Chapter 5: Good Night

Chapter 5:
Good Night

 

EVE AND I MET up with Seras and Lis at our meeting spot.

“Welcome back, Sir Too-ka,” said Seras.

“This should keep any suspicions about the demise of the Elite Five off of us,” I said.

“You mean that everything went to plan?”

“Yeah. Never thought it’d work out this well, to be honest.”

Lis rushed over to Eve. “Big sister!” she cried happily.

“Did you run into any problems while we were away?” Eve asked her.

“No… Miss Seras has been looking after me so well…”

“Lis was a huge help with the bags. She really did a lot!” said Seras.

“Miss Seras…” Lis was holding back tears.

Must be a long time since anybody’s complimented her like that. I could easily imagine how the owner of that tavern treated her before we arrived to get her—never encouraging her or praising her in any way.

Lis approached me hesitantly, carefully lined up her feet, straightened her back, and bowed deeply.

“Th-thank you so much. I-if you hadn’t saved us, Mr. Too-ka, then…big sister and I w-would be—”

“Don’t worry about it.” I didn’t want to think about where they would be.

Lis raised her head slowly, like she was worried about seeming rude.

“Is there something you want to ask me?”

“Ehm, well…”

“Go ahead, I won’t bite.”

“I-is Piggymaru okay…?” she asked, finally building up the courage.

At the sound of his name, the little slime poked a tentacle out from the neck of my robes.

Slower than usual… Must be tired after all that fighting.

Piggymaru squeaked and stretched a tentacle out to Lis, who stroked it gently.

“Miss Seras told me you were fighting too, Piggymaru…”

“Squee.”

“Thank you.”

“Squeeuee~! ♪♫♩”

The slime turned light pink.

“When she’s petting Piggymaru like that, it’s like she forgets to be anxious about everything,” said Seras. “Piggymaru really is amazing.”

Maybe this little slime can help heal the scars on her heart.

 

The horses we used as decoys had run off, so we would need to use some of the baron’s if we wanted to keep riding. Seras had already prepared two of them and loaded them with our bags.

“If only we had an item that would give us infinite storage,” I said to myself, pulling out my pouch. We found gold, gemstones, and jewelry scattered across the battlefield and took whatever was light enough to carry.

“All right, let’s get going,” I said.

Eve and Lis settled easily onto their horse. I mounted the other, clinging to Seras from behind.

“Sorry to make you do this just because I can’t ride.”

“Oh no, don’t let that bother you! Everybody has strengths and weaknesses. I’m happy to be of use to you, in any case.”

Eve spurred her horse into a trot, but ours didn’t budge.

“Seras?”

“Sorry, Sir Too-ka. Do you mind holding on a little tighter? I’m worried you might fall off.”

“…Sure.”

I squeezed tight, holding firmly to Seras and drawing our bodies closer together.

Seras let out a stifled whimper.

“Too tight?”

Did I squeeze too hard? My stats have really gone up recently, huh.

I loosened my grip a little.

“How’s this?”

“Y-yes…that’s much better. Thank you.”

The horse set off at a trot. The sound of the hooves filled my ears, and my body swayed awkwardly with the movement of the horse. I wasn’t anywhere near used to this yet.

“Sir Too-ka, you read our enemies perfectly yet again,” said Seras.

“I don’t know about that. If I’d been better prepared, I’d have known about Piggymaru’s stamina and the target limits on my other skills. I’m not as perfectly in control as you and Eve seem to think I am. Sometimes I’m just trying to keep my head above water.”

“But even when those things happen, you never hesitate. You handled them quickly, and…well, that’s why I feel so comfortable taking orders from you, Sir Too-ka.”

If the person giving the orders panics, it only makes the situation worse. I had to be as calm and clear as possible, no matter what came our way.

“S-so long as it’s you giving the orders, Master…I want to live up to your expectations.”

“Heh heh, that’s good to hear. Like I said, I can’t see the future or anything. I just try to predict it as best I can.”

“Then I, in turn, shall endeavor to be the best vice-captain to you that I can be.”

“You’re already doing more than enough, Seras. Don’t you remember how much I relied on you back in Monroy?”

“I’m happy to be of help! Even just helping you ride a horse as we’re doing now.”

“Hey, Seras…is riding something I could pick up easily? Could you teach me?”

“If that’s what you want, I can show you the basics when we next have time.”

“Sure. We’re slower riding two to a horse, and it limits our mobility with both of us up here. And well, clinging on to you from behind every time we ride is a little…you know.”

“That part of it doesn’t concern me at all. If it was someone else, perhaps, but for you, Sir Too-ka…”

“I know you’re trying to make me feel better by saying that, but in the future, we really need to be able to ride separately.”

Seras was quiet for a few moments. “Of course, Master,” she said.

After a while it began to rain, slowly at first, but steadily increasing until it was pounding the sodden ground. We found a small cave and decided to take shelter there.

“I expected it from the look of the clouds, but it really has started coming down hard, hasn’t it?” said Seras. She and Lis wrung out their soaked clothes, and I handed them a dry cloth to use as a towel.

“Dry your hair—I don’t want either of you catching a cold. Wait, can elves catch colds?”

“Well, yes, we can catch colds,” replied Seras, pressing the cloth to her dripping hair. “It’s said that elves are less prone to sickness than humans, though. Humans are the race most likely to suffer from illness, I believe.”

Seras walked over and started drying my hair for me. She stood on her tiptoes to reach, smiling at me.

“You be careful about catching a cold too, okay?”

“Right. I will.”

If I got sick here and things took a turn for the worse… It doesn’t bear thinking about.

Seras looked out of the cave into the rainy forest beyond.

“Oh, you’re back,” she said.

“I was just tying up the horses,” said Eve, stopping just inside the cave. She shook herself wildly, shaking the water from her fur and sending droplets spraying onto the cave floor. “I tied them in the driest spot I could find, under a little bit of an overhang. We should be able to get away in a hurry if anything happens.”

I handed her a dry cloth.

“Sorry to make you go out there,” I said.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Once we’ve eaten, let’s take turns getting some rest,” I said. “We’ve come a long way from Monroy and should really get some sleep. No point in rushing to the Land of the Golden-Eyed Monsters if we’re too tired to fight once we get there.”

Piggymaru poked out from inside my robes.

“Squee.”

The little slime drew up against a wall and started wobbling quietly. Resting, I guess. We decided to finish off any food in our packs that wouldn’t last the journey. Eve started a fire, and I made a stand for our small pot.

“Those clothes aren’t going to dry in time—you should really go and dry off. I’ll look the other way.”

“Understood. Come on, Lis, let’s go.”

“O-okay!”

Seras took Lis by the hand and led her into a dark corner of the cave.

 

SERAS ASHRAIN

 

LIS BEGAN TO STRIP down, and Seras wrung out the girl’s soaked clothes, heavy with rain. She squeezed the cloth in her hands tight, sending a stream of water spilling across the cave floor.

Seras then took off her armor piece by piece. Suddenly, she was aware that someone was watching her.

“Is something wrong?”

Lis’s cheeks turned bright red, and she looked down at the ground.

“Oh, I-I’m sorry.”

Seras looked away, searching her memory. She had a hunch about what was bothering Lis.

Was she just looking at my… Should I leave it alone? Her reaction worries me, though. I don’t want her to feel any guilt.

She crouched down to Lis’s eye level to speak with her.

“It’s perfectly natural to be curious. Were you looking at my chest?”

“Ah—”

Lis was at a loss for words and cringed slightly, like she was afraid she’d done something wrong.

Seras laughed kindly.

