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More than a few hundred years ago, there existed beings called demons.
They looked almost human, yet their power was on a completely different plane, so overwhelming that, had they continued to prosper, the world might very well be ruled by demons today.
Yet they vanished from history. Only faint traces remain even in legend.
No one was supposed to know why.
“I carry memories inherited through a spell the demons created—Reincarnation Magic,” Letty explained. “This coffin is the medium for that spell. The collar around Aine’s neck works the same way.”
The Collar of Lust did originally exist in this world, but its true purpose was to let the owner control the timing of arousal. It was never meant to trigger desire at random like the one Aine wore.
According to Letty, the demons had sealed their own souls inside these artifacts using Reincarnation Magic, searching for compatible vessels—humans whose souls could host them.
Both Letty and Aine were such vessels.
The Reincarnation Magic gradually fuses the human soul with the demon soul inside the medium, eventually creating a single new being that is reborn as “human,” retaining both sets of memories.
The moments when Aine had acted like a completely different person were early signs of that fusion beginning.
And the more she used the Lust Demonsword, the faster the process would advance. There was no known way to stop it.
I had known something was wrong with Aine, yet I had kept putting the collar issue aside, prioritizing only our escape from the Empire.
How must Aine feel, hearing that she might cease to be herself?
Respecting her wish to be left alone for a while, I walked away by myself and stared up at the darkened sky.
To be blunt—Letty didn’t know how to remove the collar either.
Artifacts created as mediums for demon Reincarnation Magic were built to contain souls; they were far too sturdy to be destroyed easily.
However, because she herself was a demon vessel, she might eventually decipher its structure.
She wasn’t demanding our help in exchange, but as long as the collar remained, the Empire would never stop hunting Aine.
They coveted the power of the demons.
“…The sky’s beautiful tonight.”
Aine’s voice suddenly came from behind me.
There was no hesitation on her face anymore.
“Aine…”
“Hey, are your injuries really okay?”
“Y-yeah. This much is nothing.”
“Nothing? Normal people would be in the hospital for weeks. Look—you even have burns here…”
She sat down beside me as she spoke, then looked up at the stars with me.
“We never really had time to just sit and look at the night sky like this, did we?”
“Well, we’ve been kind of busy.”
“We used to do it all the time back then.”
“…I seem to recall it was only because we were too exhausted from training to stand up.”
“Ahaha, true.”
For a while we just sat there in comfortable silence.
Eventually I broke it.
“Aine, honestly… I’m torn. Going to the Empire right now is incredibly dangerous.”
“…I thought the same. I didn’t want to drag you into more trouble.”
“I’m fine with it.”
“You always say that. You say you’re fine, but I don’t want you putting yourself in danger for my sake… That’s what I kept thinking.”
“That’s—”
“But that was just my pride talking.”
She cut me off and continued.
“I hated always being the one protected. I wanted to fight for you too. Yet this time again, you were the one who saved me.”
“…This time, I couldn’t have done it alone.”
“Still, the one who saved me was you. But if we just keep running forever… eventually I might stop being me, right?”
“—That won’t happen. There has to be a way.”
They were nothing more than empty words of comfort.
Yet Aine smiled at me anyway.
“I believe in you, Lynoah. That’s why I want to do what I can right now.”
“What you can do…?”
“No matter how it happened, Letty and Rurie saved us, didn’t they? Sure, they might have indirectly drawn enemies to us, but I was already a target. If they hadn’t been there, who knows what would have happened to us? And if the reason I’m even here at all is because of their comrade’s sacrifice, then all the more reason.”
“So we’re returning the favor.”
“Exactly. Besides, running away forever isn’t my style. If the people who framed me are involved, I’d love to give them a taste of their own medicine.”
She cracked her knuckles with a sharp grin.
She was back—the old, fiery Aine I’d always known.
I stood up and gently pulled her into my arms.
“H-hey, what—?”
“I understand how you feel. Let’s go to the Empire. We might find a way to remove the collar there.”
“…We can put that on hold. They said I’d gradually stop being me, but honestly? I’m planning on making this power completely mine instead.”
“You really are strong.”
“You’re the strong one.”
“I meant your heart. You’ve always been the strong one.”
“…I’m not strong at all. Right now I should be scared out of my mind, but strangely, I’m not. Maybe the demon soul is already mixing in. Hey… if one day I stop being me… what will you do, Lynoah?”
“I won’t let that happen.”
“…Just hypothetically?”
“There is no ‘hypothetically.’ If you ever started losing yourself, I would never give up until I brought you back. So my answer is simple. I will definitely save you.”
This time I said it clearly.
No more wavering.
Aine wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close.
“I told you—I believe in you.”
And without another word, she kissed me.
And so, we head for the Labeila Empire.
It will almost certainly be the most dangerous journey we have ever undertaken.
Even so, I will protect Aine.
No matter if the enemy is the Empire itself or the demons who once ruled the world.
I will protect her.
No matter what it takes.