Toriden V4 - Guardian Monster

Volume 4: Bargain Sale on Magic Power

Guardian Monster

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---

Same place as always - the dining hall of the inn. But not everything was the same.

An incident had occurred.

Ryner… Ryner… 

“Work!” Ryner yelled. Despite his volume, he still managed to sound dead inside. “Ferris! I want to work! I don’t even care what it is, I just need to work! Leave anything and everything to me!” 

Ryner looked the same as always physically - messy dark hair, unmotivated eyes, the usual. But today he had an extra something. His haggard, unfocused eyes were fixed on Ferris, the legendarily expressionless blonde beauty. 

“So you know how they say that people who don’t work don’t have the same vigor for life as those who do? I think I’ll actually feel alive if I get to work, so give me something to do!”

“……You want to work?” Ferris asked slowly. “You? Weren’t you the one who was researching a way to create a new world where you could spend each and every day doing nothing?”

“Hey… I feel like you just said something really rude—”

“Or perhaps you mean that you’d like to become this month’s number one most useless man in a poll of one hundred villagers? I suppose that too is a form of work.”

“Okay, so setting aside all the other things that need unpacked here, I’d just like to ask one thing: what kind of place exactly does that kind of survey?”

“Mm? Isn’t it obvious that a town does it? The survey is published in a magazine called Monthly Criminals in bookstores throughout Roland, Runa, and most recently, Iyet. Two million copies have been sold—”

“Yup, that’s a lie! There’s no way in hell that my name’d appear in a magazine as popular as th—”

“Incidentally, I am the publisher.”

“So you’re the one who’s handing that shit out!”

“Mm. Sion sponsors it. Its main purpose is to track criminal activity and manipulate relevant information and statistics in neighboring countries, but it is also raising awareness of the crazed pervert Ryner Lute in women and children who live in fear… a story which caused sales to increase exponentially.”

“…So you’re saying that two million people actually believe that I’m a criminal…?”

“Yes, though that is only the public figure. The true number is only 1,980,000—”

“It’s the same fucking thing!” Ryner yelled. He suddenly felt dizzy. “Whatever, though. I don’t even care. Thinking about it will only make me more tired… so anyway, back to what I was originally talking about. I wanna work.”

“Hmph. Is the wind blowing in a new direction? You have always wasted your life on naps. This isn’t like you.”

“I can’t understand how you don’t see the logic in this…”

“What are you talking about?” Ferris asked.

“The hell do you mean! How many days has it even been since you suddenly told me that people who don’t work can’t eat and stopped feeding me?”

 “Hm. It’s only been seven days, if I’m remembering correctly.”

“Only seven days!? You mean it’s already been seven days, right!?  You’d die if you went seven days without eating. I’d been roaming around the stores eating the free samples, but… I can’t even do that anymore. They all blacklisted me. I’m at my limit. They won’t even set the samples out anymore… so I haven’t gotten to eat anything in two days! Nothing!

“Mm. Pointless diets are bad for your health…”

“You’re so particular… Ugh, jokes aside, I’m begging you to let me work. This is a special offer for today and today alone: I’ll do anything.”

Ferris nodded. “Work, is it. We haven’t heard anything new about the Heroic Relics… Our current task is to gather information…”

Just then, they heard a voice from outside of the inn. “This way, Goddess. This is the inn where they’re staying…”

“Mm. Well done,” another voice said. “So this is the shabby place where that dead fish girl has been staying.”

That was all it took to know who it was.

The door slammed open, and sure enough… there stood a woman with long, glossy black hair and slightly slanted eyes. Her perfect features were beautiful enough to rival Ferris’. Her excellent figure was covered by a shrine maiden’s outfit. 

Her name was Estella Fiurelle. 

She was the leader of a con artist’s association, and ever since their first meeting she’d been having this fight with Ferris where they tried to prove who was the most beautiful one between them. Though Ryner was consistently the only loser in their battles… 

Even now, the instant they locked eyes, bam! Estella was at it again. “Ha! A woman as drab as thyself is best suited to a backwoods inn like this.”

“And you’re still wearing that shrine maiden outfit?” Ferris asked. “A high class beauty such as myself has no need for such an outfit. People will call me a goddess no matter where I am or what I wear…”  Ferris looked at Estella as if pitying her, then continued. “I suppose you can’t say the same about yourself.”

“What! You only say such a thing only to feel better about yourself!”

“…Hm. Are you looking for a fight?” Ferris asked.

Murderous energy shot through the dining hall. 

