“But looking up all this information, I can somehow understand why Archbishop Louis did what he would have done. This child is too dangerous…”

“… …”

“If we let him do what he wants, things might become terrible…”

Clicking her tongue with a worried expression, the woman stared up into the sky.

Listening to her, Maria only smiled. “Ah, do not worry yourself Sister Tacia! My little brother might be a bit unreasonable but he isn’t evil in nature. As long as you won’t touch his person, he wouldn’t be impolite to you.”

“However, truthfully, I also never expected his current power…”

Maria took one of the papers lying on the table. “An ability to control lightning and monsters… controlling monsters isn’t unexpected since that’s little brother’s specialty but who would have known he would also acquire a lighting-control type ability… perhaps, he’s gotten even stronger right now~”

Maria’s lips turned into a brilliant smile. She sounds very proud that it irked the woman in front of her.

“This isn’t a laughing matter, Maria. Just because he’s not evil doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous! Power corrupts even the purest soul. And the stronger the power is, the stronger the corruption becomes.”

Maria shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly in response.

“You should know this since you came back from the future as what you have claimed to be.”

“Are those words only meant for Allen or also for ourselves, Sister Tacia?”

“Maria!”

Maria smiled wryly. “… Then what do you think we should do?”

“That’s…”

“… However, first and foremost I think I need to clarify this first. Whatever your decision is, I wouldn’t participate in any of it as long as it involves my little brother. I won’t betray him the second time…”

Maria’s tone became serious and her eyes narrowed.

“Second, I hope that you wouldn’t become the next Archbishop Louis or else, this time, the church would surely be only mentioned in history and nothing else. The church couldn’t eliminate him even after using all of their power in the previous life much less this time. Allen’s power doesn’t only stop on his abilities but also on his influence.”

“… …”

“… I don’t know about humans but in the monsters domain, he was unstoppable. His title as the [ Beast King ] isn’t just for show. After all, he’s the strongest Beast Tamer in the history of human kind…”

The woman frowned. “Even if he is, just like you, all things gone back to zero weren’t it? That kind of influence shouldn’t exist in this world yet…”

“You really don’t understand anything, Sister Tacia. My little brother isn’t someone that could be measured by common sense. I don’t know about the others but I’ve always known for sure that Allen would also return just like me ever since I regained my memory. That is the reason I immediately told you to check on him… do you know why?”

“?”

“… Because he was loved by God.”

“What?!” The woman’s eyes opened wide as soon as she heard what Maria said. “What do you mean?”

“Or should I say, ‘A’ God!” Maria played her hair with her fingers as she continued, “… I had returned to this time after meeting God. Although I hadn’t seen him, however, I have heard his words. I’m guessing that’s also the same with Mark and the others.

In that sense, I wholeheartedly believed that God really exist!”

“And he was watching us all this time.”

“… …”

“But for Allen, my little brother has always been an anomaly. He survives many ordeals that seemed almost impossible… they said that his luck and ability is just amazing but I had thought otherwise.”

“When he was on the brink of death, he would still survive for unknown reasons. Sometimes, in a desperate fight, he would often release a terrifying power, capable of terrorizing both enemy and allies. If it could only be called as luck or ability, isn’t that simply ridiculous? Human’s luck and ability has its limitations.

This is not a fantasy Hero-based story where plot armors were as blatant as listed in a food menu.              

So, it’s truly strange and mystifying…”

“But here comes the confirmation of God’s existence.”

!?

“… So the only conclusion I could come up with is that something is protecting Allen. And that something could be none other than, an existence akin to that of a God.”

“Then you’re saying that he is… favored by God?” The woman frowned. She couldn’t believe what Maria was talking about.

“I don’t know…” The beautiful face of the famous Holy Maiden, Maria Earlstein, was shrouded by a layer of gloomy worry.  “But what I can ascertain is that the God protecting Allen isn’t the same as the God I have met.”

Maria murmured while casting her gaze upon the documents. “His is dark, heavy… it’s a very complicated God for sure~”

“Maybe what the Archbishop had said was real after all, a devil…”

But Maria shook her head. “It’s not. That, I’m confident. I have met a high-class devil in the war and their aura is somewhat different. Besides, if it’s really a devil then it wouldn’t help Allen in the fight against the demons. It would convert Allen into something evil but it didn’t do so, in fact, it seemed to be protecting him. That’s why I had said that Allen is loved by God, though a very strange God.”

The woman made a very troubled expression. She really didn’t know what to do after being told all of this.

“If it’s just what you had guessed then all the more reason we need to restrain this child. Who knows what he would do with all this power.”

