1. Stelia of the North

Stelia was a fief located in the northern region of the kingdom, bordering the empire. Margrave Stelia and his household had attained a great deal of glory during the prior battle against the empire, and their long list of achievements allowed them to be in charge of this tumultuous land on the outskirts. Stelia was a cold region near snowy mountains, and the frosty temperature made it unfit for growing crops. Along with this setback, it was no secret that the fief was tirelessly plagued by constant skirmishes against the empire. But in the face of these hefty disadvantages, every soldier in Stelia was renowned for their high skill and excellence in combat.

As the light of the teleporting crystal faded away, Yusurika and I found ourselves standing in the middle of a dim room. When I shifted my gaze to the ground, a magic circle was engraved by our feet; no doubt this was used to mark where one would be teleported. Which means we made it to Stelia, I surmised. I’ve never traveled long distances with the crystal before, but this thing really did send me off in an instant.

“Y-Young Master...” Yusurika stammered as she sank to the ground.

It looked like her beautiful, dark hair was slightly disheveled as well.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Everything,” she muttered, shoulders slumped and head hung low. “How in the world could you be so reckless? I can’t even imagine what my boss will say to me. He’s been thorny enough as it is after the banquet...”

“Oh? Are you dissatisfied with the relationships in your workplace?”

She let out a loud sigh and stood up. “No, not at all, Young Master. I apologize for my miserable grumblings.”

Her tone had instantly regained its usual vigor, and she gave me an elegant bow. Looks like she’s quick to switch gears.

As I observed my surroundings, I heard rapid footsteps approach this room. Moments later, the door burst open with gusto, and an armed man entered the room.

“Huh? Who are you guys?” he asked with a frown full of suspicion. “We weren’t expecting any new shipments...”

Is he some kind of security hired by whoever bought the slaves? But judging from his words, it seems this place was used to transport slaves. The teleporting crystal was used for delivering their goods, while the merchant and buyer communicated over a telepathic network to cover their tracks. Teleporting crystals are small and easy to smuggle, after all, so getting just a few wouldn’t be too hard. Judging from the man’s tone, it was also crystal clear that the person here had been engaging in slave trading multiple times before.

“Young Master, how shall I deal with him?” Yusurika asked, her glare icy and biting.

“Don’t kill him,” I ordered.

“Your wish is my command.”

She approached the man with incredible speed and swung her wand. The man instinctively reached for the blade on his waist, but he was too slow; she whacked his head and smacked him against the wall. His body slumped lifelessly to the ground, blood spattering from his head. There was even some blood stuck on Yusurika’s wand.

Uh... Is he still alive?

“I-I haven’t killed him. Honest!” Yusurika stammered after she noticed my questioning gaze.

Are you sure? Well, it’s not like I care if a mere guard dies or anything. But you used that wand to treat me, so I assumed it was some sort of catalyst for your magic. I didn’t expect you to use it as a blunt weapon.

I wisely kept these thoughts to myself as I stepped out of the door. A hallway stretched in front of me, and I peered out the window to see a blizzard brewing outside. I had noticed a bit of a nip in the air, far colder than before I teleported, but this must’ve been the norm for a cold region like Stelia.

A soldier, dressed in the same armor and attire as the guard Yusurika had downed earlier, rushed at us, perhaps hearing the fuss from this room. He glared at us angrily. I could only commend these guards for working so hard at this late hour.

“Wh-Who are you guys?!” he barked.

There was no need for us to answer, and Yusurika made short work of him as well. We were by no means quiet, but it seemed there were no other guards after us. I checked my pocket watch. Three a.m. I suspected that a vast majority of people were asleep during this time, and there would only be a few night security guards patrolling the area.

“What a needlessly large manor,” I remarked. “It’d most certainly be a chore to check each and every room.”

I was standing in the corner of the hall, but its sheer length attested to the fact of the manor’s size. I emitted a wave of magic over this wide range and tried to pick up any mana signals. This technique allowed me to sense anyone with mana—including monsters, people, and even tools imbued with magic. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any response, meaning there likely wasn’t anyone who could use magic here. None of the buyers’ names in the slave-purchasing records rang a bell, but I guess this noble can’t use magic. Can the merchant?

“Allow me...” Yusurika said.

Intuiting that my mana wave couldn’t pick up any signals, she used a perception spell of her own. I haven’t seen that spell before... I gazed at the magic circle on the ground and tried to read the runes inscribed. A spell that senses sound, it seems.

“I found him,” she said. “The lord of the manor, I suspect.”

“Oh?” I asked.

She’d pinpointed our target in mere seconds, a fantastic feat in and of itself. She can use some of the best healing spells known to man and even cast a high-level perception spell...

“How are you not renowned?” I wondered aloud.

“Er... I’m not particularly adept at combat...” she admitted.

But you subdued two large men with just that wand. That seems plenty strong to me. But I suppose the Dark Knights who hone their combat abilities to perfection would have incredibly high standards. Those who can’t fight at that level may not be valued as much.

Yusurika took the lead, and we slammed open the door that presumably belonged to the one who had purchased the slaves.

“What the?!” the man gasped.

A pudgy man in pajamas holding a lantern stared at us with absolute astonishment. Perhaps the commotion had already caused him to stir, as he was on his way to check it out. Yusurika readied her wand and prepared to pounce, but I extended my hand to quietly stop her, instead advancing on the man with my Dark Hand. Countless shadowy hands stretched out from me and restrained the man in a flash. My Dark Hands grabbed at his hands and feet, pinning him in place, and also covered his mouth to ensure that he wouldn’t scream.

“Amazing,” Yusurika praised.

“Instead of flattery,” I began, “find your own way to restrain others without hurting them.”

She visibly deflated, slumping her shoulders.

I don’t know who this man is, but since he looks quite affluent, it’d be best to leave him unharmed. Injuring him would be taking a huge risk. Obviously, killing a man of high status was out of the question, but allowing him to live after striking him would be even worse. If slugging him with a blunt weapon were an option, I would much rather kill him, destroy all evidence of my coming, and burn this place to the ground.

I glanced at the large, bulky, gaudy bed that he’d been sleeping on, and spotted a young, half-naked girl there. Appearing to be around Fol’s age, her eyes were devoid of light and her body was unmoving. Though the man in front of her had been restrained, this girl didn’t react at all and made no attempt to flee. She only sat there, emotionless, her dead eyes turned toward us. Her garments were neat and lavish, but I could see bruises mottling her face and body, indicating that she was being physically abused and beaten on the regular.

“I suspect she’s a slave,” Yusurika whispered into my ear.

“Yes, I gathered as much. Only announcing it to the whole world would make it any more obvious,” I replied sarcastically.

The plump man by my feet was crying in a muffled voice and wriggling around, much to my annoyance. I created another Dark Hand and plunged it into the floor below, just barely missing his face. At once, the man froze in place, his terrified eyes glued on me.

“Don’t make a fuss,” I warned. “If you stay quiet, I won’t kill you.”

The man nodded vehemently and stopped resisting. I approached the half-naked girl sitting on the bed, who looked up at me in a daze. Even now, she doesn’t choose to run. She made no attempt to cover her breasts that were on display, but more concerning was the painful bruise that bloomed on her left cheek. She must’ve been punched there... A quick scan of her body showed several more bruises, but when my gaze landed on her feet, I furrowed my brow with concern. Several deep gashes were around her ankles—her tendons must’ve been sliced up so that she couldn’t flee. It’s not that she isn’t fleeing; she can’t run. Pitiful girl.

“Young Master,” Yusurika said. “Er, I...suspect that the man physically abused her.”

“Gee, you think?” I replied. “I thought they were having a picnic.”

Yusurika looked a bit uneasy to point the obvious out for me, but I wondered if she was mocking my intelligence. There were only so many reasons why a young woman like her would be taken in as a slave, and callous as this might seem, it could’ve been worse. She was simply beaten, abused, and used as a means for this man to entertain his lustful desires. Her ankles and tendons were cut up to ensure that she couldn’t run, and she likely had no hope for her future...but all things considered, she was in a better condition than how most slaves ended up. To be a slave was to not be treated as a human at all.

It was common for them to be used for human experimentation, their bodies morphed and disfigured beyond recognition, wishing for death but never granted its embrace. Many were used as an ingredient for curses, possibly even cut apart while still alive. The fact that this girl was still alive and still looked like a human was fortunate by comparison. Still, I suspected that she herself felt that she had reached the bottom; no doubt these slaves used for sexual pleasure wished for death and no longer clung to life.

“Are you Norn?” I asked, looking down at her.

The moment the name left my lips, her hollow eyes widened ever so slightly with recognition. She parted her lips and tried to speak, but her voice didn’t come. Lowering my gaze to her neck, I saw numerous cuts there as well. Her throat’s probably destroyed too. This girl wasn’t allowed to run or ask for help—this man really had his bases covered. But the fact that she reacted to that name means she must be Norn.

Yusurika stood there silently, but her glare toward the man on the floor was downright murderous, her intentions clear as day. Perhaps she sympathized more as a fellow lady. Look at him like that all you want, but don’t do anything rash.

“Yusurika,” I ordered. “Treat this girl and clean her body.”

“Yes! At once!” she replied.

She swiftly approached the girl and cast healing magic upon her. Yusurika’s abilities allowed her to regenerate lost limbs if need be, so I was confident that healing Norn’s bruises and cuts would be simple. I’m glad I brought Yusurika with me. With her around, she could treat most major injuries so long as the patient was still alive. The moment I’d heard that Norn was sold off as a slave, I knew that she was still alive but was prepared for the worst—for her to have lost all of her limbs, or be transformed into some kind of abomination. After all, in the third arc of the tale in my nightmare, Norn had undergone various procedures and changed her form completely, turning into some kind of monstrous creature as she stood before the main character and his friends.

Looks like Norn was sold to the empire through this man. Which means she was first used as an object of lust by this man before being shipped off for human experimentation. A pitiful end, indeed.

I was a bit blasé about her circumstances as I approached the restrained, plump man.

“You!” I barked. “Did you buy that girl from a slave merchant in Lightless?”

He nodded obediently, making it clear that he had no intention to resist or fight back.

“Have you got a teleporting crystal to head to Lightless?” I asked, but he only shook his head.

Well, I expected as much. If the crystals were used to simply transport the slaves, they were a one-way ticket from Lightless to Stelia. That meant there was no way to quickly return from this manor. I’d wanted to be back in Roguebert by morning, but I suppose it won’t be so easy. Carlos surely won’t let me hear the end of this...

My heart twinged with melancholy, as I wasn’t eager to return back home and get an earful. I glanced outside the window, at the cityscape dyed white by the blizzard, and the snowy mountain that seemingly pierced through the gray skies. A shadow with a pair of wings flew over the peak. Wyverns were apparently a common sight in the snowy mountains of Stelia, and elite soldiers learned to domesticate these creatures and make them their steeds.

“Hmm...” I muttered to myself.

Since there was no crystal to teleport me back to the Lightless fief, our other method was to travel by foot, which obviously would take far too long. We could travel by sea, especially since I had gotten rid of the sea monsters, and it was much faster than the route by land, but unfortunately, this option wasn’t available to me. It was no easy feat to secure a vessel, and this wasn’t my own fief. Since I was on someone else’s land, if I caused a fuss here, I’d only trouble my father.

Even if I claimed that I’d gotten rid of the ship-devouring demon of the sea, I still probably couldn’t secure a ship. Who in their right mind would listen to the babblings of a child? At the very least, if I were a citizen here, I wouldn’t trust an outsider who had appeared out of nowhere. What if I used my shadow familiar to carry us back? Surely, there was a monster large enough to carry a few people on its back. But I’m not keen on doing that either...

None of us were used to riding and steering a monster, and I didn’t want to be drenched by seawater anyway. Besides, I’d just sailed out to sea for a battle and suffered from a horrible experience, so I wasn’t keen on reliving anything like that again. But what about that wyvern? Since these monsters were used as steeds by knights, I suspected that it must be a fairly comfortable ride. It seemed simple enough to kill one and use it as my familiar. In a flash, I could make a wyvern that could fly at top speed without ever getting tired. Hmm, a decent plan if I do say so myself. I’ll go catch one.

“Yusurika,” I said, turning to her as she treated the girl. “How long will it take for you to treat her?”

“I’m terribly sorry, but a good while,” she replied. “The cuts on her throat and legs have already closed, so it will take some time for me to revert her back to her usual form.”

“I see. Then I’ll head out for a few moments.”

“Pardon? Wh-Where to, if you don’t mind me asking?” She looked at me, perplexed.

I shrugged. “I’ll go secure a ride back home. I doubt it’ll take more than an hour.”

“But, Young Master...”

She gazed worriedly at the man restrained by my Dark Hand on the floor.

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied. “Those restraints will keep even if I’m away. But if some kind of emergency occurs while I’m away, I’ll leave it up to your best judgment. I shall permit you to kill him if absolutely need be. But you must protect that girl with your life. Do I make myself clear?”

Yusurika flashed a look of resignation as she gazed into the distance with a weary smile.

“Sir Carlos has it tough, I see...” she muttered.

“What do you mean by that?” I demanded.

“Oh, nothing at all. Please, do be careful.”

“Hmph. Then I’ll leave this place to you.”

I flew out of the manor’s window as I stood on a Dark Hand. Without further adieu, I headed for the mountains where I’d spotted the shadow of a wyvern.

✶✶✶

“It...managed to get away?” I wondered.

When I’d gazed at these beasts from afar, they were just flying about, but the moment I approached this area, they vanished. I couldn’t even sense their mana, perhaps implying that they were way out of my range.

“Damn... Those lizards are astute,” I muttered.

Was it the intuition of a wild beast? Still, it was baffling that a wyvern, one of the strongest monsters out there even as a low-ranking dragon, turned tail and fled in the presence of a kid like me. My magic barrier protected me from the blizzard and snow, but it was still freezing outside, and I wasn’t dressed for these low temperatures. I wished to leave as soon as I could.

I flew around the mountain with my mana perception field in search of a wyvern. Every now and then, I’d see a wyvern flying in the distance, but the moment I so much as looked in its direction, it’d hastily fly away. My Dark Hand wasn’t quick enough to catch me up to the wyverns, and even if I flew, these beasts outsped me. Unable to hide my annoyance and impatience, I hurled a Dark Ball at a wyvern in the distance, but it dodged my attack with little trouble. And ever since then, the wyverns seemingly vanished altogether.

Damn it... You’re just lizards with wings. How dare you give me this much trouble... I considered blowing this entire mountain up, as the wyverns would leave their nest and have no choice but to take to the skies. But as I formed a massive Dark Lance above me, I shook my head quietly.

Calm down. I’m not in my own fief. It’d do me no good to cause trouble here. Furthermore, I wasn’t in particularly peak condition either. Sure, I’d recovered my mana considerably, but under normal circumstances, I had to recuperate and wait until I’d fully restored my mana. I couldn’t fire high-level spells in quick succession, much less use the ancient arts of my house. In fact, I’d easily burn through my mana if I rapid-fired intermediate spells without a second thought.

“To think there’d be a day where I was reluctant to use a mere intermediate spell,” I grumbled.

My current condition, where my mana was restricted, reminded me of Shadow Wolf Lofus who fought in the second act against the main character and his forces. I’d consumed a vast majority of my mana to unleash a massive horde of shadow wolves and topple the kingdom. As a result, I didn’t have enough mana to wield my ancient magic and advanced spells against my enemies. Had I been in top shape, I knew that I wouldn’t lose to that measly main character.

I wasn’t keen on reaching mana exhaustion ever again. I had a bad habit of letting my emotions get the best of me to make bold and brash decisions, and I knew better than anyone to refrain from such recklessness. And so, I decided to do a few more laps around the mountain in search of wyverns; if I couldn’t find any then, I’d come up with a different idea.

Hmph, I didn’t imagine wyverns to be so timid and sneaky. I wish they’d take a page or two from the sea monsters’ book and be a touch more aggressive...though I suspect that the Wicked Whale made those monsters more hostile than usual. Since wyverns could be tamed and domesticated, perhaps they were cowardly and amicable in contrast to their frightful appearance.

Just then, I felt a signal on my perception field. Finally, I managed to find a wyvern, but it seemed to have very little mana, and it was by the foot of the mountains, near humans. Needless to say, the mountains served as a home for other creatures and monsters as well, and I could sense various other mana signals, though they were feebler in comparison to a wyvern. The wyvern that was on my radar had very little mana and was clearly weak, but its characteristics were unmistakably draconic. Though this was in the middle of the night, the fact that it was near humans was less than desirable. Left with no other choice, I dropped my altitude and flew close to the ground to approach this mana presence.

“Huh? This wyvern is...” I muttered under my breath.

When I finally landed on the ground, a wyvern’s corpse lay before me. One of its wings was broken and tattered, implying that this beast didn’t die of old age. A white flower had been laid by its face like an offering.

“A flower? In this region?” I wondered.

I was a touch surprised to learn that flowers bloomed in this snowy region, and since it was offered here, someone must’ve visited this wyvern’s corpse to pay their respects. Perhaps this wyvern had been a knight’s steed in life, but my concern was that I was able to sense it all. Did I mistake the mana of this corpse as the wyvern that I was searching for? While corpses indeed still emitted mana, their wavelengths were different from those of living creatures, and I was certain that I’d sensed the mana of a live wyvern. Maybe I just made a mistake because the presence was so faint... No matter. Either way, a corpse is rather convenient for me—it saves me the trouble of capturing and killing a beast myself.

I gazed at the beast.

“Devour,” I chanted.

A dark void with countless eyes stretched out from my shadow and swallowed the wyvern corpse whole. A broken wing was of no concern to me; my Shadow Eater could repair any injuries and make the beast into my obedient shadow familiar. Once the wyvern was under my control, it got up, let out a massive roar, and turned to me.

Something’s...off.

I grimaced and instinctively jumped back, trusting my gut, and none too soon. A moment later, the wyvern opened its jaws wide and pounced, chomping down on where I stood earlier. Luckily, I avoided that attack, but if I’d ignored the alarm bells ringing in my head, my upper body would’ve been gobbled up.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

The wyvern glared at me and outstretched its regenerated wings. The fact that its injury was healed implied that it was under the effects of my Shadow Eater, but the dark shadow that tried to completely envelope the wyvern was pushed back as though the beast’s body were putting up some resistance. The wyvern fought back, its body now clear for the world to see, leaving only a bit of darkness in its restored wing—this creature’s will was powerful enough to resist my spell. This guy wasn’t dead... I’d heard that dragons and their ilk possessed great vitality, but I hadn’t expected this creature to still cling to life when it looked so clearly weak.

I’d always been told to not use Shadow Eater on the living, and this was the first time. I see... So, this is what happens when I use it on a living being. Not only did the creature refuse to listen to my orders, but it also steadily sapped away at what little mana I had left since it took my shadow spell to heal its wing. This wyvern might not be alive, but surely it was on the verge of death—did this foul beast even take my mana to replenish its fading life force and reinvigorate itself? Good grief... Cheeky little lizard. A sigh escaped my lips, but this was nothing more than an extra chore. I just had to kill a lizard was all, then make it my familiar.

“A chore is a chore, but not one that I can’t handle,” I said. “I’ll finish you off.”

I summoned my Dark Scythe in my hand and pointed it at the beast. Just as I was about to square off against the wyvern, another mana presence alerted me—this time, it belonged to a human.

“What the hell are you doing?!” a boy’s voice echoed.

He stood between me and the beast, his golden locks dazzling as he wore thick layers to protect against the cold. My eyes widened when I saw him. I remembered this boy very well; in the tale of my dreams, he fought alongside myself and served Raymond, the second Demon Lord. The boy would become a dragon knight and be touted as the strongest among the Elite Four. He was still young and juvenile, but his features were unmistakable. Warm the Dragon Rider...

✶✶✶

Lofus’s traumatic nightmare was from the protagonist’s point of view while the story unfolded. In other words, he knew not of the Elite Four’s actions while they were away, and naturally, he didn’t know of his own actions before meeting the hero either. While he was killed millions of times in that dream, he was merely going through the motions, living vicariously through his own vessel in that repeating point in time. In other words, he had no idea how Shadow Wolf Lofus formed ties with Demon Lord Raymond and his other friends of the Elite Four, nor did he know how the four boys spent their time together.

However, the nightmare of his repeated deaths remained a vivid memory for him, and the fear of his pathetic death was left within his heart, much like how his subconscious memories and feelings of his time as a member of the Elite Four resided somewhere deep within his soul.

In the story, Warm the Dragon Rider was Lofus’s comrade. They worked under Raymond to rebel against the kingdom, and Lofus considered him both a friend and a target of his envy. This came as no surprise, since Raymond’s right-hand man was not Lofus but Warm—during any important battle, the second Demon Lord always called for the Dragon Rider instead of the Shadow Wolf. Lofus, naturally, found this insulting, for he was the heir of a marquess while Warm was considered a man of inferior birth. Yet it was the latter who was considered the most trustworthy and reliable of the group, which gave Lofus depression and an inferiority complex.

Lofus had kept these feelings bottled up, only for his emotions to twist and morph into something darker—this was especially true within his dream. Slowly but surely, his envy, rage, and feelings of inferiority piled up within him. He viewed Warm as an eyesore and a target of his jealousy, and these dark feelings needed only a small trigger to resurface.

Reuniting with Warm Rio Draconis was more than enough to cause a spark of fury with Lofus; though this was but a chance encounter, the Shadow Wolf’s heart cracked, causing his feelings to spill out.

✶✶✶

“Flugel?” Warm muttered. “What’s going on? I thought you died...”

He called his trusty dragon’s name and slowly approached it. The wyvern who had glared at me with hostility mere moments before now outstretched its wings and, in one swoop, approached Warm, nuzzling its head against him as it emitted a spoiled cry.

“I don’t believe it...” Warm murmured. “Flugel? Is it really you?”

He stared at the wyvern with disbelief, tears forming on the corners of his eyes. Warm wiped them away and turned to me.

“What did you do?” he asked. “Did you...resurrect Flugel? Who in the world are you?”

I could hardly hear his words. The moment I saw Warm, for some inexplicable reason, I felt some ugly feelings within my heart rear their heads. They poured out and completely overtook my mind. I tried to suppress them, but what little resistance I could offer was immediately crushed as they overwhelmed me.

“Heh... Ha ha ha!” I guffawed. “Ah ha ha ha ha!”

I couldn’t help it. My maniacal laughter echoed throughout the area as an inexplicable sense of euphoria rushed out from the depths of my heart and coursed within my body. Hah! Warm! He’s right in front of me for some reason! I’d thought that I’d bump into him much later in life. I certainly hadn’t expected to run into him here.

Stelia was his hometown, so it was only natural that he was around here, but this land was so vast that the chances of actually meeting him seemed close to zero. And yet, in some kind of wicked twist of fate, as I searched for a wyvern to use, he’d appeared right in front of my eyes. This sort of coincidence honestly felt so astronomically improbable that I could only attribute it to some sort of destiny.

“Wh-What’s so funny?” Warm asked.

He stared at me dubiously as I laughed and laughed. My stomach began to hurt and I wiped the tears forming in the corners of my eyes from this laughter. I outstretched my arms and let my feelings take the reins.

“Funny?” I asked. “Ha ha! How is this not funny? I’d pinned myself as an atheist, but I’ll thank God just for this moment! I truly didn’t expect to meet you here, Warm Rio Draconis!”

“What?! Huh?” Warm gasped. “How do you know my name? You’re not making a lick of sense. Who in the world are you?”

He stepped back, truly creeped out by my words as he pointed his spear at me. When I saw his weapon, I couldn’t help but flash another fearless smile.

“Ah, so you’re willing to fight as well,” I remarked. “Good grief! This is so impossibly hilarious. You see, Warm, I hate you more than anything else in this world!”

Annoyance. That word filled my mind as I let all my anger out. I emitted a wave of mana, an expression of my rage, and Warm turned pale as he received a direct hit of my magic. His beloved dragon, Flugel, also growled at me. Very good. That’s just what I want. It would be all too boring for you to faint from this alone. How dare you be called the strongest of the Elite Four, even above me?! I’ll hammer into your head who truly is the strongest of us all!

“How can you have this much mana?!” Warm cried. “Are you even human?”

“Where are your manners?” I asked. “I’m a bona fide human. In fact, I suffered from mana exhaustion just yesterday, and I’ve hardly any left.”

“You call this much ‘hardly any’? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Enough talk. How long will you stay standing there? Go on, mount your precious steed.”

Even I could understand how immature and juvenile these feelings were. I felt compelled to show off my power to Warm and make it abundantly clear just who was on top, that was all.

At once, I summoned countless large Dark Balls and took aim.

“How can you summon so many?” Warm muttered.

I ignored his astonished expression and hurled them right at him without an ounce of hesitation. I had no intention of killing him here, but I knew that he wasn’t the type to die with this measly barrage anyway. Unsurprisingly, he mounted his wyvern and took to the skies, dodging my attack. Only when he was atop his wyvern did he truly live up to his name and skills. I had no reason to hold back; doing so would only be uncouth.

“You aren’t the only one with a mount,” I growled. “Come forth, Strafe!”

An enormous octopus monster slowly crawled out of my shadow; Strafe’s size made the earth quake simply by his appearance as he destroyed the surrounding area. The effects of it were devastating, causing landslides and avalanches. Truly, this monster was a natural disaster.

“Wh-What?!” Warm gasped. “A kraken?! I thought they only appeared in the sea!”

“Do you have time to be wrapped up in your thoughts?” I asked. “Or are you not taking this seriously? That’s exactly why you annoy me to no end!”

Strafe’s tentacles shot out and tried to grab onto Warm as he swerved around and dodged to attack. I watched atop the kraken’s head, but it seemed its tentacles couldn’t even touch the nimble boy and his wyvern. I offered some support by firing some Dark Balls whenever I saw an opening. But of course...I guess these won’t hit either. I’ve channeled quite a bit of mana into Strafe, but perhaps due to its gigantic body, it’s rather bumbling and slow. It’s likely more agile in the waters, so I suppose it’s my folly for summoning it on land.

Warm and his wyvern were so quick and speedy that I could hardly believe that one boy was steering the beast. He cut through the sky. A man and his horse—or dragon, rather—are acting as one.

“I suppose you live up to your name, Dragon Rider!” I shouted.

“What are you on about?!” Warm roared angrily. “Don’t summon this monster here! What’ll you do if you damage nearby villages?!”

Despite his ire, he made no attempt to launch an attack of his own. He gracefully dodged everything I threw at him, and I didn’t get the impression that my measly barrage was keeping his full attention. Anger was clear in his tone, but not panic. This implied that Strafe’s tentacles and my Dark Balls weren’t worthy of receiving a counterattack by him. I’m meeting him three years earlier than the start of that tale, and yet he’s already this strong. That’s why he pisses me off!

It had always been on my mind: Did Warm truly live up to his reputation? He was called the strongest of the Elite Four, and while he admittedly could use his spear well, he was simply a dragon knight who learned how to skillfully steer his wyvern. Sure, he could use a bit of lightning magic, but the amount of mana he had compared to mine was pathetic. I considered him trash far beneath me, especially with his lack of magical capabilities. How in the world could scum like him be called the strongest? Surely I was by far the most powerful of that group.

“How long will you keep running, Warm?” I goaded. “I’m growing tired of this exchange.”

I stopped firing my spells. I didn’t have any convenient chants that could lock onto a man like him who boasted high mobility. He was swift enough to dodge my spells and my barrage, so any homing attacks would also be easily avoided by him. If I had more mana, I could just summon a wall of spells and overpower him completely, but I didn’t have that luxury right now, and it was wise to conserve mana and not fire wildly into the air. Efficiency was key, only casting a spell if I needed to.

I stopped firing my Dark Balls and channeled my mana into Strafe. Plump with my energy, the kraken grew even larger still and more than doubled its number of tentacles.

“What?!” Warm cried.

The appendages he’d been dodging until now were now larger and much greater in number; they had become a trial to evade, even without my spells. Warm must’ve decided that he could no longer just dodge, and used his spear to fight back; his weapon, imbued with lightning, aimed right for my shadow familiar. With a swing of his spear, Strafe’s tentacles burst open.

“Hmm?” I muttered.

Lightning, unsurprisingly, emitted light, categorizing it close to the fire and light element. It was highly effective against my dark element. I was honestly facing a bad matchup, but even so, a single swing blowing away Strafe’s tentacles was an impressive feat. When it comes to type matchups, I haven’t been blessed at all these days. If Warm continued to chip away at these tentacles, I’d naturally be at a disadvantage; I could channel my mana into regeneration, but it would be best to save what little I had left. Regenerating shadow familiars took a lot out of me.

If I’d been in better condition, I might not have been so reluctant to use my mana liberally, but as things stood, I simply couldn’t do as I pleased.

Just then, I thought I saw a sliver of sunlight appear in the corner of my peripheral. When I turned toward the horizon, beyond the mountains, I saw that a white light was slowly rising upon the land.

“Huh?”

I took out my pocket watch and checked the time—4:30 a.m. I’d gone way past my time limit. At once, my passion and fury faded away like I’d just been plunged into cold water to cool off. Crap... I’d told Yusurika that I’d be back in an hour, but it seems I’ve gotten a bit too excited. My dark feelings of anger and envy settled down, and I no longer really knew why I’d attacked Warm in the first place.

Sure, I didn’t like him, but to basically throw away my precious mana into the ether was laughably ridiculous. Even I knew how foolish I’d been; it was as though I were controlled by someone else for a few moments and lost my own sense of will. As for who pulled my strings, it was none other than myself—I realized that I had some deep-seated emotions slumbering within me. I let out a weary sigh, closed my pocket watch, and turned back to Warm. Admittedly, I’d lost my cool, but since I’ve gone this far... It seems like a good opportunity to decide who exactly is stronger between the two of us.

“Playtime’s over,” I told him. “I suppose I’ll go all out, Warm.”

As though to agree, Strafe’s tentacles shot out toward Warm in one go. Even a capable warrior like him couldn’t physically defend himself when he was so vastly outnumbered, and Strafe attacked him from all directions. But Warm thrust his spear forward so quickly that my eyes could hardly keep up, and he miraculously destroyed all the tentacles that came at him. Strafe, unable to handle all this damage at once, turned into mist and vanished into the air.

“Hah!” I laughed. “You’re a monster yourself!”

I boosted my mana as much as I could and coursed it through my veins. In a flash, I dashed toward him.

“What the?!” he gasped.

He was caught off guard, not expecting me to approach—just as I’d hoped. While he was surrounded by Strafe’s tentacles, I’d taken cover and hid behind one of their shadows, effectively shielding myself from his view. Since I’d been fighting from afar until now, Warm must’ve been doubly surprised to see me so close to him—that was exactly the opportunity that I was searching for. I created a Dark Scythe within my hand and slashed at him. Warm defended himself with his lightning spear, and the two of us clashed on the back of his wyvern.

“Aren’t you a mage?!” he yelped.

“I don’t recall saying that I couldn’t fight up close,” I replied.

Our type matchup aside, my Dark Scythe was a spell that specialized in cutting things down, so it was impressive that he was able to block it. His lightning magic might be more advanced than I expected... As an aside, I was capable of some close combat thanks to Carlos giving me some private lessons. Still, when it came to raw power and skill for clashes like these, Warm had the clear advantage.

Our clash lasted only for a moment. My scythe was easily pushed aside by Warm’s skills, and though I swiftly struck thrice, hoping to somehow get a blow in, he managed to parry me with minimal movements before pushing me back. I’d hoped that the difference in our weapons would give me the upper hand, but it seemed that was just wishful thinking. As I was pushed back, Warm took his own opportunity to launch a counter.

“Take this!” he roared.

He rapidly thrust his spear forward, but I was unfazed, for I knew that his weapon would never reach me. My magic barrier hindered his attack, and Warm, realizing that his mighty attack had been stopped, gave a forced chuckle.

“You’re tougher than I thought,” he muttered.

“Not too long ago, I learned just how much of a pain magic barriers can be,” I replied.

I was right to make my barrier several times tougher than usual, and with his weapon stopped, Warm was out of tricks. I created a Dark Hand in lieu of my left arm and grabbed him, the corners of my mouth tugging upward triumphantly.

“Don’t worry,” I assured him. “I’ll heal your wyvern later.”

“I’m...grateful for that,” Warm replied.

He closed his eyes with resignation. I took my Dark Scythe, slashing Warm and the wyvern. Blood sprayed in the air. The wyvern cried and fell from the skies as I chopped off one of its wings, and the three of us plummeted to the ground.

✶✶✶

The foot of the mountains was layered with thick snow which helped cushion our fall. However, I had my magic barrier to protect me anyway, and Warm somehow managed to break his fall, so neither of us took much damage. After I’d slashed the wyvern’s wing off, I used my mana to immediately regenerate it until it was as good as new.

I reached into the pocket of my mantle, took out a mana potion, and downed it. I also tossed Warm a potion for his wound.

“Here. Drink,” I said.

“Thanks,” he replied.

He popped open the bottle and downed it without a second thought. The potion was expensive and of the highest quality, healing the gash on his shoulder from my scythe before my eyes. Warm’s face twitched with disbelief.

“This potion’s gotta be high-quality...” he muttered. “I don’t really have that much money on me.”

“Why would I take money from you?” I asked, confused as to why that was his primary concern. “And I recommend you be a bit more doubtful of others. How in the world could you just drink something your assailant gave you?”

“You think I’m worried about poison after all we’ve done? If you wanted to kill me, I would already be dead.”

I laughed through my nose. “You sure know how to talk. Not once did you aim your spear at any of my vital areas. Your last attack was aimed for my shoulder as well—clearly, you’re too soft on your enemies.”

“Right back at you. I didn’t feel any sort of murderous intent from you during that entire battle. Besides, I’ve got a lot of questions for you.”

“I suspected as much...”

He proceeded to pepper me with questions. How did I know his name? Why did Flugel seemingly rise from the brink of death? Why did I attack him? His million whys were annoying, to say the least, and I had no reason to answer them all. But I had to admit, this had all stemmed from my impulsive actions. I couldn’t deny that I was to blame for being unable to suppress the ugly feelings in my heart, compelling me to compare our strength through battle. It was childish and silly. However, this time around, I had to prioritize my own circumstances. I wasn’t going to patiently give him all the answers.

I told Warm that all of his queries would have to wait until another day; he clearly looked dissatisfied, but he gave his questions a rest. In exchange, I briefly told him why I’d come to Stelia and what had led me here.

Frankly, meeting Warm here was a stroke of good luck for me. If memory served, his father was a magistrate who ruled over some plot of land in Stelia; if Warm was here, it implied that his father was in control of this area.

I told him that the citizens of Lightless had been purchased as slaves by a certain pudgy man in this area, presumably a merchant. I decided to foist all this responsibility—I mean, entrust Warm with how to deal with this merchant.

After giving him a brief rundown, I handed him a small token inscribed with the Lightless family crest. This item was vital as proof that I made these accusations with great conviction; it signified that my words were honest and my assertions were in good faith. If Warm’s father received this token, he could no longer turn a blind eye to this matter.

Warm looked shocked when he saw the emblem.

“Lightless...” he muttered. “The heir to the house was the same age as me. I think his name was...Lofus. Are you him?”

“You know me very well,” I replied. “Studious, indeed.”

“Everyone knows who you are. You’re famous!”

Am I, now? I’m a bit curious to learn why I’m famous around this area...

“In any case, now you know,” I said. “I need a mode of transportation to return to my fief. Give me your wyvern. Once that beast delivers us, I’ll free it from my spell.”

I gazed at the wyvern as Warm pondered over this demand for a few moments.

“Free Flugel from your spell?” he repeated slowly. “What happens when you do that?”

“I suppose it’ll no longer be able to cling onto life,” I replied. “It won’t die immediately, but it won’t last long.”

“Can you undo that spell on Flugel whenever you want?”

“Huh? Well, yes... I can.”

This wyvern had a strong sense of will and refused to act under my orders. Since I couldn’t use it as my shadow familiar, it was dead weight that just sapped my mana away. I wasn’t opposed to undoing my spell on the spot, but it was a precious mode of transportation to take me back to Lightless. I needed this wyvern until then.

“Then as long as you have your spell cast on Flugel, will it keep living?” he asked.

“Er... Yes, you could say that,” I replied.

I stared at him. He’s not going to tell me to keep this monster alive, is he? The thing is practically dead already. It might not be my place since I tried to turn him into my familiar, but...is he okay with this? I feel like it’d only bring a host of problems...

If I were this wyvern, I wouldn’t want my fate to be decided by others. If I weren’t even allowed to die, forced to live by someone else’s powers, I would find that cruel. Death was kinder. Yet, Warm went on his hands on knees and lowered his head, kowtowing to me.

“Please! Keep Flugel alive with your spell!” he begged. “This dragon broke its wing protecting me. It’s still young and was just about to fly into adulthood, but because of me, it could never experience that... Please! I’ll do anything!”

He prostrated and practically begged with tears in his eyes, a far cry from the Dragon Rider of the Elite Four I’d seen in my dreams.

