Chapter 1: Divine Pillars

The morning after we returned home, I shared the details of my upcoming promotion ceremony with everyone else over breakfast.

“...so that’s why I have no choice but to have a practice match with a Rank S adventurer three days from now.”

“Oh, that sounds like a wonderful opportunity to go all-out. Good for you, my king.”

“No, no, what are you saying? This is a very grave issue. I don’t even know who I’ll be up against or how powerful he or she is.”

Melfina looked at me pointedly. “So you say, honey, but you’re already smiling.”

“Smiling? I am the very picture of seriousness.”

The way my fight with Clive in the Forest of Crests had ended was quite vexing, even though its premature conclusion had been due to the interference of a third party. Never again would I make such an embarrassing display of myself. To ensure that, I needed to fully master Boreas Death Scythe. I was fully aware that this was no time to be distracted by a practice match with a Rank S adventurer. So that’s why you guys shouldn’t look at me with such knowing eyes.

“Uh, Kel-nii, you do realize you’re polishing your staff with that smile still on your face, right? How’re we supposed to take you seriously?”

“What?! Since when have I been...”

I had apparently grabbed a cloth and started polishing my favorite weapon without realizing it.

“With how you’re acting, I bet you didn’t catch a wink of sleep last night because you were so excited, right?” Sera laughed teasingly. “What a child you are, Kelvin!”

“That’s not true. I slept like a baby.” What’s more, I don’t want to hear that from someone who got absolutely smashed after a single cup the other day.

“He did fall asleep thirty minutes later than usual last night. So, that was the reason why...”

“EFIL?!” My maid’s unexpected betrayal left me terribly flustered.

“Wait, you even know what time he sleeps, Efil-nee?”

“Falling asleep before one’s master is unthinkable for a servant. Managing Master’s well-being is part of my duty. This is one task that I would never leave to Ellie or Ruka.”

Efil, the way you approach your work does make me happy, but can’t you let me see your sleeping face at least once in a while? No, wait, that’s not the issue here.

“See, I knew it! Think about the trouble you’re causing Efil!”

“Efil, we cannot have you shouldering everything by yourself. I will help you with that task!”

“But Mel-sama, you fall asleep almost at once when you get into bed...”

“I don’t toss and turn in my sleep at all! Right, Alex?”

“Arf!”

“Mommy, what’s Master and everyone else talking about?”

“It’s a bit too soon for you, Ruka. Ignore them for now.”

“I get it, I get it already! So please drop this subject, all right?! Let’s get back to the main topic! Main! Topic!” What the hell are you guys thinking, bringing that up first thing in the morning?! I sighed before continuing.

“What I meant to say is, I’m thinking of using the next three days to practice my Rank S spell as much as I can. In other words, it’ll be a training period.”

“Hmm, training, you say. What exactly is it that you will be doing, my king?”

“The thing I’m lacking most when it comes to controlling Boreas Death Scythe is — anyone want to guess? No? — Strength!”

Among my stats, Strength was the one with the slowest growth rate. With 189 as the base number, even with the boost that I’d gained from picking up Herculean Strength (Rank B), I was still weaker than Efil, the frailest person in my party. Although my Strength stat was enough for a common adventurer to serve as a reliable vanguard, Boreas Death Scythe was Rank S, and I needed to be much stronger to properly control such a highly condensed mass of magic. Otherwise, my hand would end up wobbling when I deployed the spell, which was exactly what had happened during my fight with Clive.

“Wait, didn’t you already know you’d need more Strength from the start?” Sera asked.

Gerard nodded. “You could have chosen to develop a spell more like the tornado your opponent used, couldn’t you? And yet you even went to the trouble of acquiring the Scythe Mastery skill for this.”

“Now there’s no one who is Master’s equal in mowing grass!”

Efil, that’s not exactly something to brag about.

“But Kel-nii, if you’d made it a weapon-enchanting spell like your Vortex Edge or my Thunderclap Edge, it would have been useful in a lot more situations. I really can’t imagine myself using a giant scythe...”

“Due to how few people have Rank S spells under their belt, there usually isn’t any other spell that can serve as a foundation for developing a new one,” Melfina chimed in. “In other words, you must have come up with Boreas Death Scythe from scratch. Why did you decide to create such a spell, honey?”

I feel like I’m just getting dogpiled left and right today. I’m going to cry soon! You all want that?!

“But...scythes are cool, aren’t they?! And according to my statistics, a large part of learning new spells is being able to visualize them properly. I worked my ass off developing this one, all right?!”

“When you put it that way, I think I kind of get what you mean,” Rion nodded. “When I create my own spells, I also have to visualize it first. At the very least, it helps give me motivation!”

“Even in the demon world, people do not come up with new spells left and right like you two do...”

“Very well, I understand your reasoning now, honey. So, how do you intend to increase your Strength?”

“Well asked, Mel! But it isn’t only Strength that I’ll have to work on...for now, I’ll be relying on this!” I plonked my slime buddy onto the dining table.

“Relying on...Clotho?”

“That’s right! I’m borrowing its Unique Skill, Gluttony.”

Gluttony was a skill that enabled the user to absorb part of another individual’s stats through eating. Clotho had used it on both raw and cooked subjects so far. From my observations, the latter was much more effective. Furthermore, the stat boosts were even greater when consuming stronger targets. Put another way, Clotho wouldn’t gain much of a boost from eating monsters weaker than itself.

“Oh, with Skill Eater. I see.”

“That’s right. My Strength is relatively low, so I’m sure there are plenty of monsters who are above me, right?” Ugh, admitting it out loud makes me feel a bit depressed. “Efil, what monsters are in Clotho’s Storage that are Rank A or higher?”

“For Rank A ones that can be cooked and eaten, we have the three calamity rabbits hunted by Sera-sama in the Forest of Crests, one gel prince, and one blood bear. Then, I am not sure whether it is edible or not, but there is also the Rank S Gigant Lord taken down by Rion-sama.”

I’m not sure I want to eat a humanoid-looking monster. Plus, I feel like doing so might give me a weird title. I’m fine with the calamity rabbit and blood bear, but for that last one...

“I think I’ll pass on Gigant Lord. Is the gel prince that flabby, liquid-like monster?”

“Yes, it is.”

Right. Despite its name, it was not springy like Clotho, but pure flab. “Is it actually edible?”

“I did come across a description of how to cook it while perusing the records in Toraj Castle. It is apparently a high-class ingredient that is incredibly hard to come by.”

“I can’t even imagine what kind of dish you’d make from it.”

“Please rest assured, I have the recipe memorized.”

“Ahaha, good luck, Kel-nii.”

“Honey, make sure to leave some for me, all right?”

No, I shouldn’t doubt. I will trust Efil! I do trust Efil. I’m sure that she’ll whip up the best dish no matter what the ingredients are!

◇ ◇ ◇

“To think it would actually be a dessert and that it would be finished so quickly...”

After the conversation at breakfast, Efil had ducked into the kitchen. Once we finished eating, she emerged with a platter bearing plates (enough for everyone) holding perfect square blocks of what looked like agar jelly. It was completely transparent and topped with sugar syrup.

The dish turning out so decent — no, not just decent, because it looked extremely appetizing too — certainly did surprise me. When I tasted it, I got an even bigger shock. It really was delicious. Absolutely delectable, in fact! The refreshing feeling of the agar jelly passing down my throat and the exquisite sweetness of the sugar syrup was a match made in heaven. Is this really made from the body of that horrible thing? Before I could even finish the thought, we had already cleaned off our plates.

“Thank you, Efil. After eating that, I really do feel the power building up inside. It seems my plan is working.”

I checked my Status. Oops, I’m smiling again, aren’t I? With the way to increase my Strength confirmed, it was time to tackle the next issue.

“Boreas Death Scythe.”

Black Staff of Disaster, my new weapon in place of the Staff of the Evil Sage Tree, was enveloped in magic that formed the shape of a scythe blade.

“Hmm...as I expected, it’s still far from perfect.”

When I looked at the blade, I could see that it was leaking magic like a faulty tap. In its current state, the spell would be dispelled after only a few swings.

“I’ve got to work on the magic consumption first. Then spell formation...reconstruction...”

◇ ◇ ◇

I panted heavily. “This...is much more tiring than I expected.”

A whole day had passed since I’d begun my training. I had spent most of that time in our underground facility, working on my Rank S spell. The only times I went back upstairs were for meals, when I had something specific to do, or when I went to catch a few hours of sleep.

At the moment, I was mainly just activating the spell over and over again, and downing MP potions whenever my magical fuel ran low. Although I was doing my best to suppress the output power, I still ended up leaving deep gouge marks on the adamantite walls even when the scythe barely made contact. As a result, the training room that I had fixed up not too long ago was all but wrecked once again. It was clear proof that I was still not in full control of my own spell.

“I think I’ve got the feel of it now, though. Let’s give it another go.”

“You sure are working hard, honey.”

“Whoa! Oh, it’s you, Mel.”

There was my goddess companion, sitting atop some rubble and looking at me with amusement.

“C’mon, don’t surprise me like that. I did ask everyone to stay out for now, didn’t I? There’s no telling what could happen if my hand slipped.”

“At that speed? Don’t worry, I can dodge it with my eyes closed.”

“Ah, ouch, that’s quite harsh,” I laughed. It was slightly discouraging that, considering her stats, she was definitely not exaggerating or joking. Even though her stats are supposed to be derived from mine...

“Still, it looks like you’re making good progress, honey. Your magic output is much more stable than before and you’ve become better at wielding it.”

“I still have a long way to go. My final goal is to become good enough to use it freely without touching the walls of this room. Oh, right, were you able to make that thing I described earlier?”

“Hahaha, what a foolish question. You do realize you’re talking to someone who possesses Accessory Craftsmanship at Rank S, right? I could make one for everyone so fast that breakfast wouldn’t even be ready by the time I was done!”

“You say that, but I remember you oversleeping again this morning and heading straight down to stuff your face.”

“Oh...well, but results are all that matters, all right?!”

“Sure, sure.”

I had asked Melfina to create jewelry for the entire party. Clive, the Trycenian general I’d recently fought, had possessed a skill that allowed him to cast the Charm debuff on anyone he wanted. He hadn’t used it on me, but there was a high possibility he would use it on Efil or Sera if he could, leading to a very real need for something that could provide us all with protection.

Thankfully, the necessary materials could all be created with either Clotho’s Metalicize skill or Melfina’s Alchemy skill. The goddess hadn’t had an opportunity to make anything since she’d been Summoned, so this seemed like a good chance to let her show off a little.

“Such a lack of appreciation, even though I spent the whole night creating equipment jam-packed with functions because I thought it would be boring to only provide protection against Charm...”

Mel pretended to cry, even going so far as to say “Boohoohoo” out loud. Isn’t that a bit too much? And what do you mean by “spent the whole night”? When I passed your room on the way to my own, you were already fast asleep! I saw you kicking your blanket off!

“Ahem. All joking aside, there’s something I want to confirm with you, honey.”

“Uh, sure, okay. You getting that serious all of a sudden really throws me off my game, but...all right, what is it?”

Melfina looked straight at me, all the playfulness gone from her face. I unconsciously braced myself.

