Chapter 3: The Megalith Altar

1

A melancholic cry resounded from far, far away. The walls and ceiling were a galaxy of blue star crystal. At their feet was a volume of dark water that far exceeded the megalith’s capacity.

The sound of crashing waves, a whiff of salt, the dampness of the breeze, and a hint of homesickness had snuck their way into the children’s hearts. It all seemed to be an attempt to delude them that they were not at the depths of the earth but instead staring out at a starry sky over the ocean.

They were being forced to remember a faraway sea—the one the Seafaring Tribe once called home.

Erika shook her head. I need to get a grip. I do not long for any seas!

She concentrated on the fact that she had never once ridden a ship in this lifetime, and that she had only spent a few hours aboard them in her past life, to drive these fantasies from her head.

“Claus! Anne! I have a bad feeling about this place. Let’s hurry and get out—”

When Erika turned to face them, the Hafan siblings were writhing in pain atop the black tide.

“It’s sad, so sad, so very sad... Oh, Claus, Erika... Save me... My head is...”

“Get ahold of yourself, Anne! You need to focus on resisting the magic!”

Anne’s face was pale as she trembled, mumbling to herself in delirium.

Claus held her up, enveloping her in his protective circle barrier. He shoved a mana replenishing potion into Anne’s mouth and forced her to drink. After making sure she swallowed, he downed one himself and chanted a few spells to add more layers to his barrier.

“Are you two okay?!”

“Do you not feel it, Erika?!”

“I managed to shake off the feeling. What even is it?”

“Oh, I see, you Aurelians are dull—I mean, strong when it comes to this sort of magic.”

He’d definitely said something just now about Aurelians being dull and therefore resistant to mind-altering magic. What’s more, Erika had her father’s seal of approval for being especially slow.

“Right now, our minds are under attack by a very strong spell. This one overwhelms its target with feelings of sorrow and homesickness until it ultimately claims their very soul.”

“I feared my heart would be stolen away by grief, and I would fade to nothing,” Anne croaked, still clearly in pain.

“I see. We’re in quite a predicament.” Erika moved into Claus’ circle just to be safe.

Before their eyes, the megalithic altar continued to change. The mass of star crystal melted, growing smaller and smaller as though the passage of months and years were eroding it away.

Gradually, the monsters littering the floor of the temple were consumed by the black water. First, the soft flesh and organs, then pelts, scales, and finally bones dissolved one after the next.

“Claus, are we in danger if we stay in this liquid?”

“No, this magic doesn’t work on intelligent life.”

“We would probably be done for if that psychological attack had managed to destroy our minds,” Anne added.

The Hafan siblings were gaining this information from their Glámr-Sight. Erika envied the speed and flexibility of the magicians’ techniques.

But thanks to them, I think I’m starting to understand.

She compared the current situation to the events in Liber Monstrorum. Originally, Anne was supposed to fall victim to the eighth floor’s collapse all by herself. Naturally, she would’ve had neither a Feather Fall wand nor Claus’ powerful defensive circle to help her.

Perhaps she’d used what faint mana she had left to erect her own defenses, but she wasn’t able to protect herself completely. She was already heavily injured when she reached the temple.

What awaited Anne, as she was on the verge of death, was devastating, mind-altering magic and the black water that absorbed anyone and anything unfortunate enough to be caught in it. Assailed by these threats, Anne would subsequently be fused with the evil spirit.

That means this black water is actually...

As if to confirm Erika’s suspicions, the water began to move. It gathered around the spot where the star crystal megalith had been, swirling as it rose up from the ground and began to condense.

“I knew it! That’s the evil spirit!” Erika cried.

“The... what? Isn’t this an altar to your god? Are there any spirits that take on liquid form? Claus? Erika?”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” said Claus. “But sure enough, the magic structure of this liquid is similar to that of a spiritual being called a wraith...”

Erika’s sudden words had thrown the siblings into confusion.

“That’s...”

After a few moments of mulling over how she should tell them, Erika fell silent. She couldn’t talk about Liber Monstrorum in a situation like this, and besides, she was sure they wouldn’t believe her.

But this being a wraith makes it even stranger.

The evil spirit was supposed to belong to an alchemist who had been killed by his brethren because he had perfected the philosopher’s stone. If it was once a living person, shouldn’t it have been a ghost instead?

Through repeated expansion and contraction, the mass of black water gradually took shape. Its slick, liquid surface was soon covered in stiff, sturdy scales.

The creature had two curling horns like a ram, four limbs as thick as tree trunks with hooked claws growing out of them, and a spiked carapace of sorts atop its gargantuan body.

It was like a dragon or a tortoise, but it was truly neither. Erika had never seen or even heard of such a creature in this life or her last.

“GRRRRRRRAAAAAH!”

The monster’s roar echoed throughout the temple with nearly enough force to burst their eardrums. Their legs gave out before they could so much as think about running.

“What the heck is that?! You called it a spirit, but whether that thing is alive or dead, whether it’s a dragon or something else entirely, I can’t tell anything about it.”

“It’s supposed to be an evil spirit who led the Seafaring Tribe to this continent and created the philosopher’s stone, which could turn any substance in existence into gold. This thing should be the legendary alchemist, Zaratan.”

“Then why is someone so great an evil spirit now?”

“Well, they were... betrayed by my Aurelian ancestors, and their grudge...” Erika trailed off, realizing something wasn’t quite right.

A grudge? Is a grudge enough to change their form to such a degree?

It was far too different from the spirit in Liber Monstrorum. It was impossible for her to believe that the monster towering before her was ever anything remotely human.

As the black monster gazed at Erika, its lips curled, as if sneering at her.

No, I must be imagining it.

Its animalistic cry gradually shifted to something resembling a human voice.

“You say... I was human? An alchemist? Bwahahaha... You have it all wrong, child. No, wait, you’re...”

The beast’s great body began to quiver.

It’s laughing? No, that’s not it.

The monster was enraged. Its body was shaking with uncontrollable anger.

“You... You’ve forgotten me, Aurelian?! I... I still remember... An eternity may pass, but I haven’t forgotten even for an instant! Your smell... and the pain you have caused me!”

“Pain? It really is you, then.”

“Aah, it brings me back... That face, the gold hair, those emerald eyes... And yet, it took only a few hundred years for you to forget! Forget me...! The one you murdered!”

Something hard struck Erika’s entire body all at once, blurring her vision. The wind was knocked out of her, and her brain was cut off from its oxygen supply. She was overcome with the same panic she’d felt in her past life when someone had abruptly pulled her into a swimming pool as a joke.

By the time she noticed it, Erika was being pressed into the stone floor by one of the monster’s massive forelimbs.

“Bwahahahaaa! A gentle pat, and see what happens... Such weak life-forms you humans are! I see that’s one thing that takes more than a few centuries to change.”

“Ngh...! Haah, haah...”

“Bwahahaha, worry not, you coin-grubbing scoundrel. Oh no, I won’t kill you like this... An easy death is too good for you! You’ll get a full taste of it before you go. My pain, my regret, my loneliness, my... my...!

“I believed in all of you! You were my friends! How dare you... How DARE you betray me!”

