each her ears, she could sense what Lisa's words were as they were swept away by the breeze.

"Well, nevertheless, you need to have a proper talk with Nozomu at least once ......"

That was what it came down to. They need to settle their dispute over the past two years.

Otherwise, neither Lisa nor Nozomu will be able to truly move forward.

"Y-...... yeah. That's true, but ....... About that ...... Kyan!"

Lisa suddenly let out a cute scream.

She felt something crawling around her butt.

The hairs on her back stood at once, and when she turned around, she saw a suspicious white-bearded man, dressed in a robe.

"Hohoho, nice ass. It's like a peach ... I can't help but be fascinated by it~~"

"K-, kyaaa!"

"Gugyaa!"

Without checking who the other party was, Lisa's slap was swung toward the suspicious person.

She must have reflexively strengthened her hand with magic as well. The old man was hit with a powerful slap. The old man was flung into the air along with the roaring sound. He plunged into the grass in the park.

Camilla's eyes saw the old man's head bent in the wrong direction, but she tried not to think about it.

"W-who are you?"

"Ho, ho, ho! What a nice slap. Just like a whip of the goddess! Iyaa, thank you very much!"

"Hih~!"

However, the old man jumped out of the grass as if nothing had happened.

The old man's cheek swelled up like an octopus and blood was flowing out from his nose.

Despite this, he was still breathing wildly and uttering some disturbing words, which added to the eeriness of the scene.

"Ah, you. I'm pretty sure I remember, you are the old man at that time..."

"Ca-, Camilla, Do you know him?"

"Yeah. He is the old man who helped you when you were devoured by Ken..."

Indeed, Camilla recognized the old man, who was sloppy and grinning in front of her.

Yes, he was the one who intervened in the previous incident when Lisa was taken in by the black demon beast. It was Zonne.

"Nice to meet you ladies. My name is Zonne. I'm a fortune teller in the commercial district and a hero (for women only)!"

*Ta-dah!*

The old man reached out his hand in a rakish manner with such a strong impact that Camilla and Lisa could almost hear the sound effect. The time and space around him came to a standstill as his action made their eyes ache.

"Umm... I'm pretty sure he's a very strong old man, but ...... eh?"

Camilla somehow pushed through the frozen air and let out a quivering voice. But in her head, things were flying all over the place.

Indeed, Camilla recognized the old man who was sloppy and grinning in front of her.

He was supposed to be a strong old man ...... with unheard-of knowledge about that black demon beast, which even Jihad could not sense his presence when he came.

"Oh, young lady over there. Do you know me !? Iyaa~, I can't believe that such a young lady would fall in love with me~. As usual, I am such a sinful man~!"

But is he actually this kind of a person?

The pervy gaze, muddied by lust and delusion, was strangely infuriating...

"How did you jump to that conclusion..."

"It's rather annoying and creepy..."

Both Lisa and Camilla were on maximum alert against the old man who suddenly appeared.

Their gazes toward the old man were endlessly cold.

However, there was no doubt that the old man in front of them, who introduced himself as Zonne, was a man of extraordinary ability.

His behavior might be just an act. The old man's gaze, dyed with lust, did not look deceptive no matter how they looked at it, but Camilla forced herself to believe it was just an act.

"So, what do you want? I don't think someone as good as you would need anything from us..."

"Well, right~. It's about that red-haired young lady over there."

"M-me?"

"Umu. I wanted to have a little chat with her since she's someone who's closely related to that boy. That's why I wanted to say hello to her just now, but I was so fascinated by her beautiful ass that I ...... couldn't resist reaching out to it..."

Correction. There was not the slightest doubt that he was a pervert.

"... Lisa, I'm going to Jihad-sensei. Let's caught this old man quickly and have him arrested."

"Hey! Wait a minute! I know I was just playing a little prank on you earlier, but I'm serious about this!"

"I think it was your act of molestation that was serious. I'd rather not turn you in to Jihad-sensei, but I might as well crush you right here, right now."

"W-Which part of my body are you going to crush!?"

"... Whaat?"

Camilla turned her icy gaze as far as she could to a specific part of Zonne's body. I won't say where, but it is a common important part for men all over the world. It may not work for some special men, but...

Zonne's hips jerked back as the stinging cold gaze pierced the lower half of his body.

"Cough, Cough! Well, young lady. You're not sure what to do with yourself now, are you? But even if you wanted to do something, you know too little about the current boy."

Zonne's expression suddenly became serious as if to escape the absolute zero gaze directed at him by Camilla.

Camilla's eyes grew even more serious at the blatant change of subject, but Nozomu's name blunted her pursuit.

Camilla's mind replayed the image of Zonne when he intervened in the previous incident.

The old man was obviously familiar with Nozomu's situation And also about that black demon beast.

"The brat's secret that the dark-haired lady and her friends know and you don't. Don't you want to know?"

Zonne's words and actions, which seemed to lure them in, raised Camilla's alertness to a whole new level.

"You, what's your aim?"

"I'm watching over that kid. That is why I am here in this city. I am here to see whether he will be consumed by the power he has taken into himself, or whether he will be swept away by his own hatred. In that sense, one of my fears is gone..."

