“Those girls are crazier than I thought. Their culture is weird as hell… Ok, no, I’ve seen worse.” [Ryner]

Having successfully outrun the amazons, a drenched Ryner was now able to relax and complain a bit to no one in particular as he changed out of his wet clothes.

“There’s no way I’m going to let myself become their breeding stud, and right in the middle of this city full of elves that can sense emotions. Anyone walking by would know what we were doing.” [Ryner]

He said as he turned around and looked behind him. Atop a tower of waterfalls laid giant trees that glowed in the night like a modern city. Beneath it were shapes formed out of water like stars, circles and trees which were all glowing bluish white. The shadowy figures of people sitting around tables on top of floating platforms could also be vaguely seen.

Ryner was no longer in Hossylei Nac, but rather on one of the eight islands, that possessed huge transparent crystals, surrounding it. When he managed to meet up with Itham, who was busy discussing something with the four Elders, he got permission to go to an island alone. There was an offer to have someone ferry him over there, but he refused and decided to swim instead. Although the lake was cold, it wasn’t freezing. Still, just to be safe, he didn’t let Mi get wet and carried her in a large bowl that he had borrowed.

“And you, I know you couldn’t help, but don’t just watch. Bark or growl, or something.” [Ryner]

Ryner said to the puppy that he had managed to retrieve during his escape from the hold of the dissatisfied Predecessor. As a side note, the old amazon shouted “We’ll get you next time!” before watching the black-haired man jump out of the tree by punching a hole through the bark.

“For someone aspiring to be my older sister, you sure aren’t trying hard. Then again, it’s pretty much impossible for a pup. Oi, you listening?” [Ryner]

The young pup looked sleepy, so her master’s words went through one ear and out the other. Still, it wasn’t too surprising since, from Ryner’s estimates, it was past midnight. The elves’ festival would probably end soon. That would mean that they would pack up their things and return to their city above the tower, which, to him, was a good thing.

After looking at the festival and Hossylei Nac’s lights one last time, Ryner made his way deeper into the island. The terrain was uneven and covered in grass with some parts raised high like walls, making it hard to walk. It was no trouble for him, but it might prove difficult for the tired puppy, which was why he chose to carry her. Using the faint light of the crescent moon to guide him, the sleepy-looking man headed towards the towering crystal located in the middle. Luckily, it was quietly shining like a beacon.

Furthermore, the small island had clusters of these beautiful minerals growing here and there like plants, and all of them, though small in size, also let out a weak light, helping people see their surroundings. The crystal that Ryner was headed to could easily be compared to a five-story building and was a six-faced pillar pointing straight towards the night sky. When he reached its base, he realized two things.

The first was that the crystal pillar was surrounded by a body of water that was large and deep enough for people to take a dip.

The second was that there was someone else on the island, and she was currently taking a dip.

“… Seriously?” [Ryner]

Ryner said out loud, causing the person to take notice of his presence.

Staring back at him was a young woman that appeared to be around her early twenties, possessed long pointy ears and awe-inspiring beauty. However, though similar in appearance to the elves, her brown skin, silvery white hair and grey eyes showed that she was, what Itham would call, their cousin.

She was a dark elf, just like the ones Ryner had seen during the festival, and she was clad in a swimsuit, just like her speedo-clad brethren.

The woman, who was thigh-deep in water, was wearing a white bikini. Her hourglass-shaped figure wasn’t hidden at all, leaving any man who saw a glimpse of her body entranced. Moreover, the crystal pillar behind her was weakly shining. The sight of that gorgeous dark elf that was basking in an ephemeral light as her bikini-clad body was half-submerged in water made for a bewitching scene.

But, in Ryner’s case, he wasn’t moved at all. Rather, he found her presence exhausting since he wanted to be away from her kind for a while. That was why he came to the island in the first place. So, he just stared at her with half-closed eyes and a deadpan look on his face.

“… H-human…?! Huh?! W-why?!” [Dark elf]

After a few seconds of silent staring between the two, it was the dark elf that finally moved. She first looked down at her body, then at the human, and blushed. Her hands moved to cover her rich chest and lower part. Her cool, impassive face changed to that of confusion and panic from meeting a human on what should be a deserted island.

