Alice contentedly sighed as she enjoyed the sun rays currently bathing the edge of the Lost Woods, her eyes closed. It was a lull in the storm that were her adventures with Luka. She felt happy. She felt relaxed. Of course, it wouldn't last, but as Tamamo said, every opportunity to rest should be appreciated, and this was one of the rare thing her surrogate mother said that she agreed with. Eventually, Luka's voice reached her ears.

"Are you alright Alice?"

"I'm fine... I'm just enjoying the sun a bit."

"I understand that." Sonya perambulated around her, her large war staff on her shoulder. "But… shouldn't we look standing and ready or something? I mean, we have to give a good first impression to our employer."

"It's fine, don't worry about it… everyone knows the legend of the hero Luka. And we're accompanying an archeologist, not a king or a queen." Alice snickered. "And we're already on a first name basis with the latter group anyway."

"Perhaps." Alice frowned at the familiar, slightly pedantic voice. "But a strong image is something that requires to be maintained. People will remember your slip-ups more than your strong impressions. And I'm worried our recent reputation took a few hits after the more… unrestrained actions of our partners from other worlds."

Damn it… I knew I shouldn't have asked Nanabi to accompany us. She's right though. We need to get back some goodwill from the people, and this kind of sidequest is just what we need. Besides, it will be a good occasion to relax.

Alice got up and crossed her arms. The centaur kitsune was softly smiling at her, a hand extended in invitation. Alice haughtily huffed and turned away from her. When Nanabi noticed Sonya looking dumbfounded at the rude Monster Lord, the kitsune just shrugged it off. Eventually, the priestess of Ilias returned to the core matter.

"By the way, can someone tell me what this job is about? I was left out of the loop…"

"Sorry, that one is on me. We received a request from the residents of Enrika. They asked for an investigation after some troubling noise escaped from the north-western part of the Lost Woods, and someone saw an ancient temple or something alike."

"So we'll have to get in and beat whoever's causing a commotion? Nothing different than what we usual…"

"Not quite. People in Iliasport also heard about it, and they are paying us to accompany one of their archeologist there. The man is apparently quite familiar with the local history and wants to examine the place since he never heard about it either. Plus, we needed an academic for this mission and most of our own scholars are in the Devastated Plains to study the local construction. Only the bottom of the barrel is at the castle right now."

Luka scratched the back of his head. "I hope it won't turn in one of those escort quests where he rushes ahead with us being forced to clean his screw ups."

"I wouldn't worry about it. Apparently, the man is well-considered in alchemist guild in Sabasa. And since it's a job that requires the utmost care, I'm confident he won't be a problem."

Sonya grimaced in confusion. "He's an archeologist in the Ilias Continent, but he comes from an alchemist guild in Sabasa? There's a bit of a stretch here."

"I admit it is a bit like saying that you're a proficient cook when you're a legendary hero… oh, wait." Nanabi smirked as Luka awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Alright, I got it… still, when does he come? I would have thought he would ask us to accompany him from Iliasport given how monsters can be troublesome in the region. Even if someone from Sabasa would have no trouble dealing with them, it would have been just that much easier to be with him from the start."

"I agree that he may not have made the wisest decision." Nanabi solemnly nodded. The sun was already high in the sky, warming them up. In fact, it was almost scorching hot. Then Alice's stomach rumbled. The small Monster Lord maintained a dignified posture as the kitsune kept smirking at her.

"Don't worry Alice. Here. I made a few snacks just in case."

"Thank you Luka." Alice accepted the yakisoba bread the hero handed her. When he offered the same to his fellow party members, they declined. Just as they finished, Nanabi was squinting at something at the horizon.

"Do you see something?"

"A lone man a distance away… he's running in this direction, but there are no signs of assailants."

Alice scrutinized the horizon to see for herself. There was indeed someone approaching in a hurry. The man was wearing a used coat and a scholarly cap while carrying a heavy-looking satchel.

Luka and Sonya joined the two of them as Alice scrutinized him. His coat reminded him of the one used by Promestein for her experience, but his cloth was extremely dusty. His face was as mundane as it could be, and Alice couldn't even see his hair under his cap. He only stopped running when he was a few meters away from them, bent in two and panting in exhaustion.

"My most sincere apologies for arriving so late… we searched through every library looking for information about these new ruins, but we forgot about the time and failed to find anything... But where are my manners? My name is Veran."

"Don't worry. I'm Alice of the Fateburn family, and these are my followers. Luka. Sonya. Nanabi."

"Wait, after all this time, we're still her followers?"

"Not now Sonya please."

"We'll guarantee your safety as we explore those ruins. We'll get to the bottom of this together."

"In the name of everyone, thank you!"

Alice smiled. Barring the small lateness, it looked like the man was a reliable worker. It didn't look like he would cause any trouble.