Ferris unsheathed her sword, and Estella assumed a spell-casting posture.

It was a touch-and-go situation. Ever since Estella opened the door, actually.

Ryner hurried over to a corner to take shelter. “Auugh, this is all you guys do! Let me ask just one thing before you get started, please! Estella - did you have some business with us?”

Estella stopped what she was doing, looked to Ryner, and bit her lip. “W-well… There is a matter which my power is unable to resolve… Would thou lend thy power to me?”

Ryner and Ferris exchanged a look.

“…Hm. So you want a favor from me,” Ferris said. “You want something from me, whose overwhelming beauty is enough to split heaven and the earth in half?” Ferris looked Estella up and down, a satisfied look on her face. “I see… so even you have finally acknowledged your loss. That’s enough. Now, failure. You may ask favors to your heart’s content…” 

“Mrrgghhaaaah! Silence, dango woman! You are so infuriating! I was sorely mistaken to even think of joining forces with you! Thou shall never be forgiven. Let us settle our match of good versus evil once and for all today!” 

“Mm. If you insist.”

“Auuughh are you fucking kidding!” Ryner yelled at the sound of their usual bullshit. “It’s always the same damn thing with you two! Time out! Ferris, stop provoking her! And Estella, I’m dirt poor and need some cash, so I'll listen to what you have to say as long as you stop using magic on me all the time!”

Ferris and Estella finally quieted down to look at Ryner. 

Ferris was the first to speak. “Infamous criminals such as yourself, known to a hefty two million innocents, hold no grounds to say such a thing.”

“Mmgh. A man like you, exhausted past what ten thousand years can do, has no say in this matter!”

“Th-these people…”

He was so fed up with them that he had to admonish himself. It was useless arguing, so calm down, Ryner. Be an adult about it. Don’t sink to their level.  

Ryner breathed a deep sigh. “Ahh… okay, okay, that’s enough. So anyway—”

Ferris quickly cut him off.  “The world doesn’t need you, failure of a human as you are. You’re running from your bride, and your children don’t love you—”

“I don’t have a bride and I don’t have any kids…  So anyway, back to the point - Estella was saying something—” 

This time, Estella was the one who cut him off. “I see. I have recently mastered the art of facial expressions, and from that I can see that he is sloven. It is as if he cannot succeed no matter how much he tries. He was born under the star of ‘uselessness.’”

“You really don’t need to keep talking about me…”

“I see, I see. That ill-natured expression—”

“Auuughhh shut up, just shut up! I don’t give a shit, so let’s move this conversation forward!”

In the end, he sunk to their level.

Estella and Ferris both laughed like they were having fun.

“Ah… They’re playing with me…”   

Ryner sighed… actually, it couldn’t really be called a sigh at this point. It was him blowing straight despair out of his mouth with all his might. 

---

Let’s try this again—the inn’s dining hall.

Ferris, being Ferris, had her sword in her hand, an indifferent expression on her face. Ryner, being Ryner, was collapsed on the table as he fought his empty stomach with all his might, a listless expression on his face…

That was where Estella’s story began.

Estella sipped amazake that she made the innkeeper bring her, then launched out into her explanation. “Hm, where to start. I know. Are you aware that I am ranked as one of the best magicians in all of the Iyet Republic?”

“Ahh… I mean, I guess that makes sense, considering how fast you are to cast and how fine your composition is… You aren’t just an annoyance, even though that’s absolutely what you are at first glance. You’re actually pretty strong, and just the fact that Ferris didn’t kill you on sight is proof of that.”

Estella exaggeratedly nodded at his compliments. “Exactly. Not only that, but my beauty is a blessing from the gods! I have always said that I am a force to be reckoned with… but there is a force that even I cannot defeat…”

“Hm. An enemy that you are unable to defeat is hardly a worthy one.”

Estella shook her head, frustrated. “No, this matter is one on a different level than what you are thinking entirely. If one were to lose focus, they would be killed. I was able to escape… no, escaping was all that I could do, and it was only luck that I was successful. Its magical ability far surpassed my own… and it must surpass that expressionless dango woman’s sword as well.”

“Hoh. You say that it’s stronger than my sword?” Ferris asked.

“…Whoa, that’s insane. Is it human?”

Estella shook her head without even needing to think about it. “No, it is not. It is a legendary magical artifact that has haunted Iyet since antiquity…”

Ferris and Ryner exchanged a glance.

“A legendary…” 

“…magical artifact?”

Ryner suddenly broke through his lack of motivation and sat up, full of vigor. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Isn’t this the work we were just looking for? The work that’ll let me eat?”

