The Evomon Cayenne had summoned was a Black Hydra. The hideous, three-headed viper flicked its red tongues and bared its fangs at Yuto. Green saliva dripped onto the floor, melting the marble with a hiss.

This was no contract founded on affection and trust. Cayenne had contracted with it solely to poison his father, Rufus. The poison he had fed Rufus combined Black Hydra venom with several poisonous herbs, making the victim appear to die of illness. Without that processing, Black Hydra venom was so deadly that even the slightest contact dissolved human flesh.

“Kill every last one of those rats!”

Cayenne screamed, his voice crazed. The mere fact that he had contracted with a Black Hydra was decisive evidence of the poisoning, but Yuto’s intimidating presence had driven him so far into terror that he could no longer think rationally.

If he killed them all, there would be no problem. If anyone questioned him afterward, he could simply insist that Levian had hired the rat and plotted against him because she coveted the headship. The dead could not speak. Once his father and sister were dead, Cayenne would become the next head of House Marigold, no matter what anyone said.

“Kraaah!”

The Black Hydra’s three heads lunged at Yuto, their tongues flicking. Each head alone was large enough to swallow the fourteen-year-old boy whole.

“Aaah!”

Levian screamed, but Yuto did not so much as stir. Then Flokiro moved. He showed not the slightest fear of the Black Hydra, though it was many times his size.

Flokiro kicked off the floor and leaped, reaching the space above the Black Hydra’s central head in a single bound.

BOOM!

An unbelievable crash shook the corridor. Flokiro’s tiny leg had slammed down on the central head.

The sight was so unreal that, at first glance, it almost looked staged. The head of a snake whose bulk more than filled the corridor crumpled as though struck by a giant hammer and smashed into the floor.

“Kieeek!”

The Black Hydra screamed in agony. While its remaining heads faltered in confusion, Flokiro landed atop the central one.

CRUNCH!

His foot stamped down on it again.

“Yuto.”

Flokiro spoke, his eyes flashing as he glared at the other heads.

“Leave this one to me. An Evomon should fight an Evomon.”

His voice belonged to a playful boy, but his eyes were as fierce and cold as a warrior’s. He had called them fellow Evomon, but there were differences in caliber even among Evomon. Barely capable of reason and drooling filthy saliva, this Black Hydra had dared try to harm Yuto. Flokiro growled low and pressed harder with the foot pinning its head.

CRACK-CRUNCH!

The already caved-in central head shattered completely. Dark red blood splattered across the corridor with a wet slap. It, too, was lethally poisonous, and the marble softened and melted, giving off a foul stench. Flokiro, however, was unaffected by such poison.

“All right.”

Yuto nodded. Flokiro was a warrior he respected, one who had shared countless battlefields with him. Even in that unevolved base form, he could slaughter most Evomon with ease. And in the two years since their reunion, Flokiro had cleared countless dungeons alongside Yuto and received a share of his aether.

Most human partners summoned their Evomon only when unavoidable, such as during combat. Summoning an Evomon and keeping it materialized consumed aether continuously. Yet in those two years, Yuto had never once stopped maintaining Flokiro’s manifestation.

He was not only a warrior, but also an expert on Evomon contracts. If one treated an Evomon sincerely, interacted with it, and built trust, the aether required to keep it materialized would actually diminish over time.

Those who avoided summoning their Evomon out of concern for the immediate expenditure could never build that trust. If an Evomon surrendered its personal freedom to enter a contract, the human had to compensate it for that lost freedom. Only through such mutual support could an Evomon grow and ultimately evolve.

Not only were these two Evomon of different calibers, but the depth of their trust differed as well. And on top of that...

Yuto concentrated aether into the contract sigil on the back of his hand. Flokiro’s body blazed with light as the aether poured into him.

Cayenne was an utterly pathetic novice at fighting with Evomon. He did not even understand the basic tactic of supplying additional aether to strengthen an Evomon, rather than merely expending enough to summon it.

That was only natural.

He had contracted with the Black Hydra for the sole purpose of manufacturing poison. They had built no trust whatsoever. Rather than endure the dangerous wild, the Black Hydra had gained comfort without freedom and delicious meals through its contract with Cayenne.

By now, Cayenne had supplied it with dozens of living slaves to devour.