Nothing compared to what happened to me outside those ruins in Mils…

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed or shy about. Our bodies are nothing to be ashamed of. I don’t mind if you look at my chest,” she said kindly. She sighed inwardly, though, resigned to her fate.

There’s nothing I can do about how large my chest is or the attention it draws… She glanced back at Too-ka on the other side of the cave. But the one person I do want paying attention never seems to.

Not when they had changed together at the inn in Monroy, nor when they rode together on horseback. He never appeared interested in her at all.

Seras smiled bitterly to herself. It was almost ironic.

“I-I…”

Lis placed her small hands on her own chest.

“Will mine grow to be like yours someday, Miss Seras?” she said timidly.

Seras wasn’t able to answer immediately and made up for it by forcing herself to smile at Lis. Lis’s chest was small, but perfectly normal for her age.

How should I respond, though? I can hardly lie to her and pretend everybody’s the same. Sir Too-ka would surely give her a straight answer…

“The tavern owner…”

Seras turned to look at Lis again, concerned.

“The woman you worked for?”

“Y-yes. She said if my chest doesn’t grow properly, nobody will treat me like a real woman when I grow up. So I—” Lis looked overcome with emotion and anxiety.

“That’s not true at all,” responded Seras. She was angry—disgusted, even. How could anyone teach such ridiculous nonsense to a young girl? “Forget all of that.”

“Huh?”

Seras tried to sound both firm and kind when she spoke.

“Everything that woman told you is wrong. Please forget everything she ever said.”

“Forget…everything…?”

“Yes. Listen to those that you trust from now on, and no one else. Only accept the things that you know in your heart to be true.”

“I-I will, Miss Seras,” Lis said, looking down sheepishly at her feet. “Thank you.” Her anxious expression transformed into something lighter. “Th-then I’ll…listen to the things you say from now on.”

Seras laughed gently and smiled, feeling warm inside.

“Very well. I’ll try to make sure we have many chances to speak with each other.” Seras held out one of her tunics. “You can wear this until your clothes dry, if you’d like. It’s too large, but…”

Lis pulled on the tunic, which was baggy, as expected.

“Miss Seras… The chest area is…”

The cloth around Lis’s chest was twisted and bunched up. Seras cleared her throat, her cheeks hot.

“I’m sorry about that. Bear with it while your own clothes dry.”

“O-okay…”

Things felt a little awkward after that, but they chatted about their favorite foods and all kinds of other things while they waited for their clothing to dry by the fire, and the awkwardness soon faded. After changing back into her own clothes, Lis smiled happily at Seras—the first genuine smile she’d seen from the girl.

“It’s like I’ve got another big sister now!” she said.

 

MIMORI TOUKA

 

AFTER SERAS AND LIS left to get changed, Eve came and sat down in front of me with a thud.

“Let’s try to get some weapons and armor together, then,” she said.

“…”

“Hm? Something wrong, Too-ka?”

“Maybe it’s because of all the fur that I didn’t notice, but you’re pretty lightly dressed, huh? Not much armor either.”

If she were a human, Eve would’ve been considered quite the exhibitionist, but maybe things were different for leopardmen.

“What’s important is how easily I can move around. The strength of a leopardman is in our speed and quick reactions—I should make the most of what I’ve got. No point in weighing myself down.”

“I noticed how quick you were, yeah. You really use it well in combat.”

We were quiet for a few seconds.

“…You haven’t asked about my past with Lis.”

“I figured you’ll tell me if you wanted to. Lots of people don’t want to talk about their pasts.”

Seras, for one. Before she became a holy knight, she was from a highborn family in some high elf country. I didn’t know why she’d chosen to come to the human-controlled Holy Empire of Neah, or if something happened to her home country, or how she spent her days in Neah.

There were plenty of mysteries about Seras’s past, but I had no plans to ask her about them directly. I didn’t need to know everything about Seras, Eve, or Lis—and there were things in my own past I didn’t want to talk about either.

“If you want to talk, feel free to talk. I don’t know much about Seras’s past, but that doesn’t bother me.”

“Understood. I won’t ask about you or Seras either, then. A healthy distance between us is probably best anyway.”

Eve and Lis are traveling to the Forbidden Witch, that’s all we need to know for now. They aren’t coming along for my revenge.

Eve went to check on the horses, and I began to cut up ingredients for the pot. Cooking in the pot was simple—just throw everything in, season it a little, and you almost always got something that was good enough to eat. And if the pot wasn’t enough, I could always use my magic leather pouch.

“A-allow me to help.” Lis had gotten dressed and appeared next to me.

“Aren’t you tired? You can take a rest if you need to.”

“D-do you mind if I help?”

…C’mon, don’t look at me like that.

“All right, then, will you peel these for me?”

“Yes!” Lis happily sat down and started peeling vegetables.

“Hey, you’re really good at that.”

“Th-thank you for the compliment,” Lis said, bunching her shoulders nervously.

“Are you good at cooking too?” I asked.

“Yes, I always helped out in the kitchens. The people who came to our tavern were always happy to eat my food, but the owner took all the credit.”

Another terrible story about that woman. I closed my eyes for a moment, angry at what I’d just heard.

“Mr. Too-ka?”

“Yeah?”

“I… I’d be really happy if you’d allow me to cook for you. I can help carry the bags too…” Lis had stopped peeling, and her shoulders and voice were trembling.

Still not used to asking for things, is she?

“You don’t need to find work for yourself, okay? Eve is doing more than enough for your share, and we’ve got things covered.”

“N-no, th-that’s not it! I didn’t feel anything when I worked at that tavern, b-but…but if it’s for you and Miss Seras, I want to be of help. That’s truly how I feel.”

“All right. I’ll consider it.”

Lis smiled. “Th-thank you, Mr. Too-ka…”

After they ate, Lis and Eve fell asleep together at once. It was like a great weight had been lifted from both of them—the pressure was gone.

“They’re out like lights,” whispered Seras.

We extinguished the flames and sat on the other side of the cave to give them some peace.

“Aren’t you tired too, Sir Too-ka? I’ll keep watch—you can go to sleep if you’d like.”

“Actually, I’m wide awake. Couldn’t sleep even if I wanted to.”

Seras knelt on the ground and patted her lap.

“How about it? You might be able to get some sleep if you lie down.”

“You’re tired too, aren’t you? If anything—” I sat cross-legged and tapped my legs as Seras had done. “How about it?” I asked.

“Y-you’re sure? If you don’t mind…”

Seras got on all fours and crawled over to me.

…I was just kidding, to be honest.

Seras laid her head in my lap, and when I looked down, she was gazing right up at me. Her eyes were sky blue, staring at me intently, and after a moment she seemed to notice something.

“Ah. Don’t tell me… You weren’t being serious, were you?” she said quietly.

I shook my head. Her pale cheeks flushed deep red. Seras closed her eyes, fighting her embarrassment.

“I’ve done something terribly rude again, haven’t I?” she said.

“No, it’s fine!” I said quickly. “I don’t mind this kind of stuff once in a while.”

“Th-thank you for being so considerate…” Even her ears were red now.

“There’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while…do you mind if I touch your ears?”

Seras nervously caressed her ears with her long fingers before answering.

“G-go ahead… If that’s what you want.”

“I’ve always wanted to touch an elf’s ears, just once.” My hands were shaking.

…Why am I so nervous about doing this?

“Nhh… H-how do they feel?”

“Kinda strange, I guess.”

These weren’t some prosthetics for a TV show, they were her real ears. Like regular ears, but softer, somehow, almost velvety. I stroked them lightly with my fingertips, and Seras twisted in my lap.

“Oh, Sir Too-ka—wait a m-minute…”

I guess they’re sensitive.