“Mm. Don’t rush into it - we still don’t know for sure,” Ferris said. “She may throw around words like ‘legendary,’ but she is at heart a swindler. This doesn’t mean that her words are relevant to our quest.”

“But it’s stronger than Estella’s magic and your sword, right? A monster that strong has to be… but either way…”  

Ferris nodded, then turned to Estella. “Speak.”

“Where to start… Yes, thou shall see; it has been documented since times long gone here in the Iyet Republic - a story from the ancient world. It is known as a power that can make gold from nothing.”

“Whoa, so it’s like alchemy​?” Ryner asked, shocked. “I thought that was impossible.”

Estella nodded. “It is so.”

“Seriously? So it can take something from the air and reconstruct it to make gold? But that’s unrealistic considering the current state of magical research—”

“That means little considering that it does exist,” Estella interrupted. “And it is only natural that everyone should want such power. Even so, no one has obtained that power as of yet.”

“I see,” Ryner said. “Because there’s a guardian. A legendary hero left their legacy behind, guarded by something powerful… It does sound like a real legend. That’d made it a magical item that’s haunted Iyet since antiquity, doesn’t it?”

“Correct. It is a fearful article. Countless soldiers have challenged the guardian, but all who attempted were destroyed.”

Ryner tensed. “So they were killed…?”

Estella shook her head - clearly, it wasn’t as simple as that. “No. The document states that they were ‘destroyed.’ Those fools, no, not just the fools themselves; their entire families were cursed by their pitiful attempts.”

“They were… cursed?” 

“It is true. I, who only barely survived despite the best of my ability, was unable to obtain it. That is why I would like to use thine power. Merely speaking of it irritates me, however… in all of the Iyet Republic, my power is only matched by you.”

Ryner stopped her. “Hey, wait a minute. What’s in it for you if we defeat it and take its alchemic power? You want the gold too, right?”

“Mm. We would not give an item like that to someone from another country,” Ferris added. “Your motives are inconsistent.”

Estella snorted. “How well you know me. However, my influence will someday spread to the very corners of Iyet even without such a strange and kitschy item! Yet if another took an item of this caliber, they would become a great threat towards me. That is why I implore you, who are from a foreign country, to take this item and flee from our borders.”

She said all of that without even stopping to breathe… 

“Oh, I get it now. So that’s what you’re after.”

He perfectly understood what Estella was saying, with her heated words and fists clenched in frustration. 

“In any case,” Estella continued, her fist shaking from passion, “what use does an item that effortlessly creates gold have for me!”

“It’s honestly really impressive,” Ryner whispered. “How she can lie like that so convincingly. She’s maintaining eye contact and everything. She’s really a top swindler.”

“Mm. Having that kind of money would make everything easier. I have no doubt that this is a bluff to get us to help her and then run off by herself with the Heroic Relic.”

And so they didn’t believe that even a single bit of her passion was real… 

“But if that’s the case…”

Ryner and Ferris looked at each other, then spoke in unison: “We’ll just use her before she uses us.”

Then all three of them began to laugh. “Heh, hehe, hehehehe…”  

The innkeeper, creeped out beyond belief, quickly fled for the kitchen.

---

It was a strange place. The grounds were surrounded by an iron fence with a massive gate. Countless security guards were prowling the area. It was clear that unauthorized entry would never be forgiven. Though Ryner and the others entered with ease… 

Ryner looked around once they were inside. “So this is where the legendary item is? Like, this is where the ancient documents said that the object that makes gold out of nothing is? But doesn’t the security system seem… really modern? It seems more like a suburban relic than anything…”

So he said, but it was actually in the dead center of Iyet’s biggest, most prosperous port town… Not only that, but the inside was basically a high-class garden, complete with a beautiful pond and well-trimmed trees. It was pretty much the exact opposite of the kind of place one might find an ancient relic. 

Estella took up a mysterious expression. “That is because this is in the heart of the city. Thou must be aware - the Iyet Republic was originally composed of runaway criminals from other countries, and what happens when a load of criminals learns of an item that can create gold?”

“They’d probably flock to it.”

“Then what would happen if others were unable to obtain said item due to the fearful power of a guardian?” Estella asked.

“…No one would be able to steal it… Ahh, I see. The most influential person in the country has this place under lockdown so that their rivals can’t take it, right?”

“It is so. The guardian lies in the depths of this garden, aiming to protect the genuine magical item,” Estella said. She was serious - even her voice was shaking. She was tensed up against whatever awaited them.

