Shocking
"…Shining, can you tell me—what kind of figure does Satan appear as, in your eyes?"
"…Nearl, you're not really asking about Satan, are you?"
"…"
"That knight who calls himself Arthur, the Mad Laughing Knight—that's the one you truly want to know about, isn't it?"
"…But aren't they the same person? The Eternal Duke of Ursus, hiding behind false names and playing the world for fools. He mocks everything a knight stands for—he's defiled the very meaning of honor!"
"Keep your voice down. Nightingale is asleep."
"…Apologies. I lost control of myself."
"You know him, don't you? You've never spoken of him before. If you want to hear what I know about Satan, then you'll have to tell me what you know about Arthur."
"…To be honest, I don't know him that well."
"…"
"But Arthur Pendragon—he was once my rival. The one who stood before me in the championship… the former champion."
———
"Give it up, Cronin. You've lost your hand in this game."
In the mayor's office, a Sarkaz woman with crimson hair stood poised by the door, a gleaming spear in her grip.
All around her lay the mayor's bodyguards—groaning, injured, but still breathing.
"…"
Cronin clenched his fists, his face twisted with frustration.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?! You're endangering the safety of Siesta! You're threatening its acting mayor!"
"Tch… If anyone's threatening Siesta's safety, it's you," the red-haired Sarkaz shot back coldly.
"Vigna, enough talk," said Skyfire, gripping her staff but refraining from casting. "Restrain him first."
Her Originium Arts were far too destructive; one misstep could cause devastating collateral damage.
Rhodes Island was here to prevent a potential catastrophe—one that could endanger tens of thousands of civilians—not to pick a fight with the local government.
If the situation could be resolved without escalating things, that was the path they'd take.
'Damn it! Where's Cape Group's backup?!'
Earlier on the phone, Cape had promised Cronin—swore, in fact—that they would "do everything possible to help maintain Siesta's safety."
Though the heavy emphasis Cape had placed on the word "maintain" had made the acting mayor uneasy…
At this point, the Cape Group was his only remaining lifeline.
Cronin gritted his teeth and glanced back at the window behind him.
Then, without a second thought—he leapt.
"!"
Vigna immediately rushed forward, thrusting her head out the window, scanning the streets below for any trace of him.
But Cronin was gone.
"You've got to be kidding me…" Vigna muttered in disbelief.
"That was at least twenty meters high!"
———
'Damn it…'
Cronin's legs were mangled beyond recognition. Blood dripped from his wounds as he dragged himself forward with trembling arms, crawling desperately into the darkness.
Shock
As the Catastrophe Messenger of Siesta, Cronin was not someone who would die so easily.
'As long as… as long as I can reach that place!'
Ignoring the horrified stares of passersby, Cronin—disheveled, blood covering his face—dragged his broken body toward a nearby ice cream shop.
On the storefront, the signboard bore the image of a smiling purple cat—a logo that filled Cronin's fading vision with renewed hope.
'There's still a way out… As long as I get the Cape Group involved, I can transfer Siesta's remaining funds. Even if they take a hefty cut, so what? As long as I survive, I can rebuild everything later!'
Through blurred vision, he saw the store's employees—Cape Group uniforms unmistakable—rushing toward him in alarm.
His strength was gone. Blood loss clouded his mind, and his body refused to move any further.
"I… I'm Cronin… acting mayor of Siesta… I need help…"
He managed to mumble weakly to the Cape Group staff before collapsing, the last of his consciousness slipping away.
But even as the world turned dark, a faint sense of relief filled him.
'With all my years of partnership with the Cape Group… there's no way they'd abandon me.'
———
"What should we do, Doctor? Do we go in after him?"
"…No. Our priority now is to alert everyone to the true situation of the Siesta volcano."
"Understood, Doctor."
Meanwhile, on one of Siesta's sun-soaked beaches—
Ifrit wiped the sweat from her forehead, panting.
She had been grilling barbecue all day, and her arms ached from exhaustion.
Siesta truly lived up to its name as a resort city—people here were surprisingly tolerant toward the Infected. Even when they realized what she was, many bold customers still lined up for food.
After all, Infected only posed a real danger when they were close to an Originium explosion.
Unfortunately, not everyone knew that.
Even those who did were never certain.
And even if they were certain—disgust and fear were not emotions that could be reasoned away so easily.
After all, how could you ever know whether someone was a severe case?
Still, Siesta remained an open, welcoming city—a place built on hospitality and indulgence.
'Heh, but today, Silence actually praised me! Said I'm finally earning my own way… Hey, big guy, why aren't you saying anything?'
Ifrit muttered inwardly, deciding it was time to pack up.
Just then, something caught her eye—
Out of the corner of her vision, she spotted a tall figure in a white lab coat, with green hair swaying lightly in the breeze.
"!"
Her hands froze mid-motion.
But after a second, she forced herself to relax.
The person was clearly a Feline woman—and she wasn't wearing that distinctive monocle.
"What a pity~ You're closing already?"
The woman approached her barbecue stand, her long, slender fingers brushing across the grill's edge.
"…Sorry, but we're done for the day," Ifrit replied curtly.
Even though the sight of the woman nearly triggered her worst memories, the day spent grilling had at least taught her how to deal with customers—if only barely.
"Really? Little one, are you sure?"
"Ugh, Auntie, can't you take a hint? I said I'm closing, so I'm closing!"
Clearly, Ifrit's bad temper hadn't improved much.
"Auntie, huh… now that's a fresh way to address me. Especially coming from our little demon, Ifrit."
The woman's soft, melodic voice made Ifrit's breathing hitch.
That tone. That smile.
'No… it can't be…!'
Under Ifrit's wide, disbelieving eyes, the green-haired Feline woman slowly reached into her pocket—
—and pulled out a monocle, placing it neatly over her left eye.
"Already forgotten me, have you? Ifrit~? After all those times my 'sisters' wore mascot suits just to play with you at the amusement park… I'm truly heartbroken, you know~"
That sweet, singsong voice struck Ifrit's ears like shards of glass.
"…"
Ifrit stood frozen, staring blankly at the woman before her.
This woman—undeniably beautiful, even more feminine than Silence or Saria—
was now the most terrifying thing in the world to her.
Her young heart trembled under the weight of realization.
"You. Don't. Come. Any. Closer!"