 

After Seras got up from her rest, we discussed our plans going forward.

“Eve is a powerful fighter. I think we can count on her abilities in the Land of the Golden-Eyed Monsters,” she said.

“Just like you, yeah? I can think of all kinds of ways she can be useful to us, and not just in battle. I’m glad to have her coming along.”

“This might be an impolite thing to ask, but…”

Seras looked over at where Lis and Eve were sleeping.

“Is there something special to you about Eve and Lis?”

“Hm? What makes you ask?”

“You seem so kind and warm with them—almost the same as you are with me.”

Seras really doesn’t have an eye for some stuff… She’s like my foster mother in that way too.

“You mean…normally I’m a cold person?”

“Th-that’s not what I meant!” she said, laying a hand on her chest. “I would never imply—”

“I’m kidding! It’s okay. Relax.”

“S-sir Too-ka…”

Her shoulders dropped in relief and embarrassment. I looked over at Eve.

“I’m that way with her for the same reason I am with you.”

“Because she reminds you of your foster mother?”

“My foster dad in her case, I guess.”

“Your foster father. I see.”

“Yeah. I mean, obviously there are differences, but there’s something good in both of them that feels the same.”

My foster father was a good man—that’s why he took me in to begin with. His estranged older brother forced me on him, and my foster father blamed him—but that blame never extended to me. My foster father’s straightforward honesty and my foster mother’s reason and kindness were the only reasons I was standing here today.

Seras smiled at me.

“Your foster parents must be very important to you, then. The expression on your face when you talk of them…it’s different, somehow.”

Is my expression really that different? I don’t know what she means.

“My life would’ve been so much worse if it wasn’t for them.”

I can’t thank them enough… They’re the only reason I want to return to my old world, to express my thanks properly, in person. Thank you for taking me in. Thank you for raising me.

“And Lis is… Well, she’s kinda like me.”

Seras Ashrain reminds me of my foster mother. Eve Speed reminds me of my foster father. Lisbeth reminds me of myself. It’s a strange coincidence.

“Lisbeth… She reminds you of yourself?”

“The place she was left.”

That tavern owner was just like my real parents. I was abused and belittled from a young age—Lis and I have that in common. The only difference is that Lis was able to bear it. I tried to endure for as long as I could, but the seeds of murder took root within me. I wanted to kill the people who abused me before they got me first. Lis is still a kind girl through and through—there’s nothing of the woman who abused her in there. Lis always blamed herself, I guess, thinking she was too weak, or not good enough. We have similar backgrounds, but that’s the real difference between us—I’m a terrible person. I remove anyone who gets in my way, annihilating them when it suits me. Too-ka Mimori is never going to save the world, he’s just going to fulfill his own selfish goals. He will have his revenge. That’s why I—

I interrupted my own thoughts. “I know I’m repeating myself, but you can leave whenever you want. All I care about is my revenge—that’s all.”

“You know I have my own feelings about the Goddess of Alion. I have no intention of leaving you,” Seras said, smiling playfully. “Besides, I was only just promoted to vice-captain.”

“I’m counting on you, then.”

“Leave it to me, Master.”

“Hmm… You’re coming along to help me, right? Why don’t I do a favor for you in return? As long as it’s something I can actually do, I’ll do it.”

“Hm?”

“It’s selfish of me to bring you along like this. You don’t have to decide right now or anything. Just give it some thought.”

“Understood.”

“Get some sleep, okay? I’ll stay up until Eve’s shift.”

Seras laid down to rest, and I sat next to her.

“All right, Sir Too-ka, I’m ready.” But before I could cast Sleep, she continued. “…I’m really going to give that favor some thought, you know.”

“Nh?”

“Anything I want? I’ll think it through.”

“Sure. I wasn’t kidding about that.”

Seras hid her face under the blanket.

“You ready?”

“I am,” she whispered. “Good night, Sir Too-ka.”

“Night,” I replied, holding out my hand.

“Sleep.”

 

THE KING OF OLZA

 

THE MONSTER SLAYER King Jin held his head in his hands.

Ashint have disappeared?! How can this be?!

After her escape, Eve Speed had been pursued by Baron Zuan and his men, with Ashint leading the charge—that much was common knowledge. But only the corpses of the baron, his men, and some mercenaries were found… Nobody could tell Jin where Ashint was now.

That cursed Zuan… Did he fight with them? I told him so many times to be careful, and to watch his tongue in his dealings with them!

Something had gone wrong. All that had been found of Ashint were some scattered weapons and armor. Maybe they’d been discarded in the hope of a quicker escape—even without their weapons, Ashint could rely on their curses. There were signs that the baron’s men had been looted, as well…

Jin thought for a moment.

There was no way Eve Speed could have defeated that many men alone. Had Ashint sided with her for some reason? Jin couldn’t imagine why they would do such a thing.

An internal dispute, then, was the most likely culprit.

I was wrong about him…

Baron Zuan had always had a skill for seeing through the roughest, most amoral person’s exterior and right through to their potential underneath. He gave them far more freedom and better payment than most nobility would have, and they adored him for it. Jin had made use of that ability to win over the dregs of the world many times, sending Zuan the most unsavory characters and tasks—chief among them managing the Bloodsport Colosseum and finding new fighters. The baron was used to handling difficult people through his work there, though of course Jin had heard the rumors about him…

But were these Ashint people too much, even for him? Jin didn’t think he was wrong to have trusted Baron Zuan, and yet…

The current situation was unthinkable.

I wanted to use them. They claimed they had defeated the Elite Five! We could’ve used them to show our power to our neighbors…

Jin had brought the Dragonslayer under his control, and he’d hoped to do the same to Ashint with enough time and patience.

But now…how will I explain this to the Goddess?

After the roundtable at the White Citadel of Protection, Jin had approached the Goddess Vicius with an idea.

“Please, will you grant me leave to handle this Ashint situation? Heh heh heh… I know not if they are truly the Black Dragon Slayers they claim to be, but I swear I shall find the truth!”

The Goddess agreed because she trusted him. She even removed her disciple, who was usually assigned to keep an eye on things, from his country as a symbol of that trust.

Nyantan… Just when we had finally gotten rid of that pesky girl…

All she had going for her was a beautiful face and figure. Other than that, she was nothing but trouble. Her hard, judgmental eyes seemed to see right through everything he did. She was cold and standoffish, even to him, the king of the country in which she lived. Jin hated the very sight of her but could do nothing about it—even among Vicius’s disciples, Nyantan was special. He could scarcely imagine what revenge the Goddess would take on his country if he criticized her, let alone tried to get rid of her.

Nngh… That impudent girl will be sent back here, won’t she?!

He crumpled the report in his hand.

I can’t rest with her watching me as she does… I need to find Ashint and renegotiate somehow. They managed to kill the baron himself, and even the head of his personal guard…not to mention countless mercenaries and other fighters. I’d intended to take my time proving the rumors that Ashint were the ones who defeated the Elite Five, but…

Jin no longer had any doubt—Ashint clearly had the strength to do such a thing. He was unsure whether even his Monster Slayer Knights could rein them in now.

Recalling the Dragonslayer from the Goddess might prove difficult now, as well…

“Pardon me, my king… What would you have me do?”

Jin flinched at the sudden interruption. He had almost forgotten the assistant standing nearby. Jin quickly recovered his composure and covered his eyes with his hands, feigning tears.

“Oh… Baron Zuan’s death has affected me more than I care to admit… I’m fine, of course. My apologies.”

“This whole business with Ashint…” said the assistant, “how should we report it to Alion?”

Jin began to sweat.

“I suppose we have no choice but to report it in full. The consequences would be dire if the Goddess learned later that we didn’t let her know immediately.”