“Kreeeeek!”

The remaining two heads began to thrash wildly. A scream mingled with rage echoed down the corridor. The left head opened its jaws and spat green venom, while the right whipped around and lunged at Flokiro.

A two-pronged attack with nowhere to run. Flokiro merely snorted.

“Too slow.”

The aether Yuto had supplied enhanced all his abilities. The Black Hydra’s attacks had never been difficult to dodge, and now they looked as though they were moving in slow motion.

Flokiro vanished in a red afterimage. The venom cut through empty air and melted the unfortunate floor, while the right head slammed uselessly into the spot where he had stood.

TAP-TAP.

Those light footfalls had not come from the floor. Flokiro was already running along the wall.

“Wh-what is that...?!”

Cayenne could not believe his eyes. It seemed impossible that such a tiny Evomon could move like that. Its movements seemed to defy gravity, its small body generating explosive acceleration.

In an instant, Flokiro reached the left head. It panicked and tried to spit venom, but his hand shot out faster. Scarlet light flared around it.

“Goodbye.”

BOOOOM!

Crimson flames erupted from Flokiro’s hand and engulfed the Black Hydra’s left head. Without even managing a scream, it burned black and dropped limply to the floor.

“Kiaaah!”

Only the right head remained. Having lost two heads in an instant, the Black Hydra finally realized the truth. The little fox before it was no prey, but a predator far above it.

Instinctive terror seized the beast’s brain. Its last head trembled as it tried to retreat. Its master’s orders no longer mattered. There was no trust strong enough to overcome its instincts. All that remained in the Black Hydra’s mind was the terrified urge to flee.

But Flokiro showed no mercy. His entire body blazed with red light. Kicking off the wall, he reached the right head in an instant.

His aether-charged fist slammed into its head. It was more than a simple blow. Compressed aether penetrated the Black Hydra’s head and exploded inside it. The giant snake’s skull burst apart from that single strike.

THUD!

Its enormous, headless body writhed a few times before collapsing limply to the floor. A moment later, the dead Black Hydra’s body dissolved into black smoke and dispersed, leaving only a small Evostone behind.

A heavy silence settled over the corridor. Flokiro landed on the floor, dusted off his forepaws, and turned his head toward Yuto.

“All done, Yuto.”

He looked so composed and adorable that it was hard to believe he had just butchered a giant monster. Yuto grinned back at the smiling Flokiro, whose tail swayed gently.

“Good work.”

Yuto walked over and held out his fist. The partners’ fists met in a light bump.

“Cayenne Marigold.”

Yuto shifted his gaze. Huddled in a corner and shaking like a leaf, Cayenne flinched.

“Will you keep standing in my way?”

“Ugh... Uuugh...!”

Cayenne was too terrified even to speak properly. He had watched the Black Hydra, summoned in his last desperate struggle, get slaughtered by a single fox.

But what frightened him more than that was Yuto himself. Surely the boy was nothing. Only moments ago, Cayenne had scorned him as a filthy rat. Yet once fear took hold, Yuto’s very presence became terrifying. It felt as though those icy eyes would suck out his soul and devour it.

A commotion rose from the mansion’s stairs. The guards Cayenne had ordered to blockade the staircase had finally been broken through.

“L-Lady Levian?”

The guards who finally reached the corridor stared wide-eyed. A wall of fire stood in a hallway reduced to chaos, its marble melted by poison, cracked, and shattered. Cayenne’s knights lay strewn across the floor, their bodies horribly battered.

“My brother...”

Levian forced the words out. She glared at Cayenne with eyes devoid of pity, filled only with contempt.

“Tried to poison Father to death. Father’s illness was caused by the poison my brother fed him.”

“Wh... What do you mean...?”

As the bewildered guard questioned her, Cayenne shouted as if seized by a fit.

“N-no! I did no such thing! This is all Levian’s conspiracy...”

“Cayenne Marigold,” Yuto whispered.

A wave of murderous intimidation burst from him, making Cayenne’s hair stand on end. Cayenne shook and hiccupped, unaware that he was wetting himself.

“Admit your crimes.”

The voice felt as though it were whispering directly into his ear. A dreadful terror gripped him, as if a blade rested against his throat.

“I... I... I tried to... kill Father...”