“But,” Ryner mumbled as he looked around. “Something’s real fishy here. There’s literally no reason to go through the effort to plant a garden here. Her explanation doesn’t check out. What do you think, Ferris?”

“Mm. This swindler is far too tense…”

“Yeah. She’s an expert at staying in character. Anyway, though, let’s go along with it for a little longer.”

Ryner and Ferris advanced into the garden, a little tense themselves.

But as they did… a figure suddenly appeared. 

Ryner let out a sound as soon as he saw it. “Wha…”

Even Ferris did the same.

It was just so unbelievable.

They’d been expecting a monster or a magical beast, so this was just… 

“Wha… what the… what the hell?”

An old woman stood before them. She had overgrown white hair and deep wrinkles that spoke to her age. But that old woman’s head… was the only part of her sticking out of the ground…

Then an intelligent boy with black hair that everyone recognized appeared. He was wearing shrine maiden clothes reminiscent of Estella’s. 

Seeing him, the old lady spoke. “Oh, Vois. Did you bring me food today, too?”

“Yes, Grandmother. I brought your favorite whole-roasted rabbit.”

“Oh, ooh, you are such a useful child. The Fiurelle Group will prosper as the largest organization in all of Iyet under your direction. It will be safe under your care. Your older sister, however… That stubborn little girl Estella… who tricked me and buried me in this damn hole… She must be punished.”

It was enough to make anyone dizzy, and Ryner was no exception. That was right. He did remember hearing about this. He heard it straight from Estella and her brother… 

“Hmph. But Vois, whatever happened to our grandmother, all but her head buried alive?”

“Oh, I became the leader instead. She was too loud anyway. Oh, but fear not. We never forget to feed her, so you don’t need to worry…”

This time Ryner was the one shivering, and it was for real. “Estella, you bastard… don’t tell me that your grandma was the ‘legendary item’ you were talking about…”

Estella nodded seriously. “Yes. That is the single thing that infuriates me, the magical—”

“Like hell it is! So? What was all that talk about making gold from nothing, you liar? You just wanted to wrap us up in your family quarrel, didn’t you!?”

Estella shook her head. “No, I have not lied. My grandmother was once known as the magical beast who systematically destroys all who oppose the Fiurelle Group—”

“That’s just a nickname! Haah… God, this is the worst. I knew that you were lying about the item, but the lies went deeper than I thought… Augh. I’m so tired. Let’s go, Ferris.”

“Mm. In the end, a swindler is only capable of swindling…”

“Ah, wait,” Estella said, flustered. “There really is an item that creates gold from nothing. It is a genuine article. The item is what led the Fiurelle Group to becoming the most powerful organization in all of the Iyet Republic. My grandmother is the ringleader of it all. If I were to obtain such an item, then the Holy Estella’s Believers Association could overtake the Fiurelle Group. You may do as you please once it is in my grasp, so I beg of thee…”

Ryner and Ferris stopped at the sound of her frantic begging. 

Ryner’s expression was disagreeable at best. “Nothing ever adds up with you. So now you’re saying that it’s why the Fiurelle Group got so big… What do you think, Ferris…?”

“Mm. Fine. Our opponent is an old woman buried to her neck. We kill her, steal the item, then leave. It’s simple.”

“We’re not killing her!” Ryner yelled.

“Hmph. If it were such a simple matter, I would have done it long ago,” Estella said, her voice low. Ah, no, but shall I assist? I will strengthen our forces. I will go first. Thou shall follow after me.”

Estella jumped forward, followed by Ferris. Ryner was last to move. 

“An old woman like her can’t do any serious damage on her own,” Ryner said. “Wait…”

 Ryner went silent. Estella drew a circle in the air characteristic of Iyet’s magic, and then… 

“Whoa, whoa! Wait a sec,” Ryner said. “Isn’t that an offensive curse? You’re kidding, right? If you cast that on an old, half-buried lady, she’ll die…” 

A yell… no, a roar cut Ryner off. “So you’re on this bullshit again, aren’t you, you stubborn mule of a giiiiirl!”

With that, the old woman sprung out of the hole with great force.

“Huh? Wait, what? S-seriously? How is that not physically impossible…?”

That wasn’t the only shocking thing, though. Ryner was once again shocked into silence.

“W-wait,” Vois said from beside her. “Grandmother… gyaaaah!”

She slammed her fist into Vois, sending him flying. He was unconscious when he hit the ground. It was incredibly powerful… one would never expect an old lady like her to be capable of such a feat.