The Goddess was a truly terrifying being—one could not afford to be deceived by her beauty, nor to underestimate her wrath if they should displease her.

Jin remembered the rumors about the Holy Empire of Neah when they were invaded by the Bakoss Empire. Incursions into the territory of other nations were unthinkable—forbidden by the Goddess herself. But when Bakoss invaded Neah, she didn’t lift a finger to intervene.

No one knew what Neah had done to deserve such treatment, why they had lost the Goddess’s protection. One theory was that the Holy Emperor had done something to offend the Goddess Vicius—her word was absolute, after all.

That rebellious child, the Wildly Beautiful Emperor, is no doubt on the same path. We are all in the Goddess’s hands. Is she simply trying to keep us scared?

Jin sat up straighter in his chair, feeling strangely lightheaded.

“Find them. Find Ashint, no matter what it takes…”

“My king, what of the leopardman? A young dark elf has also disappeared in what’s believed to be a related incident. The owner of the White Leg Tavern where she lived was murdered,” said the assistant.

Suddenly, Jin was filled with fury.

“A coward who turned and ran and some powerless little girl?! They’ll be dead by the roadside in no time! Ashint are the key. Ashint! Muster all our forces to search for them! Do you hear me?!”

“Y-yes, my liege!”

Jin ground his teeth as the assistant fled the room.

Ngh… My plans to prove my loyalty to the Goddess, to have Ashint on my side… T-to think they would all come to nothing!

The Monster Slayer King seethed with bitter, growing resentment.

 

NYANTAN KIKIPAT

 

“MY, MY… So that band of curse mages has killed the baron and completely disappeared. How brutish of them! Oh, how terrifying~!” said the Goddess lightly, the report she’d received from Ulza in hand.

The purported slayers of the Elite Five had clearly covered their tracks.

“But is this cursed magic genuine, I wonder? I simply cannot believe it. Am I just ignorant of its existence? Do you know anything about it?”

Nyantan Kikipat stood against the wall of the Goddess’s private quarters. She shook her head. “No.”

“I see,” said the Goddess flatly. She returned her gaze to the report. “Terrifying indeed. Hmm, but if Ashint were to somehow join up with the Wildly Beautiful Emperor, then…hmm. I’d prefer not to send you back to Ulza at all. I have a vitally important role in mind for you, Nyantan.”

She tossed aside the report in her hands and took a deep breath.

“We’ve had such troubles of late, have we not? The Monster Slayer Knights appear committed to locating Ashint. And while I can hardly afford to ignore a power rivalling the Elite Five’s…” She puffed out her cheeks but kept a smile plastered across her face. “Oh it is such a bother.”

“Is there a problem?” said a man’s voice lightly.

Agit Angun was one of the Four Holy Elders, a group of siblings of heroic blood—descendants of the heroes from another world. They had been summoned from their home country of Yonato by the Goddess. It was said that they surpassed even the Holy Priest of Yonato herself in power.

Nyantan had nearly forgotten they were in the room at all until Agit had spoken. One of the young man’s eyes was covered by his long black hair, and despite his gentle expression, he appeared aloof and disinterested…but his abilities could not be denied.

He continued to speak. “Shouldn’t you be mostly concerned about the Demon King essence that can weaken your divine powers, Vicius?”

“Hmm, I suppose.”

“You could fight the Elite Five, Ashint—whoever you’d like, as long as the essence wasn’t involved, right?”

Agit was right—neither Ashint nor the Elite Five would ever be capable of defeating the Goddess. He smiled politely before continuing.

“Shouldn’t your focus be on the ever-moving armies of the Demon King in the north?” he asked.

“It is as you say,” said the Goddess dismissively, “but with disturbances of such magnitude at my back, I find it ever so hard to concentrate on the fight in front of me.”

“Ha ha ha, never took you for a worrier.”

“Mm? Is there something wrong with worrying? I’m sure you meant no offense, but your tone is terribly rude.”

For a few moments, a heavy, suffocating silence fell across the room.

“Uh, sorry?” Agit caved first, apologizing to her with a grin. The Goddess smiled back at him.

“Not at all~! There I go again, letting my tongue slip, and… Oh, how embarrassing! ♪♫♩”

Nyantan watched the exchange in silence. She could see that the Goddess was irritated by the situation—the disappearance of Ashint upset her more than she cared to admit.

And there’s more trouble ahead… She wouldn’t be bothered by Agit if she weren’t already angry.

There was a knock at the door.

“Goddess, Sir Banewolf is here to see you.”

“Oh, here at last? Quite late, I must say!”

The Goddess rose from her chair, and a huge, burly man entered, ducking under the door frame. He scratched his head.

“Ah… Sorry I’m late.”

“Not at all, we’re so glad you could join us,” she said, spreading her arms out gracefully. “Welcome, Dragonslayer.”

 

SOGOU AYAKA

 

“THANK YOU very much,” said Ayaka, bowing neatly to Nyantan Kikipat. She was a member of the Goddess’s special team of disciples, here as her representative.

“You’re talented. Not quite experienced enough in battle yet, but your technique surely surpasses my own,” said Nyantan.

Ayaka had been searching for a way to grow stronger and approached Nyantan for training.

“Please, train me. Even just a little would help.”

She was surprised when her request was accepted…on the condition that she speak of it to no one. Nyantan’s explanation of the secrecy had been surprising, something Ayaka wouldn’t have even considered.

“It would be difficult to get the Goddess’s permission to train you, I imagine,” she had said.

Well, the Goddess doesn’t like me, and Nyantan is one of her subordinates. I guess that makes sense.

They’d started training together, using an old prison cell in the bowels of the castle to avoid being seen. They’d only had a few chances to meet thus far—Nyantan was busy and didn’t have much time to spare. Even those few meetings, however, had been incredibly valuable to Ayaka.

“I’m fairly certain my stat modifiers are the only reason I’m able to keep up with you,” she said.

“Perhaps,” replied Nyantan, “but there’s something special about you. You’re talented. Did you never discuss that with the martial arts instructor you spoke of?”

“I…did.” Ayaka’s grandmother had always praised her abilities.

“You will become strong, Ayaka Sogou,” said Nyantan.

“Nyantan-san,” said Ayaka, working up the courage to ask the question she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about. “Why did you agree to teach me?”

Nyantan’s eyes were kind as she gazed at Ayaka.

“You remind me of my little sister, and—”

She stopped abruptly.

Did she just…? That seemed like a slip of the tongue.

Ayaka felt like she’d done something wrong or heard something she shouldn’t have. Panicking, she tried to change the subject.

“S-so Nyantan-san, are you married?”

“Betrothed, you mean? I am not, nor have I ever been.”

“Really?”

“I have never had a loving relationship with a member of the opposite sex, nor had intercourse.”

“I-inter…c-course. I see.”

Ayaka reflexively looked away. She could feel herself blushing. When Ayaka glanced back up at the purple-haired swordswoman, though, Nyantan didn’t look fazed at all.

“B-but that’s quite a surprise. You’re so beautiful, Nyantan-san…”

“Beauty is inferior.”

“Huh? Inferior to what?”

“Beauty and strength are both inferior to wisdom. At present, I am most fervently seeking the latter.” Nyantan stared at her intently, eyes deadly serious. “This world isn’t kind enough to allow beauty alone to lead to happiness.” She turned and moved towards the staircase behind her. “It’s eat or be eaten. Show them a chink in your armor, and you’ll be entrapped or attacked before you even know what happened. Remember that.”

Nyantan’s last two words rattled around in Ayaka’s head long after she left the old prison cell.

Remember that…

In that moment, Nyantan sounded like she was speaking to a younger sister.