Unable to struggle any longer, Cayenne confessed in terror.

“I contracted... with the Black Hydra... and made poison. I secretly mixed it into Father’s meals and poisoned him little by little... I... I wanted to become head of the house...”

The guards’ expressions changed abruptly at his stammered confession. These men had not been bought by Cayenne; they had sworn loyalty to House Marigold. Without waiting for Levian’s orders, they rushed forward with spears and swords and seized him.

“Levian Marigold.”

Watching Cayenne’s arrest, Yuto called her name.

“Let’s go to your father.”

“Ah... Oh, yes! Yes, of course.”

Levian finally collected herself and answered.

* * *

The head of the house’s bedchamber reeked of decay.

An emaciated middle-aged man lay on an enormous bed. Black veins writhed like worms beneath his ashen skin, while poison constricted his heart and ate away at his aether.

Rufus Marigold. The great merchant who had commanded Merchant City was dying in such a pitiful state that no trace of his former vigor remained. At the sight of her father, Levian barely held back her tears.

“The... The antidote... You’re certain it will work...?”

Levian asked cautiously. Cayenne’s plot had been exposed. She had also learned that the new poison used Black Hydra venom as its main ingredient. Now that the cause was known, an antidote could be made.

“After all this, you still don’t trust me?”

Yuto snorted as he asked. Startled, Levian shook her head.

“N—no, that isn’t what I meant. It’s just... I’m worried about Father...”

“If you really can’t trust me, examine it yourself.”

Yuto took out the antidote and offered it to her. The Levian of the present would not be able to make sense of it by looking. But this was the antidote she herself had created through sheer determination before his return.

“... No, it’s all right.”

Levian hesitated, then shook her head.

“I trust you. Um... I-I’m sorry. I haven’t even asked your name yet.”

“Yuto.”

He gave a small chuckle as he told her his name.

“Yuto...”

Levian repeated it and nodded.

“Then let me say it again. Yuto, I trust you. You... exposed Cayenne Marigold’s crime against his own father. You protected me from his clutches and defeated him.”

Composing herself, she bowed deeply to Yuto.

“I do not believe there can be anything wrong with an antidote you brought. I, Levian Marigold, daughter of Rufus Marigold, beg you. Please... save my father.”

“That’s why I came.”

Yuto smiled faintly. Failing to save her father had been Levian Marigold’s enduring regret.

With Yuto’s return, that regret would vanish.

Cayenne Marigold would not become head of the house.

Rufus Marigold would not die.

Yuto slowly approached him.

“Sit him up. Hold him tight. The convulsions will be severe.”

He could have used Void Touch, but chose not to. It was a consideration for Levian, who had done everything she could to save Rufus.

“Y-yes...!”

Levian approached as instructed and raised her father’s body with trembling hands. Her fingertips twitched at the burning heat of his skin.

Could the antidote in that tiny vial truly cure her father when he was so gravely ill? Worry and doubt rose in her, but she bit her lip and steadied herself.

Yuto. She still did not know exactly who the boy was—but she had decided to trust him. Trusting him was her only option, yet the air he exuded also inspired a firm sense of confidence in her.

Yuto approached slowly and opened the antidote without hesitation.

The antidote Levian Marigold had created before his return had not been born of obsession and suspicion alone.

In another timeline, Cayenne had become head of House Marigold, only to lose that position in Levian’s rebellion, supported by Yuto. Afterward, Cayenne had abandoned everything and killed himself while fleeing. But his knight—Nail, the man Yuto had beaten unconscious earlier—had finally talked under torture directed by Levian.

That was how Levian had obtained concrete evidence that Black Hydra venom had been used to poison her father. Through further experiments, she had developed an antidote to it and shared it with Yuto.

Just as Levian trusted the Yuto before her, Yuto trusted the Levian from before his return. Without hesitation, he poured the antidote into Rufus’s mouth.

GULP.

The moment the antidote passed down his throat...

“Gah—haaagh!”

Rufus’s body, which had hung as limp as a corpse, began flopping like a freshly caught fish. The black veins covering him swelled and thrashed wildly. Beneath his skin, red and black light flashed as though locked in a fierce war.

“F-Father?! Yuto, a-are you sure this is all right?!”

Levian screamed and clutched her father.