Black droplets spilled out from the empty eye sockets peering into Erika’s soul.

Yeah, that’s the one who was murdered. No doubt about it.

The legend wasn’t quite what it had been in Liber Monstrorum, but this was certainly the same individual who’d been betrayed by her Aurelian ancestors.

“Remember this... Carve it deep in your soul before the flame of your life goes out! Accursed descendent of gold-hungry pigs! Zaratan is not my name. I am Zaratan just as you are Human. I am but a single Zaratan, a nameless Zaratan. One who forever lost the chance to know its name... thanks to you treacherous Aurelians!”

It was never truly talking to her. Every line it spoke was part of a monologue, heavy with anger, yet filled with such pain and anguish that it felt like her body was being torn apart.

Erika offered it as much of a nod as she could in her position.

Rather than the spell that had aimed to overwhelm her with sorrow and homesickness, it was, for some reason, the monster’s resentment which penetrated her heart. Just as her heart threatened to go out to the beast, a small explosion broke out before her eyes, and the Zaratan’s grip weakened.

The next instant, a rope wrapped around Erika’s body, and she was forcefully yanked out of its clutches.

“I don’t get it... Not a single word of it, monster. Stop talking like we’re not here.”

The Hafan siblings stood at the entrance to the inner sanctum. Claus brandished a Fire Bolt wand and his staff at the monster while Anne had a tight grip on the end of the animated rope wrapped around Erika.

I see, my bag... I must have dropped it when the Zaratan pinned me down. Erika finally realized she had been saved.

“Erika! Are you injured?!” shouted Anne.

“I... I’m fine. You two saved me.”

“Well, I’m not fine,” said Claus.

“Erm, what’s the matter, Claus?”

“You expect me to be fine and dandy after you nearly went off and died just now?! Carve this into your soul deeper than anything that monster says: I’ll protect you, no matter what! So get rid of that damn look in your eyes like you’ve given up on everything!”

Oh, is that what he sees? Erika asked herself. She was aware she had sympathized with the monster’s resentment, but what she felt was far from resignation.

“Umm, you could be just a little bit more honest, you know...”

“I didn’t ask for your input, Anne! Undo the rope and give that stuff to Erika already!”

Anne sighed as she loosened the rope and handed over the leather bag and a wand. Holding up a pack of spell cards and her own staff, she stood a little behind Claus.

Erika shook off her stupor and assumed a battle stance with the wand Anne had given her.

The Zaratan was already standing tall once more, slowly trudging toward the three of them. While a burnt stench still lingered in the air, the monster’s body didn’t bear a single trace of damage. Had its hard scales protected it, or had it already regenerated?

“This takes me back... It’s all so terribly nostalgic. I remember now. The wand of a petty alchemist, is it? It’s been so long that it took me by surprise, but such trivial parlor tricks won’t work a second time.”

“I see. Then prepare to be amazed by Hafan’s marvelous craft. You won’t need a second chance to see my magic after you’re dead!”

“Hah! You have spirit, little one! I can tell you aren’t Aurelian. You smell... different. Did you come for pocket change, or did the girl trick you? Whichever it is, I don’t care, but you would do well to heed my warning. In the end, Aurelians will betray you, just as they did me. It is simply in their nature. Now move. I have no quarrel with you.”

“Like hell I’ll stand down. You fall back, monster! If I don’t get her and my sister back safe, I’ll have to face my father... and he’s a hundred times scarier than you.”

Still standing undaunted to protect the two girls, Claus carried himself proudly in front of the monster. On the inside, however, he was probably terrified.

So, he still has that strong sense of responsibility at such a tender age, Erika thought as she stared at his back. But... She glanced down at the wand in her hands.

It was a Grease wand. The tip was halite, the shaft cherry. The handle was affixed with the skin of a boar. The wick was preserved pig’s fat.

What exactly am I supposed to do with this? Erika realized she hadn’t received any further instruction. With the intense staring contest going on between Claus and the Zaratan, this was no time to ask.

Yes, at such a critical moment, Erika’s confusion only deepened.

2

Claus raised a gruff cry as he charged at the ancient monster. The mass of countless spell cards all around him formed a column as massive as the monster’s limbs.

The Zaratan swung its front leg, and Claus willed his cards to guard him like a shield. The moment the beast’s sharp claws made contact, the orderly formation of cards deployed a conspicuously large magic circle.

It looked like sparks were flying in their intense clash as residual mana scattered in the air like petals or scales. Claus fell to one knee after being forced back two meters, but he was ultimately unharmed. A majority of his cards were put into his protective magic circle.

Anne took the opportunity to hide in the shadow of the arch dividing the altar from the rest of the temple. Erika took a page out of her book and leapt behind a pillar.

The back-and-forth between magician and monster continued. Claus was forced to stay on the defensive. At times, he would charge a spell card with mana and fire it, but he failed to so much as scratch the monster’s armor.

It was amazing enough he managed to hold it off, but his mana was not infinite. The potions in his possession were a limited resource.

His only offensive wand was the Fire Bolt. What’s more, it barely had any uses left.

I need to hurry and provide support!

Erika was beginning to panic. Unfortunately, the Grease wand wouldn’t inflict any damage, and she highly doubted it would produce enough oil to trip up those massive legs.

She opened her bag and fished out her wands. She hadn’t anticipated fighting such a gargantuan creature, so she didn’t have many wands she could use in combat. For the time being, she switched out the wands on her belt holster.

Lightning Bolt. Magic Missile. Paralyze. Gust. Castling. Levitate. She kept the Grease wand on hand too, just in case.

As she was swapping out wands, she noticed one that could serve as her trump card.

The Death wand. Its shaft was cypress. The tip was formed from a ring of twelve pyrope garnets. The surface of the staff was polished to a glossy sheen, then carved with the Aurelian word for lament. Its wick was the last breath of a life-form that had died of natural causes, wrapped in myrrh-soaked cloth.

Death magic could only kill living beings smaller than whatever had breathed life into its wick. When preparing for combat against other humans, its maker would often procure the last breath of a horse.

However, this wand was made specifically for dungeon exploration. If it was made to kill ravenous beasts and monsters, then surely it contained the breath of a considerably large creature.

Erika sized up the Zaratan. It was bigger than an elephant.

I only have one shot at this. If the wick is a whale, it’s my win. If it’s a bear or tiger, we give up and run.

Claus backed off to dodge the Zaratan’s claws, and Erika used that opportunity to spring out from the shadows.

“Over here, monster!”

It reacted to her voice, coming to a sudden stop. The moment it saw her, its face contorted in glee.

“Auuuuureliaaaaaan!”

Its scream, thick with malice, sent vibrations coursing through the temple air.

It’s supposed to be scary, but it’s somewhat... comforting, even. Erika wasn’t sure why, but her heart was filled with a peculiar delight.

The monster peeled itself away from Claus as it turned to face Erika, preparing to charge her. In that instant, Erika swung her Death wand.

A dark, inconspicuous black-and-crimson circle materialized at the end of the wand. Three distorted shadows, reminiscent of hands, emerged from it and stretched out toward the monster.

The black hands of death quietly stroked the Zaratan’s neck.

