Reinhard and the others stood in silence for several seconds.

Then Marie spoke, her voice quiet enough that only their group could hear. "So it's the Star Jewel this time. But is it already summoned?"

Joseph frowned. "Either it's already summoned and we just need to find it, or it hasn't been summoned and this information isn't what the Saint knows."

Janus and Amiya blinked before they asked. "What do you mean by summon?"

Joseph blinks before saying. "Right, you guys don't know. Well, we have encountered a Star Jewel before and found out that each one requires a condition to appear."

Janus' eyes widened before he trembled and asked in hesitation. "D-Dosen't that mean there's a chance the jewel isn't here?"

Amiya trembled as she muttered. "That can't be…"

Brunhilde pondered, her hand coming up to tap her chin thoughtfully. "No, it should be here… I doubt Lucian would come all the way over here if the Jewel wasn't summoned. I'm guessing his visions can't tell him exactly where the Star Jewel is and require help."

"Is the Saint's vision really that accurate?" Reinhard asked.

Brunhilde sighed, something complicated entering her expression. "When I visited him to learn about my sister's whereabouts, he told me she wasn't on the planet and that he sees her in a dream world." Her voice grew quieter. "When I heard it, I was angry and annoyed with his words because I thought he was mocking me... But now, I can say for sure he just saw her in my vision, or more specifically, that fantasy world I created."

Reinhard blinked, processing this revelation before he sighed as the implications were staggering. Marie and Joseph's eyes widened in slight disbelief while Janus and Amiya blinked in surprise.

Marie's eyes lit up again. "So his future sight can see years into the future?"

"That is amazing… No wonder the Luminous Knights trust his judgement so much." Amiya said softly.

Brunhilde nodded slowly. "It's an amazing ability. But it might also be a curse, considering it slowly cripples his ability to be surprised."

Everyone fell silent as they fell into thought.

To see the future so clearly that nothing could ever truly shock you again, and to lose that human experience of surprise and wonder. What would that do to a person over the years, over decades?

Reinhard sighed again, breaking the contemplative silence. "Alright, let's go help out."

They all nodded.

Marie moved toward one section of shelves. Joseph headed for another. Amiya went toward the records that might contain local legends while Janus followed her, still looking troubled but focused.

Reinhard didn't follow, and instead, he turned and walked toward the library's entrance, his boots creating soft sounds against wooden floors. Behind him, he heard lighter footsteps, and he knew it was Brunhilde following without question or comment.

They stepped outside together and felt the Afternoon sunlight hit them.

They heard hammering, sawing, voices calling instructions while children laughed somewhere, their joy unaffected by the morning's terror.

Reinhard walked until they reached a relatively quiet area between buildings. Then he stopped, hands sliding into his trouser pockets as he stared forward at nothing in particular.

Brunhilde stayed by his side, her light blue eyes studying him with patient curiosity.

"I wasn't curious about the Star Jewel." Reinhard said quietly. "Or truthfully, I suppressed my curiosity."

Brunhilde blinked, her violet-blue hair shifting with the motion. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

Reinhard looked at his gloved right hand and said softly. "I was afraid of what I would do if it became possible to use it to fulfill my wish."

Brunhilde fell silent while the sounds that he had heard before became distant.

Reinhard chuckled lightly, though the sound carried no real humor. "It's funny. You can know something is wrong... And yet when you see how it can help you achieve your goal, you begin to rationalize it and try to justify it..." He turned his hand over, examining the glove covering his Beast Symbol. "The human mind really is a scary yet wonderful thing."

Brunhilde's hand moved gently, taking Reinhard's in her own. "Even if you were to learn that it could fulfill your wish, you wouldn't go down the path I did."

Reinhard fell silent for a couple of seconds, and then he whispered. "How are you so sure?"

"It's because the memories of everyone will stop you." Brunhilde said simply.

Reinhard's eyes widened slightly.

Brunhilde continued with a faint smile, and her expression softened. "Sure, we may justify it at first. But all of that evaporates when we see the disappointment and hurt in the eyes of the ones we care about. Then that justification crumbles as we begin to realize nothing is worth seeing the pain in their eyes and knowing we caused it."

Reinhard furrowed his brows, processing her words. Images flashed through his mind of Anna and Klein looking at him like he'd become a stranger, Marie's light-gold eyes filled with betrayal, Joseph's green gaze showing hurt.