Now I only have to cross my fingers that the ruins aren't the sign of something horrible coming in… I would have prefered Mephisto or Promestein to accompany us, but they're the ones leading the research in the Gold Desert.

Bah… we faced trios equal to the Lilith Sisters, escaped a world-destroying apoptosis, took over an invasion of particularly horny succubi, and beat down an uprising of mimics that nearly took over the world. What's the worst these ruins could throw at us?

After an uneventful trip through the northernmost part of the Lost Woods, the small group arrived in sight of those infamous new ruins. Only a few stone posts were preceding an man sized rectangular gap in the mountain half flooded with dirt. Sonya nervously shivered while Luka remained candidly indifferent. At the same time, Veran, Alice and Nanabi started examining the posts marking the entrance, cleaning the dirt and foliage covering the stones."

"It's too eroded to show any symbol…"

"Age was not kind to these ruins. It does not look like they're recent or have been teleported here. They may date from the Great War." Nanabi pointed at the entrance. "They've been revealed recently by a landslide. I wonder if it was a natural one or an accident born from a game between fairies?"

Luka checked around him. "I can't see any of them around… there are no elves either. Are they both actively avoiding the place?"

Alice slithered to the entrance and sniffed the air. "Maybe. Nobody passed by here recently at least. I can't feel any curse."

"In that case, let's go inside!" Veran enthusiastically stepped forward, a behavior that wasn't shared by his partners. Luka and Alice both took the lead while Nanabi and Sonya closed the walk. The centaur fox grimaced when she entered the narrow doorway.

"I hope I won't have to turn back like that… I'm flexible enough, but it would be quite uncomfortable."

"Keep your eyes open for traps." Alice summoned a small magical light strong enough to dissipate the darkness surrounding them and threw another one down the hallway to illuminate the obscured corridor. The narrow path seemed to go on for an eternity.

This place is quite dreary… let's hope it's the worst of it.

Veran enthusiastically giggled. "It's strange… the corridor appears identical to the ones built during the era of reconstruction after the Great War, but the westernmost region of the Ilias continent was unnocupied at that time… do you know that-"

Nevermind. I just jinxed it.

Alice decided to suffer in silence while the man spouted everything he knew about the region. Even the usually impressible Luka and supportive Nanabi's eyes had turned hollow. A slight creaking noise informed her that Sonya's grasp on her war staff was tightening in irritation.

I wanted a relaxing, nice adventure just like the beginning for a change of pace... not exploring ruins with a walking chatterbox.

Eventually, they arrived in sight of a larger chamber. Nanabi's voice echoed before they stepped in.

"Stop."

Alice didn't need to be told twice. If her own keen senses had picked up on a few oddities in the air that looked like so many traps, chances were the kitsune had detected those and many more as well.

"What? Was it something I said?"

Nanabi passed in front of the group, forcing everyone to squeeze themselves against the wall to make way for her large body. She examined the doorway, a hand cupping her chin.

"The pressure plate to close these doors is on the other side, but there's no way to open it then. This place isn't designed to keep people out, but to trap them in. Several anti-teleportation spells have also been placed around as well. Let us neutralize them."

She brought up a talisman, and right afterward, several glowing outlines appeared around the room. As the Monster Lord and the kitsune started moving stones to eliminate the various dangers, Veran started wandering, examining the symbols adorning the wallks like a tourist.

"Mmmh, its strange… Those ruins follow the traditional chapel pattern, but those anti-teleportation wards aren't usually employed by the clergy of Ilias. If those ruins indeed were done during the period of the Great Monster War, the only one that could have done such work would be the dark spellweaver… reportedly, she was a beast with unusually high magic talent and cunning, but she was also short-sighted and regularly humiliated by Ilias in one-sided battles, being forced to live in squalor. She was apparently forced to mate with beasts and live on droppings... is there a problem?"

"No…" Alice barely managed to answer between two snorts while Nanabi had stopped working to stare at the man with a mix of contempt of disdain usually reserved for people laughing at their own jokes. Luka and Sonya were awkwardly scratching their head. "And it's definitively not her work."

"Are you sure? I don't want to second-guess you, but I have quite a few registered references about her craft in the library..."

And we've both seen it daily for years... I can't say that though.

Fortunately, Nanabi had a more fitting answer. "Her works have been enshrined in Yamatai. They're used as the basis for taoism, and she's still well-respected today."

"Ah, if you say so... then where does it come from? I don't think they come from Sabasa either, so how-"

"We'll deal with this magic, it's not important." Luka pointed at the opposite end of the room. "Can you tell us anything about that instead please?"

Alice took a look in the same direction and shivered. A stone coffer covered in chains was lying atop a wide set of stairs.

This looks like a throne room, with that chest where the throne should be.

"Mmh…" Veran kept scratching his chin. "Clearly, whoever placed those chains didn't want the content of this chest to leave it..."