“Ahh, yes... Oh, I remember this magic, you cowardly imp! Foolish woman. There is no life-form larger than me anywhere in this world. I am this city itself, the very earth you stand on... I am the one who let you poor vagrants ride upon me as I crossed the sea to these lands.”

Erika was shocked. If it was telling the truth, even a Death wand filled with the breath of a whale wouldn’t be able to fell it.

The Zaratan kicked off the ground, sprinting at her with speed unbefitting of its bulk. She quickly cast aside the used-up Death wand and pulled out her Paralyze wand.

It’s no good! I won’t make it in time!

She inadvertently found herself curling up and closing her eyes.

In that instant, she heard a harsh and cacophonous sound, like a car slamming into concrete. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Claus had stepped in front of her to protect her. He’d added another several hundred spell cards to his defensive circle to bear the brunt of the attack.

“Claus!”

“Erika! You, why didn’t you... No, that’s my fault. I didn’t properly explain the plan.”

“Huh? I’m sorry, did I mess up?”

“My attacks are useless, and nothing will happen if I just keep drawing it away, right?”

Erika was finally starting to understand Claus’ strategy. Presumably, as he had the best defense, he would continue to lure the enemy while his comrades provided minimal support so they wouldn’t be considered a threat. That was why Erika was supposed to use Grease support magic.

But isn’t that plan a bit too dangerous for Claus? Unless someone fights this thing off with a decisive blow, the situation will just get worse and worse. If he gets injured, we have no way to treat him.

“I still have a Paralyze and a Lightning Bolt wand. While these may not be enough to beat it, I can create an opening for us to make our escape.”

“No, save your offensive magic. I’ll tell you when to—”

The Zaratan’s claws sliced through the defensive circle. Consecutive attacks had weakened the unity of Claus’ spell cards, and about half of them were stripped off and thrust aside. A massive smile peeked through the rift in the barrier.

“Bwahahaha! All finished with your cheap charade?”

“Erika! Now!”

“On it!”

Claus barely made do with half the cards, but he somehow managed to hold the monster back.

Erika drew the Grease wand. Would it really prove useful in this situation?

No, I need to trust Claus for now.

When she waved it, a white sphere of magic ballooned out from the tip. When it reached the size of a basketball, it gained physical mass, forming a large bubble of fat.

“Please hit!”

She flicked the wand again to send the ball flying at the Zaratan. The orb bobbed up and down, slowly flying along its course. Just when it reached the tip of the creature’s nose, the Zaratan moved out of the way, looking rather disappointed.

Perhaps it would have worked against a human in heavy armor, but trying to hit such an agile monster with oil magic was a Herculean feat.

A split second later, Claus was blown away, spell cards and all.

“Claus?!”

He tumbled across the floor, coming to a stop at the opposite end of the room.

The Zaratan padded toward Erika at a leisurely pace. It did so quite purposefully, as if it enjoyed the act of cornering its prey.

“Puny humans... Your struggles are futile. That’s right, you always used such petty tricks. It’s all coming back to me now... It was the same when you killed me. That night, when we reached the continent, I was so tired from carrying you that I fell asleep...! You shameless vultures! Did you want the philosopher’s stone so badly you would drop a thousand stars upon me?!”

“The philosopher’s stone?” Erika piped up.

Just as the Seafaring Tribe had sought after it long ago, modern-day alchemists were all in pursuit of this precious artifact. It could change any base metal into gold—a miraculous stone that could transmogrify all of creation into any material one desired.

Going by the events in Liber Monstrorum, Zaratan the alchemist should have been murdered by those looking to steal the philosopher’s stone.

“Oh, the stone interests you, does it? I see, you really are the spawn of those insatiable Aurelians. I don’t blame you. But you won’t get it. Your shallow plots are all pointless. The philosopher’s stone is my very soul. You tore through my stomach and gouged out my entrails, but you were never going to find it!”

Erika finally understood. It had been naive of her to think that everything would work out as long as she could save Anne. This dark monster will never forgive me or my lineage. Its grudges are directed at all the people of Aurelia; its death is a sin we all have to bear. As long as we alchemists continue to seek out the stone, it will continue to condemn us for our crimes.

“Throw down your wand, girl of Aurelia. I know every spell you can even think to cast my way. You can’t kill me unless you drop a star from the sky. So, what will you do now? You do resemble the girl I grew up with long ago, so I wouldn’t mind offering you mercy. However... that’s only if you can turn on the other two and kill them with your own hands. Betray your comrades as your ancestors betrayed me!”

The monster’s mouth spread nearly wide enough to tear, its rows of fangs—each the size of a tactical knife—weaving into a smile.

“I could never do that!” Erika heard herself shout. Killing the two of them to save herself? She would never agree to such a dastardly transaction.

“I knew it! For someone who speaks nothing but lies, there’s no way you’d admit to wanting to kill someone! But let’s turn this around. You there, girl in hiding! If you leave the Aurelian behind and run with your tail between your legs, I’ll let you and your brother out of here safely! Surely she’s just like her ancestors, only caring about herself. Would abandoning her really wound you?”

The Zaratan spread its front legs wide with the poise and gravitas of a theater actor, its eyes fixed on Anne’s hiding place. What the monster desired was a reenactment of betrayal. A betrayer and a pitiful victim. It demanded an offering, a companion in its misery—to see faith, friendship, and compassion crumble before its eyes.

As Anne glared at the monster, it sensed her hostility and laughed, wholly amused.

“Could you stop trying to seduce my sister?”

With Claus’ voice came the sound of something slicing through the air. Spell cards stuck onto the monster’s knee joints in triple-layered rings. This was binding magic, meant to fasten a target to a point in space.

The triple binding caused the Zaratan to lurch forward, but it still came to a halt.

“If you insist, you’ll have to go through me first,” Claus added.

“You can still move? What foolishness, to cast aside the life I purposefully conserved!”

“I’ll never abandon someone I’ve sworn to protect.”

Claus poured mana from his staff into his cards, slowly walking up to the Zaratan. Here and there, his torn clothes revealed bruises and scrapes. He really was wounded all over, but he’d avoided any major lacerations or broken bones.

After spitting out a bloody lump of saliva, Claus continued, “Besides, what’s wrong with being a fool? Better than being a liar or a traitor, right, monster?”

He gave a fearless smile to intimidate his foe. An inferno blazed in his brilliant blue eyes.

“It’s useless, little one. Your magic cannot pierce me. The same goes for that Aurelian Fire Bolt wand.”

“Don’t look down on my magic, you nameless beast.”

“The blood that flows through them may differ, but humans are all equally foolish. You would stand with Aurelia thrice to hinder my revenge? Do you know who it is you dare to threaten? Do you know how merciful I’ve been? Will it take death for you to realize how fortunate you were?!”

The Zaratan clenched its claws, raising a roar like an earthquake. As it focused its power into its body, cracks spread through the rock-hard substance making up its shell, and its form began to swell like a flexing muscle. It was as if its outer armor was no longer able to withstand the pressure from within.

Bodily fluids resembling black seawater gushed out of the gaps and hardened anew. By repeating this process, the monster swelled larger and larger, as though it was attempting to regain its original form.