After two or three silent seconds that felt like an eternity, she slowly spoke. “About Clive, the man you fought the other day...I’ll ask you once again, did he really identify himself as a transmigrator?”

◇ ◇ ◇

While Kelvin was working hard down in the training room, Sera, Gerard, Rion, and Alex were hanging out at the Fairy’s Song. Gerard was there to enjoy a pint, since it had been a while. Rion and Alex were there to meet Clare. Sera was there because she had nothing better to do.

“Ugh, I’m so bored!” the demon cried, throwing both hands up in the air.

On the other side of the counter in front of her, Clare looked up while polishing her plates and asked, “Where did that come from?”

Thankfully, there weren’t many customers around at that hour, so Sera’s outburst didn’t draw much attention. Then again, most people who visited the Fairy Song were familiar enough with the occurrence to simply go, “Oh, Sera-san’s at it again,” before turning back to their own business.

“Listen to me, Clare! Kelvin won’t let me be with him anymore!”

Sera-nee, I think the way you worded that sentence is going to invite a lot of misunderstandings, Rion retorted in her head as she sipped from her cup of juice at her place next to Sera.

“He’s holed himself up since yesterday and won’t let me in!”

“Well, that does sound worrying. Are you two in a stage of ennui?”

“‘Awn-wii’? What’s that?”

“Mmm, I suppose you could say it’s when the relationship between a married couple grows stale and they get tired of each other.”

“What are you saying, Clare? Kelvin and I aren’t married.”

That’s not the issue here, is it? Gerard retorted in his head as he sipped his mug of hard liquor at his table in the back.

“And there’s no way I’d ever get tired of Kelvin. That’s not it. He said that he’d be training, so I offered to help him, but he turned me down because ‘it’d be too dangerous’! He wouldn’t even spar with me!”

“Oh, that’s what you meant,” Clare murmured, looking slightly disappointed.

“That’s why I’m so bored now. Isn’t there anything to do?” Sera wailed as she planted her face onto the counter dejectedly.

“You love fishing, don’t you? Why not do that?”

“Going fishing when Kelvin’s working so hard seems unfair.”

Isn’t aimlessly killing time here the same? Alex retorted in his head as he gnawed on a bone from his place underneath Rion’s cha—

“AH, I’VE GOT IT!” Sera suddenly leaped up from her seat, shouting so loudly that Alex reflexively pressed his ears down with his paws. “There is a way to keep myself entertained and help Kelvin at the same time! Gerard, Rion, Alex, let’s go!”

“Hold on a, uh, where’re we going, Sera-nee?”

“But I wanted to kick back with a drink today...”

Both the Hero and knight felt somewhat troubled by the sudden request. However, Sera had such a bright smile that neither one could find it in themselves to turn her down outright.

Since he couldn’t verbalize his refusal, an alternative plan immediately sprang into Gerard’s mind. He stood up, bottle in hand, and approached her. The alcohol percentage of what he was drinking was extremely high, making the liquid quite volatile.

Sadly, his idea fell through. Instinctively clapping a hand to her nose and taking a step back, Sera said, “Gerard, don’t even come close to me with that bottle! You’ll make me drunk from the fumes alone!”

“In that case, you should properly explain to us what it is you’re thinking of doing.”

“I’d appreciate that too, Sera-nee. At the moment, I’m not sure what’s going on.”

As Rion tried to smooth the situation over with her characteristic laugh, Sera replied, “Oh, all right then,” and proceeded to offer them the specifics.

“What I’ve thought of is, in short, harvesting food ingredients!”

“Harvesting food ingredients?”

“Harvesting food ingredients?”

“That’s right! And not just any common ingredients. I’m talking high-ranked ones that’ll make Kelvin happy!”

“So...you mean something like a blood bear?”

“Ah, I see what you’re getting at, lass. But don’t we already have a stock of Rank A ingredients back at the house? To my knowledge, that should be enough to last until at least the day after tomorrow when the ceremony takes place.”

“You’re not thinking far enough ahead. Unlike Clotho, Kelvin has a limited appetite, which means it’s the quality that’s most important, not the quantity. And even when it comes to quantity, sure, what we have in the stores should be enough...for Kelvin’s portion alone. But have you forgotten the presence of the glutton in our house? It looked like she held herself back from asking for seconds yesterday, but do you think she’ll be able to bear watching someone else eat dishes that Efil cooked with Rank A ingredients until the ceremony?”

Both Rion and Gerard were silent, unable to come up with valid objections. Although a small part of them thought, “Come on, she can’t be that bad,” they could not dismiss what Sera was saying. They knew Melfina’s passion for eating all too well.

“I...can’t say ‘no’ with much confidence...”

“Now that you mention it, Mel-nee was looking at his meal very enviously after eating her own portion last night.”

“Now we’re on the same page!”

Clare looked rather amused. “What’s this? Does that new girl really eat so much? If that’s the case, bring her here someday, I’ll let her eat as much as she wa—”

“Clare-san, please don’t do that!” Rion interrupted. “It would hurt my conscience.”

“It’s...that bad, is it? Oh, now that I think of it, she’s already come here once. She certainly did make an impression.”

“What? She did? Uh...all I can say is, I’m very sorry.”

Not long ago, Melfina had earned the shameful title of “Gluttonous Goddess.” There was no way Rion was going to let her cause anyone else any trouble.

“Partly to alleviate that fear, let’s go hunt rare monsters! We’ll be ensuring that Kelvin has enough to eat and it would help me to get this feeling off my chest. Two birds with one stone!” Sera exclaimed, clenching her fist in a display of enthusiasm that quickly infected Gerard and Rion and prompted them to stand up.

“When you put it that way, I can’t refuse, can I? Let’s do this. I didn’t get to do anything at the Village of Elves, after all.”

“Since it’s for Kel-nii’s sake, I’m on board too! Alex, time to go. Clare-san, here’s my payment for the meal.”

“Thanks for your patronage. Take care of yourselves out there.”

After everyone finished settling up, the group left the Fairy’s Song. Their destination: the Adventurer’s Guild.

“First order of business, let’s go gather information!”

◇ ◇ ◇

“...and that’s why we’re looking for a dungeon filled with monsters that are ranked A or higher!”

“There is nowhere that dangerous in these parts. There are no urgent subjugation quests at the moment, either.”

Upon marching into guild headquarters in high spirits, Sera immediately spotted Villager A, Ange, and promptly went over to ask about a dungeon where high-ranked ingredients could be procured. Ange was currently in her standard work mode.

“You see, a certain party completely annihilated the Rank B dungeon, Sangria Forest, not all that long ago. To find a place even more challenging than that, you would have to cross the border into one of our neighboring countries.”

“Awww, really?!”

Sera looked extremely disappointed. In contrast, Gerard and Rion didn’t seem the least bit surprised. After all, the moment a single Rank A monster showed up in Parth’s vicinity, Kelvin would be notified of an emergency quest. No such news had reached them lately, so visiting the guild in person was hardly going to make a difference.

“In that case, I suppose we’ll have to go abroad, then. If we don’t stop to rest, we can reach somewhere about the same distance as the Forest of Crests in half a day, making a round trip one full day. Adding in time for exploration...”

The former demon princess had already shifted gears to thinking up Plan B. Clearly, giving up on her idea was not an option.

As she muttered furiously to herself, Rion took the time to look around the guild. “It’s pretty busy today, isn’t it?”

Although the place was normally bustling, what with it being the hub for all adventurers in the city, it seemed to be even more alive than ever. In the room behind the counters, Rion spied the figures of guild staff with bottles of smelling salts on hand tackling piles of paper. There were also more receptionists than usual, handling a large number of adventurers who were lining up to consign items. Ange seemed somewhat exhausted herself.

“Everyone on the staff roster is being mobilized to prepare for Kelvin-san’s upcoming Rank S promotion. On the day of the ceremony, the streets will be enveloped with revelry, and important VIPs from various countries, not to mention famed adventurers, will be visiting to catch a glimpse of the new Rank S member. Guildmaster Rio is also rushing around in a flurry. We’re delegating a lot of the physical work and the gathering of things to the adventurers by issuing them as quests.”

“Really? Nobody told us.”

“Kelvin-san, and all of you by extension, are the guests of honor. How can we ask you to help with the setup? Furthermore, we’ve made it so that those who complete more of our tasks get priority seating for the practice match. Considering how rare it is to see two Rank S adventurers duke it out, everyone is being quite competitive about completing their quests. Oh, there will be special seats prepared separately for you and your party, Rion-san, so don’t worry about that.”

“Yay, thank you! Has the Rank S adventurer Kel-nii will be fighting arrived already?”

Ange flipped through some documents on her table. “Umm...looks like she’s scheduled to get here tomorrow. Her name is —”

BAM!

Ange’s words were interrupted by the door of the building being thrown open with almost enough force to tear it off its hinges. A party of adventurers pushed their way inside in a panic. Some of them collapsed on the spot as others drew deep, ragged breaths, making it clear that they had pushed themselves to get there fast.

“I-It’s terrible!” huffed the man who was likely their leader. His mithril equipment identified him as a Rank C adventurer.

“Whoa, what’s with the frenzy? Catch your breath first, man,” said someone nearby.

“It’s a dungeon! Some monster’s tunneled a huge path that opened up a whole new dungeon!”

“Seriously?!”

The unexpected news plunged the guild into chaos. The dungeon being a new discovery meant that no one had explored it yet and that it was entirely untouched. The absolute absence of information made it an especially dangerous place, but in exchange, it was also an opportunity to make a quick killing by sweeping up the rare items and treasures that lay within. It was only natural that the adventurers would become extremely agitated.

“That’s definitely a big deal! Hey, man, where is this new dungeon?”

“Forget it, man. That place isn’t somewhere any of us can handle —”

“You say that, but I bet you’re thinking of getting a head start on the rest of us and stealing everything for yourself, aren’t you?!”

“That’s not what I’m saying! Listen to me —”

The man who had made the announcement was inundated by questions from those around him. Everyone was eager to be the first to clear the new danger zone.

“Guys, please calm down! Let’s listen to what Heath-san has to say!” Ange shouted from her position between the man and the others after having somehow made her way there without anyone noticing.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Heath said, “Thank you for saving me, Ange-chan.”

“Don’t worry about it. And remember, everyone: if you go to explore this new dungeon right now, you likely won’t make it back for the practice match the day after tomorrow.”

“Oh, right. I’d forgotten. Sorry.”

Ange was relieved to see the crowd calming back down. However, her duties as guild staff were only just beginning. She would have to extract as much information as possible regarding the new dungeon to determine exactly how dangerous it was. In light of how much work she already had, she felt the urge to clutch her head and scream. But doing so wouldn’t change the fact that this wasn’t an issue that could be put off, as it could end up affecting the upcoming festivities.

Unfortunately, Rio was out for the day to make arrangements for the ceremony, which meant the staff who were present had to deal with it themselves.

“Heath-san, would you mind telling us what you know about this place?”

“It’s located inside the Rank C dungeon to the east, Clayworm Passages. We were exploring the place as usual when we spotted a giant mole digging a hole. We followed it and defeated it; that part was fine. But the tunnel it had dug just before we killed it opened up into a huge cavern where we spotted ancient-looking buildings and a monster we’ve never seen before! Moi, from my party, possesses Analyze Eye, but the moment he tried to use it on that thing, he fainted. My Danger Detection was going off like crazy too, so we retreated before we were noticed.”

