Emptiness, space, world; Yu didn't know how to describe it, but he felt a small space twisting around him and Yurine, as if he were watching a landscape through a smoking flame.

When he looked at Yurine's face, he could see that she was squeezing herself. Her forehead was wrinkled and her cheeks looked as hard as a wall. She held Yu's hands with her tiny hands.

Yu occasionally felt a tickle in his chest and belly. He couldn't exactly call it tickling, it didn't make him laugh, but he couldn't think of a better description.

Something was trying to touch his soul, sometimes succeeding, but then quickly retreating. Each time this happened, the time between the next touch doubled.

“Yu~” Yurine said. Her voice was shaky and angry. “Why isn't it happening?!”

What Yurine and Yu tried was the sword fairy pact. He had his doubts about how accurate it was to call it a ‘sword fairy pact’ but it had no name in the literature and that was the only name he could think of.

Yurine was trying to become a sword for Yu.

“I can't feel the chain anymore, Yu, what do I do?” Yurine was crying with anger. It was as painful as ever to see tears rolling down her cheeks.

Yu pulled her to him and hugged and stroked her head. “It's okay Yurine, I love you, I wouldn't want using you even if you turned into a sword for me.”

“But Yu!” Yurine raised her head and looked at him with her wet red eyes. “I want this! Why can't I be like the others! Why can't I be like Yu Zao's sword!”

Yu knelt down and this time placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. “I don't want you to be like him or anybody else, just be as sweet and happy as you can be. I want you to smile, in the new world, with your mother. That's what I'm working for, so don't be sad that you're not like others. You are perfect as the way you are.”

“You don't understand...” Yurine was as insistent as Yu. “You don't understand me.”

These words managed to hurt Yu. Yes, as a greedy person with endless desire, he could not understand a being with pure emotions.

Yurine wanted to be a sword fairy by nature, but Yu was afraid of it. If one died, the other would die, and Yu was afraid that his death would lead to Yurine's death. Maybe it was because of this fear that he and Yurine couldn't fully bond. Maybe it was Yu's fear that prevented Yurine from becoming a true sword fairy.

Yu was suffering even more knowing this, but there was no way to overcome this fear. He would not put Yurine at risk again. He would not let her fight, not in her current form, not in the form of a sword.

He would fight for Yurine, for the others. Of course, he did not forget his original goal, he would also fight for Rie and prevent her from meeting a similar fate again.

The next time someone had to fight, the next time someone had to suffer, it would be Yu Valarfin. He had no intention of giving up on this dream, no matter how powerless he was next to the people of this world.

It was more than a dream; in Yu Valarfin's eyes it was the future, a duty. He could see it happening with his eyes, hear it with his ears, and feel it with his skin.

The weight of the sword on his shoulders as he swung it, the way his heart trembled with excitement and his breathing quickened, the sound of the steel as it clashed... He could feel it all. In fact, he felt it to such an extent that it was more than a feeling.

The lullaby in his ears, the all-pervading white light, anger, love and the future.... Yu Valarfin's soul and mind were in turmoil, making him question who he was.

But every day he felt that he was getting closer to the answer. He believed that Yu Valarfin would finally find out who he really was.

“Yu, it's a need,” Yurine said. “I feel it should be like this, like being hungry, like being held... I want to be your sword fairy, Yu.”

Yu didn't know what to say, so he took her hands in his hands and rested his forehead against Yurine's forehead.

“Just the thought of living in this form forever is painful.”

Yurine's words in a low voice made Yu's blood run cold.

“I don't want to think of you getting old, I don't want to think of you dying and me being left behind. I'm scared, Yu. That's why I must become a real sword fairy. I don't want to be an immortal being. There's no point in living without being loved.”

Yu was tired. Really, really tired of crying. Still, Yurine's sudden emotional outburst made him cry and hurt at the same time.

How could someone who was only three and a half years old use such words? How did Yurine know these words?

“I am a sword fairy too, and no other.”

“I know...” No matter how Yurine knew all this, what Yu had to do was to be there for her. “Still, don't be sad and smile. Your sadness makes me sad too.”

Yurine sniffled. “Okay.”

After what happened, she gave up on her mother and became completely attached to Yu.

He never thought Yurine would say such words. He never imagined that she would give up on her mother, and prefer to stay in this world; never imagined any of this after the promise he had made to her at the Wizarding Academy.

But Yurine surprised Yu. She had given up her mother for Yu. The girl answered the question of ‘do you love your father or your mother more’ as ‘my father.’

But this surprise, this answer, was so far from making Yu happy that it hurt him to think about it, made him feel ashamed of himself.

