“W-well then…”

After pondering deeply for a while, Egru cautiously opened his mouth.

“May I join the bet too?”

“Of course. What wish does the little believer want?”

“…It’s a s-secret!”

“Then I’ll keep mine a secret too. I wonder whose wish will come true first…”

Salvanel let his words trail off as he sensually caressed his coffee cup.

“Um, Your Holi—I mean, Lord Salvanel.”

“Salvanel.”

“Salvanel!”

“That’s good. Please continue to call me familiarly. It will become more natural over time.”

Salvanel smiled, comfortably resting his back against the red sofa. Egru, who had been looking down at his reflection in the coffee, blinked and glanced toward the window.

“Salvanel, could you tell me more about the first hero? I think I need to understand better to become a good hero myself.”

“Already thinking about winning the bet, I see. I’ll need to work harder too.”

Egru turned his head back to look at Salvanel. The tips of his ears were red, seemingly embarrassed that his inner thoughts had been exposed.

Salvanel slowly adjusted his posture. His lower abdomen had grown tense while watching Egru’s bashful demeanor.

Tonight, I must…

Salvanel made a firm decision. His purple eyes gazed contemplatively at the cream-colored neck.

“The hero… was a perfect person.”

Salvanel smiled serenely as he met Egru’s eyes again. His tone was gentle and soothing.

“He couldn’t stand injustice. Though he always complained about the trouble, his heart was warmer than anyone else’s.”

“Complained…?”

“He was also a master of swordsmanship and magic. On the battlefield, he shone brilliantly as a magic swordsman. As for his relationship with spirits… he got along with them but didn’t keep them close. They were mischievous troublemakers who loved to play pranks.”

“Wow…”

Egru’s eyes sparkled.

“Then, have you actually seen s-spirits yourself, Salvanel?”

“Of course.”

Salvanel warmly answered the excited question.

“To be honest, I consider them small devils. The price they ask in exchange for lending their unknown powers is truly outrageous. If you meet a spirit that wants the contractor’s magic power, you’re quite fortunate.”

“Is that so?”

“Most are capricious hedonists. Perhaps because they live eternally, they tend to be obsessively fixated on new things. It sounds nice to say ‘new,’ but they actually prefer things that are twisted and warped.”

Salvanel sighed while fidgeting with his coffee cup.

“In fact, the hero also struggled with the one-sided affection he received. For some reason I couldn’t understand, the hero was something entirely new to them.”

“I see…”

“It would be better for the little believer to stay away from them if possible. Though it’s difficult to summon them without a spirit stone in the first place.”

When Egru nodded knowingly, Salvanel gave a small smile.

“Oh, the hero also had a habit of pushing all doors to open them. Even with pull doors, he unintentionally pushed and broke them several times. Each time, he had to pause his journey to compensate for the damage.”

Egru sensed a peculiar humanity in the first hero.

“T-then, may I ask what kind of relationship you had with the hero?”

“I am the hero’s companion and fervent follower. Even now, 400 years later.”

Salvanel prettily closed his eyes that had been watching Egru. His eyes, curved like crescent moons, were pale in color and lovely.

“Come to think of it, the little believer has some similarities with the hero.”

“Really? W-what kind of…”

“Last night, you sat here on the carpet. When you were treating me.”

Salvanel tapped the carpet in front of the fireplace with his toe.

“The hero didn’t hesitate to sit on carpets either. While that might be unavoidable during camping, he occasionally did so indoors too. Strangely, he often huddled on the floor in front of the sofa even when the sofa was available. As if the sofa was merely a backrest.”

Salvanel tilted his head as if genuinely perplexed. Egru suddenly remembered being scolded by D’Élysée for sitting on the carpet. Recalling his brother’s disgusted expression, his shoulders sank involuntarily.

“Did I l-look strange to you?”

“Not at all. Where one sits is simply a personal choice, so I don’t mind.”

Egru smiled slightly, seemingly relieved by Salvanel’s words.

“You know, from what you’ve said, the hero doesn’t sound like a bad person at all…”

Egru, who had been fidgeting with his fingertips, cautiously spoke up.

“Then why was the first hero executed?”

“……”

Salvanel’s smile completely vanished at the innocent curiosity. Egru’s back stiffened in the suddenly cold atmosphere. A chill swept across his cheeks as if the air had frozen in an instant.

