Luluvi lay sprawled across the bed in a starfish position, staring blankly at the ceiling.
So many kids… when did she suddenly end up having to look after this many children?
This city was enormous.
Though, surprisingly, the housing prices weren't that high—well within what she could easily afford.
Then again… she really did have Kanzaki Rei to thank for that. Farming Tier 6 monsters to her heart's content without needing to search for Tier 6 dungeons everywhere meant her wealth far exceeded that of ordinary people.
Still… Atlante City truly was peaceful.
At least, on the surface.
Kanzaki Rei and Kiyomi returned.
Now, Luluvi found it increasingly difficult to track Kanzaki Rei's presence. He was like a ghost—when her perception swept over him, it felt like there was nothing there at all.
She had no idea what kind of method he was using to block detection.
Meanwhile, Kiyomi and Kanzaki Rei seemed to be chatting excitedly.
…What were they even talking about?
Kiyomi spoke with clear enthusiasm:
"A kid should still have a kid's weaknesses, right? Like liking sweets or something. The poison doesn't have to take effect immediately either—if we can get him to consume some kind of slow-acting chronic toxin over a long period, the results might actually be better."
Kanzaki Rei nodded.
"Yeah… that makes sense."
Kiyomi continued, growing even more animated:
"Of course, that's still a lower-tier method. If you can make the target willingly choose death themselves, that's the perfect assassination. Or maybe we could ruin his reputation completely first…"
…What?
What are these two even talking about?
They went out for one trip and suddenly they're discussing how to kill a child?
Isn't that going way too far?
By now, the two had already reached the front of their residence.
Since they hadn't planned to stay long in Misilru, the three of them had only purchased a slightly luxurious villa—nothing excessive.
Still, it had more than enough rooms for four people to live together comfortably.
It also made things more convenient.
After all, this was an unfamiliar continent. If something unexpected happened, being scattered across different locations would make support difficult.
"Oh, Luluvi! You're still up?"
As soon as he opened the door and saw her standing there, Kanzaki Rei greeted her with a smile.
But Luluvi looked unusually serious.
"Kiyomi… can you tell me why you're trying to kill a child?"
Kiyomi tilted her head upward to look at her.
From this angle, she couldn't even see Luluvi's face—her view was completely blocked.
She was already shorter than Kanzaki Rei, and Kanzaki Rei's height happened to line up roughly with Luluvi's chest.
"Oh, Kanzaki Rei asked me to help him kill that person."
Kanzaki Rei sighed helplessly.
"Luluvi, the one I want to kill… is harder to kill than I am."
"Do you really think he's an ordinary child?"
Luluvi fell silent for a moment.
"…Alright. Tell me everything."
Kanzaki Rei smiled faintly.
"Mm. I was planning to talk to you anyway."
—
The three of them sat on the sofa in their new home.
Kanzaki Rei explained the entire situation—well, a fabricated version of it. Though, in truth, it wasn't too far from reality.
The main things he concealed were his own abilities.
For example… his ability to simulate the future.
"So what you're saying is," Luluvi summarized, "you two are in a kill-or-be-killed relationship. If he lives, you might die."
"And once he finds you, he'll keep hunting you relentlessly."
Kanzaki Rei nodded.
"Yeah."
"And I can't just ignore him either. Even though something seems to have gone wrong and he doesn't remember who I am right now… there's no guarantee he won't remember someday."
"And as long as he's alive, some of the opportunities I encounter in the future might very well be traps he's set."
"If he's this determined to kill me… then I have to respond in kind."
Luluvi exhaled softly.
"…Alright. What do you need me to do?"
Just moments ago, she had been thinking about how peaceful this city was.
And now, Kanzaki Rei was already planning to kill a figure of considerable fame across the Moonsea… a Reincarnator.
The name "Seiya," the Reincarnator, wasn't exactly obscure.
Hidden away?
Luluvi glanced at the "child" in question in her mind.
Hidden away… where exactly?
He showed up and immediately started causing trouble.
"…Nothing particularly urgent," Kanzaki Rei replied.
"Just keep an eye on him when you can."
Although using perception could attract attention, Kanzaki Rei's own perception—enhanced by Unsolvable Mystery—could not be detected by others.
But Luluvi's perception…
…did carry a slight risk of being noticed.
However, Kanzaki Rei had already tested that risk during previous simulations. Before the final confrontation with Seiya, he had confirmed that the latter could not detect it.
During the daytime, the streets were packed with people—hundreds of thousands moving about.
Any class-holder who had reached Level 3 could release perception.
As a result, the entire city was filled with overlapping waves of perception.
Luluvi's perception was merely one among countless others—completely inconspicuous.
That was also why, in such a bustling environment, it was difficult to single out any one individual.
Just like how Kanzaki Rei himself hadn't noticed Seiya's presence in that same environment.
…Which also meant there might be other valuable things he had overlooked.
The three of them discussed assassination strategies late into the night.
Kiyomi was especially happy.
This was the first time anyone had sat down with her to seriously talk about killing someone—discussing methods, strategies, possibilities.
To her, this was pure joy.
She didn't really have any other hobbies.
Practicing the creed of an assassin—finding targets and killing them—was her greatest passion.
But her upbringing had also taught her that she couldn't kill indiscriminately. Only those who deserved death could be killed.
So most of the time, she hunted bandits and criminals.
In Loren, she could already be considered a force for punishing evil.
Yet even now, she had never encountered an opponent truly worth killing.
Kanzaki Rei, Iz, Kumironi—yes, they were strong.
Killing them would be extremely difficult.
But she had never seriously considered it.
At most, she treated them as sparring partners.
As for other powerful enemies…
They were usually dealt with by Kanzaki Rei and the others before she ever had the chance.
Which meant that from the moment she was born until now…
Kiyomi had never encountered a target that truly needed to be killed.
And now—
Sitting together, discussing how to eliminate a difficult target…
It felt like she had discovered an entirely new world.
—
March 26.
Kanzaki Rei kept constant watch on Seiya.
At the same time, he also gathered information about the relic that granted access to the "Ascending Realm."
After investigating more closely, he learned that the relic wouldn't open until April.
No rush, then.
Better deal with Seiya first.
In the final minutes of the day, Kanzaki Rei conducted another assassination simulation.
The result… was still failure.
Direct assaults simply didn't work.
With so many life-saving items, surviving wasn't difficult for Seiya.
Especially certain special items that could grant near-invincibility for a brief instant.
Similar to Kanzaki Rei's own ability to phase into nothingness.
Even if it lasted only a moment, it was more than enough time for Seiya to activate teleportation and escape.
…Which meant—
He really did need to make Seiya gradually lower his guard.
If he could lure him into a location where teleportation was restricted…
Kanzaki Rei recalled that certain dungeons possessed spatial sealing effects.
If he could draw Seiya into such a place—
Then escape would no longer be an option.