“Ed! You’re safe, thank goodness—you’re really safe.”

When Edward returned to the mansion, Rosetta immediately embraced him warmly.

The servants were standing around watching, but she didn’t care in the slightest.

Edward was glad to have made it home in one piece, but at the same time, he felt embarrassed.

“I–I’m home.”

“I was so worried. First, you were sleeping outside instead of at the mansion, and then this huge uproar broke out. It looks like Darling managed to take care of it somehow, but still…”

Edward felt guilty for having worried Rosetta, who was close to giving birth.

“…Sorry.”

Rosetta blinked in surprise at his earnest apology, but then she smiled softly.

“It’s fine. Looks like Darling really faced you properly.”

From Edward’s attitude, Rosetta seemed to guess that Liam had confronted him in earnest.

She wasn’t wrong—but Edward didn’t feel it was quite accurate.

(Would you really call that “facing me properly”? From my point of view, I was just forced into it. Carrying on the One Flash… it’s way too heavy a responsibility for me.)

They were the ones who hunted down inhuman monsters.

The reality had been shoved in Edward’s face all of a sudden, and even though he was still a child, he was already beginning to feel the weight of that responsibility.

(I don’t really understand this “darkness” or “monsters” stuff yet, but the thought of being made to fight enemies my master couldn’t even beat? That’s nothing but terrifying.)

Though Ellen had lost to Rinho, Edward never once doubted her ability.

He respected her as a teacher, and he knew she was a warrior far beyond his own reach.

Yet even Ellen couldn’t defeat Rinho. Someday, he would be forced to fight monsters of the same or even greater caliber.

According to Liam, there were opponents that even Anshi in his prime couldn’t overcome.

(The One Flash doesn’t feel like swordsmanship meant for the heir of a noble house…)

No matter how he looked at it, Edward couldn’t help but think this was never meant to be the successor’s training.

When Rinho and Fuka were rushed to the hospital, they were given immediate treatment and then moved to a room.

Both were badly injured, but thanks to treatment without regard for cost, they were recovering quickly.

Even so, hospitalization was unavoidable.

Two beds were set side by side in a private room.

At first, the two of them lay there in silence.

Each tried to think of a way to start the conversation, but whenever they both spoke up at the same time, they clammed up again.

An hour passed like that until finally, Rinho gave up and apologized.

“…Sorry.”

Her voice was quiet, but in the silent room it was more than enough.

Fuka started in surprise, trying to sit up, but her injuries still pained her too much to move properly.

“Y–You! …If you were going to apologize, you shouldn’t have gone on a rampage in the first place.”

She scolded Rinho, but her voice was trembling with tears.

If Anshi hadn’t made it in time, she would have lost her precious sister.

That thought alone had terrified her.

Rinho looked at her and chuckled softly.

“Still the same crybaby.”

“Sh–Shut up.”

Fuka turned her face away, then flopped onto her side as if sulking, turning her back to her.

Watching her back, Rinho was struck by a nostalgic memory.

“Even after getting stronger, you’re no different than before Master took us in. Haven’t grown at all, have you?”

Grinning as she said it, Fuka replied with her back still turned.

“You’re the one who needs to grow up. Learn to control your power already. Otherwise, Anyuki will be the one who suffers.”

Now that Rinho had fallen into darkness, she was like a ticking time bomb—no one knew when she might explode and lose control again.

Unless she strengthened her mind and learned restraint, she would only end up hurting those around her once more.

Rinho understood that clearly.

“I don’t need you to tell me. I don’t want to hurt my family either… But, handling this power might take time.”

She looked down at her palm.

A violet flame-like aura appeared. She clenched her fist and extinguished it.

Even as she did, the power of darkness continued gnawing at her heart.

So Rinho spoke to Fuka in a grave tone.

“If I lose control again… this time, I want you to stop me. I can’t drag Master and Senior Brother into it again.”

Fuka rolled over to face her.

Her expression was serious. She almost said something, then swallowed the words.

Instead, she forced a smile and answered lightly.

“By then, I’ll have gotten stronger than you.”

Rinho smiled faintly in return.

“Bold words, considering you lost to me. Unless you train seriously, you’ll just lose again. And if that happens, don’t think I’ll forgive you just because you cry.”

She was fully aware that if she sank into darkness again, she might kill even Fuka.

Fuka opened her mouth as if to toss back another playful retort—but then dropped the act, her face turning sad.

“So make sure you train. I don’t want any fights that aren’t fun.”

Rinho looked up at the ceiling.

“Yeah. If we’re going to fight, it should be the fun kind.”

The destruction of an entire office district meant the aftermath was a nightmare to deal with.

The moment I got back to the mansion, I was swamped with work. The workload nearly doubled.

“…Should’ve picked a better place to fight.”

I regretted it now, but there was an even bigger problem.

My beloved disciple, Ellen.