He was ashamed for making Yurine say these things, he hated himself for forcing her to choose between him and her mother.

“And I will be with you in the next world, so save yourself for there. You don't have to turn into a sword in this world.”

“I understand, Yu.” Yurine used Yu's hand to wipe away her own tears. “We'll always be together.”

As Yurine finished speaking, there was a knock on the door of their cabin. The last time there had been a knock, Sivina had entered and told them about the dragon flying overhead.

Now, when the doorbell rang again, Yu remembered the scene he had seen and shuddered as his hair started to grow back. He needed to reapply the cream he used to remove body hair.

“Come in,” Yu said.

The door opened and the silver-haired knight entered with a smile.

“Yes, and I want to be with you for a long time, a very, very long time. Even though some of your actions make people uncomfortable, they are getting less and less, and you have a good habit of making people love you a lot.”

How much had Sivina heard? He hoped she hadn't heard the part about the next world. He would have to probe her later.

“But you should work on your facial expressions a bit more. When you see me, don't react as if someone annoying has just walked in, I must say that hurts me, Yu.”

“I didn't mean to react like that, I apologize.”

“Yu Valarfin, who apologizes a lot, will take some getting used to,” Sivina said, smiling a little more. “But I will like him too, he is Yu Valarfin after all.

Sivina went a little further and talked about her feelings in front of Yurine.

“Reckless,” Yurine said, but she didn't scold him.

Yu found it difficult to understand whether this change in Yurine was positive or negative.

“I love you too, Yurine.” Sivina smiled at Yurine, who hid her face. “I was hurt by the strong scolding you gave me that day, but I have to say that what I did was entirely of my own volition.”

She was referring to the time she gave Yu a lap pillow. Yurine snorted but remained silent in the face of Sivina's continued recklessness.

“Are we there?” Yu asked. They were aiming directly for Jade Island.

“Yes, Yu.” The smile on Sivina's face slowly faded. “You're sure it's safe, right?”

“I am not,” Yu replied.

“So I will stand by you.”

Yu had already thought it would be that way. So he didn't object, he didn't say anything different and he nodded and walked towards the door. Yurine was holding his hand.

When he came on deck, he looked at the island. It was big enough to build a city on, and the further into the island he went, the higher the altitude.

“That way,” Yu said. He tried, half-heartedly, to remember where he had last stood, given the density of the trees and the direction of the sun.

He wasn't sure, but he thought he was on the north side, where he was pointing with his hand. “Let's go up there.”

Sivina nodded and ran to relay the order to the captain. She could have told any soldier, but Sivina wanted to relay Yu's words herself.

Stolen novel; please report.

“She's a beautiful girl,” Yurine said, she was watching the island. “She's very beautiful, aren't you attracted to her?”

“Here we go again, huh?” He didn't deny Sivina's beauty. “What do you want me to say? Would you be happy if I told you I'm devoted to our dream?”

Yurine nodded. “But other things that make you happy make me happy.”

“So does that mean she approves of me being with Sivina? Even though she wants me for her mother?”

Once again, he chose to avoid thinking and watched the island as the ship approached in the direction he had indicated. The dragon was nowhere in sight.

“We left earlier than them, but I hope he didn't leave us and go to watch what was coming after us. Although last time he showed up on the night of this day...”

Once on the island, there was nothing they could do but wait for the Jade Dragon. Maybe he could try to search for the door to the underworld, but he didn't want to bother with that and there was a chance it might anger the dragon. After all, no one wanted uninvited guests wandering around their home.

When the ship was close enough to the island, Yu, Yurine, Sivina and Kigaro got into a boat and the other roaros used pulleys to lower the boat into the water.

“Hey, this... Why are we so close to the water? Isn't this ship too small?”

Kigaro was supposed to row, but he got to the middle of the boat and pulled his knees to his chest and started shaking.

“I thought lions were good swimmers,” Yu said. “They go in the water in national geo.”

“I don't know water!” Kigaro roared and the boat rocked with frightening Yu.

“Be careful!” Yu held Yurine tightly. “Why didn't you tell me before that you were afraid of water?”

“I've never been this close to water before! And I'm not afraid! Roarons are afraid nothing!”

The more Kigaro yelled and roared, the more the boat rocked and the more scared Yu became.

Yes, Yu was also afraid of being in the middle of the water, on a small wooden vehicle.

“Damn it!” Yu took the oars in his own hands, but he didn't know how to pull them, so he swung them clumsily, and instead of moving, they began to spin around.

“I know how to row, Elhaven was on an island.”

Yu did not want to burden a girl with heavy work. It was obvious that Sivina was stronger than him and would do the job better, in the past he would have given her the oars, but now he couldn't bring himself to do it.