“Sorry for letting you down, Heath.”

“Please, if I hadn’t carried you on my back and gotten out of there ASAP, we would both be dead meat by now. So, Moi woke up sometime on our way back to Parth. From what he told me about the creature’s Status, there’s no doubt it’s Rank A.”

“Rank A?!” exclaimed many of those present.

Up until then, the most dangerous dungeon in Parth’s vicinity had been Rank B. Alarm rippled through adventurers and staff alike.

“A dungeon within a dungeon...this is extremely dangerous and needs to be announced immediately. There might be other adventurers still inside Clayworm Passages.”

“But none of us can handle a Rank A monster. Even approaching this place to fill in the hole sounds extremely dangerous.”

“In that case...there’s no choice, let’s issue Kelvin-san an emergency quest.”

The staff all nodded in agreement at Ange’s suggestion. None of the adventurers had any objections either.

“So...where in the east is this new dungeon?”

“Were you not listening to what Ange-chan said? This is a job that only Kelvin-san, the strongest adventurer in Parth, can handle —” Heath replied in a vexed voice, turning around only to stop short.

There stood a jubilant Sera, her arms crossed and her chin tilted up as if to say, “Go on, I’m listening.” A hulking knight and a cute girl could be seen standing behind her.

“Sera-san?! And Gerard-dono and Rion-chan too?!”

“Kelvin’s at home right now, but he’s busy. As members of his party, we’ll go in his stead to explore this dungeon for you! After all, we’re guaranteed good seats even if we don’t help with any of the preparations. Go on, give us all the information you know!”

The girl’s overbearing presence left Heath feeling slightly bewildered. He turned to look at Ange.

“Hm, if it’s those three, I’m sure they’ll be able to handle it without a problem. Since the guildmaster is currently absent, we’ll issue the emergency quest ourselves. You sure about taking this on, Sera-san?”

“Leave it to us! We’ll clear it today!”

“Ahaha, that does sound reassuring.”

So, Sera-nee did hear about our seats, Rion thought wryly.

As Heath shared everything he knew with them, the rest of the adventurers scattered to return to what they had each been doing. The tension that had been so palpable just moments before had completely dissipated, the hustle and bustle returning to normal in short order.

After all, everyone present was thinking the same thing: If Sera-san and the rest are on the job then there’s nothing to worry about.

“...and that’s all we got,” Heath eventually concluded. “Is it enough?”

“As long as we know the location, we’ll make do,” Sera replied, accepting the hand-drawn map and checking the time. “Our target is the boss monster. The other Rank S adventurer arrives tomorrow, so let’s hurry, you two! We’ll get back in time for dinner and surprise Kelvin!”

“Sera, lass, let’s not forget to lend a hand if we encounter other adventurers inside.”

::Gramps, is it just me or are things proceeding in a way that’s weirdly convenient for Sera-nee?::

::Her Luck stat is already higher than that of the Heroes. In a way, I suppose this was inevitable.::

“Come on, guys, let’s get going!” Sera called over her shoulder, seeming ready to take off then and there.

“Sera-nee, we’re still in our casual wear! We’ll have to at least return to the house to get changed first!”

◇ ◇ ◇

Sera and Rion quickly made their way back home to don their adventuring gear and throw their weapons into Clotho’s Storage. After confirming through the Network that Kelvin was still down in the training room, they hurried back out before anyone noticed. Along the way, Sera made sure to leave word with Efil, who was in the middle of hanging up laundry outside.

“Efil, get fired up for tonight’s dinner!”

“I’m sorry? Um, of course...”

Paying no attention to the maid’s puzzled tilt of her head, Sera rushed off at top speed.

“I wonder what has happened?”

Shrugging it off, Efil returned to the task at hand, her mind already on a “fired up” menu for that evening’s dinner.

◇ ◇ ◇

After meeting back up with Gerard in town, the group set out for Clayworm Passages. The dungeon was a bit of a distance from Parth, but for those three, it barely took ten minutes on foot.

They soon found themselves facing a cave opening roughly three meters in height that did look like a tunnel burrowed by a gigantic monster. The sunlight didn’t penetrate the darkness too far, but there were torches set up at intervals inside. Strangely enough, the torches did not appear to be burning down.

“We’re here! That was an acceptable travel time, I suppose,” Sera said, casting an eye over the torches. “Hm, I feel a bit of magic coming from these.”

“They might be magic items, then,” Rion replied. “My guess would be that adventurers have been topping them up with magic as they pass by. It doesn’t seem like I’ll need to cast Lambent.”

Gerard looked around. “Nothing seems out of place here, at least.”

Sera activated her various detection skills and confirmed that there was indeed nothing of note around the cave opening. However, a very strong presence lay farther inside.

“This...doesn’t seem like a mere Rank A monster. It might even be Rank S!”

“Yay! Jackpot, Sera-nee!”

“I feel myself suddenly filled with motivation upon hearing such news. Let’s brace ourselves and do this!”

With Gerard taking point, Sera, Alex, and Rion followed close behind. The idea was that Gerard was in charge of pushing forward and taking on anything that appeared from the front while Sera would warn the others about any surprise attacks or traps.

The passage continued flat and straight for a while, but started sloping downwards after a while. From there, numerous side passages began appearing on both sides, turning the place into a true labyrinth.

“This way!”

Sera was choosing their turns based on the presence she was sensing. She had yet to make a wrong call, as evidenced by the fact that they were steadily drawing closer to their goal. It was slightly worrying that the presence didn’t seem to be moving at all, almost as if it were lying in wait for someone or something.

“Gerard, a monster will be jumping up from the ground five steps forward.”

“Understood.”

When Gerard reached the spot Sera had mentioned, a clayworm did indeed leap out to assault him. He inhaled lightly and bisected the beast the instant it appeared.

Oh well, there’s no point overthinking it. I’m sure everything will be clear once we see this thing in person, Sera thought as she backhanded another clayworm closing in from overhead without even turning to look.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Well, this is rather unexpected,” Sera murmured.

At the moment, she and the others were looking down a straight path. Some distance away was a side passage that was likely the tunnel dug by the giant mole Heath had described. In front of the entrance, however, stood a large figure that wavered in the light of the flickering torches.

Sera focused her senses on it while pressing her back against the wall at an angle just out of sight. “Whatever it is, it feels even stronger than me! We really did get lucky!”

“Interesting. If my king was here, he would be absolutely delighted.”

“Focus, Sera-nee, Gramps. I do agree Kel-nii would have been really happy about this, though.”

In spite of what she was saying, Rion’s face was flushed with excitement and her heart was beating faster than usual. Perhaps she had caught a bit of her beloved brother’s nature as a battle junkie.

At that moment, there was movement. The part of the figure that seemed likely to be its head turned towards where the group was hiding.

“It’s noticed us!” Sera whispered.

“There isn’t much room in the passage. I’ll go first! Support me!” Gerard proceeded, holding Dreadnought at the ready to protect the two behind him.

“Hold on, Gramps! Isn’t that a human?!”

“What?!”

A closer look at the figure did indeed reveal it to be humanoid. As the party member in the lead, Gerard identified their opponent as a large man with muscles that seemed on the verge of bursting out through the tight pink dress he was wearing. His height was about the same as Gerard’s, and his blond hair was done up in fancy ringlet pigtails. Gerard’s brain struggled to process what his eyes were seeing.

“It is...a man, I think?”

“Is he cross-dressing?”

The monster, if it really was that, suddenly adopted a crouch start position. “You guys...” rumbled a hoarse, manly voice adopting a very feminine manner of speech, “this place...is dangerous!!”

The mass of muscle abruptly pushed off with perfect form and sprinted forward at top speed. With every step he took, the ground was gouged out beneath his feet and the dungeon shook, causing little showers of dust to fall. The pressure of the incoming charge and the strangeness of what he was seeing caused a cold sweat to break out on Gerard’s brow.

What’s dangerous is your appearance! thought the knight as he braced himself for impact. The muscle monster was nearly on top of him in the blink of an eye.

::It’s likely a human, but what should I do?! I can slice it, right?!::

::We’re under assault here, so it’s legitimate self-defense either way! I’ll provide support!::

::Alex, into the shadows!::

After the instantaneous strategy meeting through the Network, everyone leaped into action without missing a beat. Sera and Rion began chanting spells as Alex dove into Gerard’s shadow, ready to spring back out any time.

In contrast, the large man dropped lower and lower while maintaining his speed. Several steps before crashing into Gerard’s heavy shield, he started spinning.

He’s unarmed, which means he fights using the Combat Technique skill, right? Interesting! Gerard immediately activated Mind’s Eye in expectation of a kick that would utilize the added force of the spinning. He was ready to see through the attack, no matter what form it might take, and parry it. His intention was to get a Shield Bash in.

However, what Gerard saw in seemingly slow motion was not an attack.

BRRRR!

The passage of the man’s muscular legs were leaving deep tracks in the ground and kicking up one huge cloud of dust. Without ever shifting into an actual attack, he came to a stop just before reaching Gerard, buried in the ground up to his knees.

He used his own legs as brakes to stop just in time? thought Rion, trying to figure out what she had just witnessed.

The man slowly stood up, his feet still buried in the earth. Alex poked his head out of the shadows, ready to lunge forward in attack.

Under the bewildered gazes of everyone present, the man’s thick lips slowly parted. “My goodness, I told you guys that it’s dangerous here, didn’t I?! Why are you just standing there?!” he asked in a huff as he wriggled his body in a feminine manner.

◇ ◇ ◇

Long story short, the man was not a monster. As it turned out, he was actually a normal human being.

“Dearie me, I’m so, so sorry for surprising you cutie pies. I had completely assumed that you were adventurers who had gotten lost down here. That was quite the disrespectful thing to do to Rank A adventurers, wasn’t it?”

Rion shook her head. “No, no, it was our fault for jumping to conclusions, umm...”

“Oh, silly me, forgetting to introduce myself. My name is Goldiana Prettiana, a Rank S adventurer. I also go by Peach Ogre, if you’ve heard of me. Feel free to call me Prettia-chan!” Goldiana replied, adopting a pose commonly taken by idols in magazines.

It’s my first time meeting a gay man. What’s more, he’s a Rank S adventurer too. Is he the one Kel-nii will be fighting? Rion wondered rather calmly.

In contrast, Gerard, who had never heard of someone like this in his life, found himself feeling rather apprehensive. Wh-What a distinctive character he is...

“Does the fact that you have a last name mean you’re a noble, Prettia-chan?” Rion asked curiously.

“Oh my, you don’t know? Rank S adventurers are allowed to take on a last name. I actually come from a commoner family.”

“So, what’re you doing here, Goldiana?” asked Sera, completely unfazed.

“I’m sure even you guys have heard of a new Rank S adventurer being born in Parth soon, right? I’ve heard through the grapevine that this Kelvin-chan is a younger man. I never fail to miss an opportunity to check out wonderful younger guys, nuh-uh!”

Goldiana let out an excited little scream and daintily kicked up a foot behind him. Gerard was nearing his limits, his face actually turning pale.

