay!"
Zarestia immediately rushed to his side, catching him before he could fall face-first into the snow.
She kept one arm around him while glaring at Halibel with murderous intent.
If he made another move...
She would attack.
Consequences be damned.
But Tanaka's coughing only grew worse.
"Cough! Cough!"
Blood splattered across the snow.
"Master!"
Hugo circled frantically around him.
Then...
Something moved.
Tanaka gagged violently.
His entire body convulsed.
"...!"
A grotesque black parasite forced its way out of his throat, writhing across the bloodstained snow like a living leech.
Before anyone could even process what they were seeing—
Crunch.
Halibel calmly crushed it beneath his sandal.
The creature twitched once.
Then dissolved into foul-smelling black ash.
Silence descended once again.
Halibel dusted his hands together as though finishing an ordinary chore.
Then he smiled.
The easygoing smile from before returned as if nothing unusual had happened.
"Well then..."
He stared towards the still-stunned Tanaka.
"Let's try that again."
"My name is Halibel. Most people in Kararagi call me the Eternal Playboy."
He gave a theatrical grin.
"Though most people know me as the Eternal Playboy."
He tilted his head.
"What's yours?"
No one understood what had just happened, what was that thing that came out of his throat.
Not Nora.
Not Tristan.
Not even Tanaka himself.
Both Zarestia and Hugo kept their eyes fixed on him. Through their connection, they could feel the violent storm raging within his heart. To them, it felt as though he was standing at the edge of a cliff, one step away from breaking apart completely.
He was terrified.
But that was a misinterpretation, his fear wasn't directed at Halibel who nearly strangled him to death.
Tanaka didn't understand what just happened, but he had an idea about what he was insinuating, by that parasite that left his throat, by that last question he posed.
But he was scared to answer.
He was scared to have his hopes crushed once again.
But he steeled his resolve.
Tanaka clenched his trembling fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.
His lips quivered.
"My..."
His voice caught.
"My name is not..."
He struggled and hesitated.
This was almost the most scared he's been his whole life.
He shut his eyes.
Forced air into his lungs.
Then pushed through.
"My name is not... Stride Vollachia."
Silence.
No invisible shackles crushed his heart and no burning pain seized his chest.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
Everyone stared at him with varying degrees of confusion.
They had all heard it.
For the first time...
The words had gone through.
His breathing became uneven.
Then, with tears already forming in the corners of his eyes, he spoke again.
"My name..."
"My name is..."
His voice cracked.
"Kazuki... Kazuki Tanaka."
He looked upward.
His eyes met Zarestia's.
She stared back, at a loss of words.
Around them, everyone wore the same bewildered expression.
Yet Tanaka focused on one thing only.
His heart remained perfectly still.
It didn't tighten.
It didn't burst.
He...
He had said it.
His real name.
The first to break the silence was Nora.
"...Kazuki Tanaka?" she murmured. "Isn't that the person Tristan has been searching fo..."
"Don't screw with me!"
Tristan's furious shout echoed across the snowfield.
"Are you telling me... that I've traveled with you for months... and—"
His words stopped abruptly.
A faint glow emerged beneath his collar.
The oath engraved into his chest...
Began to fade.
Tristan instinctively grabbed his chest.
"...What?"
His eyes widened.
"What in the world..."
Understanding struck him all at once.
The oath had been simple.
"I swear I will reveal Kazuki Tanaka's whereabouts once my curse is lifted."
Tristan was the one who imposed the oath on Kazuki Tanaka, which means that even if only Tristan's demands were fulfilled, the oath mark would disappear.
And if Kazuki Tanaka had been standing before him all along...
Then the oath's condition had already been fulfilled.
Tanaka barely noticed.
At this point, he no longer cared what anyone thought.
It didn't matter to him if he accidentally got on someone's nerve and get killed for it.
This was it for him.
He had reached his limit.
Everything he had buried over the past year and a half finally burst through the cracks.
"My name is Kazuki Tanaka..."
His voice shook violently.
"I'm twenty-one years old."
His tears finally spilled over.
"One year and a half ago... I was caught in an accident and I found myself in front of Roswaal L. Mathers' mansion in the Kingdom of Lugunica."
His breathing grew ragged.
"They took me in as a guest and they treated me well. I lived with them for two months until I followed them on a journey to the royal capital. I accidentally ended up causing a ruckus in the royal castle and then got separated from them. But later I joined the White Whale subjugation alongside countless veterans... And we won!"
