The path to Iliasville was far more treacherous than Luka expected. A few monsters decided to attack him on his way, forcing him to use his newly learned skills to defend himself. After one of the more difficult battles, Alice slithered next to the hero.

"Luka, you seem to be holding yourself back in battle… We won't stand a chance if you keep doing that. And you're probably only doing it so you don't accidentally kill your opponent. An idiot like you would definitely worry about that… But fear not, for I have a solution!" Alice excitedly proclaimed. "There exists a sword that could solve this problem in an instant, and it should be stronger than that shoddy piece of metal you use right now."

"Really? How do we get it?"

Ilias rolled her eyes as she listened in. She knew exactly what sword Alice was talking about. She had been attacked with it before, after all.

Hmm, it might be a good thing though. It certainly would be stronger than that random sword Luka currently wields. Angel Halo was made by a seraph, after all…

Ugh, I kind of hope she doesn't have it though. All day, every day, I'd be sensing those hundreds of angel souls trapped in that sword… No thanks…

"Here, I don't mind letting you borrow it." Alice rummaged through her bag. Luka waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually, the Monster Lord pulled something out.

…

"Uh, where is it?" Luka asked, pointing towards Alice's empty hand.

"Eh!? I swear I just had it a moment ago!" Alice said.

Luka couldn't help but agree. "I thought I saw it too. Where did it go…?"

Ilias walked closer. "Time magic…? I could feel a disturbance… But that's impossible. Barely anybody could pull off such high-level magic."

Maybe it was Tamamo…? Micaela? But what would they be doing here...?

Behind a nearby tree, Nero looked at Angel Halo with the slightest smile. He had long heard tales of how the sword was used to take down great foes. This was not the first time he ever held it, in fact. It was a pity the man preferred scythes. Deciding that his mission was complete, he teleported away.

"What the hell!? Where could it have gone!?" Alice looked through her bag, turning it upside down and letting all the contents spill out as she looked for the weapon. A multitude of items fell out of the bag, including a spare crown, should the Monster Lord ever lose hers, a portrait of Alice and what looked like her mother, and a book titled 'World Traveller'.

Ilias smiled. "Typical monster. Can't even keep an eye on her own possessions."

Luka helped sift through the pile. There was no sword to be seen. In fact, the only weapon was a rapier. "Huh? What's this doing here?"

Alice looked down at the narrow sword. "Oh, I forgot I had that. It's a rapier," She said, picking it up. "Tamamo was going to teach me how to use it before… Well, you know what happened."

"A rapier… What an odd weapon for the Monster Lord to wield. Is your magic really that weak?" Ilias asked.

"I'll have you know my magic is the greatest among all monsters! It's just… Tamamo says I should have experience with all kinds of weapons before choosing to master one. Magic will probably always be my strongest, but having skills with other types can only help."

Luka agreed. "Uncle Lazarus said something like that before."

Sonya looked back at the mention of her mentor's name. "He was good with a club and a sword. I hear he's testing out new weapons nowadays as well."

"Lazarus…" Ilias quietly muttered the name. She knew the man. He was not very important overall, but he did have a significant role to play in both Marcellus and Luka's adventures. He created an organisation called 'Ilias Kreuz'. Although Ilias would normally reward such action, she knew the man only used her name as an excuse for his actions against monsters. His real reasoning was a deep loathing for the species.

As far as I remember, Luka shouldn't like Lazarus at all. In fact, he should hate the man… But here he is, calling him 'uncle'. That Sonya girl seems close to him too.

"It's not here…"

Alice had double, triple, even quadruple-checked her bag, but there was no sword inside. "I don't know where it could've gone… Tamamo is going to be so mad."

Luka patted the small lamia on the back. "It's alright, we probably won't need it anyway."

"No, no. I promised I'd give you something, and if it can't be a sword then something else will just have to suffice! Let me think…"

Using her tail, Alice checked through the pile. Eventually, her tail wrapped around a book. It was 'World Traveller', a book detailing the entire world and all the unique cuisines and other, far less important things, native to each town. Tamamo had given it to the young Monster Lord so she could learn more about the world.

"Here, you can have this," Alice said, giving it to the hero. Luka dusted the book off. He opened it and read the first page. Just below the author's signature was the date on which it was completed.

"No way… This book was written in 867! It's over 500 years old!"

"Really? I thought it was a little old. Well, most of the towns marked on its map are probably still around." Alice flicked through the pages and stopped on the eleventh one. She pointed towards one of the items found in the town.

