"What are you doing?

……

"That magic...... that's what you decided you should use that one?

"It's..."

"Did you lose him?

"I... just for the sake of my country -"

"- You lost yourself. So the words don't come out right away."

Mr. Lucius showed up that Mr. Lisa used magic. And it seemed like he was blaming them for trying to hurt them.

But it was them who got their hands on it first...

"Masamune-kun. Same race, can you understand each other...... it is my idea to turn your thoughts there and not give up. It should not be cut off immediately"

Lucius speaks as if he were saying it to me, including Lisa. But his gaze was constantly staring at Lisa.

"I'm done talking. Lisa, get back to work."

"... Yes. I'm sorry, sir."

"Neither do you."

Mr. Lucius looked back, and also turned his gaze to them, the Curtain Clan.

"I don't blame you for entering the country. Accept anyone if sightseeing is the purpose. But I'm not foolish enough to accept grabbing people. Besides, I didn't forgive Cassandra. I can't forgive you. Even if you understand. And I swear allegiance to her, and I hold her thoughts dear. Even if you understand. Already... go back to your country"

I was free for a while. Maricias replied briefly, "Yes" to swallow Mr. Lucius' words. There was a slight sadness in that expression.

"Chastain will soon perish…"

And so grunts Maricias.

"That's not true. Your ideas will destroy the country. [M] Where Cassandra died, that country would never die."

"You should understand. The King serves as..."

"- Only women, right?... That's why I'm telling you. When thoughts destroy the country... now go home"

Until the end, Maricias had such a sad look to bite off her thoughtlessness. And while the problem remains unsolved, they leave.

"Toa, take the day off."

"Huh?"

The appearance of the Curtain Clan disappears. At the top, Mr. Lucius urges Toa to rest in the castle. But it's still too soon.

"He looks tired"

"But............... yeah. Okay."

But Toa said nothing back and accepted.

There were doubts. But I accepted that there was probably something.

Why was Lisa angry?

What is the relationship between Lisa and the Curtain Clan?

Um, what flames are similar to abyss magic anyway?

Why did you call Lisa the Cat?

There was so much I wanted to know.

Mr. Lucius is probably aware of my overflowing doubts.

But you should have noticed, but you didn't answer anything, and when you noticed, you were gone.

I was here that night to treat myself to several dinners.

I used to ask Toa, "What were you eating when you were in the castle?"

Because Toa was crumbling, as if he were eating Walstein's meat for the first time.

Honestly, the Devil's food was delicious. Rather, the flavour is intense.

Even so, I have never eaten anything like thin food since I came to this world.

Basically, it tastes thick. But it was thick compared to them.

I don't know what you're using as a raw material, but they have a habit of eating gelatinous, transparent jules for meat, fish and dessert, over anything.

The jule is a spice that enhances the flavour of the meat if applied to the meat, and a different flavour if applied to the fish. And if I put it on dessert, it should have tasted salty when I put it on meat and fish, but it turns into a sweet flavor. What a magical food.

I was eaten without any particular problems, but it was fresh and delicious, but Nem didn't seem to fit his mouth, so I put on some juice.

"Hey, Mother? Is your sister still not leaving today?

"You'll be back tomorrow, won't you? As usual, I'm sure you have a job in you, don't you?

The usual. What Toa asks about her sister Rosalia, whom I've never seen either.

"Well, what does Mr. Rosalia do?

Asked curiously about the boulder, Mr. Lucius replied to that.

"I can't tell you that"

"Huh?"

"Confidential. I can't talk any more."

So the conversation stops and the silence flows.

The awkward air flowed and I regretted it a little bit, but I wanted you to give me about a "don't ask” signal.

And when I happened to see Mr. Electra, Mr. Electra had a tender grin. Emotions seem sorry.

I mean, it's top secret... but did I even ask you something wrong?

I didn't ask much more, and I silenced the scene.

And the dinner was over, and the same darkness engulfed the sky as usual.

Toa is also urged by Mr. Electra to take him to his bedroom. I told Suphilia and Nem to follow me so Toa wouldn't miss me.

And again, I'm alone...

I was walking alone in this great garden watching Death and Life Fools and Deception (Azum) Kiki, which I got in Heirkwalt.

Even though I was the only one there, there were some stylish lights illuminating the garden that didn't break the atmosphere before I showed up.

If I have time, I'll read this over and over again.

Now for sure - and ever since I was so sure.

I was suspicious of the words "future me".

“It's in the college" … but there are plenty of other things besides the college and Heirk Kuwait.

Three major magic schools are not everything. But at that time, it was easy to tell when it was indicative of Heirkwalt.

I swallowed, learned of the existence of a contraindication room, and met this book.

It's an overdone story. It was too easy.

If this book is correct, why the hell did I make a mistake?

Why couldn't you save Toa?... When I take this book, I always think about it.

But I live my chosen life.

There is no certainty that the world I was in is the same as I am today.

There's one thing I thought about. Maybe I didn't go to magic school.

Either that or I was showing a rejection of the school environment, and even if I didn't choose to stay in a magic school, that's understandable.

So "I" told me to go to school based on the hopeful observation that there must have been an answer there... I can also think of that.

Then there was the garden and the adjacent room - the room with that mirror. I found a light there.

That's what bothers me. I leave the garden once. Then I found Mr. Lucius.

"Are you sleepwalking?

"It's a walk."

Mr. Lucius looks at the World Mirror again as usual and talks with his back turned.

I don't get tired of it.

"That's all that matters. This..."

They read my emotions again.

It stinks because I can't get out of my mind when I talk to this guy.