Apart from its knees, still held in place by binding magic, the Zaratan’s legs had doubled in thickness. Even its restrained limbs threatened to break free. The magic circle facilitating the seal was bent out of shape.

Then the magic finally burst, its mana spilling out in fine grains of light.

“Claus, the restraining magic fell apart!”

“It’s still too soon, but... Ugh! Change of plans!”

Claus wildly swung his staff to control the flight path of countless spell cards, which stuck fast to every nook and cranny of the Zaratan’s body.

“If a normal Fire Bolt’s no good, then how about I turn up the heat?!”

He had secretly been using his spell cards to collect the spilled grease the monster had dodged earlier. Now aiming straight at the fat-spattered monster, Claus unleashed an arrow of flame from the wand in his hand.

As the compressed inferno hit its mark, the grease immediately caught fire. A pillar of flame rose several times higher than the Zaratan itself, illuminating the dim labyrinth as though it were midday.

“No way...”

Claus’ mutter was answered by a low chuckle.

“What is it, little one? After talking so tough, that’s all you can do? You couldn’t kill a fly with a flame that weak.”

Its body enveloped by the fierce blaze, the Zaratan calmly walked toward Erika. There was nothing holding it back now. It held out its two enlarged forelimbs and slowly brought them together.

In accordance with these movements, the flames engulfing the Zaratan shrunk, sucked away into the soles of its feet. By the time its front claws were touching, the fire had dissipated entirely.

“Grr...! I’ll just bind you again!”

“Hah! I won’t fall for the same trick twice!”

The Zaratan batted the cards away before they could position themselves, closing the distance one step at a time. Its strength had definitely increased with its size. This time, even Claus might not be able to hold it in place.

This is bad, Erika thought as she swiftly used the Lightning Bolt wand. Before the bolt of electricity from its tip could hit the Zaratan, the monster opened its mouth and let loose a familiar-looking stream of magical flames.

Fire and lightning met head-on, the structures of the two spells interfering with and offsetting one another. Both spells soon cleared the air, and the Zaratan stood unhindered and unharmed.

“Fire magic? How?”

“Oh no... It can’t be!”

Erika and Claus gaped at the monster.

“You’ve noticed far too late! Now, be good and get crushed like the vermin you are!”

A massive forelimb, thicker than a number of trees bound together, loomed over their heads. Claus leapt in front of Erika, his arms outstretched to protect her.

The next moment, a single streak of light crossed her field of vision. A fine yet powerful ray collided with the Zaratan’s left knee. The monster’s thick scales crumbled as the beam pierced all the way to the other side.

After a moment of silence, the hole opened by the light burst into pale blue flames. With its knee joint destroyed from the inside, the Zaratan missed its next step.

“Claus! Erika! Run!”

“Nice work, Anne!”

Claus dragged Erika by the hand out of the inner sanctum. Anne awaited them there, her staff at the ready and sweat on her brow.

Along the way, they crossed paths with a vial Anne had tossed through the air: the bottle of obscuring mist. Its glass casing shattered against the monster’s scales, scattering a thick, white mist. The mist spread further and further until it had cloaked the entire inner sanctum of the temple.

“What took you so long? We almost died back there.”

“Just be glad I fired the spell at all.”

“You concentrated too much mana into it. It would have still gone through if it was a little weaker.”

“For crying out loud, Claus! Less yapping, more running!”

Only Erika failed to grasp the situation. She silently listened to the Hafan siblings’ exchange while sprinting with all her might.

“For starters, Claus, you could have at least given me an explanation.”

“What?!” cried Erika. “He didn’t tell you anything either?”

“Yeah, my bad. We didn’t really have the time.”

“I would’ve understood if you’d just told me you were going to save Erika and get out! When you went toe-to-toe with that monster, I was sure you had lost your mind.”

“Anne, that kinda stings...”

“I for one just thought it was just Claus doing Claus things.”

“What exactly do you people think I am?”

Erika and Anne averted their eyes.

“Well, Claus, you’re a very brave and audacious person,” said Erika.

“Yes, you’ve got courage, and... courage... A lot of courage, let’s go with that.”

“Honestly, you two—”

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by a thunderous roar from behind. The three of them turned to see that the wall separating the inner sanctum from the rest of the temple had collapsed. The beast burst out from the ocher haze of dust and magical mist.

Having lost a leg, the Zaratan slammed both its forelimbs against the ground, charging forward with a hobbling gait.

“It’s already up and running?! Come on, hurry!”

They breezed through the temple and scampered into a narrow corridor at one end. Not a second later, the passage shook from a massive impact. Dust sprang from every surface to fill the cramped space. It seemed the Zaratan wouldn’t be able to follow them due to its size.

Something massive reached through the nearly collapsed entryway, and the tip of Erika’s nose was grazed by a claw as sharp and deadly as an executioner’s ax.

“Whoa!”

“Erika, keep moving! We need to go deeper!”

“You have to move, Erika! Get out of its reach!”

While Erika cowered in fear, Claus and Anne pulled her out of harm’s way. The Zaratan’s claws swung wildly right before their eyes. The monster was groping around for them, scraping again and again at the floors and walls. Once it realized its prey wasn’t within reach, it pulled back its foot and placed its eye against the corridor. An empty eye socket, pitch-black like a bottomless pit.

“Hate you... hate you, hate you, hate, hate, hate, hate, hatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehatehateHATEHATEHATEHATEHATE... Cowardly Aurelian... Brats who take her side... I won’t forgive any of you. I’ll make you my playthings until you beg me to kill you...”

With those ominous words, the Zaratan withdrew its face and used its claws to destroy the entryway. The hard stone was punctured as easily as styrofoam by the monster’s strength, which exceeded human understanding.

“Eep!”

“Aaah!”

“Move! Talk later! Just run!” Claus barked, and Erika and Anne ran as fast as they could.

I was sure I was dead this time.

With so many shocking situations happening one after another, Erika’s mind had come to a near-complete stop, but she had enough sense to devote her entire being to placing one foot in front of the other.

3

The three children ran for some time before they stopped hearing the destructive sounds of the Zaratan behind them. They had traversed numerous crossroads, and by now the temple had to be a considerable distance behind them. Granted, they were completely lost, but this was hardly a problem; they intended to use the Wall-Phase scroll and the Levitate wand to escape. Still, the occasional rumble told them that the Zaratan was still hot on their heels.

Once they had all calmed down a bit, Claus piped, “If I really must explain, I was buying time. When fighting a large monster, you often can’t outrun it because of the length of its stride. No matter how slow an opponent may look, you can never make light of them. That’s why I stood in front to buy time, since I have the best defense.”

“Its charge was frighteningly fast. I didn’t think it would close the gap between us that quickly...” Anne conceded.

“Yeah, exactly. Even if we were at a safe distance, it would be too dangerous to face that thing in a place with few obstacles.”

“I mean, how is it going that fast while missing a leg?” Anne grumbled.

Erika recalled the terror she’d just felt. She knew the human body froze when it was possessed by fear. “Why did you permit Anne to attack?” she asked Claus. “You told me not to.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“Erika, concentrating mana is my specialty. As long as I have the time, I can use very powerful magic.” Anne timidly pressed a hand to her chest as she spoke.