"Ama-ama Dango…" Alice muttered. "A speciality of Iliasburg, the only one of its kind in the whole world, and only served at the Sutherland Inn."

Alice wiped away some of the drool she formed as she thought of the dango. Luka thanked her for the book, and they continued on. Ilias followed closely behind.

The book is here too. I definitely remember that happening in my memories. Besides the Pocket Castle, most of this seems the same as before.

Hmm… After a good night's rest, I think I've gotten all my thoughts straight. From here, I can form a plan. First off, I need to deal with my two biggest issues. One, Alice. I can't have her manipulate Luka again. If I can form a wedge between them, it might be enough for either Alice to leave on her own, or for Luka to decide to leave her behind.

And two, to get my power back. That's going to be pretty tough… Especially since I don't know what took it in the first place. I'm not sealed, not exactly at least. It's worse than that. If I was sealed, I'd still have around the same power as Eden. Since I have virtually no power, it must be something else.

Anyway, to get my power back I'll need to access a huge amount of holy power. The only thing that could have that much power would be another me, and there is only one of me.

…Or is there? Luka did mention seeing another Ilias in my temple.

No, that's ridiculous. I'm Ilias, the one and only.

"It's just a bit further now," Sonya said. She was leading the group towards Iliasburg instead of Luka, as he would always attract more monsters. Instead, by placing him in the direct centre of the group, monsters would be less likely to sniff him out, or at least that's what Ilias said.

Iliasburg was a small town. Still, it was the largest one on the continent, and was excellently positioned for trade and travel. The Ilias Continent did not have many settlements, but all of them had a path leading directly to Iliasburg.

As they walked towards the town, Luka looked into his new book. He flicked through a few pages, eventually landing on one featuring Iliasburg. Other than being a good trading hub, it was also well known for its complete lack of a monarch, or any single leader for that matter. Instead, the town was governed by a council.

"I can see the inn from here!" Alice giddily announced, pointing towards a large building on the eastern side of the town. It dwarfed all the nearby houses.

It's huge… Such a massive inn in such a small town. It must not get much business. People here aren't exactly rich.

When the group did finally arrive, they found that there was someone waiting for them. As soon as they stepped inside of Iliasburg, a purple-haired rabbit girl hopped forth. Alice recognised her quickly.

"Ta-da!"

"It's you! Luka, get her! She's the one who sealed me!"

White Rabbit's outfit was out of this world. It was the first time Luka had seen anything like it. Some of her fur, such as that on her legs and arms, appeared to be part of her body, while others appeared to be part of her outfit. She was dressed in a long white cape with odd golden zippers and a gold outline all around. To top it all off, she had an oddly fashionable top hat sitting nicely on her head, just between her rabbit-like ears.

Ilias had never seen anyone like this before, and that was saying something. "Who the heck are you supposed to be?"

"Wow, no need for the aggression! I just came here for a friendly chat, and to guide Alice, of course." White Rabbit gleefully announced.

"Guide me? What are you talking about?" Alice asked. "Doesn't matter, you're the one who sealed me, which means you must have the power to turn me back. Now do it! Or else!"

"Or what? Sorry, little Alice, but it's hard to take you seriously when you're half my height. Same goes for you, Ilias. And Luka too—Oh wait, you've always been that height. Silly me." White Rabbit proceeded to giggle at her own joke. The others, however, were not happy.

Sonya stepped forth. "Sorry, who are you? And what do you want with us?"

"Ah, Sonya, right? Well, I guess I'll tell you since you asked so nicely. I'm White Rabbit, Alice's guide and your newest friend!"

"White Rabbit…? Who… What are you?" Ilias asked. The small goddess did her best to hide her magic as she studied the Rabbit's biology in greater detail. She was no monster, Ilias was sure of that, but she wasn't human or angel. She was closer to one of the Spirits of Nature than anything else.

Interesting… But this just gives me more questions than it answers. This would suggest that she is a spirit… But of what? And how come this is the first time I've ever seen her? There shouldn't be any spirits that I am unaware of!

"Oh wouldn't you like to know? Now, unfortunately, I can't stick around. I've got places to be and people to see. But it was nice seeing you three—I mean, you four!"

"Huh? No, wait, where are you going!?" Alice shouted. She drew her rapier and charged at the rabbit, but to no avail. In mere moments, White Rabbit had disappeared through a portal.

So she can create portals out of thin air too… Worrying, Ilias thought, First that Sonya girl, and now her… Things are not as they should be.

"Damn it, she got away!"

