“Damn you! I don’t know how you pulled it off, but why has the Aria of Annihilation—?”

The assassin readied his violin again as if tossing it away, then pulled a carrot from his pocket and took a rough bite. He glared at us in frustration. It seemed he still hadn’t realized we’d used reversal magic.

“How exactly did you rescue me?”

Tenuto asked, his eyes shining with a keen alertness as he assessed the situation. I simply responded with a small flourish of my wrist.

“I see—that’s how you did it.”

It appeared he understood. But the assassin still hadn’t caught on to the existence of reversal magic.

“Well, no matter. All I need to do is bury you with my Shadow Canon and Prelude of Death.”

He raised his bow once again, weaving a minor key melody. The instant that stabbing, sharp sound trembled through the air, my vision began to sway violently, and the light drained from my eyes.

(A spell that robs one’s sight…!)

A terrifying magical power poured out of the violin, and the surroundings were swallowed by darkness. It felt like being drawn into the depths of the abyss.

I could faintly hear Tenuto’s calm voice, and then—plink, plonk... a gentle piano tune from somewhere.

No way...

In the blink of an eye, the piano accompaniment enveloped the world of minor tones and repainted it with new colors.

“In that case, I’ll just improvise and turn it into a major-key piano arrangement. I call it the Canon of Light!”

At Tenuto’s triumphant proclamation, a brilliant cascade of notes forced my sight open. As I blinked, the once-dim scenery gradually returned to light.

“So that’s it! I’ve figured it out! You used reversal magic, didn’t you? And you did it all on the fly—can’t let my guard down with you lot.”

Rabbid bit into a stick of celery this time, looking frustrated. The distinct aroma, different from that of carrot, wafted around, accentuating his irritation.

“It’s too late now!”

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Tenuto and I began to play in unison. We had no need for sheet music; we aligned our breathing and unleashed a magic of pure sunlight in one grand burst.

“Gaaahhhhhh!”

A blinding surge of light slammed into Rabbid’s body. The scorching heat and searing flash combined, forcing a tortured scream from his lips.

It looked like we’d dealt him a considerable blow.

“Then I have no choice! My ultimate weapon—Prelude of Death! Fuhihihihi... Now both of you will be finished! You can’t possibly use a reversal spell on this!”

His voice oozed malice, as though sinking into darkness. I could feel his evil intent taking form and closing in on us. Rabbid’s performance crackled with a sinister aura, poised to tear us apart at any moment.

If we let him run wild, we’d be done for!

I exchanged a glance with Tenuto. Heart pounding, he shouted:

“Then we’ll do the Blues of Revival!”

“OK!”

It was that session we’d practiced so many times in the basement!

The sound from our two instruments mixed together, creating a powerful riff. Part A went smoothly: the heavy rhythm and melody fused, trying to suppress the violin’s deathly tones—like a Grim Reaper’s claws.

But as we headed into part B—

“Damn it!”

The low note that should have rung out with a cool, rich timbre broke into a high-pitched squeak. Our lack of rehearsal in the basement was coming back to haunt us.

Sensing the opening, Rabbid’s violin roared to life. Just as the deadly melody reached its climax—

Snap.

“Did the G string just break?!”

Rabbid stared at his violin in shock. One of the strings now hung uselessly, slack and limp.

“My spare strings were all used up in the fight against Akira. I replaced one more after performing with Elise. Thinking back, we’ve had nothing but fierce battles all day…”

He muttered in a muffled voice, almost like a sore loser, then twisted his face into a vicious grin.

“No matter. I’ll withdraw for now. But remember—both of you are my prey. Don’t forget the name ‘Rabbid’!”

The assassin perked up his ears, using the unbroken strings to perform a teleportation spell on the spot.

“Wait! Don’t let him escape! Tell us where Elise and the others are!”

I tried to chase him down, but Tenuto grabbed my arm to stop me.

“Don’t go after him! I get how you feel, but we need to regroup first!”

During that brief hesitation, Rabbid vanished with his teleportation, leaving us behind in silence.

Somehow, we’d survived.

Relief washed over me, body and soul, as though all strength had drained out after our desperate struggle.

☆　☆　☆

Just then, a married couple—acquaintances of Akira—arrived to pick us up. They were dressed in adventurer-like gear.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Allegro. And this here is—”

“I’m Sonata,” she said with a gentle laugh.

Noticing how exhausted we looked, Sonata offered us a sympathetic gaze.

“Akira and I graduated from the same elite academy,” Allegro said. “Most of our classmates ended up in government or big corporations, so they’re often tangled up with Edgehope or Edgeguard. All that social entanglement can be a real pain.”

He shrugged, though the grin on his face was anything but malicious.

“But as for us, we’re a rare pair among our fellow graduates—we’re freewheeling treasure hunters. Because of that, we can act as your guarantors or stand-in guardians if needed. Feel free to lean on us.”

“Hey! Don’t act so high and mighty!” Sonata chided him in exasperation. “You have no idea how many messes I’ve had to clean up for you!”

Their easy banter warmed our spirits, which had been weighed down by everything we’d just been through—even if only by a little.