Erika recalled that the capabilities of Hafan magicians were greatly influenced by their personal traits.

“By charging a spell with extra mana, Anne can fire off stronger magic than the average magician.”

“But it takes time to do it, and I’m no good with spells that have a wide area of effect.”

“Point is, she’s good at precision work, so she’s perfect for sniping.”

In exchange for being bad at spells that worked over too large an area, Anne was good at concentrating her mana. This allowed her to use precise, compact magic, which was how she had been able to penetrate the Zaratan’s body when the wand and even Claus’ spell cards couldn’t.

“Still, you don’t usually make an attack-magic novice use something as destructive as Scorching Ray, brother.”

“Better than risking some low-output attack that could fail to pierce him, right?”

“Wait, are you incapable of casting Scorching Ray, Claus?” Erika asked. She’d assumed Claus was the sort who could wield any type of magic.

“My hands were full with the protective circle. If I hadn’t deployed my spell cards at max output, I would’ve lost to that monster’s brute force.”

“Ah, so that’s it.”

Claus had bought them time with his defenses while Erika had supported him with the Grease wand. Then, Claus had attacked with Fire Bolt, and Anne had sniped the monster with Scorching Ray, giving the three of them the chance to run.

Erika finally understood Claus’ plan.

“Claus, let’s hurry and use the Wall-Phase scroll to escape,” Anne suggested.

“I’m not so sure about that,” he replied. “You both saw that monster’s ability, didn’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Huh? What sort of ability?” Erika asked, feeling left in the dark. She understood that the monster was enigmatic, but she didn’t have a grasp on its abilities.

Just what could it be? She waited for Claus to explain.

“Your Glámr-Sight wore off? Come to think of it, the Glámr-Sight in your wands is very short-lived.”

“Yes, I didn’t have time to recast it in battle.”

“Well, you saw how my magic didn’t work on it, right?”

“Yep, that part I got.”

“When the flames were sucked into its feet, the monster seemed to be using spatial manipulation. That made me suspicious, but it really clicked when it spat out fire. That was Fire Bolt magic. What’s more, the creator was listed as Eduard Aurelia.”

If Eduard had created that magic, then what sort of trickery was this? Erika had a very bad feeling about it.

“In other words, that monster absorbs magic and then shoots it back out?”

“Yeah. Unfortunately.” Claus nodded.

What a troublesome ability. The Zaratan’s sturdy defenses were already formidable, but on top of that, magic didn’t work against it. Still, something seemed off to Erika. If it absorbed magic, how had they managed to damage it at all?

“Then why didn’t it absorb Anne’s Scorching Ray?”

“I’m assuming it isn’t an automatic ability. It has to react to the attack, manually take it in, and then fire it. That’s why a surprise attack was effective.”

“So preparation is important... It’s the same for us alchemists. How very fitting for a monster of these ruins.”

This meant sniping wouldn’t work again. If the monster anticipated another one of these attacks, it could absorb it the next time around and gain a powerful spell to use against them. Their foe was truly terrifying.

“But why does that mean we can’t use the Wall-Phase scroll?”

“As long as that thing is still on our tail, we can’t use it willy-nilly. In the one-in-a-million chance we come into contact with it while Wall-Phase is active, we’ll probably burn to death.”

“Huh?!”

“That monster still has one of my Fire Bolts left. There’s probably an inferno blazing inside it, waiting to be fired.”

So it was the same as the acid-hydrogel golem. If they passed through an object storing a flame, they would die.

“Then what should we do, Claus?”

“I’ll put up my protective circle to prevent contact. Meanwhile, Anne, you cast Wall-Phase on all of us.”

Their ears told them that the monster was always lurking close by. Claus would have to protect them to make sure they never passed through its body while the scroll’s spell was in effect. As long as they could do that, they had a good chance of escape.

“You want me to do it?”

“Erika can’t use a magician’s scroll, right? My hands will be full with the circle.”

“I’m so sorry, you two...”

“O-Oh, no! It’s nothing you have to apologize for.”

Erika felt overly apologetic. Using a magician’s scroll required a certain level of vocabulary and understanding of mana manipulation, neither of which Erika could help with.

“For starters, let’s find a medium-sized room or a dead end somewhere. I can’t defend against that thing from all directions.”

“But Claus, if that monster approaches in liquid form, can’t it attack from anywhere?”

“No, it needs a large, open space to form its outer shell. If I set my cards to erect an anti-undead circle around the whole room, it won’t be able to get in through the cracks and gaps in the stone.”

This is all starting to feel like one of those horror movies where a house is haunted by a vengeful ghost. Come to think of it, there really is an evil spirit lurking in these ruins...

The evil spirit wasn’t a ghost, though; it was a giant monster, which made her think she was in more of a monster movie than a horror film.

“By the way, why do you know so much about its capabilities, Claus?”

“She’s right. You shouldn’t be able to tell that much from Glámr-Sight alone.”

“Yeah. Truth be told, I tried sealing part of it.”

Claus held up a light-brown glass vial, which contained a dubiously wriggling, black liquid.

This is a part of it? Erika stared intently at the squirming substance.

“I collected it when Anne blew off its leg. That monster’s innards have a similar structure to a wraith’s, so I wanted to see if sealing magic that works on wraiths would be effective.”

“I’m surprised you had the time for that,” said Anne.

Erika inaudibly lauded Claus’ sheer pluck for handling a bottle containing any part of that abomination. No normal person would ever want to touch something so sinister, vial or not.

“Its outer shell is made from the corpses that fell from the eighth floor. The seal won’t work from the outside.”

“So you can only seal it in a bottle when it’s in liquid form.”

“That’s right. If you want to reseal it, you have to destroy its outer layer first. We need to pass this information on to Duke Aurelia.”

The monster would surely give chase even if they managed to make it out safe and sound. Then it wouldn’t just be Erika—the other people of Aurelia would be in danger. Naturally, House Aurelia would stand at the vanguard of the battle.

During that time, this small vial containing a sample of the monster would definitely prove useful.

All of a sudden, Anne glared harshly at her brother.

“Claus... What do you think about the monster’s ability to accurately track us no matter how far we go?”

“No way! It’s... I-I-It’s because of this?!” Claus turned pale as he gawked at the vial.

Apparently, the Zaratan could detect this detached portion and use it as a marker. Alternatively, this portion might have been calling out to the creature’s main body.

“Oh, I see. So that’s what it’s chasing.”

Erika finally understood. No matter how much of a monster the Zaratan was, it was strange for it to keep chasing what it couldn’t see.

“Claus!” Anne shouted before he could drop the vial. “Keep a good grip on it! Who knows what will happen if that breaks!”

“What do I do, Erika?”

In a panic, Claus passed the bottle off to Erika. And Erika, lost in thought, inadvertently accepted it.

“Why are you giving it to me? Don’t just hand it over because you don’t want to deal with it!”

With the small vial containing a monster in her hands, Erika was regretting from the depths of her heart that she had ever set foot in the Seafarer’s Ruins.

☆

Erika stood at the crossroads, waving her Mage Hand wand. Five invisible fingers gripped the bottle containing a portion of the Zaratan, floating it down the dark corridor.

