[Daughter of Monster blood.]

After the Wanderer’s voice rang out, silence descended.

But only for a moment.

“Mm— that name is a little too old-fashioned. Would you call me Cardinal Yutia?”

At Yutia’s request, offered with a small smile, the Wanderer quietly opened its mouth.

[......Very well, Cardinal Yutia.]

“Good.”

[So, what is your reason for seeking me out? While using such an enormous amount of power, no less.]

The reason the Wanderer could manifest even like this was because she had planted an avatar in advance, of course, but also because she had fundamentally paid a vast amount of power as the price.

The Wanderer had used up all the power she had gathered in order to speak with Alon.

In other words, she was manifesting now because of Cardinal Yutia’s power, standing before her.

That was why, though the Wanderer was pretending to be calm, inwardly she could not help being shocked.

The enormous power required to manifest her.

This was being spoken of by the standards of “Divine blood,” not “humans.”

And not by the standards of some rabble, either, but by the standards of those who possessed “karma.”

Yet despite using such an absurd amount of power in real time, the woman who had appeared before the Wanderer looked utterly calm.

'......So Monster blood truly are different, is that it?'

The moment the Wanderer unknowingly sighed—

“The reason I went out of my way to find you this time is to offer thanks and a warning.”

“Thanks and...... a warning?”

“Yes.”

Yutia smiled and tilted her head slightly to one side.

“Thank you. Because of you all, Teacher hasn’t been losing his way much. Thanks to that, there are times when I worry a little less too.”

[.......]

“I truly am grateful for that part. Sincerely.”

[And what is the part you want to warn me about?]

The Wanderer asked back at Yutia, who did not lose her smile.

But even at her reaction, Yutia only raised the corners of her mouth.

“Mm— to say this in advance, I’d like you to pay clear attention to this part. You—”

She lightly lifted one finger upward.

“—and the one above you, too.”

[.......]

Silence settled again.

But Yutia, as though she did not care in the slightest, curved the corners of her eyes and—

“My warning is simple. So simple it would be strange not to understand it.”

[What...... is it?]

“Give up any thought of using Teacher— no, Alon.”

She warned.

[.......]

The Wanderer quietly looked downward.

Yutia was there.

Yutia, still wearing the same smile, looking precisely at her.

And at that composed appearance—

[......We—]

The Wanderer was about to open her mouth.

“Ah, you don’t have to answer?”

[......What did you say?]

“I’m not saying this to you, and this is a notice.”

Yutia lightly waved her hand.

“I don’t really care what you’re thinking. I don’t really care what the ones above are thinking either.”

[.......]

“Just keep one thing in mind. Do not use Teacher. As long as you keep only that, I won’t do a-anything at all.”

To you, or to the one above you—

At Yutia’s low murmur, the Wanderer stared blankly for a moment.

[You are arrogant, even if you are the daughter of Monster blood.]

Then her expression twisted.

[No matter how much you are an inheritor of Monster blood, know that you are not in a position to speak that way to the one I serve.]

A direct expression of displeasure.

But the Wanderer did not stop there and continued speaking—

[No matter how much you are Monster blood, you are only one of the inheritors, aren’t you? No matter how much you warn us, that person has no obligation to listen to your arrogant warning—]

—or rather, could not.

No, strictly speaking, she did speak.

She was clearly continuing her words.

And yet,

even though that should have been the case,

her mouth would not open.

As if every action had been sealed.

At that moment, the Wanderer’s eyes flew wide open.

Because she realized the whole world had been dyed red.

But more than anything, the reason she was shocked was—

'How?'

Because she, who could not possibly manifest right now, had suddenly manifested here.

It was impossible.

To begin with, her manifestation should only have happened much later.

But she held that question only briefly.

The Wanderer—

“!!!!”

soon grasped the situation.

The Wanderer had not manifested.

This was merely time—

“Ghk-!”

The moment she thought that far, the Wanderer clutched her own throat.

She could not breathe.

As if even breathing had not been permitted.

And as she fell to her knees like that—

“I told you, didn’t I?”

Yutia’s voice reached her.

“I’m not saying this to you.”

The Wanderer raised her gaze.

There, Yutia was still smiling, likewise crouched down on her knees.

“This is a notice. Not a notice to you, but a notice to the ‘eye.’ You only need to deliver it.”

She stroked the Wanderer.

“Yes, just— deliver it.”

The Wanderer, who possessed “karma.”

As though stroking something cute.

“What I said—”

Again and again.

“Then she will probably understand, won’t she?”

And in that moment.

The Wanderer’s eyes grew even wider.

Because only now did she realize it.

“She has already seen me once, after all.”

That she had judged incorrectly.

The Wanderer had judged incorrectly.

That was not the person she had understood her to be.

That was not the daughter of Monster blood.

That was—

“Y-you— don’t tell me— the inheritor and the parent—”

A small index finger was placed against her mouth as she could not breathe.

And along with that, what the Wanderer saw was—

“!!!”