Thanks for the obvious… Is he really an archeologist?

"…But if the ruins are indeed as old as the Great war, whatever is inside that chest is probably dead. They might have even turned into a ghost."

Alice uncontrollably started trembling at the mention of the last word. Her pulse rose while her breath grew laborious.

He just HAD TO SAY IT!

Nanabi briefly wrapped the Small Monster Lord in her tails and ruffled her hair with a small giggle. While Alice would have pushed her back any other time, she appreciated the comforting touch. It didn't stop her from haughtily huffing afterward.

"I can feel an unusual aura pouring from this chest, and the power of those restraints is apparently weakening… we'll be better of examining it in Grangold's laboratories or Grand Noah's magical academy with the whole team."

"Actually…" Veran got closer to the chest, startling everyone else when he nearly touched the chains. "This chest looks too heavy and cumbersome to be carried away. Why don't we open it now?"

"While there's only a very low chance that we're unable to face whatever's inside the chest, we won't take an unnecessary risk. Besides…" Alice patted Nanabi's flank while grinning. "We have the best carrier around."

Nanabi sighed. "I'm not some carriage horse… although I can and will gladly take this load on my back and examine its content later on."

"Erk, now I have the weirdest image in my mind…"

"Yes, yes, I understand, but… what if the chest is part of a larger ensemble that we failed to notice? What if taking it off causes the ruins to collapse?"

"…It was designed to do that. We already switched that trap off." Nanabi and Alice looked at each other, surprised by the question. "This is the first thing we expected when we found out that whoever designed the place didn't want its content to leave."

Sonya raised her hand. "Also, I'd prefer if we examined this chest in a comfortable room instead of that dark, damp ruin."

"I concur. Those chains will take an hour to remove."

"Yes, but… could there be traps outside aimed specifically at someone with the chest waiting for us outside?"

"If…" Alice wanted to answer that it was ridiculous, but the words died in her throat. They were losing a lot of time arguing, and it was obvious that man just wanted to see the content of the chest as soon as possible. Giving in would just be faster than arguing. "Ok, let's open it."

Nanabi joined the Monster Lord in her quest to free the safe from its chains. It wasn't just as simple as moving oversized scraps of metal around, as a spell was weaved in each link to dictate its position relative to the other ones and the chest itself. The result was an hour of the two monsters fumbling around scrapping iron under the excited gaze of Veran while Sonya and Luka were perambulating around, checking each stone with a tired, dulled curiosity.

When Alice and Nanabi finally successfully removed the large heap of chains, Alice felt a slight rumble in her stomach. In an uncharacteristic display of self-control, Alice ignored it and turned her attention to the large lock.

"Meteoritic metal… it's right in your alley Nanabi, isn't it?"

"Indeed. I will open it shortly. Please give me a few minutes."

Alice didn't beg to be asked again and joined Luka as the latter was unpacking a bunch of yakisoba bread. The hero held one out to Alice who silently accepted it with a nod. She conveniently had just finished it when Nanabi was done with the lock.

"All traps have been removed. The chest is ready to be opened."

The group cautiously gathered around the chest. Nanabi opened the large chest without ceremony and aggressively glared at Veran when the man unceremoniously shoved people around to lean above it.

"Is that everything? There's only a small statue…"

Alice frowned. Said small statue was a hand-sized vaguely human figure half buried in a mix of dust and soot. It was emitting an aura of pure rage and hatred, but otherwise the item was unremarkable as it could be.

"What can you tell us about it?"

"Well…" Veran grabbed it and brought it to his face. "It's very old. Its style itself isn't anything recent. It's been neither crafted by the clergy of Ilias nor the ancient people of Yamatai… It's apparently been made with a bone, but if I try to put force on it…" He grabbed the statue with both hands and started trembling as he tried to bend it.

The statue broke in two and released a shockwave in the air, knocking him down. Sonya fell with a yelp while Nanabi pushed back the Monster Lord to protect her. Alice herself readied a barrier and prepared a few more spells, huddled in the kitsune's tails.

He broke it and he freed the ghost inside, he broke it and he freed the ghost inside, he broke it and he freed the ghost inside, he broke it and he freed the ghost inside, he broke it and he freed the ghost inside…

As the lack of life-hungry poltergeist activity persisted, Alice eventually relaxed and finally gathered the courage to look out of her hideout. Sonya was slowly getting up while massaging her head, and Nanabi was back to glaring at their companion. Luka was still lying down face-first on the ground. The worries of the Monster Lord quickly turned into a burning hot rage aimed at the man responsible.

"What kind of archeologist breaks artifacts like that?!"

Veran defensively raised his hands. "Sorry! I'm just used to test the resistance of items back at the guild! And besides, that thing didn't harm me! There's no way it could harm any of you guys!"

Alice sighed and gave the man a contempt charged glance.