“Just tell me how to do it.”

Sivina reached towards Yu and took his hands and started to move them. She even held his black hand without any disgust.

As Sivina was doing this, her breasts were right at the level of Yu's eyes. Sivina was aware of this and deliberately stood closer to Yu than necessary.

Sivina was only amused when Yu turned his head in a different direction and moved a little closer to Yu. When Yu got the hang of it, Yurine pushed Sivina backwards in the stomach.

“You'd be better off not being an exhibitionist. That would be more acceptable.”

He had planned to say it to her, but both the dialog that would follow and the hope he would give Sivina could be a headache. So he kept silent and kept swinging the oars.

It was more tiring than he thought, the water was really exhausting, but when they reached the island as the sun was setting in a crimson hue, Yurine used her healing magic to make the fatigue go away.

The four of them got out of the boat and Kigaro pulled it onto the sand while Yu carried Yurine to keep her from getting wet. Sivina was following behind them.

“It only makes me uneasy to walk on this sand again,” he told Yurine. “The sand is in my shoes.”

“Yu, put me down.”

Yu did as Yurine said and put her down. Yurine walked on the sand for a while and then faced Yu and asked. “How long do we wait.”

“I don't know,” Yu replied.

In the distance, they could still see the ship waiting for them. Yu blinked one eye and put his thumb on the ship, it had disappeared.

“I am very small. I'm a small detail in all that has happened.” He thought of Keichi, Keichi was raising his anger level and giving him a headache from rage. “I was a side character in his story.”

He wondered if Keichi would come to help again. Why had he kept coming to Vermia in the first place, risking to rewind time so many times?

Before he could get lost in these thoughts, just as the sun was about to set, a green dot appeared in the sky. As it appeared in the sky, Kigaro took a step forward and Yurine and Sivina approached Yu.

“Put down your sword. It will only look pathetic in his eyes,” Yu said.

At his warning, Sivina sheathed the sword gripped in her right hand and moved a little closer to Yu. This time not because she was trying to seduce him, but because she was trying to protect him.

The dragon was a predator and flew in the air. So, like all birds of prey, it had sharp eyes and with its eyes it could spot small spots on the island.

Even if he couldn't see it, he could sense the mana, so he could recognize it. As the Jade Dragon approached them, its sight grew larger and larger.

As he began to flap his wings more slowly but powerfully, he was landing on the ground. The sand lifted and the water rippled in the opposite direction. All but Kigaro fell to the ground, unable to stand.

The positions of the Dragon and Yu were reversed compared to last time. The Jade Dragon was standing where Yu stood last time, half in the water.

“Wow...” Kigaro said. It was like he was hypnotized.

Yurine was clinging to Yu's arm, but still one step ahead of him, ready to protect him. Sivina was so close to Yu that their shoulders were touching and her hands, which she was trying to hide, were shaking.

And when it came to Yu, he was scared too.

He spoke, wondering how many times he had said that. “My name is Yu Valarfin.”

The long black pupils in Jade Dragon's yellow eyes turned to Yu's hand. He was examining his left hand carefully.

「Who are you?」 The dragon blew out its hot breath through its nose. Feeling that breath again made Yu's heart tighten and he found it hard to breathe. He breathed in by putting his right hand to his collar and pulling it a little.

“I told you, my name is Yu Valarfin. I am a nobody in this world, and I have come to make a deal with you.” Yu's bold words caused the Jade Dragon to narrow his eyes and turn serious. “I promise you your heart.”

The Jade Dragon blew out a much hotter and more humid breath through its nose. The vapors of its sour fishy breath hit Yu and the others in the face and left drops.

「How do you know that?」 Just like last time, he was hearing the dragon in his own head, with his own words. As such, it was hard for him to understand which sentence was his and which was dragon’s.

“We met you in another world,” Yu began, but was interrupted when Yurine tugged his arm down.

“Yu, are you talking to yourself?” she said, trying to understand what he was doing.

Yu looked at the green-colored dragon before answering Yurine. “Don't you talk to them?”

The Jade Dragon had not answered. He remembered last time, when he had been reluctant to answer questions Yu knew the answer to.

“He speaks to me telepathically, I hear him in my head.”

「In another world? Human, when talking to a majestic being like me, be more descriptive and make your intentions clear!」

The Jade Dragon felt different from the last time. Obviously Yu had expected to feel like a friend when he met him again, and now this coldness between them felt foreign.

“We made a deal with you before, but because of the Libra Cardinal, it was... Broken? I guess I should say that.”

As much as it frightened him to talk about their previous dealings, he was more afraid that the Jade Dragon would think he had been deceived.