“I was on my way to Parth for the ceremony, but would you believe it, my sixth sense picked up on a strange feeling coming from this dungeon. So I came to take a look, and my oh my, what did I find but a whole mob of Rank A monsters on the other side of this hole! I couldn’t let them out in case they went after the other darlings still down here, so I was just standing guard until the guild took action.”

“You’re a nice person, Goldiana! Even so, Kelvin is off-limits, all right?”

“Oh my, do you dearies know Kelvin-chan personally?”

“Oh, right, we haven’t introduced ourselves,” Sera said before quickly doing just that. The other two followed suit, with Alex remaining hidden in Gerard’s shadow from the neck down.

“My goodness, so Kelvin-chan is Rion-chan’s big brother? Now I’m really getting my hopes up!” Goldiana exclaimed as he took a long look at the young girl’s face. Clearly, his mental image of Kelvin was now taking on a cute and feminine visage.

“Ahahaha...” Rion laughed weakly, thinking, Of course, we aren’t related by blood, so...

“As I said, Kelvin is off-limits!”

“And Sera-chan is so pretty that even I might get jealous,” the muscle man complimented her. “Ah, could it be that Kelvin-chan is your boyfriend?”

“H-He’s not! But still, he’s off-limits!”

“Aha! I see how it is. If you ever want help in that department, come straight to me, all right, Sera-chan? I’ll be rooting for you, so go for it!”

Goldiana lightly patted Sera’s shoulder. The demon didn’t even notice his approach until she felt his hand, perhaps because of how flustered she was by the exchange.

“As a consolation, I think I’ll be claiming this fine gentleman here!”

“Uh...what?”

“Oh, yes, you look like one tough, strong man!”

Gerard suddenly found Goldiana’s thick, burly arms wrapped around his own shoulders.

◇ ◇ ◇

After some discussion, it was decided that Goldiana would be joining Sera and the others in exploring the new dungeon. Although it was a place filled with Rank A monsters that they had no information at all on, the idea was that the addition of a Rank S adventurer would provide them with enough fighting strength to handle whatever they might encounter.

When Goldiana had been standing sentry on his own, he’d had no choice but to remain at the tunnel entrance, but things were different now that he had a whole group with him. Someone else could be the lookout if needed, or they could use magic to temporarily block the passageway.

Before deciding what to do, the group agreed to quickly scout out the far end of the tunnel. There were no more torches from that point on, so Rion had to cast Lambent to illuminate the way.

“Still, what a terrible pity it is...to think the nice gentleman is actually an armor-type monster. Even I have no chance when there’s no body or face to see.”

“I’m afraid that’s just how it is, yes.”

Although Gerard’s armor was indeed hollow, he could, in fact, materialize a body if he wanted to. But he purposely chose not to mention that part. His instincts told him that he should absolutely keep that tidbit to himself.

::Sera, Rion, Alex, never, ever tell him!::

::We know, we know.::

::Ahaha.::

::Arf!::

He made sure to press the matter home with his companions — that was how desperate he felt.

“So...are you Kel-nii’s opponent for the practice match, Prettia-chan? He’s supposed to fight a Rank S adventurer, isn’t he?” Rion asked in an attempt to change the subject. Her consideration left Gerard feeling a little warm inside.

“Oh, I’d love to, dearie, but I’m afraid not. His opponent is Sylvia-chan, who was promoted last year and goes by the alias ‘Ice Princess.’ It’s tradition to fight the last person to receive a promotion. Which reminds me, that girl actually skipped her own promotion ceremony and practice match, so it’s going to be my first time seeing her in action too.”

“She was promoted even though she skipped everything?”

“Mhm, we adventurers do love our freedom and the guild is practically run by retired adventurers. Technically, even the ceremony isn’t compulsory.”

Sera, who was walking behind Gerard, turned towards Goldiana, asking, “I’ve been wondering for a while now, but what’s with ‘Peach Ogre’ and ‘Ice Princess’?”

“Do you mean our aliases? When an adventurer reaches Rank S, they are assigned a special name by the guild as a mark of awe and respect. Isn’t it wonderful?”

“That...sounds sort of unnecessary.”

“Of course it’s necessary, dear!”

“Of course it’s necessary!”

Goldiana and Rion had answered at the same time.

“Don’t underestimate aliases, Sera-nee! They’re absolutely essential!”

“Rion-chan is quite right. Listen carefully, Sera-chan. ‘Rank S adventurer’ is a title that represents the most prominent people in the world in terms of fighting power. Aliases are useful in accurately spreading information regarding each member of this very limited circle. It’s a bit embarrassing to say this about myself, but I’m confident that I’m strong enough to wipe out the entire army of a small country all by myself. Whether Kelvin-chan is aware of his own potential, I have no idea. But this is precisely why no country dares to touch Rank S adventurers or the Adventurer’s Guild itself. It just wouldn’t be worth it, after all. So the most they do is solicit us.”

“Yep, yep! And it’s when someone has an alias that you think, ‘Uh-oh, I better not mess with that guy’! I so want one myself!”

“I see now. I suppose that makes sense.”

Goldiana’s explanation centered around the idea that aliases serve as a stark warning to governments and other institutions, but Rion’s insistence was based merely on the opinion that aliases sounded cool. As a fourteen-year-old — the age of a middle school second year student — such nicknames held an immeasurable allure for her.

“Awww, you sure catch on fast despite being so young, Rion-chan! But don’t worry, when Kelvin-chan is successfully promoted to Rank S, the members of his party — if they’re strong enough, of course — might receive aliases too!”

“Really?! I can’t wait!”

“If you ever find yourself troubled by anything related to being an adventurer, come find me! I’ll give you all the help you need!”

The odd pair exchanged a firm handshake, with Goldiana having to hunch over quite a bit due to the difference in height. Based on this exchange, as well as the matter with Sera earlier, it was clear that this new acquaintance of theirs was quite the good Samaritan.

“All right, everyone, it’s about time to wrap up the small talk,” Gerard warned. “We’ll reach the end of the tunnel soon.”

◇ ◇ ◇

The exit opened up to a cavern big enough to hold an entire town. Gerard, who was at the front of the procession, took a peek inside.

Hmm, there are lights ahead. From where he was hiding in the shadow of the tunnel opening, the knight could already see numerous humanoid monsters milling about. He shared the information with his party members by adding markers on the map they had joint access to through the Network, then verbally gave Goldiana a cursory rundown.

“Let’s clear out the cavern first,” Sera suggested. “We can spread out to crush the monsters one-on-one then regroup here.”

Gerard nodded and turned to the others. “Everyone ready?”

“Anytime,” Goldiana replied.

Rion and Alex responded with “Roger!” and “Arf!” respectively, without further ado, the group scattered out across the cavern, with Sera cutting straight through the center.

The floor was paved with stone tiles and the ceiling was so high that one could easily forget they were underground. Obviously, the space was man-made. The most conspicuous sight, however, was farther on.

Numerous crumbling buildings...and an altar in the back?

There might have been a treasure chest or two hidden within the decaying buildings, but what drew Sera’s attention most was an altar-like structure in the distance. Within the cavern, it was the only thing that appeared to be perfectly intact and unmarred by time. Strangely enough, it was emanating magical waves imbued with the holy element.

But it’s still quite far away. Let’s focus on clearing out the monsters first, like we decided!

Three moving steel puppets noticed Sera swiftly running their way and made an attempt to stop her. Blades emerged from within their arms as they approached her from the side, zigzagging with unpredictable steps.

Easily dodging the first arm-blade swing, Sera enveloped her fists with dual casts of Armor Corrosion, a spell that lowered the target’s Endurance, and planted them squarely in the creature’s abdomen.

A scream of tearing metal filled the cavern as the puppet’s midsection was nearly pulverized, but it somehow managed to stay upright. In fact, it lifted both arms as if intending to go for a counterattack. But Sera swung her invisible tail in a horizontal blow that successfully reduced the automaton to scraps.

Would Kelvin be able to eat these puppets? Well, I’m sure Efil will find a way. Let’s retrieve them just in case.

The two remaining monsters were also dispatched in short order, with the broken pieces being summarily thrown into Clotho’s Storage.

“Doki Doki Smash!” Goldiana roared loudly in a manly voice that carried across the cavern. His fists, which were enveloped in a red aura, pierced the puppets with each punch and gouged holes into them the size of his biceps. What was left by the time he was done was unfit for any repurposing.

“That’s a pretty interesting technique you’re using, Goldiana! And it’s incredibly powerful too!”

“Oh my, you can tell? I’ve adopted a certain school of martial arts from the Western Continent and put my own spin on it. And your fighting style is quite interesting too, with all that magic around your fists. Color me impressed indeed. Although I’m not quite sure what you did with that last attack.”

“It’s a trade secret.” Goldiana giggled. “Women with lots of secrets do have a special allure.”

From the information coming through the Network, Sera confirmed that the others were doing equally well. According to her various detection skills, there were roughly fifty monsters in the area. At this rate, everyone would finish and regroup within ten minutes.

::Sera-nee, what do you think about ‘Black-Clad Hero’? Is it too generic?::

::Uh...focus on the fight for now. I probably don’t need to say it, but look out for Rion, all right, Alex?::

::Arf!::

Despite only being able to bark, Alex’s meaning of “Don’t worry, I got it!” was loud and clear.

“Goodness, Rion’s still such a child sometimes,” Sera muttered with the slightest of smiles.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Hmph!”

Sera’s powerful strike crushed the head of the last remaining puppet. It had barely been seven minutes and the curtain had already fallen on their battle with the monsters that roamed the cavern.

“They all looked the same, but each attacked in different ways, with some using blades, some spewing fire, and some shooting out a ton of tiny balls. It was so weird! But having a variety of ingredients is a good thing, so, oh well!”

Clearly, Sera fully intended to have Kelvin eat the remains of these bizarre creatures. Gerard, who happened to run into her on his way back, had a wry expression.

“Sera, lass, these things cannot be eaten by anyone other than Clotho.”

“Efil will manage somehow! For sure!”

“It’s just outright impossible.”

“Whaaat...” Her shoulders drooped with disappointment at the realization that the Rank A monsters she had worked so hard to retrieve were unfit for human consumption.

“It’s great that you have faith in her, but even Efil has her limits. Rather than eating them, these parts would better serve the golem modifications that you like working on with my king.”

The demon perked right back up, her spirits fully recovered. “That sounds great too!”

“Oh my, you even know how to make golems, Sera-chan?” Goldiana asked, looking none the worse for wear.

“They’re not my golems; they’re Kelvin’s. Tinkering with them is one of his hobbies.”

“I see, so that means Kelvin-chan uses Green Magic. My oh my, now I simply cannot wait to see tomorrow’s match!”

“Doesn’t matter. Kelvin’s so strong he’ll win hands down!” Sera replied, chortling proudly and throwing out her chest.

Does this count as her bragging about the guy she likes? Goldiana wondered. She doesn’t seem terribly self-aware.

“You’re so slow, everyone!”

“Arf!”

Rion and Alex were already waiting at the tunnel entrance where they had agreed to regroup.

“You two sure are fast! Good job!” Gerard said in praise.

“Aww, that’s because everyone was busy talking...” Rion replied, looking slightly embarrassed by the compliment. “So, since we’ve finished clearing the monsters in the cavern, are we going to head deeper inside?”

“There’s an altar on the far side,” Sera mentioned. “We should definitely go check it out.”