"But while escorting the White Whale's corpse back to the capital. We were attacked by both the Sin Archbishop of Greed and the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony. I tried to fight... I tried my best but I lost... They kidnapped me and they locked me inside a prison for over a year."
His fingers shook uncontrollably.
"Then one day..."
"Another Sin Archbishops showed up, Lust came into my cell... The last thing I remember...Was her forcing her own blood into me."
His breathing faltered.
"When I woke up again..."
"I was lying in the ruins of Pristella."
"...looking like this."
He slowly looked at his own hands.
"And when I realized it... Everyone wanted to kill me."
His voice became hoarse.
"Knights, people I knew and I cared about, they all wanted to kill me... I... I... I couldn't explain anything..."
His shoulders trembled violently.
"I didn't know how to remove the cursed blood."
Remembering how he had to flee from Pristella, how he saw Beatrice, Emilia and Subaru from afar, after over a year in prison and yet being unable to say anything. The hatred in Wilhelm's eyes as he cut him down multiple times.
"Wilhelm..."
His voice finally broke.
"I didn't want to fight him... I didn't want to kill anyone... I didn't want to hurt anyone...I didn't want to die."
His nails dug into his scalp.
He grabbed fistfuls of his own hair, yanking so hard that strands tore free from their roots.
"I couldn't take it anymore!"
Before he could rip out more, two hands grabbed his wrists.
"Jay..."
Zarestia's trembling voice reached him.
"Please... calm down..."
His head snapped toward her.
For a brief moment, raw panic filled his eyes.
"That's not my name!"
He shouted so loudly that everyone flinched.
"My name isn't Stride Vollachia!"
"It isn't James!"
"It isn't Jay!"
His hands slid onto her shoulders, trembling so violently they could barely stay there.
"My name..."
His voice collapsed into a sob.
"My name is Kazuki Tanaka!"
That was the name his parents gave him, the name was supposed to cherish.
The last wall inside him shattered.
"I didn't want anyone..."
"I didn't want any of you..."
"...to believe that one of those Witch Cult bastards was actually a good person."
His forehead rested against her shoulder.
His body shook uncontrollably.
"I wanted to tell you, to tell everyone..."
"...but I couldn't."
"I wanted... I wanted to tell but I couldn't..." His voice became little more than a whisper. "I'm sorry Tia... I'm so sorry."
His fingers weakly clutched the fabric of her clothes.
"I can't do this anymore..."
His breathing became frantic.
"I'm tired. Please...Help me."
Zarestia completely froze.
Every ounce of anger she had carried toward him before vanished in an instant.
And was replaced by guilt, insurmountable guilt.
Only now did she truly understand.
She wrapped both arms around him without hesitation.
But before she could say anything else, Tanaka's breathing suddenly became erratic.
His chest rose and fell violently.
Air refused to enter his lungs.
"Ja..! Tanaka!"
Zarestia caught him before he hit the snow, panic instantly replacing the warmth in her voice.
"Hugo!"
She looked desperately toward the little spirit.
"Hurry! Heal him!"
"I'm trying!" Hugo cried, already gathering mana.
Halibel calmly stepped closer before gently raising a hand.
"Relax."
He crouched beside the unconscious young man and checked his breathing.
"His body simply gave out. All that stress piled up finally burst out, but his life isn't in danger."
"But now... What do you all think now."
He looked at the silent group surrounding them.
From the beginning, it was split into three. Zank and Tristan who were hostile, Mikli who was neutral, and Nora, Zarestia, Lilac and Hugo who were on Tanaka's side from the start.
But now, that dispersion in stance completely disappeared. No one doubted what he said, probably because of the sincerity in his voice and how his story actually made sense.
After hearing his heart wrenching story, seeing that person cheer despair and how he fell apart. Everyone except for Lilac felt nothing but guilt and concern.
How they wronged the person who saved them countless times, an innocent, kind person who was already at the rock bottom.
However, the one who was the most affected by this revelation was...
Thud...
Tristan dropped with both his knees on the snow, holding his face with both hands, resisting the urge to rip it off.
"What in the world have I been doing..."
*********************************************************************************************************
A faint warmth brushed across his face.
Tanaka slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was a wooden ceiling unfamiliar to him.
He blinked several times.
"...Where..."
He tried to sit up before realizing he had no idea where he even was.
His memories came back only in scattered fragments.
Before he could gather his thoughts...
"He's awake!"