Camilla glared at the old man, but Zonne just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"Nozomu has taken in ...... power."

On the other hand, Lisa was pondering to confirm Zonne's words.

Before she knew it, her hands were clenched tightly and her heart was beating fast.

She knew in her gut that this was probably what separated her from Nozomu.

"...Why are you telling us this? If you want to talk about it, Irisdina and the others are more ......"

"They already know about it. They have tasted the danger of his power firsthand. Still, they seem determined to stay by the boy's side.

“........”

Irisdina and the others already know Nozomu's secret. This fact rendered Lisa speechless and silent for a moment. At the same time, she was convinced. This was the bond between Nozomu and his friends.

Zonne took one look at her but did not stop moving his mouth.

"That kid is involved in a situation that could affect the future of Arkmill continent, regardless of his own will. If you are going to be by his side, you must have the proper resolve and courage. However, can you really accept the current him? You're too scared to even face the boy right now..."

"I...."

The bond between Nozomu and his friends was conveyed by a third party. She had some idea of this, but when she was confronted with the truth like this, she felt as if her eyes were completely blacked out.

She knew. She deserved it.

She was the one who failed to trust him until the very end. Despite the skills she had honed, her heart was so weak.

The reality penetrated her body once again and eroded her heart as if trying to steal even the small warmth that had been lit up in her body.

Without realizing it, she swallowed her spit.

Next to her, Camilla was looking at her with concern, but she, too, could not respond to Zonne's words. They were confronted with the fact that they were just outside the frame.

At that moment, Zonne, who had been staring at Lisa with a stern gaze, suddenly softened his expression.

At the same time, the cold atmosphere was dissipated.

“However.... that doesn't mean you are incapable of doing anything.”

"Eh?"

Suddenly, his tone of voice changed to a gentle one.

Zonne continued to talk calmly, smiling at the bewildered Lisa and Camilla as if he were caring for his grandchildren.

His eyes were as gentle as the sun. There was a hint of slight pity and regret in his eyes.

"You still have time, young lady. There's something you can do. Above all, you are hesitant to confront your own sins, but this time you must not turn away from them. That's why ......"

"I found you, Grandfather."

At that moment, a cold voice could be heard from behind the old man.

The three of them turned to see who it was, and out of the darkness, a robed girl appeared.

Her white hair shone in the moonlight and her eyes were cobalt blue. Her face was beautiful just like a doll's. Yes, this was the girl whom Mars and the others bumped into in the central park before.

Lisa herself is a stunningly beautiful girl. But what caught Lisa's attention more than anything else was what she said to Zonne.

"" Grandfather? ""

"W-wha...."

Meanwhile, Zonne was staring at the girl in front of him with his eyes wide open.

"A-, Azel! Why are you here!?"

"That should be my line. What are you doing? You're suddenly missing from the village."

In response to Zonne's loud voice, the girl called Azel retorted with a look of dismay. Zonne was left shaken with astonishment.

The dignity that Zonne had been wearing just completely dissipated, and now he was looking somewhat embarrassed.

On the other hand, the girl was not concerned about the stunned Lisa and Camilla behind Zonne and nonchalantly continued her conversation as if they weren't in her eyes.

"Now is a delicate time. What on earth were you doing in a situation where you had to find and dispose of that calamity as soon as possible?"

"I have a lot of things to do. A lot of things..."

The girl's strong words were filled with accusations against Zonne. The girl's gaze became sharper and sharper as Zonnen whistled in ignorance.

At that moment, the girl's eyes finally caught sight of Lisa and Camilla behind Zonne.

"Grandfather, who are those humans?"

She asked about Lisa and Camilla, but her cold tone showed not the slightest interest in them.

The question was directed only to Zonne. The girl's gaze toward Lisa and Camilla was completely colorless.

"Iyaa~. As you can see, they have a very promising future, don't they? So I'm going to take them over to the liquor store over there and ......."

"I couldn't care less about what their situation is!"

The girl had no interest or concern for Lisa and Camilla, but she was strangely showed her anger toward Zonne.

On the other hand, Zonne, who witnessed Azel's tantrum, turned his head in the opposite direction and abruptly turned on his heel.

"Oh! I just remembered what I have to do! Well then, ladies. I'm afraid we'll have to continue this another time..."

"Ah~! Please wait a minute!"

The girl hurriedly chased after Zonne, who suddenly started walking away.

Zonne disappeared into the city, leaving the girl behind, who was grumbling and complaining about something.

But at that moment, Zonne suddenly turned around.

"Oh, right. If you have made up your mind, you can come to my store. I'll tell you all about it!"

After leaving only those words, Zonne ran out like a hare and disappeared into the darkness. A girl called Azel hurriedly chased behind him.

"What's going on ..."

Lisa and Camilla stood there stunned for a while, unable to speak in response to the sudden occurrence.

"A fortune teller in the commercial district ..."

About the current Nozomu. Will they know if they go there?

He was a very suspicious old man. Normally, they would never go there.

However, Lisa's heart was beating wildly with the temptation to find out Nozomu's secret.