The entire manor had been in an uproar since the moment they found out that the Maihime, Airi, had gone missing.

"M-M-Master!" A servant hastily ran to the Head's side. His face was pale and he was covered in cold sweat.

The Head recognised him as one of the servants who were supposed to be guarding the gate. He narrowed his eyes, displeased at the interruption. He was too busy working to find Airi and did not appreciate having any time-wasting conversations with a mere servant. "Speak."

"M-Master, that man—Maihime-sama's husband—he has come to fetch his wife!"

"What?" The Head's face changed. "Then what are you doing over her?! Go block him! Don't let him inside!"

"Y-Yes!" The servant saluted and hurriedly went off to relay the Head's order.

Before the Head could have any time to breath, the presence of a familiar spirit took him by surprise.

"?!" Recognising the spirit, he scowled. "You! Just what have you been doing?! Where is Airi-sama?!"

"..." The spirit merely shook his head expressionlessly. 'She is heading back soon,' the air around him seemed to say.

Receiving no other response from the red spirit of war, the Head clenched his jaw helplessly. He resolved himself to ignore the spirit, but as if he had sensed something, the spirit took off to somewhere else.

"Hey, where are you going?!" The Head called out. He immediately tried to catch up with the spirit, though it was futile. The spirit had the lower body of a horse, and a speed that was even faster than one. It was impossible for a normal human to catch up with such supernatural speed.

"Master!" The panicked voice of his servants brought him to attention.

His head snapped to his back, where another unreasonable Deity of War was making his way to him.

"Where is Airi?!" The deity asked. From his expressions alone, anybody could tell that he was both impatient and angry.

The Head hid his annoyance and instead bowed respectfully in greeting. "General Ryuuenjou, please calm—“

"Where is my wife?!" The angry man grabbed the Head by the collars, raising him above ground. The servants around them gasped in horror, eyes wide as they witnessed how easily the man had lifted the Head.

"General! I beg you to please ca—"

"My wife! Where is she?!"

Despite the Head's efforts to recompose the man, it did not have any effect. Rather, the man had taken it as if the Head was stalling and was instead angered.

There was no way he could tell the already-furious man that his wife had gone missing, so he lied, "T-The Maihime is currently resting in her room. I humbly beg you to not disturb her rest." The Head looked away. If not because he could not afford to offend the man who happened to be Maihime's husband, he would have already called out his familiar and thrash the bastard.

Since no one wanted to show him the way, Ryuuenjou Zantetsu threw down the red-garbed man and drew his sword. He waved it around threateningly, repeating, "Where is she?!"

The people around him backed away, afraid of being the target of the sword's tip.

Ryuuenjou Zantetsu was not one who was so impulsive, but because of current circumstances, it was impossible for him to not lose his mind.

He had scared off everyone. No one got up their courage to lead them to his wife's room, so he simply decided to open every door he saw until he found the right one.

The Head followed behind him, his heart beating thunderously. Who knew if the man might end up massacring the whole manor when he found out that his wife was gone.

As they closed in on the room which had always been designated for Airi, the Head's anxiousness began to become more apparent.

"Airi!" Zantetsu threw open the eighth door he had encountered.

"Airi!" He exclaimed, partly surprised and partly relieved. He had finally found her!

The girl sat in the middle of the room, her back facing the door.

The girl, upon hearing his voice, slowly turned around.

"Zantetsu-sama..." she called out softly. Her eyes displaying her grief, pain and longing as she stared at him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She smiled sadly at her husband, her apology containing countless regrets.

"Wh--" Zantetsu did not have any time to question her at all.

The girl raised the short blade she was holding in her hand.

Then, as if in slow motion, she stabbed herself.

Airi slit a deep, long slash on her neck, causing blood to spill out endlessly from her wound.

"!!!"

Zantetsu's eyes widened.

He could not believe what had happened.

He watched disbelievingly as the girl crumpled to the ground, the wound still oozing blood.

"--AIRI!"

Zantetsu's body moved before he could think. His sword slipped out from his hand, clattering uselessly next to them, stained by her blood which had pooled below them. He quickly held her in his arms, calling her name numerous times. "Airi!" He said her name again, his voice full of anguish.

He did not pay any mind to the blood that had stained his clothes. He quickly applied pressure to her wound, trying to stop the bleeding. But, his efforts were futile. The wound had been too fatal.

She could not be saved.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He roared. He was unwilling to simply watch his wife die in his arms. "Airi! Airi!"

Tears pooled in his eyes.

He had not cried when war took away his father and brothers. He had not shed a single tear as his mother left him behind to join her husband on the other side. He remained stoic as he cut down one enemy after another in the battlefields. Even as he heard the news of his children's passing, he still did not cry.

But the thought of losing Airi simply broke his streak.

Airi. The love of his life, the mother of his children, and the sole reason why he did not turn into a soulless monster even after so many years of unstoppable bloodshed.

"Airi!" Hot tears rolled off his cheeks. It had been so long since he had last cried that he did not know what to do.

"Don't go, Airi!" He begged. "Don't leave me!"

But, the girl was already gone.

The light had faded from her eyes.

All that was left was her lifeless body.

She was gone.