“In that case, we need to decide what to do about this tunnel,” said Gerard.

Rion tilted her head. “Should one of us stay behind as a lookout?”

“That’s a pass for me,” Sera scoffed with a flick of her hand. “Can’t we just make a wall to cover it up?”

“That would be easy if Kel-nii were here, but none of us have spells that can do that.”

To the others’ surprise, Goldiana raised his hand. “Leave it to me! All you dearies stand back a little, all right?”

He walked over to the closest ruined building, spread his arms as if to hug it, then...

“HNNNNGGGG!”

With a grunt, he started pushing the entire structure. The ground shook as the gigantic wall moved, slowly but surely. Bricks fell left and right, which wasn’t surprising given the shabby state of the place, some of them even landing on Goldiana’s head, but he took no notice.

The teenager’s mind was filled with a blank sense of “Whaaat...” whereas the demon looked rather impressed, thinking to herself, “Aha! An outside-the-box approach!”

With everyone experiencing widely differing reactions to the sight, the tunnel entrance was soon sealed by the enormous wall.

Goldiana nodded in satisfaction. “That should earn us enough time. Come on, off to the altar we go!”

◇ ◇ ◇

The group made their way past the broken-down buildings scattered all throughout the cavern, heading for the deepest part. At a certain point, the ruins cut off abruptly and were replaced by magnificently ornamented pillars positioned at regular intervals along a central path.

“Everything about that altar seems shady,” Sera commented.

“The road here also looks fancier than the paving in the cavern. Is this an active place for worshiping someone or something?” Rion mused, looking around curiously.

Goldiana nodded. “That could be. Stay sharp, dearies.”

After proceeding down the deceptively long path, they finally reached the altar. It was indeed the structure that Sera had spotted from a distance, but its size was much larger than expected. It was almost as tall as Kelvin’s mansion, without so much as a spot of weathering on its pristine white surface. Its appearance offered a stark contrast to the other buildings seen so far.

“That’s quite the monument,” Gerard remarked. “Why on earth is something like this hidden underground?”

Rion gingerly laid a hand on the surface. It was cold, as if made of stone. “Hmm...nothing’s happening.”

“We’ve come all this way for nothing?! What about the boss monster?!” Sera cried.

Goldiana tried to put a positive spin on things. “Calm down, Sera-chan. The sad truth is, things don’t always turn out the way you want when adventuring. We’ve cleared almost all the Rank A monsters here, and that’s a good day’s work if you ask me. We can also check out the buildings back there for treasure chests if you want something to take home.”

“But we didn’t find a single ingredient for Kelvin’s meals...” Sera sighed as she leaned back against the altar.

“Sera-nee, cheer u— huh?”

As Rion tried to console her friend, she sensed something. So did Sera, as evidenced by her head suddenly jerking up.

“Sera-nee, get away from the altar!”

“No need to tell me!”

Everyone immediately leaped back to a safe distance so that they could ascertain what had happened.

“The altar...”

“It’s glowing!”

The structure that had been completely unresponsive a moment before was now glowing with a dazzling white light. In almost no time, that light enveloped the entire room, blinding everyone present.

::Sera, lass, remember your detection skills!::

::I’m already using them! There’s some living thing where the altar used to be! Stay sharp!::

::Uh-oh, my Danger Detection is off the charts!::

A roar filled the air, quite different from Alex’s familiar howl. Despite clearly being the voice of a beast, the sound seemed somehow filled with majesty and carried a surge of holy energy. As if in response to the outcry, the light surrounding them abruptly disappeared.

“Goodness me, what do we have here?” Goldiana murmured as a drop of sweat trickled down his face.

The distinctive altar had vanished, replaced by a monster of the same height with fur that was as white as the stone had been. It had the appearance of a giant wolf, but Sera sensed something about it that she couldn’t quite put to words.

“Jin Scrimmage!”

The moment the wolf fell silent, Sera activated her trump card. It was not a partial activation like the ones she used while sparring with Melfina. Black magic enveloped not only her arms and legs, but even her wings, tail, and finally, head. When she was done, her form had become that of a classically terrifying demon of lore.

“Thunderclap Edge!”

“Agito Renga!”

Late by only a fraction of a second, Rion and Gerard leaped into motion as well. Lightning flashed around Demon Sword Caladbolg, and three consecutive slashes flew out from Demon Sword Dainsleif.

“Grrr...” the white wolf rumbled, indicating that it was aware of the attack. It shifted into a battle stance as the hair on its body stood on end.

With Agito Renga serving as the starting signal, Rion and Goldiana dashed to the left and right, and Sera launched herself upwards. At the moment, the wolf’s eyes were on Gerard.

No, that’s not it. The creature’s eyes are following Agito!

A white paw swooshed through the air as if taking a practice swing. That was all it did, yet that lazy movement generated an incredibly powerful shockwave that completely changed the trajectory of the flying slashes.

“What?!” Gerard cried in disbelief.

One of the slashes came flying back towards him and the remaining two were redirected towards Goldiana, prompting a slightly indignant “Not cool!” from the muscle man. The wolf had not only deflected the attack, but had even appropriated the flying slashes for its counterattack.

::But it’s left itself open!::

Thanks to the Rank A Red Magic spell Lightning Enhancement boosting her Agility and reflexes, Rion had managed to close in on the beast. In her right hand was Demon Sword Caladbolg with Thunderclap Edge applied: a combination capable of scorching flesh, obstructing healing, and penetrating any and all defenses. Its effectiveness had already been proven during the recent fight against Gigant Lord.

In her left hand was Faux Holy Sword Will, an imitation of Touya’s sword forged by Kelvin that, despite not having the shapeshifting capabilities of the real thing, boasted a cutting edge that was in no way inferior.

Caladbolg and Will both slashed through the monster’s abdomen. However, the instant the former made contact, she felt the energy being sucked right out of the blade.

“What—?!”

A wave of foreboding prompted Rion to quickly back off, using Sky Walk to cut a wild path through the air so as to avoid a counterattack. Given how skillful she was, she even managed to land another hit with Faux Holy Sword Will as she made her retreat.

::Caladbolg’s electrification has been weakened. Could this beast have the power to absorb magic like Clotho does?::

Zipping around at lightning speed, Rion confirmed the state of the wolf’s abdomen. Although the size of the beast made the wound look insignificant, it was a proper gash, and blood was indeed dripping out.

::Slashes with a sword are effective! Not so sure about magi— what now?!::

The wolf hadn’t stopped at absorbing Thunderclap Edge. Electrical sparks began flashing between the strands of its fluffed-up fur, rapidly growing in intensity.

“ROOOOAAARRRR!”

The monster howled, unleashing the electricity it had collected as an area-of-effect attack that rushed at Sera and the others with a blinding flash and an ear-splitting boom. The blast grazed the edge of Rion’s outfit, but she managed to get away otherwise unscathed.

::Phew, that was scary! If I had been any slower, I’d be charcoal now!::

::Are you okay, Rion?!::

::Don’t worry, Sera-nee, it didn’t actually hit me. But it’ll be hard to get close now...::

Bluish-white electric currents crackled furiously over the wolf’s body. The previous attack made it clear that getting too close would likely be a fatal mistake.

::Refrain from using lightning-based spells for now! I’ll test the waters a bit more first!::

The pair of gauntlets that Sera was wearing — Arondight — were capable of transforming whenever she used Jin Scrimmage on her arms. One unique aspect of the gloves was that the more familiar the late Viktor — whose carapace had been used to create the equipment — had been with the spell or technique Sera used, the more powerful the gauntlets’ boost would be. At the moment, they perfectly complemented the vicious-looking claws on both of her arms.

This white wolf might be even stronger than me, but with Jin Scrimmage applied to my whole body, I should be able to manage! From her position high in the air, Sera suddenly plunged downwards.

The wolf noticed her rapid approach.

“Gloom Lance!”

An ominous-looking black spear appeared above her right arm and shot forward at an incredible speed. The Hero Miyabi had used that same spell when she’d fought Kelvin, but the destructive power and speed of Sera’s cast was on a whole other level.

With an eye on the incoming projectiles, the wolf crouched slightly, then abruptly disappeared from view.

It dis—

::Sera-nee, behind you!::

Rion’s warning came at the same moment Sera felt her Danger Detection skill reacting. She whirled around to see the wolf’s gaping maw, fangs bared. It had managed to circle around to her back with an unbelievable nimbleness that seemed disproportionate to its gigantic form.

I’ll use Sky Walk to — oh no!

Sera spread her wings and tried to take evasive maneuvers. But she was late by a beat and the wolf’s teeth seemed about to make contact.

“Don’t you...”

“Even think about it!”

Dainsleif slammed down onto the wolf’s head at the exact same moment Goldiana’s red fist exploded upwards in a strike that landed squarely on the monster’s lower jaw. Due to this combined attack from her fierce companions, the mouth that would have closed on Sera was forcibly slammed shut before it could reach her.

However, the electricity enveloping the beast was still in full force. Both men suffered damage at the moment of impact through their sword and fist, respectively.

“Owie!”

“Ugh...but no matter. Dainsleif!”

Demon Sword Dainsleif began to break down the electric current into magic and absorb it. Although the sword had been in contact with the monster for only a brief moment, the coat of crackling electricity was noticeably weaker than before. This was a feat that had been possible only thanks to the incredible toughness of the two men.

“Rahhh!”

Sera’s fist, packed with all the strength she could muster and wreathed in the Quagmire Boots spell, landed directly in the monster’s face, sending its huge bulk back towards the ground at an impressive speed. Due also in part to the added strength from Jin Scrimmage, the beast continued to slide for a while longer even after crashing into the floor of the cavern, sending up a huge cloud of dust.

Gerard and Goldiana landed on nearby footholds. Both of them had taken damage, but not enough to be concerning.

“Sorry and thanks, you two!”

“Looks like I was right to stay back and wait for an opening. Ugh...”

“I’m just glad my sixth sense activated in time. Dearie, you really shouldn’t let down your guard like that, all right? And I did feel a bit of feedback just now, but I don’t think we actually did much damage.”

“Mm, I’ll be more careful. But I picked up a clue from that encounter. This thing went to the trouble of dodging my Gloom Lances.”

Sera switched over to the Network to continue. ::Rion, it should be susceptible to damage from other elements. Use flame spells when providing support.::

::I’m not that good with flames, but...okay!::

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

From within the cloud of dust that had yet to dissipate, bluish-white flashes of electricity were once again visible.

::Ahaha, looks like it can generate its own electricity.::

::I’d guessed as much. It’s way above me in speed, but I hit it with Quagmire Boots just now. That should slow it down some.::

When the dust settled, the form of the white wolf was revealed, with blood trickling down its forehead, its previously pristine coat marred with red. It was snarling and in a very foul mood indeed.

Crackle.

The electricity emanating from its body began to separate. Soon enough, it was surrounded by innumerable tiny balls of electricity floating in the air.

“Be careful, dearies! It’s about to do something new!”

With sharp whooshes, the wolf’s tail began to bat the balls indiscriminately.

“Flame Rampart!” Rion, who had been closest, promptly erected a barrier of flames in front of her. As soon as the balls of electricity made contact, they stopped and expanded to swallow the entire wall.

Rion retreated to where Sera and the others were.

