Ilea sank to the ground. Yohan hurried over to check on her.

"Are you all right? Are you badly hurt?"

Her eyes were dull with exhaustion, and she was covered in blood. She spoke with difficulty.

"My legs just gave out. None of my injuries are life-threatening."

Yohan remained uneasy.

"Then what's all this blood?"

Her silver hair and white clothes were stained crimson. He immediately checked her all over, but found no major wounds, only minor scratches.

Ilea blushed.

"Y-you can't just do that without warning. It's not my blood... Don't worry, Yohan."

Yohan looked at Gawain.

"So it's his blood you're covered in?"

Gawain lay on the ground, drenched in blood. He looked like a corpse.

Ilea nodded.

"That's right. His Highness put up quite a fight."

A note of tension entered Yohan's voice.

"He isn't dead, is he? Gawain, I mean."

"No. He's still breathing. I only subdued him, as you asked."

Yohan sighed in relief. He needed Gawain's abilities. Without him, preparing for the later part of the story would be difficult.

"Well done. You had a rough time of it."

Ilea made a show of pouting.

"I really did nearly die, you know. If the circumstances hadn't favored me, and His Highness had had his holy spear, I probably would have lost."

It was a rather modest assessment. In truth, Ilea had fought under restrictions of her own. Because of Yohan's request, she couldn't kill Gawain, which meant she couldn't use lethal magic.

How would the fight have ended if both Gawain and Ilea had fought at their full strength? Yohan couldn't guess.

He spoke.

"I put you through a dangerous fight. I'm always grateful to you."

Ilea gave him a playful smile.

"You want to repay me, don't you?"

Yohan looked puzzled.

"Well, yes. Is there something you want?"

She suddenly spread her arms.

"For now, carry me on your back. I'm too weak to move my legs."

Yohan shrugged.

"All right. It's the least I can do for you."

Ilea's eyes widened. She hadn't expected that at all.

"Really?"

Yohan turned his back to her and moved close.

"Get on. We have a mountain of work ahead of us."

Beaming, Ilea wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered softly.

"Thank you."

"Don't blow in my ear."

"I-I didn't!"

Yohan chuckled and pointed to Gawain and the knight Yuri.

"All right, just bring those two along. We need to deal with them before they wake up."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yuri and Gawain floated into the air. Ilea's magic was at work.

Yohan headed straight for the lord's castle. There was quite a lot to do.

* * *

In the forbidden library beneath the castle's underground study, countless holy relics stood in neat rows. Light spilling from the sacred relics brightly illuminated the interior.

The forbidden library was as orderly as ever. The castle lay half-destroyed and shattered, but the library remained intact, unaffected by the world outside.

Yohan was relieved. If the forbidden library had been damaged too, it would have been a considerable headache.

He glanced around the library.

"The damage didn't reach this far. At least that's a relief."

Ilea looked downcast.

"What do we do about the castle? It's completely wrecked."

The castle's interior was unrecognizable. It looked as though a war had been fought there. They would no longer be able to live in it.

Yohan answered calmly.

"We can repair it. Don't worry."

"I've ended up costing you more money."

"I'll send him the bill."

Yohan looked at Gawain, who was being held in the very center of the forbidden library.

The chair he sat in was a restraint device of the highest grade designed for use on people, and the chains binding his entire body were an artifact capable of restraining even ancient demonic beasts. Not even Gawain could possibly rise from his seat. He was completely captive.

Gawain slowly spoke.

"... Where am I?"

His gaze turned toward Yohan and Ilea, his eyes blazing with fury.

Yohan answered.

"The famous forbidden library. The kingdom's treasure vault."

He no longer addressed Gawain with deference. He had already shown his true colors; there was no reason to keep up the mask.

Gawain's eyes darted left and right, up and down. The chains held his neck in place, preventing him from turning his head to look around. Only his eyes kept moving.

"Why have you locked me up here?"

"As I told you yesterday, to cure your illness."

Gawain was incredulous.

"Cut the bullshit and undo these chains at once."

Yohan shook his head.

"Impossible. You aren't leaving until you're cured."

Gawain ground his teeth, then suddenly roared like a wild beast.

"Illness? What the hell have you been babbling about since yesterday? Enough nonsense! Tell me who you really are! What do you want from me that you'd go this far? Did the Count put you up to this?!"

Yohan dug a finger into his ear.

"You're hurting my ears. I can hear you perfectly well if you speak quietly. Calm down and ask one question at a time."

Gawain began to tremble. Unbearable rage was consuming him.

Ilea stepped in front of Yohan.

"It's dangerous. Move away from His Highness."

At that same moment, holy power erupted from Gawain's body. Everything blazed white, and radiance engulfed the entire forbidden library.

Yohan immediately covered his eyes. It was so bright he felt they might burst.

