Subaru Natsuki, who returned from the new Three Kingdoms

Of course, too many animals aren't good either.

So he left his other sons, who had just been brought out of prison, in the capital and sent them to the stronghold to meet up with another group of brothers.

Natsuki Subaru led only Clarissa, Elsa, and Merry along the starlight as the night deepened.

He walked at the front of the group, remaining silent the entire way.

Rem's kiss was still etched in his mind, and he figured it wouldn't be easy for him to forget it before his next drinking session.

This is where Elsa's importance becomes apparent.

As for the accompanying Merry, Subaru Natsuki didn't take her seriously.

"A mere child, how could he possibly kill this general in the Tower of Sages?"

Seeing Subaru Natsuki deep in thought ahead, Elsa lags behind and quietly moves closer to Clarissa.

"The Shatterer".

She lowered her voice.

"What exactly is the meaning of the term 'dad'?"

Clarissa glanced at Subaru Natsuki in front of her, then at Elsa and Merry, and frowned.

"Of course, Dad is Dad."

She spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Dad is the man Mom chose, and Dad won Mom over, so now he is our dad."

Elsa's steps were a beat slower.

She knew, of course, that after leaving the mansion, Natsuki Subaru had been carrying Capella around his waist. To conceal his appearance, he had even borrowed her cloak.

In exchange, Subaru Natsuki's jacket was kept by her.

But what about "Dad conquered Mom"? That's way too much information!

Elsa's smile faltered for a moment. She instinctively looked ahead and saw, beneath the black-haired youth's cloak, the head of Capella, still attached to his remaining torso, vaguely visible.

Could it be that the two of them developed feelings for each other while spending time together?

Thinking about the possible relationship between Subaru Natsuki and Capella, Elsa felt as if her heart had been squeezed tightly, and her fingertips slowly tightened, almost piercing her palm.

No! That's impossible!

Subaru is indeed very charming, but only a few days have passed!

Even if Capela is hanging on his waist, accompanying him day and night!

It shouldn't have developed to the extent described by Clarissa.

Moreover, Subaru is a gentle person.

How could I possibly like a pervert like my mother?

There must be some part of the story that she doesn't know about.

Elsa looked at Clarissa again, her smile much fainter.

What exactly happened?

Clarissa glanced at her, somewhat annoyed by her persistent questioning, thinking, 'I also want to know what happened...'

But that didn't stop her from speaking in a distant tone:

"You only need to know one thing—"

"Just obey your father's orders."

Elsa looked at her for a moment and knew that this was the consistent behavior of the Aiko Organization.

Ultimately, no further questions were asked.

She then turned her gaze to Mary beside her.

After overhearing their conversation, Mary quietly hid next to Elsa.

She secretly glanced at Subaru and Capella.

My brain is racing with ideas for blueberry mini cakes:

"It turns out that my abusive mother was actually a masochist!"

"She actually fell in love with the man who humiliated her under such circumstances!"

"No wonder she's a mother! How twisted!"

Mary's body tensed up, and a thought popped into her mind.

But why does Mom like this style?

Could it be that being abused can actually produce a sense of pleasure?

Elsa also fell in love with this man...

Could Elsa also be...?

Elsa noticed Melly's unusual behavior and gently patted the back of her hand.

Melly looked up at Elsa.

He wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

After a moment of silence, Elsa asked Clarissa again:

"I can ask nothing else, but for the sake of better obedience..."

"You should at least tell me now, what are we going to do at the Tower of Sages?"

"Ok."

Clarissa said, feigning seriousness:

"The kingdom has decided to form an exploration team to head to the Sage's Tower today."

"Sword Saint Reinhard, the best knight Julius, the blue knight Felix, and Russell, the leader of the six tongues, will all be going together."

"Their goal was to find the legendary sage Shaula to cure Chancellor Myrotov's madness."

"But what does this have to do with us going to the Sage's Tower?" Elsa still didn't understand and asked in confusion.

"Does Subaru want to find the Great Sage ahead of time, obtain the method, and then gain the credit?"

“I almost forgot you don’t know,” Clarissa glanced mockingly at Elsa, “that Mycroft’s madness was actually caused by Mother’s instigation of the Gluttony Bishop!”

Elsa's eyes widened instantly!

Clarissa continued:

"In other words, if Dad really wants to find a cure, the person he should go to is the Bishop of Gluttony."

"Shaula in the Tower of Sages has no direct connection to this matter. But Dad chose this place anyway, and set off immediately after the kingdom's team was confirmed."

"They even went to the prison in advance and brought you, who is best at close combat, and that little girl who controls monsters out."

"So... do you still think that Dad went to the Tower of Sages to find the Great Sage?"

The scattered clues from Clarissa's mouth seemed to be strung together into a line:

"So, on the surface, Dad said he was going to the Tower of Sages to find the Great Sage Shaula."

"But the truth is that Dad plans to use the sand outside the Tower of the Sages to wipe out the entire Lugnica Kingdom's living forces."

Elsa's eyes narrowed.

Mary's fingers tightened suddenly.

This certainly sounds like something this terrifying man would do...

And now this man... is Mary's... father?

Will Mary also be abused?

Upon realizing this, Meili's blue pupils began to tremble.

Elsa refused to believe it and resolutely shook her head.

She sensed that Clarissa seemed to have some misunderstanding about Subaru Natsuki.

Subaru Natsuki and Reinhard have such a good relationship, how could they possibly resort to such a vicious scheme to eliminate each other?

“Subaru wouldn’t do that,” Elsa immediately denied.

"Watch how you address your father!"

"And why do you think that?" Clarissa glanced at Elsa, her brows furrowing slightly.

Elsa is so arrogant. She was just rescued by her father, and she's already acting like she knows him better than I do!

"Because he is a gentle person."

Clarissa, who had just been coldly scrutinizing Elsa, suddenly nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

His gaze toward Elsa held a hint of warmth.

You actually feel that way too?

It seems...we...are sisters!

“You’re right,” Clarissa said with a longing look.

"Dad is a gentle person."

Elsa stared at her blankly.

My brain is a bit muddled.

Wait a minute...

Shouldn't Clarissa have refuted this?

Why does it seem like she agrees with Subaru's gentleness? But if she does agree, why would she make such a sinister assumption?

Does she think that a gentle person should use scheming to kill all the enemies?

Doesn't she find it contradictory or incongruous?

Elsa swallowed.

I don't know what to say for a moment.

After thinking about it carefully, she suddenly felt that what Clarissa said might be true.

After all, it was Reinhard who sent Subaru to prison before, and Reinhard said some very hurtful things to Subaru.

It's understandable that those words led to a falling out and them becoming enemies.

Elsa's mind was a mess.

Mary's mind is a complete mess.

Clarissa kept recalling the scenes of Subaru Natsuki patting her head and tying her shoelaces.

Just as the three were lost in their own thoughts, Natsuki Subaru's voice came from ahead:

"It seems we've arrived at the Tower of Sages."

Elsa, Melly, and Clarissa all looked up in surprise.

They've only been out of the capital for a short time, and they've already reached the Tower of Sages?

They then discovered that the woods surrounding the capital had disappeared sometime during the night.

In the distance, an endless sea of ​​yellow sand stretches out, the wind whipping up fine sand that sweeps across the ground like layers of slowly moving smoke.

The three of them exchanged a glance.

They had no idea how long they had walked.

I felt neither tired nor thirsty, nor did I notice when the road beneath my feet had turned into sand.

Natsuki Subaru, however, was already used to this.

He looked around, his brows gradually furrowing.

"The starry night told me it was right here."