“You know about the Blessings of God Azer, don't you? The Libra Blessing rewinds time. Because time rewinds, our previous agreement was never made, but I have come to make a new agreement. This time I will give you your heart.”

He was aware that he was still not clear enough. Still, he wasn't going to tell everything openly unless he was asked, and if he was asked... If he was asked, he would tell.

「What was our previous agreement?」 Jade Dragon asked.

“You took me near Vermia in exchange for me giving you my hand.” Yu pointed his left hand at the Jade Dragon. “This is the consequence.”

Yu and the Jade Dragon were talking while the others could only hear Yu's voice. Kigaro watched the dragon in front of him without a problem, but Yurine and Sivina looked at Yu's face with suspicious eyes.

“Now... This time I will ask for your help. King Yu Zao’s army is approaching Vermia and there is a wizard from Azer's lineage in it. I ask you to help me destroy this army, especially the wizard.”

This was Yu's first request, and if this offer was accepted, it would remove a major obstacle in the way of saving Rie.

“In return, I will give you your heart before the year forty-five. These agreements are engraved in our souls, right? I think that when we make the deal, if I don't keep it, my soul will be destroyed, so you know I will keep the deal.”

The dragon listened to him in silence. There was no reaction except its smoky breath, but Yu had a feeling that if the dragon were human, it would have laughed.

「No.」

Yu's cheeks tensed at the Dragon's answer, he bit his lip and clenched his fists.

“Yu & Yu,” Yurine and Sivina said at the same time but when they realized this, only Yurine continued speaking. “What happened? What did she say? Why is your face like that?”

“He refused.”

He had already anticipated that this offer would be rejected, so he had prepared a second offer, but he was going to try his hand at negotiation before moving on to the new one.

“Why? If I could, I would give you your heart back right now, but that would only result in my death and you would not get it back for a long time.”

「Because I feel like you're trying to trick me.」

“No! Can't you look at my thoughts? You felt my feelings before, can't you feel them again? I'm not fooling you!”

When the dragon said that, Yu really felt like he was trying to trick him.

Okay, technically he wasn't trying to deceive him, but one could say he was trying to deceive him in some way. The reason he said he was going to give his heart before the year forty-five was because he planned to give it not in this world but in the next.

But he could not understand how the Jade Dragon could feel such a small detail.

「But what if you die? What if you've accepted the destruction of your soul and are trying to take advantage of me before that happens?」 He was thinking about what Yu would be thinking when faced with a long-term offer. 「But above all, I can't fight a demigod when I have no heart.」

“He's not a demigod, just his descendant...”

「Demi god?」

Yu couldn't understand whether the Jade Dragon was asking a question or saying ‘how could you not know that?’

“Well, let's think of something else.”

He said he could not fight the wizard without a heart.

If the Jade Dragon could win, Yu would have insisted on his offer, but if he couldn't, there was no need. If he lost, Yu would lose again, and this time there was no certainty that Keichi would show up and rewind time.

And this time, if Keichi showed up again and rewound time, it was uncertain whether Yu's memory would remain intact again.

“At least help me take back the city,” he said. “I won't ask you to burn the city to ashes, that is, unless it's necessary. Just be with me for one day, from sunrise to sunset tomorrow. Let's scare the enemy first, and if they don't surrender, knock down one of the walls. That will be enough.”

That was his second offer. This offer was not even troublesome for the Jade Dragon.

“In return, I will give you back your hand before the date I specified.”

When he made his offer, he was again met with smoky breath. This time the breath was the deepest of all.

「Why before that date?」

“Because...” Yu couldn't think of an explanation.

「In five years you will bring back my heart. If you fail to bring back my heart, your soul won't be shattered, but I'll lock it away. You won't live or die, you'll turn into a doll.」

Yu sweated. He was no longer sweating from the smoke but from stress.

There was a big difference between in five years and before forty-five years. For Yu, five years from now might have been the beginning of his forty years in the new world, and when he returned in the late summer of the thirty-nine years of the new world, he might not have been able to get the dragon's heart back in such a short time.

As for the Jade Dragon's threat, he didn't know what the difference was between turning into a doll and dying if he couldn't feel anything, but if he was going to continue to see and think everything as a doll, it was worse than having his soul shattered.

「If you accept this deal, you can use me from sunrise to sunset tomorrow. I won't destroy the city, but you can ask me to destroy the armies. Then, in the next five years of your life, you will return my heart to me.」

This offer had to be the best offer he could get. If he believed he could change things, he would really try to negotiate, but he had no faith in that.

「If you don't bring it, what I just said applies.」

Yes, it was the best offer Yu Valarfin could get.