Ayaka headed up to change.

There was an announcement from the Goddess in the middle of today’s session, a summons to all the heroes. I wonder what she wants.

To call the room Ayaka found herself in a changing room would understate its ostentatiousness. It looked like a princess’s dressing room. Only a few of the students were permitted to use it—Ayaka herself, the Takao Sisters, and Ikusaba Asagi.

Aside from her three classmates, she’d had never seen anyone but Nyantan Kikipat use the room, but today Ayaka found two women she’d never seen before.

“We’re all getting changed together today, huh?” said one of them.

“I apologize, we were unable to prepare separate rooms in time,” said Nyantan.

“Hey, no, no, we’re not complaining! Look, I mean, we ain’t never gonna get another chance to use a flashy room like this one.”

The two women belonged to a mercenary band—the Sabre-toothed Tigers, they had said.

“We were in Mils recently, y’know—baron there was recruiting mercenaries.”

Nyantan stopped what she was doing to look over at them again.

“The Black Dragon Knights fell near there,” she noted.

“Yeah, yeah. So the ruins clearing we were at, it was a total bust. Completely screwed us. We’re tryna have fun adventures here—wind in your hair, freedom, the open road, yeah? Ain’t no point in freedom with no freakin’ coin.”

“Someone took your loot, you mean?” asked Nyantan.

“Nah, there was something weird about the ruins. Dead monsters down there without a mark on ’em. Got such a bad feeling about the place we had to turn back.”

“She’s real smart when it comes to this stuff,” the other woman chimed in. “Observant. Our leader’s always right!”

The two were silent for a while. Nyantan pulled on her shirt.

“No marks… I was assigned to Ulza but heard nothing of this. What was the cause?”

The Sabre-toothed Tiger’s leader looked down, her shoulders sinking.

“Asked some of the others, but thing is, nobody really knows. Some kind of gas comin’ up from the lower levels, maybe?”

“Hey, you think maybe there’s some connection to the Black Dragon Knights thing?” said the other woman. Her leader quickly laughed off the suggestion.

“Nah. How could there be?”

“Did you hear word of Ashint while in Mils?” Nyantan asked.

“Ah, the ones who killed ’em, right? Not much.”

“I see.”

Rumors about the fall of the Black Dragon Knights, once the strongest forces of the Bakoss Empire, were already spreading like wildfire through the castle—and so were rumors about Ashint, the group of curse mages who had supposedly defeated them.

“Well, see you around.”

Nyantan finished changing and left first, followed closely by the two women.

“Looks like we’re in for something today,” said Ikusaba Asagi, who was changing across the room.

Is she talking to me?

The Takao Sisters were also there, over in a corner.

Ayaka debated whether or not to respond.

“Y-yeah,” she finally said, nodding.

“Our little Goddess is calling in all kinds of people, it seems. She’s really planning on pushing us, eh?” said Asagi.

“…We’re heroes. This is just what we have to do.”

“Oh wow, Ayaka you’re so serious~! Call me a hero all you like, but it doesn’t make me feel any more heroic, y’know?”

“It’s the only way we can return home.”

“Hmm… Serious as serious can be… So, like, what’s your type?”

“Wh-where did that come from?” said Ayaka, taken aback.

“Y’know, I’ve never even seen you with a guy.”

“Wh-why would you assume…?”

“You’re popular though, right? Ah, I get it~! You’re too good for them?”

“…I-It’s rather upsetting if that’s how you think of me.”

“Huge boobs too. I mean, c’mon.”

Ayaka blushed and scrunched her eyebrows in annoyance. “They are not!”

“Y’think? I mean Pidgey’s in the hall of fame, sure, but the Takao Sisters can’t even compete with you!”

“You can’t judge people by their chest size!”

“But like, c’mon. Even I was surprised the first time I saw your black underwear. Meow~!”

Ayaka quickly attempted to cover her bra and panties with her hands. “What does the color of my underwear have to do with anything?!”

“Not just that. It’s the design too. I mean, showing off a little, aren’t they?”

“I-I got these from my grandmother! St-stop looking at me like that!”

“Whoa~! Touchy subject, huh? Like, sorry.” Asagi was overdramatic as ever, holding her hands up in surrender. “I get it now, though. Your reactions are exactly what make you so popular, Aya-pyon. The boys love that pure, naïve vibe you’re giving off. It only they knew what was underneath! Ha ha… Maybe it’s the ivory tower upbringing. You really are weird, y’know. Not like anyone else in our class.”

“…I’m really that different from the others?”

“A high-school girl who doesn’t use a single social media platform? You’re a rare breed! You’ve only got family added on R@IN, right? Can’t find any secret accounts for you, either.”

“Secret accounts? What do you mean?”

“Ha, you don’t even know! Heh heh.”

The Takao sisters silently slipped out of the changing room.

“No sign of them on social media, either.”

“You think it really makes that much of a difference?” asked Ayaka.

“It’s like a whole different world, yeah,” replied Asagi. “On there, we’d get to see the real you, without all this makeup…”

“What? You mean…everybody posts pictures of themselves without makeup?”

When I looked at it, it seemed like everyone was trying look perfect.

“Eh? Hah hah, Ayaka-senpai you’re too much! ♪♫♩ Are you trying to be funny? It’s a freakin’ metaphor!”

“…?”

“No, I get it. Boys like that about you too, that airhead vibe… Like, LOL~!” Asagi said as she left the room.

“…”

Ayaka finished changing alone, still wondering what Asagi meant.

 

The heroes assembled in the castle’s large, walled garden, where no one was allowed without the Goddess’s permission. It was filled with flowers in full bloom, the air heavy with their sweet scent. It would’ve been the perfect place to relax, but today, the heroes were anxious. The Goddess only summoned all of them when there was something important to discuss.

They had been clearing ruins for a long time now, earning EXP by fighting the golden-eyed monsters that dwelled within. Alion’s people had also done their best to capture golden-eyed monsters, which were then given to the heroes for experience points. It was plain to see by how many monsters each group received what the Goddess thought of them—the majority were given to Kirihara’s group, and very few were allotted to Ayaka’s.

But we’ve leveled up considerably by defeating monsters in the ruins…

Ayaka knew how to fight them now.

“Everyone’s like super on edge in the castle lately, right? Whatcha think, Pidgey?”

“Eh? D-do you think so?”

“Man, you’re so slow~! It’s like your body feeds your tits before your brain!”

“A-Asagi-san…” Kashima Kobato covered her chest, her face bright red.

I should say something to Asagi, Akaya thought indignantly. She’s always made cruel comments like that, even in our old world. I should warn her against doing it again.

Ayaka opened her mouth to speak, but Kobato noticed and shook her head quietly.

I’m fine, her eyes seemed to say. Arguing will only make it worse.

Did she sense what I was about to say?

Ayaka saw the strength behind those eyes. Reluctantly, she kept quiet. Kobato quietly nodded her thanks.

Ikusaba Asagi was growing more and more influential within class 2-C, likely because of her unique skill. As a B-class hero, it was rare that she had acquired one to begin with—the Goddess had been overjoyed.

“I always knew there was something special about you, Asagi-san. You’re a natural leader,” she had said.

Asagi’s unique skill was Queen Bee, a skill that enhanced others. It let her heavily buff the stats of multiple targets, increasing them beyond their normal range for short periods of time. Asagi’s group had strength in numbers—it was fortunate, then, that her skill let them use those numbers to gain an even greater advantage in combat. Despite their focus on teamwork, Kirihara’s group never tried to recruit Asagi.

They don’t think much of her, do they? Maybe they think it would be dangerous to have her too close. Kirihara clearly doesn’t trust her.