"Calm down, Alice, we can get her later. We'll just have to track her down first… Assuming she hasn't gone too far away, that is." Luka said.

Alice sighed. "I guess. But next time, you better not just stand there like an idiot again! If we can beat her up, we can force her to turn me back."

Ilias rolled her eyes. "As if we could do that. She managed to seal you easily, didn't she? We can barely beat a slug girl, much less someone of that power. Seriously, are you even capable of thinking? Or is that mind of yours taken up by nothing but food?"

"I've had enough of this!" Alice snarled. Again, she picked up her rapier. Luka gripped the weapon before she could do anything with it, and after a few moments, Alice sighed and relaxed.

Sonya shook her head at the scene. Her pleasant journey with Luka had been completely ruined now. If Luka insisted on taking these annoying brats, then she would have to just deal with it.

"Well, what now?" Luka asked. "We should probably get some new equipment before we head out anywhere, and talking to a few locals could help us find that rabbit girl. Oh, and we could also—"

"Check out the Sutherland Inn and get some Ama-ama Dangos! Perfect idea Luka, let's do it!"

Without waiting for a response, Alice slithered straight for the inn. Luka and the others reluctantly followed along. It was turning dark, and quickly, so Luka decided that now would be as good a time as any to rest up.

"And none of your angels responded?"

"Not a single one. Not even Eden…" Ilias explained. She looked close to tears. "But, it's definitely not out of a lack of loyalty, that's impossible! Any one of my angels would risk their lives to save me… No, this is something else."

"Maybe we just need to get closer to Heaven, so they have a higher chance of hearing you?" Luka suggested.

"That's… Actually not a terrible idea. There are a few tall mountains in San Ilia." Ilias pointed out.

…And if that still fails, there is always Micaela in the southwest. If I send Luka there on his own, maybe he could get some answers for me.

But what if she's different too? Or what if she doesn't live there anymore? Clearly, things this time around are different from my memories… But no matter how much I rack my brains about it, I can't figure it out.

Hm, it's at times like these that I regret locking Promestein away. I'm sure she could come up with an answer to my problems in seconds…

Luka sighed. This was the first chance he had gotten to rest today. They had been walking to Iliasburg non-stop since they woke, and the young man was tired. Thankfully, the Sutherland Inn had plenty of beds for all of them, and at a fair price! Or so they thought… When the group tried to book a room for the night, they were met with nothing but disappointment, Alice especially.

"Still, 2,400,000 gold… It's a crazy price. I wonder, how do they get any business with such a high price? Few around here could afford it." The hero said.

Alice agreed. "If I still had access to the royal treasury, I'd be able to pay it easily… Damn it. How am I going to eat those Ama-ama Dangos now?"

"Hmm… I guess I could try to make them." Luka suggested. "Though, I don't actually know the recipe, and I don't have the ingredients for it either…"

"It's hopeless!" Alice cried out. "Now I'll never be able to taste them!"

Ilias rolled her eyes. "You know, there is a special discount for heroes. I believe it's upwards of 90% off. Luka isn't baptised though… But I think it should be fine anyway."

"Really?" Luka asked. "I thought getting baptised was a big part of being a hero."

"It is. Those who claim to be heroes but have not received my blessing, or more aptly put, my baptism, are nothing but fake heroes. According to your recollection of events, somebody who looked just like me gave you their blessing… I guess that's close enough."

Alice's eyes lit up. "Luka! We must go back and tell them!"

"Right." The hero rose. Just before leaving, he looked back. "Ilias, are you not coming?"

"I have something to do here… You three go on ahead. I'll catch up later."

"Hm, alright," Luka said, closing the door behind him. Ilias let out a prolonged sigh of relief.

Finally, some time to think…

Using her divine power, the goddess constructed a piece of parchment and a quill from thin air.

Writing down one's thoughts can help keep track of them, and to solve problems… It's better than nothing, I suppose. Normally I would just tell them all to Eden, and then she'd come up with a "solution". What a useless angel…

I do sort of miss her now, though.

Ilias's handwriting was beyond neat. Or at least, it would be, if it weren't for her now short limbs and extremities, which made writing more difficult. She started her drawing with her name, "Ilias, Goddess of Light."

She circled the name and drew lines coming out of it, not unlike what the humans would call a "mind map". She wrote down things she knew about herself, starting with the memories she was most confident in. She was a goddess, wielded extraordinary power and grace, was the most beautiful being in the universe, et cetera…

Then she got to more recent times. Luka's birth was one of the last things she remembered clearly. She wasn't sure about anything afterwards. Lucifina's death happened, she knew that, but she didn't know when. She knew Luka ended up meeting the Monster Lord, but she didn't fully remember what their relationship was like, or how they met in the first place.