Red eyes.

Red eyes shining together with a red moon.

“So, I told you, didn’t I?”

And.

“The title daughter of Monster blood is too old-fashioned.”

So calmly.

“Please just call me Cardinal Yutia. To me, and to Teacher too.”

Yutia murmured.

“Understood?”

At her words, smiling once again,

the Wanderer had no choice but to nod.

Tremble, tremble.

With vivid terror filling both eyes.

####

“......What did you say?”

At Alon’s bewildered question, a question briefly appeared on Penia’s face, which had been filled with determination as if she had steeled herself.

But only for a moment.

“Ah, ah— no, that wasn’t it, um—”

Soon, Penia began stammering in panic, her face turning red—

“No— I mean, that’s not it, um—!! I meant what Seollang does to you, Lord Alon!?”

At the hurried correction she spat out, Alon also paused slightly, then nodded.

“......Right.”

“I was wondering, how should I put it....... if that might be normal to you, Lord Alon!”

At Penia’s words.

Alon’s expression turned strange for a moment.

“......You’re asking if it’s normal?”

“Yes.”

At Penia’s question, asked with an expression like Haaah—, Alon paused again.

“......But why ask that all of a sudden?”

“Ah, um— this is, well— it just happened somehow? I suddenly started thinking that kind of thing was a little fascinating. I mean— biting someone’s nose like that isn’t exactly normal physical affection, is it?”

Penia’s continued explanation.

In truth, rather than the purpose of the question, Alon was more curious about why she was asking such a thing at this particular moment, but he decided to set that thought aside for now.

“......Well, that’s true.”

“But before, you spoke as if it was fine.”

“......”

'Did I ever do that?' Alon thought for a moment, then soon recalled that last time he had said that level of physical affection was fine, and his expression turned subtle.

“That...... how should I put it......”

Biting his nose?

Objectively, Alon did feel that it was a little excessive.

But even so, the reason he had said that back then was precisely because the one showing that physical affection was Seollang.

“......With things like that, I suppose the feeling changes depending on the person.”

If someone else did such a thing? It might be strange.

But since the only one who basically did that sort of thing to Alon was Seollang.

“Ah, then it’s sort of an ‘it’s okay because it’s Seollang’ feeling?”

“......Something like that. Seollang has a slightly childlike side, doesn’t she? In fact, if someone else was a little childlike too, I’m not sure how I would feel about it.”

At Alon’s answer, Penia puckered her lips as if the feeling was hard to describe and nodded for a moment.

“So, why did you ask that question?”

“Ah— it was just something close to pure curiosity?”

At Alon’s following question, Penia answered like that.

“......Really?”

“Yes.”

“Well, if that is all.”

Alon lightly shrugged.

“Aren’t you trying to go way too far right out of the gate?”

“Shut up.”

While Alon was looking out the window for a moment, Penia snapped back at Evan’s added remark, and only then was she able to let out a relieved sigh.

####

That night.

Because Alon had said he would stay in Rosario for about a day, Penia also stayed in Guy Rosario.

[......That is all.]

She was sharing with everyone all the information she had obtained from Alon today.

In truth, Penia had received different proposals from each of the four people gathered here, but instead of following any of them, she disclosed the information fairly.

Because she knew very well that if she listened to offers that came secretly from behind the scenes for no reason, the situation could turn bad.

And because of Penia’s answer—

[Mm—]

[That would be how it is, after all—]

[Hmm—]

A slight disappointment drifted across the faces of the three people visible inside the magic sphere.

[Hehehe—]

Of course, among them, only Seollang wore an expression that said, “Me! A complete victory—!!!” even among the others, who had grown subtle.

In any case, Penia looked at their expressions and—

[In any case, Lord Alon did say it would be a somewhat burdensome form of physical affection unless it was with someone like Seollang.]

She ended the explanation that way and let out a sigh.

Feeling a small happiness that she could finally escape this hell.

And in that moment.

[Mm— then conversely, does that mean if one were like Lady Seollang, that sort of physical affection would be okay?]

Magrina muttered.

[......We should consider that effectively impossible, shouldn’t we? To begin with, Seollang has a childlike feeling.]

[That is far too childish a way of thinking.]

Rine and Yutia answered that muttering.

[That’s true, Sister. It wouldn’t be easy for us to appear that way, would it?]

At that, Magrina spoke as though she agreed.

[Mm-hmm. It’s a ridiculous thought.]

[It is.]

[Pretending to be young would be a bit much, wouldn’t it?]

[Right.]

Their voices, which had been adding one comment after another with smiles as though they agreed—

[......Mm.]

[......A young feeling.......]

[......Childlike, you say.......]

began to grow quieter little by little.

And.

[......?]

Watching the three women finally lower their heads without saying anything, as if lost in thought, and Seollang look at them with a subtle expression,

“......Ah.”

Penia soon realized what they were thinking.

And.

......Are they actually sane......? the thought flashed through her mind.......