So much for a relaxing adventure… I'm feeling even more exhausted than after we dealt with the Land of Night. At least nobody got hurt.

"Let's examine if there's not a hidden room or compartment somewhere and leave."

Alice gathered the broken parts of the statue while Nanabi checked the bottom of the chest. Sonya was examining Veran in case he was wounded while blurting the occasional threat to keep him in line. When Alice checked on Luka, the hero was looking… strange. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but when his eyes opened, they weren't displaying the willful yet candid experience the hero had. A bad feeling griped at her guts.

"John, are you alright? John?"

Alice ignored the quizzical looks from Sonya and Nanabi as she called out to Luka. The hero turned to her with a judgmental look she didn't expect from him, which confirmed her worst fears. Luka then looked at Nanabi, and quickly moved on to Sonya. When Luka finally talked, it was in a deep, almost groveling voice.

"You're not murderwhores."

Luka dramatically turned around with a sway of his cape and started dramatically walking toward the exit, ignoring everyone's dumbfounded expression. Alice quickly caught up to him.

"Luka! Wait for us!"

Luka didn't slow down or even turned back. "I'm not Luka. I'm Shadowkiller, the slayer of murderwhores. I've been personally blessed by the Goddess Ilias to complete my holy mission at any cost. Do not try to stop me."

Alice tried to hold back her laughter at the mention of the ridiculous name. As Luka was apparently now determined to ignore her, Alice gestured Sonya and Nanabi to come closer as they tried to stay on Luka's level. Sonya made an imploring face at the small Monster Lord, and the latter answered by soberly shaking her head negatively. Both of them overtook Luka in the hallway, earning themselves death glare in the protest, before firmly camping themselves in the hallway.

"Give us back our partner."

When Luka stopped and looked at her again, Alice could feel an extremely unpleasant condescending charity pouring from him.

"I can't lose time. I have to protect the world from all the murderwhores. I have to protect you."

"What do you mean by murderwhores? I mean, I have an idea what, or more exactly who you're talking about, but…"

"You wouldn't understand what I'm doing to protect you."

Luka shoved Sonya and Alice out of the way and returned on his way.

"We have to get back in the castle first to help you."

"No. I've waited long enough."

Alice raised her arm in front of Sonya and Nanabi. The priestess of Ilias grimaced again.

Talking to him doesn't work… it's time for the usual convincing method.

Alice extended her tail in front of Luka, tripping the hero who was too focused to notice the obstacle. Sonya's war staff extended to hit him straight in the temple. And finally, a rock tomb formed around him, encasing him and blocking most of the hall. After the three second long onslaught, Alice pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I can't actually believe that, of all people in the Pocket Castle, we had to kick Luka's ass… he hadn't done anything to deserve it."

"I'm ashamed of myself." Sonya sighed. "He always took care of me since childhood… if I ignore the time he forgot me in Grangold because he was busy with one of those skanks… and then in Iliasburg. And again in the colosseum." Her tone gradually evolved from a low whining to a anger-filled determination. "And it's gotten worse with all those succubi. I think half the Pocket Castle had his way with him."

"Y-yeah, he's a bit of a manwhore…" Alice awkwardly scratched the back of her neck while Sonya ranted. Nanabi was busy fiddling with her fingers. A panting noise behind the kitsune attracted their attention.

"S-sorry everyone… damn I've been doing a lot of cardio those last weeks… I couldn't find anything else in these ruins. I have no idea what is it about."

I nearly forgot about him… let's hope he didn't break anything else.

"There's bound to be more information in the Iliasport Academy. We'll check back at the castle on our own in the meantime."

"Y-yes madam!"

The man hurriedly passed in front of everyone, pushing an indignant Nanabi out of the way before running at the exit. Alice shook her head disapprovingly.

"This is probably the place where he'll do the least damage. Sonya, once we're back at the castle, you get some of Promestein's special duct tape."

"I actually have a roll on me." She showed the item hanging at her waist.

"Why do you… nevermind. Let's get back before he wakes up and break out of his casket like a bloodthirsty vampire." Alice stopped herself. "Also, never repeat what I just said. Not to Luka. Not to Fatima. Not to Amira. CERTAINLY NOT to Tamamo."

Nanabi transformed Luka's tomb in a pillar around which Sonya attached the unconscious hero.

"She would have been ashamed of her daughter."

"Just push Luka until we can teleport back to the Pocket Castle…"

When they finally exited the tunnel, Sonya groaned at the blinding light before Alice pulled out a harpy feather. In a quick second, the trio was standing with the imprisoned Luka in front of the Pocket Castle. Nanabi and Alice pushed him in the lobby like a cart. The only monster present was Amira, who quickly sauntered to them in apparent distress.

"No! My one true love, the hero has been slain! How could it happen?!" She released a dramatic wail that sounded like an extended sneeze.