Kirihara had apparently refused to allow her in his group more than once, and the Goddess had given up trying. Ayaka, on the other hand, would be welcomed with open arms—she just had no intention of working with them.

Yasu Tomohiro’s group was also growing stronger, but for the most part it was still a one-man show, with Yasu himself as the star. As the sole A-class hero, he was the only one getting any stronger, with the weaker heroes hanging on his coattails, picking up the crumbs of EXP he left behind. Ayaka’s group, on the other hand, tried their best to split everything equally.

Suou Kayako had suggested that Akaya should receive most of their group’s experience points, but Ayaka refused outright. There was only so much one person could do on their own—they all had to work together.

As a result, everyone in Ayaka’s group had leveled up and learned some common skills. Common skills were in theory attainable by any hero, and were split into five categories: attack skills, defense skills, healing skills, enhancement skills, and status effect skills.

As the heroes leveled up, their skill trees grew and changed color as they unlocked higher-level abilities. Just as the Goddess had said, the status effect skills appeared to be useless, and anyone who ended up unlocking them, no matter how good they sounded, was essentially out of luck. Unique skills and the other common skills were much better. Unique skills had their own skill levels associated with them, and the skill would increase and gain power as it was used.

“I wasn’t sure how this was going to work at first, but with these defense and enhancement skills, I might actually be able to support you. It’s just like you said, Ayaka-chan!” Minamino Moe had said when they’d first unlocked common skills. She’d sounded relieved.

With support skills, there was no need for most of the group to be out fighting on the front lines. Ayaka handled the close combat, and the rest of her group usually supported her from behind with their abilities, dealing finishing blows to the monsters once they were incapacitated. Everybody had their part to play.

Ayaka opened her stat screen.

 

Ayaka Sogou

Level 115

HP: +1390 MP: +2878

Attack: +10983 Defense: +2256 Vitality: +2313

Speed: +1574 <+500> Intelligence: +1450

Title: S-Class Hero

 

Her level was a lot higher now. The Goddess had encouraged them to level quickly, and it was clearly working. Ayaka heard that Kirihara Takuto had already hit level 200. After level 100, though, leveling up slowed down considerably for everyone. Ayaka’s stats were also increasing at a noticeably slower rate—only her attack stat was still rising quickly.

Didn’t one of the boys in Yasu’s group say something about this?

“Once you hit a certain point, leveling gets way slower, just like an MMO!”

Ayaka didn’t know what an MMO was, and she certainly wasn’t about to ask anyone. She wondered if the slower stat increase was because they were nearing a cap of some sort.

Ayaka was worried about something else. She checked her skill screen, staring at the display with a hand pressed against her mouth. Of all the S-class heroes, she alone still hadn’t unlocked her unique skill. Ayaka looked over at the two Takao sisters, standing a few steps away from everyone else. They already had their skills, as did all the A-class heroes—even Asagi, a B-class hero, had one.

“Worried about your skills?” asked Suou Kayako, sensing something was bothering her. Ayaka forced a smile.

“Y-yes…a little…”

I’m the only front-line fighter our group has… I have to try harder.

“But you’ve unlocked skills in the specialist section, right?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Ayaka’s skill tree was unique—she had no common skills, but in their place were specialist combat skills that she could obtain. These skills played a large part in supporting her during battle.

But these specialist combat skills are hardly comparable to all the other heroes’ unique skills…

Ayaka was pressed for time. The shadow of death always hung over her in combat—she couldn’t just wait for her skills to develop on their own.

“Sorry to keep you all waiting!”

The Goddess arrived at last.

“’Bout time!” complained Oyamada Shougo.

“I do apologize, Oyamada-san.”

“If you weren’t so freakin’ beautiful I’d be swearin’ up a storm right now, Goddess-senpai!”

“My, my, the perks of being beautiful~!”

“But hey, there’s only so much it’ll let you get away with.”

Some of the girls in Asagi’s group started whispering to each other.

“He’s the worst.”

“So loud… Shut up already.”

“He only cares about looking cool. I’m so done with that guy.”

Ayaka wondered if they really felt that way, or if they were trying to sway Asagi and keep her from leaving their group for Kirihara’s.

Suddenly, the whispers changed. “W-who’s that?! He’s so freakin’ handsome!”

The girls had caught sight of the two men and two women who came in behind the Goddess. They were all dressed the same but didn’t seem to be her subordinates. Behind them, a huge, bearded man appeared in the doorway. He looked wild but strong and ruggedly handsome, like an actor out of a fantasy film.

He seemed completely nonchalant as the sound of his longsword’s scabbard scraping across the floor filled the room. Eight other armed individuals, clearly weaker than the first few, filed in after him—Ayaka remembered two of them from the changing room earlier. As they lined up around the Goddess, Nyantan entered the room at the end of the line and closed the door behind her.

“Everyone has been leveling up so wonderfully fast,” said the Goddess. “It truly is a joy to behold. First, let me thank you all for your hard work…”

The Goddess bowed, elegant and smooth, quickly raising her head when it was done.

“But understand this—no matter how high your levels rise, they are but numbers. A measure of your fundamental abilities, no? What you all currently lack is technique—the art of battle, one might say. Ah, what am I thinking!”

The Goddess corrected herself.

“Sogou-san has those ancient martial arts she’s so good at, doesn’t she? I still remember her losing her senses and trying to strike me. Oh no, I haven’t forgotten that at all. Every action has consequences, you see. You never know when something you do might come back to bite you. Be careful, won’t you, heroes? ♪♩”

“Get to the freakin’ point!” called Oyamada.

The Goddess feigned distress.

“I’m so terribly sorry, I only meant to impart some wisdom…but Oyamada-san, this is exactly what I’m speaking of. Your harmful and inconsiderate remarks…you may come to regret them one day. Oh, how cruel…”

“Sh-shut up already! You called us out here ’cause you wanted to talk, yeah? Quit killing the mood and tell us what you want!”

“Shougo.”

It was Kirihara.

“Huh? What, Takuto?”

“Lashing out at everyone like this—it’s not a good look. It’s about time you grew up.”

“But Takutoooo!”

“If things go the same way they did with Nyantan, I’m not jumping in to save you…”

“Ouch. Sorry, Goddess-senpai, jeez! You’ll, like, forgive me, right?!”

His apology was hollow and insincere, but the Goddess accepted it and moved on as if nothing had happened.

“Chipper as always this morning, Oyamada-san! ♪♫♩ Impatient too, I see! Then for your sake, let’s get going, shall we? ♫”

She explained that the people assembled behind her were here to train them, brought in from all corners of the continent.

The whispering started again.

“They’re called the Four Holy Elders! D-didn’t the Goddess just say they’re, like, all siblings? Right?! Right?!”

“So like, those girls with Agit-san aren’t dating him or anything?!”

“Kyaah!”

“So whatcha think?! Better than Kirihara-kun?!”

“They’re like totally different types!”

“You’re so right.”

Several of the girls were getting worked up, whispering increasingly loudly.

The Goddess continued her explanation undeterred, seeming to tolerate them for now. Ayaka was worked up too, albeit for different reasons.

Those Four Holy Elders…all of them were incredibly strong. That huge man too, the one she introduced as Banewolf.

Ayaka felt like she was face to face with a bottomless well of strength, though the man was just standing in front of her. She swallowed.

I have a long way to go…

“—and so these individuals will be your instructors,” said the Goddess, “The Sabre-toothed Tigers will work with Asagi-san’s group, the Dragonslayer will go to Yasu-san’s group, Nyantan will instruct the Takao sisters, and the Four Holy Elders will be with Kirihara-san’s group. I leave them in your capable hands~!”