“The execution 400 years ago…”

Salvanel clenched his teeth while gripping the coffee cup with both hands. Blue veins rose on the back of his snow-white hands. The coffee cup began to tremble slightly. It wouldn’t have been surprising if it had shattered right then.

“It was because the ignorant masses couldn’t understand noble justice.”

“W-w-what was…”

Egru barely mustered the courage to ask. He believed that without knowing the exact truth, one couldn’t truly respect someone.

“The hero’s c-crime…”

As Egru’s demeanor became noticeably tense, Salvanel’s expression quickly softened again.

“Oh, that’s not important, little believer. The hero always acted according to the greater good.”

The amber eyes, though trembling slightly, steadily gazed at Salvanel. It was a look that sought a clear answer.

After a brief silence, Salvanel lowered his long white eyelashes. His red lips, still hesitant, parted slowly.

“…Mass murder.”

“W-wasn’t there some misunderstanding? Perhaps he was falsely accused by someone with ill intent…!”

Salvanel slowly shook his head. It meant that the first hero had cut down countless lives by his own will.

“Little believer!”

Egru suddenly clutched his throbbing forehead as if stung by a bee. Desperate cries for help echoed repeatedly in his ears.

“N-no, I’m fine. It’s probably just because I’ve been in front of the fireplace too long. A bit too hot…”

Supporting himself on the sofa armrest as he stood up, Egru staggered toward the window. Salvanel followed behind with a worried expression, noting his somewhat unsteady steps.

“Salvanel, you can stay seated. I’ll just s-stand by the window for a moment, huh?”

His amber eyes gazed out the window, frosted with ice crystals. Just as the cool air was clearing his head, he noticed two dots approaching in the distant snow field.

“The H-Holy Knights are coming back! What a relief…!”

Egru raised his voice in surprised joy. Meanwhile, Salvanel, standing behind him, watched out the window with deeply lowered eyes. It was a displeased look, as if viewing unnecessary objects.

“Yes, what a relief indeed…”

Salvanel’s eyes, while responding gently, emitted a strange radiance. His white hand moved secretly behind Egru. His wide-open palm swept horizontally through the air. Though it moved through the air, it was a somewhat sluggish movement, as if pushing away a textured object.

Rumble…

A roaring sound began from afar. The noise, gradually swelling, soon crashed down like an avalanche that had grown as large as a snowball.

Kugugugu—!

With a sound like lightning rising from the ground, Egru looked outside with wide eyes.

“Huh? No!”

It was an avalanche. The two dots, the Holy Knights, began running toward the cabin. Salvanel firmly held back Egru, who was about to rush out.

“Salvanel! L-let me go!”

“Going out now won’t save them. You’ll only be swept away too.”

“No! But…! Ahhh!”

It happened in an instant. They were flattened like leaves by the snow mass that came like a wave.

“I need to g-go now.”

Egru took a step forward, barely putting strength into his weakening knees.

“I’ll go. There’s a village nearby, I need to call others to help…”

“No, little believer.”

“Why, why do you keep saying no!”

Egru tearfully shook off Salvanel’s hand. The rejected white hand convulsed severely. Soon, the sound of a person collapsing rang out behind Egru’s rapidly retreating back.

“If even the little believer disappears, I truly…!”

When Egru turned around, Salvanel was looking up at him with tears in his eyes.

“I wouldn’t know what to do…”

“Ah…”

“Didn’t you just see? Going outside the cabin is dangerous. Do you intend to make the sacrifice of those two meaningless?”

Egru’s legs suddenly gave way, and he flopped down. His blank face gradually contorted as tears poured out.

“Oh, you poor thing.”

Salvanel immediately embraced Egru and patted him.

“I was careless. You must have been terribly shocked too. I’m sorry for shouting.”

“Hic, sniff…”

“Even so, you absolutely must not go outside the cabin.”

Salvanel repeatedly stroked Egru’s feverish forehead.

“I’ll prepare some warm milk for you. It will help you calm down a bit. Can you be alone for a moment?”

Even while sobbing heavily, Egru nodded. As Salvanel left the room, a very small noise sounded from the doorknob.

Click. It was the sound of the lock being engaged from the outside, not the inside.