What’s going on here? His begging is so annoying. I feel really agitated watching him...

I shook my head, freeing myself of these thoughts.

“All right,” I relented. “Raise your head. Just don’t ever do something so unsightly again.”

“Thank you!” Warm cried. “I can’t thank you enough!”

“Ugh, stop bowing!”

Everyone viewed life and death differently. If Warm and the wyvern were fine with this arrangement, I had no reason to protest. Besides, it would be good to have this guy owe me one. If one measly wyvern was all it took, it wasn’t a bad deal.

Warm happily agreed to lend me the wyvern for a time. I wasn’t sure if it would listen to my orders, but this beast obeyed Warm very well, and allowed me to ride on its back without a fuss.

As I boarded its back and left, Warm called out to me.

“Thank you for telling me about the slave trade!” he shouted. “That Gillan’s a wealthy merchant with all sorts of nasty rumors swirling around him, but he managed to cover his tracks well! My father agonized on how to catch him, but looks like we’ve got a lead! This incident will finally allow us to punish him for his misdeeds, I think. Thank you!”

“Yeah? Best of luck,” I replied.

Ah, yes, that man’s name was Gillan. It’s all coming back to me now. Personally, I had no interest in the economical affairs of other fiefs. I simply wished for the man to be punished and unable to further trouble my land.

I flew ahead toward the manor where Yusurika was waiting for me. The curtain of night had been drawn back as trickles of sunlight began to peer from the horizon.

✶✶✶

Early in the morning in Roguebert, Carlos stood on a hill near the house where Fol and her family lived. His eyes were fixated on the vast sea as he waited for the return of his master. Just last night, Lofus had left for Stelia and claimed that he’d somehow make the return trip home. If the boy could find a teleporting crystal back to Lightless, all would be well, but if he was out of luck, he’d have no choice but to use a ship or magic to cross the sea using the shortest route possible. Carlos knew as much, and Roguebert was situated directly south of Stelia.

“My lord...” he muttered.

Carlos had already been waiting for two hours, but there was no sign of Lofus. This wasn’t too unusual, for it took a full day by ship to get to Roguebert from Stelia. Even if one flew across the waters by using magic, the trip would still be quite long. No matter how one sliced it, Lofus couldn’t have returned so soon yet, and waiting on that hill felt like a waste of time. The young heir, however, had claimed that he would return by morning.

Lofus was the type to always make good on his word—he would fulfill his claims, no matter how unreasonable. He was also moody and prone to spouting nonsense as he saw fit, but Carlos felt that his lord’s promise before he left was a firm one. Lofus would surely stay true to his oath. The butler believed that Lofus would rescue Norn from captivity, find and shelter any other citizens of Roguebert, and return. Carlos had served Lofus for many years and was quite aware of his master’s antics and tendencies.

However... Carlos thought as his expression turned dark. Lofus possessed immense power and mana, enough to make any of his selfish whims a reality. However, this time around, he’d just gotten out of a tough battle and wasn’t in his prime condition. He’d exhausted the vast majority of his mana, and though he’d been treated, his body still hadn’t fully recovered from its injuries; most importantly, he didn’t have his left arm.

With Dark Knight Yusurika by his side, the boy’s safety was assured barring some sort of catastrophe, but Carlos recalled the back of his master who stood up alone against the Wicked Whale while allowing others to escape. Precisely because Lofus was so strong, he had the tendency to shoulder all the troubles by himself; he likely thought it was far more efficient to personally take care of manners, and as a result, he tried to do everything alone.

“I hope he hasn’t sustained any more injuries,” Carlos muttered.

He closed his eyes, knowing that Yusurika was likely facing a lot more than she could handle. Just then, he perceived a chunk of mana heading straight for this town...from Stelia, no less. The butler immediately channeled his mana to his eyes to heighten his vision, and he spotted a winged shadow in the skies beyond the horizon.

“A wyvern? It can’t be...” he murmured.

The beast headed for him with incredible speed, carrying Lofus, Yusurika, and a girl who must’ve been Norn. Carlos knew that Stelia had a tendency to domesticate wyverns and use them as steeds, but he didn’t think that his own master would ride atop such a beast’s back.

“I’m no match for you, my lord,” he muttered. He smiled, relieved to see that his master was safe. “But...”

Carlos’s mana perception abilities paled in comparison to Lofus’s, who could sense any enemy from afar, but the butler could sense his master’s intense magical energy and pick it out from a crowd. Lofus’s mana was difficult to hide. Though the boy had left Roguebert with much of his mana depleted, Carlos was dismayed to find that his master’s mana was at an even lower level and its power was rather faint.

“He pushed himself quite a bit again.”

The butler predicted the swift wyvern’s trajectory, calculated its landing point, and rushed ahead. After all, he had to be the first to greet his master’s return when he set foot on the Lightless fief again.

✶✶✶

Lofus spotted Roguebert in the distance. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he was now near the waters of the town. His mana had lasted long enough. He’d taken Warm’s wyvern and crossed the Devil’s Sea from Stelia. The wyvern sapped away more mana than he’d expected, and in his current weakened state, he was admittedly cutting it pretty close. Even after drinking all of his mana potions, he’d barely managed to last.

This wyvern listened only to Warm’s orders and allowed Lofus and his friends to ride on its back solely because Warm gave the command. Since the wyvern had access to Lofus’s mana, it liberally drained it all to soar faster than ever. This allowed Lofus to arrive at Roguebert sooner than expected, but he was also utterly exhausted. He only barely managed to cling onto consciousness.

“Young Master, your mana...” Yusurika said worriedly as she saw his face turn pale.

“We’ll get there soon enough,” Lofus replied gruffly. “I’m fine.”

The boy now had to decide where to land; if a monster suddenly descended on the beach of Roguebert, it’d cause a fuss.

“Over there,” he muttered. “Wyvern, land over there.”

He pointed to a rocky, hilly area a short distance away from Roguebert and gave the signal to descend. The wyvern let out a cry and slowly began its descent, flapping its wings gently to ease any burden on its passengers. This wyvern was used to carrying people and knew how to make its riders comfortable. It’s been trained well by Warm, Lofus thought, impressed.

Carlos was already standing there, and when the three passengers dismounted, the butler gave a deep bow.

Having done its job, the wyvern immediately took to the skies once more and headed back to Stelia.

Lofus turned to his bowing butler and flashed a proud smile.

“Ah, so you’re here to greet me,” Lofus said. “Well done.”

“I’ve eagerly awaited your return,” Carlos replied. “I see that you’ve pushed yourself again.”

This was a short exchange, but Yusurika stood in the back, unable to hide her astonishment. How in the world did Carlos guess their landing spot as though this were a rendezvous point? Lofus had shown no signs of telepathically connecting with his butler during the flight; in fact, it looked as though he’d chosen their descent on a whim. Literally minutes ago, he’d finally decided to land somewhere convenient, and yet Carlos had predicted it beautifully, like a mind reader. And Lofus didn’t find that at all surprising either. This relationship, built upon trust, made her cover her mouth with her hand.

Yusurika felt almost terrified by Carlos’s ability to accurately predict the future. As a Dark Knight, she acted under the orders of Alba, a man who never revealed the true extent of his abilities but clearly possessed monstrous, catastrophic power. The Dark Knights were a group of elite soldiers who could single-handedly accomplish what would otherwise take a thousand normal soldiers, but the leader—the chief of them all—was a head or two above the rest. If the entirety of the Dark Knights turned against Alba, he might ultimately lose due to sheer difference in numbers, but not without a fight; he’d at least take down half of the knights with him.

Alba was the face of true terror and horror, and his predecessor, Carlos, was no slouch either. Yusurika trembled in the presence of the butler, and Carlos, noticing her gaze, turned to her. She immediately turned stiff and straightened her posture, but his eyes softened when he saw her, kindness emanating from his gaze.

“You’ve done well, staying by my lord’s side and protecting him,” he said. “I know this was sudden for you, so I don’t doubt that you went through a fair bit of trouble.”

“I-It was no trouble at all,” Yusurika stammered.

She was taken aback, not expecting to receive praise, and though she started off clumsily, she managed to pay him a respectful bow. The butler then turned to Norn, who shuddered at his gaze and hid behind Yusurika. Carlos knit his brow ever so slightly.

“Is she...” he started.

“Indeed,” Lofus replied. “We’ve found her. We’ll return her to Roguebert and head back home.”

A wave of drowsiness washed over the boy, and he suppressed a yawn as he replied. Carlos didn’t look so cheerful. He quietly turned his gaze to the ground.

“I would advise against that,” he muttered.

“Why not?” Lofus demanded.

“I think we should send her to the church first.”

The butler wouldn’t mince words. Norn was clearly afraid of a man’s gaze, a trait that was commonly shared among most women who were taken in as slaves; they developed an extreme phobia or fear of men. The damage was so extreme it could prove a detriment to their daily life as well. It wasn’t difficult to imagine the torture and abuse these women had gone through after being sold off as slaves.

Almost all such cases required some sort of treatment and immediate medical attention for the injuries they’d sustained from their cruel, inhumane treatment. Needless to say, both physical and mental healing was needed, and so the rescued slaves were always sent to the church to recuperate for a while. Norn’s physical wounds had been healed by Yusurika, but she was clearly mentally unstable and still psychologically tormented by everything that had happened to her; that much was obvious to Carlos.

Lofus sharply gazed at Norn. “So he says.”

Oddly enough, Norn didn’t seem to be terrified of Lofus. Perhaps it was because he was her savior, or maybe it was due to him still being a child. It could also have been a combination of these factors, but the result was that she could speak with him normally.

Norn gritted her teeth before she turned to Lofus with determination.

“I want to go home,” she said. “I want to go home to Roguebert. I want to meet everyone who’s waiting for me. I want to meet Fol again.”

Her words came out clumsily, but she made her intentions clear. Lofus grinned at her, then turned to his butler.

“You hear that, Carlos?” he asked. “This girl isn’t a slave anymore; she’s just a person now. Surely, then, she should choose as she sees fit. If she wishes to return to Roguebert, that’s what we’ll do.”

Carlos’s eyes widened, his eyes darting between Norn and Lofus. Though Norn clearly held some deep-seated fear of men, she was powerful at her core, and her eyes held a fiery resolve that wouldn’t waver; one would’ve never imagined that she was once a slave. The butler narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. Did something happen during her journey here? Or was she told something? Yusurika, though adept at healing magic, could only treat physical ailments, not mental ones. Psychological pain could only be treated with time and patience. Norn might not have fully overcome her trauma and mental anguish, but she made it clear that she wanted to move on, to take a step forward.

There must’ve been something that had triggered this change in her. It was highly unlikely that someone as proud as Lofus would try to empathize with a mentally tormented commoner, and Yusurika likely held her tongue as a member of the Dark Knights. What happened here? Carlos wondered, but no answer came. The best he could do for now was offer a shrug.

“Very well,” he said. “If that is what you wish, I’ve no reason to say anything more.”

He quietly gazed at the floor once more while Lofus glanced around him.

“Carlos?” he asked. “Where’s the carriage?”

“It’s prepared for you at the foot of the mountains,” Carlos replied. “Will you not visit Roguebert?”

Lofus walked ahead, his tone weary as though he found speaking troublesome. “Of course not. I’ve done everything that I need to.”

His tone was firm, but Carlos decided to push back a bit more.

“If you would for a moment, my lord,” the butler called. “Won’t you meet with Lady Faltiana?”

“Why are you bringing her up?” Lofus asked. “What are you trying to say?”

He knit his brow while Carlos turned to Norn.

“She must be Lady Faltiana’s friend,” the butler said. “I find it best that you personally bring her there.”

“I don’t have to do that,” Lofus replied. “And why do you keep adding honorifics to her name? She’s just a commoner.”

The boy frowned with displeasure, insisting that a commoner wasn’t worthy of that much respect, but Carlos casually dropped a bombshell.

“Well, she is a candidate to be your future wife, my lord,” he said.

At once, Lofus turned frigid. “What?”

Yusurika and Norn clapped a hand over their mouths as Carlos gently continued, “You seemed to be awfully fond of her.”

“Did I, now?” Lofus spat. “If so, I suggest you get your eyes checked.”

He flashed a look of exasperation before walking ahead to the carriage that was ready for him.

“Please, my lord!” Carlos said, refusing to budge. “What in the world happened?! You even attended the banquet just last night...”

“I said I’m done here,” Lofus replied. “I doubt I’ll ever come back here again.”

“Lord Lofus!”

But the boy ignored his butler, keeping his back to him as he stomped away and ordered his Dark Knight around.

“Yusurika!” he barked. “Take Norn back to her home!”

“Y-Yessir!” she stammered.

She’d been standing in astonishment by the turn of events, but immediately gave a swift bow of agreement. Norn anxiously gazed at Lofus’s back but wisely stayed silent, sensing this perilous situation.

“Lord Lofus?” Carlos murmured as he stood there, watching his master board the carriage alone.

The butler was frankly shocked by this change in behavior. Why in the world was Lofus so staunchly against this? Why? What did I do wrong? Did my joke of taking her for his wife touch a nerve? Unfortunately for Carlos, he couldn’t find an answer. He felt like Fol and Lofus had a good thing going on—they seemed rather close and friendly. At the very least, in all his years, Carlos had never seen Lofus allow another person to speak to him so casually. Sure, he offered a bit of resistance at her affection as any child his age would do toward the opposite sex, but he didn’t outright reject her.

Yet Lofus now emanated an air of utter disgust and anger, as though he didn’t even wish to look at her. Had something occurred in Stelia? Or did he realize that their social ranks were far too different? No answer would come to the butler, but Carlos was actually quite happy with the changes that Lofus had undergone over these past few days. Until now, the boy had been all alone. He didn’t particularly get along with his parents and brother, and ever since he was ten, he’d left the main manor to live in a villa.

It was there that he became more selfish and elitist, proud of his birth and upbringing and placing himself above others. Lofus was born with a seemingly limitless amount of mana, and he was a genius when it came to magic. He was born with great power, and no one could match him. But finally, though through a series of unfortunate events, he miraculously found a peer—someone he could call an equal—in a commoner.

Lofus would deny it, and though he always acted thorny when he spoke with Fol, it genuinely seemed like he was having fun. It was a side he’d never shown to his family or even Carlos—it was an expression of joy. Carlos gently pressed a hand against his eyes before he let out a quiet sigh and turned to the ladies.

“Yusurika, was it?” he asked quietly.

“Y-Yessir,” the knight replied. “That’s me.”

She turned stiff and braced herself, but Carlos merely lowered his head elegantly.

“I understand that you have received an order from my lord, and I’m terribly sorry to take it from you, but please let me take this lady to Roguebert,” he said.

“Huh?” Yusurika asked. “Uh, but...”

“Truth be told, I haven’t told the people of Roguebert about the rescued slaves. I imagine that many of them are worried, and I’d like to explain what occurred to the residents as I return her home. Could you kindly look after my lord in my stead?”

“S-Sure...”

Yusurika struggled to respond. She’d received a direct order from Lofus, and going against it, even if it was by Carlos’s request, would imply that she delegated her work to someone else. She feared that she’d be in for quite the scolding, but Carlos, perhaps realizing her hesitation, smiled.

“You need not worry,” he said. “If you tell him that you acted under my orders, you will have nothing to fear.”

“If you say so...” Yusurika said. “Very well. I understand.”

Mere moments ago, she had been shown the strong bond and trust between the two men, and she nodded. Carlos knelt in front of an anxious and scared Norn, and lowered his head humbly.

“Huh? U-Um...” Norn started. She looked troubled, but made no attempt to approach the man, and Carlos kept his head low.

“My name is Carlos, and I serve as Lord Lofus’s butler. I understand how confused and scared you must be by this switch, but I assure you that I will safely bring you back to Roguebert and will take full responsibility for everything along the way. I know that this might make you feel upset or uncomfortable, but please, I beg of you to allow my old bones to be with you for just a short while.”

His humility and calm tone made Norn relax just a hair.

“You’re Lofus’s...butler?” she asked. “I’m sorry for being so scared of you. I’m... I’m okay now.”

She did her best to form an awkward smile as though to tell him that all was well. She’s a powerful lady... The butler took two more steps back and swiftly led the way to Roguebert, with Norn following him.

Yusurika headed for the carriage to chase after Lofus.

2. Spirit-Possessed Faltiana

Norn had been trapped and enslaved for around half a year. Though she received treatment for her wounds, her muscles had deteriorated terribly. She struggled to descend the mountainous path along the rocky hill, and Carlos patiently stood by her. He gradually lent her his hand, and ultimately practically carried her down to Roguebert. Norn was still terrified of men, but Carlos’s gentle tone and mannerisms, along with his thoughtfulness throughout the entire trip, allowed her to trust him quite a bit.

She gazed up at his wrinkly face and neatly trimmed mustache.

“I’m...sorry to trouble you,” she mumbled.

Carlos gently smiled down at her. “This is no trouble at all. And we’re here, my lady.”

Roguebert and the cobalt-blue ocean in the distance stretched before them. The scent of the sea breeze was nostalgic for her, and the cries of the gulls in the distance told her that she was home. She had believed, up until now, that she’d never see this place ever again, and tears welled up within her eyes. As Carlos gently set her down, she managed to slowly but surely walk ahead on her own two feet. Roguebert was bustling with people cleaning up last night’s banquet.

One resident noticed Norn and dropped the wooden box they carried.

“Hey... Are you...Norn?” they asked.

“You are!” another shouted. “Norn! I thought you were kidnapped and gone for good! But you managed to come back!”

At once, people began to crowd around her and shout with joy.

“Norn!” a small voice cried.

Lillia, the daughter of the innkeeper, pushed through the crowd and jumped toward Norn. The little girl wrapped her in a tight embrace, and Norn hugged her back.

“Long time no see, Lillia,” she said.

“Are you okay?!” Lillia cried. “Did people do horrible stuff to you?!”

“Lofus...saved me.”

“That so... Look at you... You’ve lost so much weight.”

Norn couldn’t deny these claims, and Lillia weakened her grip on Norn. The crowd then parted like the waves and made way for a wide-eyed Fol, who stood there in absolute disbelief.

✶✶✶

Norn was Fol’s childhood friend who had been taken away by Clinton’s troops around half a year ago. The monsters became more hostile and had destroyed a fishing ship; Fol, Log, and a host of other young, skilled sailors had left to repair the boat. Clinton’s soldiers took this chance to kidnap Norn. She was the first to be forcibly taken away from her home.

The monsters prevented the town from fishing, and when Roguebert couldn’t pay the unreasonable taxes, the soldiers showed no mercy and began to kidnap girls. When Fol returned with the other sailors and learned of Norn’s disappearance, she obviously became enraged. Fol burst into Clinton’s manor at the port and demanded Norn’s return, making quite the fuss there, but of course, her request was never granted. A few days later, Clinton retaliated by burning some of Roguebert’s houses to the ground.

The message he sent was clear: If Fol tried anything funny, others would have to pay the price, and they’d pay dearly. This threat was more than enough to stop her, and the soldiers continued their violent crimes, aiming for precisely the time when all the young sailors were out at sea. As more women were taken from their homes, Fol could do nothing.

Most of the victims were women and children, and the citizens, fearing for their safety, left Roguebert in droves, decreasing the town’s population. This was hell for Fol, and she could only curse her own powerlessness. Half a year had passed since Norn’s abduction, and Fol was certain that she’d never get to see her friend again; frankly, she’d practically given up on rescuing Norn, but when the girl appeared in front of Fol’s eyes once more, it was as though the world stopped for a moment. The morning after that banquet, Norn had returned.

“N-Norn?” Fol murmured.

Never did she think that she’d say that name again. Norn, in response, smiled with tears in her eyes.

“I’m back, Fol,” she said. “Long time no see.”

Fol slowly approached her friend and touched Norn’s cheeks to make sure that this wasn’t some kind of illusion. Norn’s skin was pale and soft, but she was certainly here. This was no dream or hallucination.

Norn laughed. “What’s with that bandana? You look like a boy. It doesn’t suit you at all.”

She giggled and smiled, just as she’d done half a year ago before her abduction.

Tears streamed from Fol’s eyes.

“Norn!” she cried.

She gently hugged her childhood friend, and Norn reciprocated the embrace.

“Norn!” Fol cried, only able to call out her name. “Norn!”

Again and again, the name left her lips, and Fol broke down like a child. The tears seemed to well up from deep within her soul and showed no signs of stopping. It was as though she were crying for the Faltiana in Lofus’s dream, whose friend had not been saved. Any anger and distrust toward Lightless and Lofus that slumbered deep within her soul was washed away along with her tears.

As Fol continued to wail and cry, Norn gently petted her friend’s head and whispered into her ear.

“You see, Lofus saved me,” Norn revealed.

Fol looked up. “Lofus did?”

“That’s right. Do you know him?”

Fol awkwardly averted her gaze. “Yeah. He’s Roguebert’s savior. He’s a noble, but he isn’t a bad guy.”

“I see... Um, is he perhaps, you know...someone you’re close with?”

Carlos’s earlier claims of making Fol a possible candidate for Lofus’s wife echoed within Norn’s mind. She’d heard it loud and clear.

“H-Huh?!” Fol shouted, clearly panicking. “Why in the— What, did Lofus say something?”

Norn shook her head. “He didn’t say anything like that, but when I was crying, he told me to quit acting spoiled because there was someone back home waiting for my return. He got so angry, and that’s when he mentioned your name.”

“That jerk...”

Fol gave a weary sigh. In truth, after Norn was rescued and given treatment for her wounds from Yusurika, the former slave had at first refused to head back home to Roguebert. She’d cried and claimed that someone as defiled as her couldn’t possibly show her face there anymore. She was afraid of the way people would look at her.

Norn had been stripped of any dignity as a person and even lost any hope of being alive. She didn’t mind dying on the spot as tears streamed down her cheeks, but Lofus neither empathized nor sympathized with these circumstances. Instead of trying to calm her down, he scolded her. His tone was cruel, harsh, and biting, but when he mentioned Fol’s name, Norn oddly regained her will to live. She saw hope in her friend. Had she not been saved here, she would never be able to meet Fol or anyone in Roguebert ever again, and the mere thought of that sent shivers down her spine.

“Lofus is a very nice person,” Norn said. “He saved me, after all.”

“I don’t think he’s nice exactly...” Fol muttered with a straight face.

Norn giggled, but she noticed that the corners of Fol’s eyes were red.

“Fol, your eyes are so red,” Norn said. “Were you crying all night?”

Fol averted her gaze awkwardly. “It’s nothing.”

“What happened? Is it... Is it about Lofus?”

“I said it’s nothing!”

As Log watched the two girls reunite, his eyes grew wide. Had Fol heard their conversation the night prior? Cold sweat ran down his back.

“Fol, about last night...” he started.

But before he could finish, Carlos knelt beside the two ladies.

“I do apologize for barging into your heartfelt reunion,” the butler said.

“You’re the butler...” Fol said, looking a touched surprise.

“Do call me Carlos. You’ve no need for formalities, Lady Faltiana.”

Fol felt awkward for being addressed so politely, but she glanced around at the crowd in search of a certain boy.

“Where’s Lofus?” she asked. “He was gone when I woke up this morning, and now I see that Norn’s back. I just don’t get what happened...”

She frowned as she couldn’t find the boy within the crowd of people.

Carlos kept his head bowed as he quietly said, “My lord...won’t be returning. I doubt that he’ll ever come back to Roguebert.”

“Huh?” Fol asked, her face turning blank.

✶✶✶

Fol ran as fast as she could. She subconsciously channeled her mana into her legs, making her faster than a normal person. Carlos’s words upon her reunion with Norn never left her mind. When she was told that Lofus would never return, it wasn’t loneliness or sadness that struck her heart first—it was wrath. This boy had saved her life, Roguebert, and even her childhood friend Norn, and yet he would never be seen again.

These debts were hefty and impossible for her to repay, but Lofus didn’t even accept a single word of gratitude. Instead, he’d opted to leave without prior notice. Truly, he was selfish and self-centered to no end. Fol, naturally, knew how illogical her feelings were, and pushing these emotions on him was an equally selfish act, especially toward someone who had done so much for her. Even so, she didn’t want to watch him go without ever speaking or meeting with him again.

Norn, perhaps noticing her friend’s predicament, had smiled.

“Go on, Fol,” she had encouraged. “Go to him.”

Just like that, Fol had run. Log and Greig called out to her in the distance, but she didn’t stop; she ran right out of her village and propelled her legs as much as she could, not once pausing to catch breath. She didn’t know where Lofus was headed to, but she was certain that she was somehow headed in the right direction. It was as though she were being guided by some sort of unknown force.

She rushed through the rocky mountain, through the forest, and reached the vast hill that stretched in front of her. A single carriage was clattering along the road, sporting the unmistakable crest of House Lightless—a symbol that Lofus had hammered into her brain. The coachman was the dark-haired female healer who had treated Lofus’s injuries yesterday, Yusurika. There was no mistaking it. Lofus was almost certainly in that carriage.

Fol, overjoyed that she had caught up, huffed and puffed as she once again dashed toward the carriage.

Yusurika noticed this and stood in Fol’s way.

“Halt,” she ordered. “You’re from Roguebert, are you not? Have you any business with the Young Master?”

“I want to speak with Lofus,” Fol said. “Please, let me through.”

The knight frowned and shook her head. “I’m terribly sorry, but he has ordered me not to let anyone through. Unfortunately, I cannot let you pass.”

“Please! I... I haven’t said anything to him. I haven’t even given him a word of thanks.”

Fol bowed respectfully, but Yusurika only sadly looked away.

“I’m very sorry, but I cannot go against my orders,” the knight said. “However, please be assured that I shall relay your words to him.”

Fol wasn’t surprised at being rejected. She took a deep breath, and with renewed resolve, she grabbed the cutlass by her waist, sheath and all. She pointed her covered blade at the knight.

“Then I’m sorry, but I’ll force my way through,” she said.

Her blade was still sheathed, but the fact that she was able to point a weapon at the knight was a show of her resolve. Yusurika gave a gentle sigh, internally asking Carlos if this woman was truly worthy of being a future wife candidate to Lofus—she seemed a bit too brash and short-tempered.

“Are you sure about this?” Yusurika warned as she readied her wand. “You could get injured, or even worse, if you dare raise your weapon at a knight.”

“Then move,” Fol begged.

“I fear that you don’t understand my words. If you agree to leave right now without doing anything funny, I shall turn the other way for your conduct.”

Fol responded by swinging her cutlass down. Yusurika parried the attack, and this clash was all she needed to know that Fol could use mana as well. Realizing that this sort of battle was pointless, Yusurika swung her wand to deflect the blade.

Fol gasped, shocked to see that her cutlass was so easily pushed aside, but she didn’t give up and swung her blade again. Try as she might, she simply couldn’t land a blow on the knight and was easily tossed aside. The overwhelming difference in strength and skill was clear. Though Fol had experience fighting against monsters, she’d never really dueled against a person. Yusurika, on the other hand, was a Dark Knight who specialized in fighting other people. Fol didn’t stand a chance.

“You’re way too strong...” Fol grunted. “I thought you were just a healer.”

“I am a member of the Dark Knights, you know,” Yusurika replied. “If need be, I can crush a horde of orcs with a single wand, though I wouldn’t wish to do that again.”

She managed to easily parry the cutlass through her banter. The blade flew through the air and rolled onto the ground. Yusurika then pointed her wand at Fol.

“If you choose to run, I won’t give chase,” the knight said coldly.

Fol refused to give up. “I’m not running, that’s for sure.”

“I’m not particularly fond of knocking a lady out in a place like this, but I suppose I’ve got no choice,” Yusurika said, cruelly raising her wand in the air. “I promise to not hurt you if I can help it.”

A hint of kindness was laced in her tone as she swung her weapon down. Fol could do nothing but squeeze her eyes shut and brace for impact. Yet, the blow never came. When she cracked her eyes open, she spotted a wall of water protecting her, blocking the wand.

“What the...” Fol muttered, wide-eyed.

Yusurika stood there, surrounded by a cage of water—this was a high-level sorcery spell that couldn’t be easily cast.

“What’s going on?!” Yusurika shouted with surprise.

The knight glanced around frantically, fearing that she was under attack by another party, but no one else could be spotted. Fol looked up and spotted a seahorse floating above her head. The creature emitted a pale blue glow—Lunamaar, a high-ranking water spirit of the sea. In the tale, this seahorse had traveled alongside Fol.

“Why...are you here?” Fol murmured.

She’d met Lunamaar once before in the Devil’s Sea; the spirit had guided her to a nearby island and cave to take cover, but vanished before she could thank it. Lunamaar hadn’t appeared since, making Fol wonder if that had been all just a dream, but the spirit had once more revealed itself in front of her.

“Did you...do this?” she asked, pointing to the cage of water surrounding Yusurika.

Lunamaar looked bored. It turned away while it unfurled its curled tail and pointed it at the carriage where Lofus was, signaling Fol to go on ahead.

“Thanks!” Fol shouted. “I owe you one!”

She wasn’t sure why this seahorse was so helpful to her, having appeared twice now to help her out of a tight spot. But that was the least of her concerns right now. She took the helping hand offered to her and rushed past Yusurika, trapped within the cage of water, and stood in front of the carriage.

“Ugh... Wait!” Yusurika shouted.

Fol paid that warning no heed and grabbed the handle of the carriage door. With a deep breath, she opened the vehicle and leaped inside.

✶✶✶

Yusurika clicked her tongue with annoyance as she watched Fol board the carriage while she was trapped within the cage. The knight slammed her wand against the cage again and again, hoping to break the spell, but such advanced magic absorbed the impact of her blows and refused to budge. She angrily glared at the seahorse spirit, Lunamaar, who had undoubtedly created this trap.

“Spirit...” she muttered.

Even she could tell just how much power this seahorse had, but at least the spirit didn’t seem to have any intention of killing her, since the cage wasn’t filled with water and she could breathe in it.

Why is a spirit of its caliber helping Fol? Yusurika wondered. Spirits are known to be temperamental and capricious, helping or harming people as they please... Yet this seahorse was clearly on Fol’s team, going out of its way to help her. This was rather unusual for playful spirits. Perhaps this was simply what the spirit felt like doing for now, but it was also odd for a water spirit to be out of the water. The ocean was nearby, but spirits like its kind usually stayed by the sea and refused to leave it. Had Lunamaar also traveled so far to help Fol simply on a whim?

“No... Is she possessed?” Yusurika surmised.

A possessed person was one who was favored by a spirit and was thus enchanted by it. But Yusurika hadn’t noticed the presence of a spirit nearby when she’d spotted Fol in Roguebert, which further confused her. Was this spirit not always possessing the girl?

“I just don’t understand,” Yusurika muttered.

She stopped pondering over this question and instead imbued her wand with mana. The knight gave it her all for this one blow, one that was capable of shattering even the tough scale of dragons. The spell shook, unable to completely absorb the impact, but the cage remained intact.

“Even this won’t work, huh...”

Her strongest blow couldn’t crack the cage, and so she gazed up at the sky wearily. With a reluctant sigh, she took out another wand that hung from her waist and steadied both of her hands, imbuing both weapons with her mana.

“Frankly, I don’t like to wear myself out so much,” she said. “That being said, it seems I’ve got no other choice here. From the looks of it, a thousand of my blows should be enough to banish this cage.”

For the first time, Lunamaar turned to Yusurika, its bulging eyes fixated right on her. Moments later, the sound of countless blows began to ring out without ceasing.

✶✶✶

“Lofus?” Fol murmured.

The first thing she saw when she opened the carriage door was Lofus sitting on a chair, snoozing away. She extended a hand, intending to touch his shoulder to shake him awake, but she reconsidered and stopped herself. She thought back and realized that Lofus had likely not slept through the night, having returned to the village only moments ago. Once he delivered Fol to her house after the banquet the night prior, he’d gone straight to Stelia to rescue Norn. The thought of him pulling an all-nighter to save another person dissuaded Fol from waking the boy.

She took a seat across from him and rested her face on her hand as she stared at the slumbering noble.

“Why...” she whispered.

She trailed off, unable to finish. She had too many things to say, too many questions to ask. A single sentence couldn’t possibly convey it all. Why did you do so much for Roguebert? Fol wondered. Why did you sacrifice your left arm to save me? Why did you go out of your way to save Norn? Why did you try to leave without a word of farewell to us? Why? Why? Her heart was filled with the desire to speak with him.

The carriage violently shook.

“Huh?” Fol gasped.

She leaned out of the carriage window and looked back. Luckily, Yusurika was still trapped in that cage, but the impact of her blows was astonishing. That knight must’ve landed a powerful strike that shook the carriage... Ugh... She’s terrifying. Fol shuddered with fear when she realized that she could no longer hear Lofus’s steady breathing.

“Oh...”

He wore an inexplicable expression while he glared right at her. The shaking must have awoken him.

“M-Morning,” Fol stammered.

Lofus sighed. “Why are you here? Where’s Yusurika?”

“Um, some stuff happened. She’s outside.”

She glanced outside, and Lofus followed her gaze. He soon spotted his knight tirelessly swinging her wand at a cage of water with a glowing seahorse floating above her. He put two and two together, sensed what had occurred, and emitted another sigh.

“Lunamaar... I see now,” he muttered, his tone pitying Yusurika.

Fol tilted her head to one side. “Do you know what that thing is?”

“You mean you don’t? That’s more surprising.”

“Huh? Why would I know a seahorse like that?”

She frowned as Lofus stared at her wearily, but despite how upset she looked, she was secretly delighted to have this sort of mundane conversation with him. No matter how banal and dull a task was, it was fun, so long as she got to do it with the noble. A faint smile stretched across her lips, but Lofus immediately destroyed any sort of tender atmosphere that surrounded them.

“And? Why are you here?” he demanded.

“Why?” Fol parroted. “Why did you try to leave without telling us anything?”

“So what? Did you come all the way here to nag?”

“Shut up and answer the damn question.”

Lofus was silent for a few moments before he parted his lips and spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words. “Because I didn’t feel the need to meet you.”

The rejection in his tone was clear, and Fol gritted her teeth against the thorny remark. She suppressed the tears that welled up and glared at him.

“Do you...not like me?” she asked gingerly.

“I don’t like you. In fact, I despise you,” Lofus replied indifferently.

His flat tone and bluntly cruel words made Fol impulsively grab his collar and draw him close. She glared at his face as a single tear rolled down her cheek. As though to hide her weeping, she headbutted his chest before weakly burying her face in his body.

“But I like you, you know,” she said, her voice so faint that it could easily be blown away by a little puff of wind. “I love you, Lofus.”

Lofus hadn’t expected a confession out of the blue. He averted his gaze and muttered, “How foolish. We’ve only known each other for two days.”

“I don’t care.”

“I’m only twelve.”

“I don’t care.”

“I’m a noble and you’re a commoner.”

“I don’t care.”

“We live in completely different worlds.”

“And I! Don’t! Care!”

She gazed up at him, her eyes puffy from tears. She reached out and gently enveloped his face with her hands.

“If I reach out, I can touch you,” she said. “See? We’re in the same world right now, aren’t we? We’re not all that apart.”

“You know that that’s not what I mean,” Lofus said, his voice almost robotic as he suppressed any hint of emotion.

“Yeah. I do...”

Fol once again buried her face in his chest as she wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him in for a hug.

“But still, I love you,” she said. “Even if you hate me, I’m ridiculously in love with you. My feelings won’t change, even if we’re worlds apart.”

She laid her soul bare for him, and Lofus felt his heart waver. He gently placed his hand on her shoulders.

“Fol, I...” he started.

But before he could finish his sentence, the carriage door burst open with gusto, and an exhausted Yusurika stepped into the carriage. It seemed she was finally able to bust through the cage of water. She vehemently bowed as she boarded the vehicle.

“I’m terribly sorry!” she huffed. “Young ma—”

When she looked up, she froze as she spotted Fol hugging Lofus and the boy seemingly reciprocating this gesture. Fol’s cheeks turned scarlet by the second while the noble cast a sympathetic and pitiful look at the knight. Yusurika, much to her panic, immediately averted her gaze.

“D-Did I...interrupt something?” she squeaked.

Lofus let out a deep sigh. “Indeed. Wait outside.”

“Of course.”

After a long silence, Yusurika visibly slumped her shoulders and headed outside, quietly closing the door behind her. Only Lofus and Fol remained. The girl, realizing the boldness of her actions, was still beet red from embarrassment. Lofus pinched her left cheek, stretching it out.

“Owww!” she cried. “Gah! Lofus!”

“Your cheek stretches very well,” Lofus remarked.

He released her face from his grip and chuckled while Fol rubbed her red, swelling cheek. She glared at him with tears in her eyes.

“What the hell?!” she shouted. “I’m being serious here, you know!”

He shrugged wearily. “You hugged me and loudly professed your love to me. I’m sure you’re being serious.”

“I-I am! Besides, you were cut off earlier... What were you trying to say? Finish your sentence.”