“The poison is leaving his body. If you don’t want to ruin this, hold him tighter and feed him your aether.”

Confused though she was, Levian gripped Rufus’s shoulders and summoned her aether as instructed. Pale red aether flared around her hands, seeping into his body as a gentle warmth.

HISSS...!

Pitch-black smoke began rising from Rufus’s pores. The stench of burning flesh filled the room. The deadly Black Hydra venom and the assorted herbal toxins clinging inside his body were being purified by Yuto’s antidote and expelled.

“Aaaaargh...!”

An agonized scream burst from Rufus’s mouth. Tears streamed down Levian’s face as she held him tightly, praying that he would live. Please, please live.

After one violent bout of convulsions, Rufus went limp. Only ragged breathing remained in the room.

“F... Father?”

As Levian stroked his cheek with a trembling hand...

“Mmm...”

Rufus’s eyelids fluttered. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, his eyes opened. Once so blackened and lifeless that even the whites had been obscured, they were regaining their original clarity. The hideous black veins had disappeared as if they had never existed.

Her father had returned from death’s door. Levian’s face lit up.

“M-my lord...!”

The knights and servants who had been watching tensely cried out and dropped to their knees. Levian, too, sobbed as she hugged Rufus tightly.

“F-Father... Sob...! Father...!”

“Le... Levian...?”

Rufus’s voice was hoarse. Though the poison had been purged, his long illness had left him too weak to speak with strength.

‘It worked.’

Yuto stepped back with a relieved breath. The tragedy from before his return had not repeated itself. House Marigold had been saved, and Rufus had not died. Yuto had achieved his objective as well.

Despite just emerging from his long illness, Rufus’s mind was not clouded. His body might be powerless for the moment, but he was the giant who had commanded Merchant City as the head of House Marigold. He quickly steadied himself and began assessing the situation.

“What happened to me?”

Levian answered his question. She explained that poison had left him bedridden for months, reducing him to a dying man who could have passed away at any moment. Then she revealed that the one responsible for it all was none other than his eldest son, Cayenne Marigold.

“Ah...”

Having heard everything, Rufus sighed in despair. The knowledge that his own son had committed such an unthinkable crime against him tore at his heart as a father. But he did not despair for long. Before he was a father, he was the head of House Marigold.

“You... saved my life.”

Forcing his emotions under control, Rufus looked at Yuto. Seated in bed with Levian’s support, he was frail, but he had not lost the dignity of his office.

“Not only my life, but House Marigold’s honor as well. Your name was Yuto, was it?”

“Yes.”

Yuto answered with a slight bow. Rufus smiled faintly at the sight.

“Yuto. You are House Marigold’s benefactor. I swear on my name and my house’s honor that I will grant whatever you desire.”

A blank check from House Marigold, something everyone in Merchant City would covet, had been offered to Yuto. Yet he shook his head, his expression impassive.

“We can discuss that later. There is something I must confirm first.”

“Confirm?”

“It concerns Cayenne Marigold.”

Yuto raised his head, his eyes turning cold. Rufus’s expression twitched beneath that gaze. It was not because his unfilial son’s name had been mentioned. The boy’s eyes were so sharp and intense that they briefly intimidated even Rufus, who had spent decades contending with other giants as the head of House Marigold.

“Cayenne Marigold is incompetent. A man like him could not have contracted with a Black Hydra and manufactured such a complex poison on his own. Someone must be behind him.”

Black Hydras were ferocious wild Evomon. They neither lived in packs nor mingled with humans in cities. Their habitat was also very far from Merchant City.

Yet Cayenne had contracted with one. And it had not been a contract founded on trust. Had Cayenne subdued a Black Hydra and formed the contract alone? That was difficult to believe. The Cayenne Marigold Yuto had seen possessed neither the nerve nor the skill.

Someone else must have been pulling his strings. Yuto had harbored the same suspicion before his return, but Cayenne had killed himself while fleeing, so they had never learned who was behind him. Nail had known nothing about Cayenne’s backer.

“...”

Rufus squeezed his eyes shut and considered this, though not for long. His son had committed the monstrous crime of trying to poison his own father. Rufus still felt a father’s love, but he could not allow it to distort his judgment. Soon, he opened his eyes and nodded.