She laughed heartily. “Fuah, fuh, fuahahaha! I’ve been waiting for this moment, Estella! Did you truly think that I’d be rendered useless just because you buried me! I made a show of being buried for you and Vois to test you. To see how far you’d go to defy me. Indeed, you did anything and everything as you pleased… Now you must be punished for this…”  

Estella growled. “I-it was all an act… This time will be different. I have brought powerful back-up to aid me! I will take thy ‘Sasu Document’ by force!”

“Hoh. So you are after the book,” Estella’s grandmother said, then pulled a single worn book from her pocket. “Only the successor to the Fiurelle Group may have this. I cannot give this to you or Vois, inexperienced as you are! If you want it, you must take it by force!”

“Hmm. That’s the thing then, right?” Ryner asked Ferris.

“We’re taking it, Ryner.”

“Mm-hm.”

With that, Ferris disappeared. She flew towards the old woman with speed that no human eye could follow. Ryner quickly began to draw a magic circle.

The old woman sneered. “Ha! Oh, would you look at that. You youngsters are as lively as they come, making all this fuss! Do you truly believe that you could compete with me, Belsbu Fiurelle? Know your place!”

Wham!

Belsbu roundhouse kicked Ferris’ sword out of the way.

“What!?”

Belsbu’s palm flew towards Ferris’ throat. She squeezed it hard.

“Th-this can’t be true,” Ryner said, flabbergasted. “She, she got Ferris…”

“Do not just stand and stare!” Estella yelled from behind. “I told you, did I not!? I told thou that she is a monster, a genuine monster, the strongest in all of Iyet! If thou art careless, she will defeat you…”

“Fuahahaha! It is far too late!” Belsbu barely moved her neck, but that was all it took for her long white hair to creep towards them with a sound not unlike a groan.

“This is bad. I dedicate the words of our contract - give birth to the beast of malice sleeping within the earth!” Ryner chanted, then his whole body quickened. “Graaah!” he yelled as he jumped back.

The white hair made a beeline for Estella.

“Kyaaaah!” she yelled as she flew back…well, maybe that wasn’t the best word for it. She didn’t fly back to the ground. She soared through the sky, so far that he couldn’t see her anymore… so far that she disappeared entirely.

“Th-this can’t be real,” Ryner whispered. He was at a loss for what to do.

Even Ferris, who had managed to break free, had shock written all over her face. “Unbelievable. This is at the level of my brother Lucile…” 

“What… should we do? What can we do? Run?”

“And leave our backs wide open for attack?”

“Uuh… this is the worst. I guess we don’t have a choice but to go for it.”

Belsbu laughed. “Hah-hah-haa! I can see that you are different from Vois and Estella. You may even be a match for me. So what will you do? Shall we kill each other? You must be aware that I was once feared as the legendary beast of many battlefields.”

Ryner shook his head. Actually, his whole body shook as he did. “No, um, see… We’d actually appreciate it if you let it go…”

“Mm,” Ferris agreed. “Though there is one thing that I’d like to ask first. Depending on your answer, we may need to come back here.”

Belsbu’s eyes narrowed. “Hmph. So you say that you’d go as far as to come back here and put yourself into this situation again…? You’re quite the courageous girl. Heheh. Just as I was at your age… I do like you. I will answer, so what is it? Ask your question.”

“Mm. I only ask one thing,” Ferris said. “Can that book of yours truly create gold from nothing?”

Belsbu nodded, a serious look on her face. “It can. This ‘Sasu Document’ details exactly how to do it. ‘Sasu’ is shorthand for ‘swindling’ here, giving it the meaning of the ‘Swindling Document.’ It has been passed down the Fiurelle Group for generations. It is how one becomes a true scammer…”

“Haah? Hey, wait a minute. I don’t get it,” Ryner said. “I mean, you just said that it can make gold out of nothing, right?”

“That I have. It increases one’s assets, no matter how poor they are - their gold, in a sense - by ripping others off. It is a book of secrets…”

“That’s literally not the same thing!” Ryner yelled. “Wasn’t it supposed to be able to do the impossible? Like, alchemy? Isn’t that what we were talking about with it? Making gold out of invisible floating particles?”

“That is impossible,” Belsbu said without hesitation. “You are like a child.” 

“Mm. Grow up, Ryner,” Ferris said. “You have to be five and under for bedwetting to be okay.”

Ryner was silent. He just stared at the ground. 

“What? This boy still wets the bed at his age?” Belsbu asked.

Ryner began to shake from fear. 