Her voice grew meek as she began to mumble, and she averted her gaze, but Lofus only tilted his head to one side.

“Was I, now? I suppose I’ve forgotten,” he said.

“What?!” Fol yelped. “Well, remember it, then!”

“I’m the heir of the marquess, I’ll have you know. No matter how you slice it, I cannot reciprocate the feelings of a commoner.”

“Then what am I supposed to do with these feelings of mine?!”

“Give them up.”

“Hell no!”

“Then become a noble and then try your luck.”

Fol blinked back blankly. “Become a noble?” she muttered.

Lofus grinned. “Does the idea offend you? Becoming something you despise? If so, give up. A commoner cannot become engaged to the heir of a marquess, no matter how big a tantrum you throw.”

“Then I’ll do it.”

“What?”

“I’ll become a noble.”

“Do you even understand what you’re saying?”

“Of course I do. But if I become a noble, you will reciprocate my feelings, won’t you?”

“Huh? Now wait... Even if you do become a noble by some stroke of luck, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ll answer to your feelings.”

“No, you said it! You totally said it! If I become a noble, you’ll be with me! Take responsibility for your words, high-and-mighty noble! Have you no dignity?!”

“Fol, you bastard...”

He gave an exasperated sigh and gazed up at the ceiling while Fol flashed a victorious smile.

“And did you know? My gramps wasn’t a sailor—he was a pirate,” she said. “He used to go around Roguebert, a terror of the sea. He was pretty infamous, you know.”

“What are you on about?” Lofus asked.

“I’m saying that I’ve got the blood of a pirate in me. And if there’s one thing about pirates, it’s that they take what they want—no ifs, ands, or buts. We’ll use whatever we’ve got at our disposal.” She stared into his eyes. “Don’t think you can run, Lofus. I’ll do everything I can and hunt you down. I’ll make you mine.”

Both her face and voice were as serious as could be. Lofus inched away, unnerved.

“Don’t... Don’t say that,” he muttered. “It sounds like you’re trying to kidnap me.”

“Oh, and one more thing,” Fol said. She grabbed Lofus’s hand and enveloped it with both of hers. “Thanks.”

“What?” He knit his brow with confusion, but she didn’t care.

“Thanks for saving my village. And you volunteered to defeat those monsters for me, so thanks for that too. Oh, and you saved my life. Huge thank you for that. For defeating that whale for us too. And above all...truly, thank you for saving Norn.”

As she repeatedly voiced her gratitude, she gently placed her head onto his chest once more.

“And finally, thank you for hearing me out,” she whispered. “I’d been wanting to tell you all of this, but I hadn’t been able to.”

“That so...” Lofus muttered.

He gazed up at the ceiling once more as he let these words sink in. He gently and awkwardly placed a hand on her head as though to soothe her.

“When I was thrown into the Devil’s Sea, I would’ve likely died had you not been there,” he said quietly, working up the resolve to speak. “So, what I’m trying to say is... Well... You...saved me.”

Wide-eyed, Fol gazed up at Lofus, not at all expecting him to thank her in turn. Her cheeks bright red, she was overcome with emotions as she clung onto him.

“Lofus?” she asked.

“What?” he replied.

“Can I...kiss you?”

“Of course not.”

It was a cold rejection, but Fol was undeterred. She placed her arms around his neck, brought him close, and drew her face to his. Just as the two’s lips were about to touch, Fol felt something—a translucent barrier thinner than paper—in the way. Lofus had summoned a magic barrier of condensed mana to block her, just in the nick of time. When Fol slowly drew her face back and realized what had happened, she let out a self-deprecating laugh.

“I can’t believe youuu!” she roared.

Lofus covered his right ear with his one arm, hoping to block out some of that noise. Even Yusurika, stationed outside the carriage, jolted with shock as Fol’s angry voice echoed within the vehicle.

“Really?! You’re gonna stop me just when it was getting good?!” Fol shrieked. “Honestly, I didn’t know you could be so insensitive!”

“And what are you trying to do to a noble?!” Lofus replied. “It’s a crime, I’ll have you know!”

“Oh, shut up! It’s not like this is our first time! You’ve got nothing to lose anyway! Who cares?!”

“What do you mean, it’s not our first time?! What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Also, you saw me naked! Naked! Take responsibility for that!”

“You were trying to save my life, weren’t you?!”

As the two angrily roared at each other in the carriage, Yusurika heard it all. She instantly intuited that she likely wasn’t supposed to eavesdrop, so she gazed into the distance while covering her ears. However, neither Lofus nor Fol were willing to back down, and their furious shouting continued for a while as it echoed out of the carriage and into the hills beyond.

A while later, Carlos—who had explained the situation and told the residents that the sheltered slaves were kept in the church of the port city to recuperate—caught up with the carriage and butted in to mediate between Lofus and Fol. After the noble parted ways with Fol and headed back to his manor, it was rather apparent that he looked a touch lonely.

✶✶✶

At the main manor of House Lightless, Lofus had been called upon by his father to visit the marquess’s study. The boy sulked a bit as he plastered a frown on his face and stood in front of his father, who sat in his chair. The marquess had a terrifying gaze that could make anyone shrink with fear. His black hair and eyes were the same as Lofus’s, and he donned a black outfit that represented his noble house. Ludens Ray Lightless was no doubt the lord of House Lightless, and Lofus’s father.

“It’s been a while, Lofus,” Ludens said.

His tone was calm and gentle, yet it carried an unmistakable coldness and curtness that would make anyone freeze in fear. Lofus kept his frown and didn’t even meet his father’s gaze as he greeted in turn, solely to maintain appearances.

“Truly, it has been,” Lofus said indifferently. “I trust all is well?”

Ludens didn’t scold his son for his curt attitude. After all, this atmosphere between the two was nothing new.

“I’ve heard that you went to a remote village in the countryside,” Ludens said. “It was in Carlos’s report.”

“I did,” Lofus replied. “I do believe that I have nothing to report myself—it would be redundant to repeat what you already know.”

“I wish to hear what happened from your mouth.” He emitted a stronger pressure than before. “I also heard that you lost your left arm, and sight in your left eye. I presume both injuries are difficult to treat.”

“Yes, so it seems.”

The brusque reply made Ludens furrow his brow.

“Will you heal?” he asked.

“I’ll search for a way,” Lofus replied. “But if I cannot be healed, I suppose I’ll have to make an artificial arm.”

“Are you not aware of who you are? Clearly, you do not understand what it means to be the eldest son of House Lightless. Your actions were far too reckless and brash.”

Ludens’s voice remained calm and quiet, but it was apparent that he was angry.

“I shall be careful in the future,” Lofus replied.

“I’m not done, Lofus,” Ludens went on. “I heard that you used the forbidden spell as well, above the sea. The port city has also sent me numerous invoices, billing me for ships, cannons, a large number of potions, and various other items. From Stelia, a famous merchant has filed a claim toward me, declaring that you attacked him. I also dispatched the Dark Knights to fetch you, but you instead utilized them as you saw fit. I also...”

As Ludens began his scolding, Lofus looked utterly exhausted and let out a deep sigh. This prompted the marquess to stop and glare sternly at his son.

“Lofus,” he said.

“If there’s something more you’d like to say, I implore that you write it as a list and hand it to Carlos,” the boy replied.

He turned on his heels to leave and headed for the study’s door, when Ludens stood up with irritation.

“Lofus. I haven’t permitted you to leave,” Ludens said sternly. “Come back here. Right now.”

Lofus responded by turning around and glaring back at his father as though to resist. “Then, if I may, I’d like to say a few words.”

“What?”

“The misdeeds of the magistrate of that area have gone unchecked. He had illegally shackled the citizens with heavy taxation, abducted villagers, and was even involved in the slave trade with nearby industries. It seems the one who was sent to keep a watchful eye on him was also heavily bribed. But, of course, I’m sure that you’ve read all that in the report.”

“I have. What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying that you should rule your own land better. Keep a more watchful eye. Your subjects are paying the price for your incompetence.”

Ludens’s eyes widened with astonishment. “Lofus, you—”

“Now then, I don’t wish to be here for long. Mother and my dolt of a brother would cower so long as I’m here.”

“Wait! Lofus!”

But the boy ignored his father’s words and left the study. The door was coldly closed behind him, and Ludens, now alone, lifelessly sank back into his chair.

“I can scarcely believe it. Lofus is worried about the people of Lightless?” he said with a deep sigh. “Is this perhaps the change that Carlos mentioned?”

Unfortunately, no one was around to answer.

✶✶✶

“So I told him that it’s his citizens who must pay the price for his incompetence,” Lofus laughed haughtily. “Oh, you should’ve seen the look on father’s face! I wish you had been there, Carlos.”

Lofus was dining alone, but he was in high spirits. He proudly sat in his villa as an array of luxurious dishes were laid in front of a long table. Carlos stood beside him with a smile.

“I’m sure that Lord Lightless was surprised by how much you’ve grown,” the butler muttered.

“Growth? How so?” Lofus asked.

“Until now, you’ve never really shown any sort of consideration toward your residents, my lord. After all’s said and done, I truly believe that Roguebert was a positive experience for you.”

“If I brought up the citizens, I knew that it’d silence him, that’s all. At the very least, I don’t care about commoners.”

As Carlos pressed a hand against his eyes, moved to tears, Lofus laughed through his nose. The butler sighed wearily.

“My lord, you don’t have to be so bashful,” he said. “Lady Faltiana is a commoner too.”

The moment the name left his lips, the shadow cast within the room turned a shade darker. Lofus quietly set his knife and fork down on the table and glared at his butler with his dark and jade eyes.

“You better not have mentioned Fol to father,” Lofus growled.

“I haven’t said a word,” Carlos replied. “All I’ve noted in my report are the facts and incidents that occurred in Roguebert. Naturally, I also brought up Lady Faltiana, as she was integral to these events.”

“Nothing unnecessary about her, I hope...”

“I have a copy. Would you like to take a look, my lord?”

As well prepared as ever, he eagerly took out a stack of documents. Lofus snatched it from his butler’s hands and scanned the papers, and soon an angry nerve visibly popped out on his forehead.

“Indeed, you’ve written about the monster subjugation, Clinton’s misdeeds, and everything else,” Lofus started. “Not a detail has been missed, and everything is accurate. I suppose I cannot find fault with this.”

“Thank you very much,” Carlos replied with an elegant bow.

“But what is this last bit?!” Lofus roared furiously. “This part about Fol! This isn’t some kind of romance novel!”

At the end of the report was a detailed entry about Faltiana. It went into incredible detail about each interaction between her and Lofus, and every now and then, the passionate writing was all too clear. The final line read, “A fiery love between two star-crossed lovers, inevitably separate due to their birth! What fate awaits them...?” Lofus angrily jabbed his finger at this line that looked like it had been taken right from a romantic tale. Yet, the butler only puffed out his chest proudly, claiming that this was his best work yet. He didn’t have a shred of shame. Lofus buried his face in his hand.

“I should’ve read this before you turned it in...” the noble groaned with agony.

“Indeed so. How imprudent you are, my lord,” Carlos replied.

“No! You don’t get to say that!”

Lofus violently threw the report aside, but Carlos was completely unfazed, cool as a cucumber.

“Did father read this nonsense?” Lofus muttered. He sighed and grumpily rested his face on his hand. “Though, frankly, that’s the least of my concerns.”

“Indeed... This is quite the conundrum...” Carlos agreed.

Near the table lined with delectable dishes were two stacks of papers. One was the mountain of invoices sent by the merchants of the port city, and the other was titled, “Complaint filed by Gillan, wealthy merchant and director of Stelia’s Merchant Association.”

✶✶✶

Lillia, the daughter of an innkeeper, was watching the inn in Roguebert from the dining area situated behind the inn. There weren’t any customers or guests, making the room feel rather spacious. The place was crowded and rowdy during lunchtime, when all the sailors returned from their morning fishing, but once they left for the afternoon, the eatery fell silent once more.

Within this vacant space, Lillia was accompanied by Norn and Fol. Ever since Norn was rescued, Lillia and Fol had been helping her get back on her feet. Norn was often encouraged to leave the house, and during the day, she usually assisted Lillia with watching over the eatery. Though Norn’s stamina had decreased considerably since her confinement, she was gradually regaining her energy and muscle. Fol frequently visited her friend as well, sneaking out between her work hours.

She was currently rolling on the floor, writhing in agony.

“Waaagh!” she shrieked.

Lillia gave her a cold stare. “Then she goes again... You’ve been that way ever since Lord Lofus left.”

Norn let out a strained chuckle. “This is a serious case for sure.”

“If you like him that much, why didn’t you just push him down?” Lillia said with a sigh.

“Apparently, she did something very close to that. She confessed, tried to kiss him, and then...”

Norn trailed off awkwardly, but Lillia nodded with understanding.

“And then she got rejected, huh?” Lillia said.

“I wasn’t rejected!” Fol shouted.

She got up frantically, and Norn giggled.

“But Lofus is still twelve, isn’t he?” Norn asked. “Maybe it’s a bit difficult for him to reciprocate your feelings...”

“I... Yeah, I guess so,” Fol muttered. “I can’t believe I confessed to a twelve-year-old and tried to kiss him... Gaaah! What the hell am I doing?!”

She was glum one moment and screaming the next. Lillia could only watch on wearily, and she slumped her shoulders.

“Someone’s unstable...” she muttered. “I need you to stop doing that when customers arrive.”

“Fol’s only fourteen,” Norn said gently. “I don’t think they have too much of an age gap, so it should be fine...”

“Yeah, but she was rejected, right?” Lillia added cruelly.

“I said that I wasn’t rejected!” Fol shouted.

Her loud voice echoed within the eatery; Roguebert was as rowdy and cheery as ever.

✶✶✶

Three months had passed since Lofus returned from Roguebert. In the underground prison of the Stelia fief, a man with golden hair was restrained by his arms and legs by thick chains, the heavy shackles seeming far too large for a boy his age. Warm Rio Draconis, also known as the Dragon Rider and the strongest of the Elite Four in the tale, looked up from his fetters. The cell in a snowy region was icy and cold, enough to make him expel puffs of white.

“Sorry, Lofus...” Warm muttered. “I screwed up...big time.”

His voice, filled with vexation and regret, quietly melted away within the cell’s bleak, chilling darkness.

✶✶✶

The morning sunshine shone onto my cup of dark coffee. Another morning had arrived. Carlos stood beside me as he gave me an elegant bow.

“Good morning, Lord Lofus,” he said. “You have a visitor who wishes to see you—I have them waiting in the guest room.”

“Chase them off,” I grumbled after a lengthy pause. “What time do you think it is?”

Carlos glanced at his pocket watch. “It’s already past nine, my lord. A slow and lazy morning, I’d think.”

“Is someone from the port’s Merchant Association here again?”

“Quite so. An official this time.”

Then I guess I ought to meet them... I thought. I let out a sigh, something that I realized I’d been doing often recently.

“I’ll have breakfast after this meeting,” I said.

“Certainly,” Carlos replied.

I slipped my arms through a dark suit appropriate for welcoming guests, then left the bedroom to head to the guest room. Though it’d been three months since my return from Roguebert, it didn’t mean that all the problems in that village—and by extension, the port city—had been wrapped up in a neat little bow.

Clinton’s crimes were extensive; he’d illegally shackled many nearby towns and villages with heavy taxes, forcing them into poverty, and the residents that he’d abducted and sold off to slavery weren’t all rescued just yet. While we’d managed to crush two people involved in the slave trade, the industry itself was alive and well. And since Clinton, the man behind all these crimes, had died, the area was left without a magistrate and had no official to take care of all these matters.

Had I been allowed to become the magistrate, things would’ve been much easier. But I was only twelve, and naturally, my father wouldn’t allow it. Instead, I threatened the dispatched magistrate who had been sent in Clinton’s stead, turning them into my puppet who dutifully carried out my commands so I could take care of matters.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to just wave my hand and revert the financial crisis of the towns and villages, and rescuing the abducted slaves was progressing at a snail’s pace. If I were allowed to mobilize useful pawns such as the Dark Knights, I wouldn’t have had this much trouble, but they were under my father’s direct control, not mine. I had no right to use them as I pleased.

As a temporary measure, I made those areas tax-free, but that was just a drop in the bucket. Though removing taxes for a period of time would give the residents more breathing room, it did little to solve the fundamental root of the issue: poverty.

The Lightless fief’s wealth wasn’t infinite either; we couldn’t make this place tax-exempt forever, and I had to quickly come up with some kind of alternative solution. The magistrate I controlled didn’t have any valuable ideas of his own, and to top it all off, I had been receiving invoices from the port city’s Merchant Association. Clinton, that sneaky weasel, had given out IOUs under my name when he was procuring ships, cannons, potions, and the like.

Normally, merchants wouldn’t have allowed one to pay afterward, especially for hefty purchases like these, but Clinton’s name carried a great deal of trust as he served as our magistrate. That man had left a troublesome parting gift to me. Thanks to all of that, I was busy holding meetings with these merchants and filling out paperwork; I hardly was able to get a rest for the past three months.

At first, neither the merchants nor I could come to an agreement. They sent these invoices to me and demanded that I pay, refusing to discount even a single coin. In response, I claimed that these agreements had been made with Clinton, not my house; I was just as much of a victim since my name had been stolen. Without my own signature on these contracts, I felt like they were void, but that cunning bastard had used a stamp with the Lightless family crest to sign off on these contracts, creating a very sticky situation for me.

Though there was no signature, the stamp carried enough weight to be seen as legitimate in some cases. The only ones permitted to use it were the members of House Lightless, their relatives, and those who ruled the land under their control. And because Clinton had served as our magistrate, he was counted among them. As a result, we were at a standstill with one side demanding payment and the other refusing to comply.

The Devil’s Sea had been a thorn in the side for merchants, especially those who had trade routes of the sea. I managed to defeat the ship-devouring monster and successfully make it my minion—to be more precise, I killed it and made it my familiar, but the premise was the same. When I told the angry merchants that this monster now did my bidding and only spared ships I allowed to pass—that is, I effectively controlled trade over that area—the merchants who came for discussions immediately changed their tune.

Of course they did. They were now allowed to trade with Stelia using the shortest route possible, and Stelia, a region of snow and frost, was home to a variety of unique monsters, including wyverns. Needless to say, the pelts and magic stones harvested from there fetched a high price on the market. Combined with their unique furniture and artwork, the region was practically a money-making machine. Every merchant was dying to secure a trade route there, so they eagerly turned from their invoices to instead begin discussions about forming ties with Stelia.

Most of them discussed rights and taxes. These greedy merchants flooded into my manor daily to negotiate. In their eyes, even the expense of a two-day trip by carriage was worth coming here.

“This was a very fruitful conversation, Sir Lofus,” a merchant said. “I do hope we can talk again soon.”

“And I sure hope we don’t,” I snapped. “Tone down the frequency of your visits.”

Our meeting went smoothly today as well, and the official was all smiles as they practically skipped out the door. We agreed that the ships and other invoices for this house would be a loan, one with no interest and no payment deadline. I basically didn’t have to pay the money back and I was practically off the hook, but in exchange, I had to act in the interest of the merchants for a while.

First thing in the morning, I was subjected to this meeting for a few hours. I was utterly exhausted, and after the merchants left, I uncouthly lounged on the sofa of the guest room. Carlos eventually returned, having sent the merchants on their way. In his hand was a tray of coffee and a ham-and-egg sandwich. The breakfast that I’d requested was already prepared.

“Oh dear... You seem quite exhausted,” he remarked.

“I haven’t been able to rest at all,” I grumbled. “I’d love to just cast away my responsibilities and run.”

“I don’t think that this is your responsibility, my lord. Surely, you can let Lord Lightless take care of things.”

My father? I thought. It was his incompetence that allowed Clinton to run wild in the first place, bringing upon this laughably pathetic situation. If I let him handle it, he’d only repeat the same mistakes.

“Impossible,” I said snarkily. “I’m sure my oh-so-mighty father is rather...fatigued from managing his massive fief. After all, he let scum like Clinton roam free and do as he pleased.”

“That was only because the inspector he dispatched was bribed as well...” Carlos said, awkwardly shifting his gaze to the ground.

“Try saying that to the victimized citizens. I guarantee you that such an excuse won’t fly.”

And neither will it with me. I was killed countless times in my dream for my father’s willful ignorance.

Carlos, unable to retort, snapped his mouth shut as I huffed proudly and began to munch away on my sandwich.

I’d much rather have the Devil’s Sea rumors remain. So long as people believe that the ship-devouring demon of the sea is still alive and well, I can control trade in that area and make it seem like only those permitted by House Lightless can pass. We’d effectively have a monopoly on the routes to Stelia. Maybe I should head back to Roguebert and summon Strafe once, just to intimidate others.

Unfortunately for me, I simply didn’t have the time to do so. Between taking care of the aftermath of the incident and secretly contacting the magistrate who carried out my orders, I was neck-deep in work.

Should I switch bases for a while? Maybe move to the port city to make things easier for me? No... If I do that, father will send the Dark Knights after me again. Good grief...

“Speaking of,” Carlos said, as though he recalled something. “You’ll be departing next week, won’t you?”

“For what?” I asked.

Next week? Depart? Do I have to?

“Oh? Have you forgotten?” Carlos asked. “You were so excited that you practically vomited. I’m talking about the party hosted by the house of Duke Galleon.”

“Ah, yes...” I replied.

That’s right, I received an invitation for it a mere three months ago. How could I forget? It was the day I saw a nightmare where I was killed millions of times—I vomited not from joy, of course.

The host, House Galleon, was the home of Raymond, the second Demon Lord of the tale. If I attended that event, I would inevitably meet him.

I suspected that even in my dream’s story, this was where I would first meet him. Truth be told, I was a bit—no, quite hesitant. After all, I knew that one way or another, I’d follow him around, become a member of the Elite Four, and ultimately get killed. If I didn’t attend the party, perhaps the future would change, along with the Elite Four. Maybe I wouldn’t join him, thereby avoiding my own death.

I was also not keen on making the journey; the duke’s house was very far away. The Lightless march was located on the east side of the kingdom, while the Galleon duchy was situated all the way on the opposite side, in the western region. Their fief was vast and enormous.

Even if I went by carriage, it’d take at least a week before I arrived. The royal capital had a train which could shave off some time, but even so, I was busy with taking care of the aftermath of Roguebert along with the merchants. I simply couldn’t leave the manor for more than a week. I guess I’ll have to sit this one out...

“Carlos,” I said. “Write a letter to House Galleon. I won’t be able to attend the party.”

“What?!” the butler cried. “Why the sudden change of heart?! And declining when the event is just around the corner...”

He gazed at me with astonishment as I swung the stump on my left arm.

“I just don’t have the time right now, and as you can plainly see, my injuries aren’t healed yet,” I said. “Tell them that I’m sick or something.”

“That...will be difficult to do.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You’ve already decided to attend the party, and above all, Lord Lightless shall also be in attendance...”

He averted his gaze awkwardly. What? Father’s joining too? I...suppose that isn’t odd. In fact, it was far more uncouth to send his son, still a minor, to a party by himself. It was only natural that he attended this event. Which means...

“Carlos?”

“Yes, my lord?” he asked.

I narrowed my eyes and gazed out the window. “I think I’ll have an upset stomach next week.”

He slumped his shoulders wearily. “I only hope that you can successfully fool your father.”

Indeed...

✶✶✶

Well, I was out of luck. I didn’t have any right to refuse. Early in the morning, on the day of the party, three carriages were already stationed in front of my manor, waiting for me. I wore my mantle for outdoors and was led to stand before them.

“Er, father, I don’t feel well...” I mumbled.

“Silence. Head into the carriage,” he ordered.

“I’d like to sit this one out...”

“Ah, so you want to bring shame to our household name?”

I fell silent at his stern eyes practically filled with murderous fury. Clearly, I couldn’t refuse, and I didn’t have much of a say. After all, I’d accepted the invitation; to flake at the last minute was unseemly for a regular human, and all the more so for a noble. High society valued etiquette above all, and unless there was some sort of pressing emergency, I wasn’t permitted to just cancel. Doing so would only cast House Lightless in a bad light, and House Galleon would especially treat us with disdain.

Making an enemy out of the duke’s house would be nothing but trouble. I had no choice but to quietly board the carriage.

Father seems awfully on edge today... I thought. It’s like he’s in a rush or impatient somehow. Or maybe he bears a grudge against me for brushing him off during our last conversation in his study. I’d proudly declared that his citizens were suffering under his rule; it must have been infuriating to be scolded like that by his son.

He boarded the carriage after I did and took the seat across from me. As we sat in front of each other, I quietly stood up.

“Where are you going?” he demanded sharply with a glare.

“To the carriage behind me,” I replied.

We had three carriages headed for House Galleon. The first one was for us, the second one was for our servants and attendants, and the third was filled with offerings for the duke. Carlos was in the second carriage, and though it was less luxurious than the one I was currently in, it was still good enough for me to board. I much rather preferred to be with him than with my father during this lengthy trip.

“No,” my father snapped.

“But I’d like to be with Carlos...” I started.

“That carriage has other servants as well. Carlos aside, if you’re there, the others will cower with fear. Or are you too blind to see that?”

I felt a vein pop on my forehead with anger. I almost clicked my tongue angrily, but managed to hold back. I should be praised for this patience. But my father was not wrong, and I had no right to argue. Though it annoyed me to do his bidding, I quietly sat back down.

“Start the carriage,” my father ordered.

His cold voice echoed throughout the vehicle as the wheels clattered on and headed for House Galleon. And so, our long, hellish ride to Galleon began.

✶✶✶

Silence settled between me and my father as we headed for the duchy. We weren’t the type to casually talk and laugh about trivial matters, so this awkward atmosphere was expected. The air was tense and honestly excruciating for me; as much as this was the norm for us, I’d never been subjected to this unease for so awfully long.

My father turned away from me and gazed out the window. The carriage clattered on without cease, and each second felt like it dragged on for an eternity.

“Is it true that you’re in love with a commoner girl?” he asked suddenly.

I jolted. Him asking about my romantic interests was about the last thing I expected. I did my best to suppress any sort of laughter and maintain my composure.

“I imagine you’re referring to Carlos’s report,” I replied. “It’s nothing more than a delusion of his.”

But my father sharply glared at me as though trying to find some truth I was hiding. “She’s a woman from a fishing village. Faltiana, was it?”

When her name left his lips, I felt overcome with an explicable sense of irritation.

“I ask that you drop this,” I said. “I’ve no intention of humoring such farcical piffle.”

“Alba reported on that girl,” my father said.

“I see...”

Damn it, Alba. How dare you blabber nonsense. I’ll remember this, you white-haired dolt.

“Then it seems we’re both plagued with subordinates who love to daydream,” I said.

“So you deny it?” my father asked. “Then bring that girl over...”

I emitted a wave of mana, pressuring my father to fall silent. He snapped his mouth shut when he felt my rage, but he was unfazed by it all.

“Lofus,” he said wearily. “Your response practically admits that their claims are true.”

I glared at him. “And suppose that they somehow are—though I’m not saying that’s the case. But if they were true, then what?”

“Don’t be so on guard. I won’t interfere; nothing will happen. It’s not as though you’re engaged to anyone, and the promise with Vermeil can easily be dealt with. You can do as you please.”

Vermeil... Ah, the house that promised to be engaged with me if they birthed a girl before I reached adulthood. This was an oath sworn shortly after I was born, though that was normal between nobles. Oftentimes, the two getting married had little say in their own union.

“Then why bring it up at all?” I asked.

My questioning gaze was met with a shrug.

“Just small talk,” my father replied. “We haven’t really spoken much as family these days, have we?”

I chuckled. “‘As family’... I didn’t expect to hear such words from you, of all people.”

“What’s so funny? And when will you return to the main house?”

“Me, return? Don’t joke around. You know full well that mother and my airheaded brother are terrified of me. Besides, you’re the one who threw me into the villa. I didn’t do it of my own accord.”

My father had ordered me to live in the villa when I was ten. When I was a younger child, I was unable to control the massive amount of mana and magic within me. That was my own fault. One day, I’d carelessly cast a spell that went out of control, and I accidentally dragged my foolish younger brother into this mess. My mother came in to protect my injured brother, and my father had to stop my mana from continuing to run amok.

Until then, I’d been showered with praise and called the reincarnation of House Lightless’s renowned founder. My mana and magic capabilities were absolutely superb and trumped anything that anyone had ever seen, but this was my first failure. Ever since, I’d trained like hell to control my mana, working tirelessly to restrain my own power every day, even at the expense of sleep.

Thanks to my efforts, I was able to fully control my mana by the age of ten, but my father ordered me to live in the villa. My foolish brother and mother were terrified of me, so much so that it affected their daily lives due to their trauma. I didn’t particularly bear a grudge against my father for moving me out of the house, but for a while, I was admittedly furious. My desperate attempts had been ignored, and my claims that I was able to control mana weren’t trusted. But all that anger was now water under the bridge.

“It’s been two years...” my father said, shifting his gaze. “I’m sure you’ve already learned how to properly control your mana. And if we continue to live apart, the distance between us may never close.”

“Do you wish to repair these bonds after all that has happened?” I asked.

“A year ago, I told you to return to the main manor. Why didn’t you?”

“Because I don’t want to. And I never will. I’ll continue to stay in the villa.”

I didn’t feel any need to return home after everything that had happened.

“Lofus...” my father started. His voice was faint and vanished into the ether.

All I could do was turn away.

“I don’t wish to speak anymore,” I said. “I’d like to rest a while, so you can as you like.”

I closed my eyes and refused to continue this conversation. Neither my father nor I said another word until we reached a waypoint town for our journey.

3. The Second Demon Lord

The moonlight shone brightly upon the world like the afternoon sun, and a gigantic dragon emitted a blinding dazzle as it unfurled its azure wings of flames and glared at me. The dragon’s mana was magnificent, powerful enough to easily burn an entire city to the ground. This beast was none other than Bahamut, king of the dragons, and often mentioned in ancient scripts and texts. This mighty beast was never one to heed the command of a human, yet it bowed its head to a certain boy as though to offer its submission.

The boy turned toward me and offered his hand.

“Come with me,” he urged. “We have more than enough power to rule this world.”

Raymond Roi Nodens Galleon, who would come to be called the second Demon Lord, flashed a fearless smile.

✶✶✶

A crowd of nobles had gathered at House Galleon’s main manor. I’d arrived at the duchy just the other day; after leaving the Lightless land, we passed through several towns and cities before finally arriving here. It had taken a total of six days. Usually, it’d take seven whole days and nights, but going by train from the royal capital had shortened our journey by a day. Trains were excellent; they were much faster than carriages and didn’t clatter as much either.

I would’ve loved to have one of these on our fief as well, but I hadn’t spoken much with my father since our first day of the trip, so there was no opportunity to bring it up. But I was in no rush, and this request could wait until another day.

The party hosted by House Galleon was a major event that lasted three whole days and nights. Some guests would attend for the full duration, while others would leave after one day. We were free to come and go as we pleased, and House Lightless planned to only attend on the first day.

I figured my father wished to attend for all three days, but with Clinton’s misdeeds still not completely resolved, and with the aftermath of other incidents, he likely wasn’t too keen on leaving his fief for long. It seemed he was just as busy as I had been for the past three months.

I’d heard that recent negotiations with House Serpente involved Clinton’s wife and daughter; though Viscount Serpente had swiftly apologized for his son’s horrific actions and even coughed up the money we demanded, he was reluctant to take the two into his care. So for the time being, the responsibility fell to us.

They were the family of a man who had caused much trouble and headache; their presence would only stir further strife and conflict. Viscount Serpente was likely not eager to take on that extra baggage, but House Lightless wouldn’t look after those two for long.

House Serpente was not in attendance, claiming that they had to take care of Clinton’s mess and were exercising some self-restraint by refraining from enjoying themselves. Really, they were probably just terrified about bumping into my father. In any case, I was happy that I could head back home soon. Negotiations with the merchants had screeched to a halt in my absence, and the magistrate I controlled was at a loss without contact from me, so I was eager to return as soon as possible.

I entered the party venue, wearing a black coat that represented House Lightless. My father wore a matching dark suit for this occasion. First, I had to tag along with him and greet the host, Duke Galleon, along with other nobles. I conducted myself with grace and elegance, my bows and etiquette fitting for a member of the marquess’s house. I liked parties, but I hated doing this bit more than anything else.

“You should be more friendly,” my father scolded quietly.

“That’s rich, coming from you,” I replied. My father hadn’t so much as smiled when greeting the others.

Once that was over, I was finally free to do as I pleased. Partygoers dined as they stood around and talked. I grabbed a drink from a waiter who glided across the venue and quenched my parched throat. With a glass in hand, I strolled across the room and enjoyed the atmosphere; the elegant live music playing onstage was pleasant to the ears, and I watched some nobles dance and enjoy themselves. Indeed, this was a lively party fit for high society. I was right where I belonged, mingling with the upper echelons of this kingdom. And yet...

“It’s so...quiet,” I muttered.

Were parties always this calm? I wondered. The quiet chatters of the nobles amid the music used to sound livelier and louder to my ears—this was a space where only the most sophisticated and elegant of nobles were allowed entry. Yet, I inexplicably felt as though something were lacking.

Perhaps the unnecessary rowdiness of those lower folks from the fishing village had skewed my senses. For a moment, Fol’s face flashed across my mind, but I shook my head.

Why am I thinking about her right now? I sighed. I’d only spent a few days with her. I didn’t understand what had come over me. Had I grown attached to her or suddenly gotten emotional? Over a mere commoner? That can’t be...

As I quietly questioned myself, a voice snapped me back to my senses.

“You must be tired.”

I jolted and whirled around to see Carlos standing there. I hadn’t sensed him at all. At least let your presence be known, fool. Our servants and attendants had been away while we greeted the nobles, but it seemed he’d returned to my side.

“You seemed to be spending quite some time with Lord Lightless as you said your greetings,” he remarked.

“For a party of this size, there are many nobles in attendance, but I just cannot find enjoyment in these silly little greetings.”

“It’s an important opportunity to form bonds with other houses.”

“I know that.”

“Is something the matter? You seem rather bored,” Carlos said, tilting his head.

“Do I seem that way to you?” I asked as I turned away.

“You do,” he replied. “In fact...it seems as though you were thinking about your beloved.”

“What was that?!” I glared at my butler for cracking such a silly joke. “Do you wish to die? I’m not fond of jokes.”

Carlos immediately shrugged at my anger. “Apologies. Please pardon my silly remarks.”

His eyes then turned to my empty glass and my missing left arm that was hidden within my coat.

“Shall I get you something?” he asked.

“No need,” I replied.

Being astute was his strong point, but I didn’t need his care. Though I only had one hand and could hardly eat standing up, I didn’t know how it would benefit me if he brought me food. Was he going to feed me in front of the crowd? I’d much prefer to skip a meal than to act so disgraceful.

“Then perhaps something that allows you to eat with one hand...” he said.

“I said there’s no need!” I snapped.

I scolded my butler and flapped my coat around as I headed for the balcony.

“I’m going outside for some fresh air,” I said. “You don’t need to tag along with me.”

“If that is your wish,” Carlos replied.

I stepped out onto the balcony alone. The crescent moon shone down on us tonight, and I leaned on the handrail as I took in the nighttime breeze. As I bathed in the moonbeams, I felt my exhaustion from greeting the other nobles melting away. But this brief moment of tranquility was shattered by a person in the darkness.

“Are you enjoying your time, Lofus?” he asked.

He spoke in a friendly tone as though we were lifelong friends, but in this timeline, this was my first meeting with him. In stark contrast to my dark coat, he wore a suit of pure white, his sapphire eyes accentuated by his brown hair. This boy was none other than the eldest son of this party’s host, and the one called the second Demon Lord within my dream: Raymond Roi Nodens Galleon. I hadn’t seen him when I greeted the duke... Was he waiting for an opportunity to speak with me?

“Could I have a moment?” Raymond asked. “I’d like to talk with you, Lofus.”

He flashed a fearless smile at me.

✶✶✶

Raymond guided Lofus to the garden of the party venue. Aside from them, there was another boy and girl who looked to be the same age as Lofus. The boy was tall and muscular for his age, while the girl was petite and pale, wearing a green dress. Though Lofus had met neither of them in this world, he was rather familiar with them thanks to his dream.

They were also a part of the Elite Four who worked under the second Demon Lord. Lofus narrowed his eyes and glanced around, but Warm was nowhere to be seen.

Raymond smiled after gathering these three.

“Sorry to keep you guys waiting,” he said. “Now we’re all assembled.”

The other two furrowed their brows with confusion.

“Now you brought the eldest son of Lightless?” the boy asked. “What kind of group is this?”

The tall and muscular boy was Orgus Roé Diamante, the eldest son of Count Diamante. The frowning, quiet girl in her green dress who stared at Lofus was Annegelt Loue Triantafyllia, the second-eldest daughter of Count Triantafyllia. Both were considered geniuses in magic, much like how Lofus was seen as a child prodigy. The two were at the top of their respective fields.