This is bad… Do I have some form of amnesia or something? How could I forget such important details?

Well, with what I remember, I think I can draw a basic outline of the events which led me here. Let's see… my latest memory is of…

Ilias started to draw the last thing she remembered seeing. It was the Hero Luka, standing side-by-side with the Monster Lord Alipheese the Sixteenth, wielding Angel Halo, and launching a fearsome attack at the Goddess of Light. It was nothing but a blur after that. It could've been days, weeks, or even years since that memory, Ilias had no way of knowing.

But I can remember that image vividly. There is no doubt. Luka and Alice teamed up against me to take me down… So if my memory is correct, then this cannot be the same world I came from… I must be in some sort of parallel universe… I can't have been simply sent back in time, otherwise why would that purple-haired rabbit girl be here? And how would that explain the other differences I've seen so far?

Or maybe it is another time, and my memories are just incorrect… They're far from infallible, that's for sure. Perhaps that rabbit girl was there all along and I just never noticed her. In that case, my own existence would be a paradox. How could two Ilias's exist at the same time? And how come the other Ilias was so weak she couldn't even baptise Luka?

Ugh, I'm just confusing myself even more now. I'm just going with the simplest explanation for now… I'm in some sort of parallel world. Still, this leaves some issues. Again, why is this world's Ilias so weak? Why is Alipheese sealed? Who is that rabbit?

I suppose I will have to find an answer to all these questions, in due time, of course.

…But most importantly, this being an alternate world gives me one huge advantage. I know, around about at least, what happens from here on. I should be able to change history. Perhaps, if I play my cards right, the Hero Luka can be an ally, instead of an enemy.

But that's probably wishful thinking. Well, that's enough for now. I better catch up to the others.

Ilias used what little power she had to burn the parchment. She returned the quill and parchment to her magical pocket storage and left the room. Her small legs started to run to the inn as she realised how long she had spent thinking. At this rate, Alice might have already eaten all the Ama-ama Dangos.

There is no way she is the Monster Lord. It's simply not possible.

Sonya watched in half-amazement, half-horror as Alice scoffed down all the food on the table, which was intended for all three of the guests currently present. Serving after serving disappeared from the table. Luka and Sonya were lucky to even get a few pieces of the cakes or fruit. They had already given up on getting any of the Ama-ama Dangos.

Her mother really should've taught her some manners. A proper lady shouldn't eat like a starving beast. I swear...

Luka, on the other hand, didn't mind much. He even gave some of his own portions to the Monster Lord as an offering of sorts, which she gladly accepted.

Geez, and this is her in a kid's body. I can only imagine how much she'd need in her older form.

"Uh, Alice, did you always eat this much, even as a kid?" Luka asked.

Alice nodded in between mouthfuls. "Tamamo did once try to curb my habit by feeding me a thin-fried tofu only diet. All that did was make me hate that food for a few weeks, but I still ate it. Better than going hungry."

Luka shook his head. Having such a gluttonous companion could become an issue.

We're going to have to find a way to make money on this journey, otherwise we won't be able to buy the food and other supplies we need. A few upgrades for our equipment would be nice too…

Well, whatever. It's getting late now. We'll sleep for the night, then head out to… Hmm, Iliasport, I guess? Or maybe we should look around here for any hint of my father?

"Alice, do you have any idea of where we should go next?" Luka asked.

"That should be obvious! We need to track down that rabbit girl and get her to turn me back." Alice said, barely understandable through her constant munching. "I'm sure somebody around here can help."

The door creaked open. It was Ilias, followed closely behind by one of the caretakers. Ilias could not hide her disappointment when she saw what was left of the food. "We can order more, if you want," Luka said. "This hero discount makes it dirt cheap, but I do feel sort of bad about it."

"Don't you worry about it." The caretaker said, butting into the conversation. "The church has plenty of money. They'll take the brunt of it. You're lucky we were able to actually verify that you were an official hero."

And Alice's sob story about me saving her from certain doom certainly helped… She's a surprisingly good actor.

"Oh, well, in that case, we'll have another round of everything!" Luka said. Suddenly, the caretaker's face dropped. "I would be happy to but… We don't have the honey for any more Ama-ama Dangos."

"What!?" Alice asked. "This is outrageous!"

"Trust me, we're just as disappointed as you. But our hands are tied. The nearby harpy village has stopped giving us honey. Apparently, all the men there have gone on strike, refusing to work any longer. Something about the harpies going missing, I think."