“I understand what you mean. But I can barely move at present, so I cannot interrogate Cayenne myself. Therefore... Levian. Go down to the dungeon with Yuto and question him.”

“Y—yes. Understood.”

Levian composed herself and nodded. Rufus looked at her and Yuto with trust as he continued.

“You may conduct the interrogation however you see fit. Even... through torture. I am granting you full authority over it.”

Rufus intended to show the utmost respect to the boy who had saved his life. Beyond that debt, the boy’s inscrutable air made him someone Rufus simply did not wish to antagonize. He did not doubt that instinct.

“Understood.”

Yuto nodded and turned. He and Flokiro strode out of the room first, and Levian hurried after them.

“I—I’ll show you to the dungeon.”

In truth, he needed no guide. He had visited the Marigold mansion before his return.

Still, he nodded and followed her lead. Acting as he pleased merely because he already knew the way would only invite unnecessary suspicion.

* * *

Unlike the splendor aboveground, the basement reeked of damp, mold, and a metallic tang.

Yuto descended the stairs with Levian under flickering torchlight. Her face was pale, but her eyes were resolute.

“Lady Levian?”

The guard they met at the foot of the stairs looked momentarily startled, then bowed to her.

“I’m here to see Cayenne.”

At her cold reply, the guard immediately began guiding them. The knights and soldiers who had followed Cayenne had already been restrained and locked behind the dungeon’s bars.

“Here.”

At the far end of the corridor stood a solitary cell sealed by a heavy iron door. The guard handed over the key and withdrew. As Yuto peered inside, a scream erupted.

“E-eek!”

It was Cayenne. Yuto clicked his tongue at the utterly pathetic sound, while Levian’s face hardened as she opened the cell.

CREEEAK...

Inside the dark cell, a disheveled Cayenne lay sprawled on the floor. Thick chains bound both his arms and legs, and the stench of urine rising from him was enough to make their noses wrinkle.

“Ugh... Uuugh...”

Barely lifting his head, Cayenne hunched his shoulders. Flokiro tearing the Black Hydra apart barehanded. Yuto swatting Nail down like a gnat. Those sights had etched overwhelming terror into his mind.

“L... Let me out...”

Even so, he pleaded with a servile expression.

“I-I’m House Marigold’s eldest son... I shouldn’t be treated like this...”

“Brother. No, Cayenne. Do you still not understand your situation?”

Levian spat the words out in disgust. Cayenne flinched.

“Levian... Levian, I had... I had my reasons... Th-this is all a misunderstanding. Just listen to me first...”

The interrogation had not even begun, yet Cayenne was already trying to babble excuses in a groveling voice. Yuto could hardly believe it. A pathetic bastard like this had overreached himself and become head of House Marigold. No wonder the house had declined so quickly before Yuto’s return.

“Cayenne.”

Yuto passed Levian and strode toward him. Cayenne squealed and twisted, trying to scramble backward, but the weight of his chains kept him from moving as he wished.

“Answer my questions truthfully.”

“Wh... What...?”

THUD!

Yuto’s foot slammed into Cayenne’s solar plexus.

“Guuugh!”

Cayenne screamed and retched up vomit. Yuto lifted his foot again and pressed it down on Cayenne’s head. Filthy, stinking vomit smeared across the face already streaked with sweat and dust.

“Ugh... Aaaagh...”

Cayenne thrashed in pain, feeling as though his head would shatter. Yuto whispered coldly to him.

“Black Hydras don’t live anywhere near Merchant City. Nor are they Evomon someone like you could subdue and contract with.”

“Ugh...”

“Who gave you the Black Hydra?”

Yuto leaned forward.

“Tell me who is behind you.”

“Th... That...!”

Fear flooded Cayenne’s eyes. This was a different fear from the one Yuto inspired.

“I can’t... I can’t tell you that. It... It’s all a misunderstanding...”

“You still haven’t learned...”

Clicking his tongue, Yuto activated Void Touch. A pitch-black hand appeared behind him and seized Cayenne’s arm. Then—

CRAAACK!

With a horrible sound, Cayenne’s arm twisted.

“Aaaaargh!”

Cayenne screamed until his throat seemed ready to tear.

“Are you afraid of punishment from a backer who isn’t even here?”

“Guuugh...”