That was the extent of its effect. Holy power couldn't harm ordinary humans anyway. It was daytime, and Yohan was in his human form. Gawain's desperate outburst was powerless against him.

His roar rang out thunderously.

"Raaaaaagh!"

It truly sounded like the cry of a beast.

Yohan clicked his tongue and covered his ears.

'There's no talking to him like this.'

Gawain's frenzy continued for a long while. He twisted madly, trying to break free of his restraints. Several chains split with a crack, and Ilea immediately fetched another artifact to bind him. The process repeated several times.

Only after a long time did silence return to the room. Gawain had thrashed himself into unconsciousness again. Chains and talismans covered his entire body, leaving only his face exposed.

It looked exceedingly uncomfortable, but there was no alternative. It would take at least this much to keep him captive.

Yohan spoke.

"I doubt we can talk to him just yet. We'll have to wait a while, until Gawain accepts his situation."

Ilea nodded.

"That would be best. Leave this to me and get back to the castle."

The aftermath of the battle still needed dealing with. Yohan headed back aboveground.

* * *

The holy quarantine in the southwest was lifted after some two months. Despite all its investigations, the Church had failed to find even the faintest clue concerning the ancient Demon Kaiaze or the Thirteenth Apostle of the End.

On top of that, the Apostle Maphel’tan had suddenly attacked the royal capital. The Church no longer had any reason to maintain the holy quarantine zone.

Once the Church withdrew, the people of the southwest returned to their lives. They repaired their damaged homes and fields and prepared for winter.

One group of slash-and-burn farmers was an exception. They were leaving the southwest and heading south—specifically, to the Miyatro demesne. They had an agreement with Yohan: he would give them a place to settle.

At the head of the group, an old man spoke.

"Young as he was, he was truly resolute and dependable. He saved my grandson, too."

Walking beside him, the red-haired Shaperia replied.

"You've told me that more than ten times already, sir. Honestly, you'll wear my ears out."

The old man chuckled.

"Even a hundred words of praise wouldn't do him justice. He truly was a nobleman as described in the scriptures."

Shaperia smiled gently.

"I can't deny that. Everyone who's met Sir Yohan says much the same thing—that speaking with him inspires a strange sense of trust."

It was because of the Great Saint's eyes.

The old man clapped his hands loudly.

"It seems we all think alike. You agree too, don't you, holy knight?"

Shaperia nodded.

"His devotion is rare in this day and age. The fact that he volunteered to enter the quarantine zone alone at such a young age is proof enough. We'll be seeing him soon."

She pointed ahead. A vast lord's castle and the village surrounding it came into view. The snow-covered scene was quite beautiful.

A trace of worry mingled with the anticipation in the old man's eyes. He spoke cautiously.

"He hasn't forgotten us, has he?"

Shaperia smiled and shook her head.

"Sir Yohan will remember everything. He isn't one to break a promise."

Relief spread across the old man's face.

"Saint Marziel. May light shine upon Lord Yohan's path."

Shaperia, too, made the holy sign. They proceeded straight into the demesne.

* * *

"You cannot see the Baron at present."

They had entered the village, but the inner castle's gates were firmly shut. Dozens of soldiers stood at every entrance, blocking all access to the castle.

Shaperia was at a loss.

"I haven't come to see the Baron. I'm here to see Sir Yohan."

One soldier answered stiffly.

"Lord Yohan has inherited the barony. He is the current head of House Miyatro."

Confusion filled Shaperia's face.

"But Sir Yohan hasn't even had his coming-of-age ceremony."

He couldn't become head of a house at his age. That was the law of the kingdom.

The soldier said nothing more, merely standing firm at the gate.

While Shaperia was wondering what to do, the castle gates swung open. A massive man stepped outside. The soldiers gave brief salutes, and the gates immediately closed again.

Shaperia beamed.

"Master Gaf!"

The man who had emerged from the castle was Gaf, captain of the guard. He looked a little taken aback.

"... Lady Shaperia?"

"Yes, it's me. It's been a while."

Shaperia had returned to the domain after two months. Recently, she had been investigating White Horn in the holy quarantine zone.

Gaf's expression hardened.

"It has. But what brings you here?"

Shaperia needed to enter the Abyss to recover her lost holy power. Yohan had given his word that he would open the gate to the Abyss for her at the full moon.

She spoke.

"I've come to see Sir Yohan."

After a brief silence, Gaf answered in a stiff voice.

"You seem not to have heard. Investigations into the Miyatro domain have been forbidden by royal decree. Please leave."

Shaperia was also a spy sent by the Church. She had been investigating possible links between the baronial house and the incidents in the south.

She froze in dismay.

"... You knew who I was?"

"Of course."

"Does Sir Yohan know, too...?"

"Naturally. So don't come here again."

Gaf promptly disappeared off somewhere. Shaperia stood motionless, looking up at the lord's castle. For some reason, she felt a faint chill.