The bottle was laced with Anne’s alarm magic. If the monster broke it, the clapperless bell Anne carried would make a sound to alert them.

“That should buy us some time.”

“Pretty clever of you. I guess your mind doesn’t fall short of your looks.”

“Oh dear, you must mean I have villainous thoughts running behind my villainess face. Villainous indeed.”

“Err, no, that wasn’t what I meant at all...” Erika’s teasing had Claus terribly flustered.

“If we don’t get out of here fast, buying time will have been pointless.” Anne delivered a kick to urge Claus forward. “Still, I’ve lost my sense of which direction is which.”

“Even if my Find the Path cantrip doesn’t cost much mana, this floor drains mana like all the others. I can’t use it that frequently.”

Fatigue had piled on thick for Claus and Anne, especially when compared to Erika. These ruins were evidently too harsh on magicians.

“I’m worried we’ll do a full circle and run straight into it,” Erika said. “Do you have a plan for when that happens, Claus?”

“Don’t worry. The passages are narrow, so we’ll know if we’re approaching it by the sound of it digging through the walls.”

“The monster should head to the bottle before it comes for us. We’ll be safe until the bell rings.”

At that moment, they heard the booming of a blusterous bellow as the ground rumbled beneath them. The children reflexively readied themselves, but they quickly realized that this wasn’t the sound of the Zaratan digging.

It was the grating of grinding gears and the shrill scraping of stone against stone.

“That’s the sound of the maze shifting... right?” Erika asked cautiously. “For a second, I thought the monster was back.”

“Yeah,” Claus grunted.

“Come to think of it, the maze is still operating normally.”

The labyrinth had continued to move even after they had given the Zaratan the slip. Erika knew it would eventually lead to something unpleasant. The moving maze had caused them so much trouble along the way; she had a vague sense that nothing good would ever come of it.

Straight ahead, the path became a dead end, but halfway down the corridor was a heavy metal door.

“Let’s hope that the next room is a manageable size.”

“We won’t know until we see it.”

When Claus opened the door, it revealed a considerably vast room.

We’ll have to get searching again, Erika thought as she was struck by the weight of their wasted efforts.

That being the case, the junction behind them was where they’d sent the bottle to buy time. The plan would be ruined if they turned around.

“Let’s hope there’s another door in here.”

Erika took a look around the room. She felt there was something terribly familiar about it.

“Wait! This one’s bad. Erika! Anne! Get out n—”

Decorative walls and pillars, a floor scattered with rubble, and a wide-open ceiling—this was the temple where the Zaratan had been sealed. They had entered from one of the transepts, so it had taken her a moment to connect the dots.

Just as they tried to retreat, something fell in front of the door, blocking their way out.

Solid black scales, eyes as empty as the abyss, claws so sharp they could slice through bedrock like butter. Its wounded leg already healed, the monster Zaratan now stood before them in perfect condition.

Erika understood that the monster had baited them. Had it climbed up the wall to launch an ambush? It was surprisingly nimble for its large frame.

“I’ve grown weary of waiting, humans.”

“What... What did you do?!”

“It was no coincidence. I ushered you here personally using the mechanisms that alter the maze. We are inside my body. I know this construction better than anyone.”

The Zaratan gestured to where the wall had been destroyed, exposing the gears within. By directly turning the gears, it had personally altered their course.

“Brother, do you have another Scorching Ray scroll?”

“If only. But that monster won’t drop its guard again. No matter what magic we send its way, it’ll absorb it for sure next time.”

“Then what can we do?”

“I don’t know. We were so close...” Claus let out a bitter groan.

Erika shared his exact sentiment. After coming so far, being cornered like this is just cruel. She contemplated whether they had another means of escape, but she ultimately drew a blank.

“Anne, Erika! Its charge is dangerous! Split up and find cover!”

Claus scattered all of his remaining spell cards, deploying his protective circle at maximum output. He raced straight toward the monster without a moment of hesitation. Erika and Anne went separate directions, as instructed, each finding their own thick pillar to hide behind.

But the air froze over as Claus was sent flying by a single blow from the monster. Its forelimbs were thicker, longer, and more sinister-looking than the last time Erika had seen them. Evidently, it had transformed again.

“I’ve grown tired of playing with children. Now, how should I kill you? Any ideas, daughter of vultures? Oh, I’ve got it. Aurelian, I’ll start by killing the other two right in front of your eyes. A special gift just for you.” The Zaratan’s voice was filled with glee.

“What?!”

“Bwahahaha, how wonderful. Your pain is my blessing! Now, may your soul taste the darkest depths of loneliness and despair! You shall offer your soul and sweet flesh to me!”

The beast chirped, all at once laughing with joy, singing a song, and raising a scream.

“I’ll start with the smallest, most powerless, yet strongest one among you. The one who inflicted the greatest wound upon me. I’ll snuff out your hope!”

With only two swings of its weighty forelimbs, the Zaratan pulverized the pillar Anne was hiding behind. Though she cowered in fear, Anne diligently kept the tip of her staff trained on the beast. Little Anne, the youngest among them, was determined not to give up.

“Come at me, monster! The one you’re really afraid of is me, not Anne! If you want to kill my sister, you’ll have to go through me first!”

Claus wavered on his feet, covered in wounds. His attempt at intimidation was accompanied by a blast from his spell cards, but the Zaratan ignored him entirely.

“Mwahahaha! I can sense it, little girl! I smell your strong and noble soul! Indeed, you shall be second only to the Aurelian in flavor.”

The airspace around the Zaratan’s body bent and warped.

“Stop!” Claus’ rending cry pulled at Erika’s heart.

Several sinister black shadows emerged from the areas warped by spatial magic. The monster was about to release the magic stored in its body, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the spell it had chosen was Death. If Anne, the smallest among them, were to take it on, there was no doubt she would die.

Was Anne unable to escape her fated death? Erika’s mind replayed the memories of the brief time she had spent with Anne thus far. The tips of her fingers nudged a certain wand out of its holster.

Not a chance! No way I’ll let that happen! The world’s already unreasonable enough! Why should I let such a small child die before everyone else?

Just as the black hands were reaching out to take young Anne, Erika swung the Castling wand without thinking of the consequences.

4

The Castling spell succeeded. Erika was moved to Anne’s position, and Anne was deposited at Erika’s former location. The circles deployed at their feet had swapped them in the blink of an eye.

As Erika looked up, she saw the Zaratan, a beast hellbent on revenge, towering before her. Countless black hands were stretching toward her, like the grotesque petals of a sinister flower.

This spell had been absorbed from the Death wand, then amplified by the power of the philosopher’s stone. It was now a hex of instant death.

The arms had already surrounded her, leaving not a gap between them. Every one of them was locked on, ready to take hold. It was too late to avoid them, too late to do anything at all.

In the corner of her eye, she could see Claus and Anne watching over her with looks of anguish on their faces. But the Zaratan’s grudges were directed solely at the Seafaring Tribe and their descendant, Erika. The Hafan siblings were unrelated to its revenge.

Run away. Please, you have to get out safely!

Instead of resisting, Erika prayed. The reapers’ hands gently stroked her without causing her pain or torment. She closed her eyes and accepted the death they would bring.