Alice groaned at the antics of Amira. "Calm down, he hasn't been wounded, he's somehow been possessed… I know most of our scholars are unavailable, but can you go fetch any information on the matter or anyone who has experience dealing with that?"

"Yes!" Amira jumped in a backflip and hurriedly waddled away. "I will do everything for my love!"

She's as skilled when it comes to gathering information as she's annoying… even if she still makes mistakes, she got a lot better since we first met her in Iliasburg.

Alice checked on Luka who was now emerging from his trauma-induced unconsciousness, Nanabi and Sonya guarding him. The hero showed an unusual frown.

It doesn't look like beating him up cleared his mind for once... Damn it, it usually work.

"I should have known you would have betrayed me. This is why I work alone."

"Betrayed you?" Alice raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who occupied the body of our friend without asking, and then you decided to strike on your own without telling us anything. We have a responsibility toward him… and toward everyone you would harm."

"Only murderwhores deserve my rightful wrath. You're only responsible for holding me back."

"We don't even know what you're talking about…" Alice muttered under her breath. "Although a little bird told me that we're going to find out soon enough, and it will be unpleasant."

Hang on Luka… help is coming. Damn it. This is why I hate ghosts. I don't even remember Tamamo talking about things like that. At least, we have him under control and he's not continuously spewing insults…

What's taking so long? Granted, since our most important scholars are away, Amira has to look for the less obvious people, but not everyone went to that field research, did they? I'd take any help right now!

As if to answer her, Amira returned with her signature drunken gait. Alice's hope quickly deflated when she noticed the duo following her. Daji's towering feminine form was proudly strutting with a lewd grin, while the small silhouette of Vinum was walking straight, clearly unhappy with the disturbance.

I jinxed it again.

"Good evening!" Daji bombastically greeted them. "May I know the reason I've been called? From afar, it looks like a party-wide bonding session gone slightly wrong."

"I'll kill you murderwhores."

"Ah. I see." Alice and Sonya remained on their guards as Daji approached the restrained Luka. The possessed hero was glaring at her with the force of a thousand suns. She was examining him like a meal, licking her lips to the displeasure of everyone present. "Another nihilistic existence opportunistically taking over the first vessel it could get its hands on for its shamelessly calamitous agenda... It's annoying isn't it?"

"Another… you actually have dealt with something like that?"

"Sort of…" Daji sneered, amused by the impotent rage aimed in her direction. "It wasn't quite the same source, but it was someone possessed by an outsider that wanted to sow destruction for its own sake. Such a thing requiresd a fitting exorcism, not just beating the vessel up."

Alice frowned.

"Really? Our classical purification only work against ghost monsters… " Sonya stared at her in surprise. "What kind of ceremony did you use to cast that soul out?"

"Oh, a fleeting existence like that can be effectively ejected through a powerful pleasure."

A silence filled the lobby as Alice mentally translated the kitsune's words and her intent.

"You just want to rape him senselessly, don't you?"

"Murderwhore."

"I admit I'm interested in that little pork cutlet leading you… however, I came to understand that great trouble would befall me if harm from my hand fell on him." Alice took notes of Daji clattering her teeth and massaging her neck in a rare display of nervosity.

"If harm fell on him… did the last recipient of your exorcism even survive it?"

"Fucking murderwhore."

"I'm ashamed to tell I lost control in my passion and did indeed drain his energy to the last drop, ending his life. However, it was considered a net gain by everyone else. As one last advice, I should tell you that this kind of being often pretends to care for their vessel, but they will often discard it as soon as it outlived its usefulness. I will no longer disturb you and leave you with that information."

Daji sarcastically bowed and left. A despondent Sonya juggled with her war staff.

"I'm starting to understand that Darkmurderer now…"

"Shadowkiller."

"Sometimes I just want to strangle people like her."

"Just sometimes?"

"Then let me free and I'll kill her."

"This is slightly tempting, but no. Wait, wasn't Vinum around too?" Alice quickly checked around her.

"She left as soon as she arrived…" Sonya sat herself on the ground. "She probably felt it was not worth her time."

"Fucking murderwhore."

Nanabi's ears twitched in annoyance. "Please stop your rambling. No matter your message, nobody will listen if it is carried on a bed of profanities."

"You're just as bad as them. You're a descendant of a bitch that killed thousands and only wait for the first opportunity to do the same."

"Hey!" Alice glared at Luka and camped herself in front of him. "First, Nanabi is one of the nicest monsters around! Second, there's no point blaming a children for the action of their parent! And third, I won't let you insult my subordinates, so unless you want to be shoved in a strap-on to be used as a succubus sex toy, you're going to shut up!"

"It doesn't matter. All murderwhores must die."

"Don't bother, it's useless…"

The sound of a door opening attracted the attention of the party toward the courtyard. Vinum was coming back in the lobby followed by the massive form of Sphinx completely overshadowing her.