A cheerful voice rang through the room.
The door burst open.
A familiar green-haired elf peeked inside with sparkling eyes.
"Good morning, Tanaka-Tan!"
She said it in English with perfect enthusiasm before immediately running back out.
Tanaka shot upright.
"Hey! You can call me whatever nickname you want, but absolutely not Tan!"
His complaint barely left his mouth before he noticed someone beside the bed.
His expression softened immediately.
Zarestia was asleep in a chair.
One of her hands still rested beside his on the mattress, as if she had fallen asleep while watching over him.
She looked exhausted.
Slowly, her eyelids fluttered open.
Their eyes met.
For a second, she simply stared.
Then realization struck.
"Ja—"
She abruptly stopped herself.
Her cheeks turned bright red.
"...Tanaka."
The correction came out awkwardly.
Floating lazily beside the bed, Hugo suddenly straightened.
"Ma..."
He hesitated.
"...Tanaka-Sama!"
The little spirit as equally flustered.
Seeing both of them stumble over his name made something warm bloom inside Tanaka's chest.
It wasn't a dream.
He could hear it now.
His real name.
A genuine smile spread across his face.
"You two don't have to force yourselves," he chuckled. "You've been calling me Jay and Master for months."
Zarestia immediately shook her head.
"N-No! It's not forcing anything!"
She folded her arms while trying and failing to hide her embarrassment.
"Tanaka is a nice name... right, Hugo?"
The little spirit nodded so quickly he almost spun in place.
"Yes! Tanaka-Sama sounds wonderful!"
Tanaka couldn't help laughing.
A soft, honest laugh.
One untouched by exhaustion or bitterness.
"I can't deny hearing you call me by my real name..."
He smiled.
"...makes me really happy."
Both spirits froze.
They stared at him without blinking.
"...What?" Tanaka tilted his head. "Did I say something weird?"
The compliment caught him completely off guard.
"I... don't know how to respond to that. Maybe wait until I get my old appearance back before saying things like that."
A playful grin appeared.
"Fair warning though... I'm much more handsome than whatever this face looked like."
Seeing his reaction, the two spirits exchanged a glance.
But before they could say anything...
The door flew open again.
"Mission accomplished!"
Shion proudly marched into the room carrying a mirror.
"I found one!"
She practically shoved it into Tanaka's hands.
Still smiling, he looked down.
Then...
Everything stopped.
His breathing hitched.
"...This..."
His fingers trembled.
"My face..."
The reflection staring back at him...
Had short black hair.
Dark eyes.
A familiar nose.
The features he had inherited from his parents.
His own face.
Not Stride's.
His.
He slowly reached up, his fingertips brushed his own cheek.
It felt real.
"...I made it."
His voice cracked.
"I actually made it..."
His name.
His face.
Everything stolen from him had finally returned.
Warm tears rolled down his cheeks.
He laughed weakly through them.
"...What's wrong with me today?"
He quickly wiped them away, embarrassed.
Then, warm hands suddenly wrapped around his.
"Tia?"
He looked up.
She was staring at him with watery eyes.
"...Tanaka."
Her voice shook.
"I'm so sorry..."
He blinked.
"Huh? What are you apologizing for?"
She lowered her head.
"I... I said all those things to you... I talked without knowing anything. Without knowing that you were suffering alone all this time."
Tanaka immediately shook his head.
"You have nothing to be sorry for! I wanted to tell you, I wanted to tell you so badly but I couldn't."
She bit her lip.
"And that's exactly why I'm apologizing."
Her voice nearly broke.
"You couldn't say anything. It would've killed you and I kept pressing you anyway."
Halibel had already explained everything.
Had Tanaka forced himself to reveal the truth before the parasite was removed...
It would have burrowed deeper into his body and killed him.
Before he could reassure Zarestia again, she suddenly lifted both of his hands into hers.
Her golden eyes met his directly.
"But..." Her voice became firm. "It won't happen again."
"Huh?"
"It's all over, the kidnapping, having to run away, it's over now and it will never happen again."
She squeezed his hands tightly.
"Hugo and I... We're staying with you."
Hugo floated closer and nodded with complete conviction.
"I'll stay with Mast..." He quickly corrected himself. "...with Tanaka-Sama."
"No matter what happens."
Before Tanaka could even answer, another voice joined in.
"And the same goes for us."
Shion who stood casually beside thumb, gave him a thumbs up.
"We still have a lot to talk about...Mister Smith."