Having lost all its strength, Erika’s petite body slowly fell forward. Her mind was filled not with hatred or regret but with thoughts of her family in this world.

Eduard, Father, forgive me for leaving before you. Thank you for always being so kind to me. I’ll be joining Mother now.

Thinking back on it, Erika felt that her mere eight years of life had been very fulfilling. She felt grateful to have been able to live without a care in the world; it was something she never could’ve pulled off in her past life.

If she were to be reborn again, she wanted to be a blade of grass swaying in a pasture or an emperor penguin. But as such carefree thoughts floated through her mind, Erika realized something was off.

Huh? Am I not dead yet?

Unlike the merciful curse the trapped chest had placed on her, Death magic was meant to promptly bring about her demise. It would have made sense if she’d lost consciousness ages ago. What’s more, it was around the right time for her body to hit the floor, but she was still in the air.

Knowing something must have gone awry, Erika cautiously opened her eyes.

The first things she saw were her trademark blonde ringlets. Far from the pretty, maintained curls she was used to, they were in considerable disarray from intense movement. She could clearly make out the difference. At the moment, her hair was poised like it was blowing in the wind, yet it was frozen in place.

No, it wasn’t only her hair; the blue ribbon she had bound it with was also suspended in the air. So, too, was the Castling wand that had left her hand, the kicked-up dust, the falling debris of the pillar the Zaratan had destroyed, and even the Zaratan itself.

Is this where my life is supposed to flash before my eyes...?

But it wasn’t as if everything had frozen. Only a four- or five-meter radius was locked in place. This couldn’t possibly be the world slowing down in her last few seconds of life.

An innumerable amount of small objects circled the suspended space at breakneck speed, letting off a silver glimmer as they flew.

Are those spell cards?

The cards flew wildly to and fro, deploying a silver magic circle. The barrier they formed seemed to slow the flow of time.

But... that’s strange.

Erika couldn’t follow. Just like spatial magic, time magic was one of the most powerful magics in the world. Neither Claus nor Anne should have been able to use it.

His head hung in despair, Claus slowly trudged forward. He artlessly entered the barrier as if it were the simplest thing in the world. The altered flow of time didn’t seem to affect him.

“L...itt...le... one... Wh...at... di...d... y...ou...”

“Shut up.”

The Zaratan was interrupted by a dark voice, thick with hatred. It was hard to believe that this cold, angry voice had come from a ten-year-old boy.

“How dare you.”

Claus swung his fist, and something collided with the Zaratan. The resulting clank made it sound as if it had been struck by a heavy, metal hammer or a thick, metal plate.

Small cracks spread across the monster’s natural armor where it had taken the blow.

“How dare you.”

The boy swung his fist again. Erika saw it this time: a single spell card flew out from the protective circle he still had deployed. The monster’s shell received a blow to the same spot as before, this time shattering and ejecting the black liquid within. Fragments of scales and drops of liquid were suspended in the air like everything else.

Claus lifted his face. It was a solid, icy mask that bore no expression. His eyes were as blue and clear as a perfectly transparent sapphire. A single teardrop spilled down his cheek.

“How dare you,” he repeated again.

Another spell card struck the monster, and a little more of the Zaratan’s body crumbled away. The protective circle had undergone gradual tweaks to be more efficient at defending against the monster. But even if it was effective, it was still just defensive magic. Sending it at an enemy shouldn’t yield any significant damage.

Erika was shocked to realize Claus was attacking with nothing more than pure kinetic energy. He was imbuing the cards with unfathomable levels of acceleration. And within a barrier where time was slowed, the Zaratan had no means to oppose him.

“Do...n’t... tell... me... you... used... ti...me...”

The Zaratan was unable to dodge or defend itself. It could regenerate, or even alter the properties of its armor to resist this new type of attack, but it just wouldn’t happen fast enough. Even if it wanted to absorb the attacks, the disparity between time for its body and mind made such a delicate process impossible.

“How dare you.”

Each time Claus thrust a spell card at the monster, the Zaratan’s body crumbled, exposing more of the black liquid that constituted its real body.

It was a one-sided assault. The spell cards themselves were nothing more than small scraps of paper, yet they bombarded the monster as though they were lumps of iron.

He swung. It crumbled.

He swung. It crumbled.

He swung. It crumbled.

He swung. It crumbled.

As if he were a machine made solely for that purpose, Claus kept hammering the Zaratan with his rage in silence.

It wasn’t long before all his spell cards were out in the air. Claus lifted up his staff and took an offensive stance. Another tear fell from his clear blue eyes.

Erika felt that tear was terribly beautiful.

“How dare you... How dare you kill... my friend...”

He struck the bottom of his staff against the stone floor. Taking that as their signal, the countless cards that had once formed his protective circle flew at the Zaratan all at once.

Claus’ magic was like a silver tornado. Contrary to its beauty, the gale annihilated anything it came into contact with. The Zaratan’s limbs were already tattered, and now it was dismantled to such a degree that not a vestige remained of its initial form. Soon, it was nothing more than suspended black liquid surrounded by spell cards.

“I’ll never forgive you.”

The encirclement of spell cards slowly contracted, letting off a prismatic array as they compressed the Zaratan within.

“Roooaaaaar...! W...hy... you... Le...t... go... I... still...!” Zaratan’s final cry reverberated throughout the room. It was not expressing resentment toward Erika or Claus; it was simply a cry of anguish. A deep portion of Erika’s heart resonated and shook with the monster’s scream.

Ultimately, the ball of spell cards sealing the Zaratan shrank down to the size of a tennis ball. A little late, Erika realized Claus had used not only time magic but also spatial magic.

Hafan magic was hindered by an immature body and an unstable mind. However, strong emotions could amplify a spell’s strength enough to overturn any disadvantage.

Erika felt a tiny swell of happiness. She never could’ve imagined Claus would be this angry over her death.

Claus took out an empty bottle and began chanting a spell in a singsong voice. What remained of the ancient monster was sucked into the small vial, spell cards and all. Now this lonely beast would slumber once more.

The spell he sang sounded somewhat like an elegy to Erika.

“Erika, I... You were...”

Once he had finished the sealing spell, Claus powerlessly crumpled down on the spot. Concurrently, the frozen time snapped back into motion.

Erika fell onto the floor, which was covered in rubble. Her delicate back smacked into a rather large fragment.

“That smaaaarts!” Erika yelped without romance or fanfare as she writhed around in desperate search of flat ground.

Claus’ body twitched, and he trembled as he slowly turned toward her.

“Huh?” His eyes opened wide when he saw Erika’s unsightly display of agony.

Noticing Claus’ stare, Erika picked herself up. Along the way, she smiled as wide as she could to inform him that she was perfectly fine.

Color and expression slowly returned to Claus’ face.

Huh... He looks pretty surprised.

The emotions she could read on his face went round and round like the patterns of a turning kaleidoscope—anger, joy, embarrassment, suppressed tears of relief. After he wiped at his face, something seemed to dawn on him, and his brow furrowed.

No, that’s not it. He’s angry, I knew it. He’s really, really angry. That’s not good. Where should I run?

Just as Erika was about to retreat, Anne raced over and embraced her.

