Volume 4 Chapter 103: Titles

Inside White Road, now quiet after Noir’s departure, Tesea let out a small sigh.

She glanced around the room and couldn’t help but show a slightly strained smile. The lively chaos that seemed impossible to control just moments ago had vanished. The instant Noir entered My Garden, everyone turned their gaze toward the door and fell silent. Well, except Sophie, who stood by Elshan as usual, unaffected. Even so, the atmosphere had become unbearably tense.

Tesea couldn’t help but marvel at how Noir seemed to occupy every thought in their heads.

Even someone as socially oblivious as her could tell that their affection for him was far from normal. It was… excessive. Just imagining herself in Noir’s shoes made her shudder. The idea of someone following her to the bathroom was too much.

Of course, Tesea was deeply grateful to everyone who had helped her and Noir. They were kind when speaking to her, and she genuinely liked them. She even found her younger sister, Ciara, particularly adorable.

But lately, Tesea had started thinking:

Maybe these people are a bit… off.

No, calling them weirdos would be too rude.

Unique. Yes, very unique individuals.

Trying to shake off her unease, Tesea activated her rarely used Analyze to take a closer look at everyone gathered.

She wasn’t keen on invading others’ privacy, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

Analyze was a magis gear that automatically read information when activated. Its effectiveness depended on the user’s ability and the target’s proximity, but Tesea didn’t control which details it chose to display.

Because of that, there were two aspects of the data that even she didn’t fully understand: ranks and titles.

Ranks, at least, were somewhat clear. They seemed to measure a person’s potential, which rarely changed unless they were in a unique situation like Noir. The rankings followed the standard system used by miners, from F to S.

When she was in the Floating City of Firmament, Tesea often analyzed the believers there. B-rank individuals were rare, and Aizon quickly snatched up anyone that skilled. She hadn’t analyzed the people on the surface, but she guessed their average rank would be around D.

Although the system simplified things and there could be variations within the same rank, Tesea turned her gaze to Ciara, who sat beside her, silently staring at My Garden.

Tesea herself was a B-rank. Her younger sister, Ciara, however—

Rank A.

It was a testament to her extraordinary talent. Tesea didn’t feel envious, but the fact that most of the people in this room were also A-rank was…

Ridiculously abnormal.

Of course, rank didn’t define a person’s worth. Even so—

How did so many amazing people end up around Onii-chan?

Tesea simply couldn’t understand.

But what intrigued her more than the ranks were the titles.

Titles were an enigma to her. She had no idea who assigned them or why they changed so easily depending on circumstances.

Her current theory was that Analyze assessed a person’s past actions, experiences, memories, and the impact they had on others—their so-called “life story”—and displayed a title that matched Tesea’s knowledge.

While titles could make it easier to understand someone at a glance, they were often unnecessary or baffling. Most people didn’t even have one.

Why Analyze included this feature was a mystery. Maybe this magis gear had some quirky will of its own.

Because—

Tesea glanced at Sophie, standing beside Elshan.

Title: Beloved Girl.

See? It’s just messing around.

The titles were oddly casual and almost seemed to be joking. Was this some kind of warped humor?

I don’t get it…

Tesea found her magis gear utterly baffling. But more importantly—

Sophie’s title wasn’t the issue. She was adorable and charming, so being beloved made sense. The real problem lay with everyone else.

She turned her gaze to Elshan, who stood next to Sophie.

Title: Lustful Stalker.

“……”

That’s just… awful.

It sounded criminal.

According to Tesea’s knowledge, the Forest Folk weren’t supposed to have strong desires of that kind. Yet this absurd title said otherwise. Analyze might assign silly titles, but it never completely fabricated unrelated ones.

Which meant… Elshan really was like that.

“Hm, perhaps I’ll make some tea while we wait,” Milis said, standing up and heading to the back.

“…Sis, is something wrong?”

As if Milis’s actions had broken the spell, the tense silence in the room eased, and everyone began to move again.