The pictures hurt far more than he would like, pressing against his chest like weights.

Brunhilde gently spoke. "Besides, we're all here to stop you and bring you back. Just like you did for me."

Reinhard's expression softened as a soft smile spread across his face. "Thank you."

Brunhilde laughed before she grinned. "Always..." She paused, then bit her lip. "Can I ask for a favor?"

Reinhard blinked in surprise before nodding his head. "Go ahead."

"When this is over and you go visit Anasha..." Brunhilde's voice grew quieter. "Can you take me with you? I want to apologize to her for what I tried to do..."

Reinhard hummed thoughtfully, then nodded with a smile. "Okay."

Brunhilde blinks before giving him a complicated look and then sighing.

"I still feel like you're letting me off-" Brunhilde started.

Reinhard reached up, gently tapping her forehead with one finger. "I know. But so what? It's my decision, and so I will stick by it."

He recalled Professor Rosaria's words that saving a life and helping them change their way wasn't wrong. He still wasn't sure if it was because he sympathized, pity, or did it because he hoped someone would do the same for him.

But he knew he didn't regret it, and would have done it again.

Brunhilde giggled, her hand coming up to rub the spot he'd tapped. "That's true."

"Did they ask you about the Sinners?" Reinhard asked, shifting topics.

Brunhilde nodded, her expression growing more serious. "I told them that there were ten of us. One Third Class Beast Master, three being Second Class Beast Masters, four being First Class Beast Masters, which included me, and then two of them were True Beast Masters."

Reinhard blinked in surprise before his mouth opened slightly, then closed, and then he sighed. "What a terrifying group."

"With just us ten..." Brunhilde's voice carried something almost like pride mixed with resignation. "Even including Phineas, as he does make up for his lack of strength with his tactical mind and madness. We could equal an entire Kingdom in terms of combat strength."

Reinhard stared at her. "I heard there's only one True Beast Master in every continent, but to think there would be two in one organization..."

Brunhilde nodded slowly. "That goes to show how amazing the leader was to be able to recruit all of us."

Reinhard gave her a curious look, his light blue eyes studying her profile. "Did they attract you by saying they'd help you find Hel?"

Brunhilde shook her head, her violet-blue hair swaying. "The leader didn't go for that angle. Instead, he simply came to me while I was in a café in the city of Soliu in Binah." She paused, remembering. "And told me to join, and he'd share his resources and wide network with me. Which I would use to help continue my search."

"In exchange?" Reinhard prompted.

Brunhilde moved her gaze upward, studying the sky visible between buildings. Clouds drifted lazily overhead, white against blue. "He wanted me to help out with the organization's power and listen to his commands when there was a situation."

Reinhard blinked, raising an eyebrow. "That seems oddly simple. I was expecting him to have you retrieve or find something."

"The leader was an odd person." Brunhilde admitted. "But I will admit he did use our strengths to invade some terrifying old ruins."

Reinhard hummed thoughtfully before he asked. "Does the leader have a name?"

"He told us to call him Loki."

Reinhard blinked as he felt something stir in his chest. It was an odd feeling, and an odd impression, like the name meant something to him. But he couldn't quite place his finger on it or even put it into words.

The sensation came and went like smoke, leaving only vague discomfort.

Not wishing to dwell on the feeling, Reinhard asked. "Wouldn't Loki be angry that you left the Sinners or got supposedly 'captured'?"

Brunhilde shook her head. "He told us all that if we ever get captured, then it can be considered that we are dead to the organization."

Reinhard raised a brow. "Even though you're a First Class Beast Master?"

Brunhilde hummed. "To Loki, the moment you are captured by the enemy is the moment all ounces of value are gone and not worth the risk."

Reinhard chuckled in amusement. "Sounds like those gang leaders. But I guess I can understand the mindset of not wanting to risk the lives of others to save one person."

"He made it so this rule applies to himself as well." Brunhilde added.

Reinhard paused before he laughed even harder. "He's even cruel to himself." His laughter died down, and he straightened. "Alright, let's call Vanna."

Brunhilde nodded, watching as Reinhard gently tapped the Herald Mark around his neck.

The swirling orb with its miniature black hole center and golden rings shined with light. A beam rushed outward, forming a projection in the air before them.

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