::Hmm, so that’s what happens when something touches those little orbs?::

::Gerard, stop commentating and help us evade them!::

Rion and Sera used their spells, Gerard generated his flying slashes, and Goldiana picked up nearby stones and threw them, all with the aim of setting off as many of the lightning balls as possible while they were still in the air.

Naturally, the white wolf did not sit back to watch.

“Here it comes!” Goldiana warned.

The beast charged forward at an incredible speed, moving in a zigzag pattern to avoid the deadly traps hanging in the air. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Rion noted that it had probably buffed itself with a spell similar to Lightning Enhancement, but there was no time for detailed analysis.

The approaching balls of lightning were problematic, but they were nothing compared to the white wolf itself. Everyone shifted to target the beast instead, throwing their respective long-range attacks at it while evading the bluish-white orbs around them. Their target was huge, sure, but it was also unnaturally nimble. Not many of their attacks actually landed.

::It’s moving that fast even with my Quagmire Boots debuff?!::

“I’ll stop it!” Gerard shouted.

“I can’t very well let such a handsome gentleman take the brunt of everything, now can I?” Goldiana cried, also stepping forward.

The two men intercepted the approaching fangs together. Goldiana tried to hold its open snout down, and Gerard brought his greatsword to bear, but the beast’s momentum seemed unaffected. Furthermore, it was still clad in its dangerous coat of lightning. Demon Sword Dainsleif was absorbing part of that energy, but not nearly fast enough. And even now, the remaining electric orbs were still closing in. Something else needed to be done, and fast.

::Sera, how about this?:: Rion sent Sera a suggestion that her brain processed almost instantaneously.

::Sounds good!::

As Sera took off into the air again, Rion shouted, “Lambent!” to create a light source even higher up in the sky than her demon companion.

What’re they doing? Goldiana wondered, being the only one not connected to the Network.

The wolf was equally bewildered as Sera’s shadow perfectly aligned with its right eye.

::NOW!::

Alex, who had been lurking in the shadows until then, emerged and plunged Lethal Opiate Sword directly into their adversary’s eye.

The monster let out a voiceless scream and the sword sank ever deeper as its victim writhed in agony. Alex, however, knew that it would be unwise to become overconfident and overstay his welcome, especially considering their opponent could unleash another electrical attack at any moment. When the timing seemed right, he dove back to safety through Sera’s shadow.

::Nice job, Alex! Guys, the white wolf’s sense of taste is gone!::

::That was a great idea, Rion. And robbing it of half of its vision — now that’s what I’m talking about! Well done, Alex!::

::Arf!::

Everyone praised Alex in turn. It was the first time the group had dealt any significant damage to their enemy. Hiding Alex’s presence at the start of the fight had paid off.

“You don’t have time to be writhing in pain right now, cutie pie!”

“Finally, we agree on something!”

With the white wolf letting up on its assault, Goldiana and Gerard shifted from the defensive to pressing their attack. In spite of their odd dynamic, the two were surprisingly in sync.

“Teddy Bear Strike!!”

Goldiana, who had circled around to the wolf’s right side — which was now in its blind spot— adopted a distinctive stance before unleashing a palm strike that connected cleanly with the beast’s right foreleg, breaking its balance and causing it to tilt over.

“Dainsleif, unleash!”

At the same time, Gerard expended all the magic that his sword had absorbed to gain an explosion of attack power. The black blade expanded to several times its wielder’s height, which made it extremely heavy. It was no longer something that could be lifted by any normal human, much less swung around.

“Hnnngggg...HAH!”

But Gerard not only managed to lift it, letting out a furious war cry as he did, he had no problem brandishing it in a furious assault. The gigantic sword sliced clean through the white wolf’s left foreleg and penetrated its abdomen. The limb went flying as its owner’s scream filled the air.

“ROOOAAARRRRRR!!”

Instinctively, the giant wolf tried to retreat. But the speed with which it had run circles around Sera and the others so far was no longer anywhere to be seen.

::Sera-nee!::

::Rion!::

The two noticed that fact and called out to each other at the same time. Now that the wolf had lost one of its forelegs, the girls, who were first and second in terms of Agility in the group, could finally match their opponent’s movements.

“Grrrrrrr!”

Electricity crackled furiously across the coat of the retreating monster. Rion, who was approaching first, found herself being targeted by a flash of lightning that was likely the most powerful attack unleashed so far. The slightest graze would have been deadly. Even so, she continued to charge forward, her steps confident and sure.

“Hah!” She swung Caladbolg at the approaching bolt of pure energy. In response to the wolf’s surprise, she shouted, “You’re not the only one who can absorb lightning!”

At the moment, Rion was not using Caladbolg as a weapon but as a shield. After fully absorbing the incoming attack, tiny sparks flashed furiously across the blade’s surface.

During this time, the others had been closing in on the beast as well. It let up its assault on Rion to turn its attention their way. At that very instant, Rion cast the “doubled” version of Lightning Enhancement on herself. This move was her wild card, as it placed such a great burden on her body that after ten seconds of use, she would be unable to move a single muscle for a time. It was her intention to finish everything then and there.

The wolf, which had now lost an eye and a leg, was no longer capable of properly dealing with Rion in her bolstered state. Deftly combining the usage of Sky Walk and Acrobatics, she slashed at the creature up, down, left, right, and any other way she pleased while shooting by so fast that the beast didn’t have time to make a sound.

With a soft tap, she landed gracefully on the far side of the white wolf. In her hands were Faux Holy Sword Will and Lethal Opiate Sword. She had called her partner up and exchanged swords with him immediately after casting Lightning Enhancement on herself. At the moment, Alex was wielding Caladbolg and Rion was wielding Lethal Opiate.

“Grr? GRRRR?!”

The white wolf was in a state of consternation. Its left eye, which was still unwounded, had inexplicably gone blind. Its sense of smell, which it had been relying on for much of the fight, was no longer sending any information. The creature’s panic was understandable.

::The rest is all yours, Sera-nee.:: Rion passed the baton as she collapsed where she stood.

::I’ve got you!:: Sera faced off against the beast, which had now been robbed of all five senses. She adopted a fighting stance even while flying into position with her Jin Scrimmage-buffed wings.

“GrrrRRRROOAAARRRR!” the beast screamed in a final act of defiance. Perhaps it possessed a detection skill, as it managed to brandish its remaining foreleg with deadly-sharp claws at Sera, still determined to tear her to shreds.

She tried to parry with her left arm, but the attack was so precise that it managed to dig all the way through Jin Scrimmage and into her arm. The shockwave generated by the impact caused an explosion against the wall behind her.

“Even so...so what!”

Enduring the shockwave and the pain of her bloodstained arm, Sera held her right hand like a spear and swung it, clad in Armor Corrosion, at the white wolf’s throat. The razor-like claws that had appeared on her hand thanks to Jin Scrimmage easily penetrated her target.

Unable to even scream, the monster attempted to lift its left leg one more time in its prison of darkness. However...

“You got some of my blood on you, didn’t you?”

Belying its will, the creature found its leg completely unresponsive. Consequently, it could not even retreat.

Sera’s Unique Skill, Blood Dominion, enabled her to dominate whoever and whatever her blood came into contact with. If the target was a living creature, she would gain control of the specific body part that her blood was touching. If it was a piece of equipment, a magic spell, or a derivative of either, she could seize control of it and manipulate it as she pleased. This terrifyingly powerful skill was something she had inherited from her father, Demon Lord Gustav. If nothing else, it was indeed a skill that seemed fitting for one who ruled over demons.

Whenever Gerard sparred with Sera, he knew better than to slice at her. Instead, he would patiently stick to hitting her with the flat of his blade (hard enough to send her flying) so as to avoid falling victim to Blood Dominion. This adversary, however, had no way of knowing any of that, and had therefore fallen under her control.

During that fight with Melfina, I only used this skill to break down her magic and absorb it, but this shows its real value when...

The drops of Sera’s blood that were on the wolf’s leg drew from the monster’s seemingly infinite magic reserves and directed all of that energy to her own palm. The beast remained frozen in place, anchored to the ground by its immobile leg. The only thing it could do was unleash its lightning elemental attacks, and its fur began to crackle again. But it was too late.

...it actually touches my opponent!

“Crucifixion!”

An inverted cross several times larger than the one generated during her fight with Melfina colored the trajectory of Sera’s fist as it crashed onto the crown of the white wolf’s head, staining every last inch of its pristine coat blood red.

◇ ◇ ◇

“All this Rank S meat!”

“And we gained so many levels too!”

Sera’s and Rion’s cheers of victory rang out through the cave. The harrowing mood from the fierce fight just before had disappeared without a trace.

“Meat? Ah, never mind. Good work all around, dearies. That was quite the fight, wasn’t it?” Goldiana looked slightly startled and rather amused by the sudden celebration, but made sure to offer words of appreciation to the group. Even he, despite being a Rank S adventurer, would have had a hard time handling the white wolf on his own.

“This thing was strong enough to be the strongest, or at least the second strongest, monster that I’ve ever encountered. Now I know for sure that all of you will do wonderfully even at Rank S.”

“Still, that was a tiring fight,” Gerard admitted, rotating his shoulder. “I can’t wait to get home and throw back a drink.”

“Oh my, I sure could do with one too. I’ll join you!”

“On second thought, considering how tired I am, I really should head straight to bed!”

Goldiana attempted to grab Gerard’s arm, but the latter saw it coming thanks to his Mind’s Eye skill and managed to slip away in the nick of time.

“Ahem. So, how are we going to get this carcass back to Parth? I see that all of you dearies have storage-type magic items, but you can’t store something this big in them, can you?”

“What? Of course we can,” Sera answered, promptly sucking the large bulk into her mini-Clotho. Naturally, from Goldiana’s perspective, it looked like she was using some sort of magic item rather than a living slime.

“Goodness gracious, that is amazing. A magic item that can store something so big is legendary! And the same can be said for all your equipment. Where on earth did you dearies find such treasures?”

“We didn’t exactly ‘find’ them. I suppose you can say that we...” Her words trailed off.

“They’re self-made?” Goldiana asked incredulously. An awkward mood filled the air for a moment. “This year’s rookies sure are full of surprises! Now I’m more interested in Kelvin-chan than ever!”

“As I said, Kelvin is...off...limi...” Sera crumpled to her knees.

“S-Sera-nee?!”

“What happened, Sera-chan?! Are you hurt?!”

“That’s...not it...but...I don’t feel so good...”

Sera’s breath was ragged. The wound on her left arm had already been treated with a recovery item, and her HP gauge was full. She wasn’t suffering from any debuffs, either.

“First send word to my king!”

“Right, okay!”

◇ ◇ ◇

“It should be any time now, I believe.”

After completing the dinner preparations, I was waiting in front of the basement door for Master to be done with his training. Per Sera’s request, I had gotten myself “fired up” about tonight’s meal. Ruka and Ellie had also lent a hand, and I had poured as much love — ahem, as much sincerity as I could into the dishes while cooking them.

“Then again, isn’t that what I normally do anyway?”

Still, I was sure that Master would eat it and tell me that it was delicious, just as he always did. The sight of him digging in with that blissful look on his face was something I would never tire of seeing. If possible, I’d have loved to feed him by hand like I used to, but since we were eating most of our meals with everyone else now, it had become difficult to find a chance to do so, which was a pity.