Raymond stood in the middle of the garden, then turned around and silently smiled as he emitted a wave of dense mana. The wave was so thick and condensed that even Lofus felt a cold sweat run down his back; it reminded him of the Wicked Whale he’d fought above the Devil’s Sea. Orgus and Annegelt both turned pale, the former falling to one knee while the latter trembled and refused to look up.

Only Lofus remained standing, due in no small part to his ridiculous amount of mana, but Raymond was clearly capable of making high-ranked nobles cower at his presence. Lofus glared at Raymond, quietly demanding to know what exactly was going on.

Raymond immediately stopped his burst of mana, and both Orgus and Annegelt breathed a sigh of relief. He then proceeded to create a small ball of light on the palm of his hand; at first glance it looked like a tiny version of Light Ball, a rather elementary spell, but both Lofus and Annegelt were visibly surprised when they realized what it was.

Raymond had just used a spell without uttering a single word. This was a feat that could only be considered exceptional. Lofus often did this as well, where he managed to completely skip the chanting of a spell and activate his magic as quickly as possible. A nonverbal spell was seen as a godlike ability in recent times, but Raymond’s ball of light was in a league of its own.

This small light wasn’t inscribed with any sort of magical formula—every spell was usually required to have one in some shape or form. Yet Raymond had manifested an element without the use of a formula, implying that this was no longer just a simple use of mana but an ability that went beyond the use of magic. Needless to say, even Lofus wasn’t capable of this. Orgus, who wasn’t all that adept at magic, only stood there, perplexed.

Raymond rolled the ball of light across his hand, almost toying with this seemingly divine work, before he made it vanish. He then swung his enhanced arm down and punched the ground again and again, paying no heed to the deafening sound and quakes he created, creating a crater in seconds. This sort of power was far beyond the realms of the norm; simply possessing a lot of mana wasn’t enough to create this sort of destruction. While Raymond’s raw potential was impressive enough, one needed to synchronize their body almost perfectly with their mana to attain a level this high. It was an unbelievable accomplishment. How compatible was Raymond’s body with his mana? He was undoubtedly suitable for channeling copious amounts of magic without any ill effects. Lofus and Annegelt were astonished by this, but above all, Orgus was the most impressed. Raymond had shown it all: mana, technique, and power. His calm smile shifted to one of proud fearlessness.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” he said. “I’m the most powerful person in the kingdom. Any facet of my abilities are second to none within this nation, and when it comes to overall power, I doubt that anyone could trump me in any conceivable way. This is an objective fact.” Raymond paused before he continued, “And yet, I’ve realized that in this kingdom, there is not one, but four people who trump me in specific fields. Furthermore, we’re all around the same age. Honestly, I felt that this was fated to be. One person isn’t here today, but the remaining three are, of course, you guys.”

Raymond gazed at the three of them and went on, “My rash spurt of violence was rather unseemly for your eyes—I know that well. However, I just had to do a little demonstration of my power.” He shrugged. “But as mentioned earlier, I wouldn’t blame you if you found it an offensive sight. This is mere entertainment for you all, I’m sure. When it comes to the amount of mana, Lofus trumps me. Annegelt is better than me for magical techniques, and as for power, Orgus is far stronger.”

The three kids glanced at each other. Unseemly? Offensive? Neither word had crossed their minds; while admittedly, each of these kids excelled more than Raymond in their respective fields, Raymond had just displayed an impressive amount of skills and mana prowess that was nothing to sneeze at. Annegelt and Orgus gazed fearfully at Raymond, and only Lofus was able to maintain his composure.

After all, Raymond was in the Lightless heir’s dream, and Lofus already knew that the boy in front of him had an astonishing amount of mana and technique. Lofus had never seen it with his own eyes, and thus, Raymond’s display was a touch alarming, but that was all.

The young Lightless glared at Raymond.

“And? Why did you gather us here?” Lofus asked sharply. “You didn’t just want to show off to us, did you?”

Both Annegelt and Orgus were flabbergasted by Lofus’s haughtiness—how in the world was this boy able to act so tough after such a display? Raymond, on the other hand, flashed a calm and friendly smile.

“Show off? Perish the thought,” Raymond replied. “My power is minuscule compared to you three. I simply wish to be seen as equals with you.”

“Equals? Ridiculous,” Lofus spat. “What you ‘wish’ for is our submission. You showed off all that power to pressure us—don’t try to deny it.”

“H-Hey...” Orgus said. He tried to reach out and grab Lofus’s shoulder in hopes of stopping the Lightless heir, but Orgus was stopped by the magic barrier that Lofus had on him at all times.

All the while, Annegelt looked terrified and gingerly glanced at Raymond, hoping that he wasn’t cross about this show of insolence. But Raymond only smiled.

“I’m happy to hear that, Lofus,” he said. “There aren’t many who would speak to me as an equal. And I really had no intention of intimidating you with my power—if that made you shrink with fear, I truly do apologize.”

When Raymond calmly gave a word of apology, Annegelt and Orgus relaxed ever so slightly. Lofus, however, continued his arrogant attitude.

“I didn’t shrink with fear—those two did,” he spat. “And I believe I asked why you gathered us here. Or can you not answer?”

“Dude, cut it out!” Orgus snapped, angrily approaching Lofus.

“You’ve been nothing but rude! What’s your problem?!” Annegelt shouted.

“Hmph, I’ll throw those remarks right back at you,” Lofus replied sharply. “How dare the children of mere counts speak to me?! Know your place!”

He shot daggers at the two to silence them, but on the inside, he was panicking. At this rate, he worried that matters would progress exactly like in his dream, and he’d be forced to join Raymond’s group. This was very, very bad news for him; it wasn’t hard to surmise that these so-called “equals” would eventually form the Elite Four. And of course, if Lofus embraced the dark side, what awaited him was a horrible, gruesome, blood-chilling death at the hands of the main character and his forces. It was a future that Lofus feared above all, and he was desperate to resist this flow of fate. He made sure to act defiant, adamant that he wouldn’t bow in submission. Anything to avoid joining the Elite Four.

“You want to know my reason?” Raymond asked as he stared straight into Lofus’s eyes. “I wish to rule the world.”

Everyone fell silent, their eyes wide with astonishment. One could hardly believe the words coming from this twelve-year-old boy—they were arrogant, outrageous, grandiose, preposterous, and downright delusional. His tone carried weight, enough to overwhelm the three geniuses of the kingdom who were gathered before him. He sounded serious, powerful, and charismatic enough to enthrall his audience of three.

“From the ages of five to ten, I lived in the empire of the north as I hid my identity,” Raymond revealed with a smile. “During those five years, I learned many things. The empire, unlike this kingdom which relies heavily on magic, has instead made advancements in alchemy, science, and technology. And so, there are no mages in the empire—on the contrary, those with mana are persecuted.”

Lofus knew all this through his dream, but Annegelt and Orgus seemed shocked.

“Half a century ago, the kingdom went to war against the empire,” Raymond went on. “While there’s a nonaggression pact between the two nations today, many decades ago, they were bitter enemies and frequently fought against each other. The empire’s hatred against mages must be a relic of that tumultuous era—to them, mana is the source of evil.” He outstretched his left arm. “In fact, the empire performs periodic witch hunts to kill those gifted with mana. I saw it with my own eyes: a baby, who knew not of sin, was tortured to death for the crime of being born with mana.”

Raymond paused and outstretched his right arm as well. “In contrast, in the kingdom, those with mana are elevated to the status of nobility and receive power and influence. At times, mages will tease their manaless brethren and hunt them for sport. They use spells to torture others and one-sidedly beat the powerless. Both nations have innocent blood on their hands.”

Raymond stared at the other three. “Do you not agree that this world is filled with injustice? The nation on the right worships those with mana, putting them on a pedestal and giving them power. The country on the left slaughters them and treats them like monsters. Everywhere you turn, it is the blameless and the powerless who suffer. And all this tragedy is born from nations clinging to their conflicting values.”

The three gulped, overwhelmed by this speech.

“The world is in need of a singular, truly perfect ideology—one without pain or bloodshed. It’s a truth so obvious, so elementary, yet the overwhelming majority are blind to it.” He clenched his outstretched fists, his eyes filled with fire and determination. “I’ll be the pioneer. I’ll provide the world with the only values it needs, using absolute authority to guide all of humanity to a brighter tomorrow.”

His claims implied that he would rule over even the royal family of his nation as he became the supreme overlord of the world; these words were a clear sign of a revolt against the royals, but Raymond didn’t seem to care.

“I can’t do it alone,” he said, reaching out to the other three children. “However, if you lend me your aid, I’m certain that we can achieve the impossible. Please... Won’t you entrust your power to me? I simply wish for a prosperous kingdom, for a truly just world.”

The boy standing before Lofus seemed nothing like the second Demon Lord—the Raymond who tried to destroy the kingdom, and by extension, everything in his wake. No, this was a man with overwhelming charisma and an unwavering sense of justice who wished to rule over the world with benevolence.

As though they were in a trance, Annegelt and Orgus approached Raymond and knelt at his feet with adoration. Lofus also felt compelled to submit and kneel, but he fought against these urges and held strong. Raymond hadn’t used any sort of brainwashing spell; this was simply his pure aura and charisma that could make anyone infatuated with him.

Lofus let out a quiet sigh and gazed right at the duke’s son.

“I refuse,” Lofus said. He exhibited neither acceptance or rejection, but denial of the fact.

Raymond furrowed his brow slightly, while Annegelt and Orgus stared at Lofus with disbelief.

“Raymond, I have no doubt that you’ll fail,” Lofus said firmly.

“Why do you think that?” Raymond asked. “Do you not believe in my power? If so, I can—”

He raised his arm in the air, but Lofus once again denied the boy.

“No. I’ve no doubt that you’re powerful, truly,” Lofus said. “However, I still believe that you’ll fail in your endeavor. Even if we band together, we can’t topple this kingdom, much less the rest of the world.”

“I’d like for you to reach that decision after you see the full extent of my power,” Raymond replied.

A magic circle appeared above his head, spewing blue fire. Lofus knew this spell well—it was a summoning charm. Raymond’s high base abilities and excellent skills were just the cherry on top; his real power and prowess lay in his summoning magic, which placed him far above his peers, fitting for his title as the second Demon Lord. A massive dragon of light emerged from the magic circle and towered behind Raymond. This beast was mystical in nature and infamous for its destructive capabilities: Bahamut, the Dragon King. Its mere presence brightened the night sky like it was the middle of the day.

The beast’s wings, flickering with azure fire, could make its surroundings shimmer and waver in the heat, yet the mighty creature bowed its head in submission toward Raymond. Annegelt fell to the ground in terror, and Orgus could only freeze in place.

“This is my summoning magic,” Raymond said. “In fact, I’ve got several monsters of this caliber, Lofus. I hope this washes away all your concerns.” He smiled and outstretched an arm. “Come with me. We have more than enough power to rule the world.”

A terrifying amount of mana surrounded Bahamut, the Dragon King, but Lofus didn’t feel much of anything at all; perhaps in his dream, when he first saw the dragon, he would’ve cowered in fear, but the novelty had long worn off. He might have even deluded himself into thinking that several of these monsters were enough to take over a kingdom if the nightmare hadn’t taught him otherwise. Lofus, however, knew the future that awaited them all, and he’d already dueled and won against the Wicked Whale, a monster of comparable power. Bahamut was hardly a threat to him now.

Lofus used the needle stored in his ring and cut his finger, allowing droplets of blood to drip onto his shadow. In a flash, he produced a weapon that could slice through all.

“Reap life, Farmer’s Scythe,” he chanted.

Right off the bat, he used an ancient spell. Though Lofus wasn’t scared of Bahamut, he wasn’t arrogant enough to let his guard down or hold back. Bahamut was but a small nuisance when compared to the Wicked Whale, but since the beast had the elemental advantage, Lofus knew to go all out. He chose a spell that could kill the dragon without a shadow of a doubt.

Raymond stood there, wide-eyed, as Lofus swung his scythe down. The weapon didn’t even make a sound, but a moment later, Bahamut’s head went flying. The beast didn’t even get a chance to emit a final cry as it turned into particles of light and scattered into the wind. Raymond stood there stunned, unable to process what had just occurred, but Lofus laughed through his nose as he stared at the spot where Bahamut once stood.

“This dragon has the light element, doesn’t it?” Lofus asked. “It should have the advantage over my dark element, and yet it dispersed in one swing. So, Raymond, where is this power of yours that can supposedly topple nations?”

As Lofus did his best to goad and taunt his enemy, the flabbergasted Raymond showed a hint of true emotion for the first time. But he was neither angered by the derision nor saddened by the loss of his beast—he was elated.

“Ha ha... I can’t believe it...” he murmured. “Splendid!”

He gave a genuine smile, then quickly covered his mouth with his hand, trying to muffle the laughter spilling forth.

“Lofus, I apologize, truly,” he said, bowing respectfully. “It seems I’ve vastly underestimated your power and abilities, and for that, I’m genuinely sorry.” He looked up and gazed at the Lightless heir. “And now, I’m certain of it: You are essential to my plan. But it seems I’m unable to convince you today. Please, allow me to try to persuade you again some other time.”

Raymond grabbed Lofus’s hand, his voice sweet and gentle like a lover whispering sweet nothings. When Annegelt saw the two boys so close, she looked as though she’d had an earth-shattering realization.

“This...is shippable,” she whispered under her breath so faintly that no one could hear her.

Lofus quickly shook himself free from Raymond’s grasp.

“Let go!” Lofus snapped. “I don’t swing that way! Stop creeping me out!”

“Ha ha, don’t misunderstand,” Raymond replied. “I’ve already got an adorable, endearing fiancée.”

“Hmph. Then are you done? I’ll take my leave.”

Lofus fluttered his mantle behind him as he walked away to head back to the party venue. Annegelt, Orgus, and Lofus had finished their meeting with Raymond, and Warm had been excluded from this encounter. Lofus returned to the party alone, and Raymond followed with a submissive Annegelt and Orgus in tow.

As a sidenote, this sort of ruckus would normally cause a fuss—surely, the party attendees would’ve noticed this kind of noise. However, Raymond had set up a barrier to prevent outsiders from witnessing it.

When Lofus returned alone to the party, he breathed a sigh of relief, happy that he’d evaded becoming Raymond’s follower, but the Lightless heir knew that he wasn’t completely in the clear yet. Raymond hadn’t given up on his endeavor.

“An endearing fiancée, huh...” Lofus muttered. “Wasn’t he engaged to— No, now’s not the time to think about that.”

He decided to put that off for another day. In truth, when the academy arc of his dream’s story had begun, Raymond’s personality had twisted and warped considerably because of his fiancée, but Lofus, who only had the viewpoint of the main character, had no means of knowing that. In the second arc, Raymond’s twisted personality would force him to switch gears and drive the kingdom to the brink of ruin. Lofus could almost hear the pitter-patter of this ominous future creeping up on him.

✶✶✶

A few days had passed since our return from the Galleon duchy. The trip back and forth had taken a total of twelve days—almost half a month—and though that was a lengthy journey, we couldn’t possibly have turned down the duke’s invitation. This prolonged absence put us behind on many of our tasks at our fief, but that was what our magistrates were for. Though, of course, it was thanks to one corrupt magistrate that I’d been dealing with a ton of headaches in recent months.

I was called out to my father’s study on this day. I’d been unable to forget the convenience of the train in the royal capital, and I wanted one installed in our territory as well. Ever since I returned home, I submitted petitions to my father, even sending several per day. His response came via Carlos, and I was ordered to directly plead my case to him.

“As I’ve mentioned in my letters, I wish for a train within our fief,” I said.

My father knit his brow and glared at me. “You won’t even give me a simple greeting before talking business?”

“I’ve no need for idle talk, and I imagine you’re the same. I know how busy you are.”

As I stood there coolly, my father sighed.

“A train...” he muttered. “You make it sound so simple, but do you know just how expensive that would be?”

“I beg you to reconsider,” I replied. “The mobility of a train far outweighs the costs, I find. If we can connect our major cities by railway, the train can not only carry cargo, but also allow various industries to flourish. It shall bolster our economy greatly, and a train can decrease travel time as well. Time is money, is it not? I don’t see a reason to refuse.”

My father shot daggers. “You, of all people, dare to mention our economic situation?”

“I just believe that we must have our economy recover as soon as possible, especially for cities and towns that were under Clinton’s jurisdiction.”

“Clinton...” He grimaced at the mention of the name.

“He’s illegally shackled various regions with heavy taxation, forcing villages and towns into poverty. If we are to remedy this situation, a train might very well move things in the right direction.”

Judging from the magistrate’s reports, the poverty-ridden villages and towns could no longer rebuild themselves of their own accord; they required help, and a lot of it. Providing the aid they needed was our responsibility. It was essential to create a new market for the residents to take advantage of.

“Are you talking about Roguebert?” my father asked.

“Roguebert is included, but there are many other towns and villages nearby in need of help,” I replied.

My father placed a hand on his chin pensively. “Very well... I’ll consider it.”

“If possible, I would like your decision to be immediate.”

“Setting up a train is a very complex process. I require permits from the royal palace, and the necessary funding will be enormous as well. I also require a steady source of coal to mobilize the train. All of this cannot be decided upon overnight.”

“I understand.”

He’s right... We don’t have many coal mines in our march, I thought. I suppose our immediate concern is to secure the coal. If we wished to build rails to distant cities, we would also require an ample supply of iron. This seemed like a worthy topic to bring to the Merchant Association during our next meeting.

“That’s all I have to say,” I said. “Please excuse me.”

“Wait,” my father called.

“Yes?”

“Our family will have lunch shortly. Join us.”

“No, thank you. I already ate.”

I was lying, of course. It was still ten in the morning, and I hadn’t eaten lunch yet. My father glared at me sternly, easily seeing through my blatant, almost shameless lie.

“Lofus!” he growled.

“Please excuse me,” I replied.

Undaunted by my father’s rage, I tried to leave. Suddenly, I heard the shrill cry of a black kite right outside the window. When I turned toward the noise, the black bird flew in, its dark feathers dotted by countless eyeballs. It was clearly under the spell of Shadow Eater, presumably by my father. His familiar let out another shrill cry, causing my father to frown and scowl.

“What?” he muttered.

“Did something happen?” I asked.

He let out a quiet sigh and turned to me. “Someone has trespassed into the founder’s tumulus.”

“Huh?!”

My pathetic gasp signaled just how surprised I was.

4. The Founder’s Tumulus

As the words implied, the founder’s tumulus was where the founder of House Lightless was buried for eternal rest. The entrance to this underground burial ground was in a mountain a short distance away from the Lightless headquarters, and only a select few within our household even knew of its existence. How in the world did someone trespass? I wondered. For that to be possible, someone must have leaked this highly confidential information. Under the orders of my father, I went to investigate.

“Good grief... My father really can work people like a dog,” I muttered.

This location, however, was considered top secret; only I was permitted to enter. I didn’t like playing the part of my father’s lackey, but I far preferred it to the alternative: sitting down for a meal with my family. I wasn’t used to the mountainous path, so I channeled my mana into my legs to traverse the difficult terrain.

I’d never even heard of anyone trespassing on this ancient burial ground before. I assumed the culprit was some insolent grave robber who didn’t know what they’d stumbled into, or an airheaded fool who happened to wander in. In either case, I felt like my presence was unnecessary. Any grave robber would have already been killed by the shadow familiars prowling about, employed by the founder before his death.

For some inexplicable reason, those familiars had persisted even after his death. Most familiars would disappear once their master perished, but these remained and guarded the founder’s peaceful rest. Anyone who dared to disturb his sleep was heartlessly attacked by these beasts. He deployed them liberally in life, each beast powerful in its own right. While I wasn’t sure where they received their mana, these familiars were immortal and immediately healed from any injury.

No mere grave robber could so much as lay a finger on the founder’s grave. So, in short, I had been dispatched to collect a corpse. This kind of odd job was perfect for the Dark Knights, but the danger of the founder’s tumulus was too much even for them. Even a knight worth a thousand soldiers would be mercilessly shredded for stepping foot inside; only the most elite of Dark Knights, or Alba himself, could ever hope to return alive. Carlos might have stood a chance when he was younger, but such a feat would be all the more difficult for him now that he was past his prime.

The tumulus, as mentioned before, was highly confidential anyway. My mother and even my moronic younger brother didn’t know of its existence, much less the Dark Knights, Alba, or Carlos. The only three who knew of this place were my father, the current lord of the land; my grandfather, the previous lord who was now retired; and myself, the eldest son of the house. Still, I hadn’t expected to be used for such a trivial affair. But I guess that’s okay. I planned on heading here sooner or later anyway. After all, I’d destroyed one of the familiars that resided in the depths of this tumulus, one bestowed upon our family as we prayed to the altar. The familiar that I’d dispatched to tail Clinton had been killed by the Wicked Whale; it was a useless spirit of a low class, and genuinely worthless to him. I wished to give that altar a piece of my mind and scold it for giving me such a puny familiar.

“Huh?” I muttered.

Something felt off. Near the entrance of the tumulus, I felt the remnants of an unnatural force—traces of mana. It was a type that I’d never really sensed before, and didn’t show up on my mana perception field. I gazed intently at that area, when I spotted a distortion that resembled a seam in the air. I imbued my hand with my own magic and tore that seam apart. The space in front of me ripped and shattered in front of my eyes to reveal something that was hidden deeper within.

“What in the...”

A massive, scarlet vessel appeared before my eyes. In my dream, this was called an airship. An invisibility charm, mana jamming, concealment, and repellent... Whoever set up this barrier went through painstaking effort to hide this ship.

An airship was a flying vessel powered by mana. It was considered an ancient technology that was lost to time. In my dream, only one airship ever existed in the world, and it was now right before my eyes.

“This is...the Scarlet Wind’s ship,” I mumbled.

The Scarlet Wind was a famous group of treasure hunters, or so they were in my dream. They went around the world in search of ruins and dungeons to find valuables. Also called sky pirates, they trespassed onto ancient sites and dungeons, did as they pleased, and stole whatever treasures or magical items they could find to sell for profit.

Really, calling them “treasure hunters” was being too generous. In truth, they were basically grave robbers. They didn’t assault the common folk like bandits, but they were a group of lawless ruffians in their own right, taking whatever they saw fit. But why are they here? The Scarlet Wind often entered ruins and dungeons, meaning that they were quite skilled at trespassing and traversing danger. Still, I was confident that even they could not escape from this place alive.

However, if they had all died here, they wouldn’t have appeared in the tale of my dream. In other words, something might’ve saved them. Or have I already changed the future, much like the appearance of the Wicked Whale?

“Hmm...”

I had far too little information about the beginning of the tale. I knew the events that unfolded afterward, but not the historical background that might’ve triggered them. Hence, I couldn’t foresee what would happen here. Besides, I couldn’t just let some strangers trespass into the founder’s tumulus and do as they pleased. If, by some stroke of luck, they managed to reach the depths and pillage the grave, I wouldn’t know how the founder’s shadow familiars would react.

The familiars were loyal to him, not House Lightless. If any one of them decided to sneak out and head to town, the consequences could be devastating. These were immortal monsters that could seemingly regenerate for the rest of time. It was the responsibility of the lords of House Lightless to ensure that outsiders did not provoke these familiars.

More importantly, if the Scarlet Wind was here, it also meant that she was around too—the heroine who would join the main character’s forces in the future.

“Indeed, how troublesome...”

I let out a melancholic sigh about my future as I stepped into the founder’s tumulus.

✶✶✶

The founder’s tumulus was located underground, under a staircase. With every step that she took, the mana in the air grew thicker and thicker as she felt the shadow familiars grow ever stronger. This petite girl was a member of the Scarlet Wind, an infamous group of sky pirates, but she was still only twelve. She was an apprentice of the group, fearfully curled up in the dark staircase.

Her short, light-brown hair was tied up behind her head, and a wing-shaped earring decorated her left ear. Her name was Lilka Skyfield. She was one of the heroines in the tale and would join the main character’s forces one day, but she was currently in a predicament of her own. She’d entered this tumulus with her comrades, the other members of the Scarlet Wind, but they weren’t with her.

Lilka had unwittingly set off a teleporting trap. It was a brutal trap that could occasionally be seen in ancient ruins or difficult dungeons, and this one had torn Lilka away from the rest of the group. She could easily guess that she wasn’t on the same floor that she was moments before. The dark monsters prowling about were clearly on a different level from the ones she’d seen, each emanating an air of malice and ferocity that prevented her from challenging any of them. The best she could do was hide and cower, hoping that the monsters would pass by without noticing her.

The monsters of this grave were absurdly strong. Those on the first floor were powerful enough to appear in difficult dungeons, and even if Lilka managed to land a blow on one of them, their wounds would heal almost immediately. In her mind, this was simply unfair. The Scarlet Wind knew when to admit defeat, and so they had immediately agreed to retreat, but it was difficult to navigate the dark corridors with void monsters on their tail. And as if to deal the final blow, a teleporting trap had also been lying in wait.

“Ah ha ha...” Lilka chuckled. “This might be where I die.”

Despite her cheery tone, her eyes were filled with fear and despair. Teleporting alone across an unknown dungeon was practically a death sentence—she knew that well. It was exceedingly rare for someone to return after they were forced to fly solo in a dungeon, and judging from the monsters prowling about, she was likely on an even lower floor.

The Scarlet Wind might dispatch a search party for her, but it was unlikely that she would ever meet them again. And even if she did, escape still wasn’t certain. She would either die alone or die with her comrades. And though Lilka didn’t wish to entertain this idea, it was likely that her comrades might’ve already fallen victim to these monsters.

It was her fault for triggering the teleporting trap, and she vehemently prayed that her friends would abandon her and try to make it out alive. But Lilka knew more than anyone that the Scarlet Wind would never do that. They all shared a close bond; so long as there was even a small chance of survival, the Scarlet Wind would risk it all. They were like family to her. Lilka had entered this tumulus because she’d heard rumors of valuable magic tools stored within, but above all, she’d done it for the sake of her older sister, another member of the Scarlet Wind.

“I’m sorry, Izzy...” Lilka whispered.

Iz was the second-in-command of the Scarlet Wind. Two years ago, she became very ill with a rare disease endemic to a certain region. A special type of mana would eat away at the victim’s body, causing them to have severe symptoms, including black bruises all over the body. As the bruises grew in number, the patient would suffer greater pain. Ultimately, the victim would be unable to bear it, and their body would shut down, resulting in death. If one was afflicted by this illness, their death was almost certain unless they sought treatment.

But medicine for this ailment was costly, and the Scarlet Wind could only buy painkillers as a temporary measure. That wouldn’t hold off the sickness for long. Recently, the illness had progressed rapidly, and Iz was in so much pain that she spent a majority of her day in bed, unable to even sit up. Her symptoms were severe. The Scarlet Wind, Lilka included, had vowed to purchase the medicine to cure Iz, not thinking twice about pushing their limits as they challenged difficult dungeons in search of rare items. They even recklessly charged into ancient ruins, throwing caution to the wind.

Iz, of course, tried to stop her comrades, but the Scarlet Wind members and their leader refused to abandon hope. The group had faced danger countless times, and their tight bond allowed them to brave through anything. They tirelessly gathered intel on difficult dungeons, and this time around, they targeted the founder’s tumulus. There were rumors that this gravesite contained many priceless artifacts and magic tools, that this dungeon had not yet been developed and was ripe for the picking. And so, the Scarlet Wind decided to do some exploring.

Indeed, there was very little information about this place compared to other ancient ruins or dungeons, but the Scarlet Wind had assumed that this was only because very few people decided to venture within. In other words, this place was a trove of treasures that were untouched by other seasoned explorers. This optimistic outlook was soon proven wrong.

The Scarlet Wind had challenged various other difficult dungeons and ancient ruins, but all of the good items had already been taken. Admittedly, they were growing impatient, eager to bring home any sort of result. Even so, Lilka realized how naive they had been, and she could only let out a huge sigh.

“All righty,” she said. “I’m done feeling down.”

She slapped her cheeks, ridding herself of anxiety, and got herself together. Pessimism and negativity would only lead her to death. Besides, giving up would be letting down her comrades who were surely searching for her. And so, Lilka decided to act. She wished to at least inch closer to the exit and the floor above. She carefully tried to sense the presence of nearby monsters as she crawled down the corridor. The corridors were built like a labyrinth, and the lack of light meant that one could hardly see where they were going.

Lilka didn’t have a torch on her, but she was used to exploring dungeons and dark places, and she could see well. The darkness did little to inhibit her vision; to her, it might as well have been the middle of the day. Dungeons and ancient ruins very rarely had a convenient source of light, but a seasoned explorer knew that using torches or lanterns would only signal their location to monsters and other enemies. Hence, many chose to slink about under the cover of the darkness, and in her line of work, night vision was a practically mandatory skill. Indeed, it was the first skill that Lilka had learned when first joining the exploration team.

“Huh?”

Precisely because she could see so well, she was able to notice that something was off. She was able to make out her shadow by her feet. This wouldn’t have been unusual within a bright space, but it was concerning that her shadow was there, clear as day, within the dark. Not even a sliver of light made it down here, so how in the world could a shadow form? She stared at it, befuddled, when suddenly, countless pairs of eyes opened and stared right at her.

A silent scream escaped her lips as she instinctively leaped back. And yet, these eyes were glued to her feet, chasing after her with every step she took. Dozens of tentacles emerged from her shadow and began to wrap themselves around her body.

“No! No! No! No!” she shrieked.

The tentacles restrained her body. She was unable to fight back as she was slowly dragged into her own shadow.

“H-Hel—”

But she never got to finish as an appendage covered her mouth. The only thing she could do now was cry, and as these void tentacles began to slowly obscure her vision, sealing her fate, they were sliced into bits in front of her eyes.

“Huh?” she gasped.

She was abruptly freed from her restraints, able to move as she pleased, but the stunned girl could only remain in place, stupefied. Half of her body was submerged in her shadow, when she was suddenly grabbed by the scruff of her neck and dragged up to safety. Lilka sank to the ground and looked up—her comrades weren’t around. Instead, there was a boy enveloped in black glowering above her with an ominous air. Lofus Ray Lightless, dressed in his dark attire, glared at Lilka.

“I knew it was you...Lilka Skyfield,” he muttered with disdain and exhaustion.

“Huh? How do you know my name?” Lilka asked.

She neither thanked him nor sighed with relief; the first words that escaped her lips were but a silly question.

✶✶✶

I ran through the tumulus, activating my mana perception field to catch even the faintest hint of mana. I wasn’t sure if these were remnants of the founder, but the air was thick with mana particles. A mana perception field would normally be useless under these circumstances, but that was only for normal mages. Anyone with as much mana as I could brute force their way through this thick air. Walls and floors did little to obstruct me as I managed to see through all.

But since I’m emitting waves thick with mana, I’m basically announcing my location to the founder’s familiars, I thought. This wave was only meant to sense the presence of others, not to intimidate, so it wouldn’t make anyone faint.

Still, the move had one fatal flaw: It couldn’t sense those without mana. Luckily for me, this tumulus was filled to the brim with the stuff, meaning the entire area had a faint signal under my wave. In other words, if there was a blank blip, or an area that didn’t react at all, it was very likely that someone without mana was there. Through my dream, I knew that the Scarlet Wind member with mana was one of the heroines of the tale: Lilka Skyfield.

With this much info, I could easily keep tabs on the exact location of everyone within this cemetery. I detected four people without mana on the first floor, and a lone person with mana on the fourth. Why is this person the only one acting alone? Are they stupid? Suicidal? Or did they fall for some sort of trap that divides a party?

A teleporting trap would use the victim’s mana to transport them elsewhere. Since only the one with mana was separated from the group, it was very likely that they had fallen for this sort of ambuscade.

The fourth floor, huh...

The founder’s tumulus consisted of five underground floors. The deeper you descended, the thicker the air became with mana, meaning that the shadow familiars were more powerful as well. The fourth floor contained the strongest familiars of the bunch, and as far as I knew, there were also highly intelligent beasts lurking about. It seemed the teleporting trap’s victim was still alive, but it was only a matter of time before they met their grisly end.

“Tsk,” I clicked my tongue with annoyance.

I rushed forth. I didn’t mind if she died, but I wished she’d do so away from my land. I wasn’t sure what might lead to my ultimate death, and the demise of one of the heroines in the tale was a laughable, cruel twist of fate that I very much wished to avoid.

It was likely that someone aside from myself had dreamed of this kingdom’s future. What if they were coincidentally a part of the main character’s forces? If that person found out that I’d abandoned one of the heroines and left her for dead, they’d be after my head for forsaking Lilka in her time of need.

Admittedly, the chance of that being the case was astronomically small, but it wasn’t zero. No matter how unlikely, I had to prevent it. Of course, it would be naive of me to think that I could eliminate every single factor that might lead to my death, but I had to do everything in my power. If saving that infuriating main character’s comrades might allow me to cling onto life, that was exactly what I’d do.

I rushed through the dark corridor and headed for the fourth floor; the other manaless members of the Scarlet Wind on the first floor would have to wait for now. They might have been against immortal beasts, but they were still only on the first floor. I was confident that those skilled adventurers wouldn’t die so easily.

✶✶✶

My mana radar served as my guide as I raced through the tumulus, reaching the fourth floor in mere moments. The founder’s familiars didn’t try to lay a hand on me as they sensed that I had Lightless blood flowing through my veins. This allowed me to take the shortest route to my destination without any needless fighting. I spotted a girl with light-brown hair being enveloped by tentacles that stretched out from her shadow, dragging her under. Looks like I was cutting it close...

I recognized this ancient monster well. It hid within someone’s shadow before it used its tentacles to sneak up on its victims and drag them under. This man-eating familiar was a natural hunter of humans. Whether this girl was lucky or unlucky was up for debate, but she had run into the weakest familiar of the fourth floor. I created a Dark Scythe in my hand and sliced the familiar into shreds.

Though the girl had been freed, she froze, stunned from the series of events. I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck to drag her out of the shadow. There was no mistaking her petite frame and light-brown hair; though she looked a touch younger than in my dream, I was certain of who this was.

“I knew it was you...Lilka Skyfield,” I muttered.

I’d faced Lilka in the Elite Four battles of my dream, but she didn’t treat me with as much hostility as Faltiana did, so I wasn’t too opposed to saving her. Of course, I didn’t have a wholly positive impression of her either, since she did attack me without any qualms.

The Lilka of the present sank to the ground clumsily and looked up at me.

“Huh? How do you know my name?” she asked.

I didn’t answer as I furrowed my brow at her. She was about to die seconds ago, but doesn’t seem all that disturbed... Is she airheaded or just stupid? Whatever... I’ve no reason to answer her oafish questions.

“This is an ancient site of House Lightless,” I snapped. “How dare you trespass into this land.”

I glared down at her and scowled, making Lilka snap back to her senses as she straightened her posture.

“Huh? Oh,” she stammered before she looked visibly confused. “I-I’m sorry. Wait, huh? You mean this is a Lightless ruin?”

“You don’t even know what you trespassed onto?” I barked.

“I was told that it was a ruin of the God of Darkness...”

“What?”

The God of Darkness was one of the Six Gods that this kingdom worshiped. As the name implied, six gods descended upon our kingdom a millennium ago and founded our nation. Each deity had their own element: light, dark, fire, water, wind, and earth. But I’ve never heard of this place being a ruin for the God of Darkness.

“As I said, this ruin has its roots in House Lightless,” I said. “It has nothing to do with the God of Darkness. Where you heard such nonsense is beyond me.”

“What?!” Lilka yelped. “But my source is pretty credible... Huh... Well, this is weird.”

She tilted her head to one side while. I continued to glare at her and sighed.

“In any case, I cannot allow you lot to stay here,” I said. “Grab your friends and leave at once.”

“I mean, I’d love to, but I don’t even know what floor I’m on,” she said. “And some pretty sketchy monsters are prowling about. Wait, so then how...”

Finally you ask me that question? Who do you think you’re talking to? You’re pretty slow in the head.

Lilka, perhaps noticing my exasperation, glared at me.

“Hey!” she said. “I bet you just thought that I’m stupid! Siggy’s looked at me the same way before!”

Sigil... If memory serves, he’s the leader of the Scarlet Wind. There’s nothing more exhausting than a conversation with an idiot.

As I internally berated Lilka, I noticed a flurry of tentacles emerge from the shadow by her feet. My magic barrier easily deflected them all, and I used that time to create a Dark Lance to hurl at the man-eating familiar in her shadow. When my weapon pierced it, a bloodcurdling, shrill shriek rang out, causing the corridor to quake, and in seconds, the tentacles vanished like mist. A familiar like that wouldn’t die, but I’d shattered the mana core that acted as a monster’s heart, so it would take some time to regenerate.

When I turned to Lilka, I noticed that she’d nearly collapsed on the floor.

“H-Heh heh... My legs buckled... That was scary,” she muttered.

“What are you laughing about?” I snapped coldly. “Come on, get up!”

She scrambled to her feet, looking a bit glum. “Wow... That cold attitude could freeze beer. You’re strong, aren’t you? But judging by how you saved me, are you the type who acts surly but is actually kind at his core?”