Wait, what about us? There isn’t even anybody left to teach us—will the Goddess be instructing us personally?

But the Goddess looked as if she had finished her task for the day. Akaya was about to raise her hand to ask a question when someone else spoke up.

“Sogou Ayaka-san’s group hasn’t been assigned an instructor.”

“Hmm~?” The Goddess tilted her head to the side.

Takao Hijiri’s hand was already in the air as she spoke, her expression clear and cool. She looked beautiful, standing up straight and resolute—fearless. The Goddess smiled uncomfortably at the question.

“Oh my! Right, right. My apologies for not remembering sooner. I completely forgot to explain! I intended for the Black Dragon Knights’ Elite Five to be in charge of Kirihara-san’s group, but as you’ve no doubt already heard, tragically, they died recently. As a result, we simply don’t have enough instructors to go around. It has been quite the bother, as you can imagine!”

She pressed her hands to her cheeks.

“But, well, Sogou-san has her ancient martial arts, and is even confident enough in her abilities to attempt to defy the heavens! I believe it will be sufficient for her to instruct her own group in those techniques. That was my hope at least. Is there some sort of problem with my suggestion?”

“Of course there’s a problem,” responded Hijiri bluntly.

“Oh? Whatever makes you say that? Might I hear a logical argument, and not one based in any subjective emotions?”

“Might I ask what your logical reasons are—which of course won’t be based on subjective emotions—for excluding Sogou-san’s group from training?”

“Excuse me? D-did you… Correct me if I’m wrong, but did you just answer a question with another question? No one in their right mind would attempt something so childish, I’m sure. Are you quite well?”

“I could ask the same of you, Goddess.”

“Hmm~?”

“I find it hard to believe that you are in your right mind when you say things like that, casting aspersions on my sister and I—S-class and A-class heroes.”

“Ah, Hijiri-san, you are correct—but I simply didn’t explain this properly. I trust Sogou-san’s abilities completely, that’s all. Please, don’t misinterpret my indelicacy as malice. Hmm, but this is quite the dilemma! I can hardly call back my disciples from the other nations…”

She looked over the instructors she had gathered.

“It will be more work for no additional pay…are there any admirable individuals among you who will agree to look after Sogou and her friends? No, of course not. None of you would.”

“Want me to do it?”

“Hmm?”

The man she had introduced as Banewolf—otherwise known as the Dragonslayer—spoke.

“Are you entirely sure, Bane?”

“They’re promising heroes, aren’t they? We should do everything we can to make sure they stay alive.”

“I see.”

Banewolf stroked his beard.

“Unless you had something else in mind when you refused this group an instructor.”

“Excuse me? What was that?”

“Forget I said anything. Hey, I’ll look after them, so how about some fine drink to sweeten the deal?”

“Oh ho ho, I do worry about you sometimes. That’s a small price to pay though, of course. ♪♫♩ I’ll furnish you with the finest money can buy.”

“Heh heh, cheers…”

“Ah, so the drink was your aim all along?”

“What do you think?”

The Dragonslayer was evading the Goddess’s questions, and Ayaka couldn’t tell what he really felt.

“Are you sure you can still fulfill all your duties to Yasu’s group, even with the extra load?”

“I’ll do everything I can to instruct them. Famously lazy, though, aren’t I? You should consider yourself lucky that I even agreed to assist you in the first place, no?”

“Very well. I’m counting on you.”

Banewolf scratched his head.

“Jeez. Those silences of yours are terrifying, you know…”

“The Demon King’s armies have been making big moves of late,” said the Goddess, ignoring Banewolf and moving on to her next topic. “The number of monsters gathering around the Nightwall is significantly higher than in past occurrences. The coming war will be on a much greater scale than I ever imagined. And of course…” She spread her arms wide and smiled compassionately. “You heroes, the pride of Alion, will be taking part in the next battle. Do keep that in mind as you continue your training. I’m counting on you all.”

 

MIMORI TOUKA

 

SEVERAL DAYS had passed since we left Monroy.

“Welcome back,” said Seras, looking up from the river where she was washing our clothes. I had just been to a village on a supply run, and we were now camping out in the forest.

“I’m so sorry to leave all the shopping to you, Sir Too-ka.”

“Nobody knows what I look like, so I can just pretend to be a traveler. It’s no problem.”

Seras smiled as she wrung the water from a shirt. “I don’t have quite the acting skills that you do.”

“I’m good at blending in with the crowd, that’s all.”

Elves and leopardmen always stood out. Seras could disguise her appearance somewhat, but her beauty always drew attention. And her disguises were limited—she couldn’t make big alterations to her gender, age, or facial features, and she couldn’t change the shape of her body. Apparently, the majority of her power’s strength was spent disguising her ears.

I handed over the things I’d bought to Seras.

“Once we make it to the Land of the Golden-Eyed Monsters, you won’t need to hide anymore. You can rest normally there, no need for my skill to send you to sleep.”

Using my skill to put her to sleep is kind of a loophole… Doesn’t seem like the spirits are complaining, though.

“Where are Eve and Lis?” I asked.

“They’re looking after the horses,” responded Seras.

I went over to greet them.

“Too-ka, you’re back!”

“Welcome back, Mr. Too-ka!”

“Squee~! ♪♫♩ ”

I’d left Piggymaru back at camp too. The little slime was wrapped around Lis, with whom he had become fast friends.

“Well then, let’s eat,” I said.

The sun was already down, and the sky was growing dark. We had been lucky with the weather of late, blessed by sunny days and relatively mild temperatures. We sat in a circle around the fire and decided to eat everything I’d bought that wouldn’t last longer than a day. Before long, we had roasted meat, fruit, and a pot of stew bubbling on the fire. Lis was in charge of the seasoning.

“I…I hope it’s to your liking,” she said.

I brought the soup to my mouth and sipped.

Whoa, this is delicious.

“I think you’re going to have to be in charge of the cooking from now on,” I said.

“Th-Thank you!”

“Sqmm~! ♪♫♩”

Sounds like Piggymaru likes it too… It was always weird to see the slime turn into a bowl to drink soup, the liquid disappearing without a trace.

Liz crouched down to stroke Piggymaru.

“Hee… Thanks, Piggymaru…”

“Squee~! ♪♫♩”

Seras was already starting to tidy up the dishes.

“I’ll clean up here—help Lis get changed, will you?” I said.

I bought Lis some clothes and armor while I was in town. Nobody else had clothes that fit her, so she had been wearing the same outfit for some time. We were on the verge of entering the Land of the Golden-Eyed Monsters too—I was hardly about to let her walk in unprotected.

Worse comes to worst, she’s going to need some way of defending herself.

“This is the only armor I could find that would fit you,” I said to Lis. There hadn’t been many choices when it came to protection for someone her size. “I heard some noble guy bought this as a gift for his daughter. She wore the stuff once then tossed it away—hated it.” Lucky for us, the nobleman had pawned it in a nearby village.

Seras was checking over the armor.

“It looks like a full set…more focused on appearance than practical use, but it’s good quality.”

Much better protection than what she’s wearing right now. I wonder what she thinks about it.

I glanced over at Lis.

“What do you think? Do you like it?”

“O-of course! Thank you so much, Mr. Too-ka!”

“Hey, you don’t have to say yes or anything. You can say if you don’t like it, okay?”

“N-no, I love it! Thank you s-so much for taking the trouble to buy this for me. I’m so happy!”

…She’s way too honest.

“Seras…I get that it’s a full set of armor, but go ahead and change out parts or add cloth wherever you think it’s needed. It looks like it might be sort of revealing.”

Seras smiled and laughed a little.

“Right, understood.”