"I apologize for not coming earlier. I thought Amira was dramatizing the situation again. She kept repeating that you were going to beat a soul out of Luka."

"Sphinx… thank you for coming."

"Please, thank Vinum. She's the one who brought the full reality of the situation to my attention. I think I know exactly what this is about."

Alice turned toward Vinum, surprised. The small succubus was busy examining Luka with her usual bored expression. Alice turned back to Sphinx, her shock still apparent.

"We spent a lot of time talking together. She was interested in our history and wanted to visit the pyramid. I obliged, since I was feeling a little lonely."

I know she doesn't intent to guilt trip me, but I feel bad for forgetting about her. Still, I'm surprised that she managed to make friend with Vinum of all people.

The hero instantly shook up in a knee-jerk reaction when Sphinx entered the field of view of Luka.

"Murderwhore! Free me so I can kill you!"

This is really getting old…

Sphinx ignored him, too engrossed in her craft as magic circles appeared in front of her. While Alice wasn't quite as experienced as the ancient yoma, she recognized their meaning.

"The hero is indeed possessed by an ancient soul… This is an unusual occurrence. How and when did it happen exactly?"

"It happened when we were exploring newly appeared ruins on the Ilias continent. The archeologist we accompanied broke this statue." Alice handed the pieces to Sphinx.

"On the Ilias Continent you say…" Sphinx examined the pieces with a renewed curiosity. Her fingers made the pieces dance in her hands for several minutes. "This is indeed exactly what I thought. During the Great War, Ilias used her mastery over human souls to reincarnate her more powerful warriors to keep their monster-slaying skills on hand." Sphinx wistfully sighed. "Unfortunately, each time she did so, it was at the cost of the original existence inhabiting the body." She raised a hand to reassure everyone. "However, the hero's original personality was simply overridden for now since Ilias didn't step in to destroy it."

Sonya gulped loudly. "This sounds horrible."

"Horrible?!" Luka shook again, and Alice saw his restraints stretch to their limits. "I'll tell you what's horrible. This murderous whore rampaged and killed thousands of people! I saw her eat people alive myself! She must die!"

Sphinx glared at Luka who yelped. "I admit I had my fair share of rampages in the past, even barring the war that opposed our forces. Even after, I occasionally devoured those that dared challenge me in the pyramid. I also founded the now thriving bloodline of Sabasa, responsible for the mighty empire of the sands, and I chose to come out of the pyramid to defend the world once again by sharing my knowledge about ancient arts. I do not personally remember you, but my memories of your war-hungry kin is enough to affirm that while your quest for destruction may be justified in some way, you will never end it, simply expanding the definition that includes your enemies until you destroy the world. I ask you this. What shall you do once you are done felling all the murderwhores?"

Luka's contempt was perceptible in his voice when he answered. "I will enjoy a safer world."

"You will not. You will keep going, filling it with fear and resentment as you fell people on the chance they consider harming someone else. You are not determined to bring out your goal of safety. You are single-mindedly obsessed with eliminating those you consider obstacles. The simple fact that you care neither for the person whose body you are using nor for his companions show that."

The lobby fell silent. Everyone was aghast after Sphinx's speech. The large yoma cleared her throat.

"I apologize for my rant. I have less patience for rude fools than I remember."

"It's… fine. I'd also appreciate if you could also direct that speech toward Musette and her goons on the occasion. And to Spider Princess as well." Alice dejectedly looked down. "In fact, I think a lot of our collaborators need to hear this…"

"…I'm sorry to butt in, but how do we get Luka back? Preferably, in a way that doesn't involve a murderw-, I mean partner that would kill him?" When Sphinx looked at Sonya in confusion, the priestess of Ilias realized trying to curve around the word wouldn't work and grimaced. "Daji wanted to use sex to exorcise him."

Sphinx nodded in acknowledgement while glancing at Alice. The Monster Lord shrugged.

"While Ilias has died, the higher ranks within the hierarchy of angels are bound to know some of her craft."

"Don't say another word." Sonya groaned and started making her way toward the chapel. "I'm going to ask them, they won't do anything for a monster. It will take some convincing, but if it means nobody will abuse Luka's body, then I'll gladly lose my day over it."

Once she was sure Sonya was out of earshot, Alice started interrogating Sphinx.

"…Are you sure about your plan or did you just say that to placate Sonya?"

"I admit I have no idea if the angels will be able to do anything. Comparatively, draining his energy through the usual method would have been effective."

Alice sighed. "I feel like we live in an era where every problem and solution start and end with either sex or violence, or, more often than not, a mix of both. Sometimes I wonder why."

"I cannot comprehend and even less contest the reason behind the designs of the Dark Goddess. Everything is closely weaved around sexuality, power, and showing one's power through sexual domination… the latter of which is getting aggravating after a time."