“You don’t seem afraid of me, though I’m right in front of you.”

Yuto snorted and moved the other Void hand. Cayenne screamed and tried to escape its reach, but his struggle was futile. Void Touch seized his uninjured left arm and twisted it like snapping a brittle reed.

“Agh! Aaaaargh!”

Cayenne’s eyes rolled back. But he was not allowed to lose consciousness as he wished. Levian approached, pale-faced, and reached toward him. Her aether became healing magic, rousing Cayenne from his faint.

“Ugh... Uuugh...”

The pain remained vivid. He could not even pass out. Cayenne felt as though he would go mad. Having broken both his arms with ease, Void Touch now seized his leg.

“If all you’ll do is spout nonsense, you leave me no choice. I’ll have to make you want to tell the truth. This time, I won’t break it cleanly like your arms.”

Yuto tapped Cayenne’s head and whispered.

“I’ll crush your toes one at a time. If you still hold out after they’re all broken, I’ll break your shin, then your thigh. Then I’ll break your ribs one by one. When there are no more bones worth breaking, I’ll pluck out your eyes.”

Naturally, he was not bluffing. Void Touch pulled off Cayenne’s shoe and seized his little toe.

“My only role today is to question you. Rufus Marigold, whose life was saved, will pass judgment on your crime against him.”

Cayenne’s eyes wavered at the added whisper. Perhaps, perhaps... his father might take pity on his son and show mercy. All Cayenne could do now was cling to that fleeting hope.

“A-all right. I’ll talk... Please, just take that hand away...”

“You still don’t understand your situation. You are in no position to demand anything from me.”

CRACK!

Void Touch broke Cayenne’s little toe. He screamed, spitting saliva, then shook his head frantically.

“Aaagh! Aaaagh! A—a black-market merchant! It was a black-market merchant!”

Yuto’s eyes flashed at his cry.

“A merchant?”

“Th-they wanted to expand into Merchant City! If I... If I became head of House Marigold...! They wanted my full support, a-and for me to turn a blind eye...!”

Cayenne panted, tears streaming down his face.

“They said... they would help me become head of the house... That they would make a poison no one could detect...! They made me contract with the Black Hydra...”

Yuto immediately grasped the truth. A black-market merchant seeking a foothold in Merchant City had enticed Cayenne. They had even arranged an unnecessary contract with a Black Hydra, ensuring he could never betray them. Cayenne had joined hands with the merchant and fed Rufus Black Death Venom.

“I... I didn’t want to do it. The merchant planned everything. They even brought... food for the B-Black Hydra...”

“Food for the Black Hydra?”

“S-slaves. Human slaves. The Black Hydra won’t eat anything but humans—”

CRUNCH!

Void Touch moved in an instant and broke every toe on Cayenne’s foot. No, it crushed the entire foot completely.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

Yuto glared at Cayenne with eyes full of disgust. In the world before his return, keeping slaves had been illegal. That was because Yuto had abolished slavery as the prince of Belkain.

Yet even in that world, slaves had been traded in secret. That was due to the black markets a certain member of Eclipse had established in the shadows of major cities.

In the present world, slavery still existed. The slave trade that had once been clandestine now operated openly. But even slaves in this world were used for labor, not as food for Evomon.

Slaves treated no differently from livestock, stripped of the dignity the law afforded them. That such slaves had been supplied, coupled with the mention of expanding the black market, gave Yuto an idea of who was behind Cayenne.

“I... I only did what they wanted...”

Cayenne spoke through tears.

“The black-market merchants... Th-their master...”

The instant he uttered those words, a tattoo shaped like a pitch-black chain rose beneath the skin of his neck. Then his neck, encircled by the tattoo, began to contract under pressure.

“Guuuurgh!”

A scream and blood erupted from Cayenne’s mouth like a fountain. Having burst his carotid artery and windpipe, the tattoo continued to apply pressure.

CRACK!

With a horrific bursting sound, Cayenne’s head bent at a grotesque angle.

He had been executed for saying what he should not have said.

“Aaaah!”

As Levian screamed, Yuto’s eyes turned cold. What had been mere suspicion became certainty.

The master of the black-market merchants. The ruler of the cities’ black markets.

‘Marketer.’

Recalling that member of Eclipse’s name, Yuto ground his teeth.