She came to my office with a troubled look on her face.

“I showed disgrace in front of my master. I am prepared to accept whatever punishment you see fit.”

She was blaming herself for losing to Rinho.

But truthfully, it was unreasonable to expect her to beat her right now.

I had sent her to fight, but I never expected her to win.

“On the contrary, I commend your courage for challenging her at all. You’ve no reason to dwell on it.”

When I told her she wouldn’t be punished, her eyes welled up with tears.

She was just like when she was a child—holding back tears with all her might.

“I… I lost despite being your disciple, Master. That alone is inexcusable. Worse, I abandoned the mission entrusted to me as a knight.”

She had temporarily returned, leaving her fleet on standby, in order to prioritize One Flash’s affairs.

From the military’s perspective, it was a problematic move.

But the Knight Numbers had the authority to act on their own judgment.

This case still fell within those bounds.

…Though I doubted the military brass would be pleased.

“I’ll explain things to the military myself. You don’t need to take responsibility.”

Even so, Ellen continued to wallow in guilt, her face dark.

“I also failed in Lord Edward’s education. To think I was entrusted with your son, only to let things end up like this… Unless I’m punished, I won’t be able to forgive myself.”

Still the same earnest disciple.

Too earnest, really—rigid to a fault.

“Edward’s case is his own responsibility. Don’t blame yourself.”

“No, it is my fault.”

As much as I liked her seriousness, there was a limit to how much self-reproach I could tolerate.

“You’re too serious.”

“Master, I’m being serious right now!”

She must have thought I was teasing her, because she raised her voice and her face flushed red.

Looks like I’d have to talk to her sincerely, then.

To think my disciple, raised by an evil lord like me, would grow up so pure and upright…

“I’m the one who asked you to serve as a knight, and I’m the one who entrusted Ed’s education to you. Honestly, I relied on you too much.”

Using a manpower shortage as an excuse, I had piled too much onto my capable disciple.

Ellen grew flustered, trying to reject my self-criticism.

“Compared to you, Master, I’m still nothing!”

Of course she was—our lifespans and experiences were worlds apart.

Taking that into account, I still judged her as excellent.

“You’ll surpass me one day. No—make sure you do. That’s the duty of a swordsman of the One Flash.”

“—! Y-Yes!”

When I spoke of a swordsman’s resolve, Ellen straightened her back.

I let out a small sigh, then lightened the mood deliberately.

“I’m not even sure I can surpass Master Anshi myself, so I know the feeling. But I’ll need you to at least surpass me.”

Because she, too, would one day face inhuman monsters.

The real problem was that I’d piled too much work on her, leaving her little time for training.

“…Ellen, I’ve leaned on you far too much. If anything, I should be rewarding you. Don’t trouble me by insisting on punishment.”

“Master… that’s unfair of you to say.”

At last, Ellen yielded, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sorry. But I mean it when I say I want to give you a reward. Is there anything you’d like?”

I wanted to give my hardworking disciple a gift.

If anything, I owed her.

Ellen thought for a moment, then blushed and averted her gaze.

“In that case… I have one request.”

“What is it?”

“I’d like… for you to hold me and pat my head, like you used to.”

“…Eh?”

That’s it? That’s all you want?

True, when she was small, I used to hold her and pat her head. She’d always looked so happy.

“If that’s what you want, I don’t mind… but are you sure?”

Worried, I asked again, but Ellen nodded repeatedly.

“Please, Master!”

Wanting to properly apologize to Liam for everything, Edward went to visit his office.

The knights on guard before the door looked troubled for some reason.

The door they were meant to protect was left open a few centimeters.

And standing before it with her usual blank expression was Amagi.

Edward tilted his head as he looked at her.

(Still as expressionless as ever.)

Since he’d been surrounded by maid robots from birth, Edward had no aversion to AIs.

“Amagi, isn’t peeking into Father’s office improper?”

When he asked plainly, Amagi turned to him and gave a curtsy.

“My apologies. I had urgent business with Master, but as he was preoccupied, I chose to wait here.”

“Preoccupied? With what?”

When Edward leaned toward the gap in the door, the knights visibly panicked.

“Lord Edward, peeking isn’t proper!”

“You’d best turn back for now—”

Ignoring their protests, Edward looked inside—

—and saw Ellen in Liam’s arms, her head being gently patted.

“…Huh?”

At first, his mind refused to process it.

He knew Liam and Ellen had a master–disciple relationship, that Liam had raised her since she was young.

So it could have been seen as nothing more than a father patting his beloved daughter’s head.

But Ellen’s expression was something else entirely—something Edward had never seen before.

And since he’d recently begun surrounding himself with women, he recognized it instantly, whether he wanted to or not.

The face of a girl in love.

It shattered Edward’s brain.

That was a face she had never, ever shown him.

(But I was the one who liked her first!!)