"Stop it you murderwhore! Nobody touched Shadowkiller and lived to tell the tale!"

Alice and Sphinx turned around to see Vinum grinning, a finger hover about Luka's forehead.

"Oh? Really? I wonder how many people would disagree with your words. I should ask that blue-haired friend of Myusca..."

Alice groaned. The both of them were really starting to get on her nerves. Sphinx whispered in her ear.

"Should the angels prove unhelpful… may I suggest Morrigan to take care of him? Since she wants to stay in our good grace, she's the least likely to make a fatal mistake by getting carried away."

Even after recruiting a tyrannical Monster Lord and the hero travelling with her and opposing her, even after recruiting every single resident of the Land of Night after their failed attempt to take over the world, even after fighting each other to decide who gets to sleep with him… this feels just wrong.

And it's even worse to know that Morrigan's not even available because she's challenged Alma Elma at the colosseum for the right to bed Kazuya! And he doesn't even want to be with either of them! Do they even care?! Noooo… they just want some of him, so they'll get some of him.

…I mean, if it comes to the worse, maybe I could do it myself.

"…Barring her, I offer my own skills to solve that matter."

Nanabi stepped forward, as if to challenge Sphinx. "I'm also well versed in these arts, taught by Tamamo herself. I'm sure I would be able to take care of him."

…DO THEY ALL WANT TO FUCK LUKA EVEN WHEN HE'S UNCONSCIOUS?! SWEET DARK GODDESS! WHAT IF I WANT TO BE THE ONE?!

While Alice was inwardly boiling, she managed to keep her composure.

"We'll cross that bridge when it comes to it. Something crossed my mind though… you told me that Ilias was the one who did keep juggling those souls in new bodies, and we did find him in a ruin that looked like an underground chapel. Why would she imprison one of her own loyal followers like that?"

"If I cannot comprehend the reasons behind the designs of the Dark Goddess despite my past dealings with her, I simply cannot imagine the one from her light counterpart."

"Maybe we'll be able to ask the angels when they come… if they come."

When the door leading to the courtyard opened again, Alice was surprised to see Sonya come back with company. In fact, all the three seraphs were following the priestess, with Lucifina merrily skipping around while Micaela and Eden looked more gloom. Alice noticed Vinum quickly scurrying away in a corner at their sight.

"What is so important that it requires the intervention of Her messengers?"

Luka once again reacted in distress, shaking frenetically.

"Get away from me you filthy murderwhores!"

Ah. I think we found out why Ilias has sealed him…

Eden gasped and recoiled at the insult. Alice felt the temperature of the room suddenly decrease by several degrees, and blinked in repetition to confirm that ice had indeed formed around Lucifina's feet. The light step of the angel had turned into a heavy, echoing stomp while her icy blue eyes were now glowing with fury. Somehow, she was still smiling, which only unnerved Alice more. Even the usually unflappable Sphinx slightly backed away with Nanabi.

"You're not my Luka… you're a bad person parasiting my Luka… You're a vulgar bad person." She leaned toward him, her face ending barely an inch from his own. "I'm going to get you out of my Luka. At least you didn't hurt him. Because if you had hurt him, I would have hurt you really, reaaaaally bad. I hurt bad people that hurt my Luka, but I don't hurt those that help him even if they hurt him in the past because I know it would make him cry. It would be wrong… right?"

Alice joined Nanabi and Sphinx as the latter two were hurriedly putting the original statue back together. In less time than what was needed to say it, the statue was intact, not even the smallest trace of damage remaining.

"Thank you."

Alice felt her stomach churn with stress when the seraph accepted the item. Lucifina's expression hadn't changed in the slightest when she returned to a trembling Luka.

"You're a bad, baaad ghost." Lucifina-chan pulled out a small ball of light from Luka with the wordless assistance of Micaela-chan. The light ball disappeared in the statue while Luka ended unconscious. The deathly aura surrounding the seraph calmed down when she looked as Luka again. "Look at my son! He's so cute when he's sleeping! Don't disturb him… he is tired."

Alice, Nanabi and Sphinx only distractedly nodded as Micaela-chan and Lucifina-chan left, still threatening the imprisoned soul.

"That was… simpler than I expected." Alice checked on Eden. The seraph was looking down in a mix of shame. "Can you tell us what this was about?"

"I… have nothing to tell about this." Eden's tone was a pathetic whisper. "My brethren is waiting for me." The seraph hurriedly departed, leaving the group even more puzzled than before. It took Sphinx voicing out her thoughts to break out their trance.

"Do you think he was a hero of Ilias falling in destructive tendencies or someone deluding themselves in thinking they were given their mission by the goddess?"

"I… don't know. But if it's the former, it doesn't speak well of the way the goddess rewards her most zealous servants."