Maria sighed. “Sister Tacia, you can’t kill Allen. There’s this saying in the east, ‘The plan of man can’t be compared to the will of heavens.’ Besides, who knows how many of his loyal tamed monsters regained their memories? If we could return, there’s also a possibility that they could do so too. Each of Allen’s monster isn’t simple. It’s better not to antagonize them…”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

The woman reluctantly nodded at Maria’s words and sighed. “For now, I will heed your advice but the more I heard about him, I can’t help but think that we can’t leave him alone. This child is too much of a risk; we need to pay attention to him in the name of our God.”

“Well, I have already said all the things I need to say, the decision is still yours~” The Holy Maiden sighed sorrowfully. Although she does understand her worries because even in the previous life, most Kings still continued to be wary on the man known as the [ Beast King ].

After all, he was once called as the [ Black Demon King ]. A terrifying terrorist! Who knows when will he turn his back to them?!

But even so, as someone who had socialized with and befriended him, she knows him better than the others. She just can’t think of him badly.

“How about you? What will you do?”

Maria raised her cup and sip. With a smile, she said, “For now, I will do some work befitting of my title. The old geezers at the top wanted me to lead some people to recruit several Superhumans at the same time widen the church influence while I’m at it.”

“… The Templar knights, are you talking about them?”

“Ah, the Templar knight project will be started immediately.”

“That sounds easy but creating a group of Superhumans to become Templar Knights wouldn’t be so easy. Especially, there should still be a few numbers of Superhumans yet in the whole world.”

“Of course not, instead of finding appropriate candidates is quite easy. I already have several people in mind~”

“How about recruiting this child, Allen Bando or the other Kings you mentioned before?”

Maria shook her head with a bitter smile. “That’s impossible; little brother is too free spirited. He doesn’t like being in a big crowd and prefers working alone. Besides, he knows what joining the church signifies. He doesn’t like being involved in political struggle. As for the others, they have their own, it would be nigh impossible to rope them in~”

!!

After answering, Maria suddenly noticed something.

!!?

For some reason, she suddenly seemed quite agitated.

This sudden change didn’t bypass Sister Tacia’s attention.

Was there something to be concerned about? Maria was looking up from time to time and checking out their surroundings.

"What is the matter, Maria? Is there anything concerning?"

"Oh, I don’t know but somehow I simply keep getting a strange feeling as if someone was watching us."

Maria answered after getting startled by Sister Tacia’s question.

She knows that Maria didn’t possess any perception type ability but she also knows that Maria came from a terrifying world so her experience isn’t something she could imagine.

Whenever she said "felt something," Sister Tacia knew very well that it must not be overlooked.

Did something happen? The moment Maria braced herself, she instantly understood the reason.

“Oh Ya, amazing, a mere human actually noticed my presence~”

A voice was heard. It contained a bit of shock showing the owner’s surprise for Maria’s keen perception.

“Who are you!?” Hearing this voice, Sister Tacia immediately stood up and surveyed the surrounding but she couldn’t see anything.

Maria didn’t move but her eyes were moving left to right, up and down, afraid to overlook something.

“No need to be so defensive, I just happen to pass by here~” after saying these words, a lump of darkness suddenly accumulated in the air and in the blink of an eye, a flaming red haired girl around 13 – 14 years old with blood red eyes and a single horn on her forehead appeared.

She was wearing a simple tunic on top, a simple type of clothing similar to t-shirts. On the bottom, she had slender pants with cloth wrapped around her waist like a miniskirt, a display of woman's sense fashion.

The girl was wearing a lovely and carefree smile while looking at the two women.

“A demon!?” Sister Tacia’s eyes widened in shock and immediately grabbed her silver staff with two feathers and a blue gem attached on the top of it.

“I didn’t come here to fight~” the girl’s voice was quite cheerful and filled with a lively girl’s elegance and charm.

“Salamandra?!” But Maria was surprised for a different reason. She knows the girl in front of them.

She had fought with her several times and also conversed with her.

The dragon-demon hybrid, Allen’s dark flame and was known by the world as, “… The Infernal Queen, Salamandra!” Maria muttered in shock.

“Salamandra? Ah right, apparently that was my name…” Salamandra frowned and narrowed her eye, looking at Maria dangerously. “Do you know me?”

“You don’t remember me? I’m Maria!”

“I don’t know any human, much less you,” Salamandra answered with a very displeased voice.

“I’m Maria, Allen’s big sister…” At this moment, Maria suddenly struck by a thought. “Wait, you’re not sent here by Allen?”

“Allen?” Salamandra tilts her neck cutely. “Hmm, truthfully, I was here to look for a human named Allen. Apparently, he seemed to be my master… do you know where he is?”