“…It’s nothing. I’m fine,” Tesea replied, adjusting her glasses and smiling at Ciara, who tilted her head in curiosity.

Title: Sister Beyond Family.

Internally, however, Tesea was screaming.

No, that’s not okay. That’s no longer a sister.

“…If I could use this chance… no, but an accident… no matter what… eliminate…”

Hearing ominous muttering from behind the sofa, Tesea’s smile faltered.

Turning stiffly, she saw Fiona seated neatly on the floor, her chin resting on her hand as she mumbled darkly to herself.

Noir had probably told her to stay put, but Fiona seemed to be taking his words very literally. Though her body stayed still, her thoughts were anything but.

Title: A Pervert Filled with Love

What kind of title is that?

It’s downright terrible.

As Tesea averted her gaze from Fiona, she noticed Noel sitting down across from her at just the right moment.

“Hm? What’s wrong, Tesea-chan?”

Noticing Tesea’s gaze, Noel tilted her head with a sweet smile.

She really was charming. At first, Tesea had mistakenly thought that Noel and Noir were romantically involved. It was a natural assumption after seeing Noel’s reaction when Noir’s life had been saved.

Title: Obsessive Lover.

“…I can’t wait to meet Noir’s friends…”

“Yeah, me too. I have to properly thank them for helping Noir…”

What exactly did she mean by that?

Tesea couldn’t bring herself to ask.

“Here, I’ve brought some tea,” Milis announced, returning with a tray holding enough cups for everyone.

As Noel smiled warmly, Tesea returned an awkward smile. Milis began placing steaming cups on the counter near Elshan and Sophie, who were close by.

“Thank you, Milis.”

“I am most grateful. Thank you kindly.”

“Mm.”

“Still, I’m surprised. I thought you’d be angrier,” Elshan said, watching Milis carefully.

“Well… I wasn’t exactly thrilled about them controlling Noir’s body without permission…”

Milis responded casually as she walked over to Fiona, who was still lost in her mutterings. She set a cup down on the floor next to her.

You’re putting it there…? Tesea thought.

Afterward, Milis placed cups on the table in front of Tesea and the others before settling gracefully beside Noel. Crossing her legs, she lifted a cup, sipped her tea with elegance, and spoke again.

“I find it difficult to harbor anger toward them.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“I see no reason to tell you.”

“You’re as blunt as ever…”

Milis smirked confidently, sipping her tea again. Elshan shrugged and did the same.

Milis Albama.

Title: Unknown.
Unknown.
Unknown.
Unknown.
Unknown.
Unknown.

Tesea still couldn’t make sense of it.

For her, failing to read someone’s information using Analyze was a rare occurrence. Unless they were in a unique state like Noir, human information was far easier to obtain than that of tools or other creatures.

Yet no matter how many times she tried, Milis’s information remained elusive.

The most likely explanation was simple: Tesea’s ability was insufficient.

Milis must be someone whose existence rivaled—or even surpassed—that of a divine artifact.

The only concrete details Tesea could discern were that Milis’s mana capacity wasn’t extraordinary, even among the demonfolk. In fact, Sophie and Fiona had much higher mana reserves.

And—her rank was C.

This was absurd.

Milis was, without a doubt, the strongest person in the room. No one here could possibly match her. Even if everyone teamed up against her, they’d stand no chance. Noir had recently mentioned that Milis had completely overpowered Fiona, Noel, and Ciara. Even if Elshan and Sophie joined them, they likely still wouldn’t stand a chance against her. After all, Milis had reportedly taken on dozens of mechanical soldiers in the Floating City and emerged victorious.

For someone like her to be rated as merely “above average” was beyond comprehension.

Although Analyze didn’t determine a person’s value, it was supposed to accurately assess potential. If this wasn’t some malfunction and Milis’s talent was truly limited, then… just how much effort had she put in to reach this point?

It made no sense.

Milis was said to have the ability to perceive the flow of mana, but if her C-rank evaluation included that, what would her rank be without it?

If her innate mana control abilities were below average, then she must have developed her overwhelming technique purely through relentless effort, despite having no talent for it.

