After the three who had annihilated the dragon swarm departed, three other figures stood in that place.
One of them—the red-cloaked girl Luerea Inglet, affectionately known as Luera—was skillfully swinging her long sword, carving apart a massive boulder in front of her.
The sliced boulder collapsed with a crash, sending clouds of dust billowing into the surroundings.
"Man, those three were on another level, huh~? If I'd had to face them head-on, I'd have been dead in an instant~. Thanks for helping out, Philly-san."
While watching Luera clear away the boulder, the red-cloaked boy who shared her face—Frederick Inglet, nicknamed Fred—spoke to the last person present, Philly Carpenter, in his usual drawn-out tone.
"No need for thanks. This matter held benefits for me as well; that is all."
As Frederick and Philly conversed,
"Whoa, you really saved my skin, Luera. ...Still, this scene is something else. In a way, you could even call it fantastical."
Emerging from the dust cloud came a man in tattered clothes, completely unharmed—Ozwald McLeod.
He let out an admiring exclamation as he surveyed the scars left by Orun and the others' battle with the dragon swarm: numerous craters, frozen ground, and more.
When Luerea approached Ozwald, she handed him a fresh red cloak.
"Thank you. So, have those three gone somewhere?"
Ozwald asked Luerea while accepting the cloak and draping it over his shoulders.
"Yes. Thanks to Philly, none of them will be coming back here, *Doctor*."
Hearing himself addressed as *Doctor* by Luerea, Ozwald turned a surprised look toward Philly.
Catching Philly in his line of sight, Ozwald spoke.
"Well, well—if it isn't the *Guide*. Sorry for all the trouble I caused you..."
When Orun and the others finished their battle with the dragon swarm, they had completely forgotten about Ozwald's presence...
That was due to Philly's unique ability, [Recognition Alteration].
While Orun and the others were exterminating the dragons, Philly had exercised her ability, subtly and gradually diverting their thoughts away from Ozwald and onto other things.
As a result, Orun and the others had left Ozwald behind and moved on to their respective next destinations.
Ozwald instantly grasped the situation and apologized to Philly.
"It's nothing. This was merely a good opportunity for a rehearsal. Saving you was just a side benefit."
"You're always so sharp-tongued. Such a shame with that personality of yours."
"...Be quiet."
"Oh well. Anyway, we already knew this from half a year ago, but physically killing the so-called *King of Ability Users*—Orun Dura—is already borderline impossible. Maybe we really should have killed him back then, huh?"
"It was *that person* who decided to let him live. Are you saying you intend to go against their will?"
"I'm not particularly invested in what happens to Beria. I'm only lending my strength for my own purposes, that's all."
Philly frowned at Ozwald's breezy reply.
"Haa... You're as incorrigible as ever."
"Putting that aside, what do we actually do now? At this point, it's no exaggeration to say he's become an obstacle to the Order."
"...Even if we can't kill him physically, there are still things we can destroy. And you must have some idea of your own, don't you?"
"Oh? You can tell? Actually, yeah, I do have something in mind. If physically killing him is borderline impossible, that just means it's not *completely* impossible. Man, challenging the impossible really gets the motivation flowing, doesn't it? Yep, yep."
"I can't relate to that feeling at all, but I'll hear the details of your method later. For now, let's head back. There's always a chance they might return on a whim, and we need to correct the discrepancy that arose this time as well."
"You're right. Luera, Fred—you two come along too. Please escort us."
"Got it~"
Frederick, who had been silently listening to Philly and Ozwald's conversation, replied in his usual drawn-out voice when addressed.
"Understood. —Hey, *Doctor*."
Luerea responded similarly, then spoke to Ozwald.
"Yes?"
"Just hypothetically—if, and I mean *if*, Caroline, who we thought we'd disposed of, turned out to still be alive... what would you do then?"
"...Hmm, let's see. Probably nothing, I guess. She's already served her purpose."
"...I see."
Luerea murmured softly while maintaining an expressionless face after hearing Ozwald's answer.
But to anyone who knew her well, it would be immediately obvious that the look on her face was one of relief.
In fact, her younger twin brother Frederick could read her feelings as clearly as if they were written on her palm.
And Ozwald—whose cold eyes had observed Luerea as an experimental subject for over ten years—had also captured that subtle change in her expression.