“I...wouldn’t know. What I do know is that you’re annoying.”

“Ack! Sorry! I didn’t mean it! Really! Thank you so much for saving my life! I’m so grateful!”

I scowled at her as I turned around, my coat fluttering behind me.

“Enough,” I spat. “I’ll take you to your friends, so follow me.”

“W-Wait, really?!” she gasped. “Wow! Thank you so much!”

For some inexplicable reason, she tried to hug me. I dodged her just in the nick of time.

“Huh?”

When she noticed my frosty glare, she visibly shrank.

“I’m sorry...” she muttered. “I won’t do it again.”

“Watch yourself, dolt,” I spat.

Just as I tried to walk ahead, I noticed Lilka trying to cling to my back once more. I dodged it again and imbued my hand with mana as I glared at her.

“You bi—” I started.

But when I peered into her face, I noticed that she wasn’t at all fooling around; in fact, she looked to be in a mild state of panic.

“Duck!” she shouted.

“Huh?” I asked.

A second later, a crack ran through the magic barrier behind me. My eyes widened with astonishment. I knew that I had to be careful in the founder’s tumulus, and thus had made my magic barrier exponentially tougher, just in case. And yet...it cracked.

I glared at my enemy who managed to damage my barrier. It stood proudly in the middle of the corridor, making no attempt to hide. The familiar looked to be a humanoid covered in rags. In its hand was a weapon reminiscent of Dark Scythe, and I suspected that this weapon was what had cracked my barrier. Countless eyes darted around and glared at me from between the gaps of the rags, and I could tell that this monster was extremely powerful even among the fourth floor monsters. The familiar produced four Dark-Lance-like objects in one go, casting nonverbal spells with little effort. Clearly, this familiar was highly intelligent like the Wicked Whale.

“R-Run!” Lilka cried, worried about me though her knees had buckled once more. “Just leave me behind and run!”

I sighed as I produced a Dark Scythe of my own, willing to oppose this humanoid monster.

“Just shut up and sit down,” I said.

The founder’s familiars usually didn’t attack those of House Lightless, but there were exceptions. If I attacked a familiar and treated it as an enemy, it would naturally fight back, and though I’d never tried it, if I sullied or damaged the tumulus in some way, I suspected that the familiars would jump me. It seemed my attempt to save a trespasser had enraged them; they saw someone helping a grave robber as equally guilty. In other words, it was possible I’d have to fight my way back out of here.

And since I used that mana perception field, the familiars all know my location. If a horde of immortal familiars come for me, I’ll be in for a world of drudgery...

I turned to the humanoid covered in rags.

“You seem quite strong,” I remarked. “As a show of respect, I shall offer you five seconds of my precious time. Now then, give me everything you’ve got.”

I wasn’t sure if it understood my words, but the moment I finished taunting it, it shot out four Dark Lances at me. In the blink of an eye, the humanoid appeared right in front of my nose with another Dark Scythe and swung down. It certainly lives up to its status as an ancient monster from the age of the gods... It’s strong, and too fast for me to keep up with.

Luckily, my toughened mana barrier managed to repel the scythes and lances that assaulted me. As the monster recoiled from my deflection, I took that opening to swing down my Dark Scythe at it. However, my weapon never made contact, the creature’s body turning into dark mist to pass through without harm.

“You can transform?” I muttered. “An unusual move indeed...”

This allowed it to evade any physical and magical attacks, making it near invincible. I could only call it cheating. Trying to damage mist was like trying to catch a cloud. But while this move seemed like a huge boon, I knew that it had one fatal drawback that I could take advantage of: A vaporized body implied that it had turned into countless small particles. In other words, its power was also split into tiny little pieces, making it more susceptible to the effects of magic. Those with a smaller body were more vulnerable to magic than larger frames, so if a vaporized form was assaulted by a thick mana wave from an opponent who ranked higher, it would create devastating results. At best, they would merely faint, but at worst...

I glared at the humanoid familiar with disappointment. “You were killed by the founder and became his familiar, didn’t you? Surely, you should’ve learned what would happen if you turned into mist against a superior foe.”

I instantly emitted a wave of thick mana, and the monster’s body scattered, unable to maintain its shape and form. As promised, I had given it exactly five seconds of my time. It’ll take a while for every single one of your damaged particles to regenerate and become anew. Blame your own shallow thinking.

I turned back to Lilka, who once again was on the ground, looking up at me with mouth agape.

“With how often your knees buckle, you ought to have a crutch,” I remarked wearily.

Lilka smiled sheepishly. “I told you to run in hopes that you’d survive, but you took care of it without breaking a sweat, huh? Man, I feel embarrassed for overreacting.”

She tried to stand, but her knees were trembling, and she staggered as she leaned on me. With a gasp, she quickly released me from her grip.

“S-Sorry!” she said. “I didn’t mean to hang on to you! Honest! I just can’t seem to put strength into my legs...”

She gave an awkward chuckle, but she really did seem barely able to stand as she staggered about. She isn’t just scared... That mana wave I unleashed earlier must’ve affected her as well. After all, she was right behind me. This must’ve been mana sickness of sorts, and it’d take some time for her to recover. I clicked my tongue with annoyance as I channeled my mana into my body, giving me enough power to carry her with my right arm as I hoisted her on my shoulder.

“Huh?! W-Wait!” she stammered.

“Don’t scream in my ear,” I grumbled.

“B-But... No, I’m good! I’m heavy! I know I am!”

“I told you to shut the hell up.”

“Wh-Whaaat?!”

I channeled some mana into my legs, allowing me to race through the corridor with incredible speed. Lilka, perhaps surprised by how swift I ran, began to shout and cry with astonishment. Ugh... I told you to shut up. If we dawdle, your Scarlet Wind friends might not make it out alive, you know. We can’t relax just yet.

After Lilka got all her screams out, she caught her breath and turned to me.

“Um! Excuse me!” she yelped. “I’m super grateful that you’re carrying me, but this position is a bit embarrassing...”

Her cheeks became flushed. Embarrassed? Why? Because if I slightly turn around, your butt’s right next to me? Judging by this position, it’s not like you can change that. Or is it because your thighs are exposed by the hot pants you’re wearing? Is that the issue?

“Just bear with it,” I snapped. “It’s your fault for being dressed this way.”

“Hey, I’m wearing these pants because they’re easy to move around in!” she cried.

“And I don’t care. I don’t lust after brats like you, so rest assured.”

“‘Lust’?! And ‘brat’?! Aren’t we the same age?! Can’t you just carry me like a princess or something?”

What a stupid request. Do you even know what situation we’re in?

“That I cannot do,” I replied.

“Wh-Why not?!” Lilka cried, but then her gaze traveled down to my missing left arm that peeked out under my fluttering coat. “O-Oh... You don’t— I’m sorry.”

“Why do you look so apologetic? I don’t want your measly pity.”

“I know. But still, I’m sorry.”

I quietly ignored her silly look of sympathy as I ran faster still. With every step I took, more familiars emerged to attack me, and I didn’t have time to fight every immortal monster that barred my path. I’d occasionally hurl a Dark Ball at one, then race past them when they flinched. Or, when I had the chance, I’d channel mana into my legs and kick them away. Unlike the smooth entrance I was able to make, monsters seemed to now wait for me at every corner for their chance to strike, perhaps because I had an intruder in my arm.

“Mayday! In front! In front!” Lilka shrieked.

“I know!” I roared. “I told you to shut up!”

She kept screaming in my ear—frankly, an offense to my senses. At the end of the corridor was some kind of beast with its jaws yawning wide, completely blocking the exit. I wasn’t sure if this was some kind of monstrous snake or dragon, but a large monster was troublesome to deal with in the narrow corridor. Since my only arm was busy carrying Lilka, I couldn’t even swing a scythe down. I couldn’t use an explosive spell either; if the corridors crumbled away, it’d only cause further annoyances. I decided to call out my own shadow familiar.

“Sea dragon, use Breath,” I ordered.

As though to answer my call, a shadow stretched out from my feet. When I’d defeated Strafe in the Devil’s Sea, I also took a sea serpent with me, just in case. Its head popped out from the shadow as it unhinged its maw. Sea serpents usually unleashed a powerful torrent of water, but as my shadow familiar, its attacks were changed to the dark element. The attack blew a hole right through the open jaws and pierced through the corridor behind it; I leaped through the opening before the wound could regenerate.

A stunned Lilka started laughing.

“You’re amazing! Awesome! Just epic!” she shouted. “You’re so strong!”

She squealed with excitement as she slapped my back.

“Stop that! You’re being annoying!” I snapped.

I roared at her for making a ruckus, but she seemed unfazed as she slipped out of my arm and acrobatically glided onto my back. I was now piggybacking her as she tightly wrapped her arms and legs around my body.

“And who gave you permission to act by yourself?!” I said, glaring at her.

But Lilka only smiled. “I mean, I was just embarrassed, you know? I think this’ll be better!”

“Cut your bullshit!” I shouted. “If you can move and stand on your own legs, run alongside me!”

“In front! In front! There’s a monster!”

I whirled around and followed her finger to spot a floating, dark sphere. Countless magic circles appeared behind it. The sheer numbers were impressive, but its activation time was far too slow. With my arm now free, I swung my Dark Scythe around, slicing the spherical creature in two.

“One shot! You got it in one shot again!” Lilka shouted.

She was making so much grating noise in my ears, but at least she was clinging onto me without taking away the use of my right arm. I guess this is an improvement...

With my Dark Scythe in hand, I cut the founder’s familiars down and rushed ahead. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the stairs that led up to the third floor, knowing that the monsters awaiting me there were much weaker. I thought I could finally take a breather, when I noticed something blocking the staircase.

✶✶✶

I gasped as tree roots pierced through the stone floor and suddenly grew out, blocking the staircase. In my shock, I stopped running, and it seemed Lilka was just as surprised.

“Huh... What is that?” she asked.

That’s what I’d like to know, I thought. What the hell are those roots? I’d visited the founder’s tumulus several times before, but never had I seen anything like this.

“It’s...blocking the path,” Lilka murmured. “Why? Is there any other way out?”

“No,” I replied, cutting her off before she could ask any more questions.

“What?”

“There’s only one staircase that leads to the floor above. This is the only path.”

I swung my Dark Scythe down, hoping to brute force my way through somehow. Lilka whirled around and screamed.

“Hey! They’re coming!” she shouted. “Something’s behind us!”

“What?” I snapped.

I turned around with annoyance, when several tree roots raced through the corridor at incredible speed, trying to pierce through us.

“Roots again?!” I grumbled. “What’s going on here?!”

I could no longer hide my irritation as I hurled a stronger swing of my Dark Scythe at the roots coming for us. I didn’t care if this attack destroyed the tumulus and used everything I had; these roots were to blame for pissing me off. My attack managed to slice through several roots before it disappeared.

“What the...”

That strike was meant to blow out the entire corner of the corridor, roots and all. It felt as though some sort of spell had caused my attacks to dissipate—something that dispersed my spell into the air. And the roots weren’t slowing down. As they surged toward us, I clicked my tongue and began to run; the internal structure of the tumulus was built like a labyrinth, so there were several routes I could take.

“Whoaaa!” Lilka screamed. “The roots are chasing after us!”

“If you can only scream, shut up!” I roared. “It’s a nuisance!”

I channeled more mana throughout my body as I raced through the tumulus. I can’t believe I’m being forced to run, I thought. If only this noisy wench on my back wasn’t with me... No, I’m just making excuses. I need to calm down. I cut down a monster in the corridor and ran ahead while I tried to think of a way to beat those mysterious roots. I suspected that they were enchanted with some kind of spell that caused my attacks to disperse, so effectively that it could nullify even my strongest slash. Which means a majority of spells won’t work on it. No, maybe I’m jumping to conclusions here. Maybe the dark element won’t work, but a different one might have an effect...

“You, girl,” I barked. “Hurl a spell at that thing. I don’t care what.”

“H-Huh?!” Lilka yelped. “I’ve never really used spells before...”

She hesitated, but I glared at her. Did you want to hide the fact that you have mana? You were busted the moment I caught you on my mana perception field.

“I know you’ve got mana,” I snapped. “Enough yapping and more firing.”

“What?! How did you— Er, but...” Lilka stammered. “All right. I was keeping this a secret, so don’t tell anyone, okay?” After a pause, she began her chant. “Air Cutter!”

She fired a blade of wind. Chantless... And it’s a type of magic that I don’t really see either... But this is by no means an advanced spell—it’s not even intermediate. It’s a basic spell, at best. The wind blade hit the root, but it immediately vanished as though a mysterious force repelled the attack.

“What the hell?!” she shouted. “My spell got dispersed!”

“Thought so...” I muttered. “I didn’t expect much from you anyway.”

“You say that after making me go through all that trouble?!”

I ignored this shrieking girl as I tried to find a solution. I guess the element doesn’t matter... Still, it’s not as though all sorts of magic are negated in a flash. My Dark Scythe managed to slice through several roots before it was nullified. I can just use pure, physical power to bust my way through the roots, or maybe I need something more powerful... A spell that can’t be so easily dispersed.

“Hmph... I didn’t think I’d be forced to use this here...” I grumbled. “Reap life, Farmer’s Scythe.”

I unsummoned my Dark Scythe and instead created the scythe of death with my chantless spell. This weapon was honed solely to cut things down, and it was one of the strongest ancient spells that I possessed in my arsenal.

“Huh? What is that?” Lilka murmured.

She turned pale when she saw my weapon, perhaps noting the power that this scythe possessed. Is she astute, or just sensitive to mana? She joined the main character’s forces, after all, so I guess she must have some power.

I ignored Lilka’s query and quietly swung my scythe down. This slash mercilessly cut down anything in its way, no matter how tough or far away it was. The slash of doom cut through countless roots in one go, and in a flash, they were all severed. It seemed even the roots were unable to completely nullify the powerful swing of this ancient scythe. But they still kept coming. Even when I slashed a few, several more took their place as they sprouted from the ground, showing frightfully swift regenerative capabilities. I can only swing this scythe four times, and I’ve used one. I can’t beat them all with this spell, but at least I know that I can cut them down.

With Lilka still on my back, I decided to run again, making a beeline away from the roots, my coat fluttering behind me.

“Wait, what?” Lilka asked. “Are you running? It looked like you had it.”

What in the world is she on about? Me, run?

“Cutting down the roots is pointless,” I replied. “They regenerate quickly, so fighting them only wastes time and energy. It’s far more efficient to hit the main body.”

“The...main body?”

“Clearly, these are from a plant-based monster. Their roots are probably the equivalent to our limbs, or maybe even strands of our hair. In other words, there’s a main body somewhere controlling them all.”

These roots weren’t of the dark element; in other words, they hadn’t come from one of the founder’s familiars. It seemed some kind of unknown monster had managed to worm its way into this tumulus. As the eldest son of House Lightless, it was my duty to take care of this mess. How dare a mere monster create a nest in this place!

I rushed down the corridor, the roots still in my peripheral as I cast my mana perception field over the entirety of the tumulus. The fourth floor was thicker with mana, making monsters harder to detect, but I managed to make do somehow and easily found the monster’s main body by following the traces of mana in its roots. The current interference made it difficult to precisely ascertain its mana levels, but it was clearly even more than most beasts with catastrophic power.

I took the shortest route to my enemy. I was wary of any roots that might try to block my path, but surprisingly, I was able to head there with very little issue. I soon found the main body nestled in a large, open room. My Farmer’s Scythe was in my hand as I stepped in, glaring up at the monster that dared to ruin the founder’s tumulus.

“Huh?” I muttered.

Even I could tell how pathetic I sounded, and it was because I knew this monster very well. Huh? What the hell? Why is this thing here?

“It’s...so pretty,” Lilka said with an enchanted sigh, ignoring my confusion.

Pretty, huh? Well, I guess you could call it that.

Sitting in the middle of the large room was a beautiful lady, her lower half turned into roots that were sprawled throughout the ground. A pair of branch-like wings sprouted from her back, and she didn’t wear a single piece of cloth on her body. Her body could be described as divine, following a golden ratio of proportions fitting only for a goddess. Her skin, however, was undoubtedly dyed with darkness.

This monster, reminiscent of an Alraune, was one that I was rather familiar with. On the altar on the lowest floor of the founder’s tumulus, a pair of statues each solemnly guarded their side of the room; on the right was a massive, wingless earth dragon that towered like a mountain, and on the left was the statue of the goddess, one that looked eerily similar to the monster in front of my eyes.

“She wasn’t...just a statue,” I muttered.

Alraune glared at me as though to respond to my words, and she flashed a faint smile. At once, I noticed a blip of condensed mana, powerful enough to make me shudder. I instinctively leaped away. A moment later, a root pierced through the floor I was standing on, swallowing the stone tile whole. One by one, the floor was penetrated by these roots as they all lined up and pointed their sharp tips straight at me. And after a single moment’s delay, they all shot out at once.

“Aaahhh?!” Lilka screamed.

“You’re too loud! Shut up!” I roared.

She clung to my back, but her screams hurt my ears, and I scowled as I dodged the roots heading straight for me. As far as I could tell, the roots weren’t dark magic themselves but just normal foliage. Damn it, my hunch was wrong... I had assumed that these roots were part of a monster that had managed to weasel its way in here, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Alraune likely possessed the ability to cause rapid growth in plants and control them as she pleased. Hence, these roots didn’t possess the dark element.

Alraune was special even among the founder’s familiars—she was among the select few allowed to guard the lowest floor of the tumulus, where the altar and gravesite stood. Always by the founder’s side in his eternal rest, and her power made the monsters on the fourth floor look cute in comparison.

I guessed that her roots covered the entirety of this tumulus, making this whole place her domain. The roots were incredibly nimble, and even if I cut them down, they’d regenerate in no time. I tested the waters and swung my special scythe down at her. A sliver—a single slice—appeared on the surface of her beautiful body, but the shadow immediately regenerated her wounds. I wasn’t surprised. True to their infamy, these familiars were all practically immortal due to their high regeneration capabilities. Which means...

“I can’t win,” I muttered.

I didn’t expect this monster to come after me. The founder must be livid at me for saving Lilka, who trespassed into these premises. Well, actually, I’m not sure if specters are capable of that.

As the roots tried to attack me, I raced through this large room and dodged them all, but that was only becoming more difficult as they continued to increase in number. Eventually, one of the roots managed to reach me. I only managed to protect myself thanks to my magic barrier.

This was a defensive system I’d put into place after my fight with the ridiculously powerful Wicked Whale. It was quite sturdy, and could easily repel even intermediate spells.

But just as I breathed a sigh of relief, the root penetrated my barrier and grazed my cheek. It happened so suddenly that I twisted my body around in an attempt to dodge, throwing Lilka off my back. She fell to the ground with dozens of roots pointed straight at her.

“Eek...” she cried.

Her face pale, she made no attempt to flee, perhaps petrified with fear. As the roots shot out, I used my scythe to cut them down.

“Stand back up!” I ordered. “We need to—”

I stood in front to shield her, my scythe at the ready, when I found myself facing over a hundred wriggling roots. They shot out straight for me, and my magic barrier was easily pierced through; it was as though their movements perfectly wove through the gaps of my complex, layered spell, like needles piercing through cloth. These roots were by no means honed for penetration; this sort of precise maneuver could only be seen as impressive and divine.

Theoretically, it was possible to slip through such minute, microscopic gaps in a magic barrier, but it was implausible to put into practice. Even I wasn’t capable of anything like that, so it was unthinkable that a monster could.

I slashed at the roots with my scythe, using my last blow to shred everything that I could. However, there was power in numbers, and I simply couldn’t deal with them all. As the roots headed straight for me, death flashed across my mind several times, causing me to shiver with fear. Yet, this grisly moment never came. When I opened my eyes, I saw that the roots had stopped just short of me.

Alraune’s face, though expressionless, emitted an air of bored disappointment, like she was staring at a weakling who simply wasn’t worth her time and effort. All of a sudden, something in me snapped.

“What’s with that look?” I snarled. “You’re just a measly familiar, a puny lackey of the founder. Who do you think I am? I’m the heir of House Lightless, Lofus Ray Lightless!”

I gave it my all and emitted an almost explosive wave of mana. Alraune’s roots trembled, but that was all. The cheeky little tree remained unfazed. Does she pity me because of my bloodline? If so, how dare this plant give me sympathy. It sickens me to my core!

Alraune’s ability to analyze and disperse a spell—perhaps called magic disassembly—required precise, exact mana manipulation and a deep understanding of magical formulas. This was undoubtedly an extremely difficult and complicated move that practically negated spells. But as powerful as such advanced techniques might be, they also required immense concentration and mastery of mana.

“Magic disassembly,” I said. “It’s not easy to analyze and disassemble a spell within seconds. You make it look easy, but I imagine that it takes a rather decent toll on you. Yes... For example, are you able to accomplish this feat if several spells are hurled at you at once?”

I activated several magic circles behind me, creating a wall of Dark Lances. Alraune could easily negate one spell, but what of many? What if I fired so many attacks that she simply couldn’t keep track of them all? I unleashed my barrage of Dark Lances. The roots immediately jumped to protect her, forming a lattice barrier. The moment my spells made contact, they neither penetrated nor exploded—only dispersed. I had dozens of Dark Lances at the ready, but they were all negated, proving that she could in fact deal with all these spells at once. It’s more than I imagined, but not completely out of my expectations.

A moment later, a hole was blown through her barrier of roots. It seemed that one spell had managed to make it through her magic disassembly, causing her eyes to widen just a tad.

“Hah!” I scoffed. “A cute parlor trick indeed, but I sense your limits now!”

A second hole, then another formed in her barrier before finally, one of my attacks managed to slip through all of her defenses. It wasn’t Dark Lance, but Dark Ball. Alraune managed to form a mana barrier to protect her just before taking a direct hit, but I saw the weakness of her spell.

Her magic disassembly was likely some kind of automated feature. She could fiddle with its settings—in this case, set to deal with my Dark Lances, effectively nullifying all of them—but the few Dark Balls that I managed to sneak within this barrage couldn’t be dealt with. But if she could set her disassembly to block multiple different spells...

My theory was soon proven true as no other Dark Ball managed to make it to her. The holes in her defenses had healed up as well, and my Dark Balls were nullified no matter how many I fired at her. It was hard to read her expressionless face, but I thought she looked a touch triumphant over me.

“So what? Do you think I’m out of ideas?” I asked.

Another hole was blown through her defenses as my attack managed to penetrate not only her root, but her magic barrier as well, even piercing through her stomach. Alraune’s eyes grew wide with shock as she noticed the head of a sea serpent peeking out behind me. It might’ve been a low-rank dragon, but it was a dragon nonetheless, and its Breath was powered as high as it could go with my own magic.

Countless other familiars emerged from my shadow as they crawled out and pounced on her. Many of these attacks were outside the configurations of her magic disassembly, and their variety was wide as well. Magic disassembly was an extremely difficult technique that required the user to analyze a magical formula and negate it, requiring very precise maneuvers. Perhaps one familiar’s abilities could be easily shut down, but with my little army of various beasts, she couldn’t possibly keep up with them all. Go ahead and try!

But as I stood there proudly, all of my shadow familiars were pierced through by the roots on the ground.

“What?!”

All of my many familiars that I’d gathered from the sea had been dealt with, the roots piercing through their stomachs. Not a single one was able to move; furthermore, the roots were absorbing the mana that I channeled into my familiars to regain energy.

“You!” I shouted. “How dare you take my mana!”

I immediately cut off all my familiars; that caused them to disperse, but I couldn’t allow these stupid roots to continue sucking up all my mana. One root or two was no big deal, but I’d had nearly a hundred familiars to do my bidding, so the numbers really added up. She’d managed to sap away a good chunk of my mana by killing all of my familiars in one go.

The hole I’d managed to create in her abdomen had healed up in a flash, and I noticed the roots stretched across the floor growing branches and leaves. We were underground, with no sunlight for them to photosynthesize, yet lush greenery began to surround me until it resembled a dense forest.

“I suppose you can control things other than roots,” I remarked.

Alraune was a monster that was half human and half plant. Normally, this species would take the form of a normal human, entice other humans to follow them, and devour them to gain energy—they were man-eating monsters. Though they possessed the ability to freely manipulate the roots and branches that were a part of their body, they usually had no control over other greenery and flora. The founder’s Alraune was an exception.

Still, I don’t get the benefits of creating greenery. The trees make the room feel a bit more cramped, but that’s all. Is she just ensuring that I won’t flee?

I was against a monster that was a close confidante of the founder and treated as special above the rest. She surely had power that lived up to her status, and every movement she made was calculated. I couldn’t let my guard down. My spells and familiars had already been dealt with, and I was stuck protecting dead weight; I clearly held the disadvantage.

I gazed at my surroundings, perplexed, as I tried to organize my thoughts. I realized that until now, her actions had all been orchestrated to shut down my every attack and strategy. In other words, this dense verdure must also be used to either keep me in place or give advantage to her other moves.

Why? Does she want to make a more confined space so I have nowhere to go? If so, then why not just fill up this entire room with roots? Why does she have to create greenery specifically? Trees, leaves, foliage...

I carefully glanced around and noticed that the greenery was shifting. Little white flowers began to form on them. A feeling of dread weighed on my heart as I shuddered and swiftly retreated to Lilka’s side.

“H-Huh?!” Lilka yelped. “Wh-What’s going on? Why’d you suddenly—”

“Wind!” I interjected. “Create a barrier of wind! Right now!”

“Huh?!”

Lilka looked at me quizzically, but as I pushed her to follow my orders, I was acutely aware of the flowers ready to bloom at any moment. Since Alraune was going through the trouble to create these flowers, they surely weren’t just for show.

“Um... Wind’s Embrace!” Lilka shouted.

Once again, this was a chantless spell. A shield of wind surrounded us both, the whirlwind protecting us from outside forces. Moments later, I saw that the flowers had all bloomed, only to disperse a copious amount of pollen in the air. The pollen was so thick that I could barely see across the room, but thanks to the wind, it was all blown away from us.

That was close...

I dreaded to imagine what would’ve happened if I’d just stood in the middle of the room and been exposed to the pollen. I could only assume that taking even a single breath of it would have given me some dangerous affliction—hallucination, paralysis, or even deadly poison. My magic barrier might have been able to guard me against the pollen, but if the roots busted a hole through it, I would’ve been a goner.

As if on cue, roots began to approach the shield of wind.

“Your precision in weaving through the tiny gaps in my barrier is most impressive,” I said. “But can you attack and use magic disassembly at the same time?”

I summoned my Dark Scythe and slashed at the roots closest to us—Alraune couldn’t disassemble my attack in time. Thought so. Both the barrier-piercing attack and magic disassembly required extreme precision, but I assumed that both used some kind of magic template. In that case, there was no such thing as being able to conveniently use both at once. Since I knew this much, I could easily find a way to deal with her. And although the founder’s familiars couldn’t be defeated permanently, that meant I only needed to damage her enough for her regeneration to give us the time to escape.

Regrettably, I wasn’t able to clear this hurdle alone. Most of my spells had already been analyzed by her, making them susceptible to her magic disassembly, and the room was conveniently morphed into her own domain. How unpleasant. How very, very unpleasant. To think a day would come where I’d ask for help from the girl who killed me in my dream... But I’d rather rely on her than die here. I can’t take being toyed with by the founder’s lackey.

I calmed myself down and drew my face close to Lilka’s ear. She looked at me, shocked, but I ignored her.

“Listen, girl,” I muttered. “I need you to do as I s—”

“Y-You’re too close!” Lilka cried.

“Shut up. Do as I say, and I’ll let you return home to your friends.”

I glowered at her, and she nodded back vehemently before I whispered my commands into her ear.

“Wait... That’s it?” she asked.

“Keep that timing in mind,” I muttered. “And keep your wind barrier up.”

I turned my back on the shocked girl and raced ahead. As mana coursed through my feet, I leaped out of the barrier and into the thick of the foliage and pollen. My goal was, of course, Alraune. I was almost certain that this pollen was magical in nature and had some sort of special effect. My magic barrier protected me, but it wasn’t an effective solution when dealing with roots that could easily punch a hole in my defenses. I instead filled my entire body with mana, making me more resistant toward magical effects. Even if I took a breath or two of pollen, I knew that I could, at the very least, fight back.

Countless tree roots wriggled at me, their sharp tips trying to prevent me from reaching Alraune. My magic barrier would have only made me a larger target and inhibited my movement, but by forgoing its protection, I nimbly dodged the roots that shot in for the kill. I inhaled a bit of pollen and my body became slightly numb, but it wasn’t enough to completely paralyze me. This pollen is meant to stun me, huh? A nasty effect. I had some resistance to it, but my luck would only run out with continued exposure. It was a race against time before I became completely paralyzed.

I created a Dark Scythe and swung it as hard as I could, dispersing the pollen in front of me. It came as no surprise that the countless roots managed to use magic disassembly and nullify my attack. My slash might’ve been destroyed, but for a moment, her vision was obscured by my attack—and that was the opportunity that I needed. At once, a powerful gust of wind blew over the room, pushing the pollen away. Alraune stared at me, wide-eyed. This wind, of course, came from Lilka’s magic, exactly as we’d rehearsed. For a few moments, I was freed from the thick cloud of pollen, and immediately activated my chantless spell.

“Lightless.”

The forest that stretched within this space was dyed black with my dark mist. Alraune had managed to turn this room into a lush forest and created a troublesome domain to her advantage, but two could play that game. And unfortunately for her, repainting someone’s advantage with my own was one of my specialties.

I created my Farmer’s Scythe once more and nonverbally cast Shadow Move to slip around through the darkness. I teleported from one shadow to another, allowing me to move as I pleased, and the mist born from Lightless was treated as my shadow as well. Within the domain of Lightless, I could instantly teleport—and of course, my destination was behind Alraune’s back. I’d unleash a flurry of my Farmer’s Scythe at point-blank range so that she wouldn’t have time to use magic disassembly or fight back with her barrier pierce ability.

I melted into the darkness and teleported around, when suddenly, the mist around Alraune vanished. I couldn’t believe it. No longer able to teleport behind her, yet unable to change my destination, I was spat out by the black mist near my designated point, and rolled in front of her. The monster gazed down at me, and I locked eyes with her.

“You little weed...” I growled. “How dare you look down at me!”

Cheeky monster! Does she know who she’s in the presence of?! I saw her roots nearby dispersing the mist via magic disassembly. She swiftly dispelled Lightless. While I was unable to ambush her, I was at least able to approach her. I leaped to my feet and raised my scythe into the air. Any sort of defense was negated in the face of the scythe of death, and surely, she was unable to defend my attack... But try as I might, I was unable to swing my scythe down. As I looked up at the hilt, I noticed several roots wrapped around the scythe, locking it in place.

“You wench!” I roared.

I immediately unleashed a flurry of Dark Balls and peppered her with my attacks, but she easily dispersed them with her magic disassembly without a scratch to her name. All too late, my gaze traveled to the branch-like wings on her back—they were covered with blossoms as they bulged and bloomed right before my eyes, dark petals dancing in the wind. To my surprise, the pollen managed to overcome my dark mist and swallowed me whole. I tried to jump back, but a root wrapped around my leg, locking me in place.

My attacks and strategies were completely destroyed. Now that I couldn’t even move, I immediately stopped my breath so that I wouldn’t inhale any more pollen, but I could only last for so long. My close combat strategy worked against me, and I was out of ideas.

“Damn it...” I grumbled.

The dark particles of pollen surrounded me and I felt my consciousness fading away. I couldn’t even grit my teeth anymore as my vision began to blur, and Alraune gazed down on me like I were some pitiful weakling.

“Lofus!”

Amid my fading consciousness, I heard someone call out my name.

No one here can call my name... An auditory hallucination... I’m nearing the end.

A moment later, my vision, obscured by darkness, was cleared by a strong gust of wind.

Wind... Lilka?

Countless Air Cutters sliced through the wind and attacked Alraune, but her magic barrier parried them all. The monster turned away from me and cast a weary gaze at the girl.

That opening was all I needed. The Air Cutters sliced through the roots restraining me and my scythe, and I was now able to move as I wished. This barrage was a skilled one. Lilka not only managed to gain Alraune’s attention, but she did so to disguise her true aim. She’d even avoided hitting me in the process. Does she perhaps have exceptional control over her wind magic? Either way, well done. Lilka Skyfield, you’re no longer simply dead weight.

As Alraune was distracted by Lilka, I swung my scythe down. The scythe of death could only be swung four times with unlimited range, but it had no such limitations if used at point-blank; it was merely a weapon that cut absurdly well. I couldn’t sustain this power indefinitely, but it afforded me far more than four slashes. I cut through Alraune, barrier and all, and she turned to me with astonishment.

I severed her torso in one go. It was a fatal blow for normal entities, but for a shadow familiar like her, dark void seeped from her wound and began to regenerate. I didn’t wait for her to heal up—I slashed again and again, cutting her so quickly that she couldn’t regenerate in time. My attacks were unrelenting, until I could no longer sustain my Farmer’s Scythe and my weapon disappeared. As darkness began to leak from Alraune’s numerous wounds, I once again locked eyes with her; no longer did she gaze at me as though I were a weakling.

This time, I summoned a Dark Scythe and imbued an absurd amount of my mana into it, enlarging its blade.

“I much prefer the look in your eyes now,” I said. “It’s the look of a loser. And in my benevolence, despite the insolence you’ve shown me, I shall forgive you. Weed.”

Alraune, unable to heal up in time, was now met with my massive scythe of darkness. With one great strike, I blew her away.

✶✶✶

“Dark Carpet,” I muttered.

This chantless, intermediate spell spread darkness from my feet, dying the walls and floor black. I grabbed Lilka, who was staring like a coward, by the scruff of her neck and dragged her into my shadow on the dark floor. She screamed with confusion, but I paid no heed to her cries.

While I managed to blow away Alraune’s upper half, it was but a temporary measure. A shadow familiar like her would regenerate soon enough, and I had to leave this place before then. Within the shadow, I moved through the corridor and headed to the floor above. Alraune must’ve had her hands full with regenerating, since no roots appeared to attack me. Or can they not sense me within the shadows? Had I known that, I would’ve used a different strategy... No, she would’ve just analyzed and disassembled that ability instead.

She was the founder’s familiar, which meant that she was immortal. It was futile to waste time and energy in battle. The roots blocking the staircase to the floor above were easily sliced through by my Farmer’s Scythe—I made sure to use a powerful spell, in case she used magic disassembly again. But the roots started to regenerate before my eyes. No doubt Alraune was already good as new, so I made a beeline for the floor above.

Meanwhile, Lilka was in a daze as I pulled her in and out of the shadows. It was her first time swimming in the darkness, and she seemed to enjoy it a fair bit.

Once I reached the third floor, the roots no longer chased after me. I thought that the roots could cover the entirety of the founder’s tumulus... Was I wrong? Or does that familiar need to actively pursue me? Though I just went with the flow of things, I practically bared my fangs at the founder himself... I don’t think I’ll visit his grave for a while.

✶✶✶

Invidia, the shadow familiar that was not quite human and not quite tree, managed to regenerate her upper half as she slowly got up. Her roots that had blocked the staircase to the floor above had been sliced to shreds, and she knew that Lofus had exited the fourth floor.

She slumped her shoulders, knowing that she’d failed to fulfill her order, and her body sank into the ground. She could stretch her roots out to the third floor if she wished, but she’d received no express order to pursue him deeper.

“That counterattack was more powerful than I thought,” Invidia muttered. “I suppose I should expect no less from Master’s pedigree. And that girl... I believe she’s the sky—”

She stopped herself, gave a deep sigh, and returned to the deepest floor of the tumulus.

✶✶✶

Once I reached the third floor, I was glad to see that the familiars here were much weaker than the ones below. The roots had stopped chasing after me, so I let Lilka off my back before I took a seat for a short rest.

“Hey...” Lilka started. “What... What just happened?”

I assumed she was referring to the founder’s personal familiar, one that resided in the last floor and protected the altar of the tumulus. I had no reason to answer her question, so I ignored her and instead focused on the future. I’d very clearly gone against the founder. If my father found out about this, he’d scold my ear off for such insolence.

“Is that Alraune-like monster the final floor boss of this place?” Lilka asked.

She refused to drop the subject, though it was clear that she still assumed that this place was a dungeon. Floor bosses tended to prowl about those sorts of places, but this tumulus was closer to an ancient ruin than anything else.

“No,” I replied. “We’re not even in a dungeon.”

“Right... Of course,” Lilka mumbled.

I recalled what happened earlier in that fight. “Hey... Did you call my name earlier?”

When I was surrounded by pollen and almost lost grip on my consciousness, I was certain that someone had called my name. Perhaps it was an auditory hallucination, but if Lilka had been the one to call out to me for some reason or another, it was a different story entirely.

Yet, Lilka only tilted her head to one side, befuddled.

“Huh? No, I didn’t,” she replied.

“You’re not lying to me, are you?” I threatened.