“D-don’t look!” [Dark elf]

Shouting so, she hastily jumped out of the water and ran off in the opposite direction from which Ryner came. Seeing her retreating figure, he muttered “That was easy” and laid down on the spot. After gently dropping Mi, who fell asleep at some point, next to him, he looked at the big crystal pillar and appreciated the view.

“… Huge. The elves here have some nice spots for a tourist to visit… Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I acted like a tourist, except when Itham took me around the city.” [Ryner]

Ryner muttered as he shifted his gaze to the sky and stretched his right hand out to the stars. However, as the faces of the elves that he had met came to mind, he suddenly slammed his hand into the ground.

“Hahaha… Crap. They really were empaths. I walked into a nest of freaking empaths. Man, this is embarrassing.” [Ryner]

Laughing dryly, he thought back to when Itham told him that elves could sense other individuals’ emotions. Having his suspicions confirmed didn’t alleviate his worries, but made them worse.

“That Alice… She knew. That’s why she wanted me to waste my time here.” [Ryner]

Muttering so, Ryner could easily imagine the smug look of victory on his oldest nemesis’ face as he realized why she set those conditions for their little game. He couldn’t sneak inside the ruins or forced the elves to let him enter. So, he was forced to play nice and wait until they gave him permission.

Still, there was no point in crying over spilt milk. Sighing loudly to let out the frustration and impatience bubbling about inside him, the old monster in human attire turned his head and looked at Mi. It would appear that she was soundly asleep and couldn’t hear a word he said.

“… You know, Mi, I’m not really that good with empaths.” [Ryner]

So, he started talking to her.

“They’re harder to deal with than telepaths. Oh, telepaths read minds while empaths read hearts, sort of.” [Ryner]

In a laidback and soft tone that could be barely heard, he began to voice out some complaints.

“With a telepath, I can protect my mind with a barrier. If I keep thinking about dead puppies, uh, kitties, then that’s all they’ll read from me. I got that trick down.” [Ryner]

To Ryner, empaths, people who held the same power as the elves, were one of the most troublesome types to deal with. If they were telepaths who could pick up his thoughts, then it would still be okay. After all, Ryner had learned how to block them from reading his mind long ago.

“Empaths, though, see my emotions, so I need to control my heart, and I didn’t master that.” [Ryner]

However, it was different with empaths who could detect every fluctuation in his heart.

“You gotta put a lid on it, you know. Overwrite one emotion with another. But, if I were actually any good at it, then I wouldn’t be here in the first place… And…” [Ryner]

He had learned to control his mind, but his heart was still a challenge.

“… I can’t afford to kill my emotions.” [Ryner]

So his personal policy was to stay away from empaths. That was why he hadn’t slept since coming in contact with the elves and why he had accepted the invitation to dine with the amazons since they weren’t empaths. It was also for that same reason that he swam all the way to one of the crystal islands, thinking that it would be deserted.

Hossylei Nac was filled with troublesome people, but he would just have to endure for the moment. Ryner’s goal was to get the Heaven’s Blade from the ruins without having to fight the elves for it. That was the game set in place between him and Alice, and he would win for sure.

“… Oh well, gotta tough it out, I guess.” [Ryner]

While harboring such thoughts, the monster disguised as a human decided to begin his daily meditation. Sitting in a cross-legged position, he concentrated on calming his mind and ascertaining his body’s condition for a few hours. His diagnostic was nothing surprising. He was tired because of lack of sleep, even if he could keep going for a few more days

So, Ryner laid down on his back again and gazed at the starry night sky. His eyes of different colors focused on the crescent moon hanging above him.

“Crescent moon… It’s not a full moon yet.” [Ryner]

He murmured, almost sadly, and started to absentmindedly hum a tune in a soft voice.

“Hmmm~hmm~hm~hmhmm~…” [Ryner]

It was a song from long ago. A mundane, gentle song that, unfortunately, no one remembered anymore.

As Ryner hummed while staring at the crescent moon, he felt movement from Mi. The red and white puppy had woken up. She raised her head and yawned sleepily with her mouth wide open. Then, she curled up and just fell asleep again. Ryner blinked and quizzically looked at her before shrugging his shoulders.