Maria finally understands everything.

“You don’t remember… anything?”

“… …”

“Wait, Maria! What’s going on here? Who is she?!” Sister Tacia interjected.

Her current expression was between, shock, panic, and worry. In response, Maria made a troubled expression.

“She is Allen’s monster…”

“A-Allen Bando?!” Sister Tacia was shocked. This demon-looking girl, is his tamed monster?

They were just talking about Allen and now one of his rumored monsters suddenly appeared out of nowhere… is this coincidence?!

Or is what Maria mentioned a while ago real. Is the God protecting him sent this girl as a warning for them?

Unbeknownst to Sister Tacia’s wild raging thoughts, Maria and Salamandra looked at each other.

“Do you not remember anything? Then why do you know about Allen? Why are you looking for him?”

Hearing Maria’s question, Salamandra chuckled and smiled. “No, I don’t know what you are talking about. However, if you know about my apparent master, then tell me where he is right now~”

Salamandra’s tone was cheerful and lively but behind it hides a very dangerous intent. It was sharp as if she wasn’t asking but commanding.

“Before then, I want you to tell me why do you know about him if you do not remember anything?”

Maria’s tone was strong and unyielding as if she was expressing that she wasn’t afraid of her.

Salamandra smiled in response to the heroic lady's question.

“Well, well, you sure are an interesting human. As a sign of respect, I will answer it for you. Actually, I was just sleeping on my lair when an arrogant and bossy snake entered and suddenly told me to help her look for my supposed to be a master.”

“And you believe it?”

“Of course not, I’m not an idiot.” Salamandra puffed her almost non-existent chest in pride. “I was enraged by that snake’s attitude so we fought, naturally the great me won. But as a magnanimous, as I am, I decided to listen to her delusions."

"After listening to her, I realized something. Some things seemed to be coincidental to the dreams I often saw in my sleep. I got interested so I went out~”

“Dreams? You mean you have no memories but you had dreams about what? Things that happened in the future?”

“Seems so…” Salamandra nodded her head with a smile. “Though the main reason is that I always had a feeling that I need to meet someone… maybe this supposed to be master of mine, is the one I’m looking for.”

She doesn’t remember anything but she seems to have dreams about the future. Although I did guess before that Allen’s tamed beast might also return but seeing it happening for real is still a very shocking matter.

But why does she have no recollection of the previous life and only have some dreams? Does this mean that some people only had dreams but didn’t entirely return back?

In the first place, how did monsters also returned back to this time? Did God allow it? Or maybe, the God protecting Allen is related to this somehow…

“Is that all?”

“No there are still some questions I want to ask you. Why are you here? Allen isn’t in this place.”

“How would I know that?” Salamandra scoffed.  “I only came here because that snake wanted me to come here and find some clues to master’s whereabouts.”

“Clues?”

“Yeah, she said that this is the place where master got angry and almost died. Maybe there was something I might find here.”

Is she talking about the [ Demon’s Purification ] event?

“… wait, now that I remember. The snake said that this place is filled with master’s enemy…” Salamandra’s eyes turned sharp and an intense killed intent suddenly covered the whole place.

“Are you an enemy?”

Hearing this sudden question, Maria and Sister Tacia both could not hide their troubled expressions.

“We are not… Allen is my little brother…”

“Are you speaking the truth?”

“I am, though I don’t have any proof of it for now.”

With this response, Salamandra’s killing intent gradually faded. “Well, anyway, do you know where he is right now?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?!”

“I said I don’t know. I know where he was before but after Alkrasha took him, we had lost him.”

“Alkrasha?” Familiar sounding, Salamandra thought as she furrowed her brows in contemplation. Where did she hear the name?

“The Insect Queen.”

“Ah! Now I remember, the new Insect Queen. One of the Twelve Monster Kings… now, this became troublesome. Did he know the Insect Queen? Ah, I don’t like that bunch of egoistic monsters…” Salamandra sighed.

"All sorts of difficulties are probably present in that place. Well, since I need to meet him, perhaps this might serve as the prime shortcut."

Salamandra instantly made her decision. “Well, I thank you for the information~”

“Where are you going?” Maria asked.

“[ Bremen ]” Salamandra faintly answered.

“The fabled town of musicians?” Maria had heard about this place before. The place where monsters roam free.

It’s a place known for its freedom and it was ruled by the Twelve Monster Kings.

“Maria, what is this Bremen?” Sister Tacia asked curiously.

“Bremen is a fabled town mentioned in one of the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales [ Town Musicians of Bremen ].”