For several seconds...
Tanaka couldn't speak.
His vision blurred again.
Not from despair, but from overwhelming relief.
He lowered his head, smiling through fresh tears.
"...Thank you."
His voice was quiet. But it carried more sincerity than any words he had spoken in a very, very long time.
"I wasn't even sure this would work... but it did."
Silence settled over the room, warm and comforting, until another voice broke it.
"So then, how are you feeling now, Tanu-San?"
Tanaka looked toward the doorway.
Halibel had entered with his usual relaxed grin, one hand casually tucked into his pocket and the other holding his golden kiseru
The moment he saw him, Tanaka instinctively pushed the blanket aside and climbed out of bed. His legs trembled beneath him, but after steadying himself against the bedside, he managed to stand.
"I'm still a little tired..." he admitted with an awkward smile. "But overall... I'm alright."
"I'm not surprised." He continued, "While you were unconscious, I spent quite a while drawing your blood and separating the cursed blood from your own."
Tanaka subconsciously looked down at his arms.
"Did you get rid of it all?"
Halibel's tone remained matter-of-fact.
"If I had continued any longer, you would've died from blood loss instead. What remains is only a small amount. It's no longer enough to alter your appearance."
He smiled reassuringly.
"Once you've recovered your health, we'll finish the job properly."
The words made Tanaka instinctively touch his own face again.
For the first time in over a year...
He was himself again.
Before he could respond...
"Hal! His name isn't Tanu-San!"
Zarestia puffed out her cheeks, pointing her fingers in annoyance. "It's Kuzu Tanaka!" ("Kuzu" meaning "Trash.")
Tanaka immediately spun toward her.
"That's even worse! It's Kazuki Tanaka! Ka-zu-ki!"
"Pfft."
Shion laughed at their interaction.
"They sound basically the same."
"They absolutely do not!"
Watching the childish exchange unfold, Halibel couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Hahaha..."
The room instantly felt lighter.
Even Zarestia found herself smiling despite everything that had happened.
Tanaka let out a defeated sigh before turning back toward Halibel.
Then, without another word...
He bowed deeply.
"So... thank you."
His voice shook.
"Thank you so much... for giving me my life back."
He remained bowed for several long seconds.
Several gentle pats landed on his shoulder.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Tanaka slowly raised his head.
Halibel was standing in front of him with his usual carefree grin.
"Haha, don't sweat it."
He gave him another light pat.
"This is the bare minimum I could do for the man who saved my homeland."
His expression softened ever so slightly.
"And honestly?"
"It still isn't enough to repay the debt I owe you."
Tanaka immediately shook his head.
"No... that's not true."
He smiled bitterly.
"You have no idea how much this means to me."
For a brief moment, Halibel simply stared at him.
Then he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"...You're making this harder than it needs to be."
He let out another laugh.
"Save the gratitude for later."
He turned toward the door.
"Everyone's waiting in the other room."
Tanaka nodded without hesitation.
"...Yeah."
___
__
_
The moment he stepped out of the bedroom, he was greeted by a voice unlike any he had ever heard.
"I heard your name is Kazuki Tanaka. It is a rather unusual name... but it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."
Tanaka instinctively looked up.
So did Zarestia.
Then...
They kept looking up and up.
"..."
His neck actually began to ache.
Standing before him was a woman of such absurd stature that she completely filled his field of vision.
She easily stood well over two meters tall, her broad shoulders making the room feel several sizes smaller. Wrapped in elegant white garments embroidered with silver patterns, she resembled less a person and more a walking fortress.
A refrigerator...
...No.
She's bigger than the refrigerator we had back home.
She's practically a moving wall.
Beside him, Zarestia's reaction was almost perfectly synchronized with his own. The two slowly craned their necks upward at the exact same speed.
"My name is Tiriena Kenash," the giant woman introduced herself with surprising grace. "I am the Marchioness of this region."
Before Tanaka could recover from the overwhelming first impression, another man stepped forward.
Unlike his wife, he was rather ordinary in height, slightly shorter than Tanaka, with neatly combed blond hair, a trimmed mustache, and refined noble attire.
"My name is Misère Laslow," he said politely with a bow. "I am a Viscount of Lugunica, governing a territory along the Gusteko border."
He smiled warmly.
"...And I am Tiriena's husband."
...Her husband?
Tanaka's brain froze.
He looked at the massive marchioness.
Then at the comparatively tiny viscount.
Then back again.
How...?