“That’s right,” Ferris said. “To top it off, he is still so infatuated with his mother’s milk that he screams about it daily. He attacks women every night searching for a replacement.”

That. That was when Ryner finally raised his face. He gripped his head with his hands. “Graaaah! What can I even say!? Are you telling me we were tricked again!? Awawah, I’m sick of this! I’m sick of Ferris saying whatever the hell she wants! And then there’s Vois and Estella! Just how much of a nuisance do you have to be to be satisfied!?”

The old woman laughed. “Hoh. It appears that Vois and Estella are in good hands.”

“‘In good hands!?’ They’re nothing but nuisances! And they’re your grandkids! Do something about them!”

She nodded a few times for emphasis. “That is true. I must punish them both as well… I have taken a liking to you two. I have something good for you. Come.”

“Huh? Something good?” Ryner repeated.

“What are you talking about?” Ferris asked.

The old woman laughed lightheartedly. “The true Sasu Document. Do not fret the details; just come with me,” she said, then somewhat forcefully led Ryner and Ferris deeper into the garden.

---

A day passed.

Estella was doing her daily routine - walking the city, searching for prey. As she walked, she thought about that white hair from yesterday. Just the thought pained her, and she grumbled as she moved. “Kgh. That dastardly old woman… I will someday teach her a lesson!”

“Hey, you,” someone addressed her. “You mistaken swindler girl.”

It was a familiar emotionless voice and, sure enough, when she turned she saw a familiar emotionless blonde who had been completely useless to Estella yesterday.

“I am busy at the moment,” Estella spat. “Take thine ugly appearance and unfriendly voice elsewhere.”

Ferris laughed softly. “And what does that make you? To think that you would speak so ill of someone who is in possession of a document detailing how to create gold from nothing.”

“Mrgh? What is that supposed to mean?”

Ferris pulled a single small book out of her pocket, and Estella’s expression stiffened.

“Th-that’s—!?”

Ferris ignored her, opened the book, and began to read. “‘July 4th. Rain. I forgot an umbrella today so I thought I’d get soaked, but my classmate Yuu had an umbrella so I didn’t, and I started to fall in love.’ So reads ‘The summer of Estella Fiurelle’s sixth summer.’ Hoh. So you’d fall for someone for a straightforward reason such as that. You are quite the simple woman…”

“Y-y-you bastaaaaarrrdd!! Wh-where did you find that!?”

“Hm? This? ‘June 6th. Sunny. My heart is sunny too because Yuu ate the lunch I made. Tee-hee. ♡’ Tee-hee ♡?”

“Gyaaahh! I’m begging you to stop! I get it! I get it already! I’ll do anything, so please… just give it back…”

“Mm. In any case, it does appear that this book can create money from nothing,” Ferris said, boastful. 

Estella stared at her with resentment. “I… I understand… I’ll pay you,” she whimpered and crumpled to the ground, crestfallen.

---

Somewhere else, Ryner stood before Vois.

“December 3rd. Sunny. I looked up Meg’s skirt today. She’s one but her neck is fascinating and she makes my heart explode. I’m frustrated, though, because she’s young so she’s not ashamed. That’ll be a problem moving forward - Vois Fiurelle’s forth winter.’”

Vois just listened with a smile. “Oh, that’s my diary, isn’t it? That’s so nostalgic. Meg, huh…”

All Ryner could do was stare. “The hell kind of four year old… but that aside, shouldn’t you feel embarrassed when someone reads your old diary to you? Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen?”

Vois tilted his head in confusion. “Huh? Why would I feel embarrassed? Oh, wait, is this powerplay? Not bad, Mr. Ryner. As expected. Also, Meg started to feel embarrassed when she was three. I guess she was broken…”

“You’re horrible! I don’t want to hear any more, so just shut up. It’s getting too scary. And I’m giving this perverted diary back…”

“Huh? Really? Here I thought we’d struck gold… Still, this is such a coincidence. You see, Mr. Ryner, I have a favor to ask…”

“Augh, you’re so annoying! I don’t want to have to see you again…”

Ryner’s words trailed off, and despair crossed his face. He pressed his hand to his painful empty stomach. “But… but if you’ll give me food for it, then… I guess I can do one favor for you…”

“Really!? Then let’s jump right into it…”

As expected, it was stupid and pointless, just like always.

Ryner sighed after Vois was done talking. “So this is where life has led me… straight into a hole.”

So he said, and sighed deeply, again and again.

That was Ryner Lute’s nineteenth spring.

---

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