“Good talk, kid.” [Ryner]

Afterwards, opting to copy Mi since the sun would rise in a few hours, Ryner closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

Finally, after three days, he was able to rest.

Finally, after three days, the nightmares and accumulated memories of his soul fragments got a chance to swallow him.

“We’ve encountered several setbacks lately.” [???]

The voice of a man, filled with frustration, echoed in the dim room where only a single light shined down at the center.

“’Setbacks’ is putting it mildly.” [???]

“I’m sure you’ve already seen the reports, but let me reiterate.” [???]

The room possessed theater seating in a circular pattern. Each seat had an individual present, his face hidden in the dark.

“The magic scythe that we were aiming for, the one being offered as a prize in a tournament, was stolen. Then, the corpse of a dragon that the S rank adventurer, Zane Cestus, defeated was stolen. Also, the magic bow that we gave to one of our mercenary units’ captain, Rick Ochet, was stolen.” [???]

Silence reigned for a few seconds after the man reported the various happenings before complete dissatisfaction exploded.

“What is with this chain of robberies that keeps messing with our plans!!” [???]

“How did someone even steal that magic scythe in broad daylight?! What were the guards doing?!” [???]

“We should have made a move sooner to obtain it.” [???]

“The corpse of a dragon was stolen?! A dragon?!” [???]

“Witnesses say the thief made it vanish into thin air.” [???]

“He was wearing something like a half-smashed helmet. Isn’t he and the guy called the Hero of the Broken Mask similar?” [???]

Angry voices shot forward, either spinning out complaints or assigning blames.

“This is what happens when you entrust something as precious as an Artifact to a mere mercenary, even if he’s proven useful!” [???]

“That magic bow was one of the most powerful Artifacts that we’ve ever found! Its loss is catastrophic!!” [???]

Unfortunately, those thefts weren’t their only problems.

“Also, Rick Ochet and his Black Crescent mercenaries have been decimated. We need to find replacements to carry out their jobs. Next, there hasn’t been any contact with Orga since the failed coup in Garroth. Our agents couldn’t find any trace of his whereabouts and we now believe him to be dead. Lastly, Earl Tenneb has been killed. His private forces are gone as well, which means that our control of Jadistro has been destroyed. The perpetrator, a man named Mindo Buzzness, is still at large.” [???]

“There has been nothing but bad news lately! It’s as if we’re under attack!” [???]

Someone shouted angrily as he slammed his fist on a table. However, the rage in his voice couldn’t hide this anxiety.

“Calm down.” [???]

“We’ve lost Orga, whose Shadow Step ability made him one of our greatest assassins, an entire unit of mercenaries, Tenneb and our hold on Jadistro! It’s hard to remain calm!” [???]

Then again, he wasn’t the only one feeling uneasy by this string of supposed bad luck.

“Not to mention how that fat earl had finally become influential in Stornith after sucking so much of our money. All of that went down the drain!” [???]

“He also collected elves that we could have used and was one of our distributors for the new drug we’re testing.” [???]

“I swear we’re being attacked!” [???]

“Calm down! Even if that were true, there is no way they could destroy the Order.” [???]

After a few more furious and anxious voices flew around, the people hidden in the dark finally quieted down.

“We’ll look for more Artifacts in the ancient ruins, we’ll slowly gather rare resources like dragon materials and our drug is being tested in other locations. These setbacks won’t stop us.” [???]

“For now, we should focus on the matter at hand. Gentlemen, THAT ambitious undertaking will soon begin.” [???]

Upon hearing these words, everyone present turned their gaze to the center of the room, where the light shined down from the ceiling.

“The team composed of only elites, along with their guide, should be arriving in Jadistro soon.” [???]

Placed there for all to see was a black metallic disk upon which was embedded a round, blue gem at the center. Four cone-shaped poles that curved towards the orb, like claws, were located on the border of the disk’s surface. Four short legs with wheels supported the object that resembled a strange table.

“So it’s almost time.” [???]

“They will test the new equipment and weapons we received from that country.” [???]

“It will be a defining moment in history.” [???]

It was the magical device that was known as the Broadcast System.

“No matter the setbacks or the enemies, the First Order will triumph.” [???]