"The harpies have gone missing?" Alice repeated. "How could that happen? As far as I was aware, they were on good terms with all the local humans, and they're strong enough to fend for themselves anyway."

Did that rabbit have something to do with this too? Ugh, just what is going on nowadays!?

"Relax, Alice. We can help them after we get your power back. For now, we'll just have to find the rabbit. Oh, speaking of, do you know anything about her, Miss Caretaker?" Luka asked.

"A rabbit girl? I've seen a few but… Something tells me you're not looking for just some ordinary rabbit monster. You should ask Amira, the local informant. She has an odd appearance, but she's a nice girl once you get to know her."

"Amira, huh? Now where have I heard that name before…" Ilias muttered.

"Thanks," Luka said. "We'll go look for her in the morning then."

"Right," Alice said. Ilias sat down as far from her as possible, which was coincidentally right next to Luka. The small goddess let out a small sigh. She wasn't used to walking, and certainly not for such a long time. Flying suited her much more, but she didn't want to make herself a target for the local monsters.

I do feel slightly stronger than I was yesterday, though. Maybe I'm just getting used to controlling what little power I have left.

Ilias looked around her.

Four of us… If we stick together, we should be able to beat any of the monsters around here… But we can't stay around her for long. We have to get stronger, and fast.

But there won't be four of us for long… If I'm able to get Luka and Alice into a few fights, I can separate the latter from the group. She'll go out on her own, and I'll be free to control Luka without her interference. Sure, we'll be a bit weaker, but I can make up for it.

Anyway, we better get to sleep soon. But first, I wouldn't mind trying one or two of those Ama-ama Dango's…

"The local informant? Oh, you must be talking about Amira. Yeah, she normally frequents this town. Though, I don't think she actually lives here. Anyway, that's beside the point. You can find her around here pretty often… Maybe you can check out the town square?"

And that's how Luka and the others got into a wild goose chase, or rather, a wild snake chase. Whenever they asked around for the lamia's location, they'd hear that she was last seen at the blacksmith or the fish market. But as soon as the group arrived, Amira would've suddenly moved to a new location. Eventually, they ended up all the way back at the Ilias Temple!

"What a waste of time… Well, at least we didn't have to actually walk back to Iliasville. Those harpy feathers things really do come in handy." Luka said. The others weren't so positive.

"Where is she? Does she know that we're trying to find her, and is just playing with us?" Alice wondered.

"Of course not." Ilias corrected. "We're going to pay her for her services, right? No monster would be so dense as to run away from potential customers."

"I don't know… A lot of the monsters I've seen aren't so bright…" Sonya mumbled.

"That's because you've only talked to the slimes in Iliasville." Ilias said. "They don't even have a brain!"

Alice wanted to refute Ilias's point, but was far too tired. She just wanted to find Amira, eat some more food, and then go back to sleep. It was far too early for all this activity.

"Excuse me, have you seen Amira around here? We've been looking for her all day… Any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated." Luka said.

The villager looked at the group. True enough, he thought, they did seem spent. "Amira? Right, her... She was… Yeah, that was it, I heard she was kidnapped by the bandit group northwest of here."

"Kidnapped!? Oh no, how could that have happened!?"

The man shrugged. "Not too sure myself. But Amira isn't exactly a strong monster. She relies on her wits to get by, not her strength. As for what the bandits wanted out of her, I have no idea. But I do know where they are."

"Northwest of here, right?" Luka asked.

"Yep. The group lives in one of the caves in the Irina mountain range. It doesn't exactly stand out, but I'm sure you'll find it eventually… Oh right, one more thing. The group apparently call themselves the 'Heavenly Bandits.' I have no idea why, but maybe you can make some sense of it?"

Luka nodded. "Thank you for your help."

The others followed the hero as he headed towards one of the exits. "Wait, are we going now? These bandits sound pretty dangerous…" Sonya asked.

"We have to go now. Just think of what they might be doing to Amira right now! We have to save her!" Luka pointed out.

"But these monsters might be beyond our current level!"

"Well, as long as they don't all attack us at once, we should be fine," Ilias said.

"Huh? What, are you suggesting they'd just attack us one after another, and not team up?"

"A lot of monsters do it." Ilias shrugged.

Sonya didn't believe that. Still, she had no choice but to follow Luka as he headed for the caves. At the very least, they were able to get some minor upgrades in Iliasburg, so they might just about be able to defeat these so-called "Heavenly Bandits."