A half-amnesiac mysterious ghost from the past, coming from nowhere with a single-minded god-given agenda, before being betrayed… this sounds like the beginning of either a bad story or a terrible joke.

"Let's just free Luka and forget this day…"

As the quartet got to work on freeing Luka from his restraints, Alice saw him descend from the stairs. It took her a moment to remember that Luka wasn't the only purple-haired hero in the place.

"Greetings Heinrich. Do you need help?"

Heinrich made a dismissive gesture and smiled.. "Ah, thank you, but I just noticed Vinum running from here, and after failing to ask her what was happening, I decided to check myself…" His expression became concerned when he looked at Luka. "Did something bad happen to him?"

"It's complicated…" Alice awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. Even if she wasn't lying to the hero, she felt guilty for not telling the too-strange-to-be-true reality. "But don't worry. It's been dealt with. We wouldn't mind some help to free him though."

As they continued working, Alice swore under her breath. Promestein's infamous duct tape was harder to remove than she expected. As she removed it from Luka, Sonya was forced to heal the visible aftereffect. The hero groaned when they finally removed the last bit of duct tape. Alice sharply breathed.

"Are you alright Luka?"

The hero barely opened his eyes as he sat on the pillar that had made for his prison. "…I feel like I got caught in a fight between Eden and Morrigan… I remember something taking over me in the ruins. What happened after that?"

"Don't worry, nothing really important happened. We've dealt with that appropriately. We won't hear about it again."

At least I hope. I'm still a bit afraid about what Lucifina-chan intends to do with him…

Luka was shaken by a giggle. "Thank you for helping me everyone… I'm not always the ideal hero, but you're still helping me."

"Ah… it's okay. I don't think I've always lived up to the ideals of everyone myself."

Sphinx followed up by bowing. "We serve the hero that defends the world. And sometimes, defending the world requires taking questionable measures."

Although in his case, it's not just the measures he take to defend the world that are questionable.

Let's not get sidetracked. He still looks find even after his ordeal. It doesn't look like the possession left any aftermath.

"Thank you once again… by the way, what does murderwhore mean? I have this world spinning in my head right now."

Alice raised her arm, shushing Sonya and everyone else.

"It's… nothing. Let's forget about it."

"Hey! Calm down! Throwing books around won't help you!"

The university of Iliasburg was shaken by a frenzy since the moment Veran had returned, shaken by a panic. When he said the hero needed their help, everyone instantly dropped what they were doing to help him instead.

"Sorry, but those ruins we just discovered contained a trap that affected the hero. I initially thought they had been crafted by the monstrous spellweaver during the great war, but-"

"Cut it out with the long-winded exposition! We got it, he got possessed, and the exorcisms from the priests of Ilias are tailored for monster ghosts, not human ones! Besides, you didn't give us any information on how it happened."

Veran turned slightly redder and focused back on his search, ignoring his colleagues who themselves dived back in their own researches. He could hear one mutter in his own corner.

"Of course, it had to happen when our best's away. Seriously, how did the hero fall for an old trap like that? I'm sure it's the fault of one of his companions. They're walking screw up machines."

"Y-Yeah."

After every single book in the library ended on the ground, the more decorated researcher threw his arms in the air in defeat.

"…I can't find anything. The best I can think of is that if we have exorcisms against ghost monsters, then maybe monsters have exorcisms against human ghosts."

Veran massaged his face. This day was turning into a bigger shame than his visit of the Administrator Tower… The way the local leader was looking at him told him the man had a doubt about his involvement.

"He has a lot of monster companions anyway. One of them is bound to find a solution before us."

"I won't let humans get beaten by monsters with my arms crossed!"

A short green-haired small woman wearing a revealing robe in the style of Yamatai showed up from the entrance. The willfulness in her purple eyes was only equaled by her lacks of feminine charm. She showed a visibly offended grimace.

"This shall not happen, or my name is not Daimyokai, the ultimate exorcist and the bane of the Mahoroba Mountain!"

I've never heard about her or that place… but she looks like she could indeed do something.

While his superior was suspiciously eyeing the girl, Veran decided to give her a chance.

"Can you exorcise a human soul from a man?"

"I can!" She showed up a strange talisman. Veran shivered. The piece of part was filled with energy that could only come from a Tartarus. "After careful studies, I found a solution to consign anyone to oblivion. Isolating the soul that harasses the hero will be child's play!"

"This is too good to be true…"

Daimyokai smirked. "Naturally, I expect a decent payment for my work. Normally, I'd ask for fifty-thousand gold for such a service, but I know it's too much for this place… Instead, I would like to be fittingly recommended to the merchant guild."

Veran checked around him. The responsible of his university was grinding his teeth. His other assistant was nervously shifting around. The man quickly thought his decision through. If she failed, there would be neither need nor reason to recommend her, and the university would keep its reputation intact.

"Deal!"

What's the worst that could happen?