“Erika! I’m glad you’re alright!”

“Yes, I’m fine now.”

Anne’s face was frigid from her extreme anxiety. Erika patted her on the back as gently as she could. Though Claus was still scowling, it seemed he had lost the better—and more colorful—part of his vocabulary in front of his sister.

Can I play it off? Erika wondered. But unfortunately, Anne abruptly returned to her senses and backed off with a bashful look.

Ahh, wait, Anne, stay a bit! Please, protect me from your brother!

Erika barely kept the words from spilling out of her mouth.

“You... Why did you do something so dangerous?”

“I don’t really know. I wonder why.”

When Erika played dumb with an innocent look on her face, Claus went scarlet.

“If you’re alive, then say something! You caused me to misunderstand, did you not?!”

“Even if she wanted to speak, Erika was in your delay barrier, wasn’t she?”

“Ngh...!”

Anne’s comment had him at a loss for words.

“Hey, I’m alive and well, so could you be a little happier?” Erika timidly pointed out.

Claus clenched his shaking fists with a sulky look on his face. Unlike a moment ago, his appearance befitted his age perfectly and came with its share of cuteness. The sight of him caused just a smidgen of mischief to bud in Erika’s heart.

“What’s that?! Why, Claus, I’d like to think not, but...”

“Wh-What is it?”

“Do you really want me dead that badly?”

“Oh... Brother, you’re the worst...” Anne played along with Erika’s theatrics.

“Wrong! Of course I don’t!” Claus refuted, turning redder by the minute. He was responding with such earnestness, Erika immediately regretted teasing him. Only now did it occur to her that she’d done it because she was too embarrassed to properly thank him.

It wouldn’t get across if she didn’t say it outright, so she had to be clear.

“Claus.”

“What is it this time?!”

“Thank you for saving me.”

“Oh, uh, right.”

“Also, thanks for getting angry for my sake, as a friend.”

Erika imparted her heartfelt gratitude. Claus averted his eyes from her in bashful irritation.

“Well, so be it. As long as you’re safe, then all is well. I, you see, Erika, I—”

“Aha!” Erika suddenly shouted while Claus grappled to find the right words.

“What is it?” he asked.

“What’s wrong, Erika?” added Anne.

“Could it be that the Death spell lost out against my brother’s merciful death curse?”

That must’ve been why she hadn’t died instantly. The curse of merciful death had already fated her to die in a few hours. This contradicted the instant death that the Death spell would’ve brought upon her.

As a result of these two contrary fates colliding, the more-powerful merciful death must have triumphed.

Fortune and misfortune are intertwined—or perhaps, inscrutable are the ways of heaven. Nice going, Eduard.

Erika was genuinely impressed. Not just anyone could make such a powerful death trap. She worried whether or not anyone aside from Eduard would be able to dispel this fearsome curse, but mulling it over down here wouldn’t amount to anything.

“Yeah, that’s all I can think of. I noticed the conflict the moment I realized you were alive.”

“You’re pretty smart, Claus. I only realized it just now.”

“Then... that wasn’t your plan when you used Castling?”

“No, not at all. It completely slipped my mind.”

“You did that with the intention of throwing your life away?”

“Yes. I was going with the flow, I suppose, and carelessly went and did it.” Erika’s tone was indifferent, as if it were someone else’s business.

That’s just about what you should expect from someone as shallow as me. She chuckled to herself.

“Don’t throw your life away on the spot like that! Oh, you won’t hear the end of this! Not from me!”

“But you’re the one who kept putting your life on the line to protect us,” Erika said with all seriousness, looking straight at Claus.

“Erk! Y-You have a point... But still, I can’t believe you!”

“Claus! I’ll never forgive you if you keep saying such rude things to Erika!” Anne cried, and the two of them immediately got into a sibling quarrel.

Erika smoothly and quietly made her escape so as not to instigate them any further.

These two actually get along pretty well, she thought as she enjoyed their exchange from afar.

☆

Erika, Claus, and Anne escaped the Seafarer’s Ruins in one piece. All it took was some earnest swings of the Levitate wand while the Wall-Phase scroll was active.

They were back in the Spring Palace before midnight. Erika estimated it had been roughly four hours since they had first entered the ruins. It had felt like much, much longer.

To Erika, these were the longest, most drawn-out four hours she had ever experienced, past life included.

Claus dispelled his phantasmal maze, allowing Erika to go to her father. She deliberated a bit, wondering how honest she should be, and ended up telling him only that she had fallen for a trapped storage chest set by Eduard in the Seafarer’s Ruins.

She didn’t have nearly enough courage to tell him they had reached the bottom floor or that they had undone the seal on an ancient monster, let alone that they had risked their lives to reseal it.

“I’m so sorry, Father.” Erika’s apology was heartfelt. She kept a low posture, making sure to show she was deeply regretting her actions and reflecting on them; this was a very Japanese negotiation tactic she had picked up in her past life. At that moment, Claus stepped in to cover for her.

“It’s all my fault. I dragged her into it. Erika didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Claus, you have my thanks for protecting Erika. She returned unharmed from those ruins because you were with her, correct?”

“No, that’s not it. I was the one who—”

“Yes, that’s right, Father. Claus did his best to keep me safe.” She didn’t want him to complicate things, and she was genuinely thankful that he’d protected her.

“Very good. You see, Claus, Erika is my treasure; nothing in the world can replace her. I promise to repay this debt to you someday. As a father and as Duke Aurelia.” The seasoned noble was expressing the utmost respect to a boy more than thirty years his junior.

Claus still looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t dwell on it.

Erika’s father sent Claus and Anne out to where the Duke and Duchess of Hafan were waiting for them.

“Erika...”

“Yes?”

Without another word, Duke Aurelia locked her in a warm and gentle embrace.

To Erika, this made her feel far more guilty than if he had actually scolded her. There were people who would be saddened if she treated her life so cheaply. She was finally beginning to open her eyes to something so obvious.

☆

“I can finally get some sleep.”

Duke Aurelia successfully dispelled the curse two hours after she had returned to the palace. In the midst of the process, Claus anxiously came to check on her again and again. In the end, he even escorted her back to her room.

What a conscientious person, Erika thought with a smile.

She threw aside the leather bag she’d borrowed from Eduard, stripped off her outfit, and collapsed onto the bed.

Ah, I’m finished. I’m not moving a single step! she proclaimed in her heart as she sunk beneath the covers. She wasn’t going to go tomb raiding again. Dungeon crawling could stay in video games, where it belonged.

As she rolled from side to side, her hand brushed against something hard. She picked it up to find that it was a single vial. She’d asked Claus to give it to her on the way back.

“Looks like I still have one more job to do.”

She crawled out of the bed with hollow eyes and made for her workbench. Digging through every nook and cranny chock-full of alchemical reagents, she finally managed to find what she was looking for.

Can I put my prior knowledge to good use?

She mapped out the process in her head as she got the tools and materials in order. This was going to be time-consuming work; perhaps she would be up all night. She turned back toward the bed, yearning in her eyes.

“Ahh, my beloved blankets...”

Shaking off her lingering attachment, she concentrated on the spoils of war arranged on the table.