“I’m not! Besides, I don’t even know your— Wait! Right! Your name!” She clapped her hands together.

“What? You’re so noisy...”

“Your name! You haven’t told me your name! I’ve been dying to know, and I wanted to ask for a while, but I never got the chance!”

She leaned forward eagerly, prompting me to slide away.

“Can’t you shut up for one second?” I muttered. “And I haven’t stooped so low that I would offer my name to a grave robber.”

“What?! Grave robber?!” Lilka cried, stomping the ground angrily, clearly offended. “I’m a sky pirate! A treasure hunter!”

“I don’t care. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re an outlaw. And stop shouting in my ear.”

“You can at least tell me your name! It’d make it easier for me to call out to you. Also, you knew my name! Why?! How?! Where’d you hear it?”

With the danger behind us, Lilka regained her stride and peppered me with questions. This was nothing short of annoying.

“You saved my life when I couldn’t move an inch,” she prattled on. “You seem thorny on the outside, but maybe, deep down, you’re actually a softie... Wait, you called me a ‘grave robber’ earlier, didn’t you? Is this ruin a grave, then?”

I fell silent. That was a slip of the tongue, I thought. I’d given her unnecessary information, assuming that an idiot like her wouldn’t pick up on my words. But I guess it doesn’t matter. She’s trespassed deep into this tumulus anyway.

“Outsiders like you don’t need to know,” I muttered.

“But didn’t you mention that it belonged to House Lightless?” Lilka asked. “Are you someone related to that house?”

It wasn’t like I was going above and beyond to hide my identity, but this idiot, though slow and clumsy in many ways, was oddly astute. I also didn’t want her to leave this place and spread the word that the founder of my household lay in eternal rest here. As they say: People talk. And this girl especially seemed like a chatterbox who reveled in spreading rumors.

Should I kill her and the rest of the Scarlet Wind here?

I internally weighed the pros and cons, trying to see which would pose less risk for my future. Was I supposed to let her flee, or was it more important to prevent any info regarding this tomb from leaking out? I stared at her for a while, then unleashed several Dark Hands to restrain her.

“H-Huh?!” Lilka yelped.

Her confusion was warranted, but I didn’t care. I restrained all four of her limbs and pinned her against the wall of the corridor.

“H-Hey!” she cried. “Um, what’s going on here?!”

I said not a word as I summoned a Dark Scythe and gently placed the tip of the blade against her neck.

“Ack!” she shouted. “S-Sorry! Was I really that annoying to you?! I’m sorry!”

The blood drained from her face as she forced herself to crack a smile. I glared at her—I wasn’t so petty as to kill someone simply for pestering me.

“You wished to know my name,” I said. “I’m Lofus Ray Lightless, the eldest son and heir of House Lightless. I’m currently trying to decide how to take care of the rats who managed to sneak into this place.”

As I told her what was on my mind, she gulped nervously.

“B-But... You said that you’d return to my friends earlier...” she pleaded meekly.

“Yes, that was my intention,” I answered. “But as a member of House Lightless, I cannot have information of this ruin leaked to outsiders.”

“I won’t say a word,” Lilka said nervously. “Honest. I won’t tell a single soul. I’ll tell the other members to keep quiet too—I can promise you that.”

“Indeed, I know that you aren’t lying. However, there are no guarantees that everyone else will keep their word.”

Fear riddled her face. Reflected in her terrified eyes, I saw my cold, cruel self—Elite Four member, Shadow Wolf Lofus of the second act in the tale, who tried to topple the entire kingdom.

“C-C’mon, I’ll do anything,” Lilka said, her voice trembling. “All right, you can kill me, but at the very least...I’d love for you to save my friends. Please?”

She didn’t beg for her life, instead asking for her friends’ lives to be spared.

“Kill her,” a voice echoed in my mind. “Lilka Skyfield must die.”

Yeah... I think she’s better off dead. Shadow Wolf Lofus would’ve killed her without a second thought. But...she saved me earlier. It pisses me off to no end to think that I’m indebted to a lowly wench like her, but a debt is a debt.

I let out a small sigh and lowered my scythe, undoing my spell that restrained her. Freed at last, Lilka fell to the floor as I turned my back on her, my coat fluttering along.

“Follow me,” I grumbled.

“Y-You’ll help me?” Lilka asked gingerly.

I didn’t turn back. “You won’t mention this place to others, will you? I’ll trust your words...for now. But the moment you dare utter a single word about this area...”

“I won’t! I swear it!”

She hastily chased after me. This tumulus was underground and no light shone through; it was impossible for a shadow to form, and yet, I thought I saw a dark one stretch out from beneath my feet, staring and judging me like it had something to say. I stepped over this shadow and proceeded along—I knew that this shadow wasn’t around, but I thought my foot dispersed it as I chose to forge my own path. The face of cold, cruel, callousness that was reflected in Lilka’s eyes moments before flashed across my mind—the face of Shadow Wolf Lofus.

That was the face of a loser, someone who was defeated by the main character and his forces to meet a pathetic, grisly end. I refused to follow his path; I’d use whatever I had at my disposal to cling onto my life.

I refuse to become part of the Elite Four. I refuse to die.

✶✶✶

On the first floor of the founder’s tumulus were the other members of the Scarlet Wind, all fighting for their lives against countless dark monsters. Sigil, the warrior and leader of the Scarlet Wind with tall, spiky hair and a red jacket, heard the loud clang as he defended himself from the threatening fangs of a twin-headed tiger.

“Dammit!” he spat. “This thing’s alive again?!”

The tiger had been killed twice already, but every time, it healed its wounds within minutes until it was as good as new, ready to fight once more. The tiger wasn’t the only one who seemed immoral either; every shadow monster within this gravesite had been killed numerous times, only to pop back up unscathed.

Undead monsters were known to be immortal, and the Scarlet Wind had plenty of experience with them as they’d braved many perilous dungeons and ruins. A man in round sunglasses and a buzzcut—Hawk—fired his sorcery gun.

“Oi, we’re screwed here!” Hawk shouted. “The holy water ain’t working either!”

A veteran treasure hunter, Hawk always had holy water and other anti-undead items on hand for whenever the need might arise. But though he splashed holy water time and again on these shadow monsters, it was all in vain. Any undead monster would at least take some damage from coming into contact with holy water, so the total lack of effect quickly made it clear that they were up against something entirely different.

Hawk, now out of bullets, grabbed his shortsword and turned to his leader, Sigil.

“What now?!” Hawk shouted. “Strategic retreat?”

“Like hell!” Sigil shouted back angrily. “Hawk, you damn bastard! Are you gonna abandon Lilka?!”

“Naw, I never said that,” Hawk replied, calm as ever. “But we’ve been fighting nonstop ever since we set foot in this place. At this rate, we’ll all get wiped out.”

He turned to the other two members—Kay, who swung his spear around as his long, gold locks flowed behind him, and Dan, a large, bald man who crushed these creatures with his war hammer. The two stood with their backs against Sigil and Hawk, fighting on the opposite side to take care of the monsters that attacked them. Their bodies were covered with fresh wounds from this endless battle, and their breathing was haggard and heavy from exhaustion. They’d been in nonstop combat for a while, and their concentration could break at any moment as fatigue slowly set in.

Sigil clicked his tongue. “Dammit! And we just found that damn staircase...”

A staircase that led to the floor below stood in front of Sigil and Hawk; it wasn’t difficult to assume that Lilka had been transported due to a teleporting trap, waiting for them to rescue her somewhere in the lower floors.

“When it comes to sneaking around, Lilka’s one of the best in our team,” Hawk said, reading Sigil’s mind. “She ain’t the type to screw up and get caught straightaway.”

Sigil fell silent. He understood that, at this rate, it really was only a matter of time before they all met their end. And if everyone died here, they wouldn’t be able to save Lilka. That was the worst outcome at every angle.

He reluctantly nodded.

“Gh... Fine!” Sigil shouted. “Hawk, got any flash crystals?!”

Flash crystals were a type of magical item that emitted a blinding flash of the light element when crushed.

“Only got a few left,” Hawk replied.

“All right,” Sigil said. “Kay! Dan! Strategic retreat! We’ll regroup before we go back to save Lilka!”

Kay, who was swinging his spear around, angrily turned to his leader. “What?! The hell are you on about, Sigil?! Lilka’s all alone and— Gah?!”

Dan silently carried Kay on his shoulders.

“What the?!” Kay shouted. “Dan?! Let go! Damn it!”

“Listen to your leader’s orders,” Dan said.

“Up yours! I can still fight! Let go of me!”

Kay writhed around, but Dan used his strength to keep the man locked in place while running ahead.

“Cover your eyes, guys,” Hawk warned.

He threw the flash crystal at the horde of dark creatures. The crystal shattered, and a blinding flash of light filled the corridor. This wasn’t the first time they had used this item in this ruin; just like before, for some inexplicable reason, the dark creatures faltered and froze as their bodies blurred and jolted like a broken TV screen whenever they were assaulted by light. Why were these creatures weak to light anyway? The Scarlet Wind couldn’t have known, and Hawk ran ahead as he tried to piece things together. Were they undead, or monsters of the dark element? Sigil ran alongside him, glancing at the monsters with suspicion.

“They can’t move...” Sigil muttered. “Are they weak to light, then?”

“That flash did more’n just make ’em dizzy...” Hawk added.

A fuzzy static of sorts ran through the black monsters’ bodies, like they were struggling to maintain their shape and form in the presence of bright light. Hawk certainly wasn’t one to miss that.

“Once we’re back at the ship, let’s bring out as many flash crystals as we can,” he said. “Doesn’t matter how immortal these monsters are—if they can’t move, we’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Good plan. Hang in there, Lilka!” Sigil muttered.

With renewed resolve, the Scarlet Wind headed for the exit, throwing flash crystals along the way. But right before the exit, Sigil and Hawk stopped without uttering a word of warning, their eyes growing wide. Dan even dropped Kay onto the floor.

“Ouch!” Kay yelped. “Dan! Hey, what the—”

He gazed up at Dan and angrily shouted, but he cut himself off as his gaze traveled upward, higher than Dan.

“Huh?” Kay gasped pathetically.

A giant, coiled snake completely blocked the exit as it slowly raised its many heads. The void hydra pointed its numerous pairs of eyes at the Scarlet Wind, along with the countless eyeballs that dotted its entire body. A hydra was a powerful foe, one known to be the boss of the most dangerous ruins or dungeon floors as it protected priceless treasure. It was of a completely different breed from the other monsters prowling about.

Sigil and Hawk were frozen for a moment, but they simultaneously jumped into action. Whoever struck first generally had the advantage. Hawk threw a flash crystal above the hydra’s head and shot it down with his gun. As a blinding light filled the room, Sigil took that opportunity to jump atop one of the hydra’s heads and plunge his blade into its large eyes. It was an impressive surprise attack using impeccable teamwork.

Both men had played their part perfectly...but they failed to finish off this monster due to a difference in raw power. Even with a blade lodged in its eye, the hydra didn’t so much as jolt with pain as it glared up at Sigil. It flung its neck around at incredible speed, like a beast trying to get rid of an annoying gnat. Sigil was blown back, only to be caught by Dan.

“You okay?” Dan asked.

“Nope...” Sigil grunted. “Dude... Your body’s so tough... I felt like I got smacked into a boulder...”

“Hey, now’s not the time. You’re making me blush.”

“That wasn’t a compliment...”

Sigil caught his breath, and Kay and Hawk were visibly relieved to see their leader well enough to make jokes.

“Hawk,” Kay said. “Got any flash crystals left?”

Hawk quietly shook his head. “Naw, that was my last one.”

“Seriously?”

“Very serious.”

Kay gave a wry smile. “This monster wasn’t around when we entered this damn place!”

The black hydra was surely blinded by the flash, but it was completely unfazed, unlike the other monsters of this floor. Its forked tongue flicked in and out as it glared menacingly at the Scarlet Wind. The creatures boasted regenerative capabilities that put the other monsters of this floor to shame. The monsters the Scarlet Wind had faced until now were undeniably strong, but this hydra was clearly on a level of its own.

They inched back, overwhelmed by the hydra’s sheer presence. It slowly slithered forward with glee, cornering its prey and enjoying the hunt like a sadistic beast. When Sigil turned behind him, he spotted a large gathering of shadows in the distance at the end of the corridor, with the twin-headed tiger he’d fought earlier taking the lead. The Scarlet Wind were trapped and had nowhere to go.

“Caught between a rock and a... What was it again?” Sigil asked.

“A hard place,” Hawk answered. “We’re sandwiched between tigers and a snake, though.”

Though they managed to exchange some light banter, their expressions betrayed their true feelings—each of them was as white as a sheet, their faces riddled with unadulterated terror. Kay weakly stuck his spear into the ground, and Dan only stood there in a daze. They were seconds away from death, and despair was all that filled their minds.

Their only sliver of hope, the flash crystals, were gone and used up, and though they had other items, none were effective against these monsters anyway. Sigil didn’t have his sword with him, and Hawk’s gun was almost out of bullets.

“I guess this is it,” someone mumbled.

No one knew who said it, but no one could refute it either. Resignation was reflected in their eyes as they turned their gazes to the ground, surrendering themselves to their fates.

“Dark Carpet,” a voice boomed, seemingly out of nowhere.

The floor, walls, and ceiling of the corridor was instantly dyed with black. The already dark corridor turned dimmer still, as pure void surrounded the group of men. The eager footsteps of the monsters that approached from the depths of the corridor sank into the dark floor, dulling the noise.

“Air Cutter!” another voice echoed.

A sharp sliver of wind shredded a monster.

“I did it! Bull’s-eye!” the voice crowed. “Did you see that, Mr. Lofus?!”

“Don’t start bragging just because you managed to land the most basic of spells,” a sharp voice snapped back.

The Scarlet Wind was confused to hear a triumphant cheer followed by weary admonishing.

“Get them,” the weary voice said coldly.

A moment later, a school of fish with heads sharp as swords emerged from the walls and floor of the corridor. As they swam forth, they shredded the horde of monsters to ribbons before consuming them. In a flash, the shadow monsters were devoured alive and turned into mist. No one in the Scarlet Wind could keep up with what had just happened. From the dark void to the sudden school of fish and the monsters that were swallowed, the men could only stand there in a daze, unable to wrap their minds around it.

“Siggy!” an excited voice cried.

A small girl jumped into his chest. There was no doubt in Sigil’s mind—this was Lilka in the flesh, not a mere illusion.

“Lilka?” he murmured with disbelief.

“Siggy! Hawk! Kay! Dan!” Lilka cried. “Oh, I’m so glad that you’re all still alive!”

She smiled with tears in her eyes, and the men whose faces were full of despair mere moments ago now smiled and approached the girl with relief.

“Lilka!” Kay said happily as he tousled her hair. “You made us worry, ya little rascal!”

“You look well,” Dan added quietly with a smile.

“Wait, you guys are more hurt than I am!” she shouted.

She looked surprised and began making a fuss. Hawk pushed his sunglasses up as he was a short distance away from the other four.

“Lilka, I’m glad you’re safe, but it’s too soon to celebrate,” he said. “We’ve still got to fight that hydra.”

Everyone fell silent as Lilka voiced her surprise at the monster’s sheer size. The black hydra made no attempt to slither away from the exit and merely stood there proudly, glaring at the Scarlet Wind. It was intent on not letting a single soul escape.

Hawk turned back to the corridor where the horde of monsters once stood. “Besides, Lilka, what the hell happened? What were those fish? And this dark floor?”

Lilka smiled and turned behind her. “I was saved by that boy over there. His name’s Mr. Lofus.”

Everyone turned to gaze at the shadow in the depths walking toward them. While the group narrowed their eyes with suspicion, only Hawk felt cold sweat run down his back. This shadow, though about the same height as Lilka, held a completely different aura. The young boy was dressed in a black coat and outfit along with dark hair—the color that matched the corridor. Only his single jade eye added a pop of color within this void, sparkling in the darkness like an emerald. Hawk instinctively understood that this boy was bad news.

It wasn’t difficult to guess that this boy was responsible for the dark corridor and the school of fish that had dispersed the horde of immortal shadow monsters. Hawk kept his guard up, especially since the boy’s own familiars seemed to be of the same ilk of those they’d defeated. Yet, this boy seemed to be in complete control of the monsters—was he the dungeon master of sorts, in charge of this ancient ruin? If so, then his youthful appearance was just a facade, an avatar to hide his true identity. Nasty thoughts began swirling within Hawk’s mind.

“What the— It’s just a kid,” Sigil said, completely letting his guard down to approach the boy. “Why are you here? Did ya get lost?”

Hawk’s eyes grew wide as he hastily shouted, “You i—”

No normal child would just wander within this dangerous ruin and stumble upon these monsters while acting so calm. That much was crystal clear, and Hawk tried to admonish his own leader for such a thoughtless remark, but Hawk stopped himself. When Sigil casually tried to approach the boy in black, Lofus, the boy in question, glared at him with apparent annoyance.

“Uh...” Sigil said.

He was overwhelmed by Lofus’s aura as Lilka hastily rammed her elbow into Sigil’s side.

“Gah?!” the Scarlet Wind leader grunted.

“Don’t call him a kid! You’re being rude to Mr. Lofus!” Lilka scolded.

As Sigil writhed on the ground in pain, Lofus turned to Lilka.

“You’re one to talk. You’ve been rather insolent yourself, remember,” he spat.

He walked on, ignoring the other members of the Scarlet Wind, as he gazed at the massive hydra guarding the exit.

“A gatekeeper to ensure that no one can escape,” he remarked. “Whoever made this tumulus has poor taste—I simply cannot understand it.”

He languidly approached the hydra, acting as if this whole ordeal was just some mundane annoyance.

“Hey! Watch out!” Sigil shouted.

“You idiot! Do you wanna die here?!” Kay yelled.

Lofus ignored them completely and continued to walk ahead.

“This thing’s in my way,” he muttered. “Sink him.”

In response, a massive tentacle, larger than the hydra itself, emerged from the darkness and wrapped itself around the serpent, trying to drag it down below. The tentacles exhibited extraordinary power and vitality as they coiled around the hydra’s body and refused to release the monster from its grasp. The hydra, of course, fought back and tried to wriggle its way out, but another tentacle emerged, forcibly submerging the hydra’s massive body into the shadows below. Everything happened so quickly.

All the while, Lofus never stopped walking. He maintained his slow, lumbering pace as he headed outside, and the Scarlet Wind could hardly process the harrowing terror that occurred right in front of their eyes. They stood there in a daze; only Lilka looked completely unfazed as she chased after Lofus and out of the ruin.

“C’mon, guys! Don’t just stand there!” she called. “Let’s go!”

The Scarlet Wind members all exchanged a glance before following her.

5. The Scarlet Wind

Ifrit was the name of the Scarlet Wind’s airship. The vessel didn’t actually belong to the leader, Sigil, but rather the subleader, Iz, who had been bedridden from illness.

Wings protruded on either side of the ship in lieu of sails, and its red hull was created specifically to journey through the sky. This airship required mana to fly, and was in fact an artifact that Iz’s grandfather—a fellow treasure hunter—excavated during one of his expeditions in the ruins of a remote region. Her grandfather had given the ship its name, and enjoyed traveling through the skies with his comrades as he toured various ruins. This group of treasure hunters eventually named themselves after Ifrit’s color—the Scarlet Wind.

That was how the band of sky pirates had started, and their ship was passed down through the generations, eventually falling into Iz’s hands. Sigil, the leader of the group, was childhood friends with Iz, for his grandfather had been a close partner of Iz’s grandfather when he was touring the world in search of treasure. Both Iz and Sigil were born and raised on Ifrit’s deck.

The two were also close in age and in their early twenties, but they were so close that their bond was less romantic and instead more akin to siblings, with Iz often acting like an older sister. As for the other members like the careful Hawk, Kay the mood-maker, and the powerful Dan, Elma acted as their older sister, though she was not present for this expedition.

These four—Hawk, Kay, Dan, and Elma—were orphans that the previous generation of the Scarlet Wind had picked up. Everyone here had been raised on the deck of this vessel, and as the previous generation made way for the new one, they became proud members of the Scarlet Wind in full. The group had spent much time together, and they were tied by a strong familial bond. Sigil, the leader, would spare no expense in saving the lives of his fellow members, even if it meant entering dangerous ruins and putting his own life on the line.

Naturally, he wasn’t above groveling and kowtowing for the sake of his comrades either.

“I’m so terribly sorry for trespassing into your land!” he shouted.

The group was now in a large room on Ifrit, Sigil scraping his head against the floor while Lofus rested on a sofa with his face on his hand. He looked impossibly bored. The three men of the group—Hawk, Kay, and Dan—stood at the side of the room, while Lilka and the ladies were given a brief rundown of what had occurred. Since Iz was sick, they were waiting in a separate room until further instruction.

When everyone learned that their savior, Lofus, was the eldest son of House Lightless, they froze, petrified with fear. This implied that the Scarlet Wind had trespassed into a ruin of the Lightless fief and been caught red-handed. The lord of the land naturally owned and ruled over everything in their territory, including any dungeons or ruins. Trespassing onto these areas without express permission of the lord to take rare items was an act akin to theft.

The Scarlet Wind knew very well that they were criminals—they called themselves sky pirates, after all—but despite the seemingly ominous title, not once had they committed any act that they considered particularly heinous. Yes, they ransacked and stole from ruins and dungeons, but that was all. They’d never taken a single coin from regular citizens, much less loot or pillage from the common folk if given the chance. While the Scarlet Wind admitted that they were lawless, they were, first and foremost, treasure hunters, and took pride in this sobriquet.

And they’d gotten away with it until now. Even if they trespassed into ruins and dungeons, only to be chased down by the military police and knights, the Scarlet Wind had always managed to escape with Ifrit, leaving their pursuers in the dust. A quick flight allowed them to enter the land of another lord, and the knights couldn’t chase the Scarlet Wind across borders. But this time around, they were in a different situation entirely, as they were face-to-face with Lofus Ray Lightless, the heir of the feared marquess of darkness.

The boy emanated a fearsome aura that seemed almost inhuman. The Scarlet Wind members had caught a glimpse of his magical ability with their own eyes, and they were sure that not even a miracle could let them evade the grasp of the boy in his black coat. He’d exerted power that practically sealed their fate. Since they could no longer flee, the Scarlet Wind leader had no choice but to rub his face on the ground and beg for mercy, while being extra careful not to touch Lofus’s nerve.

“Hey,” Kay whispered to the side. “What’s gonna happen to us?”

“No clue,” Hawk muttered back, his eyes dead. “At best, we’d get whipped and sent to prison. Worst case, we’d be paraded around the fief for our crimes before our heads are mounted on a stake.”

“What?! But we just trespassed into the ruin a little. We didn’t even steal anything this time around.”

“That doesn’t matter. Everything depends on how this little noble feels. Why do you think our leader cast his pride away to kowtow in hopes of receiving a smidgen of benevolence?”

“Seriously? Should we beg too?”

Hawk shook his head. “Nah. Who knows what might piss this kid off? Best to keep quiet.”

“But...” Dan interrupted quietly. “That noble saved our lives.”

“Y-Yeah, I know...” Hawk said pensively. “Maybe we just happened to be around, but I’m pretty sure he meant to save Lilka. And she seems awfully fond of him too, though he clearly doesn’t feel the same.”

Kay’s eyes perked up with hope. “Lilka! Of course! Let’s use her! That mighty noble must be a womanizer, and that’s why he saved us all!”

Dan and Hawk slumped their shoulders and looked at Kay wearily.

“I...don’t think so,” Dan whispered.

“You’re the one who’s crazy about women, Kay,” Hawk muttered.

“Nah, I know I’m right,” Kay insisted. “I can tell. He saved her, but ultimately, Lilka wasn’t his type. She’s still a kid and she doesn’t have the curves yet. So let’s have Elma try to woo him instead. I’m sure the noble’ll be all smiles in no time. Elma’s got a decent rack, and her face ain’t half bad either. She’s perfect for the role.”

Hawk and Dan inched away from Kay, horrified by this suggestion.

“Are you...sacrificing Elma?” Hawk asked.

“You’re the worst, man,” Dan muttered.

“‘Sacrifice’? Hey, don’t make it sound that bad,” Kay replied. “Besides, Elma’s been saying she wants to marry a rich guy. This is her chance.”

Lofus glared at the three whispering men.

“I can hear you lot,” he spat. “And just who are you calling a womanizer?”

His icy gaze petrified the men. They snapped their mouths shut and turned to face the ground. Damn morons! Sigil internally shouted as he kept his head low.

“Hey, guys! Got some tea!” Lilka said cheerfully, disrupting the gloomy room that had started to feel like a funeral.

She brought in a tray and entered the room, but her face turned stiff when she saw Sigil on the floor.

“Whoa!” she said. “What are you doing, Siggy?” She was taken aback by him before she approached Lofus. “Mr. Lofus, want some tea? I’ve got snacks too!”

“No.”

Lilka looked visibly dejected as she turned to the other three men standing in the room. “How about you guys? Want some?”

None of them felt like leisurely sipping on some tea. They averted their gazes and shifted uneasily.

“N-No, we’re good too,” Hawk stammered on behalf of the men.

“Awww...” Lilka groaned, slumping her shoulders. “And after I went through all the effort of preparing this stuff...”

She turned away and pouted. A few moments passed, and Lilka glanced around the room, tilting her head to one side.

“So...what’s going on?” she asked. “Did somebody die?”

Her laid-back attitude made the air of the room freeze with fright.

✶✶✶

I sat in the room of airship Ifrit as Sigil, the leader of the Scarlet Wind, pathetically prostrated in front of me. The other three men awkwardly watched on as they stood in the corner of the room. Whatever their names were, I don’t remember. Lilka, dejected that I declined her offer of tea, had already left the room.

But the numbers aren’t adding up... Sigil, the other three men, and Lilka made five, but as far as I knew from my dream, there was another woman in this group. Was she acting separately from them, or was she lurking within the ship? If memory served, she didn’t possess any mana either, so she wouldn’t show up on my perception field.

If she was hiding somewhere, I wouldn’t have been able to find her. Or maybe she hasn’t joined them yet... My dream didn’t really have that many details on the internal affairs of this group, and I had no means of knowing. I doubt she’s hiding somewhere to ambush me, but... It was best that I remained vigilant.

One thing was certain: Had I not saved this group in that tumulus, they would’ve all been killed. Which means, in my dream, they didn’t trespass into the founder’s tumulus. I doubt I would have gone out of my way to save them anyway, and my father most certainly would’ve relished in their deaths. My grandfather might do so on a whim to kill some time, but he was retired and unlikely to personally head straight into danger. Why did the Scarlet Wind act differently from my dream?

The only conclusion I could reach was that someone other than myself had seen the same dream and decided to interfere. That had to be it. But who? And why did they send the Scarlet Wind off to the founder’s tumulus? The questions kept coming with no answer. And so, I decided to ask Sigil, the leader of the group, to tell me what exactly led him to this precise location.

“Talk,” I commanded. “If I catch you hiding something, you’re dead.”

“I-I don’t care what happens to me, um, Your...Excellency,” he stammered. “But please, you gotta— I mean, I beg of you, please let my comrades go. Please, Your Highness.”

He raised his head, only to lower it again as he implored for my forgiveness, but I felt a vein pop on my forehead. What? You think adding a formal title makes you sound more proper and polite? You can’t even keep it consistent. Adding a bit more flair doesn’t make you sound better, peon. I’d asked him for information, but for some inexplicable reason, he responded with an entreaty for lives to be spared. This was hardly a conversation.

“Just speak normally,” I sighed. “And if you talk, I won’t kill you. So tell me everything, and spare no detail. Do I make myself clear? I’ll ask again: How did you learn of that place? Why did you decide to head there? Speak.”

“All right,” Sigil said after a few moments of silence.

From there, he slowly managed to get his story out, a little at a time. First, he learned of this place through a Treasure Guild, albeit an unofficial one, formed by a group of treasure hunters to exchange information about ancient ruins and dungeons.

I’d never heard of a Treasure Guild before. Even in my dream, I hadn’t learned of it, but thinking back, there were extremely subtle hints that the Scarlet Wind belonged to one. In the first arc, when Lilka joined the main character’s forces, she was able to use her airship and travel all over the kingdom. Through Sigil, she was able to receive all sorts of information about ruins and dungeons that dotted the land, but in hindsight, it was far too much information for a single man to gather by himself. Even with their airship, there were numerous ruins and dungeons across the kingdom; it seemed a bit ridiculous that the Scarlet Wind would know every characteristic of these dungeons, the monsters they contained, and the traps that were set. It would have required an extensive network.

However, if they were able to gather all this intel thanks to help of this Treasure Guild, everything made sense. Furthermore, it seemed the founder’s tumulus had been known for quite a while now, though of course, it went by a different name. As there was almost no information about this place, and it was near the Lightless fief, no one dared approach and it was classified as S-Rank, placing it among the world’s most dangerous dungeons and ruins. This was known for so long that the paper on the bulletin listing the founder’s tumulus had collected a fair bit of dust.

“So...people have known about this place for that long?” I muttered to myself.

I couldn’t believe that my ancestor’s grace had been labeled an S-Rank dungeon without me ever knowing. It was such a well-kept secret—or so I’d thought—that even the royal family didn’t know of this burial ground. If my father learned that the location was practically making its rounds among the populace, I imagined he would faint on the spot.

“Er, is House Lightless tasked with protecting the temple of the God of Darkness or something?” Sigil asked, tilting his head to one side.

“Huh? I keep telling you that it’s not—no, never mind,” I replied. “Why is that place considered a temple for the God of Darkness anyway? I thought nobody had any details on the place.”

Lilka mentioned something about the God of Darkness before as well... Seems like House Lightless being seen as the noble house of darkness has gotten them mixed up with something else.

Sigil averted his gaze awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I really couldn’t tell you why either... It just always has been assumed to be a temple. According to rumors, though, there was a stone slate in a temple revering a different deity of the six, which noted that the God of Darkness is worshipped in your fief. Obviously, take that with a grain of salt.”

“I thought the ancient text couldn’t be fully deciphered yet,” I replied.

“The Treasure Guild’s got a team of specialists. I heard that they’ve deciphered a great deal of the language, but I’ve no idea what their process is. I’m not good at stuff like that.”

How in the world could an unofficial guild make more progress than the kingdom’s team of elite researchers? That sounds suspicious... But I don’t know much about it either.

Sigil went on to state that he originally didn’t intend to visit the founder’s tumulus. After all, there was very little information on the place other than being notoriously dangerous. But for some reason, no matter what other ruins and dungeons they visited, someone had beat them to the punch and taken all the items. They were short on cash and needed it as soon as possible. With no other choice, they reluctantly agreed to enter the founder’s tumulus in a desperate attempt to score some loot.

“Is it common for items to be taken before you?” I asked.

“It’s not uncommon, since we aren’t the only treasure hunters around, but I can only say that we had rotten luck,” Sigil replied. “We went to, like, ten sites before this one, and we came back with goose eggs each time.”

He scratched his head with a grimace. So, all the items were scooped up wherever he went... Can that really just be called bad luck? If all of these events led them to enter the founder’s tumulus, I can only suspect human intervention somehow, not simply an odd twist of fate. And while ruins are one and done when it comes to loot, dungeons regenerate items after some time. Why did they push their limits to search for items? Why are they in such a rush? Is someone pushing them to do so?

“Why didn’t you wait for the dungeons to regenerate their items?” I asked. “Why act with so much haste?”

“Ah, well...” Sigil muttered awkwardly, turning away from me once more.

“What? Out with it. Or I’ll kill you.”

A man with round sunglasses, who had quietly stood in the corner until now, stepped forward to interject.

“Please,” he started. “There’s a—”

I emitted a wave of mana, silencing the man.

“I don’t remember asking you,” I growled. “Or did you have the oh-so-bright idea of ransacking the Lightless ruin?”

“N-No, sir...” the man stammered, cold sweat streaking down his face due to my mana.

“Th-That’s right. I was the one!” Sigil insisted, covering for him. “I’m the one who said that I’d go to the Lightless ruin!”

The large man and the long-haired man rushed over to support the one with sunglasses as he almost crumpled to the ground. I gazed down at them coldly.

“You’re the leader, are you not?” I asked Sigil. “Indeed, I suspect that you ultimately made the decision to head here, but surely, someone must’ve suggested it first.”

“No! I-It was all me!” Sigil insisted.

Just then, the door of the room opened with a bang.

“Calm your horses,” a woman said in a dignified, regal tone. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bully these boys too much.”

A pale-faced woman with red hair entered the room. It seemed she could barely stand, as Lilka and another woman I’d seen in my dream—likely a member of this group—supported her. I furrowed my brow and scowled at this red-haired lady.

“And you are?” I asked.

I’ve never seen her before, not even in my dream. Is she a member of the Scarlet Wind or what?

“Iz is my name. And I’m the subleader of the Scarlet Wind, you adorable noble.”

Her smile was fierce and dignified, expertly masking the fact that she was unwell.

“A...subleader?” I asked.

Did the Scarlet Wind ever have a subleader? I thought Sigil was the leader and the rest were his subordinates. But...the name “Iz” does ring a bell. In my dream, I think Lilka mentioned it when she was talking about her past. She made it sound like Iz passed away, but this woman is now in front of me, smiling in my presence.

“I’ve been listening to your conversation,” Iz said. “See, these numbskulls came to this ruin to risk life and limb for me.”

“For you?” I inquired.

I gazed closely at the pale-faced Iz and saw that her skin was dotted with dark bruises. She noticed my gaze and tilted her head to one side.

“Wanna hear why?” she asked.

“I do,” I replied.

I nodded and motioned with my chin, encouraging her to take a seat.

✶✶✶

When Iz entered the room, the men frantically told her to head back to bed, but Lilka and the other woman (apparently called Elma) supported Iz from both sides and rebuffed their suggestion.

Iz then told me everything. She said that she’d fallen ill, and the cure was impossibly expensive. Recently, her illness had progressed considerably, and they needed money fast for her sake. I get it now, I thought. Sigil probably didn’t want to talk because he wanted to keep Iz’s condition a secret.

Maybe his plan was to let Iz and Elma escape should things go awry... No, I doubt he thought that far. And judging from Iz’s symptoms, it seems like mana particles are accumulating in her body, making her ill. To those who did not possess mana, these particles were deadly. When enough accumulated in their body, the rejection caused severe pain and agony. However, such buildup wasn’t normal to begin with; mana simply didn’t behave like that on its own. I wasn’t too knowledgeable on endemic diseases, but it seemed some regions experienced manatomic mutations that caused this.

That wasn’t suspicious in and of itself—these diseases were widely known. I was more concerned with the miracle cure that the Scarlet Wind touched upon. A cure? How? How can a potion extract all of the mana from a person’s body? There were potions and the like that replenished mana, but I’d never heard of the reverse.

A skilled mage could use precise, advanced mana manipulation to give some of their mana to another; even I could do something like that. But removing it altogether? That seemed like an impossible feat. To use an example, artificial respiration was possible by sending someone oxygen, but one couldn’t suck all the oxygen out of another’s body. The same logic applied to these potions.

If such a thing were possible, it would cause a huge fuss at potions conferences—it’d be front-page, earth-shattering news. What made this all the more suspicious was that the price of this so-called cure was greater than elixir, widely known to be a panacea. How could a curative cost more than a house? Besides, in my dream, Iz never made an appearance at all.

This implied that, in my dream, the Scarlet Wind’s desperate attempts to gather money had been in vain. Perhaps they weren’t able to make enough to buy the cure, or...

“I understand,” I said. “I can’t find any inconsistencies in your story either.”

I still had a myriad of questions, but I decided to call it for the day. Ultimately, I wasn’t able to know who else saw the dream that I did.

“I’ve heard enough. You can rest now,” I said.

I had Iz head back to rest; she’d been pale the entire time she was talking, and it must’ve been a trial for her to get out of bed at all.

“Oh? Are you worried for me?” Iz asked with a smile. “I thought you were a scary noble, but you’re kind, aren’t you?”

I glared at Elma, who stood up beside Iz. “Shut her up and carry her out.”

Elma hastily left the room with Iz leaning on her. Lilka worriedly chased after them, leaving only the men behind in the room. I glanced at Sigil, who was simply there, unsure of what to do.

“I can’t tell who the real leader is,” I muttered snarkily.

Sigil groaned and clutched at his chest.

“Agreed,” Hawk said.

“Yep,” Kay nodded.

“Amen to that,” Dan agreed.

“G-Guys!” Sigil shouted, looking clearly offended as he tried to pounce on his comrades.

Sigil, you’re less charismatic than in my dream...

Just then, I noticed my telepathic crystal in my pocket emitting mana. This crystal was connected to another person who held its counterpart, allowing two parties to converse even from a great distance away. I suspected that my father had called me to complain about taking too long. I quickly grabbed the crystal.

“Yeah?” I asked.

To my surprise, it wasn’t my father, but the magistrate I’d placed to take over Clinton. I wasn’t due for a periodic report yet, meaning that this must’ve been some sort of emergency. I channeled my mana into the crystal.