If Milis were ranked S, it would be understandable.

Her unparalleled mana control skills and combat expertise would make perfect sense.

But for someone with no natural talent to reach her level… how much time would that take?

Years? Decades? No, it would require a nearly unimaginable amount of time.

Even for a long-lived demonfolk, their lifespan was finite. Unlike dragonfolk, who were said to live over a thousand years, the lifespan of the demonfolk was only two or three times that of an average human.

Could anyone reach such heights in such a limited amount of time?

And yet, Milis didn’t appear to have aged a day. She was as stunning as a jewel, with the appearance of someone not even twenty years old.

Something’s not right. Something’s clearly off.

Milis Albama was undeniably strange.

Was it a malfunction in Analyze? Or was it simply a limitation of Tesea’s abilities, leading to incorrect information?

That has to be it… right?

Tesea convinced herself of this conclusion, despite the lingering unease.

Speaking of which…

Suddenly, she recalled Noir’s title.

Title: The Demon King’s Companion.

The Demon King… Tesea only knew the name from history books. It was said to be an ancient existence, more than three millennia old, reduced to little more than a fairy tale.

What could it mean for Noir to be the Demon King’s companion? It shouldn’t have any relevance in the present day.

Could it be that Analyze was also malfunctioning when it came to Noir?

It wasn’t impossible to believe. The first time, it had malfunctioned because of the multiple souls residing in him. The second time, it was because his rank—S—was beyond comprehension.

Yes, that explanation seemed the most natural.

But… what if it wasn’t a malfunction?

If Noir truly was the Demon King’s companion, then someone connected to him might very well be the Demon King.

And the only person whose title remained unreadable—who had cooperated with Noir to manifest magis gear—was right in front of her.

Brilliant white hair, mesmerizing ruby-red eyes. A beauty so radiant she could enchant anyone who laid eyes on her.

Tesea found herself arriving at an unthinkable conclusion.

Milis Albama was the Demon King herself, the very one from three thousand years ago.

The Demon King was said to be a collector of “divine artifacts.” Could Milis have survived using some kind of artifact?

No, no, that’s impossible.

It was Tesea’s bad habit to overanalyze the information she read.

There was no way this could be true. The Demon King was defeated and sealed away by the Hero. That much was fact.

The sword that sealed the Demon King still existed, proof that the Demon King was truly defeated. It was a historical fact known worldwide, even to Tesea.

So no, it couldn’t be possible.

Feeling foolish for even entertaining the thought, Tesea deactivated Analyze, picked up her cup, thanked Milis, and took a sip of the tea.

◇

In a barren plain, I rested my chin on my hand, tilting my head in confusion.

“Hmm…”

I’d been so excited to see everyone again. Honestly, I was even looking forward to hugging them all. But now that they were in front of me, I couldn’t help but tilt my head.

Because instead of people, floating spheres of light—each about the size of my palm—hovered in front of me.

I mean, I could tell these lights were them. Each sphere matched their respective hair colors.

The strawberry blonde one floated right up to my face, as if nuzzling my cheek. But I couldn’t feel anything. It seemed physical contact was impossible.

Even their thoughts seemed faint, as if their consciousness was adrift.

A pale purple sphere hurried over to my face, almost frantically, but there was still no sensation.

Then, the two lights began clashing like they were fighting—well, to be precise, the strawberry blonde one was attacking unilaterally.

It seemed like souls could interact with each other, even if I couldn’t touch them.

The pale purple sphere zipped around my head as if seeking my help, with the strawberry blonde one chasing it relentlessly.

At this point, I couldn’t tell who the hunter was anymore.

Crossing my arms, I stood there coolly.

But still—

“This… isn’t what I expected.”

I mean, I thought I might at least be able to have a conversation with them. This isn’t going to work, Manager.

“Honestly, they were easier to communicate with when they were inside me.”

At my words, the golden, gray, red, and sunset-colored spheres all bobbed up and down, as if agreeing.