His imagination desperately tried to answer the question before he forcefully stopped himself.
No.
Don't think about it.
Absolutely don't think about it.
Next to him, Zarestia wasn't nearly as restrained.
"A wal—"
Before the fatal word could escape, Tanaka immediately slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Mmph?!"
He smiled nervously.
"I-It's a pleasure to meet both of you."
Keeping one hand firmly over Zarestia's mouth, he gave an awkward bow.
"My name is Kazuki Tanaka."
He gestured toward the furious spirit glaring at him.
"This is Zarestia..."
"...and this little one is Hugo."
"They both are my contracted spirits."
"Mmmph!"
Zarestia bit his hand.
"...Ow."
"Kazuki Tanaka..."
Another voice called his name.
Tanaka turned.
It was Zank.
The swordsman stood perfectly straight, his expression unusually solemn.
Then...
He bowed.
Deeply.
"I am sincerely sorry for the way I treated you."
Tanaka blinked.
Only then did he notice one of Zank's cat ears was bright red and slightly swollen.
Someone had clearly pulled it.
"Kazuki-kun."
Mikli stepped beside him with an apologetic smile.
"I'm also sorry for my idiot fiancé."
Tanaka scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"You really don't need to apologize." Everyone looked toward him. "You reacted exactly how anyone would."
If anything...
He believed their actions were justified.
From the beginning, the only ones truly at fault had been the Witch Cult.
SMACK!
A palm landed squarely between his shoulder blades.
"Hey! You're finally awake!"
Nora flashed him her usual energetic grin.
"I've gotta say..."
She leaned closer to inspect his face.
"You look waaay better now."
Tanaka frowned.
"I don't think I'll accept compliments from a brat."
Her eye twitched. "...What did you just call me?"
Before another argument could erupt—
The room suddenly fell quiet.
Another figure had entered.
A tall feline knight dressed in an immaculate uniform stepped inside.
This man possessed the full face of a black-and-white cat, his tuxedo-like fur perfectly complementing his formal attire.
Tristan.
This was their first actual encounter ever since their fight in the royal castle.
Tanaka instinctively remembered their first meeting. Back then, Tanaka's actions weren't something he was proud of.
They merely stemmed out of pettiness and his emotional outburst after his encounter with Al.
He had simply been furious, and he had taken it out on everyone in that room.
And in return, he expected Tristan to hold some resentment.
Instead...
"I have no words to express how ashamed I am."
To Tanaka's complete surprise...
The knight lowered himself onto one knee.
His head bowed deeply.
"For over a year and a half..."
"I swore an oath to find and rescue you. And yet... I have done nothing but condemn you and judge you for crimes you have never committed."
His fists clenched tightly.
"I have disgraced my title as a knight once again."
"Whoa! Wait, wait!" Tanaka hurried over and frantically waved his hands. "You seriously don't need to apologize that much!"
"If anything... I'm the one who should apologize for what happened back at the royal castle."
"And besides... If it weren't for you."
A small smile appeared.
"I probably wouldn't have made it out of Kararagi alive."
That wasn't false modesty.
During the fight with Abaris, if he didn't help him in the end, they would have lost, and even after that, all hurdles they encountered in Gusteko, he helped him.
"Please don't say such things, Tanaka-Sama. My conduct in the royal castle was disgraceful. You were merely defending Lady Emilia and Lady Felt."
"I failed to see that because of my pride."
Tanaka sighed, then a chuckle escaped him.
"So how about this?"
He extended his hand.
"We forget about who was right and who was wrong."
"We start over."
Silence filled the room.
Then Tristan looked at the offered hand.
His expression softened.
"I would be grateful, Tanaka-Sama..."
Tanaka smiled.
Then his expression shifted.
"...Hold on."
He blinked.
"Did you just call me Tanaka-sama?"
Only now did he realize Tristan had been addressing him that way more than once.
Earlier, his exhausted mind hadn't even registered it.
But now...
It sounded incredibly out of place.
He frowned.
"Tristan."
"Who exactly ordered you to search for me?"
"And why?"
"Mycroft-sama."
Tristan answered immediately.
"He instructed me personally."
Tanaka's stomach sank.
"...And the reason?"
Before Tristan could answer, he reached into his coat.
"Before that..."
He opened his palm.
"Tanaka-Sama."
"...Would you kindly hold this for a moment?"
Resting in his hand was an ornate badge shaped like a dragon, with a magical gemstone embedded at its center.