In that case, I’ll make a late-night snack and bring it to him! Anyway, whatever happened to Sera-san? Thanks to Master’s power, I could sense her general location. But she seemed to be rejecting all my telepathic messages. I hope she makes it back in time for dinner.

Creaaak.

I pulled myself together. Looks like Master’s just finished.

“Seriously, was it really necessary to go that far? My bones actually broke from your submission holds and those spells you hit me with hurt. Even though we both have White Magic, there is such a thing as taking it too far...”

Judging from the ice shards and bloodstains on his robe, I surmised that Master had really been pushing himself during his training session. He must have cast White Magic on himself already, as there were no visible wounds on his body, but he was so tired that he had to use his longstaff as a walking stick. I would never cease to be amazed by his refusal to grow complacent and the way he continually pushed himself to aim higher.

It seemed like he had been speaking, but as it had been no louder than a soft mumble, I had not been able to catch his words.

“Oh, Efil...thanks for waiti—”

Just before he could finish the sentence, he staggered and almost fell. I rushed forward to catch him before he did. Phew, I made it in time.

“So soft...”

Once again, I couldn’t hear what he was muttering, but there was no time to worry about that. “Master, you appear to be exhausted. I have already drawn your bath. Would you like to relax in it for a while before dinner?”

“That...sounds good, thanks. I guess I am in pretty bad shape right now. All right, yes please to the bath.”

“Very well, Master.”

“Oh, a bath? Maybe I should take a dip too.”

I looked up just in time to see Melfina-sama emerging. Didn’t Master say that no one was allowed to go in? That’s why I was waiting out here this whole time...

“Efil, I know what you want to say, but don’t worry, all I did was give him some kind advice on handling Rank S spells.”

Were my thoughts so easy to read? It seems I still have a long way to go as a maid.

“That was ‘kind advice’? It was more like ‘beat it into him’ from what I rem—”

“Hahaha, would you like to go for another round, honey?”

“Oh, man, I can’t wait to get into the tub and refresh myself!”

Master seemed to miraculously recover and took off for the bath at top speed. What a relief; it looks like I don’t have to worry about him.

“Oh, Master! I’ve already laid out a towel and a change of clothes in the dressing room!”

“Thanks, got it!”

And there, he’s out of sight. Looks like Clo-chan’s Gluttony skill is working out well for him.

“I’m sorry, Efil, for breaking my promise and entering the training room by myself.”

“It’s fine; I understand that you did it out of necessity.” Yet here I am getting emotional about it. How embarrassing.

“Actually, if you had been there, you could have helped by providing additional ‘advice’ from a distance with your sniping. Ugh, I hate how hasty I am sometimes.”

“I...suppose so?” What exactly is she talking about? It wasn’t often, but once in a while, Melfina would speak about things that I didn’t quite understand.

“Well, there’s no point crying over spilled milk, as they say. Efil, you should go help Kelvin wash his back. I know he just ran off like everything’s all right, but his muscles are definitely fatigued.”

“Very well. Will you be joining us, Mel-sama?”

“I’m feeling a bit peckish, so I’ll go look for something to snack on before dinner. Go on, don’t worry about me.”

I hope the amount of food I prepared is enough...

◇ ◇ ◇

After Efil and I got out of the bath and went to the living room, a string of fanfares going off in our heads all the while, I received an urgent telepathic message from Rion. To sum up what she said, they had encountered an extremely powerful enemy and, after defeating it, Sera had suddenly collapsed. Both her Status and HP seemed perfectly fine, and it wasn’t clear what was causing her condition. Furthermore, Alex, who had retreated into Rion’s shadow, also seemed to be feeling unwell. But of the two, Sera was doing the worst.

That sounds like it can only be one thing, I replied.

::You know what it is, Kel-nii?!::

If it’s what I think, there’s no need to worry. But it might be hard for them to do any more fighting in their current states. Gerard’s with you too, right? Would you still be able to get back easily enough if I Unsummoned Sera and Alex to bring them home instantly?

::We’re fine here, so please get them back quickly!::

All right, all right. Come on, what’s with that voice? You sound like you’re about to cry! Trust me, it’ll be fine. And hey, Efil’s really put her heart into tonight’s dinner. So get back safely yourself.

::Okay, we’ll be home in five minutes!::

Uh, there’s no need to rush that much —

Before I could finish what I was saying, Rion cut off the connection. It made me happy that my little sister had grown into someone who truly treasured her companions. But still, this is probably you-know-what, isn’t it? Suddenly feeling unwell after a burst of consecutive level-ups with nothing unusual showing on the Status screen...those are the textbook symptoms of Evolution. Gerard’s gone through it himself, and he’s with them, so why’re they so panicked about it? I guess it doesn’t matter. Let’s bring them straight back.

I Unsummoned then immediately Summoned both Sera and Alex, the first on one of the sofas in the living room, the latter on top of his own special cushion, which I had retrieved from Rion’s room.

“Sera-san’s breathing seems erratic,” Efil noted.

“Mhm. She looks like she’s having an even harder time of it than Gerard did.”

Alex was a bit lethargic as well but fully conscious, so we didn’t have to worry about him as much. In contrast, Sera was breathing heavily and showing no signs of waking. I cast Relief, a White Magic calming spell, just in case, but it didn’t seem to help much.

Melfina walked over to stand next to me. “It appears that Sera’s body is undergoing a rather extensive transformation. She might turn into something quite incredible.”

“Sera...”

Although I was sure this was simply the process of Evolution, I couldn’t help but worry when I saw her this way.

“There isn’t much we can do here. All that’s left is to give her time,” Melfina continued before placing a hand on my shoulder. “Honey, you stay with her for the day. I believe that to be the best support she could possibly receive.”

I paused, then nodded. “All right, I’ll do that. But first, let’s get her up to her room.”

I carefully lifted her in the “princess carry” pose. She was lighter than I’d expected. I made sure to be extra careful of the invisible horns on her head, lest they poked me.

“I’ll bring up your meal later, Master.”

“Thanks.”

After carrying Sera to her room — a space filled with fishing equipment and modern-style costumes tailored by Efil — I tucked her into bed. Every once in a while, I cast White Magic on her again, which seemed to improve her coloring a little, although I might have been imagining it.

Jeez, making me worry about you this much. Just wait till you wake up; I’m going to scold you like there’s no tomorrow. “Let’s...keep going with the White Magic, I guess.” Looks like this is gonna be an all-nighter.

Having resolved myself to a long night, things were going well enough until a massively buff gay man with pigtails in blond ringlets came pounding on our door. The golems on guard duty identified him as an enemy, which prompted Efil and Melfina to prepare themselves for combat as well. But...that’s a story for another time.

Just thinking about dealing with the aftermath of that incident gives me a headache.

◇ ◇ ◇

“I’m so sorry about what just happened. I found myself under attack, and my body simply reacted by itself.”

“Ahaha, please don’t worry about it, um, Goldiana-san.”

“Oh, you can call me Prettia-chan if you like. I like to keep things casual.”

“I...will do my best.”

I was currently in the lounge, sitting across from a man who’d identified himself as a Rank S adventurer. This big-boned individual with golden curls had been heading for our home when our golems had attacked him. Understandably, he had retaliated in self-defense, nearly obliterating them in the process.

I mean, I know it was a mistake on the part of our golems and they’re totally in the wrong, but if I saw him charging at me out of the blue, I’m sure I’d shift into battle mode too. I can’t really scold them even if I wanted to.

“Prettia-chan was in a hurry because he was so worried about Sera-nee. But for some reason, the golems at our front gate were activated.”

“You did a great job of stopping things before they got out of control, Rion. Efil and Mel were about to get serious.”

It had been difficult to convince Efil, who had perched herself on the balcony with Penumbra fully drawn, and Mel, who had been about to rush out with her beloved spear in hand, to stand down. If Rion hadn’t intervened, we might not have had a garden anymore.

“I am truly ashamed.”

“Whoops.”

I shot a look at the ladies behind me. Efil did look genuinely remorseful, but Melfina was grinning widely. You definitely knew and were doing it on purpose, weren’t you?!

“Oh my, it looks like Sera-chan has significant competition...”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, no, dear, I was just talking to myself. Kelvin-chan, you...aren’t quite what I imagined when I heard you were Rion-chan’s brother, but...this works too!”

“Seriously, what are you talking about?!” And Gerard, I saw you backing up a step there! Why’d you do that?! You’re making me feel more than a little anxious!

“By the way, Kel-nii, is Sera-nee okay?”

“Oh, yes, I’ve been worried about her too!”

Rion and Prettia leaned forward, eager for a reply. The former’s gesture was evocative of a cute bunny, while the latter’s rugged face seemed like it would have been accompanied by a number of “Rumble” effects in the background if we were in a manga. The pressure was so overwhelming that I instinctively wanted to draw back, but I controlled myself. He’s just showing his concern for Sera, and I truly am thankful for that.

“She’s currently being nursed by our maid, Ellie, who can cast simple White Magic spells. There’s no need to worry. Sera’s condition has settled down, and she’s resting now.”

“Oh, whew, that’s a relief...”

“My! Talk about a load off my chest!”

The two of them leaned back, settling into the cushioned sofa. Looks like they really have been concerned.

“Oh, right, Rion. It looks like Alex is on the verge of Evolving as well. He’s curled up in the living room, so how about checking up on him?”

“Really?! I’ll go right now!”

“Don’t run inside the house, though!”

“Uh, right, of course!”

You were just about to take off running, weren’t you?

Rion hopped off the sofa and opened the door to the corridor that led to where her partner was. She had probably maintained her telepathic contact with him the whole way home, but I figured she would want to be at his side at such an important moment. Guess I can leave Alex to her, then.

“Goldiana-san, I’m a bit late in saying it, but thank you so much for saving Sera and the others.”

“Oh, please, dear, what are you saying? I’m the one who should thank you. It was they who allowed us to almost completely eliminate the danger posed by the new dungeon. I believe the guild should be sharing the information we brought back with the other adventurers now. And Kelvin-chan, considering how close we are, you can drop the honorifics with me! Really!”

Uh, since when are we close? I mean, forming relationships with other Rank S adventurers is a good thing, but I feel like I’m in some other kind of danger here. Gerard, what was with that second step back?!

“Ahem, right, I’ll take your word for it. So, Prettia-chan, are you my opponent in the upcoming match?”

“My oh my, I suppose you would be curious. Rion-chan asked the same thing. That’s siblings for you!”

How can I not be curious? When talking about Rank S adventurers, the only other one I’ve met is the Beast King of Gaun. And both of you seem like you’d give me a pretty fun fight.

“Well, how about I explain the format of the practice match while I’m at it? First, your opponent will be Sylvia-chan, who was promoted to Rank S last year. She is known as the Ice Princess, and she’s a cutie pie with silver hair. That last part probably doesn’t mean much to you, though...” He trailed off as his gaze flickered over Efil and Melfina in turn.

What’re you looking at them for? You can’t have them. Just saying.

“That alias of hers...does it mean she’s a Blue Mage?”

“To be honest, I’ve never seen her fight. Normally, a new Rank S adventurer’s alias is given based on how they fought during their promotion match, but that didn’t happen with Sylvia-chan. Rio-chan at the guild might know more.”