I hated those sick noblemen.

 

“Mr. Too-ka, wh-what in the world is this…? This…” Lis held both hands to her mouth, practically shaking with excitement. “Oh… This is unbelievable, almost…”

Eve growled. Piggymaru was trembling too.

“Squ… Squ-ue…”

We’d finished dinner, and I’d just handed out the snacks that the leather pouch sent me a few days ago—cookies covered in white chocolate.

“I always liked these things.” I divided them up equally between the four of us, plus one for Piggymaru.

“It will not open,” said Eve, struggling with the packaging.

“Give it here.” I opened the plastic packaging and handed her the cookie.

“You opened it so easily…”

“It’s made to be opened easily.”

Eve stared at the package and narrowed her eyes, fixated on the cookie inside.

“I simply can’t believe it. This carving on the white part…how is it so detailed? What kind of craftsman could…”

She trailed off, amazed at the image stamped into the chocolate.

“This bag, too, is incomprehensible. This smoothness… What material is it made of?”

“Nnh!”

Lis was struggling with her packaging too.

Are they avoiding the spiky bits on the edge? They don’t think that bit’s dangerous or anything, do they?

I opened Lis’s cookie for her.

“Here.”

“Oh, Mr. Too-ka, thank you for helping m—”

“Just eat already.”

“O-okay.”

I bit into one, enjoying the different textures of the chocolate and cookie layers. The hard chocolate started to melt, and the subtly sweet cookie broke apart in my mouth, releasing a faint wave of salty flavor. It combined with the taste of the white chocolate racing across my tongue to create the ultimate sweetness.

Chocolate and cookies go incredibly well together, huh? Nothing beats this.

Lis munched on hers like a hamster. She seemed to be trying to hold herself back but was soon lost in the taste.

“They’re delicious, aren’t they, Piggymaru?!”

“Squee~! ♪♫♩ ”

“Mr. Too-ka… I’ve never eaten anything this good before in my life,” said Lis.

“This kind of surprise is nice from time to time, huh?” I replied.

“The world you used to live in must be an incredible place,” said Eve.

I ended up telling Eve and Lis about myself—that I was a hero from another world.

No reason to hide it from them.

I explained that the snacks came from my old world. The heroes were well known throughout the continent, so while I told Eve and Lis plenty of things that surprised them, the fact that another world existed wasn’t a shock.

Makes things easier to explain.

“From our perspective, your world seems incredible…”

I remembered the reaction Seras had to eating the cheese tart.

The grass is always greener on the other side, I guess? Anyway, Seras sure is being quiet…

“What’s up, Seras?”

“I…love—.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, I mean… Nothing! These snacks are quite delicious,” she said, flustered.

She ate slowly but seemed to really enjoy it.

Is she trying to stay the cool vice-captain in front of Eve and Lis? I bet she’s holding back from saying more. She’s practically glowing.

“Are Eve and Lis already in bed?” I asked.

“Yes, they’re sound asleep,” said Seras.

It was just about time for me to take my turn on watch. I sat down next to her and fished around in my bag.

“Hey, here.”

“This is…”

“Take it.” I’d only eaten one bag of my share of the cookies, and I handed her the rest.

“Are you sure?”

“You like them, right?”

“But I…”

“I used to eat them all the time in the old world. It’s fine.”

Seras’s expression was usually inscrutable, but there was something special about the face she made when it came to snacks.

“A-are you absolutely sure?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve gotta give treats to my vice-captain, don’t I?”

“T-treats…?”

“I’m kidding. It’s a reward for all the work you’ve done, that’s all,” I said, turning back to Forbidden Arts: The Complete Works in my lap.

“You’re always reading that book, Sir Too-ka…”

“Knowledge is power, right? Especially when it comes to this thing. I’m re-reading too, whenever I can find the time.”

I should be able to find ingredients for the next stage of Piggymaru’s monster enhancement solution in the Land of the Golden-Eyed Monsters. It causes huge leaps in the little guy’s combat abilities—Piggymaru was invaluable against the Black Dragon Knights and Ashint. I should prioritize making him stronger in the days to come.

“Sir Too-ka?”

“Huh?”

Seras deftly opened the plastic packaging, broke the cookie in two, and held one half out to me.

“A treat…for you,” she said, smiling.

“Bossy for a vice-captain, aren’t you?”

“Take it.”

“Nh.”

I took the cookie with my mouth.

Her fingers are so thin…how does she hold a sword with them?

“We’re almost there,” she said.

“Yeah…”

“It’s strange. I almost don’t even feel scared about where we’re going.”

“If my powers work on the monsters there, I’m sure that’ll put your mind at ease.”

Will my status effect skills work on the monsters we’re facing next? Will they affect the humanoid monsters? How many of them are like the Soul Eater? I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

“Heh, we’re counting on you. I’ll do my best to make you feel you can count on me too.”

“Don’t worry, I already do.”

Seras was quiet for a moment as she took a bite of cookie.

“By the way, Sir Too-ka… Not to change the subject, but I’ve thought of a name for our mercenary band.”

“You think we need a name?”

“Yes. We might need to announce ourselves formally after leaving the Land of the Golden-Eyed Monsters.”

She’s thinking that far ahead?

“I see. Now that you mention it, it seems like a good idea.” I remembered the mercenary recruitment back in Mils—someday we might need to formally participate in an event like that.

“This is just an idea, but how about The Lord of the Flies Brigade?”

“Ha. Why that?”

“In legends, it’s the name of the Lord of the Flies’s forces. The name itself is well known, but I’ve never heard of any other group taking up the title.”

“The Lord of the Flies Brigade, huh? That’s not half bad.”

I placed my hand on the fly mask in my bag.

“Let’s go with it.”

 

I put Seras to sleep and set the book I’d been reading aside.

“Still…it hasn’t faded, not even a little,” I murmured to nobody.

I thought time would heal these wounds. I thought I would forget, or that things would resolve themselves.

But nothing had changed.

 

My desire for revenge against that foul Goddess was still burning hot inside me. What if she was already dead, somewhere far away where I’d never find her? She couldn’t die on me like that.

“Can’t have the Demon King’s armies coming in and killing you quick, spoiling my fun…”

Use Kirihara and the others to prop yourself up, do whatever it takes—just survive. Stay alive until I’m ready to take my revenge… Stay the “compassionate” foul Goddess I know you are.

It’d be smarter for me to forget my revenge. I knew that. If only I could be merciful and forgive her for what she did to me.

I’m a fool—I’ve accepted that.

I’m ugly and mean—I know that too.

And mean, ugly fool Mimori Too-ka is going to send you straight to hell, Vicius.

“I don’t imagine she’ll die that easy, though…”

She’s stubborn. She’ll cling to life.

“The Land of the Golden-Eyed Monsters.”

Golden-Eyed monsters…

Humanoid monsters…

Fearsome enemies…

I can’t afford to be complacent. I know that, and yet…

 

It’s no use.

I couldn’t suppress the hope swelling in my chest. This place was going to be dangerous, maybe even fatal, but…there were experience points waiting for me in there. Millions and millions of them.

My stats were low, I knew that—but they weren’t nothing. I felt it in the fight against Ashint and the baron’s men. Every time I fired off a skill, I could feel my stats working to support me, pulling me up from the bottom. I might not be able to get as strong as an S-class or A-class hero, but if I focused on raising my stats as much as possible, I could close the gap between us.

Now there was a good reason to level up.

One point might be the difference between life and death for me. As long as my status effect skills work there, I know what I’m going to do…

“Kill them. Murder them. Exterminate them all.”

That’s the next step. A foothold on my path to revenge.

“Annihilate every last one of them and turn them into EXP.”