Then, looking back, Lucius said, "You have something unusual, don't you?" And I saw the book on my left.

"This is not a big deal."

"Death, life, fooling and deception..." "It's no big deal," or... a forbidden book, is it?

How do you know that? Is that such a major book?

"It was originally here. But it was stolen a long time ago. Where did you find this?

I see, is that what you mean?

"It's Heirkwalt. of the school, found it in a contraindicated room."

"I see, I didn't know it was there..."

With that said, Mr. Lucius had a slight gentle grin.

"You didn't seem like a very serious student either..."

"As it is, well... right"

I was a little concerned about the "you too" part, but I don't care and mislead with a bitter laugh.

"I get out of class a lot too, I fished books with him"

"Him?... Who are you talking about?

"Hmm? It's settled, isn't it? The author of the book."

That's what they say, I open the first page of the book.

Then there was the author's picture and name.

"Rogue J (Joker) Rabbits..."

"He was blessed with magical talent, but a prankster. All the magic he created made fun of his surroundings. So is the book. He said it was a“ gathering ”.“ Collect and start ”... and now I feel like I know what that means. I couldn't even use Emotional Sense at the time, and I didn't understand one thing about what Rogue was saying..."

"Well, where is Mr. Rogue now?

"... I'm not here anymore. He's dead. It was a long time ago. He was subhuman. There is a huge difference in life expectancy between the Demons and the Subhumans. I can't live the same time."

I sensed a slight sorrow inside Lucius. That includes nostalgia.

And Mr. Lucius will realize I'm sensing it.

"When I was still much younger than I am now, for the first time then, I realized what Adams meant by words I had always underestimated... it was also Rogue who told me that, I think"

"Is that Adams' word? What the hell is that..."

I was remembering three warning sentences that Adams left behind.

It's about that word: dyed in the abyss, swallowed, falling.

"One, let's talk about the abyss. Why do you call the Abyss Mage a fool?"

Then Mr. Lucius speaks out as if he had changed.

"It's a simple story. Because you lose your life expectancy. He who is stained with the abyss loses his life… he becomes immortal, he dies, and he continues to live as a Being. The vast presence of enlargement never gives death to that person. Can Masamune understand what that means?

"... I don't know, but immortality is pretty much what we all want, right?

"There must be an admiration for humans, isn't there? They are the shortest lives in this world, and the earliest deaths in life that are willing and return words. But Adams says it's stupid."

"So... you think you're an abyss fool?

"Of course that's not all. But... that's what I'm talking about. And Rogue was thinking about it from another angle."

Mr. Lucius occasionally clogs words. Am I choosing words?

"At the end of his old life, I was looking down at him much younger than I am now. In his lifetime, with his old appearance and his eyes, he poured all of his time to death, into producing magic. Of course, I gave you a hand. Leaving class is like when I fished a book in the library... now I just miss it. But I wonder what he thought?

I didn't know what that vague question meant.

"I feel like I know now. Fishing for books with wrinkled hands, taking brushes, every day, …" This is the last time, "he mutters so. Next to that, there's a demon clan who doesn't know it's going to fade... I wonder what Rogue thought of me?

I felt like I understood what Mr. Lucius was trying to say.

"Rogue was never a man of good character. But to me, of course, he is and always was my best friend… The Deception of Death and the Fool of Life. It doesn't even seem meaningful to me now that he chose Death at the beginning of the title. It's Rogue's last prank. I'm sure Rogue neglected me..."

A little silence flowed. When I realized I handed over the book and Mr. Lucius turned the page of the book to miss it.

"What the hell are you going to use that Rogue prank for?

A core question that sounds sudden. I'm stuck with words.

I can't say 'Toa could die'......

"I'm telling you, this isn't as convenient magic as you think, is it? I told you. You think he wasn't a man of good character?

……

But this is my only hope. It has the potential to be so... Hope.

"I can answer anything about that book. Of course, I wouldn't be able to answer more than Rogue."

I received the book from Mr. Lucius. Mr. Lucius did not hesitate to return it to me, even though it was a sign of his late friend.

"I'll let you know if you want to know. Like Rogue, I don't live forever either. All I want to know is ask."

That's where I changed my mind.

"Then can you tell me why Mr. Lisa can use the magic of the abyss, about it?

When I asked him that, Mr. Lucius remained faceless and had feelings similar to those of the questioner.

I wondered if the meaning of the question was conveyed, but at the same time I understood the meaning of the phrase "it is a misunderstanding".

"Lisa is not an abyss fool. What you saw was the magic of the Rickman clan. It's not abyss magic."

"But Lisa's magic was as if she had will-"

"- Is there something similar to abyss magic?

"Huh?... Yes. Something similar."

"Because maybe it's magic conceived to mimic the magic of the abyss."

I felt a discrepancy in the main thrust of the story there, and I said, "How could Lisa use such magic?" and bump the first question again.

"I see... speaking of which, Masamune-kun was a resident of another world."

……

"What is the Rickman clan? To clear up that question of yours, we need to talk from there first."

Then a chair and table appeared out of nowhere, and Mr. Lucius lowered his back.

I was urged to take a seat too.

"So, what is the Rickman clan?

I ask again like I want that answer unexpectedly.

"Rickman is a human family with powerful magic and advanced knowledge of witchcraft."

"Are you human?

"Human beings, but their magic is comparable to that of the devil clan. Rickman, who was the last chief, so much so that he had the same magic as the Demonic King at the time."

Being human and alongside the Demon King...... is that the Rickman clan?

"But they perished. That survival is Lisana."