“What?” I inquired.

“Please forgive my sudden call,” the magistrate replied.

“Enough small talk. What do you want?”

“Yessir. I thought you should know—a wyvern appeared at Roguebert.”

“What?!”

My pathetic voice echoed throughout the room.

✶✶✶

A sigh escaped my lips. I stood on the deck of Ifrit as the airship soared through the skies with incredible speed. The breeze was in my face, but not enough to blow me away. At this speed, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the wind were stronger, but it seemed Ifrit was surrounded by some kind of magical barrier, protecting those on board. In fact, the breeze felt nice against my face, and I was quite comfortable.

I leaned on the railing of the ship’s deck and gazed at the horizon dyed by the setting sun. Needless to say, I was here now because of the report I’d received from the magistrate—a wyvern had suddenly appeared in Roguebert. The magistrate apparently had formed a group to subjugate the beast immediately, but a few citizens got in the way, and the expedition ended in failure. The wyvern made no attempt to attack people, and just landed on the top of the rock mountain to cry endlessly. It was as though the beast were calling for someone.

The magistrate, at a loss, called me to ask for my advice. I still didn’t have the whole picture, but a wyvern in Roguebert reminded me of the time I returned from Stelia three months ago. The only wyvern that rang a bell was the one I’d borrowed from Warm, and if that were the case, I wasn’t sure why it returned to Roguebert. Plus, it seems some citizens hindered the subjugation expedition, I thought. What the hell are they thinking? Fol or Log must be behind that, but no matter the case, I need to head to Roguebert as soon as I can.

Conveniently, I was in the presence of the airship, and I ordered—I mean, politely asked Sigil to send me there. He gladly agreed. He did ask to turn a blind eye for their trespassing in exchange, and I wasn’t sure if I should accept that. When I told them that my decision all depended on how they acted, they flashed me an uneasy look. Insolent fools. Do they not know what position they’re in? Good grief...

Needless to say, the airship was very swift. I’d reach Roguebert before the sun would fully set. Normally, this was a trip that took four entire days by carriage, but on this ship, I’d be there in hours. Very, very nice... If possible, I’d like to mass-produce this ship and have one myself...

As I was lost in my thoughts, the door that led to the deck burst open.

“Brrr! It’s so cold!” Lilka said with a tray in her hands. “I’m surprised that you don’t feel cold at all, Mr. Lofus! You might catch a cold! Anyway, want some hot tea? It’ll warm you right up!”

“No,” I replied.

Despite my instant rejection, the undaunted Lilka approached me.

“Uh, do you perhaps not like tea?” she asked.

“I don’t,” I replied. “The weird aroma offends my nose.”

“But that’s the good part! It’s so yummy if you add a bit of jam to it!”

Jam? Why would anyone in their right mind add something so sweet to their drink?

“What in the world?” I muttered. “Who uses such a disgusting method to drink tea?”

“Izzy does! All the time too,” Lilka replied. “I tried it out the other day, and it was surprisingly pretty good.”

“I don’t care.”

I looked away, tired of this conversation, but Lilka pushed something onto me.

“Here. Take this,” she said.

“What is this?” I asked.

A metallic container was nestled in my hand. I stared at it with suspicion while Lilka smiled.

“You haven’t eaten anything since lunch,” she said. “I’m sure you’re famished. That’s canned food. Do you know of it? It’s a type of preserved food, courtesy of the empire.”

This small container has preserved food? How could anyone be satisfied with just this? But...now that she mentions it, I didn’t have time to eat lunch. I suppose I’m hungry, but...

“Are you lot connected to the empire as well?” I accused.

“Er, well, we sometimes just head there to do some shopping,” Lilka replied. “There’s some stuff that won’t sell in the kingdom but will fetch a high price in the empire. And they’ve got their own ruins and dungeons too.”

“An international treasure hunt, huh...”

Only those with an airship would ever be capable of such a feat. It was an international criminal offense to cross nations’ borders without following due process, but these lawless fools likely didn’t care.

“The empire persecutes those with mana, so I’m always terrified that I’ll get found out,” Lilka added. “It makes me feel timid, so I don’t like being there.”

She then took out another metallic container—her own pot of canned food—brought out a knife hidden in her boot, stabbed the can, and expertly removed the lid. Inside was some simmered fish, and Lilka held out her hand.

“Here,” she said.

“Huh?” I asked.

“Your can. I’ll open it for ya.”

“A-All right.”

I gave it to her. She opened it and returned it to me.

“Oooh!” she cried. “You’ve got steak! Congrats! That’s a lucky one!”

I frowned as I gazed at the thick slab of steak inside, and turned to her.

“Do you like meat?” I asked.

“Huh? Yeah, of course,” she replied. “Love it.”

“Then it’s yours. Give me your fish.”

Lilka blinked at my request. “Uh, sure. I mean, are you sure? This is a huge get... Do you not like steak?”

“I’m not a fan of beef. I much prefer fish.”

As I offered to exchange our meals, Lilka suddenly clutched her stomach and burst out laughing.

“Pfft! Ah ha ha ha!” she guffawed. “Mr. Lofus, you’re like a child! You don’t like tea or beef, huh? You can’t be such a picky eater! Ha ha! You’re a hoot!”

I’m not a kid. And you look a lot more childish than I do.

After Lilka laughed, she handed me her can of fish.

“Here ya go,” she said teasingly. “I guess you can have it this time. But you can’t be so picky next time, okay?”

“You little...” I started.

I angrily shoved the can of meat into her hand and tried to take the fish, but she refused to let go of her food.

“Hey,” I growled angrily, raising my voice.

“Here,” Lilka said as she placed my can of meat into her pocket and handed me a spoon.

“Huh?”

“I’ll hold the can for you. You’ve only got one arm, right? Or, what, want me to feed you?”

“No need.”

Seriously. Not having a second arm is inconvenient, but I’ve gotten used to it.

I created a Dark Hand from my left arm and snatched the can from her.

“Whoa!” she yelped. “I saw you use those hands to fight, but I didn’t think they could help you with mundane stuff. Magic sure is convenient!”

She stared at my spell, recalling the time I’d restrained her back at the tumulus. I just ignored her and began to eat. Lilka dug into her own can as well. The fish was rather salty, but it wasn’t all that bad. I’ve heard that the empire’s technological advancements are a sight to behold, but this is still impressive.

After I finished, I quietly stared at Lilka. She noticed my gaze and tilted her head to one side.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Why do you keep pestering me?” I asked. “You were almost killed at the ruin. Don’t you fear me even a little?”

Lilka stared right back at me. “But protecting that place was your duty, right? You only tried to kill us to fulfill that duty of yours. Besides, we were trespassing, so we’re the ones at fault. Even if you did kill us back there, that was the consequence we’d risked by going in there.”

“Oddly poignant, but you didn’t answer my question,” I snapped. “Are you not afraid of me?”

“Right, well...I can’t really be afraid of you,” she replied. “Ultimately, you saved my life. I’m grateful, but I can never fear you.”

“Oh?”

Her reasoning was sound—I could at least understand where she was coming from. However, logic usually went out the window when one’s life was at stake. I’d almost killed her, after all, and it was normal for one to fear that, logic be damned. No matter how calm one tried to be, human emotions were complicated and, more often than not, rather illogical.

Lilka’s train of thought was eerily placid and profound, enough to make me more suspicious of her. This girl in front of me was very different from the Lilka Skyfield that I’d dreamed of. In the tale, Lilka seemed more childish and emotional; I felt a blatant disconnect between that version of her and how she was acting now.

As I thought... Did she also dream of the future?

I acted swiftly. I pushed the defenseless girl onto the deck of the ship and used my Dark Hands to restrain her limbs. And yet, Lilka didn’t even scream, nor even show a hint of fear in her eyes. She was certainly surprised, but that was all.

“Huh? What?” Lilka asked. “You caught me by surprise, Mr. Lofus.”

I climbed on top of her and peered into her golden eyes.

“You’re completely restrained, but you see rather...calm,” I muttered.

“Well, I was surprised since you pushed me down, but yeah,” she replied.

Her composure was almost creepy. I think I hit the nail on the head... She must know of the tale as well. Since the Scarlet Wind acted very differently from my dream, it can only mean that she—or another one of its members—have seen it.

The outcome I feared the most was if any of the main characters, more specifically, anyone belonging to the main character’s forces, had the same dream I did. I’d been wary of Lilka from the start, but I didn’t have enough information to be certain. If she knew something that only those who saw the dream knew, my suspicions would turn to conviction.

I drew my face close to hers.

“Have you had a...curious dream recently?” I asked.

“A dream?” Lilka asked.

“A dream about the future—say, three years from now, when you’d meet a certain man.”

Lilka furrowed her brow. “The future? A man? What are you on about?”

“Do not play dumb. I, Shadow Wolf Lofus, know all.”

“‘Shadow Wolf’?”

I used my future self’s Elite Four moniker, but Lilka’s reaction was one of befuddlement. Stubborn, isn’t she...

“If you refuse to admit it, let us go kill that man right now, shall we?” I offered. “Abel Karat. We can easily take care of him now.”

I summoned a Dark Ball in my hand and threatened her with it. You can’t keep your poker face for much longer. If you’re forced to kill the man you love, I’m sure you’d be at least a bit distraught. But Lilka only stared back at me, bewildered by my words, as she tilted her head to one side.

“Abel who? Uh... Who’s that?” she asked.

I fell silent. What’s going on? She looks utterly confused, like she doesn’t know a thing. If she’s acting, she deserves an award... Does she really not know?

“Impossible...” I muttered. “Then how in the world can you remain so calm? You’re normally more childish.”

“Mr. Lofus, what exactly do you know about me?” Lilka asked.

I couldn’t respond as she frowned at me. Was it all just a misunderstanding? Did I get it wrong? In the tale, you were utterly infatuated with Abel Karat... Did you really not have that dream?

“Are you not in love with a man called Abel?” I asked.

“Huh? In love with— Oh... Wait... Uh, I think I understand...”

She looked as though she realized something and looked all flustered, her face turning redder by the second. Why is she reacting that way? I stared at her face, now redder than a tomato, as she averted her gaze with embarrassment.

“S-Sorry, Mr. Lofus,” she stammered. “I was so oblivious. I don’t...have anyone I like, and I don’t think I’ve liked anyone before...”

“Huh?”

“I-I’m really happy to receive your affection, honest! But I think I’m a bit too young to think about stuff like that... Er, it’s not like I hate you or anything, it’s just...”

She quickly strung her sentences together without once stopping for breath. Uh... Looks like she’s got the wrong idea...

“C-Can we start as friends?” she offered. “I’m really not experienced with stuff like that. I’ve never kissed or held hands with someone...”

“No,” I said.

I stopped her before she could let her imagination run wild, and she blinked back at me.

“Say what?” she asked.

I drew back from Lilka and undid my Dark Hands to free her.

“I’m saying that you’ve got the wrong idea,” I said. “You’re gravely misunderstanding my words.”

“I am?”

“Enough. This was my bad. Just forget it.”

Lilka was still reeling from my earlier actions, but I left her behind and headed back into the ship. Seconds later, a shrill scream of embarrassment echoed throughout the vessel, prompting me to cover my ears while swiftly walking away. I guess it was all just a misunderstanding...

✶✶✶

“I can’t believe you!” Lilka shouted, inching closer to Lofus. “You know, usually, when you get pushed down and asked if you like someone, you’d assume that they’re romantically interested in you! Obviously, that sounds like flirting!”

Her loud decries could be heard by all, but Lofus simply looked away and ignored her.

Lilka, undeterred, went on, “Also! Like, I acted like I wasn’t wholly against it! Oh my god! But that can’t be my fault, right? I mean, you saved me and everyone else, and I owe you big time! You’re super strong and not bad looking by any means, so obviously I won’t say no if someone like that tries to woo me! That’s normal, isn’t it?! Normal!”

She tugged on the sleeve of Lofus’s coat, pulling harder and harder as she complained to him and tried to justify her own reaction. Lofus only flashed a look of utter exhaustion as he ignored the screaming girl, and the other members of the Scarlet Wind—Kay, Dan, and short-haired Elma—gazed at the scene from afar.

“Um... What’s up with her?” Elma asked.

“They’ve been acting like that ever since they returned from the deck,” Dan muttered.

“Isn’t Lofus the child of House Lightless? Are the two, you know, close? Lilka mentioned getting pushed down and wooed...”

“See? Told ya,” Kay replied proudly. “Lilka just ain’t that noble’s type. Sounds to me like she thought he was trying to woo her, and so she sort of accepted his so-called advances, only to find out that she had it all wrong. So now, she’s mortified and angry, letting her emotions take the reins.”

“That so?” Elma asked. “I’ve never seen Lilka that angry before. And...is she allowed to scream at a noble like that?”

“I think she’s in the clear. From what I can tell, that one’s obsessed with women. Lilka might not be his type, but he won’t be cruel toward any sort of lady. Speak of which, Elma, why aren’t you going for him? Didn’t you say that you wanted to marry a rich guy?”

Her face twitched. “Yes, but isn’t he around the same age as Lilka? I think he’s a bit too young for my taste... And nobles like him tend to put walls around themselves to differentiate their kind from people like us. He is pretty handsome, though.”

Dan tilted his head to one side. “Kay, you said this guy won’t be cruel to ladies. But isn’t ignoring Lilka so heartlessly cruel in and of itself?”

“Nah,” Kay replied. “Remember, he’s a noble. Merely ignoring her is awfully tolerant in comparison. I mean, what if I started shouting at him like that? What do you think would happen to me?”

“Oh, you’d be dead for sure,” Elma replied instantly.

“Head lopped off,” Dan added.

Kay shrugged. “Exactly. So, she’s being tolerated, at the very least.”

As Dan and Elma nodded with understanding, Hawk emerged from the depths of the corridor and narrowed his eyes to see Lilka making a big fuss.

“What’s going on there?” he asked.

Kay grinned. “Oh? Wanna hear the story of how Lilka got her heart broken?”

“Sounds like a hoot, but we’re arriving soon. You guys should brace for impact.”

Hawk left the three behind and approached Lofus, who was still being cornered by Lilka.

“Sir Lofus,” Hawk said. “We’ll arrive at Roguebert shortly. There’ll be a slight impact, so I do recommend you hang on to the railing.”

“Very well,” Lofus said, looking visibly relieved to be freed from the noise.

But Lilka didn’t let up. “Hey! I’m not done talking yet! Are you listening to me, Mr. Lofus?!”

As the ship began its descent and shook, Lilka continued to shout at the tired, little noble.

✶✶✶

Ifrit landed just above the rocky mountains near Roguebert, the same landing spot used when Lofus had returned from Stelia. Ifrit was surrounded by a powerful barrier of invisibility and mana jamming that prevented spotting it from the ground. Its speed and invisibility ensured the swift getaways of the Scarlet Wind, allowing them to tour across the kingdom without issue. The Roguebert citizens certainly couldn’t see this ship docked in the air.

Lofus stood out on the deck and gazed down, unsurprised to see a lone wyvern. One of its wings had been dyed black—this beast was undeniably Warm’s. It raised its head toward the sky and cried incessantly, begging for attention like it was trying to call out to someone.

“Wow! A wyvern!” Lilka shouted eagerly as she leaned out from the deck.

Hawk grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. “Hey! Watch out!”

“Why’s a wyvern here?” Sigil wondered. “Is that beast why you came here?”

Lofus nodded. “Well done. I’ll get off now.”

“Huh? But what about us?”

“Go off wherever you like.”

Sigil clenched his fist victoriously. Lofus narrowed his eyes and glared at this gauche display of triumph. When he saw that the rest of the Scarlet Wind members were a good distance away, he parted his lips once more.

“A word of warning,” Lofus said.

“Huh?! Y-Yessir?” Sigil asked.

“That expensive miracle cure you lot were talking about...”

The man braced himself, perhaps wary of some sort of threat, but Lofus didn’t care.

“I took a look at the symptoms of your subleader, Iz,” the boy said. “There shouldn’t be any medicine effective against it. At the very least, it doesn’t currently exist.”

“Huh?” Sigil gasped. He cocked his head to one side, almost bewildered by these words. “O-Oh, come on, Sir Lofus! You’re not a doctor, are you?”

“Then have you gone to a doctor to check her? Did they tell you that there’s a miracle cure for her ailment?”

Sigil fell silent. Indeed, when Iz was seen by a doctor, she was told that nothing could be done, and there was no medicine to aid her, exactly as Lofus had claimed. But of course, the Scarlet Wind refused to give up and abandon their precious family; they did whatever they could to gain more intel about the endemic that Iz was afflicted by, eventually catching the attention of a major merchant. The merchant had claimed that there was in fact a miracle cure for Iz’s ailment, though it fetched a pretty price. They went on to claim that there was indeed no cure in the kingdom, but the empire was leaps and bounds ahead of them not just in technology but in medicine as well.

The merchant insisted that, with their connections to the empire, they could get their hands on this medicine, but it would be very costly, even more expensive than an elixir. Still, this seemed like a worthy price to pay if it could cure Iz of her illness. No longer would she be stuck in bed, writhing with agony—she would be able to adventure with her comrades as she’d done before. Blinded by this dream, Sigil and the other members risked their lives to challenge difficult dungeons to make some cash.

Sigil cracked a wry smile of denial. “Ha ha! Please, Sir Lofus, don’t joke around with me. The cure does exist. It just hasn’t been made in the kingdom yet—the empire’s got it. I think that—”

“The empire?” Lofus asked. “That seems like a contradiction. This illness is caused by manatoms building up within one’s body. The empire is indeed more technologically advanced than the kingdom, but they know nothing when it comes to mana and manatoms, as is their culture. There’s no way they’d create a drug to combat illnesses related to mana.”

“Cut it out!”

Sigil, no longer able to contain his emotions, grabbed Lofus by the collar. The noble glared icily at the man as the others stared with confusion at the sudden outburst.

“Release me,” Lofus ordered.

“You just keep spouting bullshit!” Sigil roared. “What does a brat like you know—”

“Who was it? Who gave you such balderdash so you could cling onto false hope?”

“You still won’t shut up, huh?! You—”

“Gaaaaah!” Hawk bellowed as he ran full speed ahead and grabbed Sigil, restraining the man.

Yet, Sigil refused to release Lofus from his grip, and Kay and Dan joined the kerfuffle, slowly prying Sigil away from the noble.

“Sigil, you damn birdbrain!” Hawk shouted. “Who d’you think you’re touching, you goddamn moron?! Don’t lay your greasy fingers on this noble!”

It was unusual to see the normally calm Hawk lose his cool, and even Kay and Dan looked taken aback by this harsh scolding. Lilka rushed over to Lofus worriedly.

“A-Are you all right?” she asked. “What happened?”

The noble ignored her as he smoothed out his outfit. He glared at Sigil, still restrained by three men.

“You think I’m lying? Just toying with you?” Lofus asked. “Well, whether you believe me or not is up to you.”

His coat fluttered behind him as he turned around and grabbed the railing. Lilka reached out to grab Lofus’s sleeve.

“Where are you going?” she asked. “You aren’t going to jump off, are you? Don’t do that. You’ll get hurt from this height.”

“Who do you think I am? A simple jump won’t hurt me,” Lofus snapped. “And you lot better not visit the Lightless fief ever again. There won’t be a next time.”

He tried to jump out, but Lilka refused to let go of him. Annoyed, he whirled around to glare at her.

“Let go of me,” he snarled.

“Why are you in such a hurry to leave?” she asked. “Did you fight with Siggy? We’ll be sure to scold him, okay?”

“That won’t change my decision. I meant to get off here anyway.”

Lilka practically held back tears as she clung onto him. “I don’t want to part ways with you here. Why don’t you stay with us for a bit longer? We can take you home, and we can help you go wherever you want.”

“Stop pestering me.”

He cast a magic barrier around him, repelling Lilka’s hand.

“Mr. Lofus!” she cried.

He jumped past the railing onto the edge of the deck, then whirled around to glance at Sigil and Hawk.

“Hmph, I suppose I was a touch too nosy,” he said. “I’ll forgive your insolence for grabbing onto my collar, peon.”

As the final word left his lips, he jumped down toward the ground.

“Wait! Mr Lofus!” Lilka shouted, trying to chase after him.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Kay cried.

He rushed away from Sigil’s side to hold Lilka back. As she was held back, she craned her neck and peered at the ground below—Lofus had used a massive hand of darkness to slowly descend down.

“Whoa... He can even fly?” Kay gasped.

Lilka gritted her teeth as she stepped back toward safety.

“What’s up, Lilka?” Kay teased. “Did you actually fall for that noble?”

She puffed out her cheeks angrily. “No, you’ve got it all wrong.”

“Yeah? But your reaction makes it seem like—”

“I said that you’re wrong!”

As Lilka frowned from Kay’s taunting, Hawk sighed with relief, releasing Sigil from his grip. The leader had calmed down considerably.

“You good, chief?” Hawk asked. “Your tantrum almost wiped out the Scarlet Wind. I hope you know that.”

Sigil scowled and turned away, violently scratching his spiky hair.

“My bad,” he muttered.

“What happened?” Hawk asked.

“I don’t wanna say it.”

“Dude...”

As Hawk frowned, Sigil gave a sigh of resignation.

“It’s about the miracle cure for Iz,” Sigil muttered.

“What about it? Why’d the Lightless heir...” Hawk started.

“Who knows. Just gave me a warning.” Another sigh escaped Sigil’s lips as he walked into the ship. “Looks like I gotta fact-check with Gillan.”

The Scarlet Wind exchanged a glance at this cryptic remark.

“Let’s head out,” Sigil ordered. “We’re headed north, toward Stelia.”

Gillan was the merchant who had brought this lucrative talk of a miracle cure to the Scarlet Wind. Sigil didn’t wholly believe Lofus’s words and approached it with a fair bit of skepticism, but if the noble’s claims were true and there really was no cure, Iz would have to suffer until her dying breath. Sigil couldn’t just accept that fate.

He was, however, keenly aware that Lofus really had no reason or incentive to lie. And so, Sigil decided to speak with Gillan to get the facts straight.

Ifrit’s engine roared loudly, spewing crimson flames as it headed for its destination. The airship reached its top speed in a flash, tracing a red arc in the night sky as it headed north. Lilka’s face was glued to the window as she stared at the rocky mountain of Roguebert that quickly faded into the distance.

“Wyvern...” she muttered quietly, her eyes dull. “Maybe I can meet you over there...Mr. Lofus.”

Her faint words vanished into the air, against the roar of the ship’s engine.

✶✶✶

Lofus descended upon the rocky mountain near Roguebert. His Dark Hand allowed him to lower himself smoothly, and when he was only several meters away from ground, he scattered his spell and jumped down. Only the wyvern stood there as though waiting for someone, and perhaps the Roguebert citizens who hindered the subjugation team had retired to their homes for the night.

Fol’s face flashed across Lofus’s mind, but he shook his mind free of her. Airship Ifrit had been masked by an invisibility barrier; an outsider would merely have seen Lofus suddenly appear and fly down. The wyvern, though shocked by the boy seemingly materializing out of thin air, gave a small cry and approached him.

At first, Lofus jolted in response. He was reminded of his initial fight against the beast and how it tried to devour him alive, but when he peered into the wyvern’s eyes, it harbored no hostility. It rubbed its snout against Lofus’s coat, much as it had once done to Warm as a symbol of affection. The wyvern continued to roar meekly and weakly. Its actions toward Lofus were closer to cries for help than signs of affection. Lofus immediately caught on to the beast needing his aid, and he knit his brow while staring at the beast.

“What happened?” he asked. “Why are you here alone? Where’s Warm?”

But of course, no proper response came. Instead, it tugged at the sleeve of Lofus’s coat as though to encourage the boy to get on its back, and the beast promptly lowered its posture as well.

“Are you telling me to head to Stelia?” he asked.

The wyvern gave a small cry of agreement, while Lofus gazed up at the night sky and let out a tired sigh. He didn’t mind rejecting the beast’s request, but he had to admit that he was a bit curious about Warm’s circumstances. I recall that he wasn’t present at House Galleon’s party... Lofus thought. What if it wasn’t that he didn’t come, but couldn’t for some reason?

“That reminds me...” Lofus muttered.

The whirlwind of recent events had his mind occupied, but he recalled that three months ago, Warm firmly declared that he would condemn Gillan of Stelia for his participation in the slave trade. Gillan seemed to harbor a grudge that his slave, Norn, was forcibly ripped from his hands due in no small part to Lofus’s spells. This pudgy merchant would later send a letter of complaint to House Lightless for the boy’s actions.

Gillan claimed that Lofus, the eldest son of House Lightless, had suddenly attacked his home in the middle of the night for no discernible reason. Of course, the reality was that he was clearly irate that his slave had been stolen. Lofus hadn’t left behind any evidence that would identify him as the heir of House Lightless, yet Gillan was able to immediately pinpoint the culprit. This implied that the crest that Lofus had given to Warm worked against him.

“I see now...” Lofus muttered, astutely connecting the dots. “Some condemnation you did, Warm... Did you screw up?”

Gillan, though not a noble, wielded a fair bit of power and authority over Stelia. In fact, he had enough influence to cover up any of his misdeeds without much issue.

“Hmph, he’s just a lowly commoner without mana who managed to amass some wealth,” Lofus said. “Looks like he let it all get to his head, the foolish pig. I should’ve killed him.”

The noble swiftly jumped onto the wyvern’s back.

“And Warm isn’t blameless either...” he muttered. “A man of his caliber should’ve easily taken care of it.”

If the wyvern was here alone, it implied that Warm was in a situation where he couldn’t move or flee.

“He hasn’t lost to a mere merchant, has he?” Lofus wondered.

A sharp cry from the wyvern drowned out his voice as the beast took to the skies, flapping its wings to head north. Thanks to Lofus’s mana, the beast was able to cut through the air with incredible speed. And so, two streaks of light headed straight for Stelia, so fast that a normal human could barely see them.

✶✶✶

In the frosty underground prison of Stelia, Warm could barely move an inch with the thick chains that bound him. A man with long, flaming red hair dressed in a scarlet coat with a white stoat fur scarf around his neck stood in front of the shackled Warm. In the man’s hand was a fine blade, one engraved with the insignia of the royal family.

Every year, the kingdom hosted an annual swordsmanship contest called the Sacred Sword Festival, and the man before Warm was this year’s winner, allowed to hold the title of Sacred Sword—Eric Idia Stelia, the second-eldest son of Stelia’s lord. His red hair gave him the sobriquet “Crimson Sacred Sword,” and he was widely renowned for his mastery of the blade.

“Have you cooled your head, Warm?” Eric called out in a friendly manner. “It’s not right for a man to be stubborn for so long. Here, I’ve got you a little present. I ran into a girl selling flowers on the way here. The snow hasn’t melted yet, but it seems flowers are already blooming. They’re brave and strong, aren’t they? These flowers remind me of the soldiers of my fief.”

Warm didn’t respond as Eric took out a yellow lily from his pocket and showed it to the boy. As silence filled the room, Eric shrugged.

“Personally, I don’t relish seeing a man of your caliber rotting away here,” he said. “I’d like for you to return to my side soon.”

Eric served as the captain of the knights in the Stelia fief. Warm, though only twelve, had managed to become a knight apprentice under Eric; in fact, Warm had learned how to fight thanks to none other than the knight captain. Eric served as Warm’s boss and master, but the boy only glared at the man.

“Then release my father,” Warm growled. “You, of all people, should know of Gillan’s misdeeds. Why is a man like him allowed to run free?”

“I suppose a twelve-year-old child cannot wrap his mind around the bigger picture,” Eric replied. “Stelia’s fief is vast and our soldiers are excellent, but we are by no means a wealthy plot of land. Gillan is an evil man, but his skills as a merchant are first-rate. There’s no doubt that he’s the one keeping Stelia’s economy afloat. What do you think would happen if we seek justice against him?”

Warm gritted his teeth, undaunted by Eric’s condescending tone. “And I’m asking why you let him support Stelia’s entire economy! The previous Stelia lord would never have allowed this to happen!”

“Don’t you dare say that in front of father, even if you do believe that. Or it’ll be your funeral. Even I cannot suppress his rage.” Eric shrugged wearily. “Unfortunately for you, I recommend you forget about your father. He dared to go against Gillan, after all—if, for some reason, your father’s freed, he’d never be able to survive for long within this fief.”

Warm glared at Eric. “How can this be allowed?! Gillan is a poison to Stelia! My father tried to do something about it for the sake of this land!”

Eric turned his gaze to the ground and shook his head, Warm’s angry cries falling on deaf ears.

“Your father has served the previous lord, my grandfather, loyally,” Eric said. “I know that well. But one man’s poison can be turned into a medicine based on how it’s used. And this medicine is required in Stelia right now.”

“Screw that!” Warm bellowed.

He leaned forward, trying to snap the chains, but the metal was enhanced with mana and could resist most forces. Even dragons were unable to break free of these mana chains. It made no difference how much Warm moved; he couldn’t even crack his restraints, while Eric only quietly stared at his apprentice.

“It seems your head hasn’t cooled just yet,” Eric muttered. “I suppose you need to spend more time here.”

After Eric left, Warm’s angry roars echoed throughout for a while longer. As the Crimson Sacred Sword left, the yellow lily fell from his hands and onto the cold floor, its dainty petals frozen with a sheet of white from the frigid temperature.

✶✶✶

I flew above the skies of the snowy mountains, the blizzard creating a monotone world amid the darkness of the night. I was thrown into this freezing terrain, all alone without so much as a warning.

“Damn wyvern!” I spat. “I’ll remember this!”

Warm’s wyvern carried me all the way to Stelia, but it was no longer here; thanks to my mana boost, the beast flew at an incredible pace, but once it arrived here, its speed came to a screeching halt before it lifelessly plummeted below. I was still on its back as I was thrown into the air, hurled into a world of snow and strong winds. I was unharmed, my magic barrier protecting me from the elements, but I wasn’t completely impervious to the nip in the air. I was freezing to death as I stood there alone in the cold.

“Damn... Where the hell is it?” I muttered as I activated my perception field in search of the wyvern.

I could barely see within this blizzard, but the wyvern’s mana gave me a clear signal on where to head. Luckily, it wasn’t too far from me.

“You’ve got to be joking...” I grumbled. “How dare it throw me out into this cold.”

I channeled mana into my legs as I kicked the snow behind me and rushed forward. The thick snow sank deeply with every step I took, and I couldn’t move as fast as I liked while my stamina was being sapped away. I wasn’t even running for long, and the relentlessly cruel frigid temperature further added on to my burden.

I might have had mana, but I was still human. Even I couldn’t survive this harsh weather for long, and my shadow spells didn’t provide any warmth. As I raced forward in the cold, I relied on my mana perception field to trek through the snow. I finally reached the wyvern lying under a sheet of white. The beast was unconscious and didn’t budge an inch—I almost thought that it was dead.

“It’s...still alive,” I muttered.

Since I could perceive its mana, I knew it wasn’t dead yet, and thanks to my magic regenerating its wing, it should’ve been able to recover from any wound. Still, this was the first time I had used this spell on a living creature, and I wasn’t sure just how fatal the wound had to be before it died. Would this wyvern also regenerate endlessly, much like the shadow familiars that I used? Without any testing, I couldn’t be certain.

Why did this wyvern just plummet to the ground anyway?

At first, I’d wondered if we were under attack, but there wasn’t a scratch on this beast, and I hadn’t sensed any attacking spells or hostile mana aimed at us either. I had no idea why this wyvern had just fallen in the middle of this mountain, and I didn’t know what was going on with it in the first place. All I knew was that I’d die if I stayed here for much longer.

“Hmph, this isn’t personal,” I said.

I turned my back on the beast lying in the snow and left it behind. Don’t blame me for this, Warm. I just don’t intend on dying with this lizard. As I walked ahead alone, I realized that I didn’t even know where people were, and my vision was completely obscured by the blizzard. I didn’t even know what direction I was moving in, and while I wasn’t completely blacked into a corner, I racked my brain in search of a solution.

Just then, I felt something tug my coat from behind.

With a quick jolt, I leaped backward and summoned a Dark Ball in hand, ready to fight back. Only the fainted wyvern was behind me, much to my concern. I’m certain that someone just tugged on my clothes. I strained my eyes and tried to peer through the blizzard in search of someone nearby.

“What the...” I muttered.

I frowned. I spotted a girl in a white dress and white hair, who appeared to be around ten.

“Are you hurt?” she asked. “I’m sorry. Seems like it fell asleep.”

She looked at me apologetically, her eyes focused on the wyvern on the ground. I kept my guard up, ready to hurl a spell at a moment’s notice.

“Who are you?” I demanded. “Did you do something to that wyvern?”

The girl quietly shook her head. “I didn’t do anything. But when it sleeps, it won’t awaken for a while. The drowsiness comes quickly, and the wyvern can’t resist.”

“It...sleeps?”

“Yeah. Like it’s completely knocked out. And as the days go on, it’s been sleeping longer and longer.”

A sudden wave of drowsiness...and its slumber has increased over the days? I’ve never heard of that. Is it a side effect of Shadow Eater? I’d never used it on a living creature before, so I wasn’t sure if it had any ill effects.

I furrowed my brow at the mysterious girl who clearly seemed to know more than me on this matter.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I’m Yunaile, the one who called for you.”

“Huh? You did?”

Was she able to use Warm’s wyvern in his stead?

“Surprising,” I remarked. “I didn’t think that this wyvern took orders from anyone but Warm.”

“It wasn’t an order; it was a request,” Yunaile insisted with a frown.

“I don’t care.” I readied my Dark Ball. “I’ll ask again: Who are you?”

This girl only wore a thin, white dress within this freezing cold yet seemed completely unfazed. It was obvious that she was out of the ordinary. My perception field could pick her up, but her signal didn’t resemble a human’s—it was a spirit’s.

“I know that you aren’t human,” I said.

Yunaile narrowed her eyes. “Ah, you know that much.”

“No normal human could just stand in a blizzard in a thin dress and be fine.”

“Ah, so it seems,” Yunaile said, gazing down at her attire and nodded. “Humans are rather susceptible to the cold.”

Clearly, she no longer meant to hide her identity.

“What’s your goal?” I asked.

Yunaile didn’t answer as she turned her back on me and walked ahead. “Let’s head to civilization first. You’re trembling.”

“You expect me to blindly trust you to guide me there?”

“I’m not a human, so I won’t lie like one.” Her steely gaze was focused on me. “I just want to save Warm. I can’t have you die here.”

“What are you to Warm?”

“I’m...his friend.”

She walked ahead in the snow. Honestly, I don’t want to stay here in the cold forever. But is this nonhuman girl really a friend of Warm’s? I don’t think she existed in the tale... This meant that I had no information on her. Yunaile couldn’t be trusted—she was clearly giving the bare minimum of explanations, and her words didn’t feel particularly genuine. But it didn’t seem like she was trying to deceive me, and I needed her to tell me what happened to Warm.

Even if she’s leading me into a trap, I could probably beat her.

And so, I chased after her within the blizzard.

✶✶✶

A massive manor stood in the center of Stelia, one that would put even the lord of the land to shame. This huge building was built of prime estate, and it was precisely where Gillan, the wealthy merchant of Stelia, resided. He was the director of the Merchant Association in the land, and the economy of this large fief was single-handedly supported by him.

Normally, he lived in a remote region, but he’d moved back to his headquarters because of the incident three months ago. A certain heir of a noble household had attacked his manor in the middle of the night, making it clear just how flawed the merchant’s security system was. Admittedly, he hadn’t expected anyone to oppose or attack him in Stelia, and his security had gotten rather lax over the years.

But he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He threw his money around and tightly secured his manor, even hiring excellent soldiers as his guards. His house became an impregnable fortress.

Gillan sat in the guest room of his manor, lounging on a lavish sofa. His guest was Sigil, the leader of the Scarlet Wind.

“What brings you here today, Mr. Sigil?” Gillan asked. “Did you find some expensive artifacts in a ruin? Or have you perhaps gathered the necessary funds to buy the medicine?”

Sigil shook his head. “I don’t have the money yet, but there’s something I’d like to ask about it.”

The pudgy merchant stroked his double chin while sizing Sigil up. “Hmm, you don’t seem to be here to haggle. What do you want to know?”

“Is it really effective?”

Gillan knit his brow. “What are you implying?”

“The medicine you speak of is manufactured in the empire, right? But Iz’s illness comes from a special sort of manatom accumulating within her body. A friend told me that the empire isn’t known to delve too deeply into that field.”

“Oh? Your friend certainly claims to be an expert. So... Are you saying that you doubt me?”

“I don’t mean to offend. It’s just that we’ve gone to the empire before, and there really aren’t any stores that deal in mana. You could say that this has made me a touch curious.”

Gillan’s eyes glimmered with hostility. “But, Mr. Sigil, you do offend. You understand that trust means everything in business, yes? And yet, you are denying me such trust.”

Gillan stood up from the sofa, implying that this conversation was over. He made to leave, when Sigil hastily jumped to his feet.

“W-Wait! Please!” Sigil begged. “I just wanted to confirm the facts...”

“I don’t know who your friend is, but if you’re so convinced by some nobody, then our deal is off. I cannot put my trust in a man who will not return it. Does that not sound fair?”

Sigil rushed toward the exit and stood in front of it. He bowed his head, stopping Gillan in his tracks.

“I-I’m sorry,” Sigil stammered. “You’re the only one willing to sell me this cure, and it was my mistake to doubt you.”

Gillan gazed down at the bowing Sigil and grinned.

“Very well. Apology accepted, Sigil,” Gillan said. “However, this mistake is not one you can simply take back with an apology. Tell me, how do you believe you should compensate me for this breach of trust?”

Sigil looked up. “Excuse me? What am I supposed to do?”

Gillan flashed a lecherous smile. “Well, for example, there was a woman I liked, but she recently ran away. My nights have been lonely. If I recall, you had a pretty lady called Elma with you, no?”

“What?!”

At once, Sigil’s eyes flashed with rage and hostility. His voice went low, as though he were about to murder this merchant on the spot.

“Oh, is she yours?” Gillan asked. “Hmm... Iz isn’t too hard on the eyes, but I’m not interested in sleeping with an invalid.”

Sigil trembled with fury as his hands reached for his blade. “You’re really crossing a line here.”

“Ah! You had another woman with her, didn’t you? What was her name again? Lilka, was it? She’s a bit too young for my taste, but I could make do.”

“I hope you’ve made your peace, Gillan!”

Sigil, no longer able to hold himself back, unsheathed his blade and pointed the tip right at Gillan. The merchant only cast a bored look at his guest.

“What do you think you’re doing?” the merchant asked. “This is rather foolish of you, if you ask me, Mr. Sigil. Or do you not need the medicine?”

“You think I’d sell my family for that?!” Sigil spat.

“Hmm, I need her for but...three days. No, just one evening will do. But if you’re going to stoop to violence, it seems I’ve got no other choice. I’d pinned you for a smarter man, but I overestimated you.”

Gillan took a few paces back and snapped his fingers. At once, the door behind Sigil burst open, and dozens of soldiers flooded into the guest room. In a flash, the leader of the Scarlet Wind was surrounded.

“Wh-What’s the big idea?!” Sigil growled, his blade at the ready.

Gillan guffawed. “Ha ha ha ha! What? Did you think I’d let myself be caught unarmed against an outlaw such as yourself? But no matter. It’s high time I made my move anyway.”

“What? What are you on about?”

“See, I’ve been after your airship for a while now. I thought I’d take some money from you before then, but if you won’t play along, I’m left with no other choice. I won’t be able to take a single thing if you run off.”

Gillan’s smile was sickeningly wide, laced with amusement and malice. Sigil felt his blood boil as his face turned red, and his hands trembled from pure rage.

“Then...what about the cure?” he whispered.

“It doesn’t exist, you fool!” Gillan laughed. “You’ve done well, working so hard for a fictional drug! You might not have much, but money’s money, all the same. I’ll take it, along with the women.”

“Gillaaan!”

Sigil roared furiously. He tried to swing his blade down, but the soldiers surrounding him defended the merchant against the attack, clashing against Sigil’s sword. The leader of the Scarlet Wind, however, was a man who’d braved through difficult dungeons and ruins, fighting against monsters even when they ambushed him. Every blow he dealt was heavy, and the soldier who blocked the attack was blown back by the sheer impact. Compared to dueling monsters, overpowering humans away was a simple feat, and one by one, he flung the soldiers away as he cut a path toward the merchant.

“You lied to us about the cure... Tried to steal money from us... And now you dare degrade my precious family?! I swear I’ll make you pay, Gillan!” Sigil bellowed.

“W-Wait...” Gillan said as he sank to the floor, his face pale.

But Sigil didn’t care—his rage had no concept of mercy. He swung his blade down.

But right before his weapon could reach the merchant, it was blown out of his hands. The blade formed an arc in the air and plunged right into the floor.

“What the...” Sigil started.

What in the world just happened? Confused, Sigil gazed around, but a moment later, the world turned upside down as he felt someone push him to the ground. Someone was on top of his back and pinning him down; his upper arm and joint were locked in place, preventing him from budging an inch.

When he managed to turn his gaze toward his assailant, he saw a man in an old, dark crimson coat, his skin as pale as death. The man wore a wide-brimmed hat, its dark red hue appearing more like layers of bloodstains. Sigil recognized these features all too well.

“That hat... Are you...Red Cap?” Sigil asked, invoking the name of the notorious assassin.

The pale man gazed at Sigil—even his eyes reminiscent of spilled blood—and flashed a faint smile.

“Oh, you know of me?” he asked. “Honestly, I don’t care for that name. I’m not fond of blood either—haven’t touched it in a good while. And my hat’s always been this color.”

His tone was calm, like he was talking to a friend, but the force he exerted to restrain Sigil remained firm and unrelenting. This hit man went by many names: the Wizard Killer, the Phantom, the Greatest Hit Man. He was a renowned assassin who had operated in the shadows since ancient times; according to rumor, he’d been in the business for over three centuries. Whether this man came from a family of skilled killers who passed down the position or was simply an immortal monster was unclear—he was shrouded in mystery. Some even said that he was nothing more than a legend. But...

“So, you do exist...” Sigil muttered, fear clear in his eyes.

While Sigil was overwhelmed by an intense, almost crushing wave of mana when he’d met Lofus, the terrifying presence that Red Cap emitted was entirely different. Simply locking eyes with this killer made Sigil feel like a knife was gently gliding across his throat. This aura of pure death was petrifying. With a single glance, Sigil was absolutely certain that this man was the real deal.

“Why is a man of your caliber working under him?” Sigil asked.

“He was the highest bidder,” Red Cap replied casually.

All the while, Gillan stood up and approached Sigil, who was now pinned on the floor.

“That gave me a good scare,” Gillan grumbled. “You were a bit late to jump in and help, Phantom.”

Red Cap shrugged. “This man’s quite strong, you know. I suggest you not provoke people, especially when it’s unnecessary. I might not make it next time you do. I’m good at killing, but I’m terrible at protecting others.”

When Gillan locked eyes with Red Cap’s bloodred gaze, the merchant gulped nervously.

“H-Hmph,” Gillan stammered. “I’m paying good money for your services, so you’d better be worth it. You are the greatest hit man, aren’t you?”

“I don’t remember calling myself that...but yeah, I’ll work what I’m paid for,” Red Cap replied.

Gillan stomped on Sigil’s head.

“Gah!” Sigil grunted.

“You’ve done it now,” Gillan accused. “Your reckless actions hurt my hips. I’ll have you pay with your life, your airship, and of course, your women.”

“I won’t let you— Agh!”

Sigil tried to move, but Red Cap tightened his grip, hurting the Scarlet Wind’s leader. Gillan stroked his chin for a while before he cracked a wicked grin.

“Sigil...” he said, approaching the man. “Lick my shoes.”

“What?!” Sigil growled.

“You know, I was once in the same position you are now, many years ago. I was forced to crawl on the ground, and he told me to lick his shoes as a show of my submission.”

Gillan outstretched his arms and went on. “I licked his shoes. And I followed his orders and handed him my beloved wife and daughter. He toyed with them, then sold them off. And still, I remained by his side obediently. For the next twenty years I endured it all—every...last...unreasonable request. I made it happen. I displayed my loyalty to him, until finally, I managed to earn his absolute trust. And then...” Gillan smiled as he used his finger to trace a line across his neck. “I killed him. I took everything he had—his wealth, the association, and everything he owned. I played with his wife and daughter, just as he’d done to mine, before I tossed them aside in turn. I killed or blackmailed anyone who opposed me. The moment I’d take their family hostage, they’d swear their loyalty to me like a dog. After everything that I’ve done, I’ve finally been granted the title of Wealthy Merchant.”

Once Gillan stopped his spiel, he turned to Sigil. “Now, when I see you like this, it reminds me a lot of myself. I, too, once held an overwhelming sense of justice and loved my family dearly. And so, I’ll give you another chance.”

The merchant placed his foot in front of Sigil.

“Go on. Be a bootlicker. Lick it,” Gillan ordered. “Swear your obedience to me, and offer me your family. I’ve licked a boot before, surely you can do the same.”

Gillan pushed his shoes against Sigil’s mouth.

“Abandon your family,” the merchant encouraged. “Cast it all aside. Become my subordinate. And then, just like me, you can—”

Sigil slowly opened his mouth, then snapped his jaws around Gillan’s ankle.

“Gyaaah?!” the merchant screamed.

Gillan tried to pry Sigil away and flailed about, but the Scarlet Wind’s leader refused to let the pudgy man out of his bite. As Sigil stubbornly bit down, Red Cap sighed at this pathetic scene, stuck a finger in Sigil’s mouth, and peeled the man away from Gillan’s ankle. The merchant rolled on the floor in pain, blood dripping down his leg, while Sigil spat the blood out.

“You’re nothing but a greedy bastard!” he bellowed. “The moment you sold out your family, you stopped being human. Don’t you get that, you ass?! There’s no coming back from that! You should’ve protected your family, even if it cost you your life! Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?! Huh?! Answer me, pig!”

“Silence!” Gillan roared angrily. “Don’t act like you’re above me, you damn pirate!”

The angry merchant kicked Sigil’s face again and again and again. His foot came down, unrelenting, for minutes on end. Only after Sigil had fallen unconscious, Red Cap motioned for him to stop.

“He’s already knocked out,” Red Cap said. “Or are you gonna kill him?”

“Hm?” Gillan replied, stopping his foot. He took deep breaths to calm himself down, then ordered his soldiers. “Hmph! Take him to the underground cell!”

“Are you going to let him live?” Red Cap asked.

Gillan huffed loudly. “How dare he treat me with such disdain and insolence! A quick death is too good for him. I’ll kill the men in his group first, then place their heads beside me while I rape the women right in front of his eyes. And then...I’ll ask him again. I’ll ask him to lick my boot.”

Gillan let out another vulgar laugh as he left. Red Cap pushed his hat down to cover his eyes.

“Real winning personality you’ve got there, Gillan,” he muttered wryly.

The following day, the morning paper was scattered across the Stelia fief. The front page headlines boldly read, “Sigil, Captain of the Scarlet Wind Air Pirates, Captured by Wealthy Merchant Gillan.”

6. Outer

Hello? Testing, testing.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’m happy that we can meet again. Do you remember me? I’m Outer, your friendly neighbor.

As a humble observer of this tale, I’d like to commentate on it once again. I’m honestly not surprised that this world has veered off the original course far more than anticipated. And it’s not just because of Lofus; so many things are happening throughout this world, including the actions of the Scarlet Wind.

They trespassed into the founder’s tumulus, leading to Lofus having a serendipitous encounter with Lilka. This never would’ve happened in the original tale, and Lofus seemed equally bewildered.

It seems there are others with the knowledge of this game—or more precisely, those with their memories of the tale to come. Lilka Skyfield seemed like a likely candidate, but for now, she seems completely unaware.

No matter the case, it’s clear that someone else had caused the Scarlet Wind to change its course of action. Ah, yes, that reminds me, those pirates also mentioned that the dungeons and ancient ruins they visited had already been cleared of any items. Perhaps it was done by a certain someone who knew of this game and its future. Shady, indeed...

I’m curious about one other thing: the entity who appeared on the fourth floor of the founder’s tumulus. Invidia, the founder’s familiar and wielder of roots, is a curious being in my humble opinion. Who could’ve thought that she’d be slumbering deep underground, below the Lightless fief? That tumulus was as extraordinary as the founder himself, that much is clear. It seemed to me like Invidia had overreacted, bringing much of her arsenal to bear against the trespassers, but she also stopped her attacks just short at times during the fight, like she didn’t want to injure Lofus... Her actions are cryptic and enigmatic to me for now.

Did she hold back because Lofus is the heir of House Lightless and carries the founder’s blood in his veins? Or was Invidia’s goal not to end him in the first place? A tumulus implies that one is dead and buried there; surely, the founder of House Lightless has been long dead, but then why are his familiars still alive and well, prowling about? Is someone else supplying mana to them?

House Lightless is also known as “the dark nobility,” and I cannot deny that their history seems shrouded in darkness. Not to mention that Lofus made contact with both Faltiana Roguebert and Lilka Skyfield... Just what in the world is going on?

I can only hope that he isn’t trying to make all the game’s heroines his! These women killed him countless times, and now he’s trying to be romantic with them? He’s got peculiar taste, no doubt, and one that I cannot understand.

Now then, I suppose that’s all the time I have today.

I wish you all a wonderful day ahead. Will we meet in the Stelia fief next time? No matter the case, I pray that we can meet again.

7. Original Records of the Birth of the Dragon Knight

At the foot of the snowy mountains of the Stelia fief, a boy with a spear walked along a narrow, treacherous path, one so dangerous that even horses couldn’t pass through. But the boy was tall for his age and could spot danger from afar. His slightly curly golden hair and his muscular frame easily identified him as Warm Rio Draconis, a knight apprentice of Stelia.

Every day, Warm trained until late at night while he assisted the knights with their nightly patrol. He also routinely ended his patrol early to visit the gravesite of his beloved beast, Flugel. It was tradition in Stelia to tame wyverns and ride atop them for combat and transportation. If a Stelian’s wyvern mount passed away, rather than build a grave, it was customary to leave the body as it was, to let them rest in that same place.

Though wyverns were a low rank of dragon, they were a draconic species nonetheless, and their scales, meat, organs, and hair fetched a very high price. Though demand for these parts was high, many viewed their own steeds as family and refused to dissect and cut open their beloved wyvern’s body for money or other uses.

It was impractical to transport a dragon’s massive body and dig an enormous hole to bury it completely. There wasn’t enough land to spare anyway. And so, when a wyvern died, they were quite literally returned to nature, perpetuating the circle of life as their rotting body sustained the ecosystem and led to new life.

However, leaving them exposed to the elements came with its own risks; due to the high demand and price that wyvern parts fetched, there were grave robbers of sorts who would dissect or pillage these beasts. Oftentimes, a grave keeper was hired to keep watch and ensure that the dragon knight’s wyvern was left in peace before it rotted away completely, but Warm had volunteered to guard his fallen steed by himself. And so, every night, without fail, the boy would visit Flugel with flowers in hand and talk to his recently deceased partner about the day’s events.

One day, a mechbeast suddenly arrived from the empire. Mechbeasts were weapons made by the empire to protect the borders, and they prowled about like security guards. They came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and every now and then, they would wander too far out and break free from the empire’s control, crossing the border to wreak havoc in Stelia.

Strays, these beasts were called, and at times, they would pounce and attack people. Whenever one appeared, the knights would be deployed to subjugate it. On one particular day, a stray took the form of a gigantic, ancient wyvern, and it proved to be a powerful foe. The dragon knights—an elite squad of knights who rode atop dragons—couldn’t handle this beast alone, and as the mechbeast began to destroy nearby homes and villages, Warm joined the fray with Flugel.

After a grisly battle, Warm had managed to take down the stray, but in the scuffle, he was knocked off his wyvern and plummeted from the sky. Flugel rushed ahead to protect its rider, and the wyvern managed to catch Warm with its mouth, but that had put it in an unwieldy position. Unable to twist its body around in time, the wyvern plunged into the mountain while cushioning Warm’s fall.

Both Flugel and Warm sustained no fatal wounds, but the wyvern had broken one of its wings. A wyvern’s wings were its lifeline, and without them, the beast could hardly move; Flugel was thus forced to sit in place, and Warm did whatever he could to treat and heal the wing. Potions were made for humans, so they were practically ineffective against monsters. Even the strongest, most expensive potion couldn’t heal a wyvern’s broken wing. Warm’s only other option was to rely on healing magic. The boy rushed into a church, explained his situation, and implored for help, but no one would hear his request. Fixing a broken wing was no small order; even among healers, only the most advanced and highly ranked could even hope to accomplish such a feat.

There were a few healers in Stelia capable of advanced spells, but of course, they all held lofty positions and required a hefty donation to be hired. A child like Warm couldn’t have possibly afforded it. It was then that Sacred Sword Eric, Warm’s mentor and master, offered to pay. Treatment was supposed to start shortly afterward, but after all was said and done, the church ultimately turned this request down, claiming that devout followers of God were forbidden from treating a monster.

Sacred Sword Eric even got Margrave Stelia’s house involved and protested, but the church stubbornly refused to budge on its position. Ultimately, Flugel never got the treatment it so desperately needed. Even so, Warm refused to give up. Every single day, without fail, he solemnly made the trek to the mountain and brought food while talking about whatever was on his mind to his partner. But it soon became clear that Flugel was growing weaker and more weary by the day, and ultimately, it could no longer eat its food.

On its final day, Flugel gave a small cry to Warm before it closed its eyes to slumber—an eternal one that it would never awaken from. Warm and Flugel had always been together ever since the boy was young. At times, they fought over food and petty issues, but that was only a happy memory now. Flugel was practically family to Warm, and the boy felt a stronger bond to this beast than he did with his own parents.

Naturally, denial washed over the boy. He refused to believe that his beloved steed was gone, and every night, he visited Flugel without fail. At times, he’d even delude himself into dreaming that Flugel might wake up one day, that it was simply taking a nap and wasn’t dead at all. Warm could only hope that this was a prank that Flugel played on him.

“You must be Warm Rio Draconis,” a voice called.

As Warm visited his wyvern, someone approached him while hiding his presence. A young boy with chestnut-colored hair donning a white coat appeared before the grieving Warm.

“Who are you?” Warm asked warily.

The boy flashed a fearless smile. “My name is Raymond. And I hope we can be lifelong friends, Warm.”

This was the first encounter between Raymond, the future second Demon Lord, and Dragon Rider Warm.

✶✶✶

Raymond’s power was mystifying. He was able to communicate with monsters, and he used this power to befriend them or form contracts with them. This was how he managed to secure a menagerie of summons to do his bidding. Raymond essentially had an army at his beck and call, one that could triumph over a military. His fearsome ability had brought many powerful monsters into his ranks, including one who could resurrect the dead.

Raymond summoned Lethe, a demilich skeleton in a black robe. This monster had the moniker “Bellwether of the Dead,” and it was an undead of the highest rank. Lethe was capable of casting a host of spells, but it was most known for wielding the lost art of wraith magic. Thanks to this spell, it breathed new—albeit false—life into Flugel, resurrecting the wyvern from the other side.

Normally, Flugel would’ve been reduced to a low class dragon zombie, one who prowled about with its rotting body, but thanks to Lethe’s spell, the wyvern’s body regenerated by the moment, transforming into a whole new being. To be precise, this revived wyvern was no longer the Flugel that Warm knew and loved. Flugel’s body was simply used as a medium to house the spirit of a high-ranked undead that Lethe created. Though the wyvern’s body was changed, when Warm saw his dead partner now parading around with the spirit of another, his body trembled with joy.

“Flugel?” he murmured. “Is this real? Flugel... Flugel!”

Tears streamed down this boy’s cheeks as though to wash away the powerlessness he’d felt when watching his dear wyvern waste away. But now, Flugel was right before his eyes.

“E-Ever since you...fell asleep, so many things happened,” Warm said to his wyvern. “Did you hear what I said to you? I’ve been dying to converse with you once more, so I kept talking to you. Did you know that?”

“And now you can converse with it to your heart’s content,” Raymond said gently. “The two of you will have plenty of time in the future for that.”

Warm sobbed. “Is this real? Resurrection... Even holy magic shouldn’t be capable of that...”

“Your wyvern is alive and well. I simply held power that the church does not. That’s all there is to it.”

“Raymond, was it? How can I ever thank you?”

Warm cried as he bowed his head to Raymond. The Dragon Rider knew more than anyone else that his own inexperience and clumsiness had caused the passing of his beloved dragon, one who was more important to him than anyone else. With Flugel gone, Warm had even considered suicide, unable to bear the pain of going through life without his steed. He felt like he deserved such a punishment for having destroyed the young wyvern’s future. But a miracle had occurred. Even the church, the voice of God, couldn’t resurrect the dead, and yet the impossible had become possible right before Warm’s eyes. He could soar through the skies with Flugel once more.

“You saved me, Raymond, more than you’ll ever know,” Warm said. “But I’m just a knight apprentice. How can I even begin to repay you?”

The boy knelt and gazed up at Raymond. The boy with chestnut-colored hair firmly grasped Warm’s shoulders.

“I’ve got a dream, you see,” Raymond said. “And to make it reality, I must overcome a host of obstacles. To prevail, I need power—your power.”

“You got it,” Warm agreed. “I’ll do anything within my power to clear the obstacles in your path. From this moment forward, I am your spear.”

Warm bowed his head as a sign of submissiveness and loyalty. Raymond nodded with a smile, accepting this show of faith.

“I’ll be hosting a tea party in the near future,” Raymond said. “I’ll give you an invitation, and I’d love for you to attend. There are a few friends that I’d like to introduce you to.”

As Raymond extended his arm, Warm took it without a second thought. Flugel was technically a dragon zombie now, but Warm was blinded by desperation and grief; he found nothing wrong with his wyvern and refused to see it any other way. Were circumstances different, the boy would have instantly noticed the differences in the wyvern’s body, mannerisms, and cry. But he never would, as doing so meant accepting that Flugel was dead and would never return.

Warm could only deny such a tragic reality. As he and Raymond exchanged a handshake, Flugel, the white dragon zombie, let out a mighty roar—the cry of the birth of death, one only given by those who received a false second life.

Afterword

Warning: This afterword contains spoilers of the games, Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2.

Hello, it’s been a volume. I’m glad that I finally get to meet you, the reader, again. I’m Kurokawa Hitsugi, the author. Thanks to so many picking up the first volume, I was graciously allowed to produce a second one.

Now then, for another sudden question: Do you guys play games? When I was a student, I played them quite a bit, but admittedly, I haven’t been able to touch games much ever since I became a working adult. Recently, I’ve been busy and utterly unable to play a single thing. A friend invited me to play a bit of Blue Archive, but that’s really all.

I love RPGs, and I remember playing a ton of DQ (Dragon Quest) and FF growing up. When I was a kid, my parents refused to buy me games, so I resorted to slowly saving up my allowance to buy used game cartridges for cheap. I just loved playing games.

Among all the games that I played, Final Fantasy X-2 has been the most memorable for me. This was the first FF installment that I’d ever played, and I believe it’s a continuation of the renowned masterpiece, FFX. I’d heard that the series was usually one and done with every installment, and having a sequel was very much a rare case, and yet that was the one I just so happened to play. I’d heard so much hubbub surrounding this series, and I just wanted to play a random one—I grabbed one of the games without really checking what number it was or what it was all about. That was my bad.

Because it was a sequel, characters I’d never seen before acted like they were reuniting after a long separation—this “long time no see” air which I just couldn’t understand. Every time, a visible question mark appeared above my head, but I just chalked it up to some kind of writing style that I just couldn’t grasp and played through. It was really fun.

The game was very polished and amazing, which seems to be the norm for the FF series, and even though I had no information about the prequel, or the original main story, I still had so much fun and it was very enjoyable. Afterward, following some digging, I did end up playing FFX, and it was just as amazing as the rumors implied.

FFX-2 was my MVP, and I believe that I’ve drawn quite a bit of inspiration from it to create this series, Repeated Vice. For example, the red airship and the pirates’ friendly atmosphere and whatnot. I think you’ll find that I made several homages to FF if you look carefully. It’s also why the premise of this story is based on a game—I just love them.

I fear that the impact of Final Fantasy X may not be well understood by the younger generation, but it made a huge splash when it was released. Its graphics were second to none and beautiful for its era; one could hardly believe that these realistic graphics were possible during the era of the PS2. A lot of players were pulled in by the visual effects, only to stay for the moving story and plotline, the colorful, charming cast of characters, and cool aeons.

My personal favorite is Anima. If you don’t know it, I recommend you look it up. Anima is the perfect combination of creepy and beautiful, a splendidly crafted aeon that feels so artistic to me.

In FFX, the world is threatened by Sin, a catastrophic monster, and the Summoner must go around the world with a few friends and guards to defeat this evil. We gain aeons along the way to grow stronger. The main character is faced with all sorts of issues between species and races along with religious troubles, as we grow and mature in more ways than one. The plot was interesting, engaging, and deep.

There was quite a bit of focus on religion and what it represented, and this game helped me grasp a deeper understanding on this subject. In this game, the teaching of Yevon had spread throughout the world, and machina were seen as evil. Anyone who used them weren’t just discriminated against by the church; they were alienated and actively avoided. But the Al Bhed who used machina had family and friends of their own. They were just normal people, laughing away and enjoying life as they saw fit. They were hated simply because of their different beliefs. Actually, there’s a member in our party who happens to be an Al Bhed too, and it temporarily causes a bit of awkwardness between everyone.

The main character must confront different values and views, and truly become friends with others while crossing all these boundaries. The catharsis that I felt from this wonderful story was just amazing. If I could erase my memories and play this game for the first time again, I would.

So, after all this talk, one might think that I’m someone related to Square Enix, but I assure you that that’s not the case. I just really, really love this series and want to promote it is all. Um... I don’t know if this is okay. I feel like my editor might get mad at me for just needlessly plugging another series...

Also, while I act like I’m a huge supporter of the FF series, I haven’t played every installment. Honestly, I’d just wandered around the used games aisle for anything that caught my eye that was compatible with my system. I think I played FFXII, FFXV, and FFVII Remake. I’d never played FFVII before, so the remake was my first round. I absolutely loved the Midgar arc, and I’m dying to play FFVII Rebirth soon.

I’m currently super curious about FFXVI, but I don’t have a PS5, so I haven’t been able to play it yet. If I ever get the chance to buy a PS5, that’ll be the first game I play. If anyone has ever played it, please let me know how good it is, but I beg you to keep it spoiler-free for me (tough ask, I know).

I can’t even watch Youtube Let’s Plays or reviews because I’m afraid of spoilers, but I look forward to hearing everyone’s reviews of FFXVI. If everyone raves about it, I’m pretty sure that’ll push me to buy the PS5. But damn, that thing’s expensive. I just can’t take that final plunge without some help.

Now then, thank you for humoring me on my FF spiel, everyone. And to you, the reader who picked up this book, please know how grateful I am. I look forward to the day we meet again!

Kurokawa Hitsugi

Bonus Short Stories

What If Elite Four Lofus Had Dreamed of the Tale? Part 2

The fourth floor of the founder’s tumulus was a rather large space. Shadow Wolf Lofus, a member of the Elite Four, was faced with the enigmatic Alraune. Countless roots penetrated the stone tiles below and covered the entire room. Though there was no sunlight, dense foliage grew without restraint, transforming their habitat into a dense forest that worked to the plant monster’s advantage.

Lofus furrowed his brow and glared at Alraune. Though she was as beautiful as a goddess, her body was formed by dark magic, and Lofus was all too aware of her status as the founder’s personal familiar. She now exhibited an inexplicable hostility toward him as the dozens of sharp-tipped tree roots loomed above, ready to go in for the kill.

“Hmm...” Lofus muttered, casually tilting his head to the side in the face of this clear animosity.

He simply couldn’t understand why he was being treated this way. He’d killed the Scarlet Wind—the pirates who had trespassed into this tumulus—thereby protecting the founder. Surely, he hadn’t done anything to earn his ancestor’s ire.

At once, the sharp roots shot out at him, but he blocked them all with his magic barrier. This barrier, to his surprise, only lasted for a moment as the roots managed to penetrate his defenses; Lofus moved only a hair, avoiding the assault with great precision.

“My barrier was broken through?” he muttered, squinting. “These roots don’t seem to be made for piercing... What’s going on here?”

He easily evaded the roots as he calmly analyzed his situation, trying to understand what was going on. The roots hadn’t pierced his defenses using sheer force—no, there was another ability at play. It was as though they’d slipped right through the microscopic gaps in his magic formula. This was theoretically possible, but nigh impossible in practice; it required the sort of incredible precision that Lofus doubted a monster would be capable of.

“But you are capable of it, no matter how much I try to deny it,” he said. “It’s no wonder you could slip through my barrier as well.”

He clicked his tongue at this troublesome foe, then summoned a Dark Scythe within his hand. Offense was the best defense, as they say, and a defensive approach was futile in this situation. He was reluctant to raise a hand against his ancestor—and the founder of his house, no less—but Lofus certainly wasn’t about to just sit back and get killed. He had to fight back.

“You’re the statue standing on the altar of the final floor, are you not?” Lofus asked. “Do you know whom you’re pointing your blade against?”

Trying to use raw power to overwhelm his opponent, he swung his scythe down, creating an enormous slash of darkness that flung through the air, threatening to swallow the room whole. This was more than enough power to shatter the space, but his attack was blocked by countless roots, his spell dispersing into the air.

“Huh?”

Lofus had gone all out, but his attack had been easily blocked—or rather, dispelled. Shadow Wolf Lofus knew this phenomenon very well.

“Is this...magic disassembly?” he muttered. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

This was an ability that immediately analyzed a magical formula and disassembled it to negate the attack. Only one person was capable of such a divine act, and Alraune resembled them very much. If this monster had the same abilities as his former comrade, he knew that he was in for a bad time.

“Then I guess I’ll give it all I’ve got...” he said. “Lightless.”

Thick dark mist billowed out from where he stood, dying his surroundings black. But this darkness would never reach Alraune, who dispersed the mist with her countless roots. Her roots and foliage engulfed the entire room, and she used them all to nullify Lightless, preventing Lofus from taking control of the arena.

But, for some reason, the noble smiled at this.

A moment later, a blast of dark breath shot out from within the darkness, blowing all the roots and trees away. But that wasn’t all; attacks of various elements also flew out from the shadows, assaulting the forest that Alraune had created. Within the mist lay Lofus’s shadow familiars, waiting to heed their master’s call. Lightless was a spell that acted as a smoke screen to hide his familiars, and of course had some mana jamming that prevented any familiars from being seen or detected.

This allowed Lofus to switch out his countless familiars without giving Alraune any information to work with. Again and again, he had his familiars tirelessly switch around and expel their attacks. Each attack was something new to Alraune, and she simply didn’t have enough time to analyze and disassemble them all. Her forest was destroyed in a flash, and slowly but surely, a majority of the room became dyed with darkness.

At the last moment, Alraune outstretched her branch-like wings and bloomed their flowers, scattering pollen everywhere. Unfortunately, it was all blown away by the shadow familiars’ gust of dark wind.

Lofus deemed Alraune a dangerous foe worthy of his full abilities. There were no underhanded tricks or toying around; it was a straightforward display of pure, raw power. He fought the way Shadow Wolf Lofus fought: overwhelming his opponent with his great mana and wide variety of familiars.

Alraune, all out of ways to protect herself, sustained four deep gashes in her body—they were slashes created by a Farmer’s Scythe within the mist. The sharpness of its blade could cut through everything, barrier and all, at any distance.

Alraune was a familiar, so any wound she sustained would heal in no time, but Lofus wasn’t one to let this moment of vulnerability slip by. He fired a barrage of Dark Balls, Dark Lances, and attacks from every shadow familiar at his disposal. Alraune, her magic barrier shattered, was completely engulfed as she took the full force of this assault.

As dark smoke billowed out, Lofus flashed a triumphant grin.

“Hmph, trifling,” he said. “I’m sure you were the apple of the founder’s eye, but I—”

He snapped his mouth shut as he noticed the faint silhouette of Alraune morphing within the thick smoke. Her humanoid shape shifted right before his eyes as she grew larger and larger. When the smoke cleared, she had turned into a monstrosity that made Lofus fall silent as he gazed up at her.

“What...are you?” he murmured. “Are you not an Alraune at all?”

The monster’s shape had completely changed in this giant transformation, and she no longer looked human. She flapped her massive wings, now resembling great trees sprouting from her back. The ensuing wave of magic disassembly completely nullified Lightless, dispelling the mist in mere moments.

“Curse you...” he growled.

Though the pressure of this monster was overwhelming, Lofus created a Farmer’s Scythe in his hand. His familiars, now fully exposed, also took an offensive stance—but the one they bared their fangs at was Lofus.

“What?!”

The breath of dragons, the fangs of shadow wolves, and all manner of attacks assaulted him. The shocked boy managed to raise a powerful magic barrier just in time. For some inexplicable reason, his familiars had all turned on him and wouldn’t obey any of his commands. It felt as though someone had taken over his control.

“No...” he gasped, staring up at the great monster. “You can use Usurp too?!”

Usurp was a move that could override one’s command and control of magic, forcibly stealing the target’s own power. Once again, this monster was exhibiting an ability so difficult that it was considered a divine act, only possible in the realm of theory. And of course, only Lofus’s former comrade could ever use this spell in the midst of battle. The boy could only look up at the aberration before him, stunned.

“It seems he doesn’t approve of you taking over the Lightless bloodline,” the monstrosity said.

“What?! Y-You can talk?!” Lofus gasped.

As his eyes grew wide, countless roots pierced through the stone floor and skewered Lofus’s body, weaving through his barrier. This was an undeniably fatal blow, and his impending death was inevitable.

“Farewell, Shadow Wolf Lofus,” the monster, Invidia, said.

Her voice, so eerily calm, was the last thing that Lofus ever heard.

“What If Elite Four Lofus Had Dreamed of the Tale?” End

The Sky Pirates’ Choice

Treasure hunters were those who crossed borders and traveled across the world in search of valuables within dungeons and ancient ruins. A certain group of seven treasure hunters, called the Scarlet Wind, were aboard their airship, the Ifrit.

The Scarlet Wind had some pressing circumstances where they needed cash, and fast. They tirelessly delved ruins and dungeons to make some dough, but all the expensive magic tools had already been taken; nary a coin was left for them to take. However, their airship made them the only group capable of easily crossing the borders of nations to go where they pleased. Even if they came up with nothing in one place, they could easily go elsewhere, and head far away in search of yet another. But somehow, no matter where they went, they always left empty-handed.

Time was of the essence, but it relentlessly ticked by without so much as a single coin found. The group, now desperate, headed to the Treasure Guild to find some information on new ruins and dungeons they could clear. The Treasure Guild was an unofficial organization, with its many members gathering in simple taverns or remote areas. All throughout the land, an unassuming group of treasure hunters sitting down at an eatery could very well be one of the guild’s many branches.

“Damn... No new info...” Sigil muttered.

Sigil, the red-jacketed leader of the Scarlet Wind, grimaced at the bulletin board. Every site that seemed lucrative had already been ransacked, dashing his hopes of finding a brand-new listing for a ruin or dungeon.

His face turned dark as a buzz-cut man with round sunglasses—Hawk, a fellow member of the Scarlet Wind—came to his side.

“No luck with the receptionist either,” Hawk said. “Nothing at all.”

“I’m not surprised...” Sigil replied.

New ruins and dungeons didn’t exactly pop up every day, but the Scarlet Wind couldn’t give up. There was just too much at stake. Desperation filled Sigil’s eyes as he gazed at a listing at the top.

“It’s a bit difficult, but...” he started.

“No,” Hawk interjected. “That’s an advanced dungeon. It’s too dangerous.”

“Right...”

Sigil slumped his shoulders, and Hawk sighed as a slight gust of wind blew through them.

A petite girl stood beside the two men. Her short, light-brown hair was tied up to form a small tuft behind her head—this was Lilka, an apprentice sky pirate. She stretched her arms as far as she could to reach something, but when that wasn’t enough, she jumped up to grab the paper posted at the top of the bulletin board.

“Let’s go here,” she said solemnly, thrusting the paper toward the two men.

The listing was old, evident by the old parchment and faded ink. Sigil and Hawk frowned as they stared at it.

“Lilka, we can’t go there,” Sigil said.

Hawk pressed against his temples as though he had a headache.

“Let me get this straight...” he grumbled. “It’s an ancient ruin with Rank S danger, called the Temple of the God of Darkness. We’ve got no information on it—not even the monsters that’ll appear—and it’s located near the Lightless fief in the middle of the mountains. And you specifically chose this spot, why, Lilka?”

“The God of Darkness aside, any item or artifact related to the Six Gods fetches a high price with the Church,” Lilka replied. “This is just a guess, but I think even one artifact should get us what we need.”

“Sure, but there’s, like, no information about the place. It’s unnatural. Nobody who’s gone in has ever made it out. That’s way too dangerous.”

“I’m sure it’s just because not many people want to snoop around the Lightless fief. But we’ve got Ifrit, so even if we get in trouble with Lightless, we can just fly away.”

Sigil quietly grabbed the report and stared at it with a serious face.

Hawk’s face twitched. “Hey, what’re you thinking? This is a no-go.”

“But her logic is sound,” Sigil insisted. “It’s risky, but with high risk comes high rewards. And if things go awry, we can just retreat. As Lilka says, with Ifrit, we can flee from even a Lightless member, I’m sure.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

Hawk’s face twitched with fear.

Later that day, the Scarlet Wind members all gathered around for a meeting, and by the next day, they started their flight toward the Lightless fief.