“Never mind, then. I don’t know her abilities, and she doesn’t know mine. I’ll find out when we face off.”

“Oh my, what a manly thing to say!”

What’s more, Rio would consider giving me Sylvia’s information to be a favor, and there’s no telling what he’d expect me to do in return. Figuring out what this Sylvia is capable of will be part of the fun.

“A lot of VIPs from different countries will be coming to watch. If they like what they see, they might try to scout you out. However, I’ve never heard of an adventurer actually agreeing to such an offer. And the guild leaves the decision to each adventurer’s discretion.”

“I have no intention whatsoever of being bound to a specific country. I’ve already told Rio that.”

“Well, in that case, the guild should help you field the majority of those solicitations. They’ll send you a summary afterwards, so make sure you take a look, all right, dearie?”

The guild will help me to block the solicitations? I can imagine how annoying it’d be turning them down one by one, so that’s welcome news. But should we really be having so many VIPs gather in Parth when Trycen is clearly up to something? And how’d they all get the news so fast anyway?

“That leaves us with the format of the match. Among the VIPs will be the Oracle of Deramis, a cutie named Colette. You’ve heard of her, I hope?”

“Yes, I have.” Never mind having heard of her, I’ve gone dungeon-delving with the Heroes she summoned.

“Then that saves me the trouble. Colette-chan will erect a special barrier around the grounds where you’ll be fighting. She’ll also cast a spell on both of you, which will nullify the damage from one fatal blow. That’s why you can bring in whatever equipment you want. The moment that magic activates, the match is over. Cue the rain of cheering and applause.”

“You breezed past it like it’s nothing, but that’s an incredible spell, isn’t it? And wow, the Oracle sure has a lot of duties.”

“Yes, the poor dearie will be spending most of the day utterly exhausted, MP potion in hand. I suppose that goes to show just how powerful those spells are.”

Nullifying a fatal blow? That sounds a lot like the effect of Melfina’s blessing. If I remember correctly, the Oracles of Deramis have all had the same blessing, haven’t they? Did they reference that to come up with the spell?

::These are secret spells that have been passed down through generations of Oracles. Then again, they’ve been using such spells in this way for at least three hundred years, so I suppose they’re not so secret anymore,:: Melfina chimed in.

I see. And the fact that these spells will be used for the match means I should be able to use Analyze Eye on them. Let’s see if I can’t develop a new spell or two of my own based on what I learn.

“And that’s about all the explaining there is to do. Is there anything you didn’t understand?”

“Nope, I think I’ve got it all. Thanks a lot, Prettia.”

“Oh my! Don’t smile at me like that, you cutie! I’ve already made a promise to Sera-chan! What’s more, my heart is set on the wonderful Gerard-sama! Ah!” cried the mass of muscle while hugging himself and writhing about.

I looked in Gerard’s direction and found him all the way in the back, pressed up against the far wall.

Gerard, you...

::Please do not misunderstand, my king! My heart is and always will be for my wife alone!::

Uh, you were married before?

“I’m so sorry; I don’t think I can take it anymore, so I’ll be leaving now!” Goldiana cried. “Oh, there’s no need to be polite and invite me to stay and all that. The guild should have already made arrangements for me.”

“Uh, I see. That’s...a pity.”

I saw Prettia off, inwardly heaving a sigh of relief. All right, there’s only one day left until the match. A proper fight against a Rank S adventurer doesn’t come often, so I’d like to get in as much training as I can before then, but...

“Sera definitely comes first.”

After giving Efil a heads-up, I returned to the sleeping princess’s room.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Nn...”

“Hey there, sleepyhead.”

For several hours, I had continued to nurse Sera and cast White Magic on her. It was now around 2 am, a time when most of the city was fast asleep.

“What...happened? Where is...why am I here, Kelvin? I remember being in the cavern...”

Looks like she’s still half asleep. “You collapsed down there, so I Summoned you here. Make sure to follow up with Rion and the others later, all right? They were really worried about you.”

“Oh, right, I suddenly felt really sick and my sight went dark...and that’s where my memory cuts off. I must have fainted...”

Am I imagining it, or does she seem somewhat despondent right now? “That’s right. But it wasn’t for nothing. Your Evolution was successful!”

“Evolution? What are you talking about?”

She still hasn’t fully woken up yet? Ah, no, judging by her tone, she doesn’t even know why she fainted in the first place.

“The reason you collapsed was because you were Evolving. And you’ve just woken up because the transformation finally finished. From what I can see, your appearance hasn’t changed much, so how about checking your Status window?”

“Ooookay...”

It doesn’t seem to have sunk in yet. I’m sure it’ll hit home when she sees her Status, though. I should take a look with Analyze Eye too.

---

Sera (21 y/o, Female, Demon Blood Lord, Cursed Pugilist)

Level: 108

Title: Goddess Killer Pugilist

HP: 2,605/2,605 (+100)

MP: 2,746/2,746 (+100)

Strength: 1,317 (+100)

Endurance: 1,179 (+100)

Agility: 1,240 (+100)

Magic: 1,423 (+100)

Luck: 1,585 (+160) (+100)

Skills: Blood Dominion (Unique Skill), Bloodbending (Unique Skill), Combat Technique (Rank S), Black Magic (Rank A), Flight (Rank B), Presence Sensing (Rank A), Danger Detection (Rank A), Magic Detection (Rank A), Concealment Detection (Rank A), Dancing (Rank B), Musical Performance (Rank B), Super Luck (Rank B)

Passive Effects: Blessing of the Demon Lord, Summoning/Magic Supply (Rank S), Concealment (Rank S)

---

With the very significant increase across the board, Sera’s stats now rivaled Melfina’s, and she had even obtained a new Unique skill to boot. Going by the name, it was likely one that enabled her to control blood at will. Combined with Blood Dominion, which she had only been able to use in a passive way up until now, the variety of things she could do had just expanded substantially.

“This...is my power...?”

“It is your power, without a doubt. I think you have quite a few skill points still in the bank, so don’t forget to spend them too. Also...” I looked straight into her eyes as she slowly sat up in bed. “I heard from Rion and the others that it was your idea to defeat a Rank S monster just so that I could eat it, right? And that it was ridiculously strong.” I wish they’d invited me to join them, but that’s on me for putting up the “No Entry” sign on the door of the training room.

“Um, I, er, didn’t really have anything better to do, so finding an ingredient for you was more of a secondary goal, if anything. I-In other words, it’s not like I did it just for your sake, all right?!”

“Even so, thank you.” And since when have you been a tsundere character? Still, that was cute, so it’s totally fine with me.

Sera gasped softly and her face turned as red as an apple. Steam was practically coming from the top of her head. “Argh, I’m fine already, so get out!” she cried, flapping her arms wildly like a child throwing a tantrum.

“All right, all right, I’m leaving.” It’s not like I was teasing her, but it’ll be a problem if she starts throwing things at me. I’d resolved myself to pulling an all-nighter, but seeing as she’s regained consciousness and is kicking me out of her room, I guess I can go catch a few hours of sleep.

“You still haven’t fully recovered, so get some more rest, okay? Good night, Sera.”

“Hmph!” she snorted, turning her head away. But after a short pause, she followed it up with a proper, “Good night.”

Here’s hoping she’ll be back to her usual good mood by morning.

A huge yawn came to me unbidden. “Wow, the sleepiness really hits like a brick when I relax. I really should get to bed.”

I stumbled back to my own room, where I found Melfina fast asleep in my bed for some reason. I threw myself down beside her regardless. Oh, right, she went straight to nursing Sera after helping me out with that hellish training session. I suppose that would tire her out, yep.

My thoughts didn’t get much further before my consciousness sank into darkness.

◇ ◇ ◇

As always, Efil came to wake me up the next morning. While listening to the calming rhythmic chopping sounds coming from the kitchen, I cast my gaze over the list of the newest available quests that Ange had compiled for us.

The door suddenly banged open.

“Thank you for the wait, everyone! I! Am! Fully! RECOVERED!”

“Well, someone’s up early today.”

“Oh, only you and Efil are here?”

Normally, at this hour, Sera would be fast asleep. Melfina was...well, Melfina, but even Rion was still in bed. Efil was busy preparing breakfast, and Ellie was outside watering the garden.

“Gerard and Ruka went out for a walk. The rest are either sleeping or busy with something.”

“Aww, I even went to the trouble of getting up early to show my new self off...”

“Your appearance hasn’t changed, though, has it?”

“That’s where you’re wrong! My horns and wings got cooler!”

Which won’t be visible unless you take off your hair clip. In any case, I’m glad to see you back to your normal self. At least your mood’s improved. What a relief.

“Good morningggg.” Rion shuffled into the dining room, yawning loudly and rubbing her sleepy eyes. On her heels was a certain shadow wolf who had just undergone an Evolution of his own.

Sera turned around. “Good morning, Rion! You’re up early today!”

Rion stopped for a moment as her mind rapidly caught up. “Sera-nee! You’re all better!” she cried, lunging forward to wrap the other in a hug.

What an envia— ahem, heartwarming scene that is.

“All thanks to you. Sorry for making you worry. And you too, Alex...” Sera turned to look at the wolf and stopped short.

Oh right, I should probably share his new Status with everyone.

---

Alex (3 y/o, Male, Hróðvitnir)

Level: 92

Title: Hero’s Partner

HP: 1,637/1,637 (+100)

MP: 560/560 (+100)

Strength: 1,154 (+320) (+100)

Endurance: 712 (+100)

Agility: 889 (+100)

Magic: 556 (+100)

Luck: 498 (+100)

Skills: Shadow Travel (Unique Skill), Creeping Darkness (Unique Skill), Sword Mastery (Rank S), Acrobatics (Rank S), Olfaction (Rank A), Covert Action (Rank A), Concealment Detection (Rank B), Herculean Strength (Rank A)

Passive Effects: Summoning/Magic Supply (Rank S)

---

After checking the Network, Sera murmured, “You sure have grown a lot...”

“Arf!”

With his Evolution, Alex’s species had changed. Both his stats and physical size had seen remarkable growth. Even when sitting, his head nearly reached the ceiling now. Instead of looking at him, it was more accurate to say that we were looking up at him. When he had entered the room, he had barely fit through the door.

Looks like I’ll need to forge him a set of equipment on the scale of Gerard’s greatsword.

“That’s right! And he’s grown so much stronger! Last night, I couldn’t wait and brought him down to the training room for some special training, and —” Rion went on and on about her partner for a while, causing a questioning look — almost as if asking, “Um, you were worried about me too, right?” — to come over Sera’s face.

“You finished your Evolution as well, right, Sera-nee? It feels like you have this dignified aura now.”

“You can tell?! You really are different! Kelvin just told me that my appearance didn’t change at all. So rude, right? You see, this part of my horn —”

Whoa, how did Rion turn that situation back around? What a frightening child. Or, I guess in this case most of the credit goes to Sera’s easy-to-please nature.

“Oh, before I forget...Kelvin!”

“Yeah?”

“Yesterday...uh...” Here, Sera abruptly turned away. “Thanks for yesterday! I owe you one!”

“I would be happier if you could actually look me in the eyes while saying that...”

The answer that I got, delivered with absolute confidence, was a simple, “I can’t yet!”