"O sacred Pandemonium, receive the first offering!"
Just as the man in the white robe said those words and was about to shove Mia forward—
"Stop!"
A thunderous voice split through the air, cutting across the darkness of Mount Hata, slicing through the star-filled night sky.
The man turned toward the voice while still gripping Mia tightly. There he saw a mane of blazing crimson hair floating in the sky, a tall, commanding figure, a face glowing under the starlight—and a silver earring glinting on his ear.
"Leca! How are you here?"
Mia cried out, forgetting her pain. But the man's rough hand quickly clamped over her mouth.
"So that little rat escaped prison—no surprise, really. I suppose I expected as much."
Leca tried to recall where he'd seen that mocking man before. Somewhere in the Ministry of Magic, maybe... But there was no time to dwell on it.
He clasped his hands and focused his mana. If he failed, it was over. There would be no second chance—he had to succeed in one go.
—Flash.
A massive ring of fire whirled into the sky, and in that instant, all twelve boys and girls vanished without a trace. So did the dozens of men who had been restraining them.
Within moments, a large number of people had disappeared, leaving behind only three men in white robes. They stepped back in shock, clearly panicking.
"W-What is this?! What have you done, you insolent wretch?!"
One of them shouted, pale with rage.
"As you can see, I sent innocent children back to the temple. I did what had to be done."
"How dare you! Do you think you can defile a sacred rite?!"
The man chanted a spell and hurled an attack, but Leca dodged with a swift leap.
…Damn. Forcing that many people into a single teleportation spell took a toll. I'm in bad shape.
Though he felt on the verge of collapse, Leca straightened his stance and calmly declared,
"With this, I have repaid the debt I owed to His Majesty Minophon, who raised me despite my mixed blood, and to the elders of Sibareth. If His Majesty were alive, I have no doubt he would have given the same command."
"You overreaching mongrel spirit! Fine, let's end this here and now!"
The man in white tossed aside his cumbersome robe. Under the full moonlight, Leca could clearly see his face.
Just as he suspected—a mage from the Ministry of Magic.
Rasmus, Roland's prized disciple, said to be a top candidate for the next court mage.
Rasmus hurled spell after spell at Leca, but Leca effortlessly evaded them all. Rasmus might have been a talented mage, but he wasn't a battle mage—and he was no match for Leca, a former High Commander of the royal knights.
Dodging easily, Leca landed a single, clean blow. Rasmus let out a choked cry and grabbed his throat before collapsing to the ground.
"P-Please, have mercy! W-We're just royal servants! We're not mages—we only came under orders!"
The remaining three in white robes trembled, pleading. Leca looked at them. A few of the faces did seem familiar from the palace.
"Can you get down the mountain on your own? With His Grace?"
They nodded frantically.
"W-We have the Kefalas, so we can manage!"
Leca approached Julius, who lay motionless, and checked his wounds.
"If he doesn't receive treatment soon, it'll be dangerous. Hurry. Reach a physician before sunrise."
As soon as Leca finished speaking, the three men hastily lifted Julius onto a Kefala and hurried down the mountain.
Only Leca and Mia remained atop the peak. Deathly silence surrounded them, broken only by the stars shining above.
"Leca…"
Mia called his name. She had a mountain of questions, but none found their way into words. Leca approached and used magic to release the heavy shackles on her feet.
"Lady Mia, thank the stars you're safe. I was truly worried."
But the Leca before her felt strangely unfamiliar. The warmth had drained from his beautiful black eyes, leaving behind only the calm depth of a bottomless well—just like when they first met.
It feels like back when it was just the three of us—Leca, Mithys, and me… Cold, unreadable, as if he's just here to follow orders, nothing more…
"Leca, something's… different about you."
Mia reached out to touch his face. But Leca stepped back, expression cold, dodging her hand.
Mia recoiled in shock.
"Leca? What's wrong?"
"Please don't be alarmed. It's our rule to avoid unnecessary physical contact with our master."
Mia stiffened.
What the hell is he saying? Weren't you the one who kissed me in the prison? And you acted jealous around Julius!
You—you're saying all of that meant nothing? It was just a mistake? Just playing with me??
"Then, Lady Mia, I have one last task to finish here. You have wings—you can return to the palace on your own, yes?"
"W-What? Why aren't you coming with me? What are you planning to do?"
"You can ask a salamander to guide your way back."
Leca spoke again, his face cold like a lizard's. His black eyes mirrored the still water below—Pandemonium.
He stood silently, staring into the lake. A chill crept over Mia.
"Leca? What are you thinking?"
Only then did Leca look at her. The wind at the summit tossed his crimson hair wildly.
"There is something I must do."
"What do you mean, something?"
"I read the same passage they did. In the ancient scriptures..."
"In the Moon Year 5500, great catastrophe shall befall Sibareth,
and the kingdom shall fall unless a single solution is chosen:
the offering of a sacred human into the river of death, Pandemonium.
The noble death of the sacred one shall save all life
and protect the kingdom from ruin."
He recited the scripture quietly.
Only then did Mia understand why the royal family of Sibareth had tried to sacrifice her and the children.
But still… why?
"So what… what does that mean?"
"The elders tried to sacrifice thirteen because they didn't know who the sacred one was. But I think one is enough."
"...And?"
Leca looked at her with that serene, beautiful face. He knelt on one knee before her, bowed his head briefly, then looked up.
"Lady Mia, my third and final master—you've been nothing short of a blessing to me. Meeting you helped me grow and taught me so much."
Mia didn't want to hear the next words. Dread crawled up her spine.
"For us spirits, the most honorable death is dying to protect our master.
The second is dying for a righteous cause.
There is no death more shameful for a spirit than… dying of old age in bed."
"W-What are you trying to say..."
"Therefore, I now offer myself—honorably and willingly—for the peace of Sibareth, the land that embraced me."
As he stood, Mia grabbed him in a tight embrace.
"Don't say something so stupid! That scripture is probably all lies!
Do you really think your death will solve anything? It won't! It'll just be a meaningless waste!"
She pounded on his chest, crying.
What is it with this country and their obsession with rituals and superstitions?
How can they think like this?
"It's an order! Come back with me!"
Only then did Leca smile faintly. He took Mia's hand and kissed it.
"Of course, I worry. Who will protect you once I'm gone? But it is your choice.
If you wish to return to your original world, you may.
The passage lies in the southern wastelands of Sibareth—at Res al-Kheim."
"I said it's an order! You're coming with me!"
Looking at Mia sobbing before him, Leca once again felt the strange sensation of being split apart.
The old me would have wanted to take her somewhere—just the two of us—like Shamanaz said…
But that thought dissipated like smoke. Now, he was simply Leca, the spirit of fire, the loyal servant of Sibareth.
A spirit's first duty is to its master—but when one's world is in peril, sacrificing oneself to protect it is also the spirit's sacred duty.
Mia will be fine. I'll entrust the rest to Father.
My duty as a servant of Sibareth must come first.
It's only logical. Father would have said the same...
But still... the hole in his chest—this emptiness...
Nothing could fill it. Like something precious had been lost forever.
I thought… I thought I lived only to protect her.
But why… does this feel so wrong...?
Leca looked up at the sky. The moon and stars shone beautifully. He once thought those stars resembled Mia's eyes.
"If anything happens, please… contact my father. He will watch over you."
"No! I want to stay with you, Leca!"
He gently pulled away from her embrace. And then—he leapt into the still, dark lake: Pandemonium.
—